#USS Wainwright

[envisitadecortesia]

Por diez centavos de dólar

El día 16 de abril de 1980 llegaba al puerto de Barcelona un grupo de combate de portaaviones de la US Navy, se trataba del “USS Forrestal” (CV-59), que debido a su tamaño quedó fondeado frente a la rada. Sus escoltas en cambio si entraron en puerto, eran el crucero “USS Wainwright” (CG-28) y el destructor “USS Spruance” (DD-963), que quedaron atracados en el Muelle de Barcelona paramento…

[lonestarbattleship]

"USS WAINWRIGHT (DD-419) fires on Luftwaffe He 111 Torpedo Bombers attacking Arctic Convoy PQ-17 on July 4, 1942.

Originally part of the Cruiser Covering Force, on the afternoon of July 4th, WAINWRIGHT joined the convoy to refuel from the tanker Aldersdale. Before starting the refueling, Luftwaffe He 111s attacked and Wainwright assisted the convoy in repulsing two consecutive attacks by the torpedo bombers. During an ensuing dive-bombing attack, she evaded an attack by Ju 88s with the nearest bomb landing at least 150 yards away.

After the dive-bombing attack, a two-hour lull in the action allowed Wainwright to resume refueling, but the Luftwaffe returned around 1820hrs with 25 He 111s. The Heinkels divided themselves into two groups for the attack, WAINWRIGHT's fire on one of the two groups proved so effective that only one managed to penetrate her defenses to make the torpedo drop between WAINWRIGHT and the convoy. The other He 111s in that group dropped their torpedoes from further out that resulted in excessive torpedo runs to the convoy that the ships in the convoy easily evaded.

Torpedos from the 2nd group of He 111s hit two ships in the Convoy; William Hooper and Azerbaidjan.

Afterwards, when Convoy PQ-17 was ordered to scatter due to a supposed German surface ship threat that included the Battleship TIRPITZ, the convoy lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships to combined German aircraft and U-Boat attacks."

Photographed by Frank Scherschel for LIFE Magazine. Identified by Peter DeForest.

LIFE Magazine Archives: 115781364, 115781365, 115781377, 115781380, 115781378, 115781389, 115781390, 115781391, 115781379

[kaijuboarcreations]

Into the Andersonverse: A full timeline of events for the confirmed continuity of Gerry Anderson Supermarionation shows (Fireball XL5 to Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)

(Disclaimer*: i actually opted to follow Thunderbirds are Go canon for ages *don't ask me why it's a process plus the actual ages and birth order for the boys is heavily debated in both the og series and are go so don't at me* Also yes I took a few creative liberties to fill in some blanks they are marked by ** so you know what isn't canon, and yes it doesn't always make sense *aka how Venus is a war orphan if the war ended before she was born* but you can't blame me for that, that's just how it was written)

Anyways yall better love me for this it took me three days to make

1988: Sally "Grandma" Tracy is born (maiden name unknown)

2012: Professor Mathew Matic is born in Britain -Aloysius "Nosey" Parker is born - Jeff Tracy is born in Kansas to Grant and Sally Tracy**

2015: Commander Sam Shore (real name Samuel Arthur)is born in Kansas

2017: Charles Grey (Colonel White) is born in England

2028: European Atomic War and Mass Riots in France

2029: Conrad Turner (Captain Black) is born in Manchester, England

2030: Steve Zodiac is born on Mars -Sam Shore leaves home to join the navy

2031: Edward Wilkie (Dr Fawn) is born in Yalumba, Australia

2033: Professor Matic graduates with 22 degrees in astrophysics, robotic, and astronomy, and becomes a navigator for Zero-X interplanetary missions -Sam Shore is given command of a World Security Service submarine -Bradley Holden (Captain Gray) is born in Chicago

2034: Sam Shore befriends Admiral Jack Denver -Patrick Donaghue (Captain Magenta) is born in Dublin Bay, Ireland -The European Atomic War ends (the war left Venus and Conrad Turner orphaned)

2035: Venus is born in Paris -George Lee "Phones" Sheridan is born in South Carolina -Adam Svenson (Captain Blue) is born in Boston -Richard Fraiser (Captain Ochre) is born in Detroit

2036: Paul Metcalfe (Captain Scarlet) is born in Hampshire, England

2037: Jeff Tracy becomes a Colonel for the US Air Force and later transfers to the Space Agency -Patrick Donaghue and his parents immigrate to the US, living in poverty in Manhattan

2038: Troy Tempest is born in New York City -Jeff Tracy marries Lucielle** -Charles Grey graduates from the University of East Angila -Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is born to Sir Hugh and Lady Amelia**

2040: War damage fixed -Sam Shore marries Elaine MacDonald -Scott Tracy is born**

-"Brains" is born -The Southeast Asia revolts -Juliette Pontoin (Destiny Angel) is born in Paris

2041: Atlanta Shore is born from Elaine and Sam in California -Seymour Griffiths (Lieutenant Green) is born in Trinidad

2042: John Tracy is born** -The Iceland Dispute -The Panama-Ithsmus rebellion begins -Karen Wainwright (Symphony Angel) is born in Cedar Rapids -Chan Kwan (Harmony Angel) is born in Tokyo

2043: The Panama-Ithsmus rebellion ends -Magnolia Jones (Melody Angel) is born in Atlanta -Dianne Simms (Rhapsody Angel) is born in London

2044: Virgil Tracy is born**

2045: Professor Matic takes the role as a professor for Universe University -Conrad Turner joins the British Air Force

2046: Marina is born -Gordon Tracy is born** -Charles Grey moves up to the rank of 'Captain' -The British Civil War begins (during which Conrad Turner is badly wounded)

2047: Steve Zodiac joints WSP Academy -Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano/Tintin Kyrano is born** -Britain joins the World Government -Charles Grey becomes Admiral while commanding the World Navy Destroyer fleet -Conrad Turner joins the World Air Force

2048: Charles Grey joins the Universal Secret Service and marries his field partner Elizabeth Sonmers -Edward Wilkie starts medical school in Brisbane

2049: the British sector of the USS is reorganized by Charles Grey

2050: Professor Matic designs and builds the world's first Nutomic Hyperdrive Motor and is given an honorary position as Major while heading the XL project -Alan Tracy is born** -Charles Grey is promoted to the head of the USS British sector

2051: Steve Zodiac becomes an astronaut and sub-lieutenant at Space City -Prototypes of the XL project are debuted including XL1 Alpha -Adam Svenson receives a full ride scholarship to Harvard University at age 16

2052: the Anti-Bereznik Riots (of which Patrick Donaghue was involved where he was later arrested and imprisoned for 90 days)

2053: Steve Zodiac befriends space explorer Jim Ireland who sets off on a 10 year voyage -Seymour Griffiths loses his parents in an air disaster

2054: Richard Fraiser joins the World Government Police Corps after being rejected from university and the Air Force -Bradley Holden graduates from the World Navy Academy in San Diego immediately enlisting in the World Navy submarine service

2055: Steve is promoted to captain and is assigned to co-pilot Fireball XL5 -Conrad Turner joins the World Space Patrol and mans Fireball XL3 -Adam Svenson joins the World Aeronautic Society as a test pilot -Patrick Donaghue finishes his studies and graduates from Yale University with degrees in physics, electrical engineering, and technology and he takes a job as a computer programmer for a firm in Brooklyn but soon quit for a life of crime -Edward Wilkie graduates from Brisbane with degrees in medicine and biology and joins the Australian sector of the World Medical Organization as assistant medical controler. Later that same year he is promoted to health controller of the Scandinavian sector.

2056: Venus joins the World Space Patrol -Colonel Grange suffers a mental breakdown while piloting Fireball XL5 leaving Steve to bring them to safety -Marina's mother dies -Troy Tempest joins the World Navy Academy in San Diego -Lucielle Tracy passes away

2057: All Fireball XL ships are outfitted with the Nutomic Hyperdrive Motor -Paul Metcalfe graduates from Winchester University with degrees in History, Technology, and Mathematics -Adam Svenson is promoted to active field agent for WAS -Patrick Donaghue becomes a kingpin for organized crime in New York due to his leadership over several gangs and hacking abilities -Edward Wilkie revolutionizes the WMO's medical technology through robots which places him in the position of Administrator for Advancements in Medicine and Medical Science -Juliette Pontoin attends University in Rome

2058: Elaine Shore suffers a heart attack and passes away -Phones takes on work as a mercenary -Karen Wainwright attends Yale University at age 16

-Lady Penelope becomes chief operative of the Federal Agents Beareu where she meets Jeff Tracy (wait...... F.A.B..... so that's what that stands for....)

2059: Paul Metcalf begins study at West Point Military University in New York -Richard Fraiser transfers to Chicago and takes on one of the toughest crime syndicates in the country

2060: An attack on his vessel causes Sam Shore to lose use of his legs. He and Atlanta move to Marineville to command the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (which is newly established)

-Gordon Tracy interns with WASP** -Troy Tempest is captured on a failed mission and is rescued by Phones who he convinces to join the navy -Troy Tempest arrives at WASP Marineville -Juliette Pontoin joins the World Army Air Force and is transferred to the Intelligence Corps where she hones her skills as a pilot, leads the Woman's Fighter Squadron

2061: Magnolia Jones joins the World Army Airforce at age 18

-Gordon Tracy suffers an accident while working with a high speed hydrofoil**

2062: the start of the events of Fireball XL5 -Jeff Tracy establishes International Rescue -Seymour Griffiths graduates University in Kingston Jamaica with degrees in telecommunications, technology, and music and joins WASP as a junior hydrophone operator (his brothers followed but were killed in an accident which Seymour transferred as a telecommunications operator at Marineville) -Bradley Holden joins WASP as the Lieutenant commander security chief and takes the role of piloting Stingray in her prototype years -Karen Wainwright becomes a full fledged field agent for Universal Secret Service after several years of training -Magnolia Jones becomes lost while taking the XKF 115 aircraft on a test flight and loses contact with control -Chan Kwan graduates University and is determined to fly solo around the world

2063: Venus earns a degree in Space Psychology -Steve Zodiac is awarded Astronaut of the Year -Paul Metcalfe graduates from West Point and joins the World Air Force -Juliette Pontoin leaves WAAF to start her own pilot contracting firm -Magnolia Jones returns after being lost for almost a year after rebuilding her craft from the wreckage. She shortly leaves to focus on flying and setting up a freelance air taxi service -Dianne Simms meets Lady Penelope and is offered a position in the FAB to train as an agent

2064: Bradley Holden receives a severe back injury taking him out of the line to duty and landing him a desk job at Marineville -Troy Tempest becomes captain of Stingray and takes on Phones as his co-pilot -Chan Kwan attempts her voyage around the world but stops to answer a distress call to rescue a group of men from a burning tanker ship in the Pacific. Six months later she tries again and succeeds

2065: the events of Thunderbirds begins -the Spectrum Organization is established and Charles Grey turns down the position of Supreme Commander of the USS to take on his role as "Colonel White" for Spectrum under the Spectrum Selection Committee -Seymour Griffiths joins Spectrum under the codename "Lieutenant Green" -Conrad Turner joins Spectrum under the codename "Captain Black" and quickly climbs the ranks as Spectrum's top agent -Paul Metcalfe joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Scarlet" (thanks to recommendation from Conrad) -Adam Svenson joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Blue" -Patrick Donaghue is pardoned for his crimes and is offered a position as an agent of Spectrum under the code name "Captain Magenta" -Dr Edward Wilkie is approached by Spectrum to become the Supreme Medical Commander of Cloudbase and given the codename "Doctor Fawn" -Juliette Pontoin is approached to join Spectrum's squadron of fighter pilots and is given the codename "Destiny Angel" -Magnolia Jones is selected by Spectrum as a fighter pilot and is given the codename "Melody Angel" -Lady Penelope quits her role in the FAB to focus on her work with International Rescue. The FAB dissolves soon after. -Dianne Simms is forced to leave the FAB and becomes a chief security officer for the Euro-Charter Airline company -Chan Kwan's father dies and she takes over the family air taxi company 2066: Richard Fraiser fakes assassination and joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Ochre" -Bradley Holden clears a health check under Spectrum and is recruited as an agent under the codename "Captain Gray"

-Karen Wainwright quits her work with the USS to become a pilot full time. Shortly after she passes her exam to join Spectrum and joins the Angel squadron under the codename "Symphony Angel" -Dianne Simms is approached by Spectrum to join the Angel squadron and is given the codename "Rhapsody Angel"

-Chan Kwan is approached by the Spectrum Selection Committee to become an Angel pilot, in which she is accepted and given the codename "Harmony Angel"

2068: the events of Thunderbirds end and the events of Captain Scarlet begin (the Mysterons declare war on Earth after the Zero X Mars expedition comes across their settlement and attacks)

[manfrommars2049]

"USS Wainwright (DLG-28) off Hawaii" by John Landry via ImaginaryWarships

[killyourrdarlingss]

Got tagged by @rem-sleep-rites !! Thank you so much 💜

1. Favorite song at the moment:

Probably "The Good Part by AJR" it reminds me of Stefano from The Evil Within since there's the little classical music in it which is literally his theme and I just love it a lot.

2. A song you associate with your favourite ship:

If I'm doing one ship .. for Sorey/Mikleo it's "The Motion Waltz by Rufus Wainwright" it makes me SO emotional ?? Like it fits them so well too I can't I love them so much... 😭❤

3. A song that could be about you:

"Guy.exe by Superfruit"

Yeah that's... that's the one LOL

4. A song you think is overrated:

I'm just gonna come out and say it, The weeknd is okay. I still love some songs? But I find him overrated lol

5. A song that reminds you of a good memory:

THE DEATH OF A BACHEEELOR OH OH OH!!! (By panic at the disco!)

So some backstory is Brendon Urie came out singing this song RIGHT in front of where we were sitting at the concert and I?? Was so emotional LMAO such a good memory.

6. The last song you listened to:

"Pages by USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker)"

So I've been listening to their new album which is actually their last album, and this song makes me VERY emotional since they'll be breaking up after their tour this year:( I'm gonna miss them a lot.

7. A song that makes you laugh:

"Hell Of A Ride by Bo Burnham"

This song is so catchy and so funny also it's not like I could finish this post WITHOUT any Bo burnham songs ? Like I love him

8. A song you want your mutuals to listen to:

LISTEN TO "THIS COULD BE IT FOR ME BY HOTEL MIRA" !

They're a newer band, I love them to pieces and also the MUSIC video is just gorgeous for this song too.

[thesociologicalcinema]

General Douglas MacArthur signs as Supreme Allied Commander during formal surrender ceremonies on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Behind General MacArthur are Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright and Lieutenant General A. E. Percival, September 2, 1945.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

[overlookedwwiimedia]

Destination Tokyo (1943)

Basic Story: Based on a story by submariner Steve Fisher, the USS Copperfin picks up a meteorologist in the Aleutian Islands then heads to Tokyo Bay to gather weather information to aid the Doolittle Raid.

Fan Thoughts: Destination Tokyo is based on an original story by submariner Steve Fisher, following the fictional top-secret mission of the USS Copperfin to Tokyo Bay prior to the Dolittle Raid.  The crew, led by Captain Cassidy (Cary Grant), departs on Christmas Eve from San Francisco to the Aleutian Islands to pick up meteorologist Lieutenant Raymond (John Ridgely).  During the pick-up, the surfaced submarine is attacked by two Japanese planes, both are shot down but one pilot bails out.  While attempting to pull him from the water, Mike Conners (Tom Tully) is stabbed by the pilot before Tommy Adams (Robert Hutton) can react.  The language used when talking about the Japanese Army is very much a reflection of the times and something that would not be (and is not) acceptable today; in fact there is an entire scene dedicated to talking about how Japanese children are given knives and trained to be warriors at five years old.  This is not entirely unexpected from a film made in 1943; heavily propagandized films about the war were just getting started during that time.  Indeed the entire plot of the film is more or less an impossible mission yet at no point was I worried that they wouldn’t succeed.  Leaving the Aleutian Islands behind, the USS Copperfin heads to Tokyo Bay to deploy a landing party to collect weather data to assist the Doolittle Raid.  They sneak into the Bay by following a Japanese ship, unfortunately the shots using a model to show this make it appear as though Tokyo Bay is only about 100 ft deep which only emphasizes that a model is being used.  This same issue reappears when they are under attack on their way home and dozens of depth charges are being dropped all around them.  While most likely intended to make the audience think the sub was in danger, the small amount of damage done to the ship and the length of the scene makes it more monotonous than anything else.  As a comparison, Das Boot (1981), uses fewer depth charges combined with a higher degree of damage and long stretches of silence to create real tension for the audience.  While the action sequences could be better, there is an amount of humor in this that was unexpected but appreciated.  Used as a way to get to know the crew, there’s a scene with a fake broadcast to prank Wolf (John Garfield), and another where ‘Cookie’ Wainwright (Alan Hale) is getting a haircut and keeps leaning away every time the barber goes to take a snip.  With some good and some bad points, the film evens out to a decent watch from an early period of World War II. 

Warnings: language regarding Japanese people

Available On: Amazon Prime, Vudu, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube

[tin-can-sailor-blog]

1928 photo of United States Coast Guard destroyers moored at New London, Connecticut. All are former US Navy destroyers loaned to the Coast Guard for Prohibition Service. Those that can be identified are Trippe (CG-20/DD-33), Wainwright (CG-24/DD-62), Downes (CG-4/DD-45), Beale (CG-9/DD-40) and Abel P. Upshur (CG-15/DD-193).

[riallasheng]

MOaR ANgLes!!

(Sorry, in a weird mood, don’t mind me)

Only female Angel left is Fantasia Angel, who is the daughter of Captain Blue and Symphony Angel (look time travel schenannigans occurred, okay?  XD )  I can’t really find a face claim that really catches what I want / shares similarity to one or both of her parents :/  If anyone has any suggestions, I thank you kindly.  She’d be about 19 / 20 years of age and she’s a spunky young lady...  not tomboyish at all, think Linda Lau from Flower Drum Song (I Adore Being a Girl) for personality.

but in any case, rest of the Angels (minus Fantasia Angel and previously posted ones)

Symphony Angel: Karen Wainwright.  Born 2042, Jan, 06

    A former Spy for WIN (I have it where WIN from Joe 90 remained active, rather than vanishing and being replaced by the USS / Universal Secret Service.  Mostly because there’s no reason taht WIN would ahve shut down, and World Intelligence Network fits teh naming schems of the Anderverse MUCH better).  

    One of the Spectrum personnel trapped in the Time Bubble on Koala Base, thus ‘gaining’ about 20 years of age.  As when the Time Bubble went down in 2074 she was now in her early 50s, Karen retired from Spectrum, not feeling safe in being a fighter pilot at that age, and having no desire to be transferred to Field Agent work.  As with all other Time Bubble impacted personnel, she has a second ID that changes her birth year to 2022 to reflect her current age.  during the 20 years trapped within the Time Bubble (which was actually quite large being ~60 miles in diameter), Karen married Adam, the two of them having three children, with the eldest -Linda- being 19 and now an Angel herself.

Harmony Angel: Chan Kwan.  Born 2042, June, 19.

   Most skilled of the Angel pilots, and one of the best pilots alive.  

    One of the Spectrum personnel trapped in the Time Bubble on Koala Base, thus ‘gaining’ about 20 years of age.  As with all other Time Bubble impacted personnel, she has a second ID that changes her birth year to 2022 to reflect her current age. Harmony remained working for Spectrum, shifting careers from pilot to taking over melee combat training on Koala Base for the retiring Captain Hemp, transferring from an Angel to Captain status, becoming Captain Vermillion.

Melody Angel: Magnolia Jones.  Born 2043, Jan, 10.

    A change I have to Magnolia’s past is that she is from Cajun / Creole country and culture.  I also have it where the team she was a race car driver on before becoming a pilot is actually the same one Alan would later join and young Alan was spending time ON said team around the same time Magnolia was racing, staying out of the way but helping out where and how he could and basically being a beloved ‘mascot’ of the team.  When Magnolia had her crash that took her off the racing roster for well over a year, Alan approached his dad to see if he could help Magnolia out.  Jeff offered her a job as a pilot (as she could do so with a bum leg) Magnolia accepted the offer and quickly proved herself to be a highly skilled pilot.  Skilled enough to draw the attention of Spectrum, who recruited her.  Magnolia still has a fairly bad limp, and near constant pins and needles in her right leg, esp her foot.

       One of the Spectrum personnel trapped in the Time Bubble on Koala Base, thus ‘gaining’ about 20 years of age.  As with all other Time Bubble impacted personnel, she has a second ID that changes her birth year to 2023 to reflect her current age.  She, alongside Symphony Angel, retired from the Angels when the Time Bubble eventually went down.  Like Symphony she didn’t feel safe remaining a fighter pilot at over 50 years of age, however she remained on Koala Base as trainer for incoming Angel pilots.  She and Ochre had one child, a daughter named Esther, who became a Spectrum Angel (Rhythm Angel).

Operetta Angel: Ophelia Hamlet.  Born 2043, Feb, 5.

An OC with no real backstory or personality, just one of the many characters present to fill in the ranks a bit.   I jokingly have a 'her life is a tragic mess on par with Ophelia and Hamlet' for her backstory, although nothing much has really come of it

Rhapsody Angel: Dianne Simms.  Born 2043, Apr, 27

      A small funny thing I’ve got is that Richard Lyon from the TV21 and Lady Penelope comics (a spy of some note and skill and teh WORST LUCK POSSIBLE and a good friend of Penny) is actually Dianne’s older brother.  Richard took up his wife’s surname (Marian Lyon) when the two are wed.

       Lady Penelope is not Dianne's mentor, as that bit of cross-continuity occured due to the 'Thunderbirds take place in the 2020s' version of canon (There are multiple versions of where, timeline wise, Thunderbirds occurs).  I have it taking place starting in 2065 as that is when the novels, comics, and frankly most of the episodes have it, which means that there is no way for Penny to have been retired from active spy work and taken up command of the Federal Agents Bureau...  so I instead have it where Penny's father (Agent 21) is the head of the FAB and he was Dianne's mentor.  Originally, Agent 21 had planned for Penny to be his successor, but she wanted to go solo / independent.  Agent 21 then went on to train Dianne with an eye for her to be his sucessor, which worked riiiight up until she decided to work for Spectrum.  (Agent 21 is having a running issue with getting a true SiC to take over the company when he retires.  Currently Richard Lyon is his SiC, but Lyon has no desire to take over command)

Candance Angel: Charlotte Bennet.  Born 2044, Jan, 4.

     An OC present to fill in the ranks a bit.    (Alright, she's 90% Elizabeth Bennet in personality, with the last 10% being a sprinkling of Charlotte XD  ...I'm a massive, MASSIVE, MASSIVE Austen fan, okay? ^^ )

Crescendo Angel: Toshi Drake.  Born 2049, Jun, 02.

            ֎ nCS Harmony Angel (who became QUITE the fan favorite, and was one of the only Angels to get any real screen or plot time outside of Destiny Angel... and nCS Destiny was kinda loathed by the fanbase, which resulted in her being mostly written out of S2 of nCS).

      ֎ She is also the character Toshi from the Angels comic run from Lady Penelope Magazine, making good on her promise that she would train and rejoin in the future.

         ֎ Toshi Drake is mixed race, having an american father and a japense mother.  She inheriated her hair and eye color from her father, and her general build and facial structure from her mother.

         ֎ Toshi worked hard after she failed to join the Angels, and even trained as an astronaught as well as working harder on her flying skills.  When she heard about Cloudbase going down, she rushed to the scene - not to try to be recruited, but simply to offer any aid she could, using her own personal jet to effect patrols, go on supply runs, ferry people and supplies around, and so on until Spectrum was able to start getting their own aircraft back in the air again.  She as quickly snatched up by the Angels (who marched up to White in force, with many of the Captains and other crew, and told him that he would be accepting Toshi as an Angel or he would have to deal with losing ALL of them, as she'd become something of a favorite to them, especially with how hard she'd worked to help after Cloudbase went down).

      ֎ After her failed first attempt at joining the Angels, Toshi worked as a test pilot for Tackamochi-Air Corporation in Japan - which worked alongside Tracy Industries and it was throught eh Tracy Patnership that Toshi managed to apply for the Tracy Aerospace program to get her astronaught wings.

      ֎ Her parents were leading researchers in nano-technologies, but Toshi’s life has always been dictated by her sense of adventure.  Happier in hiking boots than high heels, the devastatingly attractive Toshi was more at home paragliding from a mountain top than hanging out listening to pop music.

      ֎ Her academic life at University of Tokyo was torture, but one she endured for social life / nightlife. At the end of it, however, she delighted her parents with a first class mathematics degree - then horrified them by using it to join the Rebel Coalition of Nations in the Global War and became a top gun fighter pilot.

      ֎ After the War, she went on to spend two years as an astronaut flying shuttle missions, for the International Space Agency, but playing nursemaid to a craft flown by computers wasn't her kind of thrill ride so she volunteered for Spectrum.  Her first attempt failed, although she promised to improve and try again later (a promise she fulfilled).

     ֎ Toshi, Esther and Linda get to steal some of nDestiny's scenes and plotlines, although the majority (esp nCS s2 stuff) goes to Rhapsody.  Of the three, Linda tends to steal the most from what's left after Rhapsody gets enough screen / plot time, as Esther and Toshi both have characters with at least SOME narrative focus and screentime.  (Toshi also got a LOT of nDestiny's backstory and the like, as -with tweaking- it works very well for Toshi, who was a firey and go-get-em type of person in the one comic story she showed up in.  nCS Harmony was ALSO a firey and go-get-em type of person, and thus nDestiny's backstory and bio worked very well for her as well

Rhythm Angel:  Esther Jones.  Born 2054, Feb, 08*

            ֎ nCS Melody Angel (who, while she didn't become a fan favorite like nHarmony... she also didn't end up actively disliked like nDestiny, nor did she get basically written out like Rhapsody and Symphony, even getting to be a lead role in at least one episode.  She was genrally well recieved, and I figured the Angels could grow in ranks).

      ֎ A skilled mechanic and engineer, she spent much of her time inside the Time Bubble working on planes and helped design the Angel Interceptors Mark IIs.

      ֎ Like Toshi, Esther is mixed race - having an Magnolia Jones (a black woman) and Richard Fraser (a white man) as parents.  In a fun twist of fate, the person that Melody is based on (Eartha Kitt) had a daughter (Kitt McDonald) who like Esther is mixed race, and looks VERY European, having at most a 'darkly tanned' skintone, and her features and hair are European... thus I ended up using nMelody's design for Esther (Jennifer Lopez by extension).  In a nice element, Lopez has a super square jaw, which is a nice visual tie in to Richard / Ochre who is SUPER square jawed.  (I also know several people -in kith or kin- who are mixed race and dominate genes don't always hold true... sometimes a kid takes SUPER heavily after one parent.  This also applies to characters like Hlehle / Havoc who is hyper European looking, and Shaka / Turquoise who is hyper South African looking)

      ֎ Well trained by the Koala Base personnel - in particular Captain Hemp - Esther is an Olympic martial artist (mixed form), winning gold in the 2074 Summer Olympics and bronze in the 2078 Summer Olympics.

      ֎ A skilled fighter who has kept her fighting skills as honed as possible, and there is talk about her taking over as melee combat trainer at Koala Base when she decides to leave active duty as an Angel.

      ֎ Esther is as tough as she is sexy. In her fighter cockpit or in unarmed combat, she's a force to be reckoned with. She has excellent hand-to-hand combat skills, as well as superior flight combat strategy. She's also a good communicator and a fierce and capable woman.

      ֎ Esther was born inside the Koala Base Time Bubble, and is the daughter to Magnolia Jones and Richard Fraser.  She is quite proud of her 'Cajun' heritage and is quite certain that ANY DAY NOW she's going to get the cooking skills her family and Koala Base personnel have tried to teach her down... but the truth is she is an infamously HORRIBLE cook.   ...she has managed to set a pot of water on fire, has been outright banned from all Spectrum Base Kitchens, and generally speaking anything she cooks will not be something you wish to eat.   She keeps trying, and keeps taking lessons... but it's to the point that it's a bit of a running gag that she's cursed when it comes to cooking.  (A trait she picked up from my Mom IRL... who yes HAS managed to set a pot of water on fire...  no, we STILL don't know how she did it).  Outside of being part of patrols or reporting in or the like, most of what we see of her is the 'cursed cook' gag as something that goes on in the background

I’ve got one more Angel to do.  Fantasia Angel, Linda Svenson, however she’s on hold till I find a face-claim that I like for the character. ^^

Small fun art thing

When characters have uniforms for a series, I often make just one or two ‘base’ image files of an average body type in the uniform, then change the faces / hands to show a large number of characters.

In these examples…  I’ve made:

Spectrum Captain Uniforms (male and female), which combines the elements I like the best from the OG and nCS.  I also include an earpiece that is attached to the helmet to replace the audio coming from the shoulder pieces (which I always disliked, as it meant people around the person could listen in on BOTH sides of the conversation.

Spectrum Non-Captain Color Officer Uniforms (male and female), as I wanted a distinct difference between the Captains and Non-Captains.  

Angel Uniforms (female, male almost complete).  Changed to be closer to a real flight suit, although they’ve got boots from the original series, and a firearm as almost all the Angels do double duty as spies so I wanted them armed.  It can’t be seen in the images, but the Angels have a low-viscosity liquid G-suit (as those are superior in every way to airpressure Gsuits)

Medical Spectrum Uniforms are currently in the works.  Probably gonna pull on Doctor Gold for the most part

WASP Officer Uniforms (male and female), which are VERY different from the canon uniforms (actually are basically the Power Rangers SPD uniforms as I really loved those, AND it has a lot of the elments of Naval uniforms, the slight bellbottom of the pants, the uniforms allow a good range of flexability and action (as the actors needed to ‘fight’ and run and jump about in the SPD show)

WASP Enlisted Uniforms (male and female).  Basically just color variation of the Officer Uniforms.  You need to be able to tell at a glance if someone is an Officer or Enlisted, but the cut of the uniform works for both, thus it’s just palette swapped and has a different hat

Pics below the cut!

