USS California Returns Home, The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS California (SSN 781) returned home to Naval Submarine Base New London on Thursday, Dec. 8, after a four-month deployment.

 

HMS Northumberland and RFA Tiderace.

 

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill strokes the ship's cat "Blackie" aboard the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales. August 1941. The gangway leads to USS McDougall (DD-358) moored alongside.

 

The destroyer USS Peterson (DD-969) observes a disabled Soviet Victor III–class submarine in the Atlantic Ocean in November 1983. A Soviet Moma–class research vessel also is pictured. Press reports at the time speculated that the submarine’s shaft had become entangled with a cable pulling the towed-array sonar from the USS McClung (FF-1038).

 

On this day in 1823, Plymouth Dock is renamed to Devonport .The town sprung up after the Navy began building at HMNB Devonport about 1690. Located at south end of Union Street, so named as it linked up the 3 Towns of Devonport, East Stonehouse and Plymouth.

 

Norwegian Jo (P992) Hauk-class patrol craft on the rocks.

 

Views of the ongoing scrapping of the Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk.

 

HMS Prince of Wales (left front) and HMS Repulse (left behind) after being hit by Japanese torpedoes on December 10, 1941. The destroyer maneuvering in front is HMS Express (H61). Both HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse would sink that day taking 860 men with them.

 

HMS Duncan, red flag flying in Portsmouth, ammunitioning on/off.

 

German secrets were uncovered when Swan Hunter, shipyard on the River Tyne. UK, dismantled a submarine in the First World War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_UB-110 

WW I camouflage, port side view of USS New Jersey (BB-16), 1918.

 

Three Dutch Walrus class submarines sat awaiting completion.

 

Sailors assigned to Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Olympia participate in a swim call at sea in the Pacific Ocean, July 31, 2018.

 

HMS Daring alongside at Liverpool Cruise Terminal last night, after upgrades at Cammell Lairds. Planned departure today delayed by high winds

 

On this day in 1837, Cdr Andrew Drew cut out and destroyed the pirate (US/Canadian rebels) steamer Caroline in the Niagara River sending her over the falls. The affair sparked a diplomatic spat between the UK & US which was resolved in 1842 when both admitted to wrong doing.

 

This autumn, the Norwegian Armed Forces have increased their presence and visibility in the maritime sector, including Norwegian offshore facilities. We are present with, among other things, aircraft and vessels. Here it is @kystvaktens KV Bergen, which was out on patrol in the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea at the weekend.

 

Monitor HMS Erebus.

 

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington USA, in 1940, during construction of Dry Dock No. 5. Visible are eight battleships and the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

 

On this day 100 years ago in 1922 HM Ships Nelson and Rodney are laid down. The only British battleships to carry main armament in triple turrets and the only ones to mount 16 inch guns. Both served in WW2 and survived to be scrapped afterwards.

 

Three forward turrets and empty cartridge cases on USS Brooklyn (CL-40) after she had bombarded Licata, Sicily, during the Allied invasion, 10 July 1943.

 

HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Duncan alongside in Portsmouth for Christmas.

 

Royal Navy inshore survey vessel HMS Magpie.

 

Former Spanish Navy submarine Tonina to become a dry land exhibit for the Naval Museum in Cartagena.

 

USS Ticonderoga at Norfolk navy yard in 1955. Always amazed how little of a ship is actually under water.

 

The old and the new!

 1. US Navy Seal Mark V Special Operations Craft loaded on board a 349th Air Mobility Wing C-5 Galaxy at Travis Air Force Base in October 1999. 

2. Combatant Craft Heavy (CCH) MK1. The replacement for the Mark V Special Operations Craft.

 

Meanwhile, this Christmas somewhere under an ocean a Royal Navy submarine (with a crew of around 130) is on patrol maintaining the nuclear deterrent.

 

On this day in 1943, the last capital ship big gun engagement between the Royal Navy and the German navy took place at the Battle of North Cape, where Admiral Bruce Fraser took on and sank the Scharnhorst with HMS Duke of York and several escorts. Only 36 of 1,968 crew were able to be rescued.

 

Details are scarce but it's understood that a Voyager tanker aircraft was deployed last evening, to make sure that an unidentified cargo aircraft flying from the Arctic has enough fuel to conduct an incredibly long-haul flight.

 

Famous in modern society as Santa Claus ,St Nicholas of Myra is also the patron saint of Sailors. Thoughts for all sailors who are at sea this Christmas keeping global trade moving and protecting the sea lanes for all.

 

 

On this day in 1777, Captain Cook in HMS Resoluttion discovered what is the world's largest coral atoll in the Pacific, which he named Christmas Island. 180 years later in 1957 HMS RESOLUTION was the Naval Party on the island overseeing the Op GRAPPLE British Nuclear tests.

 

The former HMS Broadsword Type 22 frigate and a new Type 45 destroyer, both British designs. HMS Dauntless D 33 and ex HMS Battleaxe 2012, now Brazilian frigate Greenhalgh.

 

USS Wright (CVL-49/ AVT-7) was a Saipan-class light aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, later converted to the command ship CC-2. Wright was launched on 1 September 1945.

 

Brunei patrol ship KDB Syafaat leads HMS Tamar.

 

On this day in 1967, the Survey ship HMS Dampier returned to Chatham under sail. Whilst returning to UK after nearly 20 years in Singapore, she lost her starboard shaft off Africa and with 3000 miles to run decided to rig sails to gain an extra 1/2 Knot to get home for Xmas.

 

Flagship of the Free French Naval Forces, Richelieu, leaving New York with its updated AA suite. The most extensive AA refit done to an allied ship. Received the update following its journey from Dakar to New York.

 

Ships and aircraft from the Jmsdf, Royal Navy, Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and US Navy participated in exercise Keen Sword 23, in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 14.

 

Bumboats Deluxe. Stern view of USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) anchored at Hong Kong, in 1972. Coral Sea, with assigned Attack Carrier Air Wing 15 (CVW-15), was deployed to the Western Pacific and Vietnam from 12 November 1971 to 17 July 1972.

 

The XE-class submarines were a series of twelve midget submarines that were built for the Royal Navy during 1944; four more to a slightly different design were built 1954-5 as the Stickleback class. They were an improved version of the X class used in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. They carried a crew of four, typically a lieutenant in command, with a sub-lieutenant as deputy, an engine room artificer in charge of the mechanical side and a seaman or leading-seaman. At least one of them was qualified as a diver. In addition to the two side charges (each of which contained two tons of amatol explosive), they carried around six 20-pound (9 kg) limpet mines which were attached to the target by the diver. They and their depot ship HMS Bonaventure arrived at Labuan (Malasia) in July 1945. XE8 "Expunger" - built by Broadbent, sunk as target 1952, recovered 1973 and preserved at Chatham Historic Dockyard, on loan from the Imperial War museum.