Charles McCain

Pic of the Day - USNS Spearhead

2013-05-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

MAYPORT, FL (Feb 14, 2013) The Military Sealift Command joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) moored at Naval Station Mayport. Spearhead arrived here for a port visit on the way to its new homeport of Little Creek, VA. The ship stopped here to be inspected by Commander, US 4th Fleet as it is planned to support future Southern Partnership Station missions in the US Southern Command area of responsibility. (US Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Unmanned Catapult Launch

2013-05-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 14, 2013) An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77). George HW Bush is the first aircraft carrier to successfully catapult launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tony D. Curtis/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Transit In Formation & Replenishment-At-Sea

2013-05-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 29, 2013) The guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200), and the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) participate in a replenishment-at-sea while the guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Preble (DDG 88) transit in formation. Nimitz and Princeton are on a deployment to the western Pacific region. (USN photo by MC Specialist 1st Class Michael D. Cole)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - House Leader Meeting

2013-05-14T21:00:00.000-04:00

President Barack Obama greets House leaders before a meeting with the House Democratic Caucus at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, March 14, 2013. Standing with the President, from left, are: Assistant Democratic Leader James “Jim” Clyburn, D-SC; Chairman Xavier Becerra, D-CA; Rep. Steve Israel, D-NY; Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA; Vice Chairman Joe Crowley, D-NY; and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-MD.(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

[Image courtesy of the US White House Website.]

Pic of the Day - Touch-and-Go Landing

2013-05-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2013) An F/A-18C Hornet from the Mighty Shrikes of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 94 performs a touch-and-go landing on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are underway off the coast of southern California conducting flight operations. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Hazel/ Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

An Easy Way To Save Tens of Billions In Government Dollars: Legalize Marijuana - Part 2

2013-05-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Part 1 - Part 2

World War Two hemp flyer.

From Global Hemp:

Hemp, Industrial Hemp, Agricultural Hemp are all common names for a crop that is grown globally for food, fiber, and industrial uses. Taxonomically, the crop is classified as Cannabis sativa L. This is where the controversy comes in as Cannabis has been wrongly and broadly characterized in the past century only as marijuana.

In fact, Cannabis is a very diverse plant species that includes hundreds of identified varieties. “Marijuana” of course is a slang term for all Cannabis breeds that are legislated as a controlled substance.

Now here is the illogical and indefensible legal position of the Federal Government on industrial hemp.

In America today, growing hemp is prohibited, though it is legal to import, manufacture, purchase, and consume.

The majority of hemp and hemp seed that is used in North America is grown and processed in Canada. Canada has developed its production rules from the standards developed by the European Union, and has arguably arrived at the highest global regulatory standard.

And once again just for the record, from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol or Yes On Prop 64 in Colorado which passed in the November 2012 elections:

Hemp is genetically similar to marijuana, but it contains less than 0.3% of the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It is illegal to produce in the US because our current laws do not distinguish between the two. Amendment 64 creates separate definitions for marijuana and industrial hemp.

The US is the only industrialized nation in the world that prohibits the commercial production of hemp, and more hemp is exported to the US than to any other country.

Even more bizarre, the Religious Right and the extreme political right get all stirred up about legalizing hemp since they claim it is the same as marijuana — even though I am certain they know better. But it’s a great fund raising tool. And rumor in Washington DC has it that the Christian Right has a strong foothold in the Drug Enforcement Administration. They don’t want any drugs legalized since they might get downsized.

Why is the growing of hemp a political/religious issue? It’s crazy. Everything gets politicized in this country even if there isn’t a reason. The best analogy I can think of is the growing of tomatoes. We should ban tomatoes from being grown. Why? They are members of the deadly nightshade family of plants. Of course, tomatoes themselves, unlike other plants from the nightshade family, are not poisonous. But since they are a split off from the genus of nightshade plants, then we should ban them to discourage people from what? Eating nightshade itself which will kill you?

Excerpt from Herer “Emperor Wears No Clothes” 1991 edition p. 136.

About 6% of contiguous United States land area put into cultivation for biomass could supply all current demands for oil and gas.

Growing industrial hemp in the USA could provide employment and create a sustainable and economical product which has hundreds of uses. Yet it is illegal.

Conservative US Senator Mitch McConnell has changed his position on growing hemp. The Senator says he wants to help Kentucky farmers. Hemp would give them another cash crop to grow since there is large demand in the US for industrial hemp. McConnell is also in a tight re-election race. But I don’t care why he changed his mind. I’m just glad he did. You can read the whole story at the National Journal.

A hemp harvest in Switzerland.

My question: how can anyone think that prohibiting the cultivation of industrial hemp is rational - never mind marijuana? Industrial hemp is easy to grow organically and doesn’t damage the soil as much as other crops. Of course, I’m certain the following information I came across from Independent Australia, a online investigative journal, has nothing to do with the prohibition of growing industrial hemp in the United States.

...industrial hemp does not need fertilizers — thereby explaining the aggressive and threatening multi-billion dollar opposition to the product from Monsanto, DuPont, and other petrochemical companies throughout the world.

Even more absurd than the situation in the USA, is the situation in Australia as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald of June 19th, 2011:

...while Australians can grow industrial hemp but not eat it, Americans can eat it but not grow it. So the lot has to be imported, mostly from Canada.

Hemp seeds

Manufacturers in the USA import hemp to make textiles, rope, soap, body lotion, clothing, and foods of various types. (Automobile makers also use it as part of the fiber to make car seats.) Seeds from the hemp plant contain large amounts of protein, dietary fiber, and rich omega fatty acid oil. It's good for you! If you are curious about the nutritional value of hemp, which is significant you can read more at Precision Nutrition.

The Sydney Morning Herald article goes even further: Hemp is: “The most nutritional grain for human consumption”. Let’s face it, we are slowly coming to the end of the “meat age” in the Western world. I like chicken and I love a good steak and I salivate over fried bacon. But the cost to the environment and to our own health is such that we will see meat slowly decline as a percentage of our diet and more and more of our protein will come from crops like hemp. So what are we waiting for?

Behind these groundbreaking walls is an idea - we should be free to live in an environment that is non-toxic; one that helps clean rather than contaminate the air, the earth, and our bodies. That was the pivotal point of my conversation with design/builder Anthony Brenner on his house made from hemcrete based on industrial hemp - the first in the US. The home has seen a meteoritic rise in the media, with coverage by CNN and USA Today, and even late night TV, but behind the headlines and punchlines shouting out about the latest and greatest green material is a home that fulfills the core concerns of an environmentally-sensitive habitat. With that lens his company Push Design was able to build a great home that is sizable but incredibly light on the environment, energy usage, and total cost.

The first home in the US made from hemcrete based on industrial hemp. Yes, you can even build houses from hemp. Building homes with hemp? Yes, this is done. I was taken aback. Hemp? To build a house? Well, not the entire house but large parts of it. Compressed hemp can function easily as wood does in a house and grows four times faster than trees. Once again from Independent Australia:

Time for Australia to embrace industrial hemp

A complete house can be built with industrial hemp, as it can be made into any building material — including fiberboard, roofing, flooring, wallboard, caulking, cement, paint, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete, insulation, insulation panels, spray on insulation, concrete pipes, bricks, and biodegradable plastic composites which are tougher than steel. The hardened material is resistant to rotting, rodents, insects, and fire. It is many times lighter than cement and provides both thermal and sound insulation.

Hemp-foundation homes are ecologically appropriate because they are inexpensive and can be prepared on site using only a cement mixer because the material is cheap and abundant. Hemp building material could allow us to replace the need for wood, bricks, and fiberglass insulation. The market potential for hemp in building materials for home and industry is gigantic. (my italics) Once hemp can be grown on a large, economically competitive, scale, manufacturers will see that it outperforms other natural fibers due to its length and strength.

Building and construction materials are sourced from the hemp plant’s tough fibers. These include the bast fibers (or “bark”), composed of 53-74 per cent cellulose and also the interior “hurd”.

(BTW, didn’t the United States previously lead the world in new ideas and breakthroughs? I guess we gave up on doing that. These days many of our citizens seem proud of their provincial outlook and lack of knowledge about the world.)

Hemcrete House. This forms the core of a breathable wall system - Hemcrete is actually less like concrete and more like infill straw bale, as it is non-structural.

So how much cold, hard cash could we expect from legalizing marijuana? A lot. So far the best statistical analysis on this question has been done by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron in a report titled Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States. And these are minimum figures, not maximum figures.

The Miron Report estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $5.3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2.4 billion would accrue to the federal government.

The report also estimates that marijuana legalization would yield tax revenue of $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like all other goods and/or $6.2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco.

"One Toke Over The Line"

You can download his updated report from 2010 on the cost of trying to prohibit illegal street drugs titled The Budgetary Implications of Drug Prohibition.

Based on Professor Miron’s report, originally issued in 2005, I note the following article dated April 26th 2012 in the ACLU blog on criminal law reform:

Hundreds of Economists: Marijuana Prohibition Costs Billions, Legalization Would Earn Billions

Over 300 economists, including three Nobel Laureates, recently signed a petition that encourages the president, Congress, governors and state legislatures to carefully consider marijuana legalization in America. The petition draws attention to an article by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, whose findings highlight the substantial cost-savings our government could incur if it were to tax and regulate marijuana, rather than needlessly spending billions of dollars enforcing its prohibition.

Legalizing marijuana and taxing it would have an even greater and more beneficial influence on society. First, by legalizing marijuana, we can tax it just like states and the Federal government tax tobacco products. And Federal, state and local governments, could use this revenue for education, most importantly community college education which does the heavy lifting for actual job training in this country.

Money spent with such lack of effect on trying to stop marijuana production and consumption, could be spent on truly dangerous drug problems like meth (or crank) which is not only devastating to a person’s health, but is dangerous to make and incredibly polluting. Stop pulling up marijuana plants and start closing down meth labs.

Additional statistics on cold, hard cash savings from legalizing marijuana in just the state of Washington alone are staggering. Initiative 502 which legalizes the use of recreational marijuana, passed with more than 55% of the vote in Washington State in November of 2012. In this editorial below in favor of the Amendment, the Seattle Times provides the following rationale and figures for Washington State, which has a population of almost seven million:

...the state Office of Financial Management estimated possible marijuana-tax revenue in the year ending June 30, 2015, at $434 million. That’s comparable with the state’s take from the cigarette tax ($425 million in fiscal 2012) and the state and local take from liquor ($426 million in 2011).

There are also sales and business taxes. OFM estimated the total state and local government revenue from marijuana at $566 million. That’s roughly what the state budgets in taxpayer money for its six universities.

Legalize marijuana now. Said French philosopher Victor Hugo: “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” And this is an idea whose time has come.

[Sources: Global Hemp, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol or Yes On Prop 64 in Colorado, Hemp For You, National Journal, Independent Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, Precision Nutrition, Inhabitat, Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States, The Budgetary Implications of Drug Prohibition, ACLU blog, and Seattle Times. Images courtesy of Global Hemp, Hemp For You, National Journal, Hemp Foods Australia, Inhabitat, Inhabitat, and Live Science.]

Pic of the Day - Sailors Q&A

2013-05-12T21:00:00.000-04:00

JACKSONVILLE, FL (May 3, 2013) Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert hold an all hands call at Naval Air Station Jacksonville to speak to Sailors about the current status of the Navy and answer any questions they have about the future of the fleet. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter D. Lawlor/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Scheduled Underway

2013-05-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

GROTON, CT (May 3, 2013) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN 700) departs Naval Submarine Base New London for a scheduled underway. (US Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Jeffrey Prunera/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Navy Helicopter Firefighting

2013-05-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY POINT MUGU, CA (May 3, 2013) Three flight crews from the San Diego-based "Merlins" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 and the "Blackjacks" of HSC 21 provide firefighting support in response to wildfires at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu. The team dropped roughly 20,000 gallons of water using 360-gallon capacity precision helicopter firefighting Bambi buckets to help save vital areas of NBVC including portions of base housing. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - M1A1 Abrams Tank Function Checks

2013-05-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

Camp Shir Ghazay, Helmand province, Afghanistan - US Marine Corps Cpl. Joseph Ordille a gunner from South Philadelphia, PA assigned to Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, takes a pause from conducting function checks on an M1A1 Abrams tank on Camp Shir Ghazay, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 25, 2013. Ordille alongside the Marines and Sailors of Delta Company deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (US Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Ezekiel R. Kitandwe/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Marines Website.]

Pic of the Day - E-2C Hawkeye Flight Operations

2013-05-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 6, 2013) An E-2C Hawkeye from the Sun Kings of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116 prepares to launch from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are underway off the coast of Southern California conducting flight operations. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicolas C. Lopez Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Honoring Explosive Ordnance Disposal

2013-05-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL (May 4, 2013) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Greenert, comforts a family member of a fallen explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician at the 44th Annual EOD Memorial Ceremony, May 4, 2013. The ceremony, which took place across from the Kauffman EOD Training Complex, Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD), honored explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in performance of EOD missions. NAVSCOLEOD, located on Eglin Air Force Base, FL, provides high-risk, specialized, basic and advanced EOD training to over 2,100 US and partner nation military and selected US government personnel each year. (USN photo by Lt. j.g. Elizabeth Allen)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Honoring Victims

2013-05-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

SEATTLE - The Coast Guard, Quileute Tribal Nation hold a ceremony in La Push, WA, to honor the victims of a 44-foot motor life boat accident that occurred during a rescue attempt 15-years-ago. Three of the four crew members lost their lives after their vessel capsized due to the heavy seas. (US Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan W. Bradshaw.)

[Image courtesy of the US Coast Guard Flickr Stream.]

An Easy Way To Save Tens of Billions In Government Dollars: Legalize Marijuana - Part 1

2013-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Part 1 - Part 2

The taxpayers just forked over $10,400 dollars to arrest this guy for smoking dope.

A man is arrested for possession of marijuana without a medical marijuana license in Aspen, Colorado prior to the passage of Prop 64. According to NORML, state and local justice costs for marijuana arrests are now estimated to be $7.6 billion, approximately $10,400 per arrest.

Think of the more useful things this police officer could be doing. For instance, enforcing speeding and traffic laws. Given the number of Americans killed or injured in automobile accidents each year, wouldn’t he be better employed at doing this? Or directing traffic at dangerous intersections? Or going after meth labs? Or arresting drunk drivers?

I constantly wonder how long we as a nation are going to continue not only the stupidity of this situation but the incredible monetary and social costs to the nation. As a substance, it isn’t marijuana causing immense damage to the population and social fabric of the nation: it’s alcohol.

From Rolling Stone of 30 October 2012:

Pot Possession: An Arrest Every 42 Seconds

New FBI data reveal the grotesque, monumental stupidity of the drug war.

There were 757,969 marijuana arrests in America last year — 87% for simple possession. That's one possession arrest every 42 seconds, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Meanwhile, 56 percent of Americans support decriminalizing pot and regulating it like alcohol.

Princeton University Square

One year of prison costs more than one year at Princeton.

Let non-violent prisoners convicted of possession of marijuana, small amounts of cocaine or prescription drugs, out of prison. And do it now. I’m sick of paying for them to sit there and you should be as well. Garnish their wages if they can get a job. Make them do community service. Do anything but stick them in prison.

From the Atlantic Monthly:

One year at Princeton University: $37,000. One year at a New Jersey state prison: $44,000.
Prison and college "are the two most divergent paths one can take in life," Joseph Staten, an info-graphic researcher with Public Administration, says. Whereas one is a positive experience that increases lifetime earning potential, the other is a near dead end, which is why Staten found it striking that the lion's share of government funding goes toward incarceration.

It is worth taking a look at the full article along with a detailed chart on prison costs.

San Quentin State Prison in California

Since all levels of government are cutting education dollars and everything else, it is time for a “national conversation” about both what should be illegal and who we as a society believe should be sentenced to confinement in an actual prison as opposed to some other form of punishment.

