This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: NHSparky

  • Fire on USS Miami

    Jonn e-mailed me yesterday and asked me if I knew anything about the fire that was on USS Miami which broke out Wednesday evening and burned for almost 12 hours. Unfortunately, several firefighters and a couple of the sailors were hurt fighting the fire, but none of the injuries were serious and all have been treated and released. A summary of what went down can be found in this link from the Portsmouth (NH) Herald.

    No cause and no dollar estimate is yet available for the fire that swept through the forward compartment of the nuclear-powered submarine beginning just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, but the damage was described as “extensive.”

    Navy officials sealed the damaged part of the submarine and as of Thursday afternoon had not gone below.

    “They don’t want to introduce any oxygen until they’re sure the fire can’t reignite,” said Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who toured the site Thursday afternoon.

    It was unclear on Thursday whether USS Miami would be able to return to service. Breckenridge said Thursday it was too early to say if the sub could be salvaged.

    But usually it boils down to two things–hotwork and inadequate fire watches for same.

    York Beach Fire Chief Dave O’Brien said his firefighters were providing backup at the shipyard fire station and were not directly involved in battling the blaze. However, he said, he has worked at the shipyard in submarines and has a sense of what happened.

    “It’s a confined space with one way in and one way out, so whatever you do it’s much more difficult than fighting a building fire,” he said.

    He said most air packs last for 30 minutes, so there had to be a continuous flow of firefighters in and out. “You only have minutes to do something and then you have to get out and someone else has to go in.”

    “From what I know of submarines and firefighting, it’s a whole different world in there,” he said.

    Congrats on your award for Underestatement of the Year, Chief. Nothing quite says “pucker factor” like shipboard fires, and on a submarine it’s that much worse since there’s no place to go. I’ve been involved with a minor fire in shipyard on my first boat (started in AMS versus Torpedo Room on Miami) and I was on watch in the Engineering spaces, and even then the smoke from a fire that was put out in less than a minute was acrid and thick. There’s some speculation as to whether or not USS Miami will even be salvageable, but in any event, I hope the crew of the Miami likes it up here in New Hampshire/Maine, because their 20-month overhaul just got a lot longer.

  • OWS/Black Bloc Hippies Show “Courage”

    Coming to us yesterday from the the Chicago Sun-Times is a story about our brave intrepid hippie warriors who decided they’d blow off a little steam between throwing “I was there” medals, plotting to blow up shit, and generally being worthless malodorous dickheads to attack some unarmed, innocent diners:

    Police call the melee at the restaurant a targeted assault by a mob that Winston said wielded metal batons and hammers. Ten diners were hurt in the attack, and three of those were hospitalized.

    Tinley Park police had five suspected assailants in custody, and Winston said 18 young men, all wearing hooded jackets and obscuring their faces with scarves and other coverings, stormed into the restaurant.

    “They came running in the door single file,” said Winston, who owns Ashford House, 7959 W. 159th St., and the adjacent Winston’s Market.

    Winston, and police, said the men knew who their targets were, and that the attack wasn’t a random act of violence. Winston said the mob “targeted” a group of 20 diners, all of whom were from out of state.

    Now I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and make a little observation. As of a few months ago when WI went from no-issue to shall-issue, this leaves Illinois as the only state in the nation which does not allow concealed carry.

    Anyone here want to guess as to whether or not they’d pull this shit in a place where CCW was 1–allowed, 2–likely?

    Those little hooded shitbags might have come into the restaurant single-file, but even with their hoodies, masks, hammers, and police batons, as soon as they found themselves facing some pissed off patrons willing to dump a couple of hundred grains of P+ .45 hollowpoint into their sorry meatsack carcasses, they sure as hell would be piling over each other in a mad rush to GTFO before they were carted out in rubber bags.

    YMMV.

  • How Plans Become Policy

    Seems that this is pretty universal, so substitute rank as appropriate for service.

    In the beginning was the plan.

    And then came the assumptions.

    And the assumptions were without form.

    And the plan was without substance.

    And darkness was upon the face of the blueshirts.

    And they spoke among themselves saying,

    “It is a crock of shit and it stinketh.”

    And the blueshirts went unto their Chiefs and said,

    “It is a pale of dung and none may abide the odor thereof.”

    And the Chiefs went unto their Division Officers and said,

    “It is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.”

    And the Division Officers went unto their Department Heads, saying,

    “It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”

    And the Department Heads spoke among themselves, saying to one another,

    “It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong.”

    And the Department Heads went unto the XO, saying unto him,

    “It promotes growth and is very powerful.”

    And the XO went unto the CO, saying unto him,

    “The new plan will promote the growth and vigor of the command and morale, with powerful effects.”

    And the CO looked upon the plan and saw that it was good.

    And the plan became policy.

    This is how shit happens.

  • Mabus Gets One Right

    According to this DoD Press Release, comes the following:

    Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer (DDG) will be named the USS Thomas Hudner.

    Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his wingman, the first African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, anti-aircraft fire hit Brown’s aircraft, damaging a fuel line and causing him to crash. After it became clear Brown was seriously injured and unable to free himself Hudner proceeded to purposefully crash his own aircraft to join Brown and provide aid. Hudner injured his own back during his crash landing, but he stayed with Brown until a rescue helicopter arrived. Hudner and the rescue pilot worked in the sub-zero, snow-laden area in an unsuccessful attempt to free Brown from the smoking wreckage.

    Hudner is the last living Navy recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Korean War.

    Nice to see that amid all the namings to placate the anti-American, Marine-hating (Murtha), ghey lobby crowd, SecNav pulled his head out of his ass just long enough to recognize an American who deserves the honor of having one of our ever-dwindling number of warships named after them.

  • Naval Reactors Examination

    A little bit of a weekend diversion from the political realities of the past few days. I recall seeing something similar to this back in the day, and my fellow nukes here can attest this is sometimes not far from the real thing.

    Naval Reactors Aptitude Test

    Instructions: Read each question carefully. Answer all questions. Time limit 4 hours. Begin immediately. Work in numerical order. Equipment remaining from question #1 may prove useful in questions #3 and #6.

    1. Medicine. You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

    2. History. Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day. Concentrate especially but not exclusively on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief, concise, and specific.

    3. Public Speaking. Two thousand drug-crazed aborigines are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin and Greek.

    4. Biology. Create life. Estimate the difference in subsequent human culture if this form of life had been created 500 million years earlier. Pay special attention to its probable effect on the English Parliamentary System.

    5. Music. Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

    6. Engineering. The disassembled parts of a high power rifle have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual printed in Swahili. In 10 minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel is appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

    7. Sociology. What sociological problems might accompany the end of the world? Construct and experiment to test your theory.

    8. Management Science. Define management. Define science. How do they relate? Create a generalized algorithm to optimize all managerial decisions. Assuming a Cray X-MP supercomputer supporting 50 terminals, each terminal to activate your algorithm, design the communications interface and all necessary control problems.

    9. Psychology. Based on your knowledge of their works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustration of each: Alexander of Aphrodisias, Ramses II, Gregory of Nicea, and Hammurabi. Support your evaluation with quotations from each man’s work. It is not necessary to translate.

    10. Economics. Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan on these areas: Cubism, The Donatist Controversy, and the wave theory of light.

    11. Epistemology. Take a position for or against truth. Prove the validity of your position.

    12. Classical Physics. Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

    13. Modern Physics. Produce element 119. Determine its half-life.

    14. Energy Resources. Construct a working fusion reactor.

    15. Philosophy. Sketch the development of human thought. Estimate its significance. Compare this with the development of any other kind of thought.

    16. General Knowledge. Describe in detail, briefly.

    17. Extra Credit. Define the universe. Give three examples.

    And in other news, the females on submarines experiment has taken a not-so-happy turn. Seems that three of the female Supply Officers are currently off the boat pending NCIS investigation into allegations of fraud on their travel claims. Yay, integrity! Only 37.5 percent of O-3 females doing stupid shit!  More on the story at Navy Times:

  • Ron Paul Says Accused Traitor is a Patriot

    Another gem from the Mouse who needs to go the hell away:

    As homosexual Army soldier Bradley Manning’s treason trial continues at Fort Meade, Maryland, the support he has received from Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has been curiously ignored by the major media, now touting Paul as someone who could win the January 3 Iowa Republican Caucuses. Paul has called Manning, a crossdresser with acknowledged mental problems, a “hero” and “patriot” for stealing government secrets and providing them to WikiLeaks.

    Oh, but it gets better.

    However, speaking at a campaign rally, Paul said that while Manning may have “technically” broken the law against releasing classified information to WikiLeaks, he did so for the purpose of exposing the “horrible things” being carried out by the U.S. Government.

    Referring to Manning’s detention before trial, Paul said, “Should he be locked up and imprisoned?” Manning should be seen as a “political hero” and “true patriot who reveals what’s going on,” Paul said.

    The Bradley Manning Support Network published an article saying that Paul believes that Manning is a “whistleblower” and his actions “are essential to the country.”

    Another “inconvenient fact” for you Paultards to chew on.

  • OWS no longer in vogue

    Well, the girlfriend and I decided to make a trip to NYC over the weekend for several reasons, by the end of which we both agreed the main point was reinforcement of our correct opinion that there are just too damned many people shoved onto that little island called Manhattan.

    However, yesterday, as we were walking around the WTC site (see below) and I was remarking on a lot of the changes that have come about since my first post-9/11 trip to Ground Zero in early 2003, when rubble was still being removed, I noted that we were in fact close to Zuccotti Park.  We made the two-block walk over, and the results are as you see below…

    WTC towers under construction.  Suck it, terrorists.

    I only got a couple of shots at Zuccotti Park, but a couple of the usual cast of characters were there you’ve seen in other posts, most notably the Chinese gentleman protesting their occupation of Tibet.  One protestor did catch my eye:

     

    Ho…ho…hum.

    And the most telling is a picture of the park in its entirely, taken at just past 10 AM:

     

    Yup, you’re seeing it right.  More workers on a Saturday stringing Christmas lights, and a shitload more cops than protestors. Ever since Bloomy grew a sack and told them they could only stay during daylight hours, apparently that’s not enough, or they just can’t drag their drug-addled asses out of bed before noon. Maybe it was the weather. Nah, it was in the 60’s this weekend. Maybe it was the lice, TB, and other nasty social diseases. Nah, can’t be that–they deal with those on a daily basis in their existence anyway. Pretty telling that when the focus isn’t all on them, they can’t be bothered. Only when they’re acting out like spoiled little children are they anywhere close to their “potential”.

    99 percent my dyin ass.

  • Just my .02 for a Saturday night.

    A little something for the viewers here since I’m stuck working tonight.  Enjoy.