THe Mirror that you donīt want to need to use.
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Rating: 5.0/5 [1 user] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: lifeboat mirror reduced.jpg
This is a lifeboat signal mirror. It is for use by wreck survivors to attract the attention of search and rescue personnel. This one is glass and I believe was standard equipment from the World War II era.
I obtained it in the early 1960s with some other war equipment.
I imagine that similar mirrors are still in all lifeboats, but they may now be made from a less fragile material.
As you may notice, some of the reflecting surface has suffered age damage. The instructions on the back are still in very good condition.
You can probably read them if look at the enlarged view.
I have tried to use the mirror while standing still, and expect that in actual use a lot of luck would be required for it to be effective.
A person in a lifeboat with damaged electronic equipment might still welcome its use.
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Sliver Swords on Haleakala
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: silver sword web.jpg
These spectacular plants only grow in the volcanic soil high up on the mountains of Hawaii. They are actually related to the sunflower. They grow for several years before they have a single blooming cycle and die. I stand over six feet tall and this plant touched my arm when I held it straight out. It was a prime example of the plant. I was lucky to see it as its location was not given at the ranger station, only several smaller ones. I think that they did not want it to get too much traffic. I found it because I went wandering around on the side paths at the site and came upon it. |
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On a Volcano
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: me on haleakala web.jpg
I hunched down to get a good view of the interior of the crater of the volcano. This was taken fairly early in the morning because the crater fills with clouds most of the day. The trade winds blow moist air in and clouds form soon after the sun warms the ground. Less than an hour after this picture was taken the whole crater was obscured. If you get the chance to go to Maui and see Haleakala Crater keep this in mind when making your plans. |
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The Bridge to the Royal Gate House in Tokyo
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: emperors gate-me web.jpg
Photography is a huge tourist activity in Japan. I joined in on occasion by having a picture taken at famous spots. In this case it was the area in front of the moat and bridge that leads to the gate house for the imperial palace. It is about the only part of the complex that a tourist can get to see. You can see how long ago it was by the way I was dressed and how young I looked.
More recent pictures that I have seen show little change after some forty years.
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Looking right from the Christos Statue
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: view to right fr Christos web.jpg
Guanabara bay and the city of īRIOī is surrounded by some very impressive landscape. Most of the photos show beaches and the Sugar Loaf. It is really much more scenic than that. |
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Christo Plaque
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Christo Sign GE SA web.jpg
This plaque was placed at the base of the statue by GE SA. It would seem the company installed new lighting for the four hundred year anniversary of the city in 1931. Thiry years later it was still working well and the statue was even more impressive at night. Because of its placement, it can be seen from much of the city of Rio. |
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Christo Redentor, Brazil
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: Christ Redeemer 1 web.jpg
This is a picture of the impressive statue that overlooks Rio. It stands out above the city and looks like a cross etched into the sky. It is more impressive than the more famous Sugar Loaf but is not seen in as many city guides. I went to the base of it via taxi, but there was a small lift train that also went to the top. It has been many years, but I imagine that the lift still exists. It is worth the trip, both to see the true size of the statue, and to see the wonderful views of the whole area of the city and Guanabara Bay. |
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Sugar Loaf from above
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: a sugar loaf web.jpg
This is a view of Sugar Loaf as seen from the viewing platform of the statue of Christo Redentor on Hunchback Mountain. As a Cadet, I had hired a taxi for the day to see the sights around "Rio" and go to the mountain top. It cost nearly every cent that I had at the time, about $20. In 1961 that was a lot. I was never sorry that I did it. When in Rio, look up toward the mountains and you will see the statue standing out against the sky. |
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Using the Sextant and Azimuth Circle
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Rating: 2.0/5 [1 user] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: w-sextant a web.jpg
Here is a view of the Plath Sextant, pictured earlier, in hand ready to take a daytime sighting. Also seen is the gyro compass REPEATER with the Azimuth Circle or Ring mounted over the Compass Card. During the day at sea, Latitude was determined at Solar Noon whenever possible. Single Solar LOPs (lines of position) would also be taken several times a day and advanced by Dead Reckoning to get a Running Fix. If conditions allowed, and you wanted to show off just a little, you would try to get daylight LOPs of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Sirius, or even Vega. This way you might get a good FIX without waiting for Star Time.