All of us want our local, state, and the Federal Government to be frugal with our tax dollars. Is this a frugal way to spend the public’s money? Putting people in jail for possession of marijuana? Isn’t there another way?

What is even more bizarre is community mental health budgets are being slashed and people who are mentally ill are cut off from those services and medications and end up in prison. The cost of treating someone with mental illness in a community program, group house et al, is dramatically cheaper than confining them in prison — where few of them receive the mental health services they need.

Following are the costs to imprison people incurred by state governments alone - not the Federal Government:

Among the 40 states surveyed, representing more than 1.2 million inmates (of 1.4 million total people incarcerated in all 50 state prison systems), the total per-inmate cost averaged $31,286 and ranged from $14,603 in Kentucky to $60,076 in New York. The methodology provides an “apples to apples” comparison of state prison costs because it standardizes the measure and counts the comprehensive costs to taxpayers in every state.

The full report, The Price of Prisons by the Vera Institute of Justice, is available on Vera's website. Vera is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit center for justice policy and practice.

To Murder! Insanity! And Death! I would add, “The Munchies!”

Having smoked a fair amount of marijuana as a youth, I can tell you (if you don’t know) that marijuana mellows you out, like, you know, dude? And all you really want to do is eat and chat with others in a slightly garbled way. In college, when we were really stoned, one of us would look at the others and say, “only dopes smoke dope,” which expression reduced us to helpless laughter.

Marijuana was legal in the United States until 1937. Then it was banned, along with industrial hemp which isn’t the same thing, by the same jackasses who were behind prohibition, partially because it became associated with “Negro jazz.” Racism was and remains a powerful force to enlist in a variety of causes. “Race-baiting” on marijuana was a useful smokescreen to obscure who was really behind the prohibition on the growing of marijuana and industrial hemp in 1937: the cotton and synthetic fiber industry. Surprise. Surprise.

The “Devil’s Harvest?” Really. Given the terrible problems of alcohol addiction in the US I would say alcohol is the “Devil’s Harvest.”

One of the most common uses of industrial hemp is making rope. During the era of sailing ships, demand for rope by the Royal Navy was immense. So the British government did what we do now: subsidize farmers to grow various crops. Only the crop they subsidized was different than today:

By 1721 British colonists were receiving farm subsidies for producing hemp. England and Holland looked to their colonies to furnish enough hemp to supply their two enormous navies. At times colonial governments made the production of hemp compulsory.

Hemp Rope

After the US Congress prohibited the growing of marijuana which cleverly included industrial hemp, Americans were bombarded with anti-marijuana propaganda such as the film Reefer Madness, actually made in 1936 but shown extensively after the prohibition of marijuana. In the 1970s the film became a cult film among college students — as a comedy.

Theatrical poster for the film Reefer Madness (1936).

Unfortunately for those against marijuana and industrial hemp, a small event known as Pearl Harbor which happened on December 7th, 1941, caused the US to go from "Reefer Madness" to "Grow Hemp for War".

Oops. We needed industrial hemp in World War Two so the law against growing it was suspended for the duration.

The following from Global Hemp:

During WWII the Japanese cut-off supplies of hemp from the Philippines. Therefore, the US government formed the War Hemp Industries, a subsidiary of the Commodity Credit Corporation, to build over forty hemp fiber processing mills throughout the Midwest to produce cordage for the Navy.

In 1942, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) produced a pamphlet, Farmer’s Bulletin 1935, as well as a short film, “Hemp for Victory” to educate farmers on the history, uses, cultivation, and harvesting of hemp.

Grow Hemp For The War

[Sources: Rolling Stone, NORML, Atlantic Monthly, Vera Institute for Justice, Baked Life, and Global Hemp. Images courtesy of Rolling Stone, Wikimedia, Wikipedia, Americans for Cannabis, Writing, Manitoba Harvest, Wikipedia, Global Hemp, and Global Hemp.]

