2010 SS Lane Victory Adventure Page One

Did you know? - The VC2-S-AP2,VC2-S-AP3, and VC2-M-AP4 were armed with a 5 inch (127 mm) stern gun for use against submarines, a bow-mounted 3 inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun and eight 20 mm cannon, also for use against aircraft.

Did you know? - Sea Cadets are generally members of a Sea Cadet Corps, a formal cadet organization of young people with an interest in their national navy. The organization may be sponsored by the Navy or Naval supporter's organization, such as a Navy League in the UK, or similar organizations in other nations.

The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC or NSCC) is a U.S. Navy-based youth organization that serves to teach persons 13 to 17 years old about the sea-going military services, community service, citizenship, and an understanding of discipline and teamwork.

The NSCC was founded in 1958 by the Navy League of the United States at the request of the Department of the Navy. In 1962, the USNSCC was chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code as a non-profit youth organization with an emphasis towards the sea-going services of the United States. The law was amended in 1974 to allow female participation in the USNSCC.

Did you know? - Shore patrol are service members that are provided to aid in security for the U.S. Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, and the British Royal Navy while on shore. They are often temporarily assigned personnel who are untrained in law enforcement and may be armed only with a baton, if at all, and whose primary function is to make certain that sailors on liberty do not become too rowdy. They will also provide assistance for sailors in relations with civil courts and police.

Did you know? - A signal lamp (also called an Aldis lamp, named for its inventor Arthur C. W. Aldis) is a visual signaling device for optical communication (typically using Morse code) – essentially a focused lamp which can produce a pulse of light. This pulse is achieved by opening and closing shutters mounted in front of the lamp, either via a manually-operated pressure switch or, in later versions, automatically. The lamps were usually equipped with some form of optical sight, and were most commonly used on naval vessels and in airport control towers (using color signals for stop or clearance).

Aldis lamps were pioneered by the British Royal Navy in the late 19th century, and continue to be used through the present day on naval vessels. They provide handy, secure communications during periods of radio silence as well as other times and were particularly useful for convoys operating during the Battle of the Atlantic. There were several types.

Some signal lamps were mounted on the mastheads of ships, some small hand-held versions were also used ('The Aldis lamp') and other more powerful ones were mounted on pedestals. These larger ones used a carbon arc lamp as their light source with a diameter of 20 inches (50 cm). These could be used to signal to the horizon, even in conditions of bright sunlight. Although it was originally thought that it was only possible to communicate by line-of-sight, in practice it was possible to illuminate cloud bases both during the night and day which allowed for communication beyond the horizon. A maximum transmission rate possible by using flashing lights is no more than 14 wpm.

Did you know? - Ship's whistles must be very loud for safety on the seas. Modern ship's whistles can be electrically or steam driven. RMS Queen Mary was originally equipped with three electric Tyfon whistles in 1932. They could be heard at least ten miles away and were tuned to 55 Hz, a low bass A note that was chosen for maximum passenger comfort despite the high sound pressure level.

One of the three whistles was taken back to Kockum Sonics in Malmö, Sweden, where it was refurbished for a new life of service aboard the RMS Queen Mary 2. Modern IMO regulations specify ships' whistle frequencies to be in the range 70-200 Hz for vessels that are over 200 metres in length. Traditionally, the lower the frequency, the larger the ship. The Queen Mary 2, being 345 meters long, was given the lowest possible frequency (70 Hz) for her regulation whistles which means she carries both 70 Hz modern whistles and a single vintage 55 Hz whistle. ~Wikipedia

Did you know? - The system of international maritime signal flags is a way of representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. It is a component of the International Code of Signals (INTERCO).

Did you know? - Natural islands in San Pedro Bay include Terminal Island (actually an augmented mudflat), the site of much of Los Angeles' and Long Beach's port facilities, and Mormon Island, the site of an abortive settlement attempt by San Bernardino-based Mormon pioneers in the 1850s. Land reclamation operations by Los Angeles have considerably enlarged Terminal Island, as well as linking Mormon Island to the mainland. The historic Deadman's Island sat at a landmark at the foot of the Bay, but was removed in 1928 as part of the effort to enlarge the harbor.~Wikipedia

Did you know? - A 13.6 kilometer (8.4 mile) long breakwater stretches across most of the bay, with two openings to allow ships to enter the port areas behind it. The initial western section of the breakwater, called the San Pedro Breakwater, was constructed between 1899 and 1911 at San Pedro; the Middle breakwater was completed over the next twenty-five years, and the Long Beach breakwater was finished after World War II.

Did you know? - A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. However, the pilot is only an advisor, as the master remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel.

However, the work functions of the pilot go back to Ancient Greece and Roman times, when locally experienced harbor captains, mainly local fishermen, were employed by incoming ships' captains to bring their trading vessels into port safely. Eventually, in light of the need to regulate the act of pilotage and to ensure pilots had adequate insurance, the harbors themselves licensed pilots.

Although licensed by the harbor to operate within their jurisdiction, pilots were generally self-employed, meaning that they had to have quick transport to get from the port to the incoming ships. As pilots were often still dual-employed, they used their own fishing boats to reach the incoming vessels. But fishing boats were heavy working boats, and filled with fishing equipment, hence a new type of boat was required.

Did you know? - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' relates the events experienced by a mariner who has returned from a long sea voyage. The Mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony and begins to recite a story. The Wedding-Guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience and fear to fascination as the Mariner's story progresses'

Did you know? - "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807), published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.