Have you forgotten?
This post was originally published on 9/11/2020 and updated on 9/11/2021
Where were you on September the 11th, 1999 at 8:46 am? I was at work, D&B Software (Geac/MSA) watching on a TV, on a roll cart, that John Hilyer set-up quickly so we could all watch.
USS Quartz (IX-150), a contemporary of the ice cream barge, used as a “crockery” ship
To say that ice cream was popular in the Navy is an understatement. When the carrier USS Lexington was left sinking at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the captain ordered the crew to abandon ship, some of the crew went into the reefers[1] on the mess decks first and ate every drop of ice cream she had before going over the side.
614 miles per hour fall, almost hitting the speed of sound
On August 16, 1960, US Air Force Captain Joseph W. Kittinger jumped into aviation history. Project Excelsior was a series of parachute jumps made in 1959 and 1960 from helium balloons in the stratosphere. The purpose was to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system[1] intended to be used by pilots ejecting from high altitude
Within 4 minutes, the tin and its contents were piping hot
Back during World War II Heinz made these tins that would heat up in minutes to provide the soldier with a nice hot can of cocoa or soup. You could just pop open the top hatch, ignite the smokeless fuel that was ignited with a fuse. Within 4 minutes, the tin and its contents were piping hot and could be poured out. Anyone could have a hot meal without cooking apparatus.
Get in step. Join the Record Parade. Bring your old records back to your dealer now.
Back during WWII, it was difficult for the record manufacturers to obtain shellac to press new recordings. This started a campaign for people to bring in the old records, even broken, to be re-melted and re-recorded.
DNA identification and the men of the USS Oklahoma
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was commissioned in 1916, a Nevada-class battleship. the first class of oil-burning dreadnoughts (an “all-big-gun” armament scheme, with an unprecedented number of heavy-caliber guns, and steam turbine propulsion).
Improvement over the Musket
The Needle Gun name comes from the firing pin, long and slender like a needle. It pierced clear through the paper-encased cartridge to strike the primer. They really became well known for their use in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.
Normandy’s best kept secret
I was watching “Expedition Unknown” on the Discovery channel Season 8, Episode 1 when I learned about Maisy Battery. I posted about it then and you can read that one here. I was anxious to get this book and was not disappointed. A British military historian and author, Gary Sterne found Maisy Battery after locating a hand-drawn map in a US Army veteran’s uniform he had purchased. He is a keen collector of militaria and was a co-founder of “The Armourer and Skirmish Magazines“.
The USS Doyle DMS-34, obliviously named after me, was a Gleaves-class destroyer (one of sixty six destroyers built 1938-42, designed by Gibbs & Cox, their first ship was called Gleaves). Doyle was built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Washington; sponsored by Mrs. C. M. Maloney and launched March 17, 1942.
They are commonly referred to as “Incendiary Grenades”
I was reading a World War II book on D-Day and they are constantly using thermite grenades. I thought I would do a little research. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create short bursts of extremely high temperatures focused on a very small area for a short period of time.
