#dutch warships

[ltwilliammowett]

Moon Lightning, by Jan de Quelery (1957-)

On the left ; the ship "Beschermer" 50- gun ship of the line built in Amsterdam for the Admiralty of Amsterdam . On the right ; the ship "Walcheren" 60- gun ship built on the VOC yard in Middelburg 1660

[illustratus]

The Bombardment of Algiers, 1816 by George Chambers.

[londonspirit]

David Jenkins Bluesky Fic (?)

(Is it really a fic when it comes from the creator of the show himself???)

As much as I love having him do this all (especially over such a long time), I need this as a text document (hope you don't mind, Sir @davidjenks [if so, let me know and I take it down])

I also edited it a little for easier reading.

1775. An editor comes into work on Christmas eve to find a manuscript on his desk. The title: A HISTORY OF PYRATES by Charles Johnson. (We have no budget so we’ll say the editor is played by Michael Stuhlbarg).

He thumbs through the draft: a scene where a silly fancy pirate robs a fern from some fishermen. Another where he crosses blades in the moonlight with the legendary Blackbeard. Another where they pine for each other from a great distance.

He thumbs further, grudgingly interested. These two pirates settle down with each other. The start a B and B. Huh. The editor is interested now. He reads the last third of the manuscript in detail.

Open on a beach. Nancy Sinatra’s “You Only Live Twice” plays (the track from the movie, this is important. It has the best intro and for some reason is only sporadically available on Spotify). We use the classic James Bond opening iris to find a now established inn on a beautiful stretch of beach.

White linen flows beautifully as it’s laid out on a table. Laid by co-innkeeper Ed, with great satisfaction. He lays out glassware. Perfect. Flowers. Perfect. He is content in this working meditation. He is precise in his adjustments to create beauty

Over the following: “You only live twice or so it seems. Once for your life and once for your dreams.”

Meanwhile, a cluster of frustrated guests attempt to check in with a flustered Stede. The inn has become quite popular. A well-heeled family has hired it out to host a wedding banquet.

They’re dicks. Very demanding. This is a Christmas event and they want everything to be perfect. Stede’s overwhelmed and put upon at the front desk, Ed’s nowhere to be found. (Song: “You drift through the years and life seems tame.”) The year is 1719, two years after the events of the second season.

The inn has become a bit of a bougie destination. A kitschy remnant of the bygone golden age of piracy run by two eccentrics who were apparently involved somehow.

Stede assures the guest of honor that their stay will be smooth. They’ve rented out the entire inn after all. The guest asks him if the rumors of his pirate days were true. Stede says they’re largely embellished. A marketing hook that has worked to attract attention.

---

First mate Jimenez (Jim to a lucky few) barks orders to the crew. New faces (tbd) in addition to old (Archie, Fang, The Swede, Lucius, Black Pete, Roach). Jim very much resembles Izzy in style with them own unique flair.

We see the ship has been rechristened “Izzy’s Revenge.”

Jim reports to the Captain’s quarters. They are approaching the English fleet, as instructed. “Yeah, well, great, fantastic,” says Captain Frenchie. “Initiate plan A.”

The English fleet looks at the approaching ship. Surely it can’t be pirates. No pirate captain is dumb enough to approach warships. They spy a white flag on the ship. The bridge appears to be on fire. The occupants seem to be merchants in distress.

Once aboard an English ship, Black Pete confirms they were indeed attacked by pirates. A Christmas Day attack no less. Clearly these pirates were godless and had no regard for a holy day. Lucius says they were bringing food and clothing to the poor on behalf of a Dutch merchant.

Tired and building a crib. Goodnight and merry Christmas Eve you beautiful bastards.

To be continued… *

The rest of the English fleet is dispatched to find and destroy the “pirate attackers.” The captain of the English fleet consoles our crew. Prince Richard has mostly cleared the seas of piracy. He’s parlayed the destruction of the Republic of Pirates into becoming Governor of nearby New York.

Jim says they’re huge fans of Prince Ricky. The captain tells them they’re headed to his Christmas festivity in New York City. Frenchie feigns surprise at this. He’d love to meet the Prince Governor. The captain laughs. His Highness doesn’t make a habit of granting average merchants an audience.

Roach holds a knife to the captain’s throat. Perhaps he’ll make an exception for these merchants. Captain Frenchie explains the survivors of the Republic of Pirates Massacre would like to send the Prince a Christmas gift. Pirates haven’t been abolished. “We’ve just become more cautious.”

The English captain laughs. No matter what they do, these pirates are dead. Smoke appears in the horizon. The rest of the English fleet burns in the distance. They’ve been ambushed by the other survivors. Five other pirate crews who’ve been biding their time since Ricky’s attack.

Jim invites the captain and crew to join or die. “You silly puta bitches. We can’t be wiped out. We have too much work to do.” Roach releases a carrier pigeon. The mainland should be alerted, the plan is in motion.

---

Meanwhile at the Inn, Ed regales guests about Stede’s murder of Captain Badminton and Admiral Badminton. He’s rewritten it to enhance Stede’s cunning and ruthlessness. The guests hang on every word. Why did he murder both brothers? Ed supposes he did it for love.

Stede interrupts and calls Ed aside. Can he please help make up some of the rooms? Stede is drowning. They’re at full capacity. Ed bristles at this. He’s really more of a “front of the house guy,,” they’ve talked about this. Stede says that’s not a thing. This is basically a two man operation.

Ed says Stede’s being melodramatic. That’s why they hired Applejack, an amiable drifter who helps with odd chores around the inn (again, as our budget is unlimited, Applejack is played by Kevin Bacon).

A guest asks for an extra room key. Stede calls for Applejack, who runs to the front desk to help the guest. Stede says he wishes he had ten more just like him. Ed mutters “I bet.” Stede asks what that’s supposed to mean? Ed says Stede gets nervous whenever Applejack is around. For some reason.

