#diesel boats forever

[dbf-enthusiast]

USS Growler (SSG-577) at dawn.

Museum ship in New York alongside USS Intrepid.

📷: Bil Peters

[changesinattitudes]

March 20, 2023 We start the voyage 3 years in the making.

Well, we actually started it yesterday. And it was really 31/2 years. But we are cruising again. We are on our way to the Bahamas.

Since our voyage to Lake Erie and back in 2019 the pandemic limited our plans but we still found ways to cruise. Just not to the Bahamas; it was closed to visitors. At the start we anchored out in Pelican Bay but FMC chased us off the beaches. The gubberment had closed Florida as well. So we sheltered in place. Forever it seemed.

We broke the Covid curfew in 2021 by cruising to Charleston with our good friends the Barkows. We were able to join them in celebration of closing their loop for the second time. The loop is a circle that (depending on where you start) goes from the Great Lakes, through Chicago and down the river system to the Gulf of Mexico. From there the Gulf is crossed to Florida and around the peninsula to the east coast. From there one travels up the ICW to the ChesapeakeBay, mess around there for a while then to NYC, up the Hudson and through the canals back to the Great Lakes. That is the very simple version. It is said that more people have climbed Mt Everest than have done the loop, and Dennis and Carol have done it twice!

We managed to cruise to Key West and spent a month there enjoying the Meeting of the Minds, Fantasy Fest and the Offshore Powerboat Races. We also did cruises with our boat club and our friends the Wikoffs.

We had fun. Now we are at it again.

We started prepping the boat in January, a few repairs and a few improvements. Linda started loading the boat a week ago. We told a few members of our boat club of our plan and now we are being joined by our friends the Bettings.

So after a bon voyage brunch with my brother and his bride we shoved off. If there was justice in this world we would have departed to glorious sunshine and calm winds. Naw, couldn’t happen. It was cold, cloudy and damp. Our first stop after departure was Burnt Store Marina where we dumped 380 gallons of liquid gold. Actually diesel is pink but priced like gold. Then to our first anchorage at Cayo Costa.

Today we are off to Ft Myers Beach. They have opened a mooring field for the first time since Ian. I don’t want to seem morbid but I am curious to see the devastation the hurricane left.

And with that, we’re off!

[pndnj]

Cathartic- Yellow Metal Lyrics

Heres where I am with the lyrics, I referenced @25Goldenn on twitter for some of it that I couldn’t comprehend. 

*music*

0:23

Dark matter, like painted splatters, they fit better, the old saying, the way it goes, better the devil you do then you don’t know. I hit pedals and switch levers, my heart metal, I can't settle, im part trouble, they are not subtle. I fuck good so fuck cuddles, burst bubbles the thrist levels at new heights, i down doubles, and got baked til I felt high, my face puzzled, felt muddled, far strung and your floors woodent, the thought might but the fit wouldn’t. A fortnight

0:46 - 1:00

And I thought right, it’s all bark and no bite, I’m Tony Stark still embarking on a dream, took a bit of time to take darkness from the team. Seen what I saw. Heartless on the sleeve. Tried to burn my wings, so I put them in a piece on my chest , at peace no rest.

1:00-1:15

Flipped this on it’s head. Rip the script up now, flip it don’t pretend, slipping shit again, Fakers all around me, I’ve been living in pretense. Fake friends won’t make amends. There’s no need, these mean comments control the scenes. Attentionseekers, the spine is weakened

1:15-1:24

This family needs, what a family needs, and the planet bleeds, the damaged trees. It’s never leaving til we ascend so fuck the fence, and until they stop killing colour it’s fuck the feds.

1:22 - 1:44

You must be off it, I mean it, you know you ain’t never get with the judging and I used to dread growing my beard too long, never felt I belonged, but it's really long like a minute I ain’t looking to no mans for the limits, They’re feeling timid, I’m telling them who they mimic, why they don't look like a clinic …. Why they don't get no women, Still, we’re just fucking girls, Lost in the wrong world, Jurassic, now to this vermin

1:41-  1: 50

Kicking the game I’m serving, these losers are never learning, my fire is forever burning, adding it to my fuel, seems like I’m always focused on never becoming you, These locals that rob us feeling … was for a reason.

1:52-2:02

I’m seeing my new beginnings, watch out this loser’s winning, and no water is too deep to swim in Like I’m about to see a killing, I’m all the way that and living, flawless and feeling lawless, the prison now to the gimmicks, my vision is set to something,

2:03-:2:20

I’m watching you bitches plummet, no matches here for my cunning, you rappers are feeling done in, switching your genre, running and Running your jaw, stunting, pulling at straws, something  I think you’re a poor effort, deaf and tone deaf and I ain’t treat you separate. Living, I’m in my element, riding it like a … never lose me to fentanyl, scared when I take a benadryl. Keeping it green in general

2:20- 2:46

Think that you remain irrelevant. Look at yourself with reverence, hoping to always elevate. Celibate of these thoughts, killing themselves with sedatives. In comparison to eminem, you’re feeling feminine. Impolitically correct, still dropping on my dick. And I never gave a fuck about what they say abt my shit, I’ve been moving things in my mind like it’s this mountain dew Memories have made me wonder if one day I’m after you. What’s the purpose that you do, is what you're hoping that they learn, i’d like to say i’m done but it’s getting up on my nerves

2:46 -2:55

I’m looking at my life, saying what do I deserve. It’s hard to say I know when I’m walking through the dirt. Talking while you’re nothing I can see for what it’s worth. I’m tired of feeling hurt and I’ve tried enough but nothing works.

2:55-3:40

I’m racking up excuses while I’m slacking off on work. Chit chatting is the usual, talking to this clerk, i beg you don’t include me. I might write it on my shirt so everytime they see me, the oldest know to swerve. SWERVE Life is potent, bits of fucked shit… till they took notice weren’t  no hocus pocus, it was hard work that got me heard so i put in the graph like google maps but the whole earth

… around my door mat, taking over like the drones, rolling dirt up in miles like the water, and exploding like Annas hematoma. Don't need to see a slammer to know that I don't want to go man

I’m a showman. I’m just focused on the drama… like i’ve got my own insurance, show myself the pain, like i boxed it in the frame, if we’re about to talk greatness im great, the way you have to say my name like beyonce

“Say my name”

4:00-4:46

Just a bum with a cigarette, sun coming up, all my thoughts on the internet. Feeling deep, I’m just bored with the silhouette single sec,  get fucked up for the thrill of it . killer streak playing Pacman. Like I came from the Philippines vanilla bean still a thing for the thrill of scene,

Theres a beam, UFO, Leave it well alone  I aint moving, stood still on the peloton, telephone and its always on the dial tone,  it's been a while since i’ve smiled at a milestone, seen a big pile in my mind stone, me against the world on my Jack Jones, Like I’m John Jones, With pictures in the condo, far from John Doe, in the ___, like I'm Johnny Bravo, got pravado, with a small dick sitting in golados, feeling far gone, cuz that last hit was the good shit, was that stay lit

4:48-5:02

You can never take my shit come and get me. On the top floor,  cloud 9, fading, never bailing, felt amazing, inhaling, til my lungs two guns blazing. Overcome all the stunts that I pulled. A suit of just skin and then wool

5:02- 5:17

This life doesn’t give you no armour, a lot of myself can harm ya. I swear on what’s good, that I’m here till they take me. I pray that I’m wrinkled, at least over 80, and start moving like a ruler, ?damaged? Like a computer going fast, bars from the jeweler, bring the songs to the beach in hopes of finding tuna

5:18-5:36

…

5:36- 6:16

Grab a bat, lose my rag. Couple things got me mad, a couple people got me wrong and now I’m changing up the swag. Coming in and stealing it, I might take the whole bag. Feeling undefeated, I’m a beast with a reason, and imma lead the whole pack. Fearless like I’m Caesar, I’m just waiting for a chance to fill it up with diesel, and all I've been achieving is clocking miles in its region, moving like a legion.

Promise that I made to myself an allegiance. Do you still believe I’m a fool for ever leaving, staring at the ceiling, can never put a cap on achieving. I’m just here for the rap, then I’m leaving.

I’ve had about enough of being my own enemy, it’s time I grew up,  a long way from 17. Always went against the grain, struggles in my life. Got some things to say when I stand up on a mike.

6:16-6:32

I ain’t dropping this for fame, I need this time, like therapy, it’s just to keep me sane. The truth is on my medicine, can’t put that on your plate.

Speeding into everything, bout time I fixed the brakes. Don’t say I can’t communicate , you know I conversate with you in several different ways. And I know you know it’s references, looking at your face.

6:33- 6:53

Can’t justify mistakes, like every man that made them, seems I ain't  the one to blame. Lying to myself, only had so much to gain, so now I’m switching up the plate, see if that affects the place, im at on most days

I ain’t going with the usual so they looking at me strange. Confused, I can feel it all,  I’m here to make a change. It’s cold at 3am outside, I’m walking with the dog, thanking god that you don’t talk at all, my mind is switching off

6:54-7:12

Driving down to find myself, cuz I’ve been getting lost, lived this selfless life and found I can give a toss. Lessons that I’ve learned I’ve tried teaching to myself. What I’ve learnt from certain people is that they’re better than myself.

So I surround myself with real ones, and you feel the plastic melt. Like burning toy soldiers that used to go up on the shelf. Recycle the ideas, conveying on the belt

7:14-7:29

.. circus, always hurting the way we felt? Embarrassed that we dreamt of bigger things and letting go of notions till we feel them in cement

Tired of only hoping, we feel broken men. Cuz the gravity is weight and has kept us to the ground, see the only people speaking with favors in their mouths

7:46-7:58

Got killer rhymes… no fillers, like godzilla, eating clouds cuz my smokes thicker, throat licker, my dope sicker, bringing people their hope like im the pope slicker,  i hope you’re getting the point cuz i walk quicker

I thought my city was shit bcs I want bigger like my zipper couldn’t zip up fed up with the…my love is fickle.. Residual age has a primitive face

I see demise for your limited ways, Left it to simmer, simmer away…a fake glimmer in the haze

8:09-8:11

Feeling trapped this industry is a cage

8:34-8:50

Nobody’s speaking the truth, I’m offended by the State. Look at the state of the news, I’ve decided the argument, reciting my views, while they’ve been sat in their chairs, I’m feeling pressure to choose.

Standing here as one man, how can I do half when you’re half the person I am. If it wasn’t in your life, you didn’t choose it. It’s the funny thing about music. It’s the pain and beauty of it.

8:52-9:11

Don’t give a fuck what my suit is, it looks good so I wear it, better than the shoot that People’s wearing, changing the whole narrative for these basics and scarcity

Been facing the racists from back when i were a kiddie .born up in in 93’. been living in Bradford City..kicked me out of the schools, they had a problem with me hitting the kids that would call me p*** still sitting in the classroom chilling, and i'm angry now that I’m older I see they treat us different

9:12-9:25

got me thinking I’m the problem cuz they never dealt with those issues.

20 years later I’m still in the same boat, tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat. Came to tell you what I stand for, man I think you’re shit, a joke. How can I be civil, when they got me by the throat

9:25-9:35

Pushing my feelings down, you ain’t got it like them

‘Boy your skin is so light’, ok motherfucker take my name up on a flight. Try to convince immigration that your bloodline’s half white.

9:35-9:45

I don’t know how that’s acceptable, when life is more susceptible to perception, be the death of them. I’ve been looking at the sky saying where’s that day of reckoning, you had your prophets right when they say that you would speak to them.

9:45-9:55

I need justice in this life and I trust that it’s my fight, cuz when I’m writing it feels right to have them focused on the facts again. Focused on the rap again, hoping for the change, gunna put this on the map again

9:55-10:16

Writing in all caps again, the pain, it goes through me so I write the letter. All the shit that could have brought me but made me better.

I’m at home with a pain in my soul , yeh rap… cuz you know I was too real to contest it, my time was invested. Now I look at the industry, I see it infested, looking like kids who would write on nesquik.

10:17-10:29

My name ain’t on the list unless they label it ethnic.

I ain’t never gave a fuck about these jokers and jesters. Ain’t no answers for these things, so just save us the questions, man allowed of violence, cuz my silence is deafening, your opinion stinks, somebody get him a breath mint.

10:30- 10:42

Start to understand why they think that I’m threatening, I move in certain ways, couldn’t slow me with ketamine Now they all wanna hear me, got a table at letterman. Direction changed, like I changed up the lettering. Don’t believe the age ,bcs I move like a veteran.

10:42 - 10:47

Raised on the benefit for whose benefit, they’ll never learn shit, man, if the shoe fits.

