Mobile Bay was ordered from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula on 15 January 1982. She was laid down on 6 June 1984, launched on 22 August 1985 and commissioned on 21 February 1987. At 30-years young, she is still worth keeping around. Photo Caption: (Oct. 22, 2017) The guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) sails past Port Hueneme, Calif. after the successful transport of passengers and equipment to and from the ship. Mobile Bay is currently underway testing the updated AEGIS Baseline 9 weapons system in preparation for its upcoming deployment. (U.S Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad M. Butler/Released)
Defense News has a great piece about USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) an aging Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser, one of the most senior of her class, set to be decommissioned as early as 2020. However, with new Baseline 9 software enhancements, she is no “ghetto” warship on her last legs ready to push, pull or drag to mothballs, but one of the most potent missile slingers in the world.
“Right now, on a 30-year-old ship, I have the most capable combat system,” said Capt. Jim Storm. “It was a pretty powerful moment when we were sitting on the pier directly across from a destroyer that had just got commissioned two weeks prior – we were gearing up for our MISSILE-EX. I was able to tell my crew that when we deploy, based on where we are going and the threats we’ll be facing, I’d rather be on this ship than that one. That’s a pretty powerful thing to be able to tell your crew, it’s something to get excited about.”
Found it cool that a 2013 image of mine, of a 28m Kuwaiti patrol boat, made it into a warship calendar for 2018. Looks like the month of May is very Eger!
I just realized that the Rebel “A295” blasters from Hoth (Episode V) are actually modified German StG44s and resin repros. As that part of Star Wars saga was filmed in Norway, wonder if they were just recycled from the ones handed in there in 1945…
Arve Juritzen, Norwegian rescue skier and later noted author, with a vismodded StG-44 as a “Hoth rebel” during filming in Finse, Norway
German soldiers from 1st Ski Division (1. Skijäger-Division) armed with StG 44 Sturmgewehr 44 in Pripyat, Ukraine, February 1944
November 2017- “China’s first operational aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong for the first time in a display of military might less than a week after a high-profile visit by President Xi Jinping. The Liaoning steamed into port with its escort of two guided missile destroyers and a missile frigate, dropping anchor at a naval base across from the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island.” (Reuters)
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China made it official last week and said they started work on their second Type 001A class aircraft carrier, CV18, back in October of last year. It will use an electromagnetic aircraft launch system and displace somewhere on the order of 80,000-tons, making it the largest Chinese warship ever built and second only to a modern U.S. fleet carrier.
The PLAN has actually been in the carrier business in part since the mid-1970s, a dream realized in part when they picked up the retired Majestic-class light carriers HMAS Melbourne (R21) in 1984. Though she had 868,893 nautical miles on her and was a mess, the Chinese slowly disassembled the WWII-design over a 15 year period and reportedly made extensive notes on her construction and steam catapult and landing systems as first steps towards their own carrier program. Reportedly, the Chinese Navy reverse-engineered a land-based replica of Melbourne‘s cat by 1987 and has used it in a series of trials of their own carrier-based aircraft.
The PLAN further compared the 1940s British carrier to that of the 1970s Soviet helicopter carriers Kiev and Minsk, purchased in the 1990s as floating amusement parks for tourists, to help with their own best practices in flattop construction moving forward. Then came the 67,000-ton Admiral Kuznetsov-class strike carrier, laid down as the Soviet carrier Varyag in 1985, and finally completed by the Chinese in 2011 as Liaoning after she was sold in 1998 by the Ukrainians as a floating casino (!).
China’s first locally built carrier, the Type 001A aircraft carrier or CV-17, a modified Kuznetsov based on the Liaoning improvements, was launched on 26 April 2017 and is fitting out with a completion date expected sometime around 2020 as the carrier Shi Lang. The yard reportedly is using lots of Ukrainian experts and a staff of 5,000 skilled shipbuilders.
China plans to have four aircraft carrier battle groups in service by 2030, according to naval experts, with Liaoning and three progressively better Type 001A class vessels as the centerpiece.
Chinese carrier ‘ Liaoning with escorts. Photos via Chinese Internet
“The Whites of Their Eyes” Colonial militia at Bunker Hill 1775. Ken Riley. Located at the JFK Presidential Library.
An Arizona lawmaker wants to add specific weapon allowances and a public marksmanship program to the broad definition of the state militia. The four-pack of legislation pre-filed for the 2018 session aims to revise the composition and protected equipment of the unorganized militia, which under the state Constitution currently consists of “all capable citizens” aged 18 to 45.
Stringer’s proposal would remove the upper age limit on militia composition as well as spell out a list of “particularly suited firearms” protected for personal possession. These protections would include any revolver or semi-auto firearm, magazine or accessory of the type used by law enforcement in the state or the military as well allow for “sufficient quantities” of privately held ammunition for both training and emergency use.
