A planned 6 week period to clean the hull by the sounds of it, maybe retouch the paint? The timespan is about right for a waterblast and repaint of the hull (beneath the waterline). Couple in with that the distance that she has travelled would indicate being potentially a bit earlier than planned, ...

Possibly the scurvy knave who scratched it was flogged on it either before (or aft of) the Main Mast. :mrgreen: I certainly hope so! Looking at the opposite end of the table there is very little damage to that end. Having built & refurbished Wardroom and Captain's tables in the past, the idioti...

SKB wrote:

RetroSicotte wrote:"Why aren't they using the flats in America?"

Because multiple annual "Burning Man" festivals there have ruined a perfectly flat surface.

Rubbish!
Burning Man (NV) is in a different State than Bonneville (UT).

SKB wrote:Photos of QE's Flag Dining Room.

Someone needs a bollocking over the scratch in that tabletop!

Pushing out the sides of the superstructure to increase internal volume is sensible... but those bows...
Pushing into heavy seas shouldn't require those. Skipper should slow down a bit.

donald_of_tokyo wrote:

0005.04_04_26-2-AUSTAL.jpg

https://www.austal.com/sites/default/fi ... AUSTAL.jpg

Damn, that's seriously ugly!
It also makes the Foc'sle entirely useless with those "side-walls". What's that all about?

The Armchair Soldier wrote:A video featuring the highly mechanised weapon handling system and a loaded F-35 takeoff.

For when everything breaks down... as it does.
OR when someone loses the keys required to operate the system...




Did the commentator actually say "build SIX bombs per hour"????

It looks like the RN saved a few pennies when they painted over the ship's crest on the front of the ramp..

SKB wrote:

PhillyJ wrote:Surely they are for film nights!

Is that still a "thing" nowadays, with all the crew viewing things on their personal devices?

Little J wrote:Report of problems with their new LMT rifles...

New firing pins. A fast & easy fix thankfully.

I've played with these rifles and they are a seriously good bit of gear. Finally a decent 5.56 rifle!

Has NZ followed Sweden and introduced "Lead Free" ammunition for its small arms yet? Not that I'm aware of. There's been similar discussions in Fiji. I don't think it will end there. China has been doing it's normal "death by a thousand cuts" approach and has been influencing Fi...

SKB wrote:Is that to be the new southern end of Victory Jetty? It'll block the Camber and King's Steps. Already a tight squeeze in an out for small boats.

It looks like one of Victory's masts in the background, so would indicate the Southern end.

There will more cheap F/A 18’s, Blackhawks and M113AS4 going cheap soon, we could do a deal on those as well Sadly NZ's current lunatic government will not have anything like those, since they are not "peaceful and environmentally sustainable enough". We should have got Blackhawks instead...

R686 wrote:I think they learnt from the SeaSprite affair

Let's hope not... NZ did very well from the deal!

Pongoglo wrote:Still cant understand why we couldn't get the gun to work with GR7/9.

Engineers can get anything to work, given the resources.
I'd be looking at the BUMF wallahs, desk jockeys & bean counters as probable cause...

We saw similar with the land based testing ramp, although I expect that the low WoD makes it more obvious as the CV looked to be only travelling at maybe 10 knots. As WoD increases the angle of change might reduce. IMHO. The way the bulbous bow was almost breaking the surface confirmed that. Not ve...

An interesting video. It looks like the US supplied the deck handling crew with these jets.
Also interesting to note the rapid change in exhaust nozzle direction as the jet clears the ramp. It puts extra effort into the lift phase at the lower speed off of the ramp.

SKB wrote:So why didn't RFA Tiderace go over with QE and Monmouth to do this job?

Probably not required as QE is simply transiting without conducting OP's.
Fuel burn for the turbines and rotary wing aircraft only.

The cheapest way was to build them 300m from the start of build Correct. All the systems and plant necessary to make catapults work (steam) would be a massive gutting of the ship and rebuild. IF EMALS ever gets working, you still have space issues to fit that system into the hull. On top of that, t...

RichardGip and also GaiverAncem are happily flooding message boxes...

Yup. I've got spammed crap from him regarding "download music".
Haven't clicked on any of the links he supplied... I wonder why.

Cyclone downgraded, but they can do un-predictable things even so... I really think we ought be doing more in the west indies anyway, taking more care of the territories and commonwealth countries there, especially after all they've been through recently! There is still significant damage and destru...

Well she's getting some go-juice... (going by the date of posting - hopefully quite recent)

SKB wrote:This one?

Surely with the .50 at that angle it should be #FearNothingButCod?

Mercator wrote:... the RAAF's operations with the C27J.

Good stuff.
I've been saying for quite a few years that the RNZAF should have a few of those. There is a gap in the capability roster and has remained so, since the Andovers were sold off.