…no words coming out when you open your mouth

And to be honest, it’s insulting, offensive to my wounds that have been salting. Tryna ask me questions that they know I never answer. I’d rather sit online and reply to the fan art

11:00-11:06

Fuck a sports car, coming through when i rapped

tell you what I like, farm life and the tractor

11:06- 11:17

Fake life, 'sup online, suck a fat one. You don’t wanna buy into that, none of that son. Sitting in the garden 98’ in the Datsun,  seen some hot summers but I still remember that sun.

*music*

11:51- 12:34

I make millions off of my pain, cause I know a few millions still living that way

Dealing with the hurt, they should know cause they don’t deserve it, it hit deep cause i hit the nerve. Only way that the sheep learn if the street firm, in my ways I don’t wanna change, everything just stay the same

Who you tryna convince you understand, cant maintain, let the lights dim some,  get the Chow Mein, flex, get the tape, right up at night

Why these men be nice to my face, be nice,  i ain’t tryna be a gangsta ruins my vibe

Rather be low-key and on my phone. Never need the trophy or the show piece

Never show peace in a North Face fleece. Show kids this like i wrote my flip

Cause the sign might fit till the start i’m sick

12:37-13:05

Now you see where I come from, the world don’t. Only achievement in this life is the Jordans. Committing petty crimes out of boredom, we can’t afford them. So I stole it, need a rolex

Go make sense, get yourself a job, It’s a poor man’s game tryna sit and pray to god, he ain’t sorting out your problems, gotta sort them out yourself

Used to tell us fables, now I’m writing them myself, Cause we raw like animals we all just need some help

Cathartic, I’m an artist, trying to put my heart in

Felt double crossed like Leo in Departed

13:05- 13:27

For the knowledge i’m not charging see I got it all free

But my hunger kept me starving like i’m feening for the feed

I just Need a reason to see me bleeding for my creed. Trick you with the words like I keep em up my sleeve. Picking where I fit, I see me sitting with the queen

I ain’t doing it unless you’re used to saying please

Let me flow a bit, before I sting 'em with the bees, They tryna kill us with disease

(Music)

13:34- 14:12

Why does it feel like they had the same notebook and the same four looks

Like the rain won't touch on their face, so sus when they lie don’t trust not a minor

Please no fuss, I just move through the game like must

Something in the way i adjust till i stick, Free falling like the ship, free fall till i bust

Remember 21 brother gave no fucks. Trying to project when they give them looks

In the projects, in the objects us

In my own way, never gave me love, shoulda never started this, broken hearted kid

Dried up the feeling till I stole the lid

Don’t wanna relish in the fame but I can’t resist

14:46-14:58

I like the way we feel, I like the way, I like the way

Ain’t no mistake, i am a being

I ain’t tryna be a leader, been selling out since Jesus

All my rhymes are for the readers, between the lines, like Father time, I fuck Mother Nature

14:58-15:40

That’s what they get, the connotations. Tell 'em I lived a life, and then I lived a life of adjacent? like its…. and played it patient.

Alone on my own spaceship, always tryna find greatness, still defying lines, but I’m fighting in my prime.

Shining light like Kylo while imma kill it all the time. Aging like I’m wine

Asian in my face, but still my race you can’t define. Focused on defiance, imma fight it while it’s life.

Started something sick and on my mind is what’s next, just became a dad so now I’m taking all the cheques. Better know I’m staying and paying like it’s debt. Imma get it done, if it’s taking all my breath, sweat, and down I ain’t messing around til I’m the best

Speaking in full sentences, shoulda thought about a strategy before you went at the stratosphere about this… rings around Saturn, this ain’t a battle, I’m sat, I’m here

15:40-16:22

Catch me doing magic, hired and sounding tragic I think you could use practice and until that you get the blacklist and pull like a … actress? Fooling them like a catfish, schooling like a legend, happy to be the reference, fusing like iridescence, leaving them all guessing, leaking out of my brain like a pipe I aint fixing, shining like a star you can see it from a distance

Aint many of me around p*** I’m just different Certain stages to this level aint here because fame is to the devil fuck a label, imma do this from the ghetto, clean up like Im Dettol

I’m the man to put a bet on, sight smart like a weapon,  this is my kind of setting, i write the world I’m sat in, while these others live on hype, i see them fight in how they type, the fruit is ripe for the taking, i think i might

16:22-16:57

Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here

16:58- 17:47

Eccentric things are mentioned like a kid stuck in detention tryna escape im just spitting what is written on the next page, spitting image of my dad in his young days

Born sinner when i’m livid i say fucks sake

Don’t worry i’m too cunning with no plumbing, the waterworks, i sung something that resonates, i thought it first like giving birth to the parrot perch

They see me do it and they know it works

Don’t know what’s worse: the way that you live your life or the way that you write a verse

You’ll be nervous, you don’t deserve it we’ll scratch the surface ill leave a crater, lift the dirt up to find the hurting

Can’t know for certain nothing is guaranteed, tryna be a better person than the world deserves to see cuz i see a lot of sharks still swimming in the sea

Cease and arrest what’s the reason.. And these the kinda kids we bringing up next

Distorted reality, all they needed was family, too hard to face, to see what the damage is

17:47

*i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, no, i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, *

18:04-18:38

Sometimes they ask the questions too deep to form a sentence, to disform, is this the norm, is this the sentence i feel defenseless i played the setlist, and all my sweat blood and tears, forgot to mention feeling lost, going off into different sections i feel like love wrecked it

If it’s not a drug why am i waiting for the next fix, affected, i cant believe that you left this

I guess I leave for the best wish, moving on like im fine for the lectures

We see it all from spectrums, cuz if we’re falling down we can fall down together

Staircase to heaven, mirror down the middle like 11, resentment on one side it won’t settle

18:38- 19:14

Mind fried but taking sense, they aint got a sense of themselves in the rich ends

Need to spell it out for them.. Made for them so witness

I know you feel afflicted but you always love it with me while im laughing at you, ya think you’re laughing with me

I try to (i love you) but im grown so they don’t fit me, my body thrown from the new to this old city so Im sick of sitting on my own, feeling so shitty, i’ve been on roads where its cold and the snow hitting

Its okay to be yourself, sit and talking to myself

I’ve been walking for the longest, just need a little rest, know i ain’t the strongest, I can feel it in my chest, talking about my feelings and of me, they get the best

19:14-19:59

They aint leaving, seeing breathing in my breath

Till death do us part is just seeded in my heart, like a work of art

Never winning,im just scared

Cant begin from the start, do i play a part in the rhythm of the night

I guess i’m onto something cuz the dark is feeling right

Every cloud got a lining, put my own miles  in, like moralis, figured that they’re jealous, that they could just never tell us to change because the weather never made me question whether or not i’m not that level

Got rid of all the bullshit sitting in my way, most of them are full of shit i see it every day

I do hearing the same things that i do, maybe that shits hitting like haiku

How much do you pay for them to hype you

Recycle your flaws but they aint like new, leaving and conceded and full of diesel like engines that need a cleaning, the ending will be revealing. Even though we ain’t raising the facts, now we been facing.

20:01-20:52

The cactus with spikes, needing spaces. Different faces, the same story. A full body like straight body direct to your system.

Could never tell 'em we missed’ em. Not even with the thoughts, we gift them. Cuz they just take advantage, guess we are caught in a system.

My soul pouring out details of borrowed time, had enough of a fill, this is for sorrow time. I’m seeing visions of Heaven, I seen the severed line, between the gospel they speak and when theyre telling lies.

Remember telling a friend of mine, you’d sent of mine, identified like a 3rd eye. Got a habit of knowing now where the dirt lies. So benign. I ain’t sober after 9, so I fuck their minds. Why you flipping out, see another

Try to rep it from the city, fuck a chiller crew, repping for the nittys, trying to keep us down, raised on the social, don’t want to let us out of the system. Me, I insist we assist them, me alone putting shifts til I lift them

20:53-21:12

I know it’s hard, that’s why I like it, I’m fit to fight it, I’m from the North, I’m backing Tyson, it’s been decided, don’t see no light. They needing guiding, just redefining, realizing, I’m realigning, in full finance, they stay silenced.

Can’t be louder, I’m juiced up with no powder. I fix shit like a slick spanner. Gone green like Bruce Banner. So free Gaza on my banner

21:12-21:51

The real McCoy, I ain’t nothing to toy with, signifying peace like a Japanese Koi Fish. How did this happen, we’re moving backwards in our timeline, killing us with cyanide, Right up for the freedom 'til we transform like Ironhide

This is bout my feelings, the way that I move affects the fate that I’m sealing. Can’t say nothing, with that something being on the page, kept inside the pen like the bars that have been kept caged. See I always had a plan, since I was young, we had nothing man

Now it’s been a few years since I ain’t seen the fam, on foreign lands. Bout to climb Everest in the avalanche. Right into the riddles as soon as you were born. Never asking the question cuz it’s the norm. See I’m in a questionin’ session

21:52-22:03

Like the manner got a method to teaching a lesson, listen to MF Doom, he taught me like Ra’s Al Ghul. Felt like living in Gotham, the people were rotten. Still we play cartoons so it’s never forgotten.

22:03-22:15

Chilling at the top but we came from the bottom. Writing and jottin for them life by, spotting the difference

*Dreams, was growing out of me, sun promising that tomorrow it will rise, time playing games with my mind, I swear it will pass us by

Train goes on the tracks, smoke, I’m tired to hide my thoughts, so blinded in flames, Don’t know where we’re going, I have no way of knowing, only see what’s in my head

Can’t we wait a minute, so we can savour this, It’s on my brain again, these days, It on my brain again these days”

23:10-23:46

They’re hating on Palestine ways, The oh no Palace playing Prince on the Steinway, Sending out mind waves, stop them like crimewaves, Freedom fighter, Yellow Metal is my name

Like vipers, I see the sly ones, the snake that’s called Biden, none of them abiding what they might put in writing

We should be used to it by now, say whatever for the vote and then just choose another route, say they’d never kill another unless that brother’s skin is brown

I’m just telling you the facts, if you can’t take it, the truth naked, to bare bones and my thoughts lately, spitting politics.. Done ain’t it, Shit just gets me vexed, and now I’m sitting that I think of it

23:45-23:59

Feeling on the brink of it, whatever it is, Figure out some shit at least it feels that way

talk about my feelings and I don’t feel so strange, finding solace, that’s a promise, in Metropolis but being honest, can’t write a sonnet, without some pain

24:00-24:40

Can’t fade away, away so we can savour this, been on my brain again these days

Can't find a way to be so you can savour this, been on my brain these days

Singing the song for another, singing a song for another

[ladychandraofthemoone]

Encanto Engines AU: Mirabel and the Magic Rail

Hello, thought I share some of my ideas 💡 of a Encanto/ sentiment vehicles think Ttte, I’m not sure if those characters would appear but more of a expy versions of them. Basically there are many thoughts on how this would act:

1. Mirabel gets a gift that results in her making all vehicles like trains, locomotives, buses, cars, boats/ships come to life, wether it be like Casita or non faceless plus her connection with the mystical engine of a expy Lady who she protects and takes care alongside other magical engines like entities (Proteus, Stepney, a diesel oc called Chamomile who’s gothic, deadpan  and acts as a guide to lost souls, both vehicle and human) while at the same time helping vehicles who are at risk at becoming scarp in the “Mainland” outside at the Encanto , the versions of Sodor, which now has rails and is considered to be a safe haven rumors with Mirabel being like a savior towards the vehicles who tries her utter hardest to give them rights and protect them to giving them a good life

2. The Madrigals are conductors think like Mr.conductor and Mirabel is still given the gift of having Lady as her chosen heir with everything coming to life but she is also the guardian and protector of the Gold Dust as it turns out that’s keeps them alive instead of Mirabel bringing them to life as it’s Lady and her fellow entities who she then protects despite the D10 expy destroying them and Lady being forced to flee into the Encanto Mountains to recover with only Mirabel and Antonio be allowed there as everyone else would get lost forever but are still trying to help give non faceless vehicles a better life while restoring the gods (Antonio ends up saving Stepney as it;s his first time out of the Encanto and ends up becoming quite fond of him, plus realizing how horrible their lives are outside and wanting to help Mirabel with her outings

3. Third would be that once having a gift they would then be connected to a vechile with Antonio being connected to a expy Rusty the little Diesel engine and gets a lot of distrust from the steamies but all in all they become a big railway family that even if Mirabel didn’t;t receive a gift since the sentinel machines were already alive in the first place and the family tries to give them better lives and keep adopting them, plus the part where they can turn into humanoid like beings like those ttte humanizations with grey skin, wheels, being more strong but still non human like, plus they are given the golden whistles at the age of 5 to have gold dust like the second option

Each Family member with a machine, whether alive or not: maybe I’ll do another post on which engine would fit which

Isabela: 

A Fairy Queen which is in the East Indian Railway Nr. 22,[1] is a steam locomotive built in 1855, restored by Loco Works Perambur, Chennai in 1997, would fit as it is technically one of the most lovely locomotives and is a luxury railway with many decorative designs akin to Isabela’s dress before and after

There would be versions of the Skarloey, Ardesdale, Culdee railways as the Encanto becomes bigger and installed with railway with Mirabel having the most knowledge as she would be an avid railway enthusiast  and most of the them being large engines that identify as feminine while many having trucks being masculines and coaches and that the engines will say something in other people’s or machines defense or fall in love with a Edward/Boco expy being married as trains rules don’t apply to human things and because not of them are straight and they can’t have children as they’re sterile but they can adopt many younger vehicles  or many trains ocs,

 i’m not sure if Lady expy would be with Bruno and Mirabel with a Duncan expy who absolutely love his tall gf and would die for her via attacking anyone with his wheels, Lady being calm and understanding around Bruno as she understands the feeling of not being useful as she feels protectiveness as her magic constantly brings machines to life and magical powers that drained her so much that it felt her weak during the d10 attack since she’s felt the need to help others with her being rare and that if they can turn into humanoid like, Lady would state that he looks lovely and compliments everyone, plus the vehicles would be helping with many things, if they needs someone to listen to or they want advice or more personal questions with Camilo with their gender identity alongside their family (I hc them as genderfluid) Antonio questioning if boys can marry each other as he has a crush on his new best friend Ivo hugh/Luke expy as he gets older but due to him being a machine wonders if that relationship is forbidden or how he cried that Stepney would retire and be scrapped

Their relationship: Lady would be Pansexual , Bruno be Demi ace and Lady would be like “a”My 3.5000 children even though some that they are older than me, have seen you as a father-uncle honorary figure and have adopted you 🥰

[wiff-waff]

Every good tale deserves an end and this is mine. Sadly there will be no pictures because I dropped my trusty camera in the cut whilst washing the boat. I'm not bothered about the camera cos it was old and full of lens dust but it broke my heart to lose the memory card, so many memories of Terry and Ben and life in general.

We have the motor. We have half a tank of diesel. The worlds gone mad. VOTE BORIS OUT.

On Tuesday at 11 precisely, with a heavy heart we turned off the cut and into our new home. We're berthed canal side with splendid views over the marina. The light is magnificent and the facilities second to none. Spacious clean shower block and a launderette that I managed to flood on our first morning but thankfully that won't be happening again because a very very nice man from Newport Pagnell came along yesterday and repaired our ailing washing machine.

I recognise many faces on the marina and everyone was happy to see us but I kind of get the feeling that it might be a tad clicky. I may be wrong, I hope so!

David started back at toil on Thursday and he said it's like he's never been away. I've applied for a couple of jobs, one at a very local hostelry but so far no replies. If I'm honest I'm feeling slightly anxious about starting work so I won't be taking any old crap. I need something that fits around Ben and David and doesn't stress me out. I need to be patient but being an Aries, I don't do patience!

The plan is to save 10k by June and then hit the cut and cruise north. I'm desperate to see my family, it's been 3 long years, the kids are growing up and probably have forgotten who I am. And I miss my siblings and want to be part of their lives again and forever.

This will be my penultimate post, the penny has dropped that I will never be an author and that is surely the biggest disappointment in my stupid life. I've flogged that horse to death.

Thank you everyone who has followed me over these 10 years. Laura, Chris, Tracey and Lorraine, your likes and re-blogs kept me tapping on the keyboard.

One final post to come, the annual wiff-waff awards, a salute to all that is good and not so good about living on the cut.

CARRY ON CRUISING X

[jeanna-nottaylor-swift]

Part 4.) Hard Rain

I Cant Fight Without You.

The boat ride was relaxing. Virgil had some food they all shared, and he knew the way to New Orleans. He says CEDA is there taking care of the 'Apocalypse'.

Nick slept on Ellis' shoulder while he and Rochelle played UNO. Coach sat with Virgil and talked about anything.

Looking down at the gas tank, Virgil realized he was low on gas. Luckily he knew the area well, and knew there was a small town off shore that sells diesel.

"I'll leave an anchor just off shore, for ya. Just signal me when you got the gas." Virgil called as he dropped the survivors off on a small dock.

"What are we gunna signal him with?" Nick asked, watching Virgil drive off.

"Oh! There's flares in the gun bag." Ellis cracked his neck.

"What gun bag?"

"You forgot the guns?!"

"Me?! Who died an made me gun monitor?"

"Uh pretty much everybody."

A few handheld weapons lied in front of a white truck, each person grabbed a small weapon, and two proceeded inside and two climbed the car and onto the roof.

Nick and Ellis ran in and grabbed health packs, then guns before killing the infected inside.

Rochelle and Coach killed the zombies on the roof before going down into the restaurant. They also grabbed much needed essentials.

Zombies surrounded the outside, and ran inside once the group came into sight. Nick sniped from the roof, and Ellis beat them from inside, Rochelle shot the ones coming in the back, and Coach was outside killing the infected.

The street sign across the street blinked "Ducatel Diesel" "Next gas 2 miles"

"Looks like we gotta head to this Ducatel place." Ellis confirmed.

"What makes you think they still have gas?" Nick contradicted.

"'Cause if they don't, we're gonna be stuck here forever, Nick." Coach narrowed his eyes.

It seems like Coach has had enough of Nick's shit.

Ellis picked up on the sour mood and ran ahead, encouraging his remaining teammates to follow him, in silence.

A wooden board was up against a fence and they climbed up it. Zombies were scattered along the back yard, and they ran towards the people, climbing up the fence just to get to them. They're basic, though, so the group has no problem fighting them off.

There was no way to go around the houses, so they had to climb up a ladder that was against a trailer. Nick let Coach and Rochelle go up and over, once they had made it over the fence; he stood in front of the ladder, preventing Ellis from going up. Nick smiled a devilish grin, that sent a chill down Ellis' spine.

Ellis knew what was going to happen next, and his face got hot.

Nick grabbed ahold of Ellis' shoulders and pinned him against the trailer. Tilting the shorter boys head up, Nick kissed him. It was passionate, and simply amazing.

Though Nick would never admit it, he was actually nervous to make the first move, but he couldn't see Ellis pulling him from his teammates to kiss him.

Ellis relaxed as the kiss progressed. It was different from his previous relationships, it was nice, and just felt good, not to say his others were bad, it was just... different, and he couldn't explain.

Rochelle knocked on the fence, scaring the shit out of the two boys.

"You guys coming? Or what?"

"Y-yeah!" Ellis stuttered, climbing the ladder.

Better weapons were on the ground besides the trailer. Ellis grabbed a golf club, and Nick kept his axe.

Across the street was a playground.

They had to remember 'land marks' for the return trip.

"Is it raining? Oh, never mind, it is." Ellis looked up.

Nick rolled his eyes at his stupid companion.

Rochelle saw what was going on between the two boys, it was hard to know whether Coach could see it or not. He has stopped caring a long time ago. He just wanted to get to New Orleans.

The survivors were greeted with a ton of zombies once they cut through houses. Special infected joined them. A jockey leaped on Nick, and a hunter on Coach.

Rochelle and Ellis couldn't help right away, due to the amount of zombies that swarmed them.

Rochelle shoved them back, and ran to help Nick who was being pulled around by the jockey.

Coach was being torn by the hunter and Ellis couldn't get to him. If he didn't act fast, Coach would die.

Ellis remembered he had a pipe bomb in his pocket, shoving the zombies back; he quickly lit it and threw it, and the zombies ignored him and ran after the beeping device.

Ellis pushed the hunter off of Coach and killed it. Then he pulled Coach to his feet.

The zombies exploded and none remained. Ellis pulled out his health pack and started to patch Coach up, "Here ya go. I had no use for this anyhow, I ain't gonna get shot."

Once ready; the group proceeded across the street to a play ground, over a gate and through more houses.

Nick decided they should search the houses for supplies. They were a lot nicer that the place before. There wasn't much, no food, little furniture. An unused Molotov sat on the kitchen counter. Ellis took it. Coach handed him a health pack he found. Then they moved to the next one.

The light sprinkle turned into a slightly harder rain.

Nick took the lead as they went in and out of houses. They were family homes. Ones a married couple would have with a child. A brief thought ran through Nick's head: him and Ellis sitting on a love seat in front of a fire enjoying each other's company. Nick would have his arm around Ellis' shoulder, while he leaned on him. It'd be the start of a family he had always wanted. Nick would protect Ellis, and Ellis would stand by him.

He smiled despite himself, because he knew that could never happen. Not in his lifetime. But it was nice, the thought of spending his life with someone. And Ellis was that person.

A similar thought ran through his head as well. Ellis really liked Nick. His personality was so different from his own, yet he was so similar. It's only been a few days, but it's felt like forever.

A parked ambulance was in the middle of the street, and the group scavenged it for medical items. A smoker grabbed Ellis and dragged him away from his teammates, "NO!"

Coach got to them first and rescued his confined friend.

Once everyone was settled, Rochelle took the lead and they all continued down a street. Shooting a few zombies here and there. A tank stayed hidden in an open garage, until he spotted Rochelle, then he growled and came at her. Sending her flying, the others protected her by shooting the tank.

It put up a fight, a pretty good one.

It left the team weak and tired.

"I have not come this far, to die now." Nick groaned, his vision a tad gone hazy. He took some pills, but that was only a temporary boost. A garage sale was down the street, and they used that as another land mark. Guns lie on the table, and they all restocked. It was either go through the house or down the alleyway along the side. They decided to just take the path on the side, the faster they get the diesel the faster they can leave.

Just down the street was a safe house in the second floor of a house. In a hurry to get to safety, the survivors run to the house. Ellis shut the big red door and locked it. "Okay, who here didn't think we were gonna make it?" With a teasing tone, he smiled with relief and wiped the sweat from his face.

Nick knew he was teasing, but a familiar feeling sat in the pit of his stomach; fear. Flashes of Ellis bleeding out in his arms terrified him. He nervously looked at him as he and Rochelle talk about something.

Ellis smiles at the interesting conversation and it relaxed him a little. Nick was so afraid of losing Ellis. He liked him... A lot, and he knew that feeling was mutual. He couldn't imagine being on a team without Ellis. Of course; his facial features never changed, everything he felt was inside. The only affection he ever showed was to Ellis. He was cold and angry. He never showed any emotion, that was how he was raised.

The clouds grew grey as the rain hardens. They stepped down the stairs and out of the safe house, to continue their journey for more gas, they'd need to go through the Ducatel Sugar Co. because the road was blocked. The place had boarded up windows and clearly hasn't been used in a long time.

A sign hung at the top of the building, "Stay away! Witches!"

It wasn't the first warning they gotten about witches; it was written all over the safe house.

A broken window was their entrance inside, but as soon as they went back outside through the back door, a witch was heard as she walked around in the rain. Since she was moving, it was a lot easier to move around her. Into the back parts of the mill, there was a lot of outside industrial working parts, and a lot of the basic zombies wore the uniforms. Going around pipes, the survivors made into the production section of the sugar mill. Machinery were everywhere and coated with rain water. Different witch echoes could be heard in different areas. There was about three of them nearby.

"Shit... IM about to start crying in a minute." Ellis spoke quietly. "Nick, you ever see so many witches? Ho-lee shit!" An opening lead to a small open area and an authorization only trailer. They stocked up and headed for the mill. Up three flights of stairs, an elevator lead down to a cane field. A gas sigh could be seen from the third story. Coach called the elevator up, and it made an awful squeak that called the zombies to attention. A hunter ran up the stairs and pounced on Rochelle. A boomer threw up on her and Nick sending the zombies in their way. Nick killed the hunter and Coach killed the boomer. Ellis killed the infected climbing up the side of the sugar mill building. It took about five minutes for the old elevator to come up. They hurried inside and went back down.

A cane field was tricky to go through. The stalks here high, and you couldn't see over them, really. They could still see the sign, however. They followed that to get out. Three of them made it out, and Nick rolled his eyes once he realized Ellis wasn't one of them. "Dumbass must have gotten lost." He huffed and turned back to go find his stupid partner. Coach and Rochelle stayed out of the field and killed the zombies around the gas station.

Ellis sat on a pipe in the rain waiting for his teammates to return.

Nick smirked at the sight of him looking at his hands, all sad like in the rain. He looked like a lost puppy.

He grabbed Ellis' hand and slightly pulled him through the cane field and back out. Ellis looked down in embarrassment, and it was probably the cutest thing Nick had ever seen.

