#decking made form scaffold boards

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320x76mm Scaffold Work Platform for Ringlock Scaffolding System-Multidir...

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floating mooring

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Pontoons for Sale

Allow us to comprehend the fundamental plan of a barge boat before we dig into the purposes of such a watercraft. A barge boat gets it name from the barge span. Barges were first utilized in developing impermanent scaffolds on the water. A barge is commonly intended to seem to be a chamber that floats on the water.

A barge boat is built out of two such chambers and is fitted with a level deck over the barges. The deck normally has a railing around the finishes to forestall anybody falling over board. The deck typically has a covering like a shade to safeguard the travelers from the sun and intensity of some kind or another. These shades are typically developed out of material for more modest barge boats however the bigger assortment of barge boats are fitted with extremely durable designs made of fiber glass or metal. These boats are not planned to be utilized for speed cruising however to a greater extent a comfortable side interest on the water.

Pontoon Purchase (Boat Purchase)

individual barge boat is an extraordinary method for getting around your #1 waterway, whether that waterway be a little lake or even a stream. There are many sorts of individual barge boats available today and these 3 hints will assist you with translating what to search for while settling on a buying choice. These tips will assist you with settling on a substantially more educated choice, so you don't wind up squandering many dollars.

We should start by making sense of what a 'individual barge boat' is. As you will find out, a considerable lot of these sorts of boats are basically a celebrated float tube, however the fact of the matter is that an individual barge boat is a seat with two inflatable barges connected, in this manner making a boat. As I expressed, large numbers of these boats, are basic celebrated float tubes, in which you actually need to wear waders and sit or if nothing else have your feet in the water.

Pontoon engineering

Boats by and large comprise of a similar fundamental plan, with a deck based on top of the two round and hollow barges. The spans of the decks and barges are reliant upon the movement the boat is worked for. The primary target for these boats is to be lightweight, however durable enough to convey 6-17 travelers and all the gear required for the excursions. Barge boats by and large have railings around the level molded boat, to forestall individuals, and particularly youngsters from falling over board.

floating pontoon

The utilization of drifting boat innovations has turned into a piece of a developing number of various circumstances. They were initially planned principally to help drifting scaffolds and have since been applied to extra purposes. The development of a drifting boat is continually changing similar to the general degree of strength and unwavering quality. This gives purchasers a lot more extensive choice today then they had as little as 10 years prior.

The drifting boat presently arrives in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but it has become vital to pick a solitary kind of barge and stick with it. This makes growing or supplanting them a lot simpler. By and large, the barges will more often than not be square albeit the size can change extraordinarily. Most ordinarily, they are developed out of a high-thickness polyethylene (HDPE) material. This is to help the general degree of strength as well as make it more straightforward to form and gather. It can likewise take into account plans that make get together more straightforward and more affordable than substitute materials.

drive on dock

Drifting harbors are stages or slopes that can be lowered to allow the passage and mooring of a boat. Drifting docks are known as 'boats' in certain districts of the world. A drifting dock is associated with the shore with a slanted surface settling upon the dock on rollers. These rollers license changes for the upward movement of the docks, which are held set up by moored links. Drifting harbors are much of the time found in little boat marinas. They keep a proper vertical relationship to watercraft got to them, free of flowing, waterway or lake height. A few of these docks are joined to oblige a bigger art.

boat dock

In the event that an individual has waterfront property, "boat moors" are an extraordinary expansion. A boat moor, accessible in shifting sizes and shapes, is a spot to secure a boat and gives simple relaxation admittance to swimming and fishing. There are aluminum docks, steel docks, drifting docks and post docks. These orders rely upon materials and style that are utilized to assemble the docks. All are intended to offer all that one might actually anticipate in a wet and dry storage space.

Visit For More Information:  https://katerblue.com/yacht-sales/marine-dock-pontoon-supplies-and-installation-for-marinas-ports-hotels

[roundtheworldrambles]

Koh Phi Phi and Ao Nang, Thailand

Day 154 – Koh Phi Phi

After a final breakfast at Bloom – with (yet another!) Acai bowl, I headed down to Pattaya Beach to catch my ferry north to Koh Phi Phi. The beach was in chaos as passengers attempted to locate the right longtail boats to shuttle us to the highspeed ferries, moored just offshore. The ferries definitely ran on “island time”, and though my speedboat was scheduled to leave at 9am, it was closer to 9:40am by the time we set off. I was a bit anxious about the late start, as I already had a tight window of time to arrive in Koh Phi Phi and check into my overnight boat trip. In hindsight, I needn’t have been worried, as all of the other boats and ferries in Thailand also seemed to run behind!

After 4 bumpy hours on the water, and a chaotic transfer to a new ferry on the island of Koh Lanta, we finally arrived at Koh Phi Phi Don. I could immediately see why it was one of the most famous – and touristy! – islands in Thailand. As we approached Tonsai Pier through the turquoise blue waters, hundreds of colourful longtail boats dotted the shoreline.  

Koh Phi Phi Don

The main area of the island is packed to the brim with Thai massage parlours, shops, excursion companies, and restaurants and bars, selling everything from $300 baht Thai buckets, diving trips, longtail boat tours and unmistakable Thai elephant pants.  I was aware that the island had a reputation for being an overdeveloped, overpriced, party island – and my expectations were fairly accurate. Since this wasn’t really my scene, I had decided to only spend only a day on the archipelago, mostly to see the natural beauty of the nearby Koh Phi Phi Leh – where towering green limestone cliffs jut up from the crystal clear ocean, framing picturesque bays and white sandy beaches.

As I disembarked from the ferry, I manoeuvred my way through crowds of tourists and fishermen to find Maya Bay Tours, which runs an overnight boat trip to Koh Phi Phi Leh. I had booked this trip in order to avoid the crowds of day trippers to the area, as Maya Beach, made famous in Leonardo Dicaprio’s “The Beach” was one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand. Interestingly enough, shortly after my trip to Thailand, the government shut down Maya Beach for a few years in order for the ecosystem to recuperate.

Entrance to the Viking Cave on Koh Phi Phi Leh

The powerful tropical heat continued into the late afternoon as our group of about 20 boarded our small boat, setting off to Koh Phi Phi Leh, 1.5 km to the South of the main island. Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabited island, and looks like a green crown from a distance, rising up from the ocean. As we drew near, our boat passed alongside spectacular vertical cliffs, completely covered with dense foliage.

I quickly befriended the other passengers on the boat, including two girls from New York.  We first stopped at “Viking Cave”, a cavern at the base of one of the limestone cliffs where swifts make their nests. I was surprised to learn that harvesting of these birdnests was actually a profitable local business, as the nests are edible and believed to promote good health and skin, particularly in Chinese culture. It is a precarious job, as hunters build bamboo scaffolding into pitch-black caves, ascending into the dark to collect the nests. Shockingly, our guide told us that the market value of these nests was over $2000/kg! He suggested that we keep our eyes open for “birds nest soup” in local grocery stores elsewhere in Thailand, as the nests are most commonly eaten in soup form.

Continuing along the shoreline, our boat moored at Loh Sama Bay for swimming, snorkelling and kayaking. Jumping off the third deck of the boat into the ocean, we swam through the turquoise blue waters, diving below the surface to check out the tropical coral and fish. Drying off, I also took one of the kayaks out to the end of the bay, basking in the sun as I paddled next to the green cliffs.

Koh Phi Phi Leh

As the sun began to wane, we boarded our boat again, and circled the island to moor in the famous Maya Bay - just on time for the local day trippers and longtail boats to head back to the main island! The bay became quieter as the sun began to set, casting spectacular shadows over the tall green cliffs that framed the bay. We sat above deck to take in the impressive scenery, all while tucking into a Thai feast that had been prepared for us (complete with a complimentary Thai bucket, naturally!).

Sunset from our Overnight Boat

After dinner, our group went night-time swimming in the bay to see the bioluminescent plankton. As we swam along, the movement of the water made the plankton glow around us. In retrospect – I realize that this wasn’t the safest idea after a Thai bucket, but it was super cool! Drying off, we paddled small rowboats a short distance to a small private beach, surrounded by massive cliffs. This is where the party really kicked off – our hosts had lit several bonfires on the beach, and we spent the rest of the evening playing games, listening to music, having a beach barbeque and chatting with our fellow travellers – over a few more Thai buckets and Singha beers! It was such a fun night – and was capped off in the perfect way: sleeping on a cot above deck, underneath a spectacular canopy of stars.  

Day 155 – Koh Phi Phi and Ao Nang

Maya Beach

We woke up before dawn, and enjoyed a light breakfast before being boated over to Maya Beach, the iconic white sand beach at the far end of the bay. Given the popularity of this location, I was thrilled that we had the beach to ourselves before the day-trippers began to arrive. Anchored long-tail boats bobbed offshore as we waded through the crystal clear water, taking in the limestone cliffs, jungle and ocean framing the idyllic beach. I spent some time wandering the jungle trails behind the beach, admiring the dense, lush forest of the island. As Maya Bay began to buzz with day trips arriving, we returned to our boat, and set off back to the main island. As we approached Koh Phi Phi Don, we briefly stopped at Monkey Beach, a short beach with powder-white sand, a brilliant green coral reef just beneath the water. I was disappointed to see a few people on the beach feeding the Macaque monkeys, who clearly were used to being fed by tourists. Because of this expectation, our host told us that it is not unusual for the monkeys to get quite aggressive with visitors, where biting and scratching can be quite common.  

Maya Beach

Returning to Tonsai Pier on Koh Phi Phi Don, I bid farewell to our group, and the New York girls and I explored the laneways and beaches of the island for a few hours, before our various ferries to the mainland departed in the afternoon. We grabbed lunch and a beach beer at a patio just off Tonsai Beach, watching boats come and go from the harbour.

I caught my hour and a half ferry to Ao Nang in the late afternoon, arriving just as the sun was beginning to set. Ao Nang is a town of small resorts, rowdy beach bars, lady boy cabaret shows and tourist traps, and although the town itself wasn’t beautiful, it was a perfect base camp location for me to explore the spectacular limestone headlands around Krabi the following day. As my tuk-tuk from the ferry dropped me off at my hostel in town, I had a chance to catch the sunset offshore – with the biggest orange sun I have ever seen in my life. It was a truly spectacular, memorable sight. After grabbing a green curry dinner from a nearby food stall, I headed back to my hostel for the night, crashing immediately after my long day.

Sunset in Ao Nang

Day 156 – Ao Nang to Chiang Mai

Phran nang Beach

I headed down to Ao Nang beach in the early morning and picked up a ticket for a round-trip long-tail boat ride to Phra nang Beach, a 20 minutes trip south around several limestone headlands, and only accessible by water. I spent my morning swimming in the turquoise water, relaxing and reading on the beach, all while enjoying the stunning backdrop of cliffs covered in green foliage, golden sand beaches, and tall karst islands just offshore. Phra nang and nearby Railay Beach are popular locations for rock climbers, and every now and then I caught a glimpse of an adventurous climber doing a deep water free solo climb. Phra nang Beach also had an interesting, yet somewhat odd shrine at one end of the beach. Called the Tham Phra Nang Nok, or the “Princess Cave” this shrine is dedicated to the Goddess of fertility. Throughout the cave, large and small phallus statues had been erected (no pun intended!), where locals give offerings of flowers and incense.

After a lovely, relaxing morning, it was time for me to return to Ao Nang by long-tail boat, where I headed off to Krabi Airport, enroute North to my next stop – Chiang Mai! The two-hour flight brought me into the capital of the Northern Lanna province, just as the sun was setting. I quickly grabbed a 150 baht taxi to my hostel for the next 4 nights, located on the East side of the old city, which is surround by an ancient moat. I had the good fortune to overlap my time in Chiang Mai with two of my good friends from OT school – Doug and Andea, who were on their honeymoon! Since I had missed their wedding in Canada the previous month, I met them at a patio in the old city, and we shared a few celebratory beers before their flight out the following morning. It was so wonderful to see old friends from Canada after so many months on the road – we couldn’t believe our serendipitous timing! 

Queens Reunion in Chiang Mai!

[charlesjules]

Understanding Deck Installation And Construction In Malvern PA

Prior To The Deck Project

A properly designed deck installation is what separates a good outdoor living area from a great one.

And while a lot of us have the DIY knowledge to build a fundamental deck, the best method to get the deck you've constantly visualized is to work with an experienced deck installation contractor.

Despite the direction you choose, it assists to understand exactly what you're getting yourself into prior to starting your job. Here's what you require to understand.

Building a deck often needs a permit. Budget plan the time and cash essential to finish the permitting procedure.

If you're employing a pro, be sure to ask him whether he is pulling the authorizations or if it will be your responsibility.

There are a fair quantity of products you'll require to acquire, consisting of concrete, screws, stain, lighting (if needed), trim pieces, balusters, and decking.

No component will affect your budget as much as your choice in decking.

Most homeowners go with pressure-treated wood, as it's the least expensive option, yet still durable.

Composite decking (Trex is a good example) will allow you to get a deck that looks terrific and requires little to no maintenance, making composite decking rates well worth the cost.

If you live in a damp environment, think about tropical woods like cedar or redwood. They're not inexpensive, however they look fantastic and are resilient.

Next, you'll wish to consider your lighting options. If your deck is multi-level and has actions, you may require to install lighting to light up the stairs.

Factor in the expenses of staining and sealing your deck along with the cost of including the ending up touches such as post caps, base trim, and decorative balusters.

Anatomy Of A Deck

Pro deck construction contractors can make an installation look easy, as decks are made up of numerous structural elements. Here are a few of the most essential parts to remember.

Joists: These components comprise the horizontal frame of the deck.

Footing: These underground elements support the deck's posts. The footing is generally composed of concrete.

Piers: Sort of like above-ground footing, piers are made from concrete and support posts.

Ledger: This horizontal component connects to the side of the house and supports one side of the deck.

Decking: These are the boards that form the flooring of the deck.

Flashing: This protective layer avoids water from seeping in where the deck connects to the outer wall of your home.

The Length Of Time To Plan For Deck Installation

A deck pro can develop a basic deck with railings and a staircase in one to three weeks. Decks with complex styles can take an extra week or more to finish.

Periodically, advance preparation like grading or considerable foundation work can add more days to the total timeline.

Deck Installation Plan Examples

Decks can be straightforward setups, a lot of strategies and designs vary substantially. A lot of deck pros provide preparing services, however most require comprehensive property owner input.

Whether you wish to create your own deck or you simply desire to get a concept of the possibilities, an online search for deck strategies will produce countless results.

Keep a few of the list below aspects in mind when planning your deck.

Material: Wood, vinyl, and composite are some of the most popular materials for decks.

Shape: Decks can be rounded, rectangle-shaped or any combination of the two.

Railings: Go with basic wood, or go with a contemporary product like metal, glass or cabling.

Levels: Many decks incorporate just one level, but if you have a significant height to deal with, there's no reason your deck can't reach 2 or more levels.

Stairs: Go with a straightforward railing, set up a spiral staircase in a small space or decide for a ramp rather.

Enclosures: Decks can be uncovered, partially covered, completely covered or perhaps confined or screened.

Just how much Does A Deck Cost?

The cost of developing a deck differs depending on the product you select, the complexity of the deck, size, the quantity of building and construction involved, and your area.

Various deck construction contractors may charge different rates, so make certain to get at least 3 estimates so you can be sure you're getting a fair price.

The cost for a standard deck that measures about 120 square feet averages $1,500. More complicated decks cost $5,000 or more, and multi-level decks that span hundreds of square feet can cost over $20,000.

Deck Installation Considerations

Building Around A Tree Or On A Grade

Keep the tree by just adding additional framing around the tree and make it a part of your deck. Make certain to enable for future development. Do not utilize the tree as structural support.

For graded areas, you'll either require to utilize longer posts to level the deck or think about cantilevering the rim joists by using a steel base.

This offers an excellent architectural function, but you'll require a structural engineer or contractor to identify what's safe and fulfills code.

Structure On Concrete Or Over A Patio

Possibly you're setting up over an existing patio area or a concrete deck. Customize your design strategies and the steps above to accommodate any existing structures.

Most of the times, you won't require to do any demolition, but it's possible.

Speak with an expert deck installation contractor for any necessary adjustments. Also, be sure to avoid using the concrete or outdoor patio as load-bearing footers without first examining to see if they can support the weight of the deck.

How To Make A Small, Easy Deck By Yourself

To streamline this down for a DIY deck installation, you'll need to streamline the design. You'll most likely wish to avoid connecting it to your home with a ledger board. Keep the footprint a square or rectangle-shaped shape.

To truly keep costs down, simply make it smaller sized-- think about a two-phase plan with a little deck to start and include on later.

Large Or Tall Deck Installation

Tall and big decks tend to have more posts and added architectural functions. Second story decks will typically have a complete flight of stairs and need to be stained on the bottom side.

Because large and high decks both tend to take weeks to construct, it's typically best to let a deck construction contractor manage this task. Tall decks need extra scaffolding, ladders, and safety equipment.

The very best way to make either a high or big deck is to employ a professional.

Questions To Ask Your Deck Builder

When you look for out a deck construction contractor to develop your outdoor area, be sure to search for one with a lot of experience handling a range of deck-related concerns.

Decks can get complicated, especially if you prefer a complex layout or your backyard provides landscaping challenges. Ask any deck pro you're considering the following questions:

1.) Are you insured?

While you don't want to expect anything going incorrect with your deck construction, you certainly don't desire to come across a costly problem down the roadway.

Be sure to ask for details about the contractor's insurance coverage and even request the name of the insurance carrier so you can much better understand the policy.

2.) Who will do the work?

Deck pros might have workers do the bulk of or contract jobs out to specialized subcontractors.

Make sure you understand not just who will carry out the work but also who will supervise of any on-site professionals.

3.) Can you offer me with referrals?

Talking with professionals' previous customers is the finest method to comprehend how they work and whether their finished projects please clients.

If a contractor can't or will not provide you with referrals, get a consultation by looking him or her up on Google.

4.) Does the estimate reflect the overall expense?

Decks can be made complex construction tasks, and price quotes don't always reflect every aspect of the construction and clean-up.

Contractors frequently leave permit costs and clean-up expenses out of estimates, so make certain whatever is represented when you read over the quote.

Developing a deck is a great method to enhance the appearance of your house and the quality of your outdoor home. And while it can be a simple task, oftentimes it's finest to work with a certified pro deck installation contractor to tackle the job for you.

A pro will have the ability to identify the very best prepare for your needs, pull the essential permits, and provide a completed product that satisfies or exceeds your expectations.

All set to get going?

We can help you discover the best deck builder to finish the job right in Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County in Pennsylvania.

To learn more, visit https://bhidecks.com��or call them directly at (610) 232-2400.

builders

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Materials and Applications of Metal Scaffolding

Scaffolding materials include:

#1 Tubes

#2 Couplers

#3 Boards or decking

Tubes are normally made from steel or aluminum. The type of steel used is typically hot-rolled steel. In special circumstances where there is a risk from live overhead electric cables, filament-wound tubes of glass fiber in a nylon or polyester matrix can be used.

The main difference between steel and aluminum is the weight: steel is nearly 3 times heavier than aluminum.

The metal tubes are held together by scaffolding couplers. There are three basic varieties: right-angle couplers, putlog couplers, and swivel couplers. In addition, joint pins (spigots) or sleeve couplers can be used to join tubes end-to-end where necessary.

The floors of the scaffolding system can be made of wooden boards or decking made from steel or aluminum. Where wooden boards are used, their ends are protected by metal plates known as hoop irons or nail plates.

Metal Scaffolding Applications

Metal scaffolding is used during construction, maintenance, and repair. Metal scaffolding allows workers to access high and remote locations of any building.

Metal scaffolding can come in many forms, depending on the project at hand.

Supported scaffolding is the most common type of scaffolding. It’s built from the ground up and is commonly seen at most construction sites. It’s the easiest, most convenient, safest and most cost-effective scaffolding system. Extra support can be added if the structure is extremely high or if very heavy loads need to be transported.

Suspended scaffolding is typically suspended from the roof of a building. It’s a good option for situations where it’s not possible to construct a base, or where the access requirements are limited to the upper levels and the building of scaffolding from the ground up would be impractical.

Rolling scaffolding is similar in structure to supported scaffolding. The difference is that instead of incorporating a stable base, castor wheels are used to allow mobility. This provides a good option if work needs to be carried out across the length of the building. It’s essential to lock the wheels whenever there are workers or materials on the scaffolding to ensure the safety of all in the vicinity.

[ecotone99]

[SP] Where enemies kiss

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh

“You seem nervous Mr President, I do hope all is well?” Khadija asked the uneasy looking man sitting directly opposite her across the table they both shared for lunch, food which even though magnificent in its spread, had not even been touched by him.

They were aboard a beautiful private yacht sailing in waters that territorially belonged to Australia, their meeting was meant to be discreet even if of great importance. The President was an Asian politician who had benefitted immensely from the support of Dominati in the past, at present though; his stance on key issues was worrisome to say the least.

His meeting with Khadija had been at the instance of Dominati but he was the one who chose the time and venue. The President had confirmed his meeting with Khadija, a known (to those who should know) enforcer for Dominati, aboard a yacht upon the open sea because he knew she was a Magnarch, the Mega-Natural breed who can only access Chí when connected to the earth.

Chí is the creative force of the earth and the rare selection of beings who can access this Chí are called Mega-Naturals. Chí gives Mega-Naturals the power to alter reality, a power that can often be frightening in application. Since Magnarchs are only able to access Chí from the earth, meeting Khadija atop water where she was practically harmless, seemed the safest thing to do in the President’s opinion; yet he could not find solace in her weakness.

“I’m sorry Khadija... I’m sorry it had to come to this.” The middle aged man, a much respected world leader, muttered apologetically as his eyes seemed to signal his associates to action. In a flash, steel claws attached to extensible high tension steel wires snapped around each of Khadija’s wrists, the ends of the steel wires in the hands of heavily built bodyguards of the President. A third bodyguard threw a lasso over her neck, with intent to strangle her while his counterparts held her arms apart.

Even though they were on water, the President and his men could not trust their bullets to pierce Khadija’s body as he had seen with his own eyes, Khadija walk through a hail of bullets unscathed, when she saved his life once in Bangkok, years before he became President of his own country. For this reason, the attempt to assassinate the Dominati enforcer had to entail a lot more than merely pulling a trigger.

The movements to entrap and strangulate Khadija had been well rehearsed by the Presidential bodyguards, so they were executed with precision and extremely swift action... for human beings. Swift for them was much too slow for Khadija. She allowed the steel claws clamp her wrists as she needed them for leverage, as the lasso circled overhead, she turned her neck in movements measured in microseconds, catching the lasso instead with her teeth as she clamped down her powerful jaws.

Even in this form, without Chí to transform her into her beast form- a monstrously sized blue lion, her jaws were still strong enough to clench that lasso with a grip of incredible power. Khadija kicked the table in front of her, sending it flying high in the air with the President taken along for the ride. In milliseconds, she got up from her seat, crossed her hands, flicked her head in a vicious arc and threw her right leg over her left shoulder as she brought all three bodyguards connected to her body crashing into each other with sickening force in mid air.

The President, trying to escape, scampered along the floor of the yacht’s main dining room with the confused urgency of a man who had just seen death wearing a strapless gown... with killer stiletto heels. There were fifteen elite bodyguards of the President aboard the yacht that day, everyone of them highly trained hand-to-hand combat specialists. Nine others followed closely in a small speed boat as well as another team of five in a fighter helicopter hovering ahead. It was a relatively small security team for the President based on the discreet nature of his meeting with Khadija

Before the speed boat team could access the Yacht, Khadija had killed almost all bodyguards on board with a single piece of broken glass. The exception was the one who she axe-kicked her stiletto heel into his left eye because he made a rude remark about her dressing in his native dialect when she was boarding. Unfortunately, he did not realise Khadija was proficient in several languages including his native lingua.

The nine Presidential bodyguards who came from the speed boat, entered the yacht guns blazing but the din of their automatic rifles all went silent very quick, thanks again to the ‘lethal’ piece of broken glass in the hands of one of Dominati’s most skilled enforcers.

There was a double pirouette with her slashing arm extended at cut-throat level, which took out four elite bodyguards from the speed boat team. She wrapped her powerful legs around a fifth and flipped him through the air, slamming him hard enough into the floor to shatter his spinal vertebrae. She broke his neck with a violent counter twist of her legs in time too short to complete a heartbeat, before hitting the sixth bodyguard clean between the eyes with a fearfully accurate throw of her weapon, the piece of broken glass

Only six of those bodyguards that came from the speed boat tried to engage Khadija, the other three hurried to the aid of the President. They were escorting him as fast as they could to the tip of the yacht’s bow, so that he could be evacuated by the rescue helicopter. Heavy artillery gunfire smashed into the body of the yacht as the helicopter’s crew provided cover for the fleeing president to stop Khadija following after him.

The plan seemed to work perfectly well as the President was safely evacuated from the yacht into the fighter helicopter which immediately took to the skies. Once in the helicopter, the president heaved a huge sigh of relief. They were after all in the air and with what he knew of Magnarchs, they could not access Chí in air or on water, so it seemed he had just made a great escape from the clutches of the rampaging Magnarch- Khadija.

As the helicopter rose, the gunner behind its heavy machine gun scanned the deck of the yacht with his eyes for any sign of trouble. Trouble if identified would have been confronted with a hail of rapid gunfire delivered from the gunner’s terrible instrument of death.

The gunner on the Presidential helicopter was right to scan the area below their helicopter for any impending danger. Unfortunately his eyes could not spot Khadija who evaded his attention while she successfully disconnected a loaded propane tank from the on-board grill it had been attached to. Khadija spun the medium sized propane tank around, despite its considerable weight, with the fluent technique of an Olympic hammer thrower, before launching the ‘missile’ at the President’s ascending helicopter with strength only a Mega-Natural could possibly muster.

