I'm a little late with this video that shows the underground bunker that was the HQ for the FFI in the final days of the German occupation.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Franklin Expedition and HMS Terror
In 1845, Sir John Franklin set out in search of the northwest passage and never came back. The expedition disappeared without a trace. His ships have been found and his flagship was the subject of a recent diving expedition. Parks Canada produced a video of the dive showing how remarkably intact the ship is. The link is here as I couldn't embed the video.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Save the Date
Date changed.
On Wednesday, August 15, 2018 I will be giving a talk at the World War II Museums Lunch Box Lecture Series. These are a twice a month free lectures on various war related topics. The speakers range from history professors to amateur history buffs like me. I will be talking about U 853 which was the last German submarine sank off the east coast. If you are in New Orleans on that day, feel free to drop by.
On Wednesday, August 15, 2018 I will be giving a talk at the World War II Museums Lunch Box Lecture Series. These are a twice a month free lectures on various war related topics. The speakers range from history professors to amateur history buffs like me. I will be talking about U 853 which was the last German submarine sank off the east coast. If you are in New Orleans on that day, feel free to drop by.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Book Review - Dawn of Infamy
I've enjoyed books by Stephen Harding before and this story about a long forgotten ship sinking on December 7, 1941 caught my attention. The story is about a small freighter carrying a load of lumber to Hawaii that was sunk within minute of the attack on Pearl Harbor and may have preceded the actual attack there. The ship sank without a trace and the crew vanished. What happened to them is one of the mysteries of the war.
Unfortunately, Harding goes into too much detail and turns what could have been in intriguing mystery into a long slog of details. He devotes the first 100 pages to a history of the vessel, it's various owners, details of the military contract under which it operated and biographies of each crew member no matter how trivial. He then describes the sinking in a few pages and follows that with the personal stories of the families who tried to recover insurance.
He ends with a series of speculations as what happened but falls back on the obvious - a crew in life boats on the open ocean have a good chance of dying from starvation and will likely be lost forever.
If you are really into the minutia of a small side issue to Pearl Harbor, you may enjoy this but I did not.
Unfortunately, Harding goes into too much detail and turns what could have been in intriguing mystery into a long slog of details. He devotes the first 100 pages to a history of the vessel, it's various owners, details of the military contract under which it operated and biographies of each crew member no matter how trivial. He then describes the sinking in a few pages and follows that with the personal stories of the families who tried to recover insurance.
He ends with a series of speculations as what happened but falls back on the obvious - a crew in life boats on the open ocean have a good chance of dying from starvation and will likely be lost forever.
If you are really into the minutia of a small side issue to Pearl Harbor, you may enjoy this but I did not.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Dinner with Liberals
Youngest grandson, 12 year old P, and I went to Dinner with a Curator at the WW II Museum last night. The topic was US propaganda during the war. Dinner seating was community style with tables set up as 10 tops. We happened to be seated between an elderly Jesuit Priest who also happened to be the retired President of Loyola University and a woman who worked for Sister Helen Prejean of anti death penalty fame. (Don't ask me how that happened. Seating was open) The conversation was interesting and generally focused on history but towards the end of the meal the priest mentioned that he had not met anyone who would admit to voting for Donald Trump. I raised my hand and said, "You have now". Luckily, the presentation started before we could get into any further discussion of politics.
On the way home I told my grandson that the people we were sitting with live in a liberal bubble - a college campus in a majority democratic parish. If our priest friend were to get out to the neighboring parishes he might meet a Trump voter or two.
On the way home I told my grandson that the people we were sitting with live in a liberal bubble - a college campus in a majority democratic parish. If our priest friend were to get out to the neighboring parishes he might meet a Trump voter or two.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
This Week in Oil and Gas History
March 2, 1944
The first gasoline transported in the "Little Big Inch" pipeline arrives in New Jersey. The 1200 mile long pipeline was built in response to tankers being lost to German U Boats operating off the east coast. The "Little Big Inch" was a 20" refined products pipeline. It carried gasoline, heating oil, diesel and kerosene separated by solid rubber balls called "pigs". Its companion pipeline, the "Big Inch" was a 24" pipeline that carried crude oil and was completed soon after.
For comparison, the Trans Alaska Pipeline is only 790 miles long. The Keystone XL pipeline is 1200 miles long and 36" in diameter.
After the war, the two pipelines were sold as surplus government property. Texas Eastern Transmission Company was formed for the sole purpose of bidding on the pipelines and converting them to carry natural gas. Their winning bid was over $143,000,000. They operated the pipelines for the next 40 years. In the 90s there was a flurry of sales and reorganizations in the oil industry. The pipelines are now owned and operated by Spectra Energy.
The first gasoline transported in the "Little Big Inch" pipeline arrives in New Jersey. The 1200 mile long pipeline was built in response to tankers being lost to German U Boats operating off the east coast. The "Little Big Inch" was a 20" refined products pipeline. It carried gasoline, heating oil, diesel and kerosene separated by solid rubber balls called "pigs". Its companion pipeline, the "Big Inch" was a 24" pipeline that carried crude oil and was completed soon after.
For comparison, the Trans Alaska Pipeline is only 790 miles long. The Keystone XL pipeline is 1200 miles long and 36" in diameter.
After the war, the two pipelines were sold as surplus government property. Texas Eastern Transmission Company was formed for the sole purpose of bidding on the pipelines and converting them to carry natural gas. Their winning bid was over $143,000,000. They operated the pipelines for the next 40 years. In the 90s there was a flurry of sales and reorganizations in the oil industry. The pipelines are now owned and operated by Spectra Energy.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
This Week in Oil and Gas History
February 25, 1919
Oregon places a 1 cent tax on gasoline. Within 10 years every state will have a gasoline tax. In 1932, Herbert Hoover will get the federal government into the act by adding another penny for the feds.
February 23, 1942
Japanese submarine I-17 fires shells into the refinery at Ellwood, California. 17 shells were fired over a period of about 20 minutes. The gunnery was wildly inaccurate and did little damage but it did spark panic and invasion rumors. The following night, anti aircraft batteries in LA would fire over 1000 rounds based on a UFO sighting. The "battle" lasted about 30 minutes. Proving that what goes up must come down, over 10 tons of shrapnel and unexploded ammunition fell on Los Angeles.
Oregon places a 1 cent tax on gasoline. Within 10 years every state will have a gasoline tax. In 1932, Herbert Hoover will get the federal government into the act by adding another penny for the feds.
February 23, 1942
Japanese submarine I-17 fires shells into the refinery at Ellwood, California. 17 shells were fired over a period of about 20 minutes. The gunnery was wildly inaccurate and did little damage but it did spark panic and invasion rumors. The following night, anti aircraft batteries in LA would fire over 1000 rounds based on a UFO sighting. The "battle" lasted about 30 minutes. Proving that what goes up must come down, over 10 tons of shrapnel and unexploded ammunition fell on Los Angeles.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
The Heavy Water War
I stumbled across an interesting television series on Netflix recently. It was a Norwegian production whose title translated as "The Heavy Water Wars". It can also be found under the title "The Saboteurs". It is the dramatization of the true story of the effort to destroy the deuterium oxide production in Norway in order to keep the Germans from gaining an edge on nuclear technology. It is well written and well acted by a mix of British, Scandinavian and German actors. And, while I am no expert, the costumes, scenery and cinematography look great.
There are three story lines. They flip between Werner Heisenberg who is leading the German research, the Brits and Norwegian volunteers who are trying to destroy the plant and the Norwegian plant manager.
A word of warning....as it is with most movies who try to be historically accurate, it is in the characters native language. You will have subtitles, even in the English parts, so you can't try to multi task while watching it.
It was presented in 6 segments designed to fit into a television hour. When it aired in Norway, it captured over 60% of the viewing audience. It's worth looking for.
There are three story lines. They flip between Werner Heisenberg who is leading the German research, the Brits and Norwegian volunteers who are trying to destroy the plant and the Norwegian plant manager.
A word of warning....as it is with most movies who try to be historically accurate, it is in the characters native language. You will have subtitles, even in the English parts, so you can't try to multi task while watching it.
It was presented in 6 segments designed to fit into a television hour. When it aired in Norway, it captured over 60% of the viewing audience. It's worth looking for.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
This Week in Automobile History
Henry Ford needed to boost sales for his Model A so he did what all auto manufacturers do to advertise their product - he went racing. On January 12, 1904 he took his 18.8 liter, 4 cylinder Ford Arrow "999" out to a frozen lake between Michigan and Ontario and went almost 92 miles per hour setting a new land sped record.
The vehicle was little more than a huge engine on a wooden frame with a seat for the driver. Henry later said it scared him so badly that he never wanted to get in to a race car again.
18.8 liters is 1,147 cubic inches! I remember when 327 was a big engine.
The vehicle was little more than a huge engine on a wooden frame with a seat for the driver. Henry later said it scared him so badly that he never wanted to get in to a race car again.
18.8 liters is 1,147 cubic inches! I remember when 327 was a big engine.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Fighting Oil Field Fires with Artillery
I ran across an interesting piece of oil field history the other day. It was a first person account of fighting an oil tank fire in 1884. Lightening had struck an oil derrick and ignited a small storage tank. This tank leaked and the resulting pool fire spread to a battery of large storage tanks. The fire then became uncontrollable. The fire fighting method of the day for oil tank fires was to fire a cannon into the tank in order to punch holes and drain the tank before the fire caused the oil to boil over. Several of thee cannon can be found in various oil field museums.
The story was printed in MIT's newspaper, "The Tech". A link to it is here. Be sure to browse the paper for other news of MIT and advertising of the era.
The story was printed in MIT's newspaper, "The Tech". A link to it is here. Be sure to browse the paper for other news of MIT and advertising of the era.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Dec 7
Call it Memory Monday. This is a good day to read this old post again and think about the sailors at Pearl Harbor.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Warbird Pr0n
The Confederate, Oops, Commemorative Air Force flew into New Orleans last weekend with their collection of warbirds and landed at Lakefront Airport (NEW) As a bonus, they brought one of the last surviving Doolittle Raiders, Col. Dick Cole, who answered questions from the audience. If you didn't know, he was Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot. Here is some aviation eye candy.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Museum Trip
Son and DIL were taking oldest grandson off to college so my wife and I had the other 2 grands as visitors over the weekend. She took one off to Thai food and cheese and I took the younger to the WW II Museum. I specifically wanted to see the "Road to Berlin" exhibit.
The exhibit sets are dressed to look like the area where the fighting took place. The upper is Italy and the lower is the Battle of the Bulge with a vintage Opel. Specifically, this set described "Task Force Baum", the team Patton sent to rescue his son in law from a POW camp.
Another great hall is the Boeing Pavilion where they have the large static displays.
The upper is a Sherman in working condition. They can drive it where they want it. The lower is a TBM Avenger similar to the one flown by Thomas Lupo, a local boy who flew in the Battle off Samar. His story is here. In the background is the Medal of Honor wall.
The exhibit sets are dressed to look like the area where the fighting took place. The upper is Italy and the lower is the Battle of the Bulge with a vintage Opel. Specifically, this set described "Task Force Baum", the team Patton sent to rescue his son in law from a POW camp.
Another great hall is the Boeing Pavilion where they have the large static displays.
The upper is a Sherman in working condition. They can drive it where they want it. The lower is a TBM Avenger similar to the one flown by Thomas Lupo, a local boy who flew in the Battle off Samar. His story is here. In the background is the Medal of Honor wall.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Happy Trinity Day
No, not the Holy Trinity but the atomic one. Today is the 70th anniversary of the Trinity Test.
Yesterday I added another link to my atomic chain by attending a lecture by the great-grand daughter of Leslie R Groves - head of the Manhattan Project. She provided personal anecdotes about him that most people don't know. For example, his nickname was DNO (Dino) which he got from his wife. He was either called Dick or DNO, not Leslie. His family never knew what he did or where he went. He often gave them instructions about what to tell people who asked about him. He never carried a briefcase because of security concerns - a briefcase made you look too important. He authorized himself to wear civilian clothes for the same reason. After he received word of the successful bombing of Hiroshima, he celebrated with his family by having chocolate ice cream.
Yesterday I added another link to my atomic chain by attending a lecture by the great-grand daughter of Leslie R Groves - head of the Manhattan Project. She provided personal anecdotes about him that most people don't know. For example, his nickname was DNO (Dino) which he got from his wife. He was either called Dick or DNO, not Leslie. His family never knew what he did or where he went. He often gave them instructions about what to tell people who asked about him. He never carried a briefcase because of security concerns - a briefcase made you look too important. He authorized himself to wear civilian clothes for the same reason. After he received word of the successful bombing of Hiroshima, he celebrated with his family by having chocolate ice cream.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
This Week in Oil and Gas History
June 15, 1954
Mr. Charlie, the first true mobile offshore drilling rig, was launched. Mr. Charlie was the concept of "Doc" Laborde who formed Offshore Drilling and Exploration Company (ODECO). The rig was built by J. Ray McDermott. It is now a museum and training center, the International Petroleum Museum and Exposition in Morgan City, La.
I worked for both of those companies
June 20, 1977
Oil begins flowing in the 800 mile long Trans Alaska Pipeline (TAPS). I was in Anchorage when it was started up. The oil was pushing a pig with a noisemaker on it so its progress could be tracked. The location of the pig was a subject of the news every night.
Mr. Charlie, the first true mobile offshore drilling rig, was launched. Mr. Charlie was the concept of "Doc" Laborde who formed Offshore Drilling and Exploration Company (ODECO). The rig was built by J. Ray McDermott. It is now a museum and training center, the International Petroleum Museum and Exposition in Morgan City, La.
I worked for both of those companies
June 20, 1977
Oil begins flowing in the 800 mile long Trans Alaska Pipeline (TAPS). I was in Anchorage when it was started up. The oil was pushing a pig with a noisemaker on it so its progress could be tracked. The location of the pig was a subject of the news every night.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
This Week in Oil and Gas History
June, 9, 1894
The oil industry started in Texas with the discovery oil in Corsicana, Texas. In the ultimate irony, the contractor was drilling water! For you trivia buffs, Wolf Brand Chili got its start in Corsicana during the oil boom in 1895.
June 11, 1816
The city streets of Baltimore are lit with manufactured gas by Baltimore Gas and Electric, the first gas company in the new world. The gas was manufactured from coal, tar and wood. Save the Whales breathes a sigh of relief.
June 14, 1938
The US Government passes the Natural Gas Act of 1938. This was the first instance of direct federal regulation of the oil and gas industry. The intent was to regulate transportation fees on interstate pipelines.
The oil industry started in Texas with the discovery oil in Corsicana, Texas. In the ultimate irony, the contractor was drilling water! For you trivia buffs, Wolf Brand Chili got its start in Corsicana during the oil boom in 1895.
June 11, 1816
The city streets of Baltimore are lit with manufactured gas by Baltimore Gas and Electric, the first gas company in the new world. The gas was manufactured from coal, tar and wood. Save the Whales breathes a sigh of relief.
June 14, 1938
The US Government passes the Natural Gas Act of 1938. This was the first instance of direct federal regulation of the oil and gas industry. The intent was to regulate transportation fees on interstate pipelines.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
This Week in Oil and Gas History
June 4, 1872
Robert A Chesebrough receives a patent for Vaseline. The 22 year old noticed that that there was a waxy buildup on well heads on a visit to the Pennsylvania oi fields. This material was called "rod wax" and the oil field workers used it for treatment of minor cuts and abrasions. He took a sample with him, purified it and called it petroleum jelly. You have probably used some of it at some time during your life.
June 6, 1967
The first oil embargo was attempted. One day after the start of the Six Day War, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya and Algeria agreed to stop exporting oil to countries friendly to Israel. The emargo lasted about 2 months before it fell apart. They would get better at it later.
It happens that my family was making a cross country drive during this period. We never noticed any shortage of gasoline.
June 4, 1979
The well "Ixtoc One" blows out in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. It took almost 10 months to kill it. During this period, the well spewed out over 3 million barrels (126 million gals) of oil making it second only to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Robert A Chesebrough receives a patent for Vaseline. The 22 year old noticed that that there was a waxy buildup on well heads on a visit to the Pennsylvania oi fields. This material was called "rod wax" and the oil field workers used it for treatment of minor cuts and abrasions. He took a sample with him, purified it and called it petroleum jelly. You have probably used some of it at some time during your life.
June 6, 1967
The first oil embargo was attempted. One day after the start of the Six Day War, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya and Algeria agreed to stop exporting oil to countries friendly to Israel. The emargo lasted about 2 months before it fell apart. They would get better at it later.
It happens that my family was making a cross country drive during this period. We never noticed any shortage of gasoline.
June 4, 1979
The well "Ixtoc One" blows out in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. It took almost 10 months to kill it. During this period, the well spewed out over 3 million barrels (126 million gals) of oil making it second only to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Spitfire Pilot
This is an interview with two women who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in WW II. The ATA was the British version of our WASPs (Womens Airforce Service Pilots). They ferried airplane from the manufacturer to their destinations.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
This Week in Oil and Gas History
May 17, 1882
A well in Cherry Grove, PA flows at an unheard of rate of 1000 barrels per day sending oil price shock waves through the 25 year old industry. What became known as the Pennsylvania 646 Mystery Well caused oil prices to fall to 50 cents per barrel. It's the Law of Supply and Demand in action.
A well in Cherry Grove, PA flows at an unheard of rate of 1000 barrels per day sending oil price shock waves through the 25 year old industry. What became known as the Pennsylvania 646 Mystery Well caused oil prices to fall to 50 cents per barrel. It's the Law of Supply and Demand in action.
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