Stede denies this, but it’s clear he has an affinity for this handsome drifter turned handyman/bellman/bar back/chambermaid.

Stede: “Applejack’s a good man and a solid employee.” Still, even with the help, the inn has become a management feat. It’s been two years since they discovered the place and renovated it, and a little over a year since it opened to customers. Ed and Stede never dreamed it would catch on so quickly.

Ed: “People like that we were pirates mate. It’s one of the main things that draws a crowd.” Ed sees it as his job to tell stories of their buccaneering past even if he stops short of telling everyone he was the legendary Blackbeard.

For Stede’s part, he’d just as soon leave that life behind. He’d quit just as he was making a name for himself, which had been his lifelong dream. Better alive as Ed and Stede than dead as “Gentlebeard” as the couple were starting to be known in pirate lore.

How much time can one spend as a lawless brigand before their ticket gets punched? Their brush with Ned Lowe followed by the untimely death of Izzy Hands soured Stede’s romantic notion of piracy. Less and less in love with death, he was increasingly scared of losing whatever life he and Ed shared.

Ed bristles at the mention of Izzy. He clearly feels Izzy’s death was his fault. And he was always worried that he’d pay for the horrible things he did to one of the only two people on earth who truly loved him unconditionally. Some not small part of him still feels cursed by the loss of Izzy.

Stede tells Ed it’s better if they just let the past be and make this work. He thought the inn was their ultimate reward. They haven’t even gotten to build the bait shop addition yet. Ed: “Bait shop?” Stede: “Yes. Remember?” Ed: Why in the hell would we have a bait shop?” Stede: “You don’t remember?” Ed: “I said something about a bait shop? Must’ve been loaded, mate.”

Stede tells Ed it doesn’t matter. What matters is they have a full inn, an event to plan, and Ed needs to do more than obsess about linens (Ed loves the linen management aspect of innkeeping) and tell tall tales of their criminal past to guests. Ed doesn’t know who any of these people are. What if someone is looking for them? No more “front of house/back of house” bullshit. They both need to do everything to make this place a success. Applejack can only help so much, he’s drunk half the time.

Ed, chastened, says he’ll do what he can. Stede says he better. He’s not changing his life a third time, this place needs to work. He marches off to deal with a wedding cake delivery. The icing is melting in the hot Caribbean sun.

Ed decides to take a smoke break. He puffs his pipe outside, talking to someone off camera. “I don’t know, mate. Thought this was the thing. And I do love aspects of it. Flower arrangement. Linens. We spent a fortune on the linens, but god they’re lovely. But it seems like we’re almost… roommates. Coworkers definitely. We built the place together and that was fun. But the whole customer service aspect. And you know, I don’t think he even loves it? Spends half his time muttering in his sleep about The Revenge.”

Reverse to find Ed is talking to “Izzy.” Or his grave at least. Ed’s cordoned it off with a white picket fence and keeps it well. “I guess you’re right. I have a hard time just being content.” Ed explains that he does want the place to succeed, but he wants to do it with his partner.

He didn’t want the stress of the thing and the daily drudgery to pull them apart. The whole point of the thing is they could do it together without getting murdered. It was the ultimate retirement plan.

“Pff. You didn’t even know what retirement was ya twat.” Izzy’s voice, clear as day. Ed looks up quickly. No one is there.

---

Meanwhile, a pigeon flies through the rain

Over the sea

To land

To a city. New York City. It lands at a humble soup kiosk at what is now probably Doyers Street in southern Manhattan (aka Doyers Street Angle, great dim sum here in the year 2025 btw)

Auntie, serving several customers, spots the note on the bird’s leg before shooing it away. She scoops it up and opens a trap door in the kiosk’s floor.

A ladder goes deep down into the ground. Sounds can be heard. Party sounds. Bar sounds. Gambling sounds.

The colonies have been good to Jackie and Zheng, now business partners in the largest underground gambling den and speakeasy in history

The note is passed through the packed club. Wee John Feeney performs a Christmas number as fabulous his alter ego, Bloody Nellie Blaye

The note finds its way to The Swede. He can’t read but Auntie wouldn’t be hand delivering it if it weren’t important

Jackie opens the note at her table. It reads: “Today.” She passes it to Oluwande who puts it in Zheng’s hands at the roulette wheel.

---

Meanwhile, Governor Prince Ricky prepares his Christmas address to a wealthy audience. He reviews his remarks and wants to make more of a point of eradicating piracy globally. “It really was quite easy. Even China’s “greatest pirate” turned out to be no more than an easy mark.

---

Back on the Revenge. Jim plays with the ring around their kerchief, left to them by Izzy. They look at the ring from time to time. Silver and emerald. The emerald seems to grow brighter when the sea is choppy and the clouds set in.

They spot a simple, worn engraving inside the band of the ring: Teddy

No reference to Teddy among Izzy’s spartan belongings. Frenchie was given his scope and dagger, Roach his boots (though they didn’t fit), but the prize for Jim was kerchief and ring. Sometimes, oftentimes, they’d wear just that for Archie.

“Wonder if that was his father?” Lucius inspects the ring with Jim. “Maybe he was mateyed,” surmises Black Pete. Oh that poor bastard. The Izzy they knew was a lot of things but would have been a handful as a spouse. “Maybe Teddy’s why he became a handful.”

Roach “It’s Ed. Teddy’s another form of Edward. Or sometimes Tedward.” Fang shakes his head: “Captain never went by Ted. He’d rather be called shithead.” Jim catches a look in Fang’s eye: “You knew Izzy longer than any of us.” Fang nods. He knew Izzy longer than Blackbeard. Jim: “Who’s Teddy?” Fang: “I’ll never say. No one’s business but Izzy’s.”