At celestial sunrise and sunset, you would use the Azimuth Circle to record an AZIMUTH of the SUN. By comparing the observed value to the computed value, you could check compass accuracy.
The biggest use of the Azimuth circle was for navigation by bearings when within sight of land features. Lesser, but very important, uses were bearing checks for star observations at STAR TIME and checking the bearings of approaching vessels.
(This was taken long ago and far away. It was my first trip on my license, and the sextant was brand new. I wanted a picture to send home.)
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Durban Town Hall 1911?
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Durban Town Hall 3-D web.jpg
As you can see, this is one half of a slide from a Victorian 3-D viewer. The angle is a bit different, but you can see that the building and monument had not changed much in half a century. This one also shows a warrior with a rickshaw like the one described in the previous photo. I would imagine, unless some ordinance now prevents it, that you could still get a rickshaw ride in front of the Town Hall. The power lines seem to be missing in this photo, but it may be because the angle was chosen to omit them. |
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Durban Town Hall 1961
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Durban Town Hall web.jpg
Here is a picture that I took on a rainy day while a Cadet on the S. S. Robin Hood. Missing from the photo are a couple of Zulu Warriors in full regalia with rickshaws. They had a regular business of giving rides to tourists for a moderate fee. It was actually a pretty exciting ride because they get up to a good run and slide back on the shafts. The cart would tip back and they would come off the ground giving the rider quite an unexpected experience.
See the next photo for more details.
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Another Great Sunset
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: another sunset w-trees web.jpg
Seafaring people have the opportunity to see sunsets in a way that is missing for most people. While it is possible to start to take them for granted, really nice ones still catch your attention. I think that this one was taken along the waterway that is the approach to the port of Paranagua, Brazil. I could be very wrong, but it is no less impressive. |
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Ranges on a Famous Lake
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: range markers web.jpg
Here are a set of ranges that allows the pilot to keep a ship lined up in the channel. You can see that there is a buoy just to the right of the kingpost. This marks a turn point in the channel. The ship was about to be turned to starboard to line up with another set of range markers. On this passage, unlike under most passages, the pilot has full con of the vessel. The location is in Central America. The Lake is named Gatun and is an artificial impoundment. What is the rest of the story? |
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Hello New York 2
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Rating: 4.0/5 [1 user] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: NY snow shovels web.jpg
Morning brought the sight of new snow that had drifted up to the level of the hatches. The longshoremen would not work the ship until it had been cleared. It took the efforts of some crew members, on overtime, and a cleaning crew to get enough of it thrown over the side to start cargo operations. The wind had actually been strong enough to keep the amounts low over a lot of the ship. |
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Hello New York 1
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: empire state bldg web a.jpg
This was too good a frame to miss. I think that it is at a U. S. Lines pier on the Hudson River in the spring of 1962.
Notice the nets strung between the pier and the ship at the turn of the bow near #1 hatch. Any cargo that fell out of a sling would fall into the water and be lost without them. The slide is suffering from age fade, but I managed to brighten it up a little.
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Arabian Sunset
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Arabian Sunset web.jpg
We were on a petroleum run to the Persian Gulf at just the right time astronomically. Venus and the Moon made a special sight that I could not pass up. There was a similar pairing in 2005, but this one was about 42 years ago. I suppose it could be looked up and the actual date range determined. |
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Storm Spirit
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: spirit of the storm web.jpg
There are times at sea when you can get somewhat poetic. There is so much beauty in even the most common of things that you can get a little carried away.
Here is the picture of a cloud bank in the late afternoon. the sunlight caught the upper part of a tall cumulonimbus that seemed to have the shape of a profile. I like to think it may be the personification of the essence of the storm.
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Solitary Thunderhead on the Amazon River
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Amazon T-head web.jpg
This cloud stood out so clearly from everything around it that I took its picture. The light in the tropics can be very tricky, especially near mid-day. It is hard to judge the proper exposure for wide scenes. This turned out simewhat under exposed. I feel that it has a bit too much grain after being re-worked. |
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Headed to the Pier
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: heading to pier-santosweb.jpg
We were headed to the coffee piers at Santos ,Brazil. The booms had been rigged out, and were ready to be swung into working position. The battens were off the hatch tarps and are laying near the rail. The crew has not been called to docking stations but there is one member at the rail watching the world go by. |
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Bahia Cable Car
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From: kpbosun
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Filename: bahia cable car web.jpg
Bahia is built on the cliffs that surround a bay. There is a very narrow area at the waters edge. If you want to go to town you first have to get up there. This cable car was the method used. As I remember, it was a balanced system with one car going up while the opposite one came down. It was an interesting ride. A similar, but newer, system is at Niagra Falls. |
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Another Bahia Boat
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: bahia boat-maybe web.jpg
There is a shadow of a doubt about this boat. I am 90 percent sure that it was in Bahia Brazil. It is not in the Amazon. The slides around it are wrong for that and the water is too clean. Notice that the mast is actually a rough cut tree trunk, and the foresail is bound around some sort of a wooden boom. |
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Another Amazon Sailor
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Amazon sailboat web.jpg
In a way, this one looks like it might belong in the Middle East. The Amazon is home to a great variety of craft. One of the crew is taking a nap on the house. Most of these boats provided a living for people. Leisure craft were just not around when I was there. |
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Sailing the Amazon - paddlewheel
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Amazon paddlewheeler web.jpg
You never know what you will see on the Amazon River. Even the century may seem out of joint. We passed this boat anchored, but ready to go. I imagine that boats like this may well go to the head of navigation at Manaus or perhaps beyond.
The slide gave me a bit of a problem as the day was dull and gloomy, but I wanted to let people see it.
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Rudder and fittings in dry dock
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Rating: 4.0/5 [1 user] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: M Gulf rudder+ lg.jpg
This is the stern of a C-3 class vessel. The "wheel" has been removed for replacement. The "boss" where the shaft passes through is just visible on the left. The Third Engineer is standing next to the "skeg" which positions the lower end of the rudder. A close look will reveal that upper and lower parts of the rudder have slightly different angles. This is because the blades of the "wheel" are going in opposite directions as they pass it top and bottom. This compensates for the difference in the water flow at each position.
As I recall, the "pitch" of the blades was 19 feet 6 inches per revolution, and at sea it turned at a bit over 70 RPM. Typical speed was a bit over 16.5 knots.
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GULF in a floating dry dock
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: Gulf drydock 1 lg web.jpg
This is an impressive view of the bow of a C-3 class vessel. You can see the keel blocks and sides of the drydock and the anchor chains "ranged out" for inspection. Each link was struck with a hammer to detect the dull sound of hidden cracks. I think that I used a low powered wide-angle lens for this shot. |
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It is going to rain!
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: mt rainier web lg.jpg
I was told the when you can not see Mount Rainier, that it is raining. I was then told that if you could see Mount Rainier, that it was about to rain. There is more than a grain of truth to the remarks.
When I saw the mountain hanging above the clouds, (rain), I took this picture. It is impressive, (when visible).
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Rainbow off Mexico
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: rainbow tihuana web .jpg
The Captain decided to give the passengers a show and went along the coast. He got a bonus when a small squall gave us this scene. |
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Frost Feathers
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From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: frost feathersweb.jpg
These crystals form on raw ice during very cold nights when there is ample water vapor. I found them in the early morning on a lake, and got out the camera before the sun could hit them. They are about three quarters of an inch high. It has been many years since I took this photo, but, because it has reasonable depth of field, I expect that I used a 3.5X telephoto lens with a thin extension tube behind it. |
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Sunrise in "The Basin" Buenos Aires
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Rating: 4.0/5 [1 user] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: B A Basin sunrise web .jpg
Larger vessels had to enter a "locked" basin at high tide. With the gates closed they could stay afloat at low tide. Barges and shallow draft lighters also had to be locked in with them for cargo work each day. Some are visible. I was standing the 4-8 watch waiting to work cargo and got this picture during the lull before a busy day. |
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Canvas working kit
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Rating: 4.5/5 [2 users] |
From: kpbosun
views 32767
Filename: P7290967.JPG
My sailpalm and needles, bees wax, waxed linen twine,a small marlinspike or "pricker" used for close work, and a scrimshaw riggers knife. I had to enlarge the palm at the joints because my hand is rather large. |
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