Picture of the day

The Finnish Navy leaves a little something for the neighbours.

ponJBE7.jpg


Can anyone date this?
 
Magellann said:
I could see a defective mine having some dire consequences by premature detonation.
Click to expand...

Contact mines in general were prone to premature detonation, though fortunately it usually occurred after the mine was laid. Some WWI era British mines actually used pellets that dissolved in sal####er as their delayed arming mechanism. Imagine operating aboard a minelayer - in a constant marine environment with potentially hundreds of mines aboard - where the only thing staving off oblivion was keeping the mines dry before laying them.
 
Ganderite said:
Do the mines float on top or are they moored below, out of sight?
Click to expand...

They can do either, depending on what you want to do, i.e. present a visible barrier for defensive deterrent value or to force shipping in a certain direction, or as traps, moored below the surface to striker ships of a certain draught, or at deeper depths to defend against submarines.
 
I've always admired the Finns for their self-reliance and determination to sustain themselves in the face of their old Russian masters.

They have a pretty good sense of timing too. When the Russian revolution occurred in 1917 the Finns made their move to freedom and have maintained it for the past 100 years. When I visited military friends in Finland in the late 1980s I had the opportunity to tour the base of the Nyland Brigade and training center which was housed in a Czarist era camp built in 1912. They have pictures if the construction period which show the Russian troops living in tents in the snow while the Czarist officers danced the night away in the officers mess, complete with hardwood dance floors and big rococo style wood stoves. The officers mess was construction priority 1.

The Finns underwent Soviet occupation of several key sites until 1955. I was surprised to see that they still had active coast artillery protection of the archipelago leading into the city of Turku.
 
Happy Bastille Day, mes amis.

war-and-conflict-world-war-ii-pic-1940-german-soldiers-using-flame-picture-id79658331


Here, another fortified French position is successfully assaulted a few years after the revolution. They don't much celebrate this one in Paris. Maginot Line, 1940.
 
Victoria has a Fort Rod Hill, a Victorian coastal fort.

Also you can still see the coastal 9.2 inch gun pits at Albert Head, south west of Victoria.

The guns apparently went to Turkey.
 
Went nosing around for 9.2" gun pics and stumbled on this:

mineroller_improvised.jpg


I imagine that'd work fine if it was just AP mines one was concerned about, but sprinkle a few AT mines in there and THAT'S a party...
 
Fort Cape Spear

Located southeast of St. John's. There was a two-gun coastal defence battery (1941 - 1945) located here during World War II, armed with two American-made 10-inch M1888 guns on M1894M1 disappearing carriages, which were transferred from Fort Mott, New Jersey per the Lend-Lease agreement. The guns were manned by Canadian troops. American troops manned searchlight emplacements and a nearby SCR-271 radar station (see above). In 1946 all removable military structures were ordered removed from the park. The two gun tubes still remain as abandoned, however, but the carriages/mounts were removed.
Click to expand...

Fort-Cape-Spear-Banner.ashx


Fort Amherst

In 1941 two casemated 4.7-inch guns were installed here from Signal Hill, replacing two 75mm guns which were sent to Fort Chain Rock. The two guns are still extant. This battery helped to protect the minefield outside of the Narrows. An American SCR-296A radar installation was nearby.
Click to expand...

http://4.bp.########.com/-XGtoLCSzuiU/UfjwGg1agCI/AAAAAAAABEA/cci7S4FNK8o/s640/forts.jpg

There are numerous others, and varying batteries on the sites at different periods in history.
 
sail32 said:
Victoria has a Fort Rod Hill, a Victorian coastal fort.

Also you can still see the coastal 9.2 inch gun pits at Albert Head, south west of Victoria.

The guns apparently went to Turkey.
Click to expand...
Ft Rodd Hill is well worth a visit. AFAIK the 9.2 inch gun site at Albert Head is within DND property and isn't accessible for a visit. I believe that it's now the site of a cadet camp. My father served in the Coast Artillery in both locations. Before I visit Victoria next I'm going to contact CFB Esquimalt and try to arrange access to Albert head.

There was quite a science to coast artillery gunnery. Although my dad only had a grade 8 education he was a real whiz at math and trigonometry, something he learned from calculating firing solutions for the guns.

There are a couple of former coast artillery sites in the US which are preserved as parks and are well worth a visit; Ft Stevens, Oregon which guarded the mouth of the Columbia River and Ft Desoto which protected the approaches to Tampa Bay, FL.
 
purple said:
Ft Rodd Hill is well worth a visit. AFAIK the 9.2 inch gun site at Albert Head is within DND property and isn't accessible for a visit. I believe that it's now the site of a cadet camp. My father served in the Coast Artillery in both locations. Before I visit Victoria next I'm going to contact CFB Esquimalt and try to arrange access to Albert head.

There was quite a science to coast artillery gunnery. Although my dad only had a grade 8 education he was a real whiz at math and trigonometry, something he learned from calculating firing solutions for the guns.

There are a couple of former coast artillery sites in the US which are preserved as parks and are well worth a visit; Ft Stevens, Oregon which guarded the mouth of the Columbia River and Ft Desoto which protected the approaches to Tampa Bay, FL.
Click to expand...

A grade eight education back then was probably of more use than a current high school education. My Dad was the same & he was an absolute star when it came to math & cutting various angles used in carpentry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom