Queen Mary And Scorpion
by Heidi Smith
Title
Queen Mary And Scorpion
Artist
Heidi Smith
Medium
Photograph
Description
Queen Mary And Scorpion - Original photographic artwork by Heidi Smith
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line (known as Cunard-White Star when the vessel entered service). Built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, Queen Mary along with her running mate, the RMS Queen Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York City. The two ships were a British response to the superliners built by German and French companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Queen Mary was the flagship of the Cunard Line from May 1936 until October 1946 when she was replaced by Queen Elizabeth. The vessel also held the Blue Riband from 1936 to 1937 and then from 1938 to 1952 when she was beaten by the new SS United States.
Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and captured the Blue Riband in August of that year; she lost the title to SS Normandie in 1937 and recaptured it in 1938. With the outbreak of World War II, she was converted into a troopship and ferried Allied soldiers for the duration of the war. Following the war, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service and along with Queen Elizabeth commenced the two-ship transatlantic passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The two ships dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s Queen Mary was ageing and though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was operating at a loss.
After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she remains permanently moored. Much of the machinery including two of the four steam turbines, three of the four propellers, and all of the boilers were removed, and the ship now serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel. The ship is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Source - Wikipedia
Authentic Russian Cold War Submarine
The Soviet designated "Project 641" Diesel Electric Attack Submarine, known to NATO as the Foxtrot Class, was one of the most successful class of submarine ever in service to the Soviet Navy. Seventy-nine Foxtrot's were constructed by the Soviet Union, the second largest class of submarines ever built by them, and the b-427, code named "Scorpion," was one of their best! Built at the Sudomekh Shipyards just outside of Leningrad, now once more called St. Petersberg, the keel for Podvodnaya Lodka (submarine) b-427 was laid down in 1971. She was completed and commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1972. At that time, "Scorpion" was fitted with all the latest developments in engines, sonar, radar and weaponry. She was indeed, "state of art" and truly the pride of the Soviet Navy's undersea fleet! Assigned to the headquarters of the powerful Soviet Pacific Fleet based in Vladivostok and manned by a full compliment of 56 sailors, 10 midshipmen and 12 officers, "Scorpion" sailed out on its maiden voyage into the North Sea where she then turned south for her secret journey down the coast of Europe and Africa, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and then into the Indian Ocean. From there she sailed up the coast of Vietnam, then patrolled by the U.S. Navy, through the Sea of Japan and finally to her new home port, Vladivostok. For the next 22 years, the missions undertaken by "Scorpion" are shrouded in secrecy and remain so to this day, still classified TOP SECRET by the new Navy of the Russian Federation. As one of the quietest submarines in the Soviet fleet, it is known that Foxtrot's were extensively used for surveillance of United States Navy Battle Groups as well as electronic surveillance of all types. Although intrusions into North American territorial waters was officially forbidden, we do know that both sides in the Cold War considered submarines as the perfect espionage tool and rumors of such incursions persist to this very day. We also know that the Vladivostok Submarine Squadron was regularly tasked with patrol of the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean as far east as North American territorial waters. After the end of the conflict in Vietnam, elements of the Soviet Pacific Submarine Fleet were also assigned to a new base in Vietnam and it is likely that "Scorpion" spent some time on assignment there as well. It is a real tribute to the submarine forces of both sides in the Cold War that dispite their dangerous proximity to each other for over 40 years, neither side actually fired a shot in anger. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ability and need for the Russian Federation to field the worlds largest fleet of submarines vanished. In 1994, "Scorpion" was decommissioned and ended her 22 year career as a Cold War Warrior, replaced by the next generation of Russian Diesel Attack Submarines, known by NATO as the Kilo Class. In 1995, after negotiations, "Scorpion" was purchased by a group of private businessmen and with the help of the Russian Navy was transported to Sydney Australia for display at The National Maritime Museum and three years later to Long Beach, California where she now proudly stands as a monument to all the brave submarine crews of all sides in the Cold War who went to sea in "Sharks of Steel" and served their countries with honor.
Source - www.queenmary.com
Uploaded
June 14th, 2013
Statistics
Viewed 987 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 04/23/2024 at 4:29 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet