Thread: Re: Sailor - OFF Topic

Dave

Yes, the decommissioning of the ark brough tears to several peoples eyes mine included.

You know that rod stewart released the "I am sailing" as a single back in the days of vinyl.

The latest ark has just been sold for scrap, leaving illustrious as our last carrier (even though it doesn't have any harriers) and it just a helicopter carrier.

Hopefully the recession will be over by the time the QE and POW launch and we get to keep both. UK defence spending has dropped below 2% of budget - lowest since just before WWII, so it should be going back up by then.

I think they were looking at french fighters if the JSF is late / scrapped.

Richard
7. Making a TV show of her last days.

A real shame about Ark, Eagle, and Vic back in the late 60s. Back in late
high school/early college Jane's still kept track of ships retained in
decommissioned status (now they just say, "discarded" as a catch-all for
decommissioned, struck, scrapped, which is annoying), and I'd always check
the latest edition to see if Ark and Eagle were still being retained in
"ordinary," or for parts, and it always made me feel a little better to
see their names were still there.

Yeah, she was a good old girl, big fat bow and waist and all. Old carriers
repurposed to new technology are always the coolest. On our side of the
Atlantic, we had the Essex 27Cs and the Midways, and you had Vic, Ark,
Eagle, Centaur, Hermes, etc. Hermes did very well for Queen and Country.

My understanding is that some of the original music from the show was been
replaced on this DVD release, such as the Rod Stewart theme song and a
Pink Floyd song. I am especially sad to lose the Pink Floyd song, but life
is what it is.

I guess Rafales make sense as they are already navalized, and play into
the UK-French cooperation and possible carrier sharing, but I wonder what
they might be able to do with Typhoon. Variety is the spice of life, after
all.

By the way, I think at the time of "Sailor," that was supposed to be Ark's
last cruise, but she was obviously extended to 1978, with those big old
Omega Phantoms.

Dave

> Dave
>
> Yes, the decommissioning of the ark brough tears to several peoples eyes
> mine included.
>
> You know that rod stewart released the "I am sailing" as a single back in
> the days of vinyl.
>
> The latest ark has just been sold for scrap, leaving illustrious as our
> last carrier (even though it doesn't have any harriers) and it just a
> helicopter carrier.
>
> Hopefully the recession will be over by the time the QE and POW launch and
> we get to keep both. UK defence spending has dropped below 2% of budget -
> lowest since just before WWII, so it should be going back up by then.
>
> I think they were looking at french fighters if the JSF is late /
> scrapped.
>
> Richard

I'm of two minds about that. While it's not fun to watch the great ladies
raped and dismembered like that, at least you get to bear witness to the
fact that they existed and spend some time with them in their last days,
and that's something.

> Having relatives in Scotland, I was often on the ferries from Northern
> Ireland to Cairnryan. It was heart-breaking to see first Eagle, then Ark
> Royal being whittled down to nothing over the course of many trips.
>
> Eamon
>
>
> ________________________________
From: Richard Perks
Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 4:40
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Sailor - OFF Topic
>
>
>  
> Dave
>  
> Yes, the decommissioning of the ark brough tears to
> several peoples eyes mine included.
>  
> You know that rod stewart released the "I am
> sailing" as a single back in the days of vinyl.
>  
> The latest ark has just been sold for scrap,
> leaving illustrious as our last carrier (even though it doesn't have any
> harriers) and it just a helicopter carrier.
>  
> Hopefully the recession will be over by the time
> the QE and POW launch and we get to keep both. UK defence spending has
> dropped
> below 2% of budget - lowest since just before WWII, so it should be going
> back
> up by then.
>  
> I think they were looking at french fighters if the
> JSF is late / scrapped.
>  
> Richard
> 7. Making a TV show of her last days.
>>
>>A
> real shame about Ark, Eagle, and Vic back in the late 60s. Back in
> late
>>high school/early college Jane's still kept track of ships retained
> in
>>decommissioned status (now they just say, "discarded" as a catch-all
> for
>>decommissioned, struck, scrapped, which is annoying), and I'd always
> check
>>the latest edition to see if Ark and Eagle were still being retained
> in
>>"ordinary," or for parts, and it always made me feel a little better
> to
>>see their names were still there.
>>
>

True.

________________________________
Sent: Tuesday, 11 September 2012, 23:13
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Sailor - OFF Topic


 
I'm of two minds about that. While it's not fun to watch the great ladies
raped and dismembered like that, at least you get to bear witness to the
fact that they existed and spend some time with them in their last days,
and that's something.

> Having relatives in Scotland, I was often on the ferries from Northern
> Ireland to Cairnryan. It was heart-breaking to see first Eagle, then Ark
> Royal being whittled down to nothing over the course of many trips.
>
> Eamon
>
>
> ________________________________
From: Richard Perks
Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 4:40
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Sailor - OFF Topic
>
>
>  
> Dave
>  
> Yes, the decommissioning of the ark brough tears to
> several peoples eyes mine included.
>  
> You know that rod stewart released the "I am
> sailing" as a single back in the days of vinyl.
>  
> The latest ark has just been sold for scrap,
> leaving illustrious as our last carrier (even though it doesn't have any
> harriers) and it just a helicopter carrier.
>  
> Hopefully the recession will be over by the time
> the QE and POW launch and we get to keep both. UK defence spending has
> dropped
> below 2% of budget - lowest since just before WWII, so it should be going
> back
> up by then.
>  
> I think they were looking at french fighters if the
> JSF is late / scrapped.
>  
> Richard
> 7. Making a TV show of her last days.
>>
>>A
> real shame about Ark, Eagle, and Vic back in the late 60s. Back in
> late
>>high school/early college Jane's still kept track of ships retained
> in
>>decommissioned status (now they just say, "discarded" as a catch-all
> for
>>decommissioned, struck, scrapped, which is annoying), and I'd always
> check
>>the latest edition to see if Ark and Eagle were still being retained
> in
>>"ordinary," or for parts, and it always made me feel a little better
> to
>>see their names were still there.
>>
>

There's a scene in the retrospective, "last" Sailor episode, "Eight Years
On," where Tom Wilkinson comes to see the last bits of Ark's lower hull
drawn up in the mud at the scrap yard and bursts into tears. "The poor old
booger didn't deserve that."

> True.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
Sent: Tuesday, 11 September 2012, 23:13
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Sailor - OFF Topic
>
>
>  
> I'm of two minds about that. While it's not fun to watch the great ladies
> raped and dismembered like that, at least you get to bear witness to the
> fact that they existed and spend some time with them in their last days,
> and that's something.
>
>> Having relatives in Scotland, I was often on the ferries from Northern
>> Ireland to Cairnryan. It was heart-breaking to see first Eagle, then Ark
>> Royal being whittled down to nothing over the course of many trips.
>>
>> Eamon
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
From: Richard Perks
Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 4:40
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Sailor - OFF Topic
>>
>>
>>  
>> Dave
>>  
>> Yes, the decommissioning of the ark brough tears to
>> several peoples eyes mine included.
>>  
>> You know that rod stewart released the "I am
>> sailing" as a single back in the days of vinyl.
>>  
>> The latest ark has just been sold for scrap,
>> leaving illustrious as our last carrier (even though it doesn't have any
>> harriers) and it just a helicopter carrier.
>>  
>> Hopefully the recession will be over by the time
>> the QE and POW launch and we get to keep both. UK defence spending has
>> dropped
>> below 2% of budget - lowest since just before WWII, so it should be
>> going
>> back
>> up by then.
>>  
>> I think they were looking at french fighters if the
>> JSF is late / scrapped.
>>  
>> Richard
>> 7. Making a TV show of her last days.
>>>
>>>A
>> real shame about Ark, Eagle, and Vic back in the late 60s. Back in
>> late
>>>high school/early college Jane's still kept track of ships retained
>> in
>>>decommissioned status (now they just say, "discarded" as a catch-all
>> for
>>>decommissioned, struck, scrapped, which is annoying), and I'd always
>> check
>>>the latest edition to see if Ark and Eagle were still being retained
>> in
>>>"ordinary," or for parts, and it always made me feel a little better
>> to
>>>see their names were still there.
>>>
>>
>
>
>

On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 3:09 PM, <> wrote:

