On 13 February 1942 the #royalnavy lost a submarine, HM/Sub Tempest, in an encounter with Italian Spica-class torpedo boat RTp Circe. Circe had been modernised with German ASW gear and had a German sonar crew embarked. @rjhammond215.bsky.social

13 Feb 1942 // Submarine HMS Tempest was forced to the surface with heavy damage after being detected by Italian torpedo boat Circe in the Gulf of Taranto, and subjected to several hours of depth charge attacks starting at 3.32am. Amid very heavy seas, all the crew abandoned the submarine. [1/3]

13 Feb 1943 // Auxiliary AA ship HMS Pozarica (ex MacAndrews MV Pozarica, requisitioned and converted 1940) capsized and became a total loss off Bougie as a result of damage received in an Italian air attack on 29 January, in which 20 men died. (Image IWM A 12716) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

13 Feb 1945 // Corvette HMS Denbigh Castle was torpedoed in the Kola Inlet by German submarine U.992 while on Arctic convoy escort duty. 11 seamen were killed in the attack. She was taken in tow but ran aground and then capsized and sank. (Imperial War Museum FL 6032) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

OTD February 13, 1960: France joins the Nuclear Club with the Gerboise Bleue detonation near Reggane, in the Algerian desert. Designed and planned as a 60kt to 70kt detonation, the explosion has a yield of 70kt, making it the most powerful first detonation of a nuclear weapon.

Thoughts on #FridayReads. A paired ‘then & now’ bio set on well-known, highly regarded British pilots: Bob Stanford Tuck & Eric Brown. In both cases, modern bios explode multiple myths. Join us, & author Dr Helen Doe at @avculturesconf.bsky.social to discuss! aviationcultures.org/spotlights/p...

If you want to see some of the pictures we talked about in this episode go here island-fortress.com/2026/02/09/i...

🚨 SPECIAL: In this week's #NewsoftheWar, it's the George Cross. Never before, was so much bravery and heroism packed into six columns wide. Grab your hankies ... the King awaits ... @andyaitch.bsky.social @merrynwalters.uk linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar

Came across this gem whilst browsing the Pathé archive. I think the ‘assailant’ is wishing they’d invested in a softer surface! youtu.be/-GJsld9IVjU?...

Pathé newsreel footage describing a leaflet raid by Armstrong-Whitworth Whitleys deep into Germany in 1940. These aircraft were often used for ‘Nickel’ operations, which could be very dangerous for crews due to the prevailing poor weather during the winter of 1939/40. youtu.be/5Sa-Hcb367Q?...

12 Feb 1938 // Destroyer HMS Walrus was being towed from Rosyth to Sheerness for refit when she broke free in a gale off the Yorkshire coast. She drifted for 16 hours before coming ashore at Scarborough. No lives were lost: all four members of the caretaking crew on board escaped safely. [1/2]

12 Feb 1942 // Destroyer HMS Maori was set ablaze by German bombing while anchored in Grand Harbour, Malta, and sank when a magazine exploded. One of her crew was killed. Maori was raised in 1945 and scuttled outside the harbour. (Imperial War Museum FL 15085 & A 9512) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

The first episode of Bagpuss was originally broadcast on this day in 1974. Created by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, the series ran for just 13 episodes (with voices provided by Postgate, Sandra Kerr and John Faulkner).

The Royal Navy’s ‘Fleet Shadower’ concept, developed prior to the SWW, envisioned a high-endurance, low-speed and low-noise carrier aircraft to monitor enemy naval forces at sea by night. Two companies were chosen to submit prototypes and the AS.39 (L) and G.A.L. 38 (R) were the result. 🧵1/7

OTD February 12 1988 US Navy cruiser USS Yorktown, accompanied by the destroyer USS Caron, exercising the right of innocent passage through Soviet territorial waters is bumped by the Soviet Frigate Bezzavetny which itself was accompanied by the frigate SKR-6. The Bezzavetny was

This week’s free to read may upset a few people but… As Saturday is the anniversary of the Bismarck being launched I decided to give my opinion on the ship - jerijerod14.substack.com/p/bismarck-i... #ww2 #history #navalhistory

What is in a name? When it comes to the North American A-36 dive-bomber, quite a lot! This week, we tackle the thorny subject of the A-36's moniker and get into the story of one of the lesser-known members of the Mustang family with @navalairhistory.com. 📺️: youtu.be/QJwpgWUuFFI 🎧️: pod.fo/e/38e474

The Royal Navy’s ‘Fleet Shadower’ concept, developed prior to the SWW, envisioned a high-endurance, low-speed and low-noise carrier aircraft to monitor enemy naval forces at sea by night. Two companies were chosen to submit prototypes and the AS.39 (L) and G.A.L. 38 (R) were the result. 🧵1/7

11 Feb 1916 // Light cruiser HMS Arethusa was damaged by a German mine off Felixstowe, then ran aground and was wrecked while under tow. 14 of her crew were killed in the mine explosion or died later of injuries received. (Imperial War Museum images SP 1161 and SP 1179) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

11 Feb 1941 // Submarine HMS Snapper was lost with all hands (41 men) in the Bay of Biscay for unconfirmed reasons on or around this date. She may have struck a mine or been sunk by German minesweepers in a reported attack off Finisterre. (Imperial War Museum FL 3629) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

11 Feb 1945 // Destroyer HMS Pathfinder was heavily damaged by Japanese aerial bombing at Akyab (Sittwe) in western Burma. After repairs she reached Colombo but was declared a total loss. She returned to England where she was scrapped. (Imperial War Museum ADNO 8722) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

The Antikamnia Chemical Company marketed an analgesic powder to pharmacists using these darkly illustrated limited edition calendars from 1897 to 1901. The name of the company means “opposed to pain.” Ironically, the product could be fatal as it contained acetanilide, which impairs red blood cells.

This week’s podcast is out - A thrilling tail of pirates, organised crime, smugglers, militia and duck poo… podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

Plus... You get me back!* Listen here: *Hopefully that's a good thing for you...

10 Feb 1964 // During sea trials off Jervis Bay, destroyer HMAS Voyager was rammed and sunk by aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne when she inexplicably turned towards the carrier's bows. 82 of 314 men in HMAS Voyager died in this tragic and controversial incident. (Image: Australian War Memorial) [1/4]

9 Feb 1921 // Destroyer HMS Hydra sank after colliding with Royal Navy torpedo boat Z3 in the Wielingen Channel between Antwerp and the North Sea. All her 72 crew were rescued by the torpedo boat. Hydra's wreck was sold for scrap in May 1921. (Imperial War Museum: Q 75101) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory

Tomorrow, Soviet civil defence Ep 1: the trouble with vegetables. Many shelters were used to store veg. Can they get the veg out fast enough if the siren goes? And how do you find the shelter when secrecy means they're not signposted? Subscribe here: podfollow.com/the-atomic-h...

#OTD in 1969, the Boeing 747 prototype, 747-121 RA001/N7470, made its maiden flight from Paine Field. The Jumbo Jet would revolutionise air travel and become one of the most iconic aircraft ever built. What was your flight on a 747 like? #avgeek #aviation #history #aviationlovers #aviationlove

482 aircraft from 1,5, & 8 Groups bombed the oil refinery at Pölitz #OTD 8/9 Feb 1945. Two target photographs and a reconnaissance photograph showing the cumulation of damage from the @ibccdigitalarchive.bsky.social. #History #WW2

#OTD in 