Since Rochelle and Coach took care of the zombies, they ran into the safe house with ease and in there was four large green cases of diesel. And they all grabbed one and patched themselves up before heading out again. With the gas strapped to their backs, Rochelle asked, "Does everybody have enough gas? I do not want to make this trip again."

The survivors go back outside for the return trip to Virgil.

Zombies swarmed the group, and it was poring outside. Thunder cracked and lightning strikes.

Once it settled down and the zombies were dead, they went back through the cane field.

Nick held on to Ellis' wrist to keep him from getting lost again, because if that were to happen, there'd be a good chance Nick couldn't find him in the storm.

At the sugar mill, Coach called the elevator back up, once everyone was inside. A spitter stood outside the gate, and spat before it was open. The acid burned as they ran out, and Nick shot the long-necked infected. A boomer stood in an opening next to Ellis, who didn't see it. Rochelle shot it, and it exploded, sending Ellis over the edge, covered in goo. Zombies that were attracted to the smell came running up to the third floor of the sugar mill. Surrounding Ellis who was hanging on the edge, and Nick shoved them off before pulling Ellis back to safety.

They quickly ran back down the stairs to see the ground they once walked on was completely flooded.

"We can climb over this tank." Ellis called out as he climbed up a yellow ladder. Back to the machinery, and down on to it. Witches cries are echoed through the area.

The storm came back and it was hard to see, they stayed still until it cleared up.

Retracing their steps, they made it out and around the sugar company.

They returned to their safe house they were in before. It had completely flooded the town ahead.

The storm came back again once they stepped outside. It was there only for a few minutes, then it cleared up and they were able to proceed.

Ellis noticed a ladder pressed up the side of a house. "Hey we can walk along the roofs!"

The water came up to their calfs and slowed them down.

Nick threw a pipe bomb to draw the zombies away from the building, then explode them.

Ellis watched carefully to make sure Nick was safe. He let him take the lead so he could keep an eye on him. Ellis liked Nick... A lot... He hoped maybe even prayed that Nick returned his feelings. The trail of roof tops came to an end and the survivors had to proceed in to the water. They saw a familiar house and ran inside to escape the oncoming storm. Outside was the garage sale they had once passed. A tank caught sight of them and ran through the water in his barbaric ways. The storm returned and it was hard to see his giant fist throw Rochelle into a parked red car, setting off its alarm.

The zombies in workers uniform could be seen trough the storm. Once the tank was dead they continued on ahead.

Past the ambulance, and down the street. And through the sides of the houses.

"The play ground!" Ellis called out as he climbed over the blown down fence. A safe house could be seen down the street, a light shines outside of it. They were so close to the safety when a spitter caused them to back up. Rochelle killed her and they eventually made their way back inside.

Rochelle sat on the couch and Ellis sat on the counter.

Nick leaned on the counter beside Ellis. "What are we gonna signal him with?" Nick asked, meaning Virgil.

"We can use the Burger Tank sign to signal him." Coach answered.

"All right, sounds like a plan." Rochelle stood up.

Everyone was ready, and headed out the door. To the left of the door was the white trailer from before. Both of the boys looked at it and the memory of a sweet moment came back.

Ellis blushed and Nick smiled slightly before moving along. Zombies swarmed the fast food restaurant. It took about 10 minutes to kill them all, plus the hidden specials. Ellis climbed up the ladder to the roof of the building. A cable box was opened and Ellis flipped the switch, "Sign is on, baby, sign is on!" He smiled jumping into the building. Everyone still had their diesel, and restocked their weapons. The group just hoped Virgil could see the sign in that damned storm.

Nick and Ellis fought outside the back of the store closest to the dock. Rochelle and Coach soon followed. Zombies fought the group, and once they were dead, a tank climbed over the fence and attacked the survivors.

It sent Nick soaring onto the dock. Coach and Ellis shot it from behind, it charged after them and Nick shot it down before it could reach Ellis. Another horde came around and just like the last; was taken care of quickly. Along with the tank, they're getting better at this whole "Zombie Apocalypse" thing.

A horn honked and Virgil was coming.

A charger charged Nick into the building and Ellis ran after him. At the same time a smoker dragged Coach near the dock, and Rochelle had to cut him loose. A tank was coming and it chased the boys out of the restaurant, Coach and Rochelle had already made it onto the boat. Once the boys got on Virgil sped away as fast as possible, leaving the tank and zombies behind.

They made a stop once it was safe to refill the gas, and they were on their way.

Sure it's never be the perfect life Ellis wanted; white picnic fence a big house and yard, a family... but as long as he had Nick, none of that mattered.

Nick wasn't sure what to think. He didn't believe in 'fate' but Nick wouldn't have met Ellis if this didn't happen, maybe it was fate...

[clicklinder-blog]

The Chronicles of Cambodia

One can travel in different ways: observe the surroundings comfortably through a car window; or blend into the local people’s life, experiencing and going through their pain and joy, troubles and concern, just like the author of The Chronicles of Cambodia did. In this book Vlad Linder described in detail his journey to the land of The Khmer Rouge, which took place in April 2012…

1

A week after my arrival in Sihanoukville, I was rather tired of the predictable life of a settled tourist. Staying at a snug little house right on the shore of the Gulf of Siam, I kept feeling I was looking at the world through a well-polished, barely visible glass. I set off to a place, where you could hardly hear a foreign tongue and where you wouldn’t have pancakes with strawberry jam for breakfast.

After roaming several miles away from popular tourist places, I found myself on a plain narrow cobblestone street packed with small hair salons, bars and various street food stalls. I turned from the main street onto one of the numerous side streets, walked several yards along a high brick wall and was happy to discover a cozy courtyard surrounded by three houses. On one of the porches several middle-aged women were sitting absorbed in a cash card game. At the same time they were giving instructions to the pedicurists almost lying on the ground at the women’s feet. I addressed one of the players with a question, if she had a room for rent in this wonderful and peaceful nook. Her card partner gave an affirmative answer at once and invited me to see the place.

Having negotiated the price for a while, I paid several tens of dollars and became a rightful tenant of a tiny room located on the ground floor of one of the three houses, overlooking a piece of a brick wall and a narrow strip of the sky as a perk. The delighted landlady handed me a heavy padlock and a small key, hurried back to the game and placed all the rental income on a bet then and there. At any time of the day or evening she could be seen at the same place with the same people and engaged in the same fascinating pastime. However, it was rather convenient, especially when I needed her to solve some household issues.

2

The next day I was walking back from a nearby market in a cheerful mood, when I saw the usual company, but the atmosphere was completely different. Instead of lively amusement usually accompanying the thrill of the game, I saw everybody with cards put aside, their heads shaking from time to time. They were all ears, listening to a woman from the neighborhood, who was telling something and sobbed violently. Her red tearful eyes searching for support said it all. I offered the girl some water and asked what had happened and how I could help. Weeping and trembling in emotions, she answered in a rather good English, as far as I could judge, that she needed badly to get to her family house situated 236 miles away from here as soon as possible. The locals couldn’t help — they mentioned lack of time or ‘important’ gambling affairs. I decided not to go deep into the story, but asked her to stay there a few minutes. I took the stuff I’d bought out of my backpack and filled it with the essentials we would need for a trip. A few minutes later our tuk-tuk rattled down the cobblestone road to the nearest bus station, bouncing and swinging, bumping every pebble and pothole.

3

It turned out the bus tickets had been sold out, so we had to make the first 155 miles to the Cambodian capital in a small old Toyota together with several more passengers. Mile by mile my neighbor kept us immersed in her sad story. An hour before our first meeting she found out that one of the three brothers of hers had had a motorbike accident. A paramedic, who had arrived in an ambulance to the accident scene, was the first to let her know about the tragedy. The three young boys were taken to the closest district hospital. There were several phone calls from the doctor while we were on our way. Each call made the gleam of hope in her eyes get dimmer and dimmer. She fainted twice in my arms: the first time — when she heard one of the injured had deceased without regaining consciousness, and the second time — when she was told her 19-year-old brother had passed away. None survived.

‘‘I will never pray to Buddha again,’’ she whispered weakly in her mother tongue, slowly regaining consciousness, her eyes still closed. I will never forget what I felt, when I heard those words slipped out of her heart in despair. Emptiness filled all the inner and outer space, like ink spreading over a blank piece of paper. The bright day gave way to a black night. The only sound I could hear in the darkness was the thud of my own temples; the pain in my chest meant my heart was still alive. The sky, usually distant, airy and light, now came crashing down on me. It is always unbearable to see the hope and faith die, but if love dies, the heart turns to stone forever. Her love was strong.

4

At last we covered the most part of the distance. In the capital we dropped by one of the numerous bike rentals and, following my companion’s advice, I took Honda sportbike with studded tires. It reminded a racing greyhound — slim, high and slightly arched. When I straddled the bike, my feet could barely touch the ground. Sixty odd miles at 95 degrees Fahrenheit was a tough challenge, I must say! Furthermore we had to maintain a high speed to arrive before dark. When the asphalt road ended, we made a stop before the last and the most challenging part of our trip. My hands trembled as if electricity had passed through them. My T-shirt and shorts were drenched in sweat. The ride was immortalized in an exhaust pipe burn on my leg. The girl coped with the situation quite well in spite of what she had been through.

It had rained in the province the night before, so a once normal country road had turned into squelching mud, however a little sun-dried. The bike, bored with the asphalt road, now shuddered in anticipation of impassability and started getting its studs into the ground so furiously, that huge lumps of mud splashed yards away in all directions and onto us.

5

For the first time since the beginning of our trip I looked around to see a real Cambodian village. Dozens of kids playing outdoors, peasants tired after the work day, and jolly drunks — as soon as they noticed us, they all greeted us cheerfully and waved. We had to move slowly and carefully, trying to avoid huge puddles and boggy places, where indifferent tall herons were standing still, domestic ducks were scampering around with their ducklings, dogs were barking, and white cows were walking solemnly with their calves. Smoldering fires were seen on both sides of the road. The smoke formed white vaguely-outlined arches. When, amidst an endless field of tobacco, a young stallion galloped out of one of the arches all of a sudden, its bell on the neck ringing, crossed the road in three long jumps and disappeared in heavy smoke in a blink of an eye, I thought it was hallucination, as the picture was quite surrealistic.

6

Having overcome all the obstacles we reached the ferry. My companion’s home village was right across the river. We got down to the water along a stony but easy trail in complete darkness. Without cutting the engine I directed the headlight at the opposite bank and honked several times. The opposite bank answered with a starting engine, and after some time a big floating structure took us onboard. The ferryman was a very young boy sitting on the edge of the boat and hugging an old diesel motor fastened to one of the crossbeams with wire. On my way back after several days, I noticed how serious and responsible the boy looked. His daily important mission of taking people across the river made him a grown-up beyond his years. We paid half a dollar and crossed the river.

7

A local brindle dog was the first to greet us near the house. It barked crazy and ran around us in circles until I got off the bike and let the dog sniff me. Nuzzling its wet nose into my legs, it found the fresh burn on my left calf and started licking it enthusiastically. That was how we made friends.

The rustic courtyard was lit by the only fluorescent lamp. Its cold light covered only the central part of the courtyard, not reaching the remote corners. They had electricity for several hours a day starting from 6 p.m. — it was rather expensive, so one bulb per house was a matter of course. People from the neighborhood gradually filled the courtyard and encircled us. When I realized I was still wearing the helmet, I got rid of its stuffy and tight embrace, and appeared at my best before the spectators. All over in mud, my bristle almost as long as my hair, and soaked in sweat, I was standing there, in the middle of nowhere, lit by an electric moon, looked at by dozens of attentive eyes. When it turned out that I was the first foreigner ever visiting this village, I felt ashamed for my appearance. I looked around smiling guiltily, which caused excitement, and everybody present — from kids to old people — smiled back. The people gave way to us, I made several steps and sank to the stairs leading into the house. My companion brought a pot and a bar of soap, and pointed at a row of big jars with water seen here and there in the courtyard. ‘‘Grab any and wash yourself,’’ she said. I turned round the corner of the house, where nobody could see me, and poured half a big jar of warm rainwater over myself. While I was tampering with the pot, cleaning one spot and soiling another at the same time, they made a dinner and bed for me. So many things had happened during that hard day! I went up the stairs into the house, expressed my gratitude for the dinner and fell asleep immediately, enveloped in the delicate smell of tobacco leaves cured downstairs. The population of this and many other neighboring villages made their living by growing and curing tobacco, and preparing it for further export to Vietnam.

