Sunday Stamps - Land and Sea: USA

I looked for something that is found in the sea and came up with a wildlife conservation.

USA - King Salmon - 1956

I was delighted to find that I could show an aircraft carrier as one of my brothers served on British carriers in WWII.

USA - 10 June 1958

This is a Forrestal class carrier from the 1950s of which 4 were built for the US Navy. They were the first supercarriers.

The event was part of the celebrations of the 350th Anniversary of Jamestown, the place where the first English settlers landed in 1607.

For a look at other land and sea related stamps please visit the links at See it on a Postcard

Ship Ahoy - Sepia Saturday

I knew immediately I could match this week's prompt.

The background of a larger shot where people, including a woman and a sailor, are walking away from the camera.

This photo with the woman walking away towards a group of sailors comes from a wartime photo of a band either welcoming home an aircraft carrier, or maybe serenading one about to depart to war.

I prefer the welcome home scenario.

 I also wonder whether that is the band of the Royal Marines?

Unfortunately my elder brother who served on carriers with the Fleet Air Arm during WWII is no longer alive to identify the occasion or the location for me.

I also wonder whether this is another photo taken from a different position on the same day.

This looks much more like a welcome home occasion far different to this action shot.

Depth charges going off

I hope our lady found her sailor as I'm sure you've heard

For other background shots charge over to Sepia-Saturday-258.

Speed - Thematic Photography

Carmi has chosen to show a plane in flight as our prompt for his 'speed' theme so I thought I would follow him,

Landing Speed - 1940s

This was an aircraft coming in to land on an aircraft carrier during WWII.

Someone shouting dinner provoked this turn of speed.

Cody and Lily at racing speed

In the local town of Yarm is the house once owned by a war hero.

Sign for Tom Brown's House

Tom was the hero of the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 where he charged the French to recover the British battle honours. Supposedly Tom was knighted on the battlefield by King George II, the last British monarch to lead an army in the field.

Yarm has a fair in it's high street every October and there is always a chance to get yourself in a spin.

A Ride at Speed

From time to time a photograph gives an illusion of speed and you wonder how it happened.

Speeding Hedgehog

We have speed humps on the lane in my village approaching the primary school, not they would trouble this fellow if he ever made his way across the Atlantic.

Snapping Turtle

No wonder he's snappy, he wouldn't even catch that hedgehog.

No you have the chance to catch your breath before you rush over to Thematic-photographic-234-speed.

Ship Ahoy - Sepia Saturday

Alan's picture prompt this week this shows the German built SS Imperator arriving in New York on her maiden trans-Atlantic voyage in June 1913.

I'm no sailor as trips across the Channel demonstrate clearly. So I have very few photos to show. However thanks to the Pattinson collection at on the Flickr stream of the Museum of Hartlepool I came up with these two.

Sailing ship and a steam tug

At least I found two funnels on the tug whereas the Imperator has three; if I can count the one funnel on the next shot I suppose I can claim three.

Sailing Ship at Hartlepool Harbour

And the one funnel tug.

I had to resort to my brother's photos from WWII to get some people in the frame.

Aircraft Carrier - Somewhere in England

Unfortunately I don't know whether the carrier had just arrived or whether it was about to depart.

The next two photos were identified as the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee which was scuttled by its Captain off Montevideo in December 1939. I have no means of confirming that this is the Graf Spee but can see the similarities with published pictures and Youtube clips.

Admiral Graf Spee

On a happier note I would love to know where and when this last shot was taken as there are hundreds of people involved.

Open day??

I guess I have done sailing now, so I'll leave you with Rod before you change ships over at Sepia-saturday-146 

 

 

Transportation - Thematic Photography

Transportation is such a broad them I don't know where to start. When visiting offshore oil and gas platforms I got used to helicopter rides. However this one was much more fun.

Air Monaco - ready for take off 2006

But while I was in Monaco I wanted a ride on the family yacht.

Unfortunately not my family

Back in the 1980s the Tall Ships came to Stavanger, this was the first ship to arrive.

Tall Ship (name not known)

Another ship at its home port looks more fearsome.

WWII Aircraft Carrier

I suppose transportation wouldn't be complete without a car or two. This one is quite humble but has an interesting name.

A humble Corsa going by the name of Winston

Winston was owned by an English girl in Germany. Now she lives in the USA and drives a German car.

An 'English' Mercedes in the USA

I hope you have enjoyed being transported to foreign parts. For more transportation delights just pop across and see what else is on offer at Carmi's thematic-photographic-203

War Work -Sepia Saturday

I've waited a time before showing some more of my brother's photos from WWII on board aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean.

Aircraft Recovery

I believe this is a Swordfish but will stand correcting if anyone knows better.

Two planes in a collision

It is difficult to imagine how they finished up like this.

Finally one on its nose.

Precarious position

This is a post in which I am lost for words other than I'm glad my brother came home safely.

For different types of work you should visit Sepia-saturday-119

Greyish - Thematic Photography

When I saw the theme was greyish I immediately thought of battleship grey.

HMS Illustrious - 1940 Aircraft Carrier

 

 

This photo comes from my brother's photos taken during WWII. He served on the Illustrious in the Mediterranean  and may have been aboard when Swordfish aircraft from the carrier attacked the Italian fleet at Taranto.

Swordfish (I think)

Seaplanes also flew off carriers but this one seems to have lost its way.

Grounded - Supermarine Walrus

To add a bit of colour to our greyish theme I'll change to grey and green,

13th Century Parish Church, St Mawgan, Cornwall

Dedicated to St Mauganus and St Nicholas

St Mauganus was a Welshman so I'm told.

In North Yorkshire the best preserved ruins of a Cistercian monastery are those of Fountains Abbey.

Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

I have nearly 40 photos of the Abbey but for this greyish theme you will have to be satisfied with one.

For other grey matters you need to pay a visit to Carmi's thematic photographic 185

My Brother's War Photos - Sepia Saturday

I showed a few photos before at My Brothers War but Alan's photo this week enables me to post some more. Four men are in this one too.

Fleet Air Arm buddies

My brother Arthur is on the left. Unfortunately I do not know where the picture was taken or who the others are.

His album contains a lot of action photographs including a number of what I believe is a Supermarine Walrus flying boat like this:

Supermarine Walrus

(The picture came from "Aircraft of the Flying Powers", Volume I edited by HJ Cooper, OG Thetford and DA Russell, Harborough Publishing Co., Leicester, England 1940)

The Walrus used for reconnaissance would be catapulted off the aircraft carrier.

Walrus over carrier

I believe the structure you can see below the plane is a catapult mechanism. But how did it get back on board?

The aircraft carrier would slew to one side creating a smooth surface in its wake on which the plane would land.

Walrus landing in the ships wake

Then the plane would be quickly brought alongside.

Crewman on the wing

His job is to hook up the aircraft to the carrier's crane.

Lifting onboard

Operation complete

I have put these pictures together in sequence based on a desciption of the operation I found on the web. Hopefully it makes sense and Arthur's pictures fit together.

For more action please visit Sepia Saturday 96

My Brother's War

One of my earliest memories is what my elder brother told me to say if anyone should ask where he had gone.

At the start of WWII I was only two and Arthur would have been eighteen or nineteen. He had signed up for 22 years service in the Fleet Air Arm.

I don’t know which year it was, but probably 1940, when I told the wife of Air Vice Marshal Sir John Baldwin what Arthur said. At the age of three it would have been difficult for me to see over the top of the gate to the drive of our cottage. But I did as I was told and explained to the lady, “Arthur has gone to stick a bayonet up Hitler’s arse.”

***

My niece recently sent me a video containing over 120 frames of Arthur’s wartime photographs. I am converting them back to individual photos. This is the first:

George Arthur Scotney

Amongst the rest are a series of photos of planes which I think meet this week’s theme.

Landing on Aircraft Carrier(My sepia effect)

 No problem apparently with this one’s engine, but perhaps the engine of the next was too heavy for the plane.

Nose Down

The engine on the flying boat below is plain to see, but perhaps the aircraft should have landed on the sea.

Flying Boat 'grounded'

***

I am still trying to identify the type of planes and the name of the aircraft carrier. What follows is at this stage conjecture on my part.

Another of Arthur's photos is an aerial view of a port under attack from the air. I’m reasonably sure that it is the Italian port of Taranto which was attacked by Swordfish aircraft from HMS Illustrious on the night of 11 November 1940. This successful attack is said to have been used as a model for the later Japanese attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbour.

I know that Arthur served on the Illustrious and visited Malta as part of his service when the carrier protected convoys supplying the island. Was he aboard when the Illustrious was bombed by German planes?  On 10 January 1941 HMS Illustrious made it to Valetta’s Grand Harbour with 196 of its crew killed and 91 injured – the convoy arrived safely.

I have a lot more detective work to do.

Arthur died in 1977, aged just 56.

This is a Sepia Saturday post; there's more at Sepia Saturday 80