The propane tank collided with the helicopter’s rotor, exploding on impact with the rotor’s mast as the succeeding explosions ripped the President’s helicopter apart delivering a flaming carcass of men and metal into the ocean. Khadija watched dissatisfied as the chopper fell out of the sky... she had wanted to rip out the President’s tongue for his many lies before killing him.

Unsurprisingly, the President’s death was reported in global media as an accident; a testament to the power of Dominati to control the narrative around their most lawless actions. The late Head of State had been leader of an important Asian power and until his death, was one of several world leaders who are servants of Dominati.

At his funeral, there was as to be expected, a large presence of world leaders, some of whom had received privileged information that the helicopter crash was not an accident. Those who knew this, were all connected to Dominati; as none could claim they were innocent if they had knowledge of the true account of events that led to the death of the ‘revered statesman’ as his funeral programme so graciously described him.

Khadija the enforcer was present at that funeral as were a few other Dominati- members of the world’s most exclusive secret society; open only to Mega-Naturals. Amongst Dominati present at the funeral that day, was a Luminary: the rarest and most powerful breed of Mega-Natural who can access Chí through any medium whether air, water or earth.

The Luminary’s awe-inspiring mastery of Chí meant he could alter the reality of live television being beamed by several news networks across the world; doing this meant that Khadija could have conversations in the open with several world leaders without anyone or cameras picking up the face-to-face between world leader and Dominati enforcer because as per the Luminary’s work, they were operating in a detached reality.

It was the bronze-haired female head of state for a G-7 country that wryly asked Khadija in the course of their conversation: “ so, which one of us’ funeral is next?” Khadija let her head dip slightly in an angle to her right, showing mock dismay before flashing a full smile at the middle aged woman in front of her and then responding with the sweetest tone: “if it’s yours, I’ll make sure to wear a pretty dress.”

Another European leader eager to buttress his need for additional support from Dominati told Khadija in conversation that he believed “the best wine always comes from the best tended vineyards.” Khadija disagreed with his assertion, gently expanding his mindset by telling him that from her experience the best wine comes from grapes that survive in the wild. In her words: “That which is protected is endangered by its own fortifications... but the overcoming of adversity is the scaffolding of greatness. Whatever thrives in adversity is the excellence of the earth.”

There was an African President who made an impassioned plea to Khadija for her help in a matter that had already been decided by Dominati against his country's favour unbeknownst to him. The African leader told Khadija that he had been living his days in ‘the place where enemies kiss’. Khadija found his description intriguing and for once she did not understand what the other person in the conversation meant by what she had been told. So she asked the African leader: “where is the place where enemies kiss” ?

The man seemed surprised at Khadija’s question, he seemingly believed that this was a thing of common knowledge. Convinced that the enforcer wished him to answer the question, he gave a sigh of resignation as he responded: “ It is the place of hypocrisy madam. Wherever hypocrisy prevails, enemies may freely kiss because there are no true divides.”

‘No true divides’; Khadija gave thought to that phrase about where enemies kiss long after she had left the funeral and its gathering of questionable world leaders. ‘No true divides’ was not the way of Dominati, she thought to herself. In fact, it was a big difference between them and ordinary humans. Dominati never wavered in their beliefs, they were always for the consolidation of dominion across the entire earth.

As her mentor once explained to her, “Dominati do not care to know who starts a fire or who gets burned by it. What concerns Dominati, is the air that both man and fire need to stay alive. If Dominati controls the air, then all may burn... only at our good pleasure.”

(c) Emmanuel Elu 2019

Emmanuel Elu is author of the Amazon ebook: 'Chí- The Dominati story'

submitted by /u/kingoftheshortstory [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2ZK0Ww1

[thelandofzeal-blog]

day 4

Woke up early this morning to go on a quick jog around the island. The temperature is subtropical here, so my skin cried a bit even under a thin short-sleeved shirt.

One of the best parts of traveling is the novelty of everything. Novelty is a cure for even the most painful ordeals — a strenuous run in new scenery is bearable, even exciting, writing a paper on the waterfront porch soothing… But of course, novelty is short-lived. To depend on novelty to find enjoyment in life leads to only ephemeral happiness. It is nice though, once in awhile.

The house of the family I’m staying with is stunning. It’s like living in a huge box of glass, shaded by the large leaves of the banana tree and surrounding lush greenery. Inside, pieces of white, tan, and teal-blue decor decorate the artful interior. A white-birch deck spills out from under the house like the beach sand.

My two hosts are Thomas and Yvete (the one who wears the pants in the relationship). Yvete, a headstrong woman, has a fastidious attention to detail and order, takes immense perfection in her work, and speaks in a tone that demands obedience. Thomas, with his pale blue eyes, nods. He’s a vegan (does not consume animal products, including cheese, milk, eggs, and honey). Although he is over 70, he still reminds me of a little boy, albeit with big brains and aspirations. Also a tech nerd, he gushes about neural networks, linear regression, and his new start-up idea.

“Thomas, that’s enough tech talk for today, I’m sure you’re boring Angela,” Yvete says half-sternly, half-jokingly, but there is no missing the glint in her eyes. There was a definite finality to it.

“No, not at all,” I politely stand up, glancing up at the hour hand of the clock and knowing all too well that the sun was up far too high and the amount of work completed too little for Yvete’s pleasing. I’m careful to wash the bread board and cutting knife, placing everything back with precision.

Today, we worked on building a netted ceiling for the chickens. I was painfully reminded of the fate of my own chickens, who were mauled by the neighborhood raccoons in a night surprise attack. But here in Waiheke, such an incident was impossible. Before humans came, the only predators on the island were birds, who had the luxury to nest on the ground. To preserve the bird wildlife, there are certain areas in Waiheke where predators, in the traditional sense of the word (foxes, bears, raccoons), do not exist.

But birds are their own hassle — like the aerial Robin-hood, they steal from Yvete’s spoiled chickens’ food tray to feed their own hungry children. To impede their endeavors, our job was to layer a protective net over the chickens’ home.

We began by entangling the net. The black net was twisted like a the braided hair of a woman who hadn’t cut it since Jesus was born — it must have been at least 100 meters long. As we found the two end-corners, we dragged the freed end down the garden path, which trailed like a bride’s black wedding train. Sweating in the sun with sandflies and mosquitoes feasting on the drumsticks of my legs, I alternated between untangling and furiously swatting. I remembered chatting easily in the cool of the organic shop just yesterday, making our own ice creams in the lull of the afternoon. But not for a second would I trade this for the ease of that lifestyle. I was sick of the ice-cream shop by the end of the first day. The work was, simply put, boring.

This, on the other hand, was challenging and creative. There were no instructions — we were our own masters, brainstorming ideas as we went along. We crafted the skeleton of the ceiling with leftover purple plastic hoses, where we would layer the netting over.

I recount this project as if everything went smoothly, as easily as writing a sentence to paper. But creating solutions without purchasing any extra material requires some patchwork, like taking the windier road instead of the straight and simple one to a final destination. For example, how to secure the ceiling backbone? Leveraging the force of gravity, we interweaved the long pieces through the chicken wire, forming tightly secured parallel purple arches. Or, what to do with the leftover netting? We found a dirty L-shaped pipe to use as the drop spindle, rolling the leftover netting around it like yarn.

Yvete had a knack for spotting problems before they arose, noting a protruding nail on a scaffolding where the net might get caught. Although a health nutritionist by profession, she was also a creative engineer, just like my dad. Surprisingly enough, she was also incredibly patient and composed throughout all of our work. I didn’t expect that, not with her precise personality and how particular she was about things. But even in the most frustrating of times, she made an effort to infuse a bit of humor in our conversation, like the nurse that tells you a funny story when he gives you your annual vaccine shot. Humor is a miraculous thing, erasing pain and suffering. And just when the sun seems too hot to bear, she showed up with iced energy drinks, all-natural of course with black and green tea leaves.

Her personality is rare. When one is easy-going, he naturally expects less from the people around him. But Yvete has both impossibly high expectations for herself and a tolerance/kindness for those who are less able than those around her.

When we finally finish, the sun is almost setting. Looking at our handiwork in the glow of the setting gold, I smile and realize, “They look like purple McDonald arches.” Yvette laughs at the irony of this comparison, of the pastoral organic garden, healthy and fruitful, with the all-consuming diabetics of the largest fast-food company in the world. Worlds apart, yet you can still find similarities in them. Like my life back home and what I’m experiencing now.

[rachelclewis]

Double Sided

I spent the summer of 2001 working (unpaid) for a small artists’ venture called St. Jayne’s Theatre Company. The company was founded by a girl I knew from college, who I would have described as a “frenemy” if we had that word back then.  She was passionate and driven and was dying to produce good theatre.  But she could also be vain, obstinate, and a bit of a drama queen.  I was concerned when she asked me to be on her board of directors because I didn’t trust her leadership and I was worried the project would end badly. I also wanted to be making theatre and there were a number of other people on the board I respected, so I said yes. I thought there was a good chance we would pull it off.

I was wrong, though. It didn’t end badly. It started badly. It got worse as it went along. And then it ended in tears, accusatory phone calls, and terminated friendships. What I hadn't counted on – what I didn’t realize at the time – was that I could also be vain, obstinate, and a bit of a drama queen. And the two of us together, my frenemy and I, twisted our vain obstinate energy into a vortex of destruction and bitchery. But somewhere in the middle of all of that, we put on a play.

I’m glad that I did it, though. I learned a lot. We overcame some serious obstacles to persevere and I am still proud of the production.  The play was SubUrbia, and there are two things that I remember most about it.  Both require a little bit of explanation. The first one is the sound wall.

We were doing the play outdoors at a music venue called Kilby Court, which is in the center of a block in an industrial area of Salt Lake. It made sense because the play takes place in the parking lot of a Kwiky Mart-type convenience store, but if a band was playing on the stage across the alley, it was too loud to hear the actors. So the board decided that we would need to get a contract from the owner of Kilby Court that stated that we had exclusive performing rights on the nights of the show and we tasked the founder of the company, my afore described frenemy, to get the contract signed.

I asked about the contract during rehearsals and my frenemy responded by saying vaguely, “yeah yeah, it’s fine… it’s taken care of.” In fact, she had approached the owner with the contract and he refused to sign it because he couldn’t afford to lose the profit from the bands and take the risk that we would be able to deliver a similar amount. It was smart, and I understood where he was coming from. We never drew in the same sized crowds as the bands. But she was afraid to tell us what happened, so she just… didn’t. We didn’t find out until the weekend before the show opened that the owner of Kilby Court had booked bands in his other space for every single night we were performing.

That night we were sitting on the deck trying to figure out how we could possibly make it work. We talked for hours and a plan began to form.  Twenty four inventive hours later, we stood in the alley of Kilby Court looking up at our brand new, functional sound wall. That day, we rented two stories of scaffolding from a construction site, assembled it ourselves, and filled it with a ton of hay that we bought off a local farmer. Then we covered it with tarps. It wasn’t beautiful, but it worked. The show could go on!.

The second thing I remember most about SubUrbia is the giant purple dildo.

The main female character in SubUrbia is a twenty-something girl named Suze who is planning to move to New York to become an artist. In her first scene on stage, Suze presents the performance art piece that she has been developing.

The monologue is a fuming estrogen-angst filled rant that is desperate to be shocking, but comes off as a poor knock-off of Ani DiFranco lyrics from the early 90s. We wanted it to be a parody of clichéd performance art. We had a trunk full of props. We put her in a body suit that she could paint on as she wore it.  And best of all, we got The Blue Boutique to donate a large double-sided dildo in exchange for advertising in our program. Every night, Suze ended her monologue by swinging the dildo over her head and then letting it go, making it thwhack the brick wall behind her and fall down behind her feet with a thud.

The only problem was that people actually lived at Kilby Court and there were a couple apartment windows that ran along the wall that we were using as our Kwiky Mart. So we were really careful to choreograph the dildo-throw to make sure that it always hit the bricks and only the bricks.

I was elated when closing night arrived. After a series of ugly arguments, my relationship with my frenemy had devolved to fit under the less complicated “enemy” category. We were a handful of livid phone calls away from never speaking to one another again. The audience turn-out was a less than half of what we had hoped for. Everyone involved in the company was losing money, and I couldn’t take the stress much longer.

I was sitting in the audience, thinking “all I have  to do is get through this performance, unload a ton of rain-sopped hay, disassemble two stories of scaffolding, return it to the construction company, and I will be done with Saint Jayne’s and I’ll never have to do theatre again…” when, something went wrong with Suze’s dildo-throw. For some reason, after weeks of perfect executions, the throw went wild and the dildo sailed through the air and disappeared through one of the darkened apartment windows with a slap and the tinkle of shattered glass. The audience must have known that wasn’t the plan, because that was the only night we didn’t get a big laugh. There was some laughter but it was mostly uncomfortable.