203 years ago today: A small force of U.S. Marines participate in the Battle of New Orleans, repulsing the British assault on General Andrew Jackson’s lines. The enemy loses more than 2,000 soldiers, while the American forces suffer only 13 casualties.
This painting by Col Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCR — Repulse of the Highlanders, New Orleans, 8 January 1815– is from the Marine Corps Art Collection via the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
As the battle lines formed for the city, 58 Marines from the New Orleans Navy Yard took position in the redoubt next to the Mississippi River, where they were commanded by Maj. Daniel Carmick, a veteran of the Quasi War with France. As commander of the Marine detachment assigned to the frigate Constitution, Carmick had led an attack to spike the cannon in the fort at Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, according to the Navy’s history Web site.
So I took advantage of some of the recent freak snowfall on the Gulf Coast to get some shots of two of my newest additions to my bayonet collection. Behold, I give you a pair of pre-WWI stickers for the M1908 Mauser rifle produced for Brazil by DWM in Imperial Germany:
As a bit of a backgrounder, the Brazilians loved them some Mauser bolt guns. They started with the M1904 Mauser-Vergueiro rifle then went all-in with the Model 1908 rifle, similar to the Gew.98 with a 29-inch barrel. After WWI, in the 1930s Brazil bought the unlicenced Czech 08/34, a K98k clone with a 22-inch barrel chambered in 7mm as well as genuine Oberndorf-built M1935s.
BRAZILIAN Model 1908 Mauser bolt-action long rifle # 9101o (7×57) mfg. by DWM in 1909. Photo by Empire Arms
Brazilian sailors on battleship Minas Gervias, the 1920s, dressed for landing party duty– complete with M1908 series bayonets
They continued their love affair well into the 1950s with the locally-built (Itajuba Arsenal) M1954, a .30-06 rifle made with parts of all of the aforementioned Mausers to complement M1903A3s and M1s picked up from the U.S. during WWII.
Brazilian Expeditionary Force soldiers in Italy, 1945. Note the U.S. equipment to include M1903A3 Springfields and M1 Garands. The Brazilian Army switched to the 30.06 for about 20 years following WWII
The 25,000-strong Brazilian Expeditionary Force fought like lions in Italy from late 1944 into 1945 and lost nearly 950 men to combat. They also bagged two German Generals including Generalleutnant Otto Fretter-Pico, shown here surrendering his 148. Infanterie-Division to Brazilian FEB General Euclides Zenóbio da Costa. Italy, 1945
The BEF’s logo was the cobra está fumando, which means “The snake is smoking” A snake smoking a pipe was akin to pigs flying. It is a known saying in Brazil i.e. “It is easier for a snake to smoke than __” Former President Getúlio Vargas claimed it was easier for a snake to smoke than Brazil entering the war against Germany.
Second Sergeant Oscar Cardoso Garcez of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force with a captured German Unteroffizier the latter carrying both the EK1 and EK2, as well as an Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen and a Verwundetenabzeichen wound badge. Note the M1903 over his shoulder
The text says: In the Italian mountains… The expeditionary [to a German soldier]: …what is this? You’re also a Vasco fan? Context: Vasco da Gama is a soccer club from Rio de Janeiro whose crest resembles the German Iron Cross. Note that the curve of the bayonet gives it away as a Mauser type rather than a U.S. M1
With the exception of this group, however, the Brazilian Army kept using their Mausers for decades as their primary infantry arm.
Take this image of a Brazilian Army soldier talking with local children during the 1964 Military Coup in Rio de Janeiro, for instance.
Though the Brazilians adopted a homegrown variant of the FAL made by the Itajubá-based IMBEL in 1964, some of the older 7mm Mausers went up for grabs on the surplus market then while others were only recently released from “just in case” reserves after decades in arsenal storage. Further, in the 1950s a large number of M1908s were sold to the Dominican Republic under strongman Rafael Trujillo, where they were reconditioned by his San Cristobal Arsenal, ran oddly enough by Hungarian ex-pats, and continued to serve into the 1980s. (More details on this at the bottom of post)
Further, a number of Mausers still show up in images of the Brazilian military.
Brazilian officer cadets armed with what appears to be some well-used Mauser Kar 98k’s, likely Brazilian remade Model 1954s
Which brings us to these particular M1908 bayonets shown at the top.
Some 17-inches overall (18 when in the scabbard) with an 11.75-inch blade, M1908 Brazilian-contract export bayonets were made by three firms for DWM: Weyersberg-Kirschbaum & Cie (W.K. & Cie) and Alex Coppel (ALCOSO) of Solingen as well as Simson & Co. of Suhl, Germany.
The two examples I have are made by W.K. & Cie and Simson & Co., respectively with “β” (beta) inspection marks on both blade and pommel. Still looking for an ALCOSO!