Keep reading

[digthe60s]

1963

The biggest news from 1963 was the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, which thrust Lyndon B. Johnson into the role of president. The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was murdered two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. This was a difficult time to become president, with the mounting troubles in Vietnam where the Viet Cong Guerrillas had now killed 80 American advisers. The continued campaign for civil rights by the black community caused violent reactions from whites in places such as Mississippi, Virginia, and Alabama, where the black civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested. Films included The Birds and The Great Escape, and popular TV programs The Virginian and Lassie. Women’s fashion and hairstyles included fur boots and towering hairdos for evening wear. In music, it was the beginning of Beatlemania, after the release of Meet the Beatles.

Major events

• U.S. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.

• The Beatles release the single “I Want To Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There” and the album Meet the Beatles, which marks the beginning of Beatlemania.

• The Soviet Union launches the Vostok 6 spacecraft, carrying Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

• The Profumo Crisis happens in the UK, caused by war minister John Profumo having an affair with Christina Wheeler, who was also involved with a Soviet Navy officer.

• ZIP codes are implemented in the U.S.

• NASA’s Mercury Mission, carrying astronaut Gordon Cooper, launches from Cape Canaveral.

• Studebaker, the U.S. carmaker, goes out of business and ends production.

• The U.S. senate approves the PTBT (Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty).

• Korea returns to civilian rule.

• American Express introduces credit cards in the UK.

• An earthquake in Libya destroys the village of Barce, leaving 500 dead.

• An earthquake in Ssrikes Skopje, Yugoslavia, destroys 80% of the city.

• Bloodless military coup deposes President George Papadopoulos.

• Typhoon Olive, with 110mph winds, destroys most of the homes on the island of Saipan.

• The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, known as “The Rock”, closes.

• Hurricane Flora, a massive storm, kills 6,000 in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada.

• First Beeching report suggests closing 25% of British rail.

• The polio vaccine, which is taken with a lump of sugar, is given nationwide in the U.S. and UK.

• Kenya gains independence from Britain.

• In the Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, it is ruled that a fair trial “cannot be realized if the poor man charged with [the] crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist him.”

• Members of the Ku Klux Klan dynamite the Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing 4 young girls and causing wide public outrage and condemnation across the U.S.

• A hurricane and resulting tsunami cause a flooding in East Pakistan, Bangladesh, killing 22,000.

• The Indiana State Fair Coliseum explosion kills 74.

• World religious status is determined to be 890 million Christians, 365 million Hindus, 200 million Buddhists, and 13 million Jews.

• Nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Thresher sinks in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Student riots break out all over Coro and Valencia, in Venezuela.

• Pope John XXIII dies on June 3. Pope Paul VI is elected by College of Cardinals.

• The U.S. and the Soviet Union agree to establish a “hot line” on June 20, a direct communication system between the two nations to prevent a possible nuclear war.

• The Great Train Robbery takes place in Buckinghamshire, England.

• The first U.S. state lottery opens in New Hampshire.

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.

• James Meredith becomes the first African-American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

• The Beatles release their first album, Please Please Me.

• The first episode of the BBC television series Doctor Who is broadcast.

• Bob Dylan walks off The Ed Sullivan Show.

Top 10 highest-grossing films in the U.S.

1. Cleopatra (dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

2. How the West Was Won (dir. John Ford, Henry Hathaway and George Marshall)

3. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (dir. Stanley Kramer)

4. Tom Jones (dir. Tony Richardson)

5. Irma la Douce (dir. Billy Wilder)

6. The Sword in the Stone (dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

7. Son of Flubber (dir. Robert Stevenson)

8. The Birds (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

9. Dr. No (dir. Terence Young)

10. The V.I.P.s (dir. Anthony Asquith)

Billboard’s number-one music albums (in chronological order)

1. “The First Family” by Vaughn Meader

2. “My Son, the Celebrity” by Allan Sherman

3. “Jazz Samba” by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd

4. “Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show” by Frank Fontaine

5. “Days of Wine and Roses” by Andy Williams

6. “Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius” by Stevie Wonder

7. “My Son, the Nut” by Allan Sherman

8. “Peter, Paul and Mary” by Peter, Paul and Mary

9. “In the Wind” by Peter, Paul and Mary

10. “The Singing Nun” by Soeur Sourire, the Singing Nun

Source: [x]

[uss-edsall]

Ships involved in Bikini Atoll, and their status (sunk during tests or after)

Independence (CVL-22): Towed to Pearl Harbor and then to Hunters Point (San Francisco) in October 1946. Sunk as target in special tests of new aerial and undersea weapons off San Francisco on January 27, 1951, in 1,000 fathoms.

Saratoga (CV-3): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946.

Arkansas (BB-33): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 2S, 1946.

Nagato (Japanese): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on night of July 29/30, 1946.

Nevada (BB-36): Towed to Kwajalein by USS Preserver (ARS-8), decommissioned on August 29, 1946, and then towed to Pearl Harbor. Sunk as target on July 31, 1948, 65 miles southwest of Pearl Harbor following four days of gunfire, bomb, rocket, and torpedo hits from Task Force 12. New York (BB-34): Towed to Kwajalein by USS Achomawi (AFT-148), decommissioned on August 29, 1946, and then towed to Pearl Harbor. Sunk as target on July 8, 1948, 40 miles southwest of Pearl Harbor after an eight-hour pounding by ships and planes using bombs and gunfire in full-scale battle maneuvers with new torpedoes. Pennsylvania (BB-38): Scuttled off Kwajalein on February 10, 1948.

Pensacola (CA-23): Towed to Kwajalein and then to Bremerton, Washington, for radiological tests. Sunk as target off Washington coast on November 10, 1948, in 1,400 fathoms. Prinz Eugen (German): Towed to Kwajalein and attempted to beach at Enubuj Island, but she capsized and sank in shallow water on December 22, 1946 (New York Times article indicates date was December 16). Sakawa (Japanese): Sunk at Bikini by Able shot on July 2, 1946. Salt Lake City (CA-25): Towed to Bremerton via Pearl Harbor for radiological tests. Sunk by torpedoes in 2,000 fathoms off San Diego on May 25, 1948, after a four-hour bombardment from planes and ships.

Anderson (DD-411): Sunk at Bikini by Able shot on July 1, 1946. Conyngham (DD-371): Steamed from Kwajalein to Pearl Harbor in September 1946, and then to San Francisco area, arriving on October 22, 1946. Scuttled in July 1948 off California coast. Hughes (DD-410): Beached at Eneu Island following Baker shot on July 26, 1946, and later towed to San Francisco for radiological tests. Sunk as target off Washington coast by air attack on October 16, 1948. Lamson (DD-367): Sunk at Bikini by Able shot on July 1, 1946. Mayrant (DD-402): Kept at Kwajalein for radiological tests until sunk there by guns and torpedoes on April 4, 1948. Mugford (DD-389): Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 22,1948. Mustin (DD-413): Sunk by gunfire off Kwajalein on April 18, 1948. Ralph Talbot (DD-390): Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 8, 1948. Rhind (DD-404): Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 22, 1948.

Stack (DD-406): Sunk by gunfire from four destroyers off Kwajalein on April 24, 1948.

Trippe (DD-403): Sunk as target off Kwajalein on February 3, 1948. Wainwright (DD-419): Sunk as target off Kwajalein on July S, 1948, by Destroyer Division 172. Wilson (DD-408): Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 8, 1948.

