#U.S. 6TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

[judgemark45]

The guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg CG-69, top, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise CVN-65, the German navy frigate FGS Rheinland-Pfalz F-209 and the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Charlottetown FFH-339 transit in formation during a passing exercise. Enterprise is supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. 03.24.2012.

[defensenow]

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 Daily Operations

Carrier Strike Group 10 | U.S. 6TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY | 02.24.2023

[j-r-macready]

U.S. Marines move an AIM-120 air-to-air missile aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8). by Official U.S. Navy Page Via Flickr: U.S. 6TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (June 17, 2021) U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 21, move an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile across the flight deck aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8) in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, June 18th, 2021. Alongside the United Kingdom’s 617 Squadron, VMFA-211 is conducting combat sorties in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the first combat operations launched from HMS Queen Elizabeth. OIR is the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. (U.s. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Zachary Bodner) 210617-M-MS099-769

[usafphantom2]

Ronnie Bell Following

USN F/A-18F “Fear The Bones Baby! VFA-103☠️🏴‍☠️”

100724-N-4236E-636

ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 24, 2010) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Jolly Rogers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 flies by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chad R. Erdmann/Released)

Via Flickr

[photoyage]

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 15, 2012) The guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) participates in a passing exercise. Vicksburg is deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The U.S. Navy is constantly deployed to preserve peace, protect commerce, and deter aggression through forward presence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nick Scott/Released)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.4

598 – Goguryeo-Sui War: Emperor Wéndi of Sui orders his youngest son, Yang Liang (assisted by the co-prime minister Gao Jiong), to conquer Goguryeo (Korea) during the Manchurian rainy season, with a Chinese army and navy. 1265 – Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham: The army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeats the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort and many of his allies. 1327 – First War of Scottish Independence: James Douglas leads a raid into Weardale and almost kills Edward III of England. 1578 – Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir: The Moroccans defeat the Portuguese. King Sebastian of Portugal is killed in the battle, leaving his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, as his heir. This initiates a succession crisis in Portugal. 1693 – Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine. 1701 – Great Peace of Montreal between New France and First Nations is signed. 1704 – War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke and allied with Archduke Charles. 1783 – Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths. 1789 – France: abolition of feudalism by the National Constituent Assembly. 1790 – A newly passed tariff act creates the Revenue Cutter Service (the forerunner of the United States Coast Guard). 1791 – The Treaty of Sistova is signed, ending the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Napoleon leads the French Army of Italy to victory in the Battle of Lonato. 1821 – The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper. 1854 – The Hinomaru is established as the official flag to be flown from Japanese ships. 1863 – Matica slovenská, Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation, is established in Martin. 1873 – American Indian Wars: While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, the United States 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer clashes for the first time with the Cheyenne and Lakota people near the Tongue River; only one man on each side is killed. 1889 – The Great Fire of Spokane, Washington destroys some 32 blocks of the city, prompting a mass rebuilding project. 1892 – The father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden are found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. She was tried and acquitted for the crimes a year later. 1914 – World War I: In response to the German invasion of Belgium, Belgium and the British Empire declare war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality. 1915 – World War I: The German 12th Army occupies Warsaw during the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive and the Great Retreat of 1915. 1924 – Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union are established. 1936 – Prime Minister of Greece Ioannis Metaxas suspends parliament and the Constitution and establishes the 4th of August Regime. 1944 – The Holocaust: A tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others. 1944 – The Finnish Parliament, by derogation, elected Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim as President of Finland to replace Risto Ryti, who had resigned. 1946 – An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless. 1947 – The Supreme Court of Japan is established. 1964 – Civil rights movement: Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21. 1964 – Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident: U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy mistakenly report coming under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. 1965 – The Constitution of the Cook Islands comes into force, giving the Cook Islands self-governing status within New Zealand. 1969 – Vietnam War: At the apartment of French intermediary Jean Sainteny in Paris, American representative Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Xuân Thuỷ begin secret peace negotiations. The negotiations will eventually fail. 1972 – Ugandan President Idi Amin announced that Uganda was no longer responsible for the care of British subjects of Asian origin, beginning the expulsions of Ugandan Asians. 1974 – A bomb explodes in the Italicus Express train at San Benedetto Val di Sambro, Italy, killing 12 people and wounding 22. 1975 – The Japanese Red Army takes more than 50 hostages at the AIA Building housing several embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The hostages include the U.S. consul and the Swedish Chargé d'affaires. The gunmen win the release of five imprisoned comrades and fly with them to Libya. 1977 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy. 1984 – The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso. 1987 – The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues "fairly". 1995 – Operation Storm begins in Croatia. 2006 – A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against Hunger (known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF). 2007 – NASA's Phoenix spacecraft is launched. 2018 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Iraq–Syria border, concluding the second phase of the Deir ez-Zor campaign. 2019 – Nine people are killed and 26 injured in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This comes only 12 hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where 23 people were killed. 2020 – At least 220 people are killed and over 5,000 are wounded when 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Beirut, Lebanon.

[ultrajaphunter]

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 3, 2010) An E/A-6B Prowler assigned to the Patriots of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140 launches during flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bradley Evans)

[navalpost]

U.S. Navy kicks off Large-Scale Exercise 2021

U.S. Navy kicks off Large-Scale Exercise 2021

U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe commenced Large-Scale Exercise 2021 in the USFF, PACFLT, and NAVEUR areas of responsibility, the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet announced on 3rd August. Large-Scale Exercise 2021 is an alive, virtual, constructive, globally integrated exercise supervised by the Chief of Naval Operations and spanning numerous fleets. Large-Scale…

[newstfionline]

The Navy is resurrecting a fleet to protect the East Coast and North Atlantic from Russia

By Alex Horton, Washington Post, May 6, 2018

The U.S. Navy has reactivated a fleet responsible for overseeing the East Coast and North Atlantic--an escalation of the Pentagon’s focus on a resurgent Russia and its expanding military presence.

The 2nd Fleet, deactivated in 2011 to preserve funds for new ships, will resume operations in Norfolk on July 1, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson told reporters Friday.

“This is a dynamic response to the dynamic security environment,” Richardson said onboard the carrier USS George H.W. Bush. “So as we’ve seen this great-power competition emerge, the Atlantic Ocean is as dynamic a theater as any and particular the North Atlantic, so as we consider high-end naval warfare, fighting in the Atlantic, that will be the 2nd Fleet’s responsibility.”

Navy officials had previously recommended reactivating the fleet as part of broader reviews following last year’s row of deadly collisions among ships in the Japan-based 7th Fleet.

In a separate statement, Richardson invoked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s national-defense strategy as key guidance to reestablish the fleet, which will extend halfway across the Atlantic until it meets the area of responsibility for the Italy-based 6th Fleet.

One concern the 2nd Fleet will immediately address: the threat from a now-modest number of Russian nuclear attack submarines capable of cruising in the depths off the East Coast, McGrath told The Washington Post.

Submarines like the nuclear-powered Yasen-class fleet are equipped with hypersonic anti-ship missiles and nuclear-capable missiles that can reach any city on the Eastern Seaboard within range, he said.

Patrols will likely start soon after and involve manned and unmanned surface ships, attack submarines and air surveillance by P-8 Poseidon aircraft, a sub-hunting warplane.

The move arrives alongside broader NATO strategies to counter Russia. In a separate announcement Friday, the Pentagon said it proposed a NATO Joint Force Command for the Atlantic in Norfolk.

“To quote Ned Stark: ‘Winter is coming,’” McGrath said, referring to a “Game of Thrones” character who warns of approaching conflict. “There is a general sense a revisionist power in Russia is dedicated to opposing the U.S. in many arenas, and military opposition is increasingly one of them.”

[judgemark45]

SOUDA BAY, Greece (Oct. 10, 2019) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) departs Souda Bay, Greece following a scheduled port visit, Oct. 10, 2019. Normandy, homeported in Norfolk, is part of the East Coast Surface Action Group (SAG) and is operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility as part of a scheduled deployment and will conduct routine maritime security operations, improve interoperability and engagement with allies and partners, and demonstrate the combat power and flexibility of naval forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael H. Lehman/Released)

[defensenow]

USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) Daily Operations

https://defenseflashnews.com/marines/f/uss-leyte-gulf-cg-55-daily-operations-3

Carrier Strike Group 10 | Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christine Montgomery | U.S. 6TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY | 02.17.2023

[j-r-macready]

170819-N-XN518-294 by Official U.S. Navy Page Via Flickr: ACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2017) A family waves as the the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) as the ship arrives at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. The ship and its carrier strike group are returning from a seven-month deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Schumaker/Released) 170819-N-UK306-101 Join the conversation: www.navy.mil/viewGallery.asp www.facebook.com/USNavy www.twitter.com/USNavy navylive.dodlive.mil pinterest.com plus.google.com

[usafphantom2]

U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter accident in California

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/10/2022 - 09:36 AM in Aeronautical Accidents, Military

The U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), not pictured, in the Atlantic Ocean March 13, 2013. The Kearsarge was under way on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher/Released)

The U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), not pictured, in the Atlantic Ocean March 13, 2013. The Kearsarge was under way on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher/Released)

A U.S. Navy Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk, operated by HSC-3, crashed into a training camp near El Centro, California. The four occupants survived the accident.

The helicopter crashed around 6 p.m. on a training camp while conducting a routine flight of the Naval Air Facility El Centro, according to the base. The helicopter is an MH-60S Seahawk assigned to the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3 based at the North Island Naval Air Station.

A crew member suffered an injury but is not at risk of life and was taken to a hospital, the base said.

The scene of the accident was originally described as being about 56 kilometers north of Yuma, Arizona.

The day before, all five Marines aboard an MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor died when the aircraft crashed in the California desert, near the border with Arizona, the Marine Corps reported on Thursday.

Tags: Aeronautical AccidentsHelicoptersMH-60USN - United States Navy/U.S. Navy

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[photoyage]

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Nov. 1, 2013) The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) performs high-speed maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. Monterey is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Billy Ho/Released)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.4

598 – Goguryeo-Sui War: Emperor Wéndi of Sui orders his youngest son, Yang Liang (assisted by the co-prime minister Gao Jiong), to conquer Goguryeo (Korea) during the Manchurian rainy season, with a Chinese army and navy. 1265 – Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham: The army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeats the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort and many of his allies. 1327 – First War of Scottish Independence: James Douglas leads a raid into Weardale and almost kills Edward III of England. 1578 – Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir: The Moroccans defeat the Portuguese. King Sebastian of Portugal is killed in the battle, leaving his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, as his heir. This initiates a succession crisis in Portugal. 1693 – Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine. 1701 – Great Peace of Montreal between New France and First Nations is signed. 1704 – War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke and allied with Archduke Charles. 1783 – Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people. The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths. 1789 – France: abolition of feudalism by the National Constituent Assembly. 1790 – A newly passed tariff act creates the Revenue Cutter Service (the forerunner of the United States Coast Guard). 1791 – The Treaty of Sistova is signed, ending the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Napoleon leads the French Army of Italy to victory in the Battle of Lonato. 1821 – The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper. 1854 – The Hinomaru is established as the official flag to be flown from Japanese ships. 1863 – Matica slovenská, Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation, is established in Martin. 1873 – American Indian Wars: While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, the United States 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer clashes for the first time with the Cheyenne and Lakota people near the Tongue River; only one man on each side is killed. 1889 – The Great Fire of Spokane, Washington destroys some 32 blocks of the city, prompting a mass rebuilding project. 1892 – The father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden are found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. She was tried and acquitted for the crimes a year later. 1914 – World War I: In response to the German invasion of Belgium, Belgium and the British Empire declare war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality. 1915 – World War I: The German 12th Army occupies Warsaw during the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive and the Great Retreat of 1915. 1924 – Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union are established. 1936 – Prime Minister of Greece Ioannis Metaxas suspends parliament and the Constitution and establishes the 4th of August Regime. 1944 – The Holocaust: A tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others. 1944 – The Finnish Parliament, by derogation, elected Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim as President of Finland to replace Risto Ryti, who had resigned. 1946 – An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless. 1947 – The Supreme Court of Japan is established. 1964 – Civil rights movement: Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21. 1964 – Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident: U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy mistakenly report coming under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. 1965 – The Constitution of the Cook Islands comes into force, giving the Cook Islands self-governing status within New Zealand. 1969 – Vietnam War: At the apartment of French intermediary Jean Sainteny in Paris, American representative Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Xuân Thuỷ begin secret peace negotiations. The negotiations will eventually fail. 1974 – A bomb explodes in the Italicus Express train at San Benedetto Val di Sambro, Italy, killing 12 people and wounding 22. 1975 – The Japanese Red Army takes more than 50 hostages at the AIA Building housing several embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The hostages include the U.S. consul and the Swedish Chargé d'affaires. The gunmen win the release of five imprisoned comrades and fly with them to Libya. 1977 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy. 1984 – The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso. 1987 – The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues "fairly". 1995 – Operation Storm begins in Croatia. 2006 – A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against Hunger (known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF). 2007 – NASA's Phoenix spacecraft is launched. 2018 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Iraq–Syria border, concluding the second phase of the Deir ez-Zor campaign. 2019 – Nine people are killed and 26 injured in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This comes only 12 hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where 23 people were killed. 2020 – At least 220 people are killed and over 5,000 are wounded when 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Beirut, Lebanon.

[siphones-blog]

OVERVIEW.

columbia    floats    above    north    america    and    is    made    of    neoclassical    buildings    similar    to    those    present    within    the    white    city    of    1893    chicago    world’s    fair.    the    design    relies    heavily    upon    romanesque    appearances    and    colonial    american    influences.    while    reactors,    propellers    and    balloons    are    present    throughout    the    city,    its    ability    to    float    is    due    to    quantum    levitation    which    allows    objects    to    be    suspended    indefinitely.    the    city    also    has    rain    catchers    that    collect    water    from    precipitation    in    the    clouds    to    keep    the    vegetation    and    citizens    supplied    with    water.

columbia    was    designed    with    docking    stations    and    propulsion    devices    to    allow    sections    of    it    to    move    about    independently.    the    city    was    constructed    for    long    distance    travel,    allowing    national    and    international    tours,    with    a    regular    route    across    the    united    states.    these    routes    featured    periodic    stops    near    major    cities,    connecting    to    relay    stations    which    contain    transport    rockets    which    grant    passage    to    columbia    via    coded    signal.    the    city’s    internal    means    of    transportation    include    zeppelins,    cargo    barges,    hovercrafts,    gondolas    that    move    along    heavy    steel    cables,    and    sky-lines.    bridges    are    also    automated    to    connect    with    other    moving    portions    of    the    city    at    various    stations,    scheduled    like    any    other    transportation    system.

PURPOSE.

the    u.s.    government    intended    columbia    to    be    a    showcase    of    american    exceptionalism.    through    tours    across    various    countries,    america    would    be    capable    of    spreading    its    vision    of    the    future    and    their    ideals    to    others.    through    rosalind    lutece’s    discovery    of    the    lutece    particle,    which    held    atoms    at    a    fixed    position    and    financial    support    by    zachary    hale    comstock,    a    charismatic    american    religious    figure,    the    city    was    created    and    presented    at    the    1893    chicago    world’s    fair.

the    city    was    launched    to    great    fanfare    and    was    later    dispatched    to    distant    shores.    what    began    as    an    endeavor    of   achievement    and    hope    went    horribly    wrong.    in    1901,    during    the    boxer    rebellion    where    american    hostages    had    been    taken,    columbian    forces    intervened    without    orders    from    the    u.s.    government    and    destroyed    beijing.    the    destruction    of    the    city    caused    the    death    of    many    chinese    civilians    and    demonstrated    the    danger    that    columbia    posed    to    the    rest    of    the    world.

when    the    city    was    revealed    to    be    heavily    armed    and    to    have    acted    on    its    own,    a    rift    emerged    between    leadership    in    columbia    and    washington,    resulting    in    columbia    being    recalled    to    american    shores.    in    response,    on    july    6th,    1902,    columbia    seceded    from    the    union    and    the    following    year    disappeared    into    the    clouds.    zachary    comstock    had    complete    control    over    the    city,    and    so,    set    to    create    his    ideal    society.

BELIEFS    &    LIFE.

the    emerging    utopia    had    its    flaws,    though    they    were    not    seen    as    problems    by    its    leaders.    zachary    comstock    and    his    political    party,    the    founders,    believed    that    columbia    embodied    the    true    society    envisioned    by    the    founding    fathers    of    the    united    states,    where    white    anglo-saxons    ruled    over    the    world    and    that    their    country    served    a    higher    purpose    in    ‘civilizing’    through    military    might    and    propagating    their    particular    brand    of    religion.    to    many    columbians,    the    u.s.    had    turned    away    from    its    divine    purpose,    having    abandoned    slavery,    religion,    militarism    and    racial    supremacy.    the    u.s.    and    the    rest    of    the    world    below    were    viewed    with     contempt,    described    as    ‘the    sodom    below’,    a    sinful    and    chaotic    world     which    only    deserved    to    be    destroyed.    columbia,    in    comparison,    was    referred    to    as    ‘another    ark,    for    another    time’    by    its    citizens,    meaning    the    city    was    the    only    source    of    goodness    and    order,    and    once    columbia    destroyed    the    rest    of    the    world,    everything    could    restart    pure    and    anew    under    the    city’s    absolute    rule.    due    to    zachary    comstock’s    dogma,    columbians    had    a    very    narrow    perspective    of    american    history    ;    president    abraham    lincoln    was    labeled    ‘the    apostate’    by    citizens    for    ending    slavery,    while    john    wilkes    booth    was    revered    as    a    saint.

with    the    city    free    from    the    united    states’    anti-slavery    and    workers’    safety    laws,    institutionalized    racism    and    elitism    were    widespread    and    legally    enforced    in    columbia.    anglo-saxon    supremacy    was    widely    asserted    by    the    upper    classes,    matched    with    poor    treatment    of    the    immigrant    working    class.    there    was    constant    paranoia    over    the    ‘foreign    horde’    due    to    the    racial    beliefs    of    the    time,    cuasing    columbian    xenophobia    and    militarism.    africans,    asians,    indians,    and    irish,    were    regularly    subjugated    in    columbia,    with    many    working    to    power    columbia’s    industry.    this    was    under    the    guise    of    employment,    while    some    were    brought    in    by    force    to    serve    as    slaves    or    indentured    servants.     the    more    privileged    classes    lead    more    leisurely    lives.    this    was    all    justified    by    the    majority    of    columbia’s    citizens    with    the    belief    that    the    minorities    had    risen    above    their    station,    and    that    their    toil    was    a    form    of    penance.    others    simply    saw    it    as    a    source    of    cheap,    expendable    labor.

as    a    result    of    this    separation,    minorities    were    largely    relegated    to    menial    labor    with    no    opportunity    for    upward    mobility,    and    asking    for    improvements    would    likely    result    in    being    attacked    by    the    city    police,    or    worse.    the    hard    labor    workforce    at    fink    manufacturing,    well-known    for    mistreating    its    workers,    was    chiefly    composed    of    the    city’s    minority    population    and    was    closely    supervised    and    controlled    by    heavily    armed    police    officers.    the    majority    of    columbia’s    working    class    lived    in    shabby,    crime-ridden,    and    diseased    slums,    a    stark    contrast    to    the    clean,    stately    neighborhoods    of    the    upper    classes.    those    few    who    worked    in    areas    where    the    founders    dominated    were    expected    to    be    servile    to    their    betters    while    dealing    with    inhumane    working    and    living    conditions.    some    who    worked    in    the    homes    of    the    elite    enjoyed    slightly    better    lives    depending    on    their    owner’s    generosity.

such    policies    were    widely    accepted    by    the    majority    of    the    upper    and    middle    class.    to    them,    this    hierarchy    was    heaven-born    and    divinely    ordained.    some    exceptions    existed,    with    few    progressives    operating    in    secret,    who    published    rebellious    material    demanding    equality,    and    who    provided    safe    lodgings    for    escaped    workers.    ‘protecting    our    race’    was    the    official    maxim    of    columbia’s    police,    and    any    attempts    of    interracial    couples    was    illegal    (    public    stoning    of    those    who    disobeyed    was    a    common    diversion    during    important    celebrations    ).    any    attempts    to    promote    egalitarianism    lead    to    imprisonment    and    torture.    murder    and    torture    of    minorities    was    ignored    by    the    founders,    as    well    as    the    police    authorities,    if    not    outright    encouraged.    control     was     also    enforced    covertly    and     brutally    by    a    splinter    group    of    the    founders,    the    fraternal    order    of    the    raven,    which    doubled    as    an    assassination    group    and    special    operations    force    who    regularly    lynched,    attacked    and    kidnapped    those    who    threatened    zachary    comstock’s    ideals.

columbia    was    a    militantly    theocratic    and    fascist    society    that    idolized    american    exceptionalism.    religion    and    government    were    one    and    the    same,    and    devotion    to    the    city    and    its    leader/prophet    was    required    of    its    citizens.    this    was    based    upon    the    teachings    of    zachary    comstock    as    a    divine    prophetic    figure,    as    well    as    interpretations    of    the    founding    fathers,    whom    columbian    belief    said    were    appointed    by    the    archangel    columbia    to    rise    america    above    all    other    nations    in    law,    technology,    and    power.    the    belief    that    zachary    comstock    was    chosen    to    complete    the    mission    of    the    founding    fathers    was    widespread.    his    word    was    law,    though    elected    officials    did    exist.    images    of    him,    annabelle    comstock    and    elizabeth    alongside    angels     were    all    over    columbia,    which    were    presented    as    heavenly    places.    columbia’s    religiosity    appears    like    a    form    of    protestant    christianity    that    would    have    risen    during    that    era    due    to    the    third    great    awakening,    but    little    resembles    actual    christianity.    columbia’s    prevailing    religious    ideology    was    very    much    a    personality    cult    that    is    typical    of    despotic    regimes.