“Oh my God, ohmigod, ohmahGAWD!” I was thinking, as I snuck out of the audience by squeezing through a gap in the hay. “We’ve killed someone. We’ve killed someone. At the very least, we’ve killed someone’s cat…”

I I pictured a leathery old man – recently homeless, reentering society through the devalued rental property of Kilby Court – sitting in a rocking chair and reading a tattered paperback copy of Keats poems. When suddenly, without warning, there was a crashing sound and… “wisht, wisht, wisht…” something long and purple spinning through the air, and then, “BAM!” right to the forehead, knocking him backward, over, and out of the rocking chair! And then, SILENCE. Death by dildo…

I found one of the managers at Kilby – a really nice guy named Mike – and I told him what had happened. He told me not to worry about it. He said he knew the guy pretty well, and he would talk to him. I snuck back into the audience and watched the rest of the play, which unfolded without further incident, but I was distracted. We were going to be sued; I was sure of it. I was twenty-four, unemployed, and done with theatre. And, at that moment, I was quite certain that I was going to have to go into some sort of indentured servitude to pay for the ex-homeless man’s funeral and a new window for Kilby Court. At that point in my life, I would have had to go into indentured servitude just to buy the man a new cat.

But after the show, I found Mike again to see what he found out and he told me the man wasn’t home. “Whew. That’s a relief,” I said.

“Trust me; it’s fine. I’ll talk to him when he gets home.”

I expected to hear more, but I never did. I wasn’t even contacted about paying for the new window, which I thought was the least that would happen. About half of the cast showed up to help me return the scaffolding to the construction company, and a friend with a truck was kind enough to come and take all the hay out of Kilby. I was done with the show and I promised myself that I would never use my degree in theatre again, and I have mostly kept that promise.

Then, ten years later, I spent a weekend this fall at a writer’s retreat in southern Utah. I was one of six other writers staying on a small ranch outside the desert town of Torrey. We were all from Salt Lake City and we spent the days writing and the evenings talking about writing and making one another laugh.

One of the writers was a musician named Jeremy Chatelain. Jeremy has toured with a bunch of east coast bands over the years, but he has also been in a lot of bands here in Utah. Another writer remembered him from a band called Iceburn Collective and the two of them started talking about these old local Utah bands that I’ve never heard of. In fact, I was basically tuning out of the conversation until he mentioned that he had been in a band with a guy named Gentry.

I interjected then and said, “Wait, Gentry Densley?”

And Jeremy said, “No way, you know Gentry?”

And I said, “No, not at all. But I remember that his band played at a fundraiser for a theatre company I worked for a decade ago called Saint Jayne’s. He was great.”

Another one of the writers named Adam said, “I remember Saint Jayne’s.”

“That’s not possible,” I said. “We lasted one summer and no one came to our shows.”

“Oh no, I remember. I was living in an apartment at Kilby Court that summer. And they were doing a play called Suburbia. And I remember that I came home from a late shift at the hospital one night to find broken glass everywhere and I giant purple dildo in my bed. And this guy, Mike, who was running things at Kilby, came running in and was like ‘oh dude, I was hoping to catch you before you got home… I wanted to try to explain…’ But I was like, ‘Dude!? How? How could you ever explain THIS?”

And I said, “Oh my God… I’ve spent the last ten years wanting to ask you if you were okay! I remember watching it go through the window and thinking, ‘oh Christ what have we done?’ So let me just finally officially say to you, I am very very sorry about that.”

I didn’t think we would ever stop laughing. I was relieved to find that he wasn’t angry. He was just disappointed that they didn’t let him keep the dildo.

“I was going to frame it and hang it on the wall so I could point to it when I told the story.” Then he pointed at a random spot on the wall and said, in an old man voice, “And that thar is the very same dildo that came through my window that night…”

“Really?” I said. “Because we didn’t get it back!  I would have let you keep it, for sure. Mike would have known you shouldn’t use it after it’s been in contact with broken glass, right?”

The next morning we told the rest of the writers the story and Adam said, “I’ve been telling that story for so long now, as an example of the texture of Kilby Court and what it was like to live there. Who knew I would come down to Boulder Utah and meet the person from the other end of that dildo?”

��U

[building-construction-en-blog]

Scaffolding

This article is about the temporary framework. For other uses of scaffold and scaffolding, see scaffold (disambiguation). Temporary steel scaffold-constructed platform and stairway (with wooden platform flooring) in use at New York City's Grasmere railway station during 2012-2014 station rehabilitation project. Bamboo scaffolding used for the construction of the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man made structures. Scaffolding is also used in adapted forms for formwork and shoring, grandstand seating, concert stages, access/viewing towers, exhibition stands, ski ramps, half pipes and art projects. There are four main types of scaffolding used worldwide today. These are Tube and Coupler (fitting) components, prefabricated modular system scaffold components, H-frame / facade modular system scaffolds, and timber scaffolds. Each type is made from several components which often include: A base jack or plate which is a load bearing base for the scaffold. The standard which is the upright component with connector joins. The ledger (horizontal brace). The transom which is a horizontal cross section load bearing component which holds the batten, board or decking unit. Brace diagonal and/or cross section bracing component. Batten or board decking component used to make the working platform. Coupler a fitting used to join components together. Scaffold tie used to tie in the scaffold to structures. Brackets used to extend the width of working platforms. Specialized components used to aid in their use as a temporary structure often include heavy duty load bearing transoms, ladders or stairway units for the ingress and egress of the scaffold, beams ladder/unit types used to span obstacles and rubbish chutes used to remove unwanted materials from the scaffold or construction project. More details Android, Windows

[jacknicholson1963]

RN attack submarines – is there a crisis?

It is very easy to write fiction about submarines but rather more difficult to come by the facts. It is strict MoD policy that “We don’t comment on submarine operations”  and while operational security must obviously be first priority, this information vacuum allows journalists to say whatever they like on the subject with little accountability.

Inevitably the majority of media stories focus on supposed failures. For journalists straying into this secretive world armed with limited knowledge, there is the added frisson of excitement that comes with anything that includes the word ‘nuclear’. Meanwhile a blanket of secrecy must shroud the frequent successes of attack submarines (SSNs) that can deliver vital intelligence, sometimes straight the desk of the Prime Minister. The SSN is the ‘big stick’ of naval warfare. Aircraft carriers can project enormous and obvious power but the SSN exerts a strong deterrent effect even by the possibility of their presence. The RN’s seven boats are simply not enough and when availability is reduced by technical problems or sod’s law, there is a profound effect. For those keen to promote the submarine service to the public, it is a restricted and difficult job. Details about current or recent operations remain mostly hidden but if you read the Royal Navy’s website you would get the impression that submariners spend most of their time doing charity work and cycle rides.