Apogon (SS-308): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. Dentuda (SS-335): Steamed from Kwajalein to Pearl Harbor in September 1946, and the next month to San Francisco for radiological study. Decommissioned at Mare Island on December 11, 1946, and stationed in the 12th Naval District for training of naval reservists. Sold for scrap on January 20, 1969. Parche (SS-384): Steamed to Pearl Harbor and then reported to Mare Islands Group 19th Fleet on October 14, 1946. Towed to the naval reserve docks in Oakland in February 1948 and accepted as a naval reserve training ship. Sold for scrap in July 1970. Pilotfish (SS-386): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. Salvaged for examination and resunk as a target on October 16, 1948. Searaven (SS-196): Raised from submerged position on July 29, 1946, after Baker shot. Steamed to Pearl Harbor from Kwajalein and then to San Francisco for radiological study, arriving there on October 22, 1946. Sunk as target off California coast on September 11, 1948. Skate (SS-305): Towed to Kwajalein by ATR-40, then to Pearl Harbor by USS Fulton (AS-11), and then to San Francisco by USS Clamp (ARS-33). Decommissioned on December 11, 1946, and scuttled off California coast in 515 fathoms on October 4, 1948. Skipjack (SS-184): Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. Salvaged on September 2, towed to Pearl Harbor, and then to San Francisco. Sunk by aircraft rocket attack on August 11, 1948, off California coast in 700 fathoms. Tuna (SS-203): Surfaced after Baker shot on July 27, 1946. Steamed to Kwa'alein, Pearl Harbor, and then San Francisco. Scuttled off the West Coast on September 24, 1948, in 1,160 fathoms.

Banner (APA-60): Scuttled off Kwajalein on February 16, 1948. Barrow (APA-61): Scuttled off Kwajalein on May 11, 1948. Bladen (APA-63): Steamed to East Coast, decommissioned at Norfolk on December 26, 1946, and transferred to U.S. Maritime Commission on August 3, 1953. Bracken (APA-64): Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 10, 1948. Briscoe (APA-65): Scuttled somewhere in the Marshall Islands on May 6, 1948. Brule (APA-66): Scuttled off Kwajalein on May 11, 1948. Butte (APA-68): Scuttled off Kwajalein on May 12, 1948. Carlisle (APA-69): Sunk at Bikini by Able shot on July 1, 1946. Carteret (APA-70): Sunk in the Marshall Islands by gunfire of the USS Toledo (CA-133) on April 19, 1948.

Catron (APA-71): Sunk in the Marshall Islands by gunfire of the USS Atlanta (CL-104) on May 6, 1948.

Cortland (APA-75): Granted radiological clearance in December 1946, decommissioned at Norfolk on December 30, 1946, and transferred to the U.S. Maritime Commission on March 31, 1948. Later sold for scrap.

Crittenden (APA-77): Towed to San Francisco in January 1947. Towed to sea by USS Tekesta (ATF-93) and sunk off California coast by explosive tests on October 5, 1948, in 800 fathoms.

Dawson (APA-79): Scuttled off Kwajalein on April 19, 1948, in 2,290 fathoms.

Fallon (APA-81): Beached on Eneu Island on July 27, 1946, after Baker shot and then towed to Kwajalein. Scuttled off Kwajalein on -March 10, 1948.

Fillmore (APA-83): Steamed to East Coast, decommissioned at Norfolk on January 24, 1947, and transferred to U.S. Maritime Commission on April 1, 1948.

Gasconade (APA-85): Towed to San Francisco and sunk as target by torpedoes off southern California coast on July 21, 1948, in 1,300 fathoms. Geneva (APA-86): Steamed to East Coast, decommissioned at Norfolk on January 1, 1947, and received by the U.S. Maritime Commission at James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, on April 2, 1948. Transferred to Wilmington (North Carolina) Reserve Fleet in July 1955, and sold for scrap on November 2, 1966. Gilliam (APA-57): Sunk at Bikini by Able shot on July 1, 1946. Niagara (APA-87): Steamed to East Coast, arriving at Norfolk on November 23, 1946. After being used to test effects of special conventional explosives in the Chesapeake Bay in 1947-48, was sold for scrap on February 5, 1950, to Northern Metals Company of Philadelphia.

LST-S2: Sunk off Kwajalein in April 1948 by gunfire of USS Oakland (CL-95) in 2,280 fathoms. LST-12S: Deliberately beached before Baker shot, then sunk by gunfire of USS Fall River (CA- 1 3 1) off Bikini on August 14, 1946. LST-133: Sunk off Kwajalein on May 11, 1948. LST-220: Sunk off Kwajalein on May 12, 1948. LST-545: Sunk off Kwajalein on May 12, 1948. LST-661: Sunk off Kwajalein on July 25, 1948.

LSM-60: Destroyed at Bikini as bomb carrier for Baker shot on July 25, 1946.

LCT-412: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-414: Sunk by demolition charges at Bikini shortly after Baker shot. LCT-705: Scuttled off Kwa'alein in September 1947. LCT-746: Scuttled off Kwajalein in March 1947. LCT-812: Sunk by demolition charges at Bikini shortly after Baker shot. LCT-816: Scuttled off Kwajalein in June 1947. LCT-818: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-874: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-1013: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-1078: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-1112: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCT-1113: Scuttled off Kwajalein in June 1947. L CT-1114: Capsized by Baker shot and sunk by demolition charges at Bikini on July 30, 1946. LCT-1175: Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 2S, 1946. LCT-1187. Sunk by demolition charges at Bikini shortly after Baker shot. LCT-1237: Sunk by demolition charges at Bikini shortly after Baker shot.

ARDC-13: Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on August 6, 1946. YO-1 60: Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. YOG-83: Beached at Kwajalein on September 23, 1946, and scuttled off Kwajalein on September 16, 1948.

LCI-327: Stranded at Bascombe (Mek) Island, Kwajalein, and destroyed there on October 30, 1947. LCI-329: Scuttled off Kwajalein on March 16, 1948. LCI-332: Scuttled off Kwajalein in September 1947. LCI-549: Used at Kwajalein as patrol vessel until June 1948. Granted final radiological clearance in August 1948 and towed to Port Chicago, California, in January 1949. Sold to the Learner Company in Alameda, California, on August 2, 1949, and delivered on August 19, 1949. LCI-618: Sold to the Learner Company in Alameda, California, on August 2, 1949, and delivered on August 19, 1949. LCI-620: Deliberately beached before Baker shot. Towed to sea and sunk off entrance to Bikini lagoon on August 10, 1946.

LCM-1: Fate unknown. LCM-2: Fate unknown. LCM-3: Fate unknown. LCM-4: Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. LCM-S: Fate unknown. LCM-6: Sold for scrap in Guam on unknown date.

LCVP-7: Fate unknown. LCVP-8: Fate unknown. LCVP-9: Fate unknown. LCVP-10: Sunk at Bikini by Baker shot on July 25, 1946. 

LCVP-11: Fate unknown. LCVP-12: Fate unknown.

[writesandramblings]

The Captain’s Secret - p.33

“Transitional Devices”

A/N: The fortune cookies in this story are actually based on real blind picks from a bag of cookies I purchased at Panda Express for the purpose of this story, and I did the exact same thing I describe Lorca doing when I picked them out.

Full Chapter List Part 1 - Objects in Motion << 32 - Home 34 - These Are the Voyages >>

There was time before departure for one in-person meeting with Admiral Wainwright. Lorca checked his uniform in the bathroom in Starfleet Headquarters. No dust, no wrinkles, everything perfectly straight and in order. All set.

Emerging from the bathroom, he found Cornwell in the waiting area and instinctively checked the time. The meeting wasn't for ten more minutes.

"We're running early for once," said Cornwell, motioning for Lorca to join her.

They strode down the wood-paneled halls bedecked with images of Starfleet's history. Schematics and designs of the earliest starships and starbases, a starmap of the route of the NX-01 USS Enterprise's first voyage, official portraits of Admirals, including Archer's portrait before his ascension to the Presidency.

It had always struck Lorca as needlessly backward-looking. While history was important, more important to him and to the present of Starfleet was the future that lay before them, and that future was the unknown.

Of course, they couldn't very well replace the art with blank canvases, apropos as that would be.

They arrived at a small conference room designed for private meetings and audiences. Admiral Wainwright was not present, but Vice Admiral Kariuki was. She shook Lorca's hand. "We should wait for John, but I just wanted to say how very impressed I am by everything you've done so far. We're all very excited to see what you do next."

"Well, thank you, Admiral. I'm excited to find that out myself."

Kariuki offered some small talk for a couple minutes and then Wainwright came in with all the bluster and bombast of his reputation. Even though everyone was running early, Wainwright had decided to take his time walking over, throw around his weight a little, because he could. Lorca fully understood the appeal, much as he hated being on the receiving end of it. "Captain Lorca! Man of the hour. Congratulations on the new command. But that's not why we called you here."

Wainwright gestured for everyone to sit. "We'd like to talk to you about the lului."

Many months ago, Lorca had avoided being chewed out by Wainwright on the subject of Lalana. Apparently that luck had just run out. Lorca sat up in alert and wished Cornwell had warned him.

Kariuki spoke next. "This is considered classified on the highest level. It does not leave this room. Two weeks ago, we noticed an aberrant signal on our communications network in the Kassae Sector." The Kassae Sector was one of two sectors containing the Briar Patch, the other being the Risa sector. Luluan was in the Kassae part.

Lului, singular and plural. Apparently this meeting was in reference to the plural. Lorca relaxed. "Aberrant how?"

"It was piggybacking on our regular transmissions. It looked like a glitch, but when the glitch appeared to correspond with two database incursions, it was flagged for further investigation. We believe this to be the work of the alien you mentioned meeting, Yoo-mali?"

"Umale," said Lorca.

"Right. Your report was very detailed, but we were hoping you might be able to offer some insight into what the alien wants."

"That depends on what the data incursion was, exactly. What did he take?" Lorca inadvertently defaulted to Lalana's lului gendering practice.

Kariuki shifted uncomfortably. "That's the thing. He didn't take anything. He left diagrams for synthetic molecules."

"Synthetic molecules?"

"We believe them to be pharmaceutical in nature, but they're unlike anything we've ever seen. We attempted to contact him, but there was no response. Incoming transmissions seem to have been disabled."

"We're interested in any explanation you have," said Cornwell.

"Sounds to me like 'don't call us, we'll call you,'" declared Lorca, not that this was the part of the mystery they were calling upon him to solve. "That would definitely fit with my impression of Umale. Now if I had to guess... I'd say these molecules are his way of saying thanks. I can't completely rule out any danger, but lului are very adamant about only killing for food. Umale's a little different, operates under slightly looser rules, but if he possessed both a biological weapon and the temperament to use it, I rather think he would have done so against the hunters or the initial invaders on the planet."

As far as tactical assessments went, it seemed more than sound.

"What I don't understand is how these lului even have these molecules to give us. They don't even have spaceships!"

"That's by choice, sir," replied Lorca. For most of the lului, anyway. "The technology they do have seems to be more advanced than ours."

"We still haven't figured out what that silver box is," said Kariuki. The project was under her oversight.

"My science officer calls them a 'post-warp' society. Hard as it is to believe a species might get to the stars and then turn back."

"Right, well, I hope you'll agree that these molecules merit further investigation, Admiral," said Kariuki. Suddenly Lorca realized what was going on. Kariuki was trying to get Admiral Hatchet to sign off on a research project. He smiled.

Whether Kariuki got the approval or not, Lorca's role in the conversation was over, and Cornwell escorted him out.

"I thought lului didn't use genders," said Cornwell once they were back in the hall.

"Ah, no. They don't."

Cornwell gave Lorca her most disapproving psychologist look. "It's disrespectful to assign them to aliens."

"Blame Lalana for that one. She likes genders a lot." That was an understatement. "She sort of... assigned them to all the lului. I don't think she gets that it might be rude. She thinks it's fun."

"But you know better," said Cornwell.

Lorca looked at the map of the NX-01 Enterprise route on the wall. The Briar Patch was visible, as was Risa. "You're right. I'll be more mindful in the future."

Cornwell turned to look at the map, too. "And speaking of Lalana, we still haven't been able to locate her."

"It's only been a couple of months," said Lorca dismissively (and imprecisely).

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me, Gabriel."

Lorca took a breath. "She's fine. She'll turn up when she wants to." And by that time, he intended to be several sectors away from the damage when she did.

Lorca checked with Larsson three more times before the Buran left Spacedock. Yes, Lalana was on Earth. No, she had not boarded any more shuttles. Finally Larsson went, "Just call her and ask her yourself!"

"I can't trust she'll tell me the truth," said Lorca.

"That is your problem. I am going fishing. Goodbye." Lorca did not speak with Larsson again, but he did see Lalana on the Buran. More or less.

When the holocomm image flickered into view, it looked like no holocomm image was supposed to. The picture was technically correct, but the dimensions were all wrong. The image was folded in on itself, surfaces cutting through one another. Every aspect of depth and dimension was incorrect. There were also objects present from the room she was in, which should not have been visible on his end. Apparently the holocomm used non-optical sensors to process the surfaces of three-dimensional objects and discern between living and nonliving matter. An unexpected disaster on the designer's part.

"I can see you! It is like you are here!" exclaimed Lalana, and immediately swiped her tail through her image of him, which caused the holocomm emitters in the Buran's ready room to freak out and make it look like she was bisecting herself.

"I wish you could see what I see," he deadpanned, and keyed the panel at his desk to reduce her signal to two-dimensional. It was a relief to not have to look at that holocomm abomination.

"Have you left yet?"

"Almost. Two more hours. And you're at least two hours from the nearest shuttle pad, so..." She was on a beach in the Seychelles, this being what constituted Larsson's idea of an ideal fishing location. (It also explained why Larsson looked so red in their last communication.)

"Do I understand correctly that you are going to remind me of my involvement with Dr. Li always?"

It was a very fancy and not entirely apologetic way of referring to stowing away on the Triton. "Probably," he said.

"Then I accept this punishment, because it means we will continue talking."

"Just because you can't come with us doesn't mean I'm gonna ditch you completely. Partly, sure, but not completely."

Her head tilted. "What is 'ditch?'"

He smiled. Some things never changed.

There was one final ritual which needed to be observed before departure. A pile of fortune cookies sat on a bowl. It was always a risk, opening a fortune cookie on such an auspicious occasion. Even knowing every possible fortune, as he did, there was always a chance of a surprising encounter. His hand hovered over the bowl.

One cookie sat slightly on top of the pile, higher than the others, almost as if he was supposed to take it. He considered it a moment, then thought of the fortune on his bedstand and extracted the cookie below it.

"A change of heart will bring back what is lost."

He stared at it. Sorry, Lalana. Not even a fortune cookie was going to make him change his mind about civilian stowaways on a Federation starship, untraceable lului ones in particular.

Just for curiosity's sake, he opened the cookie that had been on top of the pile. "Others are inspired by your courage." God damn it, he thought to himself. That would have been perfect. Sometimes it really was best to take what fate put in front of you.

He returned to the bridge and was greeted by a lot of familiar faces. Arzo at the science station, Benford at tactical, Russo on the comms and Carver at the helm. They were a good crew. He was glad to have had the chance to meet them before starting this mission. "Status report!" he barked.

"All systems are ready, sir," said the woman at ops, a lieutenant named Levy. She was a new addition to the roster. Modest service record, but some good personal remarks from her previous commanding officers. "Waiting on final clearance from Spacedock."

The difference in crew size was significant. The whole crew of the Triton could not have staffed the Buran, and given that Lorca had elected to bring roughly seventy-five percent of the Triton's people, there were now close to seventy new faces on board, many of them young crewmen and cadets who would have many years of service to look forward to advancing through the ranks.

