Commander John R Hunter serving the crew of manning base HMCS Niobe, Greenock, Scotland, December 25, 1944. The Royal Canadian Navy tradition of the senior officer handing over command to the youngest member of the crew, and the officers serving a festive meal, started in the 1940s. #navalhistory

The story of Farage and Putin, told by British-Ukrainian soldier Shaun Pinner on a destroyed apartment block in Kyiv.

Royal Canadian Navy Operations Room, St. John's, Newfoundland, 24 September 1942 (LAC a180609-v6.jpg) #RCN #Photos #History

Happy St Andrew’s Day to Scots, wherever you are in the world!

🌾 The day I stood here, I felt the weight of Ukraine’s grief. The girl’s eyes, far too old for a child, moved me to tears. Holodomor was a soviet-made genocide, to crush 🇺🇦 for daring to stay free. I left that place changed. I stand with Ukraine all the more for it 🕯️

A narrow WW2 North Atlantic port entrance, protected by torpedo nets AND icebergs! We could only be in St John’s, Newfoundland. Here is a thread of intertwined St John’s coastal and naval history, with views of both the past and the present. #coastalhistory #navalhistory 🧵1/13

Essential reading for genealogists, whether you have Scottish ancestry or not… scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2025/09/ance...

3 Sept is Merchant Navy Day in the UK, to honor all the brave men and women who serve in the merchant Navy, both past and present. The Red Ensign is flown to recognize their sacrifices, both past and present. #merchantnavy #redensign #UK

#OTD #LocalHistory #Inverclyde #Greenock

The LAST Corvette: HMCS Sackville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 269 Flower-class corvettes served as convoy escorts during WW2, in 11 Allied Navies. Here is a tour of the one, breathtaking, survivor. Restored to 1944 sailing condition, as Canada’s Naval Memorial. #navalhistory #maritimehistory 🧵1/20

#OTD #LocalHistory #Inverclyde #Greenock

War memorial. Greenock Cemetery, Greenock, Inverclyde. Commemorating the citizens of Greenock who died as a result of the air raids 1940 to 1941. #LestWeForget

Captain John Cameron's report on the loss of the original PS Waverley at Dunkirk, May 29, 1940. Of course the "new" PS Waverley sails to this day, on the Clyde and around the British Isles, and is the world's last sea-going paddle steamer. waverleyexcursions.co.uk #navalhistory #maritimehistory

Just spent the afternoon showing the Captain, Officers and crew from Fregate Normandie around Greenock. We visited Drums Farm, original Free French HQ,: Bagatelle, where DeGaulle met with Western Approaches Command: and of course the Lyle Hill and Cross of Lorraine where a short service was held

This Dutch delft plaque is on display at St Bartholomew’s in Gourock, Scotland. It memorializes the hospitality bestowed on “sailors, soldiers and airmen” from 1940-47. But what is the wartime history of the Dutch military on the Clyde? #maritimehistory #navalhistory #coastalhistory 🧵1/9

My dad took the first troop ship from 🇨🇦 to Britain early Oct 1939, I believe. He was in the 1st Canadian Div. He signed up the day after we declared war, no question he would fight fascism.

Everyone who is into WW2 history, post your favourite comic strip from wartime! Here is a David Low classic, and what any dictator can expect if they try to enter Scotland...

Filmed this BBC series in Liverpool last year, and it’s now out on BBC iplayer if you’re looking for some telly to watch! It was wonderful to film at the brilliant Western Approaches museum, and to demonstrate the work of the Western Approaches Tactical Unit!

Very struck to read this. The Few become The None, as the last of a generation passes. Rest in peace, John Hemingway, and thank you.

Between the 13th and 15th of March 1941, the German airforce dropped over 250 tonnes of bombs on Clydeside, killing around 1,200 people (half in Clydebank and half in Glasgow). Cont./ #glasgow #eastwoodnewcemetery #gravestones #cemetery #clydebankblitz #graveyard #wwii #wwiihistory

Trans-Atlantic cooperation – something we have relied on for decades. The RMS Queen Mary was a liner and troopship that sailed from 1936-67. Preserved still, the ship is uniquely and historically symbolic of ties across the Atlantic ocean. #maritimehistory #navalhistory #coastalhistory 🧵1/29

My piece for TIME: "Ukraine has options. Europe is still in the game. Ideas on how to mitigate the damage from Trump’s siding with Putin are boiling. As long as we, the people, want to keep our country we love, there is always a way forward." time.com/7265176/trum...

Trump's admin is making the same mistake as Putin did in 2022: Underestimating Ukrainians. Today we are donating another $5,000 USD to support Ukrainians. If you're feeling the same way, channel it into action - donate to organizations in Ukraine to make a real impact. Stand with Ukraine.

An RN rating carries a young girl along a cluttered dock in Greenock, Scotland, March 1, 1945. This famous image, and the story behind it, epitomise naval purpose: protect the high seas; safeguard civilians. This is the story of the Sørøya Island rescue. #maritimehistory #navalhistory #WW2 🧵1/29

Canadian sergeant aircrew trained under the Empire Air Training Scheme photographed upon their arrival at Gourock in February 1941. They would go on to serve with the Royal Air Force in the air war over Europe. The training scheme helped ensure a steady supply of trained volunteers for the RAF.

Stories of those that passed through the Clyde during WW2: Here are some of the men of the British Honduras (now Belize) Forestry Unit, arriving in Greenock, Scotland in November 1942, after a cold and hazardous 14-day voyage via New Orleans and New York. #maritimehistory #blackhistory #WW2 1/...

Enjoying a two-day research visit to the Inverclyde Archive hosted at the Watt Institution, Greenock, Scotland. The buildings were first opened in 1827. They don't make Archives like this any more! #navalhistory #maritimehistory #coastalhistory

The Broons story for the Hogmanay of 1944 is a masterpiece of Scots art which surpasses anything by Raeburn, Naysmith or the Colourists. This is a hill that I will die upon.

Black US nurses arriving in Greenock, Scotland - August 15, 1944. They preceded the arrival of the 6888th Postal battalion in Scotland (on the liner SS Ile de France) by six months, having successfully challenged the the US racial quota system. #navalhistory #militaryhistory #blackhistory #WW2

US troops newly arrived in Scotland at Gourock on the Firth of Clyde, July 31, 1943, being greeted by US senators Mead (NY) and Cabot Lodge (Mass). Roughly three million US soldiers passed through Gourock during WW2, on their way to Europe and North Africa. #navalhistory #militaryhistory #ww2

US troops newly arrived in Scotland at Gourock on the Firth of Clyde, July 31, 1943, being greeted by US senators Mead (NY) and Cabot Lodge (Mass). Roughly three million US soldiers passed through Gourock during WW2, on their way to Europe and North Africa. #navalhistory #militaryhistory #ww2

#OTD #LocalHistory #Inverclyde #Greenock #WW2

A short thread on feeds: On BlueSky there is no algorithm - you choose your own adventure, and one way to do this is through feeds, which are a great way of focussing content. There are thousands, on all sorts of topics, although clearly those on maritime matters are the best feeds 😁 (1/7)

Dutch Prime Minister-in-exile Professor Pieter Gerbrandy addresses the ship's company of HNLMS Johan Maurits van Nassau, a River-class frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy that acted as an Atlantic and Mediterranean convoy escort. Off Greenock, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, June 1943. #navalhistory

The old maritime history feed will no longer pick up new maritime history posts – for the new maritime history feeds, please check out bsky.app/profile/axe9... and bsky.app/profile/axe9... #mhfmtnu

Soviet sailors with submarine L-15 (Leninets class), in for a refit at Greenock on the Clyde, Scotland, February 1943. L-15 had just transferred from Vladivostok and the Pacific fleet to the Soviet Northern fleet. #navalhistory #maritimehistory

Free French Navy Commander and Rear Admiral Philippe Auboyneau visits Free French ships and inspects crew members. Greenock, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, 19 May 1942. The Free French Navy maintained a base in Greenock from 1940-45 and annually commemorate their service to this day. #navalhistory

What to do if aboard-ship at the Clyde Anchorages, Scotland (1940-45) and an air raid is expected. Summary: keep watch day and night; all lights out upon local signals; be ready to make a smoke screen! #navalhistory #maritimehistory

Quite excited to visit the UK National Archives in Kew today, visiting from Toronto, Canada 🌐⚓🍁 #navalhistory #maritimehistory #coastalhistory

Royal Indian Navy (RIN) sailors being inspected by the Maharajah Jam Sahib of Nawanagar - at the Bishopton training establishment, near Greenock, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, September 1942. RIN sloops were part of the Clyde escort force and fought in the Battle of the Atlantic. #navalhistory

Sailors manning a 3-inch anti-aircraft gun aboard the Polish Navy destroyer ORP Garland in Gourock, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, November 1941. The sailors are Polish ex-pat volunteers from Brazil, the USA and Canada. The Polish Navy maintained a base on the Clyde throughout WW2. #navalhistory

#OTD #LocalHistory #Inverclyde #PortGlasgow

Troops and nurses of the then 8,000 strong volunteer 2nd Australian Imperial Force arrive on a diverted convoy at Gourock, Scotland in June 1940. They departed the UK at the end of 1940 to their original destination, North Africa. #navalhistory #militaryhistory

On June 17, 1940, the RMS Aquitania arrived at Gourock, Scotland, carrying the 28th New Zealand Maori battalion, part of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. They later fought in Greece, North Africa and Italy during WW2, and were NZ's most decorated battalion. #navalhistory #militaryhistory

First Canadian troops arrive - Gourock, Scotland, November 1939. Sailing on the RMS Empress of Britain, they were ferried the mile or so to shore on the TS Queen Mary II. They preceded millions of arrivals on the Clyde from across the globe during the war years. #maritimehistory #navalhistory

Dec 9, 1967: #TheQueenMary arrived in Long Beach #onthisday. "At exactly 12:07 pm, John Treasure Jones, The Queen Mary's last sailing master, ordered 'finished with the engines,' signaling the end of one career and the beginning of another." www.queenmary.com/design--pres... #maritimehistory

Gourock and the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. Two pictures, taken 80 years apart. Viewpoint: Lyle Hill, Greenock. During WW2, 150+ ships were visible on the Clyde, almost every day. #navalhistory #maritimehistory #coastalhistory

RMS Queen Elizabeth leaves the Clyde for New York for the last time, August 6th, 1945, carrying 12,000 troops and piped off by the band of the 9th Battalion, Royal Scots. Alongside is the TS King Edward, which acted as a wartime ferry for troops to and from shore. #navalhistory #maritimehistory

RMS Queen Elizabeth, in August 1945, with 12,000 Canadian and American personnel on board, bound from the Firth of Clyde, Scotland back to North America. The QE safely transported over 750,000 military personnel during WW2. #navalhistory #maritimehistory

Action stations, RMS Queen Mary - Firth of Clyde, Scotland, Sept 1944. Although the 'Queens' could outrun U-boats, aerial attack was still a danger. The QM's decks were armed with five 40mm cannon, twenty-four 20mm cannon, six 3-inch guns and two rocket launchers. #navalhistory #maritimehistory