8

When I woke up the next morning, I realized I had fallen ill. The planned return trip was postponed. I was down with fever the following days, coughing and sneezing vigorously. At the same time I saw the family making arrangements for a funeral. The girl’s relatives lavished care and attention on me, as if I were part of the family. One after the other they gave me ginger tea and lime drink, rice and mango, telling me about their hard life in the village.

9

Soon I got well, and we started back after several days. I left the house with a heavy heart. I got used to the people who gave me shelter, and got a taste of the joy and grief of real life.

Life goes on!

Cambodia, April 2012

If you love what you just read, please like & repost it. Thanks

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[the-firebird69]

You make these and with the scraper and a backhoe attachment actually any attachment you can put on this older John Deere and the motor is superb but this is a little bit big not too much bigger about a foot longer it's almost the same size she's a small person and you can't tell and they used to make them look a lot beefier than they really are it's really a lot of space inside the motor apartment it works out pretty good cuz it's for protection if it dented in it didn't damage the motor. We build a lot of these this is the number one seller besides the tractor and the tractor can accept the front end loader attachment but really this is a much better configuration we have all sorts of attachments they can put on here. I like the extendahoe and augering system you can see the scraper here we have a tiller and we have horizontal boring equipment practically anything that you see on a piece of equipment can be modified and put on this right now we're selling tons of them and we use brings and Stratton solely and we have a big Briggs & Stratton large motor and it's in the f450 truck and it's perfect for this and although this is a diesel people like the gasoline because they can get gas they have a hard time sometimes getting diesel and we can get cans of gas and practically anyone can use this A nice apartment unless you're working on awesome property under contract or for the government if you're working with a friend for no charge and so forth you can do it

Frank Castle Hardcastle

Is he a barter for things and they don't bother people you don't just tell them that's all it's not really illegal I'll take you out on the weekend going fishing deep sea fishing in my 45 for yard etc for digging a hole for the pool and so on then go ahead and do so. And 10 ft dp no problem and our machine. Standard size pool. And it can dig utilities down to like 10 ft and it can dig anything really that's 10 ft deep and you mind it up just like an excavator it's very very handy it's worth more than the excavator but you can't fit the machine it's a very tight spaces we've got another pic coming up. This model and a backhoe will call it a backhoe cuz it really is is the largest that we sell it looks a little smaller but it does in the same thing if not more sells for about $15,000. This model if you bought it from anyone else like case John Deere or caterpillar would cost around $45,000 to $65,000 depending and we sell it with a full enclosure and we saw it with a stereo you can add air conditioning for about $1,500 because you need a motor

Frank Castle Hardcastle

This is superb machine it's made for digging it's made for working and a cleanup requirement like here you can get the car for the back hotel and you can load it up all sorts of trucks it could reach even the the larger 10 wheelers and you would have been cleaned up in about a 3 days if a whole bunch of people have these and they could also lift up the big trees and the stumps and so forth they could dig out it's very handy and it's used for this kind of thing and sometimes in municipalities have a few of them and it comes in handy during the year. And it real safety hazards too you can grab life it has a manual that tells you what it can do it's a very versatile machine and go in water up to three to four foot deep if it's not choppy 4 ft if it's choppy about 3 ft and it won't swap out and you can pull cars out of the water by towing them and you don't have to do much you hook a strap to it and pull it out and you can lift up small boats and I can do a complete tariffs of a house and the foundation take a couple days it's not monstrously powerful but is powerful enough to do it how sunny is fine it's a little bigger a little bit powerful than the one that's not the same and be happy birthday to you turned it over dug it out and moved it with the machine and big driveway and dug out of Stonewall and didn't take long machine was very helpful he said but that would have taken forever

Duke Nukem Blockbuster

And we use solely the Briggs & Stratton motors because these are small equipment pieces of small pieces of equipment they're not full size they're all guessing and is a lifesaver the gasoline part not diesel and everybody likes to use them they are fast efficient and everybody likes to use them.

Thor Freya

We approve this message and we're going to move on to some other items and we are also monitoring what the police are doing there bothering him for some reason they always have an excuse but boy they're behaviors ridiculous and there's going to start showing up again I think I'm just trying to resting them if they keep doing this ridiculous behavior the feds are already all over them and they're asking for. What a wonderful product s and Stratton as the soldier provider of the engines and motors too they're making motors for like the air conditioning system and the venting system and the fan you need a fan to run wire motors and there's a family it's an extrasound auxiliary fan and most equipment has a new days is a wonderful piece of equipment and we sell the trailer with it of course it's a different it's an extra price additional but it is really cheap $15,000 for it's really the first line backhoe tons of people know it's worth it and they're using it here on a full-blown project usually you would see them there they're handy they're smaller and tons of jobs and Lily is driving it she's a competent equipment operator and she can run the big stuff too my son can take some longer than she's doing

Olympus

[dbf-enthusiast]

First snowfall of the season.

[ultrajaphunter]

in 2001 this Russian Foxtrot sub was retired and the Russian Navy decided to donate it to a museum, but they don't make museums on the beach. So, they took what assets they had, tanks, and dragged it to where they wanted it In 2004, the museum was replenished with the highest exhibit (24 meters). This is a low-altitude detector and a target illumination station, which are part of the S-300 medium-range anti-aircraft missile system. According to the press center of AvtoVAZ OJSC, some exhibits exist in a single copy. In particular, one of the main exhibits is a diesel submarine of Project 641 "B-307", whose length is 91 meters, and the height is approximately equal to a five-story house (14 m), weight - 2,000 tons The B-307 was built at the Gorky Shipbuilding Plant in 1979. The total number of such boats in service with the Russian Navy was 18. The B-307 is the largest diesel submarine in the Russian Navy. NATO sailors call it "Tango", Russian - "Foxtrot". The submarine is slow, maneuverable. Carries on itself 24 torpedoes and 32 anti-submarine mines. In autonomous navigation can be 90 days. The duration of the B-307 combat duty as part of the Red Banner Northern Fleet was 22 years. In 2001, the submarine was prepared for write-off and transfer to the AvtoVAZ technical museum. By that time, the museums of Moscow, Kaliningrad, Hamburg (Germany) and Brühl (Belgium) had the same submarines. At first, the fleet wanted to simply donate a boat to the museum, but this was not allowed by the federal authorities: according to the law, federal property cannot be given away for nothing. The museum had to buy a boat for a symbolic price - for only 768 thousand rubles. Not much, considering that the Moscow Museum at one time laid out 48 million rubles for a similar exhibit. The submarine B-307 was supposed to be in Togliatti in the summer of 2003. However, due to the tragedy that occurred in the Barents Sea when transporting the K-149, as a result of which people died, the Ministry of the Navy demanded that transportation in Avtograd "B-307" were enhanced security measures. The preparation of the boat for the transition from Kronstadt to Tolyatti took several months. The boat was carefully sealed, it was freed from solid and liquid ballast weighing 354 tons, dismantled a number of nodes and installed on pontoons. On the pontoons with the help of two tugboats, the B-307 began its long journey to Tolyatti from the Gulf of Finland along the Neva River. In one night, a train of about one hundred and forty meters in length went through all eight bridges of St. Petersburg. Equally successful was the echelon of the Ladoga, Onega and White lakes, and the Rybinsk reservoir. The crew of the boat escort consisted of a few vazovtsevs, the Navy’s search and rescue specialists and the chief consultant for the preparation of the submarine for the transition - midshipman Mikhail Golotyuk, who served on this boat for many years. The future museum exhibit was moored in the Togliatti river port, and then driven off to the village of Primorsky, where a berth was specially constructed for the B-307. In the fall of 2004, the submarine was pulled out of the water onto land, and in the winter of 2005 it was taken along a specially cleared 4.5-km long road to the museum. Before removing the submarine from the water, Togliatti engineers specially traveled to Kronstadt to see how the submarines were raised ashore for repair. This is a very difficult operation, for which a whole year was being prepared. To the museum site, the submarine was rolled on ice. From the bank of the Volga "B-307" towed 9 military towing vehicles on tracked undercarriage. In total, for the transportation of the submarine, 15 units of military equipment were used, specially discharged for this purpose from the military ground in Totsky. Undoubtedly, the B-307 is the pride of the Russian submarine fleet and the man-made monument to the Gorky designers who created it. Designers who not only forever inscribed their names in the history of the Navy, but also showed how our engineering thought overtook the ideas of foreign scientists. The valor of Soviet and Russian engineers is admired all over the world: the “twin” of the “B-307” - the diesel boat “B-515”, has been in the National Museum in Hamburg for several years now - the cradle of the military fleet. The uniqueness of the museum specimen is that, unlike other submarines acquired by museums, the Togliatti submarine was transported entirely from Kronstadt to Avtograd, without cutting the ship into pieces. Nothing like this has ever happened in the world. Similar submarines purchased by other museums have always been transported in parts.

[musicianseekingmusicians]

MY VISION IS OF EXCELLENCE

Let’s get straight to the point, as thumb-up-butt hesitation never got anybody anything other than dead dreams. I’ve just completed Joel S. Turruther’s amazing and life-changing Boot Camp for New Beginnings, and I’m completely committed to utilizing his amazing and life-changing principals (THE POWERFUL TEN) of what his success stories call: FOREVER SUCCESS. There’s no looking back and no saying “why?” as we hurtle toward total completion of goals. Let’s run the numbers and hit the core tenants:

1. Get plenty of sleep - Right here’s the number one. You can’t burn energy you haven’t stored and REM sleep doesn’t come in a pill, so we gotta prioritize that shut-eye. No cheating! Coffee is COMPLETELY OUT, as we can’t have anything interfering with our bodies natural sleep and waking clocks. Let’s cut out sugar, while we’re at it. Let’s get tired when we do and not fight it. That’s the way you stock up on those precious Zs and get the charge-up you need to do the dreams.

2. Eat right, every meal - Once my mom poured a dump of Diesel into the unleaded-fueled dream-boat that was my family’s Ford Aerostar, and that thing crapped its pants and needed all the attention ole Mechanic Mike could give it to recover. What I’m saying is good fuel, good mule, and this burro needs to get to the top of Mount Everest, where dreams come true and cowards fall dead, blue-lipped and quivering in the snow. Let’s eat right, every day and all night. Except when we’re sound asleep racking up Sleep energy like nobody’s business.

3. Exercise every day - Get out of bed, put down that fork and let’s get moving, sugarplum! We got BAND TO DO, and we need the muscles that it takes to squeeze this orange day into orange juice. Jump those jacks and ups that push, and before you know it, we’re ripped and ready, running on raw power and ready to rock.

4. Set boundaries - Hey, we all need some alone time, and if you want to sleep in and get some extra sleep-energy points, I get it. Not everyone has the blast-and-thrash it takes to hammer on the day straight up in the crack of dawn. I get it. I’m up now, boy am I up, but I’ve been down, too and everyone needs to be able to hide from the sun and take the care they need to curl up in a perfect self-love-snuggle-cocoon. If you need to have a day to be who you need to be away from me and the guys. I get it. No one knows what you need better than you do, and I’m here when you decide it’s time to ROCK YOUR FACE OFF.

5. Travel for self-care - Maybe live gets a little extra and you’re thinking, “I need some space, friends, so I can find my place, friends,” I’m as not here for you as I am here, meaning I can help you feel as independent as you need to feel to roam where you want to. Roam around the world. And when you feel the soft pull of RIGHTEOUS ROCK, you come back to us, your home base love place. We got a warm amp and a hot mic ready to receive the freedom energy you made yours while you were away.

6. Go outside - Maybe you don’t need to run to the hills so much as you just need to stand on the porch for a spell. I’m ready to get it, as I hope you’ll get it for me. We will ROCK TOGETHER. And we will also live as individuals. If you want to lie down on the front lawn, looking up at Casssiopia, wondering what it all means, I’m here to say “It all means BREATHE IN THAT FRESH AIR. RELEASE THAT FEAR.” I can shout it from the porch if you need the lawn to yourself.

7. Get a pet - The band will be watched over and completely defined by its relationship to its pets. Cat, dog, goldfish or turtle, I’m here to give over the the wisdom of the animal kingdom, recognizing its raw, powerful ability to KNOW THINGS, not just lose them in a cloud of useless memories. Any and all pets are PART OF IT, and know us more profoundly than we can ever know them.

8. Clean your room - Are you telling me you want to sleep in filth? To come home to filth? To call the place you set your head after eating right, exercising, maintaining boundaries, getting fresh air and honoring the sanctity of the animal kingdom A FILTHY BATHMAT IN THE LOCKER ROOM OF WRESTLING MUDMEN? Take care of your nest, for it’s where the magic of sleep restores your blood and energizes your mind. Make where you lay your head a landing pad fit for AIRWOLF, polished and perfect. If you’re not sure how to fold laundry (fitted sheets, right?) or dust a bookshelf, I’m here for you. I have all the cleaning info and resources. Let’s get spotless for rock.