Lorca took over from Benford in the captain's chair and began reviewing the very final checks from each department. Engineering, weapons, medical, astrometrics, and of course, hydroponics. He could only imagine how much food Yoon had secreted away these past three days.

He had a new senior chief engineer, a Vulcan named Sural. He wondered what he had to do to get Starfleet to send him an engineer with a sense of humor for a change. Clearly, whatever he was doing with Cornwell wasn't having the desired effect.

Benford appeared at Lorca's elbow and said in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

Lorca glanced up. "What do you mean?"

"You're sitting."

"It's a new thing I'm trying out. Stand to keep them on their toes, sit to make them comfortable."

"Yeah, well, it's making me uncomfortable."

Lorca chuckled and shook his head. "Back to your station, number one."

"Sir," said Russo. "Spacedock has cleared us for departure."

With a clap, Lorca hopped to his feet. "Mr. Russo! Open a shipwide channel. USS Buran. This is Captain Lorca. We have been cleared to depart and I have a few words. Yes, I know, everyone just loves a captain's speech at launch. But if you'll indulge me.

"Some of you, I've had the pleasure of serving with already. The rest, well, we'll be getting to know each other in the weeks and months to come. But you are all here because you are exemplary members of Starfleet. Each and every one of you is capable of amazing things as an individual, and together, we are capable of so much more.

"Each one of you has had your own path in joining Starfleet, and your own reasons for wanting to serve. So you all know what kind of ship you've signed on to, I'm going to tell you mine.

"Throughout our history, humanity has been a species of explorers. We walked, we sailed, and finally we flew. When we had conquered the ground beneath our feet and the air above our heads, we submerged ourselves in deep blue waves of that little planet down there. Our science, our stories, our very ethos as a species is built upon the need to satisfy our curiosity and reveal the unknown.

"In other words, we all have something in common, no matter what world you're from. We were all born too late to reach the unexplored by walking, sailing, or flying through the air.

"But we were all born just in time for this. To seek out strange new worlds, new life forms, and civilizations. Many of you know I've done all three, and before this journey end, it is my aim that every single one of you has done the same.

"There's a whole universe of stars out there waiting for us to boldly go where no one has gone before."

He let the words hang in the air a moment, just long enough for everyone to hopefully appreciate the promise of his speech. "Now, look alive, people. Final systems check. Communications!"

"Ready, sir!" said Russo.

"Shields!"

Levy looked up from her console. "Operational! All systems online, sir."

"Sensors!"

"Online, sir,” Arzo responded.

"Commander Benford. Weapons?"

"Locked and loaded, captain!" Not actually loaded—they weren't in combat—but an exuberant turn of phrase that perfectly suited the spirit of this journey.

"Commander Sural. Engineering?"

"All systems are nominal, captain." Leave it to a Vulcan.

"Navigation!"

"Course set, sir!"

"Take us out, Carver."

"Disengaging docking clamps. Impulse engines online."

"Incoming transmission, sir. Commodore Cornwell."

"Bring her up."

Cornwell appeared, a hologram standing in the fore of the bridge. "Just wanted to wish you and your crew the best of adventures, Captain."

"Thank you, Commodore. We'll do you proud." Cornwell vanished and Lorca took up his usual position at the fore of the bridge, the stars of the viewscreen beckoning him forward.

"We're clear of Spacedock, sir," said Carver. "Warp on your command."

Lorca smiled, admiring the sight of the stationary stars and savoring the feeling of power that came from the entire ship waiting with bated breath for his next order.

"Go."

The stars became strings of light.

Part 34

[georgemcginn]

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright Sept. 2, 2019 | By Katie Lange Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright was among the few U.S. military leaders aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay when Japan signed the surrender documents ending World War II.

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[photoyage]

NORTHERN LUZON STRAIT, Philippines (Feb. 20, 2015) - An MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, takes off from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). Bonhomme Richard is currently deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam D. Wainwright/Released)

[markloveshistory]

  Today in History, March 11, 1942:

General Douglas MacArthur is evacuated from the Philippines at the order of President Franklin Roosevelt.  At the beginning of WWII the previous December the Japanese had invaded the Philippines; the American and Filipino forces, commanded by MacArthur, had been fighting off persistent advances ever since.  At the outset the American air forces had been almost completely destroyed on the ground, caught by surprise by the initial attacks.  Now they had been backed up to the peninsula of Bataan, and in the middle of the bay, the island of Corregidor.

General MacArthur was already quite famous when the war began; his father Arthur was also a noted American general, Douglas served in WWI and was in command in Washington, DC when protesting WWI veterans were dispersed during the Depression.  He and his father would become the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

American morale was already suffering, and the President did not want an additional blow of MacArthur being taken prisoner when the Philippines fell, which was a foregone conclusion at this point.  So he ordered MacArthur to evacuate to Australia, leaving General Jonathan Wainwright in command of the fall.

MacArthur had the choice to leave by submarine, aircraft, or by PT (patrol torpedo) boat.  He knew and trusted the commander of PT squadron 3, Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, so he chose to leave by boat.

On the evening of March 11, 1942, Lt. Bulkeley’s PT-41 was alongside the north pier at Corregidor with General MacArthur and his family aboard, when the General looked to the Lieutenant and said, “You may cast off, Buck, when you are ready.”  Thus began a 600 mile run to Mindanao through minefields and enemy infested waters which MacArthur would later liken to a ride in a cement mixer.  Almost everyone was seasick.  Bulkeley would meet up with the remainder of his PT squadron, their decks filled with gasoline drums so they could make the trip.  It was a harrowing journey; from Mindanao MacArthur and his staff would continue the journey by air.

The journey, how it came to be, and it’s aftermath are all worth more detail.  But for this post, I can’t help but focus on MacArthur’s words as he set sail from his defeat in Manila Bay…

“You may cast off, Buck, when you are ready.”

General MacArthur was an intelligent, educated man, a West Point graduate and a fast climber through the ranks.  What was in his mind as he escaped one of the worst military defeats in American history that day?  The MacArthur family was also already a significant part of Philippine history.  Nearly forty-four years earlier, in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, Arthur MacArthur had been victorious during the Battle of Manila.  He would then command during the Philippine-American War and become the Military Governor General of the Philippines until he got sideways when the Civilian Governor of the Philippines, William Howard Taft.

At the outset of the Spanish-American War, the Philippines were a Spanish possession.  The war was significant because with it, America would become a player on the world stage, defeating one of the European colonial powers.

With the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898, the US Navy would show it’s mettle in easily defeating the Spanish fleet stationed there.  Admiral George Dewey commanded the US Asiatic Fleet from the bridge of his flagship, the USS Olympia.  As they approached the Spanish ships, Dewey spoke a now famous phrase to the commander of the Olympia, Captain Charles Gridley…

“You may fire when ready, Gridley.”

To enter Manila Bay from the South China Sea, Admiral Dewey and his fleet would have sailed past the island which guarded the entrance to the bay, Corregidor.  Within hours of his famous victory, Admiral Dewey would have sailed within a few hundred yards of where MacArthur would stand in 1942, having lost all Dewey had gained.  In his mind’s eye, was he watching the Olympia pass by?

“You may cast off, Buck, when you are ready.”

“You May Cast Off, Buck, When You Are Ready.” Today in History, March 11, 1942: General Douglas MacArthur is evacuated from the Philippines at the order of President Franklin Roosevelt. 

[aviationhistory]

The U. S. Navy conducts Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian forces and facilities in the Persian Gulf. A-6E Intruders from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) sink a speedboat, assist surface ships in sinking the frigate Sahand, and cripple the frigate Sabalan. Two Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4 Phantom fighters approach the guided-missile cruiser USS Wainwright (CG-28), which damages one of them with a surface-to-air missile.