deviation    from    this    state-imposed    dogma    was    unacceptable    and    illegal.    the    founders,    led    by    zachary    comstock    and    columbia's    elite,    were    the    prevailing    political    faction    in    columbia,    retaining    exclusive    control    over    the    city's    society,    government    and    business    infrastructure.    they    enforced    comstock's    religious    and    social    vision    out    of    blind    devotion    or    greed,    and    in    turn    benefited    from    it    as    part    of    the    privileged    social    strata.    the    founders    were    also    extremely    militaristic,    enforcing    their    laws    and    operations    in    a    police    state    with    a    huge    army    of    police    officers    and    security    automatons.    they    used    child    indoctrination    to    encourage    military    service    through   theater.    a    fleet    of    airships,    headed    by    comstock's    personal    zeppelin,    kept    constant    watch    over    columbia's    skies,    ready    to    attack    on    comstock 's    orders.

BUSINESS.

fink    manufacturing    was    the    largest    business    in    columbia,    as    well    as    its    largest    employer    and    manufacturer.    due    to    a    high    demand    for    vigors    in    the    city,    fink    manufacturing    bottled    and    distributed    vigors    produced    by    independent,    contracted    businesses.    the    work    floor    at    fink    manufacturing    showed    its    dominance    in    various    markets    —    one    floor,     for     example,    was    devoted    to    gun    automatons,    while    the    one    above    focused    on    children's    toys.

smaller    businesses    produced    various    items    for    the    people    of    columbia,    the    founders,    and    the    vox    populi.    however,    most    of    these    companies    were    quickly    bought    out    by    fink's    cruel    business    empire,    leaving    him    the    sole    distributor    for    goods    in    the    city.    there    were    some    exceptions,    such    as    the    duke    &    dimwit    company,    which    produced    propaganda    pieces    via    books,    toys,    and    machines    to    indoctrinate    columbia's    children    into    its    ideals.

despite    these    business    opportunities,    50%    of    every    silver    eagle    earned    went    directly    to    comstock,    which    deeply    affected    the    laborers    of    columbia.    furthermore,    fink's    price    gouging    and    heavy-handed    exploitation    of    his    workers    forced    them    into    poverty,    frequently    leading    to    starvation    and    disease.

SCIENCE    &    TECHNOLOGY.

comstock    believed    that    scientific    knowledge    was    the    blueprint    of    god's    work,    and    that    it    could,    therefore,    be    practiced    and    controlled    in    the    name    of    god.    many    advancements    in    columbia     were    the    product    of    the    mind    of    rosalind    lutece,    a    quantum    physicist    and    one    of    the    most    prominent    scientists    of    her    time.    her    work    led    to    the    discovery    of    the    lutece    field,    a    field    capable    of    manipulating    the    properties    of    subatomic    particles.    one    such    application    was    the    suspension    of    particles    in    space,    facilitating    the    creation    of    airborne    machinery    and,    by    extension,    the    city    of    columbia.

following    her    work    on    the    lutece    field,    rosalind    lutece    made    an    even    more    ground-breaking    discovery   :    the    device    she    created    allowed    her    to    interact    with    parallel    realities,    leading    her    to    contact    her    duplicate    from    another    universe,    robert    lutece.    through    their    joint    effort,    they    developed    machinery    capable    of    creating    contingencies    in    the    space-time    continuum,    or    tears,    allowing    robert    to    travel    to    rosalind's    reality    (   albeit    at    a    great    physical    cost   ).

zachary    comstock    interpreted    these    tears    as    revelatory    visions    of    the    future,    increasing    his    delusions    of    grandeur.    using    these    tears,    he    orchestrated    the    transfer    of    anna    dewitt,    the    daughter    of    an    alternate    version    of    himself    to    columbia    and    rechristened    her    as    elizabeth    to    become    his    successor.    he    unknowingly    gave    birth    to    her    reality-bending    powers    by    splitting    her    form   across    multiple    realities.

while    most    citizens    regarded    these    tears    as    a    mere    curiosity,    individuals    such    as    jeremiah    and    albert    fink    exploited    their    access    to    parallel    universe    technologies.    while    albert    fink    simply    used    tears    as    a    means    of    trans-dimensional    artistic    theft,    jeremiah    copied    the    designs    of    other    researchers     to    create    radically    new    technologies,    such    as    vigors,    automotive    horses,    the    voxophones,    and    motorized    patriots.    based    on    the    blueprints    of    an    armored    suit,    he    engineered    the    songbird    defense    system.