Before they can press further, Captain Frenchie stands at the bridge. “Merry Christmas everyone. Welcome to the harbor of New York. Costumes on, we’ve some shit to wreck.” The Revenge indeed is closing in on New York’s harbor.

---

Stede has a cake emergency on his hands. Buttercream and hot sun don’t mix. At least, not without considerable effort. Applejack fans the wedding cake as Stede tries to remold it into something passing for elegant

Applejack tells Stede he’s doing a good job. Stede is literally sweating it: “Thanks Applejack. We really need this. They booked the entire inn out of nowhere. If this event works there’ll be others.” Applejack: “Do you like this? Running an inn?” Stede: “Of course.” But the moment he says it, he realizes he might not. Applejack: “Ed seems to love it.” Stede: “Really? What tells you that?” Applejack notes how Ed handles the linens, arranges the fine glassware. He’s quite adept at it. Stede: “If inconsistent. Interest isn’t Ed’s problem.” “Maintaining interest. That’s his issue.” Applejack: “And what’s yours?” Stede: “I get myself into jams.”

As Stede and Applejack attempt to right the cake, start Blondie’s Out in the Streets: “Oooooh”

Blackbeard wistfully studies Stede from the bar as he wraps silverware in napkins: “He don’t hang around with the gang no more. He don’t do the wild things that he did before.”

Ed thinks about Stede’s crazy pirate days. Sword fighting, treasure hunting, lighting dudes ablaze. Blondie: “He used to act bad, used to but he quit it. It makes me so sad. ‘Cause I know that he did it for me. And I can see. His heart, his heart is out in the street.”

Stede thinks he catches Ed glancing at him, but Ed appears to be just wrapping silverware. He watches his fingers work delicately: “He don’t comb his hair like he did before. He don’t wear those dirty old black boots no more.”

Stede looks at Ed’s lips, pursed in concentration: “But he’s not the same. There’s something about his kisses.” (Flash to Ed and Stede kissing passionately aboard the Revenge… … then flash to Ed snoring, asleep in the in, while Stede lies awake next to him much like his days with Mary) “I know there’s something missing inside. Something died. His heart. His heart is out in the streets.”

Ed and Stede make eye contact from across the room. Blondie suddenly stops. Ed: “What?” Stede: “What?” Ed: “Nothing. Just finishing place settings.” Stede: “Well hurry up this cake is fucked.” Ed: “Looks like you and Applejack have it in hand.”

Applejack: “Actually, could you get in here for me? I’m kinda making a hash outta this.” Ed thinks about it, then: “Nah mate you’ve got it. This silvers not gonna wrap itself.” Applejack says he’ll take over silverware duty. Ed comes over to help with the cake.

Stede and Ed manage to steady it, buttercream on their fingers. Stede: “Whoop.” Ed: “Thing’s a bleeding liability.” Stede: “Let’s get this thing over with. Maybe no more large functions.” Ed: “At least none with massive fragile desserts. Icing’s not bad though.” Stede: “Might give you the shits.” Stede: “The Carribean’s not known to be kind to cream based thingies.” Ed: “You did alright tho.” Stede smudges icing on Ed’s beard: “Ha.” Ed returns fire: “Don’t escalate this Bonnet.” Stede: “Don’t trifle then.”

They’re interrupted by a throat clearing. The groom’s mother, Hypatia, a wealthy, eccentric old crone glares at them. “If you’ve finished your flirtation?” Stede: “Oh. Yes ma’am. Just making sure this hasn’t spoiled.”

Hypatia looks unenthused. This inn wasn’t her choice for the function but she intends this to go off without a hitch. Stede notices that he hasn’t yet seen the bride or the groom. Hypatia insists they’ll be there. Most of the family has already checked in.

The family and friends have indeed checked in. They are an odd looking bunch. Moneyed, but eccentric moneyed. Some even look a little grizzled. Ed surmises most wealthy people look this way. Stede knows better. But who else is booking a wedding at a small inn in the Caribbean?

Stede says their money was good and they paid in advance for the entire place. So fine. Hypatia insists Ed and Stede be there for the ceremony, which starts in hours. Ed wonders why she wants both of them to be there. Rich people. They want the world he guesses.

Again, Stede is doubtful about their status. Their “uncle” just lit a match on his own stubble.

---

Governor Prince Ricky rehearses his Christmas speech as a crowd forms outside. He’s wearing a festive nose, shiny brass. Ricky’s speech is sober, anti-crime, anti-deviance. He’s become an abolitionist of all manner of social behavior since his attack on the Republic of Pirates

He orders his long suffering valet to fetch him a glass of water before his speech. His throat is scratchy. The valet retrieves a glass from the kitchen. On his way we see that almost all of Ricky’s house staff has been replaced. Roach, Olu, Wee John, even Zheng bide their time disguised as help

Outside the Governor’s mansion, among the crowd, a new small faction arrives. Jim dressed as a priest (their now preferred disguise), Frenchie as an elderly man, Black Pete and Lucius as roast chestnut sellers. Archie as beggar. All are armed and awaiting Ricky’s entrance.

---

Meanwhile at the inn, the guests mingle. Ed scans the room, and mutters to Applejack. “These rich wankers are exhausting. Can’t wait to get this over with.” Applejack nods. Yeah the Inn business must be hard. All of these people with all of these demands. He asks Ed if he misses the sea.

Ed shrugs. Sometimes. His leathers were feeling pretty heavy there for a while. He didn’t mind trading them for the crisp white linen suit he’s wearing now. Applejack: “Blackbeard in a linen suit. Who’d have guessed.” Ed becomes cagey. “Blackbeard? Where’d you get that?”

