Question of the Hour

[Danjanou]

Yup that's it.

After taking Ft Boyer Major General Lambert and his 5,000 British and West Indies troops were in a position to easily capture Mobile and probably raid and pillage the whole coast had they not received word the war was over.

The naval forces they had made them much more mobile than Jackson's forces. In addition Old Hickory was probably reluctant to leave his defences near New Orleans. His troops while good in defence were for the most part untrained or partially trained militia and volunteers. In a stand up open fight against British regulars commanded by a competant General, which Lambert was, they probably would not have done as well as they did fighting behind bales of cotton against a sucicidal frontal assault. 

 

[Spr.Earl]

What is the worst Maritime loss of life in War,of all time as a matter of fact?

 

[Lance Wiebe]

I would have to guess the Halifax explosion.........

 

[Spr.Earl]

I would have to guess the Halifax explosion.........

I should rephrase that as a" Sinking" as in all aboard said Ship.
Sorry Lance.

 

[condor888000]

The Wilhem Gustloff in 1945?

 

[jfladeroute]

I should rephrase that as a" Sinking" as in all aboard said Ship.

Single ship? The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff by a Russian submarine in 1945. Loss of life is generally estimated between 5000 and 7000, but some recent studies conclude that the actual death toll could be over 9000.

If you're talking single incident, it would be two ships - the Cap Arcona and the Thielbek, sunk by RAF Typhoons, May 3 1945. Around 8000 people died.

But these are subject to change - in June 1940, HMT (formerly RMS) Lancastria was sunk by German aircraft while evacuating troops and civilians from France. Death toll is estimated at anything between 4000 to 9000, but will remain unknown until the British Government releases its reports (withheld under the Official Secrets Act) in 2040.

 

[Spr.Earl]

The Wilhem Gustloff in 1945?

Yowzer!!
I salute you
Give me the pertuculers.

 

[1feral1]

Hi Nick, hows things in Vn these days? Alls well here in the harbour city, and i got my posting I wanted ;D

CATC SAW in Enoggera!


Now some 'hard' questions


Okay here is a couple of questions for ya's.

What was A) Australia's worst Naval disaster?

B) What was Sydney Harbour's worse maritime disaster?

Many people who have lived here all their lives don't even have a clue, but I know


Cheers,

Wes

 

[condor888000]

Yowzer!!
I salute you
Give me the pertuculers.

Sunk by a Russian sub a few hours after leaving port in East Prussia, I believe over 5000 died. They recently ran a one of those unsolved mysteries shows or something on the discovery channel. Using a computer model they raised that figure to something in the 10,000 range.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Hi Nick, hows things in Vn these days? Alls well here in the harbour city, and i got my posting I wanted ;D

CATC SAW in Enoggera!


Now some 'hard' questions


Okay here is a couple of questions for ya's.

What was A) Australia's worst Naval disaster?

B) What was Sydney Harbour's worse maritime disaster?

Many people who have lived here all their lives don't even have a clue, but I know


Cheers,

Wes

On 19 November 1941, following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran, in the Indian Ocean off the Western Australian coast, the light cruiser HMAS Sydney disappeared, almost without trace. The loss of the Sydney with its full war complement of 645 remains to this day Australia's worst naval disaster and one of its greatest wartime mysteries. The only confirmed relics found were a lifebelt and a Carley life float damaged by shellfire. Of the Kormoran's crew of 397, 317 were rescued.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Hi Nick, hows things in Vn these days? Alls well here in the harbour city, and i got my posting I wanted ;D

CATC SAW in Enoggera!


Now some 'hard' questions


Okay here is a couple of questions for ya's.

What was A) Australia's worst Naval disaster?

B) What was Sydney Harbour's worse maritime disaster?

Many people who have lived here all their lives don't even have a clue, but I know


Cheers,

Wes

The third of November 1927 was a beautiful day to be on Sydney Harbour. A 16 year old ferry by the name of Greycliffe was making its regular 4:14pm run from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay. Aboard were school children, naval officers, business-men, doctors, families on holiday and dockyard workers - a neat cross-section  of Syd-ney society - all enjoying the idyllic Sydney afternoon. But it would only be a matter of minutes before "the water was alive with dozens of bobbing heads, spluttering and screaming, hands groping for anything to keep them above water... surrounded by what moments ago was a perfectly stable Sydney ferry."

Sydney was rocked by the news that the ferry Greycliffe had been run down and sunk by the trans-Pacific Royal Mail Steamship Tahiti. Forty or so of Greycliffe's passengers were dead or missing. Onlookers lined the water-front. Vessels of all sizes rushed to the scene to assist. Whilst losses were relatively small in comparison to some of the more infamous maritime disasters in history, Sydneysiders were profoundly stunned by the tragedy. It seemed so sudden, so random, so terribly violent, and so much like it could have been one of them.


Wes I knew both but in all honesty forgot the names,times and dates of those Maritime Tragedies.

 

[Spr.Earl]

In WWII where was the H.Q. for controlling all shipping crossing the Atlantic.?

What was it's name?

I'll give you a hint,it had one of two red phones in Britain,one was in London,which was a direct line to the White House and the other was at this site, which was in direct contact with Churchhill.

 

[Scratch_043]

it was on the Liverpool waterfront, and it was called the Western Aproaches Command Center.

 

[Spr.Earl]

it was on the Liverpool waterfront, and it was called the Western Aproaches Command Center.

Correct.
You can go and see it.
It's a Museum now and it's very interesting.

 

[1feral1]

SPR Earl scores 100% on both Aussie questions!

Good on ya.

BTW, the RAN will soon be searching for the HMAS Sydney off the WA coast. That life raft you mentioned is on display at the National War Memorial in Canberra. Peppered with shrapnel and blast damage.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Spr.Earl]

Which Unit put forth the first suggestion's to form a aviation section in Canada?

 

[Michael OLeary]

Which Unit put forth the first suggestion's to form a aviation section in Canada?

That would be the Engineers, following with their involvement in supporting the demonstration flights of the Silver Dart and the Baddeck in 1909.

 

[Spr.Earl]

No.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and GUESS it was the Arty. Wanted to use them as spotters?

 

[Spr.Earl]

No