Media field day

By rather optimistically declaring 2017 “the year of the Royal Navy” perhaps the Defence Secretary has unwittingly made the service a particular target for negative press. CND, the SNP and the extreme left, together with certain foreign powers have a concerted agenda to undermine the submarine force in any way possible. Despite their role as Britain’s first line of defence, they want to convince the public that nuclear submarines are unsafe, don’t work and are too expensive in the hope they will be axed. Individual journalists will doubtless claim to be only acting in the ‘public interest’ but just 6 weeks into 2017 and there have been three major press stories calculated to undermine confidence the RN submarine service. On 22nd January The Sunday Times revealed a failed Trident missile test in 2016, giving the false impression that the Trident system is unreliable.

No SSNs at sea

On Friday 10th the Sun published an exclusive claiming all of the RNs attack submarines were inoperable. It would seem there is a grain of truth in this, all 7 boats were in Faslane or Devonport, at least for a time. This is unusual with at least two SSNs typically at sea at one time. The commitment to keeping a ‘duty Tomahawk boat’ stationed East of Suez has clearly had to be abandoned. With Russian submarines operating with increasing tempo near to UK waters, having no SSNs at sea is very serious, not least for the protection of the nuclear deterrent submarine. However informed naval sources state that, while not desirable, this is a short-term blip in the maintenance cycle and more usual patrol patterns with resume in the near future. Although rather more significant, the situation is akin to the storm that erupted last summer when all six Type 45s were alongside in Portsmouth .

Trafalgar class reactors – beyond repair?

On Sunday 12th February Marco Giannangeli writing in the Express “revealed” that a major flaw had been discovered in the reactor of HMS Trenchant. He claimed the fault is so hard to repair that all four remaining Trafalgar class boats will have to be scrapped immediately. If true, this would be catastrophic and leave the RN with just 3 active SSNs. Mr Giannangeli vehemently defends his claims and trusts his “source” who must be feeding him detailed information that is either very loosely based in fact or made up.

‘Nuclear expert’ John Large is extensively quoted in the Express article. Mr Large has previous form. Although undoubtedly knowledgeable, his views are partisan. He has acted as a hired gun for Greenpeace and has critical views on much of government nuclear policy. When a major fault was discovered in the reactor of HMS Tireless in 2000 she was forced to limp into Gibraltar. Mr Large did not “help with the repair” as stated in the article, but was on hand to advise the governor of Gibraltar about risks. In fact with incredible ingenuity, it was the RN engineers serving aboard HMS Tireless who eventually developed a solution to the problem which they carried out with assistance from a Rolls Royce Team. All ten of the SSNs in commission the time had to be inspected and repaired where needed, severely reducing their availability for almost two years.

The Trafalgar class are ageing fast and their captains must be used to having discouraging meetings with their Marine Engineering Officers. In vessels of this age and complexity, unfortunately, defects both large and small, are common. Against this background, the alarming report in the Express has a veneer of believability.

The MoD has denied that there is a problem that would prevent T-boats from deploying again. Other naval sources say they do not recognise any of the statements made in the article and no other credible media outlet has taken up this sensational story.

Where are the boats?

HMS Astute has been at sea on trials, seen on the Clyde in early February after completing a lengthy refit in Faslane. HMS Ambush was pictured still under repair in Faslane at the end of January, the damaged conning tower cover still shrouded in scaffolding more than 5 months after an embarrassing accident. While conducting ‘Perisher’ Commanding Officer training, she collided with a merchant vessel off Gibraltar, damage was obviously more than cosmetic. This accident was the last thing the RN needed but perhaps one should consider for a moment the lunacy that has forced the navy to conduct CO training using a £1Bn submarine that represents 33-50% of its available strength. HMS Artful was pictured in Faslane at the end of January fitted with the CHALFONT Dry Deck Shelter (for use by special forces divers) so it would seem likely she is preparing for deployment.

HMS Triumph was refitted in Faslane 2014-15 and has been active around Plymouth in 2016-17. Our friend Mr Giannangeli at the Express published an extraordinary story on New Year’s day claiming she had tracked two Russian submarines for four days just before Christmas with a special new non-acoustic sensor made by Thales (Possibly based on wake-tracking technology that has been around for decades). The MoD itself remained silent but reliable naval sources are quite bemused and say the article was just a fantasy. HMS Trenchant recommissioned in August 2016 after a major refit and upgrade in Devonport. It seems unlikely that a terminal problem with her reactor would emerge now. HMS Torbay was a very busy submarine in 2016 but is scheduled to decommission this year after 30 years of service. A rare and excellent piece about the role of submarines and life on board Torbay was published in the Mirror in December 2016. HMS Talent made the headlines when she suffered minor damage after “colliding with ice” in 2015. She was undergoing major refit in Devonport during 2016.

When HMS Torbay decommissions, the RN will be down to six SSNs at least until HMS Audacious is operational. Audacious is effectively a “Batch 2” Astute with significant design changes and upgrades that rectify some of the issues with the first 3 boats. The MoD reported that her commissioning had been delayed 10 months until November 2016. Sources in Barrow suggest the delay, caused by late deliveries of electrical components and materials may be reduced to 4 months. Either way, the new boats are needed at sea as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Let us not pretend everything is fine. The RN’s SSN force is far too small and fragile. The legacy of flawed government policy, funding cuts, industry cock-ups and MoD mismanagement going back more than two decades is being felt on the frontline. There is a small army of politicians and Civil Servants who should be on trial for the gross negligence that has created this mess. With their hands tied by circumstances beyond their control, those serving today (and many of the civilian workers in the supporting infrastructure) should be commended for continuing to get submarines to sea. RN submariners retain an outstanding reputation for skill and aggression and the service does not compromise on nuclear safety. While it is obviously not quite business as usual, we can look forward to Trafalgar class submarines at sea again soon and their eventual replacement with the outstanding Astute class.

  Main Image: HMS Torbay. Photo: Thomas MacDonald via Flickr

Related articles

Attack submarine force – sinking below critical mass (Save the Royal Navy, 2014 )

Why we should have every confidence in the Trident missile system (Save the Royal Navy)

SSN14 – By Ryan Ramsey, CO HMS Turbulent – Book Review (Save the Royal Navy)

At sea with Britain’s secret submarine defender as it plays cat and mouse with Russians (Daily Mirror)

from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/rn-attack-submarines-is-there-a-crisis/