Pic of the Day - Change of Command

2013-05-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

US 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (March 8, 2013) Sailors form up on the forecastle of the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) for the ship's change of command. Mobile Bay, as part of the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts, and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Guided-Missile Frigate Decommissioning

2013-05-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

MAYPORT, FL (March 8, 2013) Capt. Paul E. Flood, commodore Destroyer Squadron 14, salutes as he walks through the sideboys during a decommissioning ceremony for the guided-missile frigate USS Underwood (FFG 36) at Naval Station Mayport. Underwood, named for Captain Gordon Waite Underwood, was commissioned on Jan. 29, 1983 as the 29th ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Damian Berg/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Homeport Return

2013-05-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

NORFOLK (March 8, 2013) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 753) returns to homeport at Naval Station Norfolk. Albany completed a seven-month deployment to the European Command area of responsibility supporting maritime security operations. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kim Martinez/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - 45 Commando Royal Marines and 845 Naval Air Squadron in Norway

2013-05-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

A Royal Navy Sea King Mk4 helicopter from 845 Naval Air Squadron conducting operations with Royal Marine Commandos during a recent forward operating base exercise.

[Image courtesy of the UK Royal Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Souda Bay Visit

2013-05-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 8, 2013) The guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) arrives in Souda Bay. Barry is deployed to the US 6th Fleet area of responsibility in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (US Navy photo by Paul Farley/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Rendered Honors

2013-04-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

MAYPORT, FL (March 8, 2013) Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, commander of US Naval Forces Southern Command/US 4th Fleet, is rendered honors as he departs the Royal Navy type 42 destroyer HMS Edinburgh (D97) at Naval Station Mayport. Edinburgh is on a port visit returning from the US 4th Fleet area of responsibility. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sean Allen/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - MH-60R Sea Hawk Wolf Pack

2013-04-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

US 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (March 1, 2013) Pilots of an MH-60R Sea Hawk assigned to the Wolf Pack of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 take off from the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) as the ship transits the Strait of Hormuz. Stockdale is part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and is currently operating in the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (USN photo by MCS 2nd Class David Hooper)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Absolutely Hilarious Broadcast from the BBC in 1938 Known as “the Fleet's Lit Up”

2013-04-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

At the present moment, the whole fleet is lit up. When I say 'lit up', I mean lit up by fairy lamps.

Certainly the commentator was. This still infamous BBC broadcast is known as “the Fleet’s Lit Up.” Seems that naval commentator Thomas Woodrooffe, a Lt. Commander retired from the Royal Navy, went aboard HMS Nelson on the May 20th, 1937. Once darkness fell, his task was to describe the illumination of the several hundred warships assembled for the Coronation Fleet Review for BBC listeners. (The original broadcast does not include the music that the Youtube video plays in the background.)

This traditional event, was held to celebrate the coronation of George VI. Woodrooffe’s reference to the “New York” is to the battleship USS New York, sent to represent the United States. Ironically, the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee represented Nazi Germany.

Woodrooffe, who had once served about the RN battleship HMS Nelson, made the mistake of going aboard the ship in the afternoon and spending three or four hours with his former shipmates in the wardroom having drinks, presumably gin. Lots of gin. By the time Woodrooffe went on the air he was completely “lit up”, smashed, knee-walking drunk.

[Source: Wikipedia.]

Pic of the Day - Swedish-US Naval Relations

2013-04-28T21:00:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON (March 8, 2013) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert, left, extends a plaque bearing his seal as a gift to the Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Swedish Navy Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist after the two sat down in Greenert's Pentagon office to discuss continued naval partnership and support opportunities. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter D. Lawlor/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Aircraft Carrier Wash Down

2013-04-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 10, 2013) Sailors wash down the flight deck after performing an aqueous film forming foam system test aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is underway conducting sea trials following a year-long docked planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Richard L.J. Gourley/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]

Pic of the Day - Ironclad Military Funeral

2013-04-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

ARLINGTON, VA (March 8, 2013) Members of the US Navy Ceremonial Guard escort the remains of two Sailors recovered from the ironclad USS Monitor during a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC, in 1862. The Sailors are being interred with full military honors. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Todd Frantom/Released)

[Image courtesy of the US Navy Website.]