Applejack: “C’mon, it’s obvious. You have the hair, the same tattoos, it’s obvious.” Ed: “Dunno what you’re on about mate. You flatter me. I never rose above scallawag. Mine was a short career, that’s how I survived.” Applejack: “My mistake. Over active imagination I guess.”

Ed excuses himself to find a flustered Stede. The ceremony is about to start. Ed: “Well that’s good isn’t it?” Stede: “I haven’t seen a groom. Have you? Or a bride.” Ed: “S’bad luck though, seeing the bride isn’t it?” Stede: “I don’t even know who the bride and groom’s parents are. Isn’t that odd?”

The priest speaks up. A sober grey haired man with a glass eye, he’s massive in size. Almost a giant. Clears his throat: “If we might get started?” Stede looks around. Started? How? Ed notices everyone looking at them. Every guest. Their eyes are hard.

Priest: “We are here to witness the union of Stede Bonnet, aka the Gentleman Pirate and his partner in all things, Edward Teach. Aka Black Beard.” Ed (quietly): “Ffffuck” Stede: “Wh-what is um happening?” Every guest presents a weapon, a knife or gun. The Priest: “An admirer sends his regards. And regrets. For missing this special day.”

---

Meanwhile, Governor Prince Ricky finishes his glass of water and readies himself to walk out on stage. He strides out to greet the packed crowd, who cheer their tough on piracy Governor Prince. Jim handles a throwing knife. Frenchie plays with a pistol, at his side.

A long barreled rifle has Governor Prince Ricky in its sights. Spanish Jackie holds it, aiming carefully at Ricky’s forehead.

Ricky welcomes the crowd, and clears his scratchy throat. He takes out cards for his speech, but the first one seems to have been replaced. It simply reads: “Feeling ill?”

Ricky turns white. He looks over to find his valet staring at him from the wings. He flips another to another card: “It won’t be long now.” Ricky grabs his throat. He’s choking.

The crew members of the Revenge exchange confused looks. Jackie, to herself: “The fuck?” Ricky falls to the ground foaming at the mouth and shaking. The crowd panics.

One of the last things Ricky sees as he dies is his valet turning to leave. He flashes on the glass of water he just drank. We see another flash of the Valet poisoning it before handing to to Ricky.

Jim tries to get to the stage. “No no no it was supposed to be us!” Archie pulls them away. “It doesn’t matter who did it does it? The job is done.” Jim: “It matters.” But it’s too late. Authorities are surrounding the body. Even a symbolic strike would be suicide.

---

Ed and Stede are surrounded by fifty armed guests. Ed: “What the fuck is this?” Priest: “Recompense. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” An old woman slashes Stede. Her husband fires at Ed and misses. Stede punches the woman in the face. Ed kicks her husband in the chest, and pulls Stede out of the room.

Breathing heavily, blood running down Stede’s face, a fire poker jammed through the handles of the doors to the communal room. Stede: “Who slashes someone at a wedding?” Ed: “A fucking dead woman. You alright?” Stede: “I mean… no. But yeah.” The doors lurch. They’re coming down.

“You guys are the fucking coolest. Gentlebeard.” Stede and Ed turn to find Applejack. Stede: “What in the hell is happening?!” Applejack: “Are you or are you not Gentlebeard?” Ed/Stede: “Yes fine fuck whatever.” Applejack: “Knew it.” Applejack throws each of them a sword, and draws two pistols.

Applejack fires through the doors at the next big push. Ed: “Mate, are these folks with you or what?” Applejack: “Tell you later. We probably gotta kill the lot of them.” Stede: “What?!” The doors lurch open. Ed, Stede and Applejack do hand to hand combat with some forty remaining guests.

Reprise of you only live twice as Stede, Blackbeard and Applejack lay waste to a room full of hired killers. “You only live twice or so it seems. One life for yourself and one for your dreams.” It’s an ugly fight. Stede and Blackbeard end up slashed and punctured. Applejack as well.

“You drift through the years, and life seems tame. ‘Til one dream appears and love is its name.” Blackbeard grabs a lantern and smashes it, lighting several of their assailants, and the inn, ablaze. “This dream is for you, so pay the price. Make one dream come true, you only live twice.”

Ed and Stede run while Applejack covers them. They crash through the window onto the beach. Several assailants follow but Ed and Stede manage to lose them. “And love is a stranger, who’ll beckon you on. Don’t think of the danger or the stranger is gone.”

Applejack snipes the assailants from the porch with a rifle. Ed and Stede make their way to a nearby cave. They are chewed up, stabbed up, slashed, a bit burnt. But alive. Stede: “Well what in the fucking hell was that?!l” Ed: “Someone has it in for us.”

---

Guards swarm Ricky’s still twitching body. The valet is nowhere to be seen. One of the cards reads: The crew of Stede Bonnet’s Revenge did this.

---

Stede and Ed collect themselves and think of who might wish them dead. Ed: “Long list mate.” Stede: “Not for me. But those who wish me dead must really mean it.” Applejack happens upon the cave: “You guys that was nuts.” He hands over a bloodied envelope. It reads: “Stede Bonnet”

Applejack: “Someone left this on the front desk.” Stede opens it and reads. His eyebrows raise. A husky voice: “Dearest Bonnet. You don’t know my. But I know you. Oh do I know you.”

CUT TO:

A fancy writing desk. Military and naval trophies adorn the walls. An elderly hand writes the letter: “You have taken so very much from me and mine. So now I will take all from you and yours.” We scan the walls and pass a portrait. Captain Nigel Badminton, in better times (aka alive).

We pass a portrait of Admiral Chauncey Badminton. We pass many portraits of the other members of the Badminton family, all played by Rory Kinnear, men, women, and children, old and otherwise.

“We are a proud family Stede Bonnet…” We land on the letter writer. A verrrry elderly Sir Thomas Badminton. He is joined by his wife, Lady Eunice Badminton (both Rory). “And we will ride your kind directly into hell. After take everyone you love.” Eunice: “Advise him we’re taking his lover first.” Sir Thomas: “Yes dear.”

Back at the cave, Stede reads: “By now your crew will be hunted for the murder of a high official.” (In New York City, our crew slinks around trying to avoid detection).

CUT TO

A stained glass window. A familiar voice, it’s Mary Bonnet, arranging flowers in her Barbados home: “We know where your abandoned family lives. Where your children sleep.”

The cave. Stede looks up at Ed, ashen: “Mary. The kids.” Ed: “Guess we’d better get going then.” Stede: “This isn’t your fight. It’s not your family.” Ed: “Your fight is my fight. Your family is my family.”

Applejack: “You guys are the fucking best.” Stede and Ed turn to him. Stede: “Who exactly are you?” Ed: “Seriously mate, what the fuck?” Applejack: “I know I know, I’ll tell you on the way.” Applejack: “You were good to a friend of mine. So I’m gonna be good to you.” Ed: “Who?” Applejack: “You buried him on that beach. Let’s get going.” Stede: “At least tell us your name. It can’t be Applejack.” Applejack: “Theodore. Or Ted. No one’s called me either in ages.” Ed: “Thanks Ted.” Applejack: “All good mate. I’ll be outside.”

As Applejack leaves, Ed and Stede regard each other. Stede: “Can we trust him?” Ed: “Dunno. If not we’ll knife him quick.” Reprise of Out in the Streets: “He grew up on the sidewalk Streetlight shinin' above He grew up with no-one to love He grew up on the sidewalk.”

Wide of Stede and Ed walking off with Applejack: “He grew up running free He grew up and then he met me” The inn burns, bodies litter the beach. We pan to Izzy’s grave. A seagull lands on it. Blackout

---

We hear waves and gulls. And hollow sounding wind.

A different beach. All looks grey and washed out. A gull lands, walks apace. The gull’s tracks in the wet sand seem to morph into something other than webbed flippers. They eventually become imprints of human feet.

A naked man with long white hair walks the beach. It’s Nathaniel Buttons. But his eyes are icy blue now, his hair white as snow. He has no use for clothes.

He comes upon a figure lying in the sand. Two feet. Two legs. A torso, dressed in black.

The figure sits up with a start and a gasp. It’s Izzy Hands.

Buttons: “Dunna try t’talk. Yer in th’ gravy basket ol’ friend. Doggie heaven.” Izzy does try to talk, but it’s a useless rasp. Buttons: “Shh shh shh. We’ve much to discuss, luv.”

+++

Back where we started, many, many years later. The editor looks at the manuscript, pages scattered on the desk. Thoughtfully: “This is some wild shit.”

End of Christmas (Valentine’s?) special episode ?￰ﾟﾏﾴ‍☠️?￰ﾟﾚﾬ

[writernopal]

⚓Folks, she's doing sidequests...⚓

Model of Dutch warship Katarina, Maritime Museum of San Diego

So part of the reason I got a new job last year was to free up more mental energy to do things outside of work that truly mattered to me. After all the health issues I had last year (and frankly, dumb stuff happening at my old job) I realized that my energy was being spent in the wrong places. I moped about it for a while and when I was through with that, I decided to do something about it.

Well, one of the things I wanted to do more of was volunteer...BUT you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a place you can give your time to that isn't during business hours. So a lot of opportunities I was really excited about sort of fell by the wayside. Anyway, a few months went by and I kept it in the back of my mind that I still wanted to volunteer and that I'd keep my eyes peeled for opportunities that worked with my schedule and low and behold, the most perfect thing appeared!

For the past few weeks, I've been going through the Docent Training program at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and once I complete the training (and pass the exam) I will be an official museum docent! This means I'll be leading tours throughout the museum, on our ships, and even during the sailing tours of the bay! This is all on a volunteer basis, and really when I lay it out it sounds like a whole nother job but honestly, it fills me with such joy that it doesn't feel like work at all :D

I've got a long way to go, but I'm having a blast and really learning so much!

[jovianwishes]

I feel like everyone should know about the time that the Dutch spied on Russian warships with submarines for months in the Cold War and absolutely no one knew about it, not even the NATO. Such a Ned move

[sixminutestoriesblog]

ides of march

well, its tumblr's favorite holiday and who can blame us? The assassination of Julius Caesar is probably one of the only group projects that ever went down the way it was supposed to with, well, not complete group participation (there were said to be upward of 60 people involved but only 23 stab wounds - obviously someone was not carrying their weight) but at least a good effort was made at it. But lets take a moment, between our jokes about salad and Animal Crossing butterfly nets to look at what else has happened in history on the Ides of March. For instance, did you know, on March 15th:

1493 - Columbus returned to Spain after 'discovering' the new world.

1580 - Phillip II of Spain put a bounty on the head of Prince William I of Orange for 25,000 gold coins for leading the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Hamburgs

1744 - King Louis XV of France declares war on Britain

1767 - Andrew Jackson, who would go on to be the seventh president of the US, was born.