The steel has a gentle patina overall with some light pitting on the spine, likely caused due to interaction with the scabbard interior in humid conditions– after all, they did serve for generations in the same country as the Amazon.
They were grimy with storage but cleaned up very nice with some Ballistol (what else?). The leather body wood scabbard has brass fixtures and is serial numbered to the blade as per contract.
I picked them up for a song from Springfield Sporters of Penn Run, PA and they had “hundreds in stock” for $30 bucks each. As orders of $65 or more ship for free, I added a Canadian No. 4 Long Branch SMLE bayonet to the mix for $5 to finish it out and I am tickled pink.
Springfield Sporters has these for just $30 bucks. Gott in Himmel!
And finally, here is the footnote on the surplus Mausers bought by the Dominican Republic from Brazil in the 1950s, and liquidated as surplus sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s after reconditioning them. Details on said reconditioning here from Ian McCollum with Forgotten Weapons:
“MILICA“ is a modern remote controlled short-range anti-tank system on an unmanned two-tracked vehicle based on the newest IP and wireless technology. The main purpose of this system is the protection of expected attack routes of MBT (Main Battle Tanks) and other types of AFV (Armored Fighting Vehicle) and system also can be engaged for tactical destructions of different types of field fortified objects. The system is also very effective as a support for special infantry units during the action of intelligence, observation, and monitoring on unsecured areas on different types of fields and also in urban conditions.
The system has modular capabilities with the possibility of the simple changing type of weapons. It works in all weather conditions and almost on all types of grounds. The system has a possibility of building a great network of same type systems and connecting them with a command information system (C4I) on the higher level. It is possible to control and command with dozens of systems from only one command post.
Today is Red Hackle Day! This annual celebration on 5 January commemorates the award to The Black Watch (3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, 3 SCOTS) of the right to wear the Red Hackle in their caps.
The Black Watch at Quatre Bras, 1815, by William Barnes Wollen. Note the red hackles in their caps
Forward! 42nd Highland (Black Watch) at the Battle of Alma, 1854, Crimean War. Note the red hackles
The origin of the wearing of the Red Hackle is uncertain. There is evidence that it was worn by the 42nd in North America in the 1770s, however a 19th Century tradition ascribes the award of the Red Hackle to an action at the battle of Geldermalsen in 1795 when the 11th Light Dragoons retreated, leaving two field guns for the French. The Black Watch promptly mounted an attack and recovered the guns.
It was for this action that the Red Hackle was allegedly awarded and on the King’s birthday on 4 June 1795, there was a parade at Royston in Hertfordshire, when a Red Hackle was given to every man on parade. It was not until 1822 that the Adjutant General issued an order, confirming that only The Black Watch would have the privilege of wearing the red “vulture feather” in their bonnets.
In 1919 the Central Committee of The Black Watch Association formalised the date on which the Regiment should celebrate “Red Hackle Day”.
The tradition is carried on to this day.
Date 03/09/11 Location Fort George Invernes-shire , Photo by Mark Owens: His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay inspects troops at Fort George today. Photo Caption: DUKE OF ROTHESAY VISITS 3 SCOTS, Today [Saturday, 3 September 2011] His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay visited The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland at their Fort George base. The Battalion paraded its new Colours in the presence of HRH and Battalion’s families. The Parade was followed by a BBQ lunch, which led into a number of afternoon activities, encompassing military stands, entertainment for the children, and an inter-company competition. The day provided an opportunity to assemble the Battalion community for the final time prior to 3 SCOTS forthcoming deployment to Afghanistan , and allowed HRH – the Battalion’s Royal Colonel – to meet soldiers and their families.
![Date 03/09/11 Location Fort George Invernes-shire Photo by Mark Owens: His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay inspects troops at Fort George today. Photo Caption: DUKE OF ROTHESAY VISITS 3 SCOTS Today [Saturday, 3 September 2011] His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay visited The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland at their Fort George base. The Battalion paraded its new Colours in the presence of HRH and Battalion’s families. The Parade was followed by a BBQ lunch, which led into a number of afternoon activities, encompassing military stands, entertainment for the children, and an inter-company competition. The day provided an opportunity to assemble the Battalion community for the final time prior to 3 SCOTS forthcoming deployment to Afghanistan , and allowed HRH – the Battalion’s Royal Colonel - to meet soldiers and their families. ENDS Note my new DII e-mail address: 2XX-G3Media-Ops-Edin-PIO (Jamieson, Bill Mr) Bill Jamieson Press Officer Army G3 Media and Communications (Based at G3 Media and Communications HQ 2nd Division) 94740 2611 - HQ 2nd Division (Military) 0131 310 2611 - HQ 2nd Division (Civilian) 07900 607919 (Mobile) bill.jamieson678@mod.uk](https://i0.wp.com/laststandonzombieisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/red-hackle-3-scots.jpg?resize=519%2C319&ssl=1)