Another summer, another few months of attempting to maximize my support to the reserve and minimize my time in the office. (ie. travel as much as I can on the government dime vice sitting in the office and reading while they upgrade my hardware for several months straight). I’ve completed one week in New Orleans evaluating a new hovercraft, and one week of leave in Colorado (article with pics/vids soon), but this is focused on half of a week in California (nothing about Pendleton because I keep forgetting to take pics while I’m there).
After a few days in Pendleton inspecting legacy LCACs, I headed down to Navy Amphibious Base Coronado (now falls under the umbrella command of Navy Air Station North Island) for a different kind of legacy inspection. After getting checked in at the base “hotel”, I hit the base gym and then walked back via a little memorial. This is a privately funded/maintained memorial to the sailors from the Riverine Force lost during Vietnam. I had one name in particular that I wanted to see – GMG2 Ford – the namesake of the USS Ford (FFG 54) that I served on briefly for 2 months in 2010 for training purposes during the RIMPAC exercise while USS INGRAHAM was in drydock in Seattle. (wiki link for Ford sent me to an alternate reference I hadn’t seen before).
Obelisk to those lost during Operation Game Warden (I don’t recall what’s on the other sides)
Sample PBR of the same sort GMG2 Ford served on
Full monument – display boats are to my left
Plaque from the wall – including GMG2 Ford
Disappointingly I missed out on the tour opportunities for this display (also a Swift Boat and a larger command craft on display – can post pics in future if desired) – but I will try and keep an eye on the schedule the next time I’m in the area.
After seeing that and getting some pics, I walked up the strand to a joint called “McP’s Irish Pub”. Not too bad, for the local prices and nice atmosphere. Would have preferred a few more options, but good enough.
The next day I started my local inspection – most of which was spent on a nice cruise through the harbor out to open sea so I could test the plumbing.
Passing Under the Coronado Bridge
Nice waterside view of the USS Midway Museum – highly recommended if you get a chance to visit it.
Passed one of the new “unmanned” surface vessel test platforms a couple times – interesting design – could be useful but I haven’t read much about them yet.
Decidedly non-Navy Seals
Self portrait in brass
This type of Landing Craft resembles ones we used in World War II or Korea, but is surprisingly younger than I am. It’s had a few key system upgrades too (there is a follow-on replacement in development again). Typically they would deploy with a Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) – you can fit 2 of them inside the welldeck of a larger amphibious assault ship (there might still be an older ship that can take 3….phrasing). Most ESG/ARG (Amphibious Readiness Group) have a mix of ship classes – some carrying these and some carrying the LCAC hovercrafts – I think the Marines are still recertifying their amphibious tanks following some tragic accidents.
View from the main deck while heading back to port – note: the mast and entire pilot house actually folds down/collapses so that it will fit into a tighter well deck. The forward vehicle ramp is visible – the rear ramp is directly behind me.
Older hull and slightly older design variant.
evaluating a new hovercraft
I hope it’s a plug-in electric model.
Was watching some old MythBusters reruns on the 4th and caught the episode in which they ran a hovercraft over a simulated minefield. Did you get to try yours over the real thing?
Driving a hovercraft over a hovercraft might cause problems for the hovercraft.
And eel-free!
Hey! That hovercraft is a protected eel habitat! Put those eels back!
Of course not, those are sea lions.
The next day I started my local inspection – most of which was spent on a nice cruise through the harbor out to open sea so I could test the plumbing.
Taco Bell?
Do you identify as Russian?
https://zerohedge.com/military/us-pacific-fleet-roasted-tweeting-july-4-graphic-russian-jets-ship
not meant as a reply, but whatevs…
I spent a cadet summer working on these at FT Story, VA.
Not a bad way to spend a summer and pretty interesting as well.
Thanks, LCDR_Fish!
Interesting stuff.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but none of our current assets are designed for implementing hostile amphibious landings the way we did at Normandy or Incheon.
I’m still not clear why it was done that way at Normandy and Inchon? Did we not have air superiority? Wouldn’t you pond the everliving shit out the enemy positions before landing?
It was done that way at Normandy A: To avoid having the Germans relocate their reserves from Calais, and B: because bunkers are hard to break with the available bombing technology of the time. Korea was not far removed from WWII in ability.
Today, we’d never reach the shoreline.
The air force and navy did pound shit out of everything at Normandy, but largely missed and Rommel’s bunkers survived pretty well. Maybe if they had low-level napalmed everything above the beach line at Omaha?
We pounded the crap out of the beached at Normandy, but as Saving Private Ryan showed pretty clearly – the efficacy was limited at best. Sometimes you don’t have another alternative though.
The Southern France landing I referenced in my Bulkeley article was a good contrast though.
Gotcha. Thanks, historians!
We did pound the shit out of them, but both naval and aerial ordnance were no where nearly as accurate as they are now.
Also, the only thing the Marines spend their own budget on developing is on tools for this mission… the AAV and ACV are particularly for amphibious assault.
The one real reason for having a Marine Corps is securing a beach-head.
Just like the only valid reason for an Army Airborne Division is to secure an ‘air-head’.
So, how do we establish a space-head?
Here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116294/
There is but one true space-head!
$20. Same as space port.
We landed at Inchon because it was lightly defended. The crazy tides there made the commies assume that an amphibious assault couldn’t happen there – so that’s were they hit.
OT:
Conclusion: the safest speed for a double decker bus is 150 mph
Oddly satisfying to watch.
Skimmed a couple of stories about Zuckerberg’s new anti-twatter.
How long ’til they announce an influx of pre-Musk twatter refugees to run it?
Interesting read. I spent time in the Marines and did a few beach assaults from landing craft. The LC’s looked similar to WWII era Higgin’s boats to me -but this was back in 70’s. We even did the descent from the ship (not sure of the type but it had a well deck) to the LC from cargo nets. That is no fun. I’ve never felt so exposed and vulnerable than when making my way to the beach, I could not escape the thought that if this were the real deal – I was truly fucked.
Yeah, one of my links shows the smaller landing craft we still have that don’t necessarily take vehicles. I may also do a post in the future about some of the other variants we use for unloading the maritime prepositional ships – floating piers, ferry, the army’s temporary lifted pier system, fuel delivery to shore, etc.
Come a long way from Normandy bit we need to keep the skills sharp.
Really cool! I used to take a fishing head boat out of SD harbor (H&M Landing if you’re interested – they’re excellent). We used to love looking at the subs, ships and boats at the Naval base as we exited the harbor.
Maybe it is the best timeline
https://www.jmbullion.com/2022-1-oz-republic-of-chad-silver-egyptian-relic-series-kek-coin-pl/
Looks like an extended universe Star Wars character. One of those cantina guys who got a name and action figure.
Frog dude is definitely Glibfit.
Chad cashes in on internet culture
Republic of Chad beats Kingdom of Soy.
What a Chad thing to do.
That’s fucking hilarious
Great read!
My brother retired and now restores military vehicles for a museum somewhere in TX hill country. I must get his address so you can go appraise his work.
Probably this one.
https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/
Can recommend.
Thanks LCDR Fishie,
My Navy experience is limited to crossing the Atlantic 3 times on an MSTS.
My NG unit, 1956, borrowed some DUKWs (is that right?) and stormed across the local park and surprised and overpowered the inhabitants in their lake homes on the other side of the lake. We took them by surprise on the July 4th raid.
I think the cover image is a duck boat (yeah, DUKW or something lime that) – that one didn’t have a label plate. They still do tours with them in some areas – they had that unfortunate sinking off SD a few years ago.
A lot of variants over the years that tend to get lumped together.
BBC headline:
“Thirty Million Join Meta’s Twitter Rival”
Whoop-dee-fucking-doo. Take that, Elon.
In a product that nearly mimics Twitter…how does that work in that world? Function and form seem to be a near exact replica.
Thread comes with extra censoring, user tracking, and government surveillance.
If you’re into that sort of thing.
Hot.
Seemingly lots of people are indeed into that sort of thing.
Twitter has 330 million daily users, by comparison.
Chips, dips,chains and whips.
+1980s Kelly LeBrock
Seems she didnt age so well tho’.
If people thought Twitter had a pr0n problem wait til IG’s Threads starts feeding all those juicy womenz up in their feeds.
There are myriad examples of a new service release which peak in the novelty phase and then people wander away. The immediate numbers tell us nothing.
People are getting censored left and right already. This will fade quickly and just become a sanitized democrat echo chamber.
People that hang out in ideological echo chambers are the worst.
People that hang out in ideological echo chambers are the worst.
You know who are the worst? People that hang out in ideological echo chambers.
Hello!
hello
hello
..ello…
I’m not in an echo chamber. You’re in an echo chamber.
You’re in the same room I am.
Is it ME you’re looking for?
My thought as well. There’re the novelty factor, but after weeks or months, are those people still using it, and have they told their friends about it?
Google+
Which was clearly superior to Facebook.
Low bar.
First thread is free, go ahead and try it! What could it hurt?
Instagram is still a thing? I thought it had gone the way of Geocities.
tripod still lives on!
https://www.tripod.lycos.com/
Related.
29.9 million of which are bots?
I’m surprised there are any twits left — weren’t we told that they all left for Mastodon?
When one continually smells their own farts it no longer has the same punch so to speak.
Mastodon, the Canada of the internet. Everyone threatens to go there, but nobody does.
Tanks are cool, airplanes and jets are awesome, but there is just something about naval ships that are imposing.
A moden aircraft carrier is one thing but it’s a completely different level when you go on board a battleship (USS NC and Wisconsin are both on the east coast – or Mighty MO in HI) – there were thousands of sailors living and working below those teak decks and inches or armor plating. Not a lot of personal room, but it would have been something else to experience.
I have been on the Alabama, docked in mobile bay. On the floor behind the breach inside one of the main gun turrets, the is a half moon dent in the steel floor with a diameter of right at 16 inches. I bet that was exciting when it happened.
Lol.
I’m enjoying the coke bag account.
