USS NEW YORK

Here she is USS New York! It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center. It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft. Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there." Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back." The ship's motto? "Never Forget"
Dare I say that this wonderful example of stoicism you inherited in part from the British sense of determination and survival no matter what the odds against us. From the destruction and despair of two world wars we refused to concede to the enemy and you are doing likewise. Congratulations and may God bless America.

RESURGAM: Latin for I shall rise again. Like a Phoenix from the Ashes

A Grateful Whale

I was sent this allegedly true story by a friend of mine and it so restored my faith in nature and mankind, following on so soon after the tragic events of Virginia Tech and Greensburg, Kansas, that I thought I would share it with you in the hope that you will find it as uplifting as I did. I could not find a picture of a whale so this flavour of the wonders of the sea will have to do.

A Grateful Whale

If you read the front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so badly off that the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her ... a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed gently around-she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving, and receiving gratitude. I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

The Virginia Tech Massacre

I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Suitable words are difficult to summon in such tragic circumstances. However, may it comfort all Americans to know that there are those of us overseas who are remembering you in our prayers at this very sad time. I have no intention of joining in the current internet debate about the politics of your gun culture or about the apparent short comings of the authorities in not taking earlier pre-emptive action. That is a matter for your own internal debate at some later date. For now it is a period of deep mourning for those who have lost their lives in such a needless and pointless act of barbarity, at yet another seat of learning where peace and tranquillity should always reign supreme. With the daily carnage being reported in Iraq and elsewhere in the world we can well do without this form of homegrown terrorism. May God bless America and spare Her any more catastrophic events of this terrible nature.

Flavours of Miami and the eastern Caribbean

Christmas lights on a church in the centre of old San Juan,

Puerto Rico.

The Bacardi Distillery, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The free samples were out of this world!

David, June and Bob enjoying yet another glass of cabernet sauvignon following a formal dinner.

Many thanks to Dean & Arlene for this fantastic picture of a typical Caribbean sunset.

Once a plod, always a plod! Miami Beach patrol.

A panoramic view of St. Thomas from a cable car at Paradise Point. M/S Carnival Triumph in the foreground.

School children forming an orderly queue; to use the public restrooms! St. Maartens Island.

A calypso steel youth band playing at the entrance to the port. St. Maartens Island.

Our wonderful fun ship the Carnival Triumph

Our attentive and highly efficient waiters from India on duty in the Paris Restaurant. Special thanks to Mario and his team.

Enjoying a Caribbean cocktail on a white sandy beach on St. Maartens with the turquoise sea and a light breeze to keep me cool!

Caribbean Cruise January 2007

Having just returned from a fabulous holiday in Miami and a cruise of the eastern Caribbean it is time to get back to normal and start posting on my blog once more. The cruise ship was the Carnival Triumph. She is 101,100 tonnes with 2, 750 passengers and 1100 crew. There are numerous bars, restaurants and swimming pools aboard with something for everyone, including Las Vegas style shows and a huge casino. We set sail from Miami and spent the following day at sea. Our first port of call was San Juan on Puerto Rico and I was thrilled to visit the distillery and home of one of my favourite drinks; Bacardi. Needless to say I enjoyed the free samples!

The next day we awakened in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and could not resist some fantastic duty free shopping in the top branded jewellery stores. We also took a cable car ride to Paradise Point for superb views of St. Thomas. Our American shipmates found it strange that they drive on the wrong (lefthand) side of the road on St. Thomas. However, for us it was the right side of the road because we drive on the left in the United Kingdom and St. Thomas was originally a British island until we sold it to USA, hence the driving on the left. It would have proved far too expensive to change all the junctions and markings to suit right hand driving and so it remains to this day!

We then sailed overnight to St. Maartens and enjoyed an air-conditioned coach tour of the Island. It is a unique place in that it is divided into two halves. One half is Dutch and the other half is French ! The islanders need two cell phones each, one registered in each half of the island, in order to avoid paying international charges when calling someone on the other side of the island! How quaint! We spent time on the beach and marvelled at the turquoise coloured sea whilst enjoying a few Caribbean cocktails before rejoining the ship a little light headed to say the least. There followed two wonderful days at sea as we sailed back to Miami. Sunbathing on our private veranda we did not want it to end, but end it must. Back in Miami the weather was still perfect and we enjoyed more hospitality on Ocean Drive and watched the annual Dachshunds Festival which was delightful. The art deco of South Beach was also a sight to behold.

Upon return to London Heathrow the weather was typically English winter and freezing cold! From sunbathing in Miami on Saturday to switching on the central heating at home on Sunday! All good things come to an end but planning starts immediately for another escape to warmer climes in the not too distant future.

Many sincere thanks to all the officers and crew on board the Carnival Triumph for such wonderful service delivered with courtesy and constant smiles despite all the pressures. Well done!

NB. For those of you concerned about green issues and CO2 emissions in particular, may I say I share your concerns too! In order to make recompense for my frequent use of air travel I donate 10% of my air fare to The Woodland Trust, a charitable organisation which works tirelessly to create, maintain and sustain our woodlands. This in turn absorbs much of the CO2 emissions caused by my frequent flying habits and thus compensates or offsets, to some extent, my personal carbon footprint. I invite you to follow my example. Please visit their website at: http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk but please return here afterwards for my latest postings. As a matter of additional interest all the waste on a Carnival cruise ship is recycled or incinerated. Nothing is discarded into the sea.

Waves kill two on US submarine

The following article by Caroline Davies appeared in The Daily Telegraph, United Kingdom, on Saturday, 30th. December, 2006 and is reproduced below with copyright acknowledgement. The submarine's officers and crew had spent a friendly and most convivial Christmas visit to the City of Plymouth here in Devon, southwest England as guests of the British Royal Navy and local families. We extend our deepest sympathy to their fellow colleagues and especially to their family and friends back home.

Two American sailors died and two more were injured yesterday (29th. December) when they were swept from their nuclear submarine in rough weather in Plymouth Sound.

The four were performing routine operations on the Minneapolis-St. Paul when a freak wave sent them overboard about 1pm.

Though attached to the submarine by ropes, Force 10 gusts and huge waves prevented them getting back on board. They were buffeted against the vessel as crew members tried to reach them.

Two of the sailors were pronounced dead at Derriford Hospital after being given emergency resuscitation as they were brought ashore.

The two survivors were later moved from the hospital to the sick bay at the shore establishment, H.M.S. Drake.

Immediately after the four were washed overboard, a helicopter was scrambled from RNAS Culdrose as the Plymouth Lifeboat and MoD police launches sped to the scene.

A spokesman for Devon & Cornwall Police said: "The vessel, a Los Angeles class submarine, was leaving the harbour in Plymouth and near the breakwater at the entrance to the port. Weather conditions were poor.

"Rescue vessels manned by the Ministry of Defence police attended and the sailors were brought ashore, where they were met by ambulance personnel."

A spokesman for Brixham Coastguards said: " The situation was very dangerous because they were still attached to their vessel and when we arrived were being tossed around a good deal. The conditions were terrible, with strong winds and poor visibility.

"It is common for submariners to perform general maintenance on the the outside of their shell, but in weather like this it unexpectedly became dangerous."

He said passers-by who stopped to watch the dramatic rescue had also put themselves in danger.

"People who were gathering on the front to watch the incident were also putting themselves at risk of being washed into the sea.

"One young girl was nearly swept out when a wave hit the side and splashed over."

Festive Greetings

It is Christmas Eve and I would like to express my warmest Seasonal Greetings to all Bloggers wheresoever you are on the Globe. Special good wishes to Dirk_ Star who regularly visits this blog. Apologies for the lack of postings of late. I won't bore you with the reasons but I hope to do better in 2007. As we celebrate Christmas Day tomorrow I shall pray fervently to the Almighty for peace to return to the troubled regions of the world. I shall pray especially for the peoples of Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, and the Darfur region of the Sudan. In particular, I shall remember all the military personnel of the coalition forces serving as peacekeepers in various countries. Being separated from their loved ones at this time of year is difficult and they deserve our gratitude and good wishes. It is my earnest wish that 2007 may inspire our world leaders to strive to bring an early and just settlement to these dreadful conflicts. In addition, I will be praying for the plight of recently bereaved families, the homeless, lonely and many sick people in our communities. May they find care, comfort, kindness and warmth from those close to them and from the noble charities who work so hard to alleviate the pain and suffering in our midst. May God grant us all a peaceful Christmas and help us to mend our broken world in the New Year.