> There's a scene in the retrospective, "last" Sailor episode, "Eight Years
> On," where Tom Wilkinson comes to see the last bits of Ark's lower hull
> drawn up in the mud at the scrap yard and bursts into tears. "The poor old
> booger didn't deserve that."
>
>
As a Sailor I can understand respect and love for a ship, but I also
understand that ships get used up. In the End Ships and those who serve on
them must be used, and far too frequently they used up with only memories
and widows left behind. A ship in the breakers yard is a sad thing, but
remember better all that steel go to making another than to slowly rot in
to nothing. Every bit saved and reused is a bit of her soul going forward
carrying the love and tradition forward into the next generation. Every
ship and boat I served aboard carried bits and pieces of those who went
before, a physical touchstone of those who served before, and I trust that
bits from my time in service will go on after I am gone.

When I was in the service we would sneak into the old storage boat yard and
replace bits and pieces of our boats with older boats, so that those old
girls would live on with us.... The Chief I learned this from told me about
how he learned of the practice from his 1st Chief who said he learned it
from his. It was one why of maintaining tradition and connection to
the origins of the service.

To circle around to the Navy question, when I say navy I generally mean the
USN, when I say sailor it every sailor that served at sea. In this while
nations have Navies it takes Sailors to man all those vessels, and up to
today just because a sailor serves in the Navy doesn't mean he is
a citizen of the Nation that owns it. Traditionally Sailors of
all nationalities served under officers of the state, even the USN when I
was serving had a large number of foreign nationals serving aboard, though
part of their terms of service was a path to US Citizenship. Due to the
nature of my service I often found myself in the company of Sailors in
service to other Navies, other than the native rivalries between two groups
of young men I found they where just like me doing the same jobs with the
same worries, the biggest problem I ever had was coming back to my
command/ship drunk and wearing significant portions of the wrong Navies
uniform.

--
Evyn

Every word true, Evyn.

I was touched by the old "Chief" bursting into tears, but "the poor old
booger didn't deserve that," well, what else are you to do with her? We
can't save them all, and often ones "saved" can't be taken proper care of
and get broken up anyway.

However, I do purely love it when a ship gives her finger to the world and
says, "I ain't goin' to the breaker, I'm goin' down right here, dammit."
Oklahoma and Warspite, for example.

> On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 3:09 PM, <> wrote:
>
>> There's a scene in the retrospective, "last" Sailor episode, "Eight
>> Years
>> On," where Tom Wilkinson comes to see the last bits of Ark's lower hull
>> drawn up in the mud at the scrap yard and bursts into tears. "The poor
>> old
>> booger didn't deserve that."
>>
>>
> As a Sailor I can understand respect and love for a ship, but I also
> understand that ships get used up. In the End Ships and those who serve on
> them must be used, and far too frequently they used up with only memories
> and widows left behind. A ship in the breakers yard is a sad thing, but
> remember better all that steel go to making another than to slowly rot in
> to nothing. Every bit saved and reused is a bit of her soul going forward
> carrying the love and tradition forward into the next generation. Every
> ship and boat I served aboard carried bits and pieces of those who went
> before, a physical touchstone of those who served before, and I trust that
> bits from my time in service will go on after I am gone.
>
> When I was in the service we would sneak into the old storage boat yard
> and
> replace bits and pieces of our boats with older boats, so that those old
> girls would live on with us.... The Chief I learned this from told me
> about
> how he learned of the practice from his 1st Chief who said he learned it
> from his. It was one why of maintaining tradition and connection to
> the origins of the service.
>
> To circle around to the Navy question, when I say navy I generally mean
> the
> USN, when I say sailor it every sailor that served at sea. In this while
> nations have Navies it takes Sailors to man all those vessels, and up to
> today just because a sailor serves in the Navy doesn't mean he is
> a citizen of the Nation that owns it. Traditionally Sailors of
> all nationalities served under officers of the state, even the USN when I
> was serving had a large number of foreign nationals serving aboard, though
> part of their terms of service was a path to US Citizenship. Due to the
> nature of my service I often found myself in the company of Sailors in
> service to other Navies, other than the native rivalries between two
> groups
> of young men I found they where just like me doing the same jobs with the
> same worries, the biggest problem I ever had was coming back to my
> command/ship drunk and wearing significant portions of the wrong Navies
> uniform.
>
> --
> Evyn
>