I thought Hunter was/is more of a crack aficionado.
Any snort in a storm.
Golf clap for Tundra!
*snort laugh
During my time I got to ride in a LST – basically a ship with a flat-bottom that can go right up to a beach. It wallows like a pig in open ocean until every Marine onboard is puking.
We climbed down the side of that thing to a Higgins boat and drove around in the waves for a while in case anyone hadn’t puked yet.
Also landed in an Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV). Terrifying since the troops ride way below water level in something that has no business trying to float.
At the reserve center in Norfolk the reserve marine unit has a lot of AAVs but the motor pool still has a stack of much older amphibious tanks too. May get some pictures later.
We went out of Long Beach. I think it was the last LST to be decommissioned back in the 90s.
Climbing down the side of the ship in rough seas was damn scary. We had life preservers on so the real risk was falling and getting squished between the ship and boat. Back in the day, climbing down with body armor and 100 lbs of weapons and ammo would be terrifying. If you hit the water, you might have 5 seconds to ditch that weight.
“Meta Launches Data-Harvesting Twitter Clone, Immediately Starts Censoring”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/metas-twitter-clone-reaches-10-million-users-hours-aoc-says-app-bricked-her
Heh…just as I figured…itsa gonna be a shit show.
The article calls AOC a “Congressional performance artist”, which gave me a chuckle.
After MetaVerse tanked, it will be fun to see a second spectacular failure in a short period of time.
Zuckerberg stole the original idea for Facebook and launched it. Now he steals Twitter. His one original idea (Metaverse) died instantly.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/24/zuckerberg-reportedly-held-talks-with-winklevoss-twins-about-facebooks-cryptocurrency-plans.html
He’s still richer than all of us. Combined.
Somewhat related:
https://www.boatsafe.com/yacht-history-supreme/
One easy trick to being the world’s most expensive yacht is to not actually exist.
You had to buy all the historians. Duh…
Crap! I just put my deposit down on one. Now I’m out $100!
No one questioned the supposed weight of precious metals?
Nothing like a convenient riot or two to empower the worst tendencies of government. One begins to suspect that the riots might even have been “too convenient.”
https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1676724700074897409
I always figured governments had the ability to do that en masse and this is a tacit admission.
For sure. I remember Snowden doing a tutorial on how to physically disable those “features”
I figured there was a reason they quit making phones with batteries that can be removed.
Wow.
So, don’t take your phone to a riot? Keep it turned off all the time?
Even better. Steal the phone of somebody you hate, and take THAT phone to the riot.
Leave your phone at the library.
You think they can’t remotely activate them?
Is that what it’s pretending it’s out of battery charge for? Reserving it for remote government activation?
Faraday cage it is then
Someone told Zelensky to STFU.
Scratch one false flag.
That really does appear to be what happened. I sure hope they are giving up on that particular avenue of crazy escalation.
Ukrainian military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov tells Reuters threat is “receding” at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
So Ukraine is not goin to blow it up then. And they said Russians put bombs…on the roof…
I wrap my phone in aluminum foil when I’m rioting. You can’t be to careful.
I thought aluminum foil amplified the signals?
http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/2005/tinfoil_hats/
Excellent practical joke.
That’s a real knee-slapper.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE:
“The president is proud to have restored the rule of law in his administration…”
“There is no truth to the claim that he said ‘and I am the law’ afterwards.”
Wait was this Tundra’s practical joke?
Nah. Mine was funny.
Ive already shared that with numerous friends.
How did you find √-π People?
They’re imaginary.
ic
ALOL
I laughed.
I love end users.
/sarc
Not an interaction on my desk, but the users had another member of my team troubleshooting something with a printer downstate. Eventually they went “I can’t get to it, that printer got hauled away.”
*headdesk*
Speaking of surveillance, doesn’t the White House have cameras in all public rooms and shouldn’t a quick look at the tapes show who left the cocaine? What’s the fuckin delay? If I lifted an ashtray during a tour, I suspect secret service would see it and grab me before I got out the door.
You would think. Especially with the existential threat of MAGA while supremacists on the loose.
All calmly touring within the ropes or sitting at desks. Those savages!
Can’t look at those tapes or J6 coverage because national security or something.
When was the last time there was an ashtray in the WH?
2015? Didn’t the Lightbringer enjoy the darts?
I thought the wookie made him smoke outside. And in any case, he had a waitlist of journalists wanting to serve on ash-catching duty.
Was that before or after the money shot catching duty?
Must have female penises.
They told us at the New York City Pride parade that they were coming for our children.
Let’s hop across the pond briefly to see how the BBC reported on a sexual assault on a 15-year-old boy. We’re guessing the BBC is just repeating what Sussex Police told them.
The BBC reports:
A teenage boy who was sexually assaulted by two women woke up with his clothes removed and injuries to his head and body, Sussex Police have said.
The 15-year-old was walking along Cants Lane in Burgess Hill before heading through a wooded area towards World’s End at about 18:15 BST on 4 June.
He was assaulted and woke up on the floor, police said.
Oh, the World’s End was involved?
It was aliens.