(1823) Evening all, just got back, quite a day, hope you’re all alive and kicking.
16. Yes
15. Two horses’ backsides
14. How true is this?
13. Steve
More on Winston and his decision to go with the new Queen Elizabeth-class battleship:
Warspite: When she was launched in 1913, the use of oil as fuel and untried 15-inch guns were revolutionary concepts in the naval arms race between Britain and Germany, a considerable risk for Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, and Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jackie Fisher, who had advocated the design. However, the new “fast battleships” proved to be an outstanding success during the First World War – Wiki
Why This ‘Outdated’ British Gun From 1912 Scored The Longest Battleship Hit In History | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykkIu_Gns8U
We haven’t the wherewithal to build a ship like that today. There were five of them.
This YT is now up at NOWP.
12. Twofer
11. Steve at 1307
Hearts of Oak: Robert Spencer – Sharia vs. the Constitution: Explosive Testimony on Capitol Hill
Fifteen related.
Sensitive Island man files
“What They Discovered about [Sir S ] is Terrifying”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH3hgl_t3sw
Persia: Everything you are about to read happened in the last 24 hours.
The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived off Israel. The USS Abraham Lincoln is conducting underway replenishment 850 kilometres from Iran, loading munitions and fuel for sustained combat operations. MizarVision satellite imagery shows four F-22 Raptors positioned on the active runway at Ovda Airbase in Israel. Not parked. Not sheltered. On the runway. That is hot-launch posture.
The US State Department ordered evacuation of non-essential employees and families from the embassy in Baghdad. Separately, the US Embassy in Jerusalem approved evacuation of non-essential staff from Israel. Two American embassies, two countries, same order, same day.
Israel began opening public bomb shelters in Beersheba, Tel Aviv, and Raanana. Hundreds of IDF reserve soldiers were called up for the air defence command. Yediot Ahronot reported the callups today. You do not activate air defence reserves unless you expect inbound missiles.
Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, America’s largest air operations centre in the Middle East, is completely empty of refuelling aircraft. Tankers do not vanish from their home base. They disperse to secondary locations before operations begin so a single Iranian missile strike cannot destroy the refuelling fleet on the ground. Empty tarmac at Al-Udeid is not absence. It is distribution.
37 fighter jets landed at RAF Lakenheath in the last 24 hours. 12 F-35As. 12 F-15E Strike Eagles. 13 F-22 Raptors. They are expected to depart for the Middle East soon. The staging base is reloading heavier than the first wave that sent Raptors to Israel four days ago.
Two carriers in position. F-22s on hot runway. Tankers dispersed. Embassies evacuating from both sides of the theatre. Bomb shelters opening in three Israeli cities. Air defence reserves activated. Strike aircraft staging in England. Supply ships topping off a carrier strike group within missile range of Iran.
This is not build-up. Build-up is what happened last week. This is final positioning. Every asset is where it needs to be for the first 72 hours of a campaign. The only thing missing is the order.
Tomorrow Oman’s Foreign Minister meets Vance carrying Tehran’s answer. After Friday’s sermon declaring enrichment sacred and six governments evacuating their people, we know what that answer contains. And we know what follows when Washington receives it.
https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/2027417190341689436?
https://x.com/TheIranWatcher/status/2027418554279018908?
https://x.com/World_At_War_6/status/2027436064793870549?