9. Read books - I’ve read some, and they’re not all for me, but I know that if The Fountainhead could get my dad to strike out on his own and find joy with another family, then books must have immense, incredible power. Read one! It might start a whole new path out into the world, with new kids and a different house, but you’ll have the dog for some reason!

10.Keep a schedule - We may ride at dawn, but if we say we get Fridays off, then godammit, we’re not going to go behind each other’s backs to have secret two-man side-practices that tear the whole project apart. When we say we’re gonna practice, WE PRACTICE!!! When we have our own time to sleep in, make our day ours, do some squats and read some thoughts, we don’t break that schedule. The schedule is a big old bowl of crazy glue and WE ARE STICKING TO IT.

You might be intimidated by my drive, maybe a little fearful of my clarity of focus, but I’m here to say that Mr. Turruther’s laws are a rocket to success and happiness. We won’t take our helmets off, we won’t step out of the cockpit, and we won’t run from the launchpad. We’re going there, and you’re on board, feeling the Gs and grinning ear-to-ear. But I’m right here with you and I’ll wipe those tears of joy, if you’re okay with that level of contact. Let’s do this.

[foxdeal951]

Volvo Penta Tamd 74 Edc Manual

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[ancientbrit]

Natter #9  10/5/2020

You probably have all realised by now that Karin has volunteered to do some work on the Natters after I lost them all and I was saved from bursting into tears when Jo & Tom, Janet and Cathy sent almost everything that I had ever sent out since 2012. I couldn't believe that we got so lucky and I am so grateful. Of course, now that Karin lives over there in West Seattle she has a rotten drive to reach civilization, not that I am inferring that Seattle is the zenith of civilization,  especially these days. I had wondered how those unfortunates in West Seattle were able to access the east with both bridges unavailable until my little lad Alex had to make the drive to visit a friend there and he told me what was involved I have to feel for anybody having to make that trip as I can vividly remember a somewhat similar trip I had to take years ago, At that time I was working for an engineering firm on Fourth Avenue and on        Wednesdays I used to take the afternoon off to crew for the friend of a friend who owned a 45 foot yacht. These were mixed category events with various sized boats competing on handicap. The only time I was able to take the helm for the race start I was able to jockey this large boat back and forth as the time to start wound down and somehow I was lucky enough to cross the start line just as the starting gun BANGED. We were smoking as we crossed the line heeled hard over with the rail almost under and it was one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced, especially as we almost ran down a smaller Blanchard which was in my lee and therefore out of my line of sight behind the mainsail. The only problem with this boat was that it's owner couldn't afford the price of a spinnaker which was a definite negative as far as winning a race was concerned, The whole fleet would sail south to the I-90 bridge from the start, usually with us in the lead, then go about on reverse course, hoist their spinnakers and just draw away from us. But those races were magic to me as we raced for the turn bouy with the sound of "Stayin' Alive" by the BeeGees blasting away. Magic, truly.   One of my friends at the company,  John, who lived on Bainbridge Island, owned a 25-foot yacht in which he fancied the idea of sailing to work. He wanted to drum up a crew to accompany him on the trip home so I jumped at the chance. Another guy in the office volunteered himself and his girlfriend; they had just become engaged and he thought it would be a tad romantic - sailing into the setting sun. And so, the weather forecast was consulted for a decent evening and we settled. We three crew went out on the day and bought comestibles to suit - cold chicken, ham, cheese, crisp fresh bread, desserts and a few bottles of suitable plonk - we were off to the races - ships biscuit be damned!

5:30 arrived and we collected the provender and all four of us made our way dockside, looking forward to a pleasant trip with a jig in our steps. We stepped aboard and unloaded the provisions below deck and then came back on deck to get ready for the trip. John unbrailed the main from the boom and hoisted the jib. We cast off fore and aft and slowly we moved away from the dock and out into the main waterway, gathering way as John had us haul the main. Once we were out into the Sound we canted a little to the nice warm breeze coming from the south as John set course for Bainbridge.into the setting sun. We brought up the meal into the cuddy and laid it all to hand and everything was great. Sun (and plonk) warming us and the evening couldn't have been improved upon. We sailed on eating, drinking and chatting-up a storm having a grand old time, but as the sun slipped below the horizon the temperature dropped and it got a little darker. Unfortunately, the wind, such as it was, dropped too as habit takes it and we drifted awhile. After a time. it occurred to John that maybe we should start the motor for a while just to make sure we would be in time to be able to catch the ferry back. He put in the key but there was no accompanying roar and after a while he announced that the battery was flat. This meant that we had no navigation lights either which was quite serious. We drifted on as night settled around our shoulders and it seemed now that it had become much colder. We, of course, had come prepared for a warm swift sail and shorts combined with short-sleeved shirts don't really do too much to maintain warmth, especially if you are not moving too much.

Onward we drifted, going at least in the general direction of Bainbridge. I dropped a piece of paper over the side to try and judge our drifting speed, but that didn't work out too well as there was nothing else visible to judge it against and anyway it drifted away and disappeared into the dark. We weren't sure that there was anything that we could do to affect the situation. Cell phones hadn't yet been invented, we had no means of signaling, although it seemed that John had a friend who made the two-way trip everyday and so we might see him and catch a tow later - might, he said! Sitting there without much of interest now to enliven the conversation, I suddenly thought that I could hear something - somewhere over there. I strained to hear it again and then there it was - a low, thrum, thrum, thrum sound which seemed to be getting louder as I listened. By now we all could hear it too as the thrashing sound got louder and louder until we all realised that it must be a ship. Looking into the direction from which the sound was coming, you could just make out navigation lights way up high, Gawd, this was a big ship and it appeared to be heading in our distinct direction. What to do? No radio and even if we had had such an innovation the batteries were dead.No flares do we John? No, sorry about that. We dragged out a scruffy looking table cloth and prepared to wave it. Crouching down low, you could see the rough outline of the ship now against the shiny surface of the water and it was rather frightening to realise just how big it was and now that it looked as if it was heading directly for us - it was absolutely terrifying. We stood and waved our table cloth, yelling and screaming at the top of our lungs, but, on she came relentlessly, obviously crewed by deaf-mutes who were not manning the bridge anyway. As she drove closer it became obvious that we might be missed - just - and we prepared to bail as the waves hit us.We were bounced around for quite a time as water poured over the sides, but eventually things calmed down and we were able to resume our previous aimless drifting, although a little more damp and colder than before. However, before long we could see the ferry coming our way from Seattle and we rather thought we might get some form of assistance from her as a huge ray of light suddenly pierced the night lighting us remorselessly and we were blasted by a rather rude voice censuring us for sailing at night with no navigation lights. The light was extinguished and she moved on leaving us pretty much as we had been before - no asking if we needed help at all. Charming! So much for the camaraderie of the deep. We thought of those who had just arrived on the ferry and moaned that they were probably almost home by now, able to look forward to a warm bed after a quick supper. My stomach growled at the thought.  Oh good  Lord, here comes the ferry again, just starting it's homeward run and again we were treated to the light show and bad mouth treatment as he sailed past in all it's glory of umpteen hundred horsepower fuelled by stinking diesel, leaving it's olfactory signature for ages after it had sailed on. Bainbridge was definately closer now, with the lights beckoning us tantalisingly - so near and yet so far. John seemed to be getting a little excited now and he thought that a boat approaching from Seattle might be his friend and such it turned out to be. There followed a bit of rather rude and good natured chit-chat and a line was passed which we made fast and suddenly we were on our way again, landing at the jetty soon after. As the last ferry would not be arriving for a time yet, we all trooped up to John's house for a warming drink and thence return to the ferry terminal where we waited for our lift home. Eventually our old enemy returned and unloaded its returning Bainbridgers, who filed past the one-way gate closed against the returning Seattle passengers. We waited for the gate to be raised after it seemed that all of the returning Islanders had gone. I checked at the ticket office to find out when we could board. The official checked the gate and said "Oh good Lord, is that gate stuck again?" He ran down to it and gave it a nudge and like magic the gate rose, allowing us to race down to the ferry, which was now about ten feet away from the jetty and accelerating towards distant Seattle.I could have cried; after all that we had gone through, to miss it by such a small amount. We had a few words with the official who was now closing up and he felt badly enough that he volunteered to take us home. And so, we loaded into his car and off we set, driving south and south forever it seemed. He was as good as his word and dropped all three of us at our doors and I finally got to bed around 0330. It had been quite a trip!

Your fearless leader,Gordon

[bleedingcoffee42]

Murder Mystery

Drabble request #31 “Stop it you're embarrassing me.” for Hyuroi. A House on Haunted Hill(1959 version with the vat of acid in the basement and pushy skeletons) AU I've wanted to do for forever.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Roy was looking out the hotel room window and trying to not check his watch again.  They were in the Grand Hotel, in Central, dressed in tuxedos waiting on instructions for this 'special event'. He was watching the sunset and also watching Hughes and Edward in the reflection of the window as they prepared for the evening.   “Hughes, this entire agenda reads like a script of exactly what not to do going into a potential hostile, highly suspicious situation.  And it keeps getting worse.”

“I know.”  Hughes said and slapped Ed's hand away from the bow tie he was trying to help him straighten. He was about ready to strangle the kid with it if he didn't stop trying to loosen it.  “Which is exactly why we need to go.”

Roy turned to look at them.  Ed was clearly uncomfortable in the formal wear and Hughes was intent on getting the tie absolutely perfect before turning the young alchemist loose to inevitably try to undo it once again.  Ed was like a puppy who got his first collar and was only behaving because Armstrong was waiting in the wings to help if Hughes failed.   “It was one thing when we were arriving as a unit, now they are separating us.”

“Well at least they're sending cars for us, I'd be more worried about someone getting killed if they were letting you drive.”  Hughes said and sat up straight and slapped his hands on his knees.  He sat on the bed and looked at his work, it looked good.  

“I'm serious Hughes.”  Roy said and his best friend gave him a smile and wink.  

“I don't like it either, but I need to gain some ground on this.”  Hughes said and looked to Alex. “We've  been trying to find a way around going with the plans sent to us and unfortunately we have absolutely nothing to go on.   The invitations sent to the guests have no fingerprints or return addresses, nobody saw them delivered into locked offices or homes.   The guest list of state alchemists is worrisome, but if anyone is capable of defending themselves its you guys.”

“State Alchemist and one head of military investigations.”  Roy said.  Hughes was the one that worried him, the inclusion of the man who was involved in several open investigations that could ruin careers.   If it was someone trying to gain favor or test the State Alchemists, well that was just your average social event.   Hughes, he'd be the one looking into the aftermath of this event if it all went to hell.  He wasn't famous like them.  “All going to a murder mystery in a haunted house.”

“Rich people are weird.”  Hughes said with a shrug.   “Right Alex?”

“Yes, sir.”  Alex said with a nod of pride.

Roy looked at Ed who was just standing there, dressed up in a tailored tuxedo Hughes had demanded he wear.   The instructions were explicit.   Formal wear, it was a elegant occasion.  “You've been quiet, Fullmetal.”

“It's because I don't want to admit I agree with you, Colonel.”  Ed said and tugged at his collar and stepped away from Hughes so he didn't get his hand slapped again.   “This just reeks of a setup.”

“That's the point.”  Hughes said and sighed.  “Look, I need your help figuring this out.  Do I like it? No.  Do I like that they keep changing the plan? No.  Do I think someone might be trying to kill us?  Yeah.   Am I willing to let this event go on with some other officers or citizens...no.  Unfortunately it comes down to us to get to the bottom of all this and stop it before someone else gets hurt.”

“The last murder mystery was on a boat in Aquaroya.”  Alex reminded them.   “And all authorities found was a ghost ship floating in the lake the following Monday. Lights and music still going, running on generators as the engine had run out of diesel.   Everything left without a struggle, as if the people had just been plucked from thin air and the party just waiting for them to come back.  We have not found those people.   We, as officers, are more equipped to handle this.  As alchemists, especially concentrated in force, we are unstoppable.”

“That's what worries me.”  Roy said and Ed made a face that looked like he was having indigestion.  Looks like he had to admit he agreed with him again.

“Me too.”  Ed said grudgingly. “Look, I'm all for rushing into the unknown and kicking ass, but I like the element of surprise.    This was weird enough when that invite showed up in my dorm room.  Then I find out the Colonel got one too?   OK, I thought it was a Halloween party you were doing for Elicia, like real life Clue.   Then the details keep coming out and taking control away from us.  Like we have to check into the Hotel, in rooms reserved for us.  Make sure we're dressed up.  Fine. Cool.   I mean a Hotel is a pretty public place, maybe it is just some weird rich people party.”

“Then the venue changes.”  Roy continued.  “And we're being split up and getting in individual cars to be driven to some undisclosed location.”

“We have your team and my team ready to follow the cars.”  Hughes assured them.

“I'm not trying to back out.”  Ed said.  “I'm ready to kick someone's ass, especially if this is some elaborate kidnapping plot.   I just...I guess...”

“We're all going to be worried about each other, Ed.”  Alex said softly.   “It is an element we were not prepared for.”

“Who else is going to this?”  Ed asked. “Besides the four of us?”

“Basque Grand.  Giolio Commanche.” Hughes answered.  “They're excited.”

“I bet they are.”  Roy said. Neither man shied away from blood or destruction.  “Ed, Grand gave this operation the seal of approval.   He's head of the Alchemist Corps.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Ed replied, he might not care and tended to forget he answered to a higher power than Mustang, but Grand was a hard man to forget.

“Which means this also has the Fuhrer's approval.”  Hughes added.

“Ah.”  Ed said.  

“I'm feeling a little nostalgic about our Fullmetal versus Flame fight.” Roy said and sat down on the bed beside Hughes.  “The Fuhrer likes to flex the might of his human weapons when the expectation is to shy away from putting them in harms way.”

“So...what's the plan then?”  Ed asked.

“It sounds like you have the Fuhrer's approval to destroy whatever the hell you want.”  Roy said with a smirk.  “And it's Grand leading this mission so it's on him.   Have fun, kid.”

Ed smiled for the first time that night.   “I guess you never have a hard time finding me after a fight, do you?”

“Nope.”  Roy said.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Hughes was expecting the worst as a soon as they got into the black cars with tinted windows that had been pulled up on the curb in front of the Grand Hotel.  Each guest got in a separate car and he knew that it would be hard for the teams watching them to follow these vehicles in Central at night.    There was a dark window blocking him from seeing the driver and the other windows were impossible to see out of.  Someone had gone through a lot of effort to make sure they couldn't see anything.  Then again, it was possible an alchemist could have just changed the tint of the glass without much work.  

So he tried to focus on distance driven, the turns made and the time elapsed.   That would give him an idea of where they could be, a radius of distance traveled from the hotel and if they were still in Central.   Of course he didn't have much time to study the maps of the city, he wasn't expecting the change in location, which was another point in the column of the mystery host.  

When the car finally stopped he braced himself for anything and when the door opened he wasn't expecting Roy's smiling face.

“Hey handsome, looking for a good time?”

Hughes smirked.   He was afraid the intention was to separate them and he was glad he didn't have to worry about that.   He got out of the car.  Things were already looking up.  “What do you have in mind?”

“Maybe you'd like to explore something dark, damp and abandoned?”  Roy said as the car left.  

“Mmm...neglected are we?”  Hughes mumbled as he looked in Roy's eyes.   What was he trying to tell him?  God dammit! Why did Roy have to flirt to get his secret messages across? Why the fuck couldn't he just use pig Latin or Morse code or something not even remotely sensual?  Especially now, while they were in front of someplace in Central he had never seen before with more cars arriving behind them.

“Yeah, like that research we used to do on the floor of our dorm room in the academy.”  Roy said and then turned to look at the abandoned building they had been brought to.  

“Stop it, you're embarrassing me.”  Hughes said and playful punched Roy's shoulder before going to open the door of the next car.  Roy's research?  Hughes ran through old memories of them, fond memories of young them exploring a lot in the academy but Roy was not thinking about sex right now.   He was hinting about his old research, what he was planning to do if he couldn't convince Master Hawkeye to finish teaching him Flame Alchemy, what Roy was going to try to use to get certified.   What he dedicated his academy years to studying in the event his dreams could not be brought to fruition.  Research alchemy, based on oxygen.   Oxygen in the blood.   This was some kind of medical facility that Roy recognized?   Had he been here before?  

Hughes didn't need to ask, he just needed to know what he was dealing with.   Roy felt it important enough to relay to him so that was all he needed.  This place had historical significance in Roy's life, it wasn't just an abandoned building.  More reason to worry.   He went over to the next car to arrive to unlock the door.  The back doors only opened from the outside, he check that on the way over.  They had to wait on their entire party to arrive.  “Roy, who let you out of your car?”

“My door wasn't locked.”     Roy said and looked at the building illuminated by a few old gas lamps on the driveway and some lights within.   It was dark and he could only see the outline of the building but he'd never forget this place, nor the feeling he felt when he first came out her for a tour of the facility when he was in the academy.   A research hospital funded by the military.  Staffed by research alchemists, populated by criminals and other people society wished to forget existed.     If he only knew then what he knew now.  

[nebris]

An independent case for the US Navy to return to diesel-electric submarines

Opinion piece with a ronin research approach - Alternative title Diesel Boats forever tomorrow see http://www.hisutton.com/USN_Diesel-Sub.html lus following post for pictures etc With nearly 80 submarines, the US Navy is without question the most powerful submarine force on the planet. Since the late 1950s US Navy submarine building has been almost exclusively focused on nuclear powered designs. The last diesel powered front line boat was decommissioned in 1990. Since then there have been several voices calling for the Submarine Force to have at least some diesel-boats on hand. Those voices, while getting louder after the Swedes loaned a very quiet Gotland Class Air Independent Power (AIP) submarine to the US for testing in 2005-6, have largely been drowned out. This article takes a fresh look at the potential for cutting-edge diesel submarines to increase the potency of the US Navy. Swedish AIP equipped diesel-electric submarine Gotland with a US Navy aircraft carrier in the background. Exercises with the Swedish submarine made headlines and reinvigorated the nuclear-versus-diesel debate. The arguments made for diesel boats (a submarine is always a ‘boat’ not a ship) generally focus on their low cost (compared to nuclear boats) and stealth. The topic arose at the U.S. House Seapower and Force Projection Subcommittee in March when three alternative Future Fleet Architecture studies were debated. There is an excellent write-up at the WAR IS BORING blog which makes the cost-vs-capability argument for adding diesel boats. It makes the point that the Japanese Navy’s Soryu Class boats cost around 20% of the US Navy’s Virginia Class SSN. And the argument against diesel-electric submarines has come from many places. There is a justified fear that if the US Navy accepts that some diesel boats would be useful, they would be admitting that they don’t need so many nuclear boats. It follows that the submarine fleet would be cut and the cheaper and less capable diesel submarines would be forced to fill the holes, creating an inferior force to the one we have today. A variation of this argument is put forward by the US shipbuilding industry which fears that construction of diesel boats, even for export (e.g. to Taiwan) is an unacceptable risk to their ability to build the more expensive nuclear boats. A more nuanced argument which may be popular among US Navy submariners is that diesel boats are simply too slow. Nuclear boats are much faster and can cross the Pacific or Atlantic in time to reach the action. As a strategic asset, submarines may be needed in any corner of the globe at short notice so speed counts. A fair point which we will come back to. I polled my generally well informed Twitter followers and found that over half say ‘Yes’ to the question “Should the US Navy have a new class of diesel-electric submarine for Special Forces and littoral combat?”. Cunningly I started the poll in the morning European time to see whether there were differing views in Europe to US. There wasn’t, the balance of sentiments remained surprising stable throughout the voting period even after my US followers, many of them submariners, came online: This article takes the form of ronin research which is masterless, and therefore free to challenge the conventional thinking on this topic, and highlight emerging capabilities which are beyond the scope of current planning. For the sake of this article we shall call the conceptual US Navy diesel submarine an SWS (Shallow Water Submarine), carefully avoiding the jinx of ‘Littoral Combat Submarine’ (LCS). Core capabilities of a future US Navy diesel-electric boat

The argument for diesel submarines put forward in this article is not about cost, or stealth. It is about missing capabilities in the US arsenal. Since the retirement of the diesel-electric USS Grayback in 1984 the US Navy has been without a dedicated special forces submarine. Grayback acted as a host submarine for SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) which could be carried in two integral hangars. She was replaced by a system of six detachable Dry Deck Shelters (DDS) which can be fitted to a number of specially modified attack submarines. Currently 10 Virginia and 3 Los Angeles Class nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) can each carry a single shelter and four Ohio Class guided missile submarines (SSGNs) can carry two each. The larger DDS and progressive updates in equipment do mean that the US Navy has the world’s leading Special Forces submarine capability. There are plans underway to increase the size of the DDS to accommodate the latest generation of SDVs. There are also plans to use the vertical Virginia Payload Modules (VPS) on future submarines to carry SDVs. The Virginia Class are large submarines which are unable to operating in as shallow water as most diesel-electric boats. And the Ohio SSGNs are even larger at 560 ft (170 m). The new Virginia Block-IV will have a 70ft (21m) insert for extra vertical launch tubes making them similar in length to the SSBNs. The four twin-DDS Ohio Class SSGNs are due to be retired between 2026 and 2028, leaving only the single-DDS Virginias. This will lead to a diminishing SDV (/LDUUV) host submarine capability in the next 10 years (although the Virginia Block-IV’s could conceivably carry SDVs/LDUUVs in their vertical tubes). USS Florida (SSGN 728) operating in the Mediterranean, 2014. The four modified Ohio Class SSGNs are impressive boats and can carry 66 SEALs, two SDVs plus 126 UGM-109E Tomahawk cruise missiles. With the DDS removed the Tomahawk load increases to 154. But their sheer scale is also their downside for inshore Special Operations. Note that a discussion of USS Jimmy Carter’s unique capabilities which may or may not include this type of mission is beyond the scope of this article. However the DDS system has several hidden drawbacks. Firstly the host submarines are very large and cannot operate close inshore. This is partially compensated by better ranges for SDVs which can be launched further from their target, and anyway the submariners don’t like bringing their boats too far inshore where they are more vulnerable. Secondly, the submarines cannot hover or sit on the sea bottom so launch and recovery of Special Forces has to take place in open water which adds complexity and, to an extent, increases risks for the personnel. And thirdly, as a result of the first two, US Navy submarines are less suited to deploying divers who use Diver Propulsion Devices (DPDs) which are smaller and cheaper than SDVs but also slower and use more effort. In themselves DPDs are no substitute for SDVs but having this capability for some occasions might increase the breadth of missions. Another altogether subtler problem resulting from the DDS is that using it detracts from the submarine’s primary wartime capability of sinking enemy ships and submarines. DDS incur negligible penalties on the host submarine but the Special Forces mission diverts their attention and may impose restrictions on attacking enemy ships if they are spotted as to do so might blow the cover of the SF mission. Therefore Special Forces fear that the host submarines may not be made available in a full conflict scenario. The SWS is therefore primarily a Special Forces submarine, there for USSOCOM (US Special Operations Command) even during the hottest shooting wars. And she would take them much closer to their targets, reducing the drain of long journeys in SDVs. However, she would also be equally suited to ISR (Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance), attacking enemy ships which hug the coast to avoid the larger SSNs out to sea, and contribute to the destruction of land targets with cruise missiles or future submarine launched missiles (loitering UAVs etc). Importantly the handful of SWS (2-6) would be in addition to the existing fleet of SSNs and SSGNs, not as a replacement. And the SWS would be suitable for export, for example to the UK (who have no money), Netherlands or Taiwan. Shallow Water Submarine (SWS)

Working backwards from the dimensions of various elements we would want to include, the SWS is approximately 230 ft (70m) long and 32 ft (10.6m) tall overall. The pressure hull is 8m in diameter allowing for three decks with a generous headroom. Displacement is in the region of 4,000 tons which is at the top-end of diesel-electric submarines. Compared to the US Navy’s current Virginia Class block-III nuclear powered submarine the SWS is just 60% of the length, 80% of the hull diameter and about half the displacement. The most distinctive feature is that the SWS is a sailless design. This has been a recurring theme in submarine design with both US and Russian studies, previously held back by the mast requirements of previous generations of boats. This would have hydrodynamic advantages but the main reason in the SWS’ case is to reduce the overall height of the boat, allowing it to operate in shallower water. It is in fact lower than most two-deck diesel-electric submarines which have a sail. For surface navigation a collapsible collar would be fitted similar to those on the DCS (Dry Combat Submersible) currently entering service with USSOCOM. Overall however, the fairweather sail can be seen as a luxury which although it will be missed, the SWS will be better off without. The sail can be removed thanks to the use of electro-optical masts instead of traditional periscopes which means that the masts no longer have to be in the control room. Combined with an expectation that other mast functions can be more compact than on previous generations of submarines, all the masts can be buried with the hull. The masts would employee a degree of modularity similar to the Universal Modular Mast System (UMMS) on the Virginia Class. However, compactness would reign over modularity. The control room and operations room can therefore be moved well forward into the front of the pressure hull, eliminating through traffic. The captain’s periscope stand would be completely removed with monitors being used instead. A fallback miniature electro-optical periscope display would be provided for low-power situations. Modern flat-screen monitors, small computers and increased automation would reduce the bulk of the control room stations. This would contribute to reducing the size of the control room overall but it would also translate into much more space. The operations room(s), primarily for coordinating Intelligence and Special Forces missions would be immediately behind the control room, and the captain’s cabin, ward room etc behind that on the upper deck. The overall height of the boat, 32 ft (10.6m), allows for vertical launch containers. These are based on the VPM (Virginia Payload Module) with only minor modifications. This gives the boat a 8ft (2.6m) deep casing on top, allowing room for access trunks, mast heads etc. Although the hull is technically of single-hull construction (with the reinforcing frames inside the hull), the casing is extended down to a chine running along the lower hull, giving an appearance similar to a double hull boat. This is intended to reduce the active-sonar cross-section while also allowing the fairing-in of the side-mounted sonar arrays and larger-diameter towed sonar array tube. The central section area of casing besides the Vertical Payload Modules (VPMs) would contain ballast tanks similar to the saddle tanks on World War Two fleet boats. Together with the main ballast tanks fore and aft, these would contribute to increased levels of reserve buoyancy to compensate for the relatively large hangars. Hangars

Faired-in under the casing are two integral hangars. Experience on US Navy submarines equipped with DDS has proven the advantage of having twin hangars so this is considered default for SWS. These are positioned facing aft like the current DDS so that they can be used which the boat is underway (unlike hangars in the bow facing forward like giant torpedo tubes). The hangars are also right on top of the submarine so there is the minimum depth of water above them. This can reduce the depth that the divers are operating at which reduces risks. Although distinct, the hangars would be similar enough in size and configuration to minimize cross-training from the existing extended DDS now entering service. One advancement, over time, would be increasing automation in launch and recovery. Like on the current DDS there is a transfer trunk between the submarine and the hangar and a hyperbaric chamber for diver compression/decommission. This is inside the hull of the submarine making it easier to monitor the divers inside. And above decks diver lurks and wet storage space could be incorporated between the hangars. Current DDS layout. On the SWS a single transfer trunk serves both hangars, and the hyperbolic chamber is cylindrical and inside the submarine’s hull. Source USSOCOM. The hangars would primarily contain the latest generation of SDV, the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS). At 30ft long they can also accommodate the smallest types of Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) and Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUVs). Or the hangars could be used for launching inflatable boats or for mass diver lock-outs per current DDS. Or for launching ASOC kayaks for up-river infiltration. Unlike an SSN with a DDS, the SWS can get closer inshore which would be a great help to the Special Forces, especially for agent insertion where smaller DPDs or Surface Boards might be preferred. Propulsion

The current trend is toward Air Independent Power (AIP) with only a few countries, notably Australia, shunning it for diesel-electric boats. AIP allows a submarine to cruise at slow speed for long periods (days or weeks) without snorting to run the diesels. AIP does not charge the batteries however (exceptional circumstances aside, this is a common misconception) and it is very slow. Although the US has not established AIP capabilities there are US companies capable of producing fuel cells, and the Spanish Navy do plan to deploy some US fuel cell equipped AIP submarines (admittedly there are delays). So the US Navy could conceivably use fuel cell technology for an AIP submarine. SWS however would not be an AIP submarine. Instead she’d take advantage of improvements in Lithium-Ion technology to simply get much more out of her batteries. This is an approach which the Japanese are taking and fuel cells are increasingly common on smaller submersibles. As well as better performance, they are more compact and the small size of individual cells allows them to be molded into different shapes, making the overall package much more compact in a submarine setting. The concern with Li-Ion batteries however is heat. Batteries fires are constant hazard on submarines and the likely higher risks with Li-Ion batteries make their use inside submarines unpalatable. The answer is to put them outside the pressure hull instead. The SWS has two battery pods either side of the lower hull. This would increase drag, but would minimize the risks of batteries cooking-off. This is actually similar to using fuel cell AIP where the compressed gas would ideally be carried outside the pressure hull, for example on the Israeli Dolphin-II submarines. The battery pods would actually be a series of smaller sections which would individually be close to neutrally buoyant, allowing divers to replace them without bring the boat in to dry dock. The fairings at either end of the pods would house pop-out steerable thrusters allowing the submarine to hover or maneuver at very low speeds. Armament

Two Vertical Payload Modules (VPM), almost identical to those fitted to the Virginia Class Block-III (known as Virginia Payload Modules) and modified Ohio Class SSGNs allows 14 UGM-109E Tomahawk cruise missiles to be carried (2 x 7). UGM-84L Harpoon Block-II anti-ship missiles, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and other missile payloads could be carried in their place. Alternatively, the VPM could be configured as a vertical SDV or LDUUV hangar although this is not seen as advantageous compared to the integral horizontal hangars. It could be argued that the SDV/UUV hangar potential of the VPM removes the need for dedicated hangars. The disadvantage is that it then becomes a choice, and one which Special Forces would frequently lose. The dedicated hangars ensure that there is always a submarine ready to carry Special Forces even when strike capability is also high priority. The SWS will have two 7-round vertical launch tubes based on the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). There is an argument that torpedo rooms are obsolete and that the SWS could rely solely on its VPMs, or that all improvements in weapon reliability will allow maintenance-free sealed external tubes. However there is still a compelling flexibility afforded by a conventional torpedo room with standard impulse torpedo tubes. The spacious torpedo room has space for 28 Mk48 torpedoes or missiles (plus four in the tubes). This is almost the same as on the much larger Virginia Class, and slightly less than the similar sized Japanese Sōryū Class. Realistically the SWS would deploy with fewer weapons, and some (but not all) torpedoes could be swapped for missiles (Tomahawk, Harpoon etc). However when combined with the two VPMs this results in a massive punch for a submarine this size. Thanks to the more compact horse-shoe array sonar the four torpedo tubes can be configured facing directly forwards allowing a much cleaner rack configuration compared to current US Navy submarines which have angled flank tubes. This allows a torpedo to be moved from either port or starboard (left or right) racks to any of the torpedo tubes. Torpedoes can be moved over the top of the upper row on the rack, allowing any variation of shuffling of weapons. Said another way, if a weapon in any position on the racks can be moved to any torpedo tube without obstruction, although some shuffling would be required in most cases. The racks would be optionally-automated with crewmen still used to supervise the process. Fully automated rack systems such as on some Russian submarines could be used but I feel that there is still some advantage to having a human in the loop. SWS torpedo room configuration with 34 torpedo-sized weapons. SWS could take advantage of future generations of smaller weapons. Currently submarines primarily carry 21” (533mm) heavyweight torpedoes with the Mk48-Mod7 CBASS (Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System) ADCAP (Advanced Capability). These are highly effective but take up significant space. New smaller weapons, exemplified by the US Navy’s Common Very Light Weight Torpedo (CVLWT) add an extra dimension to SWS’ capabilities as well as freeing space in the torpedo room for other systems such as UUVs, extra berthing or Special Forces equipment storage. The CVLWT was just 6.75” (171mm) in diameter, 9 ft (2.7 m) long, and 30% the weight of the Mark 46 lightweight torpedo. Potentially SWS could carry 6 to 8 CVLWTs in place of a single heavyweight torpedo. A weapon the size of the CVLWT would not be a 1:1 replacement for a regular 21” (533mm) torpedo, but could be more suitable for some inshore targets such as patrol boats and small commercial vessels which might not warrant a heavyweight torpedo. And, by virtue of its size, greatly increase the number of weapons carried. There is also the suggestion that weapons in this class could provide a less-than-lethal capability where a target vessel could be disabled. The smaller size could also allow better space optimization in the torpedo room. Boeing recently patented (HERE) an anti-submarine warhead for mini-torpedoes (scout.com). Their intention is to allow ASW torpedoes to be launched from Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs). Instead of using a shaped charge, the concept has a contact and attachment assembly that attaches the torpedo to a ship so that flammable ‘thermal lance’ can cut a hole through the hull. This has yet to be prototyped and may be less suited to some submarines with double hulls and non-magnetic Anechoic tiles. However it points to a near future where sub-sized torpedoes will be much more deadly than the current generations. Crew readiness

A combination of the relatively large hull diameter, high ceilings (so that piping can mostly be laid in the floor spaces) and moving of the batteries into external pods leaves a generous amount of space for crew and passengers. US Navy submarines have traditionally had large crews to ensure combat readiness but modern advances in automation will at last see the submarine crew shrinking to be closer to regular diesel submarines in service around the world. The crew would be slightly bigger because of the additional weapons systems carried. However, the overall personnel size would be quite large because of approximately 66 SEALs and related personnel. Crew berthing would be up to the latest standards with mixed-gender crew facilities built in. There would be exercise areas (especially important for the SEALs) and entertainment systems would be built in (partly compensating for the necessarily strict rules re internet access). Performance

A diesel-electric SWS is invariably slower than an SSN with a maximum speed of approximately 65% that of the Virginia Class. Additionally, the endurance at full underwater speed would be relatively short because it would drain the batteries, unlike the nuclear boat whose endurance is much less a factor of speed (because it has practically unlimited fuel). The main limitation this brings is operational range and time taken to get to the operating area. The SWS would have to cruise at approximately 50% or less of the SSN’s typical transit speed and snort regularly to allow the diesels to recharge the batteries. During this time she would be susceptible to detection thanks to an increased acoustic, radar, chemical and infrared signature. The snorting problem is hard to overcome even with the latest lithium-ion batteries. Submarines with Air Independent Power (AIP) do not have to snort for very long periods but they have to operate at incredibly slow speeds while using AIP so it is a solution to patrolling, not to transit. Additionally they may have to snort for brief moments to replenish breathing air. A more radical approach employing gas turbines for surface travel was proposed by British firm BMT Defence. Their SSGT design incorporates a Rolls Royce gas turbine into the sail allowing it to cruise >6,000 nautical miles at 20 knots. Separately French firm DCNS proposed the SMX-25 design using a similar principle. This was more of a submersible warship than a regular submarine. BMT SSGT left, and DCNS SMX-25 right Turbine assisted submarines are not fundamentally more stealthy than a regular snorting submarine however and either design has received further development. The answer to this problem lies in operational rather than technical details. It could be substantially offset if the boats were forward deployed to minimize the transits required to and from patrols. For example two could be based in the Mediterranean to operate in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), two in East Asia to address China and North Korea, and two in Europe to cater for the Baltic. Another willing compromise is on operating depth. US Navy SSNs are comparatively deep diving which requires special steel and even more careful construction. Being intended primarily for inshore operations the SWS would be build of comparatively less expensive steel and have an operating depth similar to other diesel-electric submarines in service with other countries. Cost

Being smaller and constructed to lower specifications the SWS would be cheaper than an SSN. It is much larger than typical diesel-electric submarines, so the eventual price tag might be approximately 33% of an SSN (Soryu Class being about 20%). Said another way, a fleet of 6 SWS would set the US taxpayer back by about the same as 2 Virginia Class submarines. Many components would be borrowed from the Virginia Class to reduce development costs. For example the flank sonar would use Fiber-Optic Acoustic Sensor (FOAS) modules from the Lightweight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA). The Virginia Class has three 8-module arrays either side of the hull (total 48 modules) while the smaller SWS would have just 10-12 modules. Another reuse from the Virginia Class would be the vertical launch tubes (Virginia Payload Modules). An 8-FOAS module Light Weight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA) from Northrop Grumman. The SWS would use fewer modules which would be embedded into the outer casing to minimize drag. Core crew levels will be much lower than existing US Navy submarines, and the engineering will require less specialized training, greatly reducing operating costs. Non-structural outer casing panels would be GRP (Glass-Reinforced Plastic) which would also reduce top-weight and replacement costs. The main propeller would be an annular-screw instead of the more expensive propulsor (pump jet) used on the latest US Navy SSNs. Ideally the blades of the screw would be individually replaceable, ideally by divers so that the boat wouldn’t have to be brought into dry dock for propeller replacement. The steel used would be cheaper and smaller diameter hull would require less specialist space than the SSNs. Additionally the boat would have some export potential to help offset the costs.

[dbf-enthusiast]

Finally got to cross U-505 off my bucket list. A really fantastic display.

The surrounding exhibit does a good job of establishing context for the Battle of the Atlantic and is filled with a good variety of history, crew life, and science and engineering spread through displays of varying interactivity so that you can choose your own level of engagement without missing out on too much of the narrative.

Definitely recommend visiting if you’re ever in Chicago.