1820 - Maine became the 23rd state in the US

1864 - the Red River Campaign, called 'One damn blunder from beginning to end' started for the Union Forces in the American Civil War

1889 - a typhoon in Apia Harbor, Samoa sinks 6 US and German warships, killing 200

1917 - Czar Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne, bringing an end to the Romanov dynasty

1955 - the first self-guided missile is introduced by the US Air Force

1965 - TGI Friday's opens its first restaurant in New York City

1991 - in LA, four police officers are brought up on charges for the beating of Rodney King

2018 - Toys R Us announces it will be closing all its stores

2019 - a terrorist attacks two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51, and wounding 50 others

Oof! Pretty bleak, isn't it? It would almost make you think that the day is just bad luck, start to finish and its probably just as well, we're all focusing on assassination instead of other horrors. But wait - its not all bad news! The Ides of March has some tricks up its sleeve yet (joke intended). I'd be telling you only half the story if I didn't add:

1854 - Emil von Behring is born and will eventually become the first to receive the Nobel Prize in medicine for his discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin, being called 'the children's savoir' for the lives it saves

1867 - Michigan is the first state to use property tax to support a university

1868 - the Cincinnati Red Stockings have ten salaried players, making them the first professional baseball team in the US

1887 - Michigan has the first salaried fish and game warden

1892 - the first automatic ballot voting machine is unveiled in New York City

1907 - Finland gives women the right to vote, becoming the first to do so in Europe

1933 - Ruth Bader Ginsberg is born and will go on to become a US Supreme Court justice

1934 - the 5$ a day wage was introduced by Henry Ford, forcing other companies to raise their wages as well or lose their workers

1937 - the first state sponsored contraceptive clinic in the US opens in Raleigh, North Carolina

1946 - the British Prime minister recognizes India's independence

1947 - the US Navy has its first black commissioned officer, John Lee

1949 - clothes rationing ends in Britain, four years after the end of WWII

1960 - ten nations meet in Geneva for disarmament talks

1968 - the Dioceses of Rome says it will not ban 'rock and roll' from being played during mass but that it deplores the practice - also in 1968, LIFE magazine titles Jimi Hendrix 'the most spectacular guitarist in the world'

1971 - ARPANET, the precursor of the modern day internet, sees its first forum

1984 - Tanzanian adopts a constitution

1985 - symbolics.com, the first internet domain name, is registered

The Ides of March turns out to just be a day, like any other day in history.

Unless you're us. In which case -

[greatwesternway]

you mentioned there are strict rules for war machines, what else does that entail?

So at the basic level, war machines from the losing side of a war will submit to those from the winning side. When the war's over, it's over and it's time to settle up. There's some room to save face in that on an individual level in that you can't just claim prizes because your side won. You do actually have to be able to win that fight. This is what saves keeps U-505 from being conscripted into the war planes' games. Spitfire might be able to beat him in an actual battle at sea, but he'd not be able to beat him at one of the museum's sanctioned, pulled-punched brawls.

(That his exhibit is separate and much more somber in nature to the broader plane exhibit also exempts him from getting involved in their playfights, but that's not really anything to do with the Rules.)

As it is, these kind of situations are rare: there's not that many places where war machines from separate sides of a war are in any position to need to navigate these politics.

Unfortunately for U-505, he particularly is subject not only to the same rules all war machines adhere to, but also the subset under prize rules. He is the sole victim of the great irony of prize rules, in fact.

So prize rules are a gentleman's agreement from 18-fuckety-two that basically said that passenger ships aren't allowed to be sunk at all and if you were going to sink or capture a merchant ship, you had to ensure its crew were "in a place of safety" first. Only warhips and merchant ships who were a threat could be sunk without warning. This was all well and fine until WWI when they started using submarines.

See, generally the fix for when you wanted to sink a merchant ship but be cool about it was you'd take the crew prisoner. Failing that, you could let them float in life jackets if they were near to land or you could wait until another boat came by to rescue them. U-505 once sunk a Dutch ship and had a nice evening palling around with the guys from her crew before they were rescued.

But the problem in general is that submarines were more or less exclusively used for taking out merchant ships and operated necessarily by stealth and so having to abide by prize rules didn't really jibe with the modus operandi. Submarines were also not built to take prisoners or capture other ships. There's enough room in there for their own crew and little else. That nice evening with the Dutch crewmen could only happen because there weren't any other ships around to threaten U-505.

So, on account of submarine warfare, prize rules were largely abandoned in WWII.

Mostly.

You can probably guess the rest of this story.

The first ship captured by the U.S. Navy since 18-fuckety-two is a submarine. And despite the irony of him being a class of ship that did away with adherence to prize rules... his captors did follow those rules for him, despite having no obligation to even if they were observing those rules properly since U-505 was a warship.

All 58 of his remaining crew - the entire manifest save for one causality - were rescued, taken prisoner, and by most accounts were treated quite well considering. This means that U-505 is then obliged and motivated to meet his end of the deal. As a captured prize, he accepts that he's U.S. property in general and Guadalcanal's in particular (who was the only one in the task force strong enough to haul him home) and cooperates with orders given (within an acceptable margin of insubordination). And it might not seem it, but this is the dignified thing to do in this event, particularly since his crew were spared.

For as much as he would have preferred to sink that day, U-505 does harbor gratitude for the U.S. Navy's mercy. It's a large imposition to take on 58 prisoners. That he stands now as a monument to U. S. sailors lost in war, his own crew survived and made it home eventually. Most U-boat crews didn't. So that's the bargain as he sees it. He continues to serve this obligation to this day, well after all his crewman have passed on, because that those rules were observed for him is one of the few measures on which he considers himself fortunate.

[usafphantom2]

France has Mirage 2000D fighter-bombers left over and Ukraine wants them

It is no wonder that rumors continue to circulate around France, Ukraine and the Dassault Mirage 2000D fighter bomber.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/09/2024 - 15:41in Military, War Zones

Ukraine needs warplanes. France is retiring some of its Delta Mirage 2000D. And the French government has already promised Ukraine the best precision-guided ammunition from the Mirage.

If France is really going to donate Mirages, the announcement may occur soon. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Ukraine this month.

It is obvious that Ukraine would want some of the Mirage 2000D left over from the French air force. Supersonic, single-engine and two-seater Mirages are fully compatible with SCALP-EG cruise missiles and Hammer smart pumps. The first missile model is already in use in Ukraine; the Hammer will arrive soon.

The French Air Force acquired 86 Mirage 2000D fighters from the manufacturer Dassault and, after three decades of intense use during which several jets fell, it chose to upgrade 55 of the jets for service by the 2030s. This leaves about 20 of the planes that are surplus for France's needs.

Ukrainian authorities have been keeping an eye on this type while working with Danish, Dutch and Norwegian authorities to acquire dozens of surplus European Lockheed Martin F-16s – and qualify Ukrainian pilots in single-seater fighters in the United States and Romania.

“It is possible that the combat capabilities of the Su-24M bombers will be improved by the Mirage 2000D,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk wrote last month.

Oleshchuk is not wrong in linking the French fighter to the existing Sukhoi Su-24M bombers in his air force. The variable geometry sukhois are the main long-range attack aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force.

Firing British-made Storm Shadow and French SCALP cruise missiles at a range of about 320 kilometers, the Su-24 blew up Russian navy warships, attacked Russian air bases, knocked down bridges in Russian-occupied territories and destroyed Russian headquarters.

France gave Ukraine about 50 of the SCALPs of 2,900 pounds in 2023 and recently promised another 40. However, the United Kingdom donated an unspecified number of similar Storm Shadows - probably dozens of copies.

However, the Ukrainians have few bombers. The only Su-24M unit of the Air Force, the 7ª Tactical Aviation Brigade in Starokostiantyniv, western Ukraine, went to war in February 2022 with probably two dozen Sukhois. In 23 months of hard fighting, according to the Oryx website, he lost 18 of the bombers.

Although it is possible that Ukrainian technicians can bring back to flight status some of the dozens of abandoned Su-24s that were mofing in open storage in several aircraft cemeteries throughout Ukraine, there is another way to restore the strength of the front line of the 7ª Brigade: to give it the Mirage 2000D.

Yes, French jets would need new logistics infrastructure. Yes, Sukhoi crews may have to spend months qualifying for the Mirages. The investment may be worth it, however.

On the one hand, it is increasingly unlikely that Ukraine will obtain surplus warplanes from the United States. Republicans aligned with Russia in the U.S. Congress blocked more aid to Ukraine for months. If the Ukrainian air force intends to rearm itself, it should do so with European planes.

In addition, the Mirages may reach Ukraine shortly after Ukraine also receives a large shipment - hundreds, according to Macron - of bombs driven by Hammer rockets, each with a range of up to 55 kilometers.

The Hammers, which come in 276, 1,100 and 2,200 pounds versions with a variety of search engine options. They are comparable to the Joint Direct Attack Munition gliding bombs that the United States gave to Ukraine before the Republicans cut the aid, and that the Ukrainians installed on their former Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters.

Where it takes time and effort to integrate a new Western ammunition into a Soviet-made Sukhoi or MiG warplane, the Mirage 2000D has been compatible with Hammer bombs since the ammunition debuted in French service in 2007.

Source: Forbes

Tags: Armée de l'air - French Air Force/French Air ForceMilitary AviationMirage 2000DWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

Sharing

tweet

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

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

Related news

EMBRAER

Embraer and Mahindra announce collaboration for the C-390 Millennium in India

09/02/2024 - 11:03

HELICOPTERS

U.S. Army cancels FARA program after observations on Ukraine's battlefield

09/02/2024 - 10:22

EMBRAER

IMAGES: Hungary's first Embraer C-390 Millennium is

09/02/2024 - 09:09

MILITARY

Greece evaluates sale of Mirage 2000 jets to India

08/02/2024 - 19:28

HELICOPTERS

France buys more NH90 helicopters for its Special Operations Forces

08/02/2024 - 18:25

MILITARY

Ukraine launches new 'Kamikaze' jet drone against Russia

08/02/2024 - 17:15

homeMain PageEditorialsINFORMATIONeventsCooperateSpecialitiesadvertiseabout

Cavok Brazil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

Commercial

Executive

Helicopters

HISTORY

Military

Brazilian Air Force

Space

Specialities

Cavok Brazil - Digital Tchê Web Creation

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.9

141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. 1226 – Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. 1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa. 1500 – The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. 1701 – Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three-year occupation. 1765 – After a campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son may have actually died by suicide. 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published. 1796 – Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. 1811 – Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí. 1815 – Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine. 1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally. 1842 – Giuseppe Verdi's third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost opera composers. 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush. 1847 – Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz. 1862 – American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (rebuilt from the engines and lower hull of the USS Merrimack) fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships. 1908 – Inter Milan was founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan. 1916 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies. 1942 – World War II: Dutch East Indies unconditionally surrendered to the Japanese forces in Kalijati, Subang, West Java, and the Japanese completed their Dutch East Indies campaign. 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia. 1945 – World War II: A coup d'état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power. 1945 – World War II: Allied forces carry out firebombing over Tokyo, destroying most of the capital and killing over 100,000 civilians. 1946 – Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more. 1954 – McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy", produced by Fred Friendly. 1956 – Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policy. 1957 – The 8.6 Mw  Andreanof Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands, causing over $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami. 1959 – The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York. 1960 – Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis. 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight. 1967 – Trans World Airlines Flight 553 crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26 people. 1974 – The Mars 7 Flyby bus releases the descent module too early, missing Mars. 1976 – Forty-two people die in the Cavalese cable car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date. 1977 – The Hanafi Siege: In a 39-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings. 1978 – President Soeharto inaugurated Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java. 1987 – Chrysler announces its acquisition of American Motors Corporation 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day. As the comet made its closest approach to Earth on March 26, all 39 active members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed ritual mass suicide over a period of three days, in the belief that their spirits would be teleported into an alien spacecraft flying inside the comet's tail. 1997 – The Notorious B.I.G. is murdered in Los Angeles after attending the Soul Train Music Awards. He is gunned down leaving an after party at the Petersen Automotive Museum. His murder remains unsolved. 2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights. 2012 – A truce between the Salvadoran government and gangs in the country goes into effect when 30 gang leaders are transferred to lower security prisons.

[ltwilliammowett]

Dutch warships off Gibraltar, c.1650, by Arnold de Lange (1968-)

[illustratus]

The Battle of Texel 1673 by Jan de Quelery

[ciamun25-hcc]

Ottoman Victory in Padang Sidempuan

Ottoman Empire's 75k troops have defeated the Dutch troops, but some have retreated to Padang.

- 7000 Infantry - 6 Field Guns - 2 Warships - 250 Logistics personnel

5k Ottoman troops have been defeated.

[thoughtlessarse]

Dutch authorities are closely monitoring developments following heightened tensions in European waters, as the UK ramped up its response to protect critical undersea infrastructure from Russian vessels, the UK government reports. A Royal Navy warship recently tracked the Russian spy ship Yantar as it navigated the English Channel, raising concerns about potential threats to offshore infrastructure. The TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) has emphasized the importance of protecting critical undersea assets. Dutch researchers are working with NATO allies to integrate advanced monitoring technologies, similar to the UK's newly implemented Nordic Warden AI system. This system analyzes data to identify potential threats from vessels operating near sensitive infrastructure, providing alerts to NATO and partner nations. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense in The Hague noted that the Netherlands is investing in similar AI-driven surveillance systems to secure its offshore wind farms, gas pipelines, and undersea cables. “These assets are essential to our economy and energy security,” the spokesperson said. The Netherlands, a key NATO member and strategic partner in safeguarding European seas, is taking note of the increased activity near undersea cables and pipelines that form vital connections across the region.

continue reading

[velvialifestylesummit]

As happened to the recalibration of Eastern Ukraine as the apocalyptic redline for the projected disintegration of Russia, the perennial trespassing of warships from NATO to trigger the apocalyptic redline for the strait of Taiwan may be escalated to reclaim the maritime autonomy of Taiwan leading to the full independence of the longstanding sanctioned island of Formosa, this will eventually reactivate the political implosion of Beijing which is the apocalyptic redline of China for its continental disintegration. This will resolve the economic siege of Russia and China facing the final presidency of Biden to launch the crucial warzone in the strait of Taiwan instead of losing the crucial moment of America to reverse its fading momentum in 2024. Once the untenable redline of China is detonated by the maturity of WWIII through naval warfare in the strait, the final destiny of Taiwan will be declared by the judgement of WWIII in 2024. It is truly the momentous timing for America to fulfill its hegemonic recalibration through WWIII which should be launched by the remaining presidency of Biden and the full coordination of Obama. It is the ultimatum from the heart of Asia Pacific to rewrite the hijacked destiny of Taiwan and the continental destiny of China for WWIII in 2024. This is the apocalyptic passage of WWIII to purge the longstanding repression inflicted on the people of China for the debacle of CCP in Beijing. It is the next level of naval warfare to reclaim the maritime passage in the strait. The heavily thwarted economy of China is unlikely to sustain the apocalyptic impact of WWIII. It is the ultimatum for the outgoing president of America and NATO to resolve the stalemated war zone in the strait of Taiwan. Apparently the strait war of Taiwan to be tackled by the use of advanced naval missiles such as the Neptune missile of Ukraine is necessary for the hegemonic projection of NATO to oust the naval blockade of China. The recalibration of Taiwan Strait as the war zone for advanced naval weapons including hypersonic missiles shall be admitted at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the parliament of EU for the maturity of WWIII in 2024. It is the tactical projection of NATO to wipe out the hijacked maritime passage of Taiwan through naval missiles from destroyers of Dutch and Germany in echoing the maritime provocation of China in the looming Strait War of Taiwan recently. The end of CCP comes from the Strait War of Taiwan which is the untenable redline of China.

[roshmirani]

Submarines, warships capable of moving both above and below the surface

This is a unique ability among warships, and submarines are very different in design and appearance from surface ships. U-boats first became an important element of naval warfare in World War I (1914-1918), when Germany used them to destroy surface merchant shipping. In such attacks, submarines used their main weapon, self-propelled underwater missiles known as torpedoes. Submarines played a similar role on a larger scale during World War II (1939-1945), in both the Atlantic (on the German side) and Pacific (on the American side). In the 1960s, nuclear submarines became important strategic weapons platforms because they could remain submerged for months and launch long-range nuclear missiles without surfacing.

 Nuclear attack submarines, equipped with torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and anti-submarine missiles, also became an important element of naval warfare. Below is a history of the development of submarines from the 17th century to the present. For the history of other warships, see Warships. For the armament of modern attack and strategic submarines, see Missiles and missile systems. Early hand-operated submarines The first serious discussion of a "submarine", that is, a vehicle that could be controlled underwater, appeared in 1578 from the pen of William Bourne, an English mathematician and author of naval books. Bourne proposed a totally enclosed boat that could be submerged in water and rowed. It consisted of a wooden frame covered in waterproof leather.

 A vice would have to be used to shrink the sides to reduce its volume and allow it to sink. Bourne did not design his boat himself, and the construction of the first submarine is usually credited to the Dutch inventor Cornelius Drebbel (or Cornelius van Drebbel). Repeated attempts were made on the River Thames in England between 1620 and 1624, and they succeeded in steering the vessel to depths of 12 to 15 feet (4 to 5 meters) below the surface. It is said that King James I took one for short trips.

 Drebbel's submarine was similar to the one proposed by Bourne in that the outer hull was made of greased leather over a wooden frame. Oars projected from the sides and were sealed by tight-fitting leather flaps, providing propulsion both on the surface and underwater. Drebbel's first boat was followed by two larger boats built on the same principle.