Canada’s Answer

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110 Years Ago. October 1914. RN LCDR Norman Wilkinson‘s depiction of the sailing of Canada’s First Contingent of troops, the Canadian Expeditionary Force, over 31,000 strong, from Canada to England to fight the Germans.

Beaverbrook Collection of War Art Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, 19710261-0791

“After taking soldiers, horses, and equipment on board in Quebec City, the liners carrying the First Contingent formed up with British warships in Bay of Gaspé, Quebec, before leaving for England. Along the way, they were joined by another liner carrying soldiers from Newfoundland and by several other warships, including one of the Royal Navy’s largest battlecruisers, the 26,000-ton HMS Princess Royal, seen here in the foreground.”

The force, including the whole of the 1st Canadian Division and supporting units, comprised 1,547 officers; 29,070 men; 7,679 horses; 70 guns (QF 18-pounders), 110 motor vehicles, 705 horsed-pulled vehicles, and 82 bicycles. They were the first tranche of what would be more than 650,000 Canucks sent “Over There.” To put those numbers into perspective, Canada in 1914 had a population of just 8 million. The current Canadian Army is authorized at just 22,500 active personnel (and is 13 percent short of those numbers), drawn from a population of some 39 million. 

The flotilla of 31 merchantmen was protected by seven battleships and cruisers under convoy commander RADM Robert Phipps-Hornby CMG, Commanding North America and West Indies Station, with his flag in the old 14,000-ton Canopus class battlewagon HMS Glory. Several flotillas of destroyers would join once the convoy was nearing the sea area of maximum U-boat threat southwest of Ireland.

As for the artist. Wilkinson achieved fame for inventing the dazzle-painting technique, a form of camouflage applied to a ship’s hull to make it more difficult to detect.

In his April 1917 proposal to the British War Office, he described it as “large patches of strong colour in a carefully thought out pattern and colour scheme.

A National Guard Ranger Bn?

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Ray Vawter, a civilian for the Army Research Laboratory and in human intelligence in the Washington, DC Army National Guard, makes the case for an Army NG Ranger battalion to augment the 75th Ranger Regiment’s four active (three operational, one support) battalions.

I mean it makes sense, as there have long been a pair of NG SF Groups, the 19th and the 20th, which date back to the Cuban Missile Crisis and have deployed all over the world– seeing plenty of trigger time– in the past two decades.

Further, a specially formed NG Ranger Company [Co D, 151st (Ranger) Inf, Indiana NG] deployed to Vietnam back in the day. 

Indiana Rangers: The Army Guard in Vietnam. By Mort Kunstler. Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry, Indiana Army National Guard arrived in Vietnam in December 1968. As part of the II Field Force, the Indiana Rangers were assigned reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions. Operating deep in enemy territory, Ranger patrols engaged enemy units while conducting raids, ambushes, and surveillance missions. “Delta Company” achieved an impressive combat record during its tour in Vietnam; unit members were awarded 510 medals for valor and service. 

Two valid points from Vawter’s essay:

The recruitment crisis is arguably the biggest challenge facing the military today. A National Guard Ranger battalion could help address this problem in at least two ways. First, just as there are service-inclined members of the population who thrive in reserve components because their lifestyle isn’t conducive to active duty, there are those whose attributes and interests make them ideal candidates for the specific type of missions Ranger units excel in. A National Guard Ranger battalion would enable the Army to recruit and retain more of this segment of the population—action-oriented individuals who might already be working as SWAT officers or firefighters, but could equally be working in an office or a factory. This diversity is a strength of the entire reserve component and would be a strength of a National Guard Ranger battalion, as well. Offering more options to the public can only benefit recruitment.

Second, this unit could help retain Rangers leaving active duty. Just as SEALs and Special Forces have the option to continue serving in the reserves, Rangers should have the same opportunity. As noted earlier in this article, increasing dwell time would increase retention in the active component. The reserve component Ranger battalion would also encourage Rangers who are leaving active duty to transition to the Army National Guard, which effectively further increases retention for the Army as a total force. The National Guard allows them to continue serving even as they transition to the civilian world. Additionally, it would be an opportunity for the Army to bolster the return on its substantial investment in these elite soldiers.

More here.

NOAA to Retire Orions, Acquire C-130J Super Herks for Hurricane Hunting

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Last week, NOAA announced that they had awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, based in Georgia, for two specialized C-130J Hercules to become the next generation of hurricane hunter aircraft.

It makes sense as the USAFR’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” at Keesler flies the same general type, 10 WC-130Js, and has done so since 1999. 

Of course, this will probably lead to a bean counter in D.C. to either push the weather recon mission to NOAA altogether or absorb it into the 53rd WRS– with the latter likely. 

The NOAA C-130s will replace the service’s two long-serving WP-3D Orions, nicknamed “Kermit” (N42RF) and “Miss Piggy” (N43RF), which have operated since the mid-1970s. The Navy, which helps support these old birds, is looking to divest its last P-3 platforms, VQ-1’s EP-3E Aries II, in 2025, while VXS-1 operates a handful of NP-3s on research roles, so the writing is on the walls.

“Adding these highly capable C-130J aircraft to our fleet ensures NOAA can continue to provide the public, decision-makers and researchers with accurate, timely and life-saving information about extreme weather events,” said Rear Adm. Chad Cary, director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations. “NOAA is using our more than 50 years of experience gathering data on hurricanes and other atmospheric phenomena to enhance the capabilities of these specialized new aircraft.”

Would-be Nautilus

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Some 105 years ago this week: USS H-2 (Submarine No. 29) partially submerged in the Hudson River, while on recruiting duty at New York City, on 6 October 1919, with the Manhattan skyline in the background. At about that time, while commanded by LCDR Clarke Withers, she performed the remarkable feat of sending a wireless message while submerged.

Note the submarine “fish flag” atop her periscope. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. NH 45615

The second of her class of nine Electric Boat 26A/26R design subs, the 150-foot/467-ton H-1s were ordered by the U.S. Navy and the Tsarist fleet (hence the 26A and 26R designations) with the first three originally given then-traditional “fish” names: Seawolf, Nautilus, and Garfish. These were later changed before commissioning to a more homogenous H-1 through H-9 once the Tsar’s boats were acquired after the Russian Revolution and Civil War prevented delivery.

Constructed at Union Iron Works, San Francisco, H-2 would deploy with her H-1 sister to the Atlantic in October 1917, where they would spend the Great War on a series of patrols and tests of new equipment, coupled with training tasks.

Her wireless arrangement was novel for the time.

USS H-2 Description: (Submarine # 29) At the New London submarine base, Groton, Connecticut, in 1919. This photograph has been annotated to identify H-2’s radio antenna installation and features an associated diagram. This image was used in RADM R.S. Griffin’s History of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. NH 45618

Postwar, the class was soon withdrawn from service, with H-1 wrecked in 1920 and the remaining eight boats all decommissioned by 1922, later sold for scrap.

The Navy, however, would soon recycle the name “Nautilus” to two follow-on submarines, SS-168 and SSN-571, both of which set milestones of their own.

My decade with a funky Krink that takes AR mags

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I’ve owned several Kalash over the years, including some Arsenals and Norincos of various stripes, but never really considered myself an AK guy and at several times during my firearms collecting journey voluntarily got out of the AK game altogether – including getting rid of their ammo, parts, and accessories.

On the other hand, at any given time over the past 30 years, I tended to have a safe or two full of AR-pattern rifles as well as the mags and ammo stacked in bulk to support them. 

So in 2014, the Century-imported Zastava M85 NP caught my eye. It was cheap (sub-$500) and, as large format pistols generally escape 922 regulations, I knew that it would be more or less complete when it left Zastava’s factory in Serbia rather than be subjected to an infusion of questionable parts here in the U.S.

Taking a closer look at it, there was a lot to like. 

The M85 line is based on the old Yugo M70 short rifle, which itself was patterned after the Soviet AKS-74U. It has a 10.25-inch chrome lined cold hammer forged barrel and a 21.5-inch overall length. (All photos here to bottom: Chris Eger)

And I liked it even more after it was SBR’d.

More in my column at Guns.com.

HMNZS Manawanui, sunk

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The HMNZS Manawanui (A09), the Royal New Zealand Navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel and the fourth to carry the name hit a reef, caught fire, and sank off Samoa over the weekend, leaving two of her complement hospitalized and 12-15 slightly injured.

The 5,700-ton Norwegian-built vessel was fairly young, constructed in 2003 as the commercial oil field survey vessel MV Edda Fonn, and entered the RNZN in 2019.

Her official portrait via the RNZN:

Via Dave Poole:

As described by the NZ Herald:

The actions of the commander of the HMNZS Manawanui have been credited with saving lives during a nighttime evacuation in heavy seas and winds on a reef near the southern coast of Upolu in Samoa last night.

The Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said the ship ran aground at 6.46pm and tried unsuccessfully to get off the reef.

It then began to list and at 7.52pm Commander Yvonne Gray decided to evacuate the ship.

Golding said the 75 people on board, including seven citizens on scientific work and four foreign personnel, got on liferafts and tried to move away from the reef so they could be rescued.

This is a big blow to the RNZN, not having lost a ship since WWII, and the Samoans, who aren’t loving a 5,700-ton shipwreck on their pristine reefs.

Muleskinners Getting it Done

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An unusual sight in North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene devastated areas are volunteer mule teams.

With hundreds of miles of roads washed out and no guarantee of helicopter LZs in some places, folks like the Mountain Mule Packer Ranch are stepping up.

Via Mountain Mule Packer Ranch

Via Mountain Mule Packer Ranch

The MMPR gang, based in Ulna, NC, are pros.

They specialize in offering mule packing classes to military customers, specifically hauling crew-served weapons and difficult loads.

Via Mountain Mule Packer Ranch

If you think that a few mule trains can’t help, remember how much baby formula, insulin, med packs, diapers, and other critical items can be crammed into those big packs. At least it’s a band-aid until the more large-scale operations get ramped up.

The Java Frog

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Here we see the Free Dutch Navy’s onderzeeboot Hr.Ms O 19 (N 54) as she enters Dundee, Scotland during WWII, circa October 1943 to June 1944. Note the oversized frog emblem on her conning tower, specially made for her skipper, the grinning Luitenant ter Zee 1e klasse (LTZ 1c= LCDR) Armand van Karnebeek.

Fotoafdrukken Koninklijke Marine, via NIMH Objectnummer 2158_016200

Note the 88mm Bofors deck gun and a British sloop in the background. NIMH 2158_016202

Born in Soerabaja, Java, in 1909, Van Karnebeek earned the nickname “De kikker” (The Frog), reportedly for his large mouth, while a naval cadet in the late 1920s. Opting for the submarine service, by October 1939 he was the skipper of Hr.Ms. K XV (N 24) in the Dutch East Indies.

Taking command of O 19— which was in the Far East when the War started and pulled six combat patrols against the Japanese before catching orders to shift to Scotland for refit– in 1943, Van Karnebeek had the self-designed frog emblem applied to his boat.

Onderzeeboot Hr.Ms. O 19, in Loch Long, Scotland, NIMH 2158_016211

O 19, a near sister of the Dutch-made Polish subs Orzel and Sep, under Van Karnebeek, deployed back to the Far East via the Med and the Suez then completed her 7th and 8th War Patrols out of Freemantle in 1944, bagging several small Japanese coasters and sampans in the Java Sea via naval gunfire.

When Van Karnebeek left the boat in December 1944, replaced by LTZ 1c Jacob Frans Drijfhout Van Hooff, the new captain ordered the toad painted over.

It may have taken the boat’s luck with it, as, less than six months later, Van Hooff grounded O-19 on a reef in the China Sea so hard she had to be destroyed via demolition charges, torpedoes, and gunfire from USS Cod.

As for The Toad himself, Van Karnebeek retired from Dutch naval service as a vice admiral in 1961 after 32 years of service and passed in 2002, aged 92.

Patrol Boat No. 102, is that you?

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While the scuttling of the Vichy French fleet at Toulon in 1942, and the self-destruction of the Royal Danish Navy at its docks in Copenhagen in 1943 to keep them out of German hands are well-remembered and often spoken about in maritime lore, the Dutch wrecking crew on Java gets little more than a footnote.

The 120 assorted Allied vessels on Java at Soerabaja, Tanjon Priok, at Tjilatjap that were too broken, under-armed, or small to break through the Japanese blockade after the collapse of the ABDA Command and make it 1,200 miles across dangerous waters to Australia got the wrecking ball on 2 March 1942.

Marine docks in Soerabaja. The photo was taken from the warehouse towards the East. The start of the destruction was 11:30 am on 2 March 1942. The 3,000-ton dry dock with the destroyer Hr.Ms. Banckert is seen sinking. The dock had been torpedoed by Hr.Ms. K XVIII before the submarine was able to submerge and make for Perth. On the right is the 227-ton tug/coastal minelayer Hr.Ms. Soemenep.

One of these scuttled was the abandoned old four-piper Clemson-class destroyer USS Stewart (DD-224).

She had been severely damaged at Badung Strait, only making it to Soerabaja with her engine room still somehow operating while submerged.

Written off, her crew was evacuated to Australia on 22 February and the ship, already stricken from the Navy List, was left to the Dutch to scuttle.

USS Stewart (DD-224) steaming at high speed, circa the 1920s or 1930s. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. NH 61898

Ex-Stewart was salvaged by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and entered service as Patrol Boat No. 102 in 1943, rearmed with a variety of Dutch and Japanese weapons and her funnels re-trunked into a more Japanese fashion.

Found at Kure after the war, she was taken over by a U.S. Navy prize crew in October 1945 and steamed under her own power (making 20 knots no less!) across the Pacific to Oakland.

Her old hull number was repainted and a Japanese meatball was placed on her superstructure, she was sunk by the Navy in deep water in May 1946.

Ex-USS Stewart (DD-224) is seen under attack while being sunk as a target on 24 May 1946. Airplanes seen include an F4U Corsair in the lead, followed by two F6F Hellcats, and have likely been added via composites. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Catalog #: 80-G-702830.

Well, it seems ex-Stewart/PB102 has been found some 3,500 feet down off the coast of Northern California by a trio of deep water HUGIN 6000 autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and side scan sonar.

And she still looks like a four-piper in profile. 

High-resolution synthetic aperture sonar image of the former USS Stewart (DD-224), a four-piper ship resting on the seafloor of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Source: Ocean Infinity. Aug. 1, 2024

While livestreaming remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage of the wreck, Air/Sea Heritage Foundation President and Co-Founder, Russ Matthews, recalled reading in the historical record about a touching tribute from the sailors who brought the Stewart home. The sailors took to calling their charge “RAMP-224,” which is a combination of the vessel’s navy hull number and a period slang term for returning prisoners of war or Recovered Allied Military Personnel. “It’s clear they thought of Stewart more like a shipmate than a ship,” Matthews said, “and I know I speak for the entire expedition team when I say that we’re all very satisfied to have helped honor the legacy and memory of those veterans once again.” SEARCH’s Dr. James Delgado added, “The USS Stewart represents a unique opportunity to study a well-preserved example of early twentieth-century destroyer design. Its story, from US Navy service to Japanese capture and back again, makes it a powerful symbol of the Pacific War’s complexity.”

Toddy break

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Private Ken Williams, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), is seen below in his winter fighting gear, as he takes time off from battle training in Korea for a refreshing drink from a can of chocolate-flavored Toddy, October 1953.

Photographer: Phillip Hobson, AWM Accession number: HOBJ4610

Note Williams’ Australian-made Owen sub gun, with its distinctive top-loading magwell, tucked under his arm. He also sports a camouflaged Mk III “Turtle” helmet, a lid rarely seen in Aussie service.

While the Owen and Turtle have long faded into history, Toddy is still very much around.

Australians served as part of the UN forces in Korea until 1957. As noted by the AWM, over 17,000 Australians served during the Korean War, of which 340 were killed and 1,216 wounded. A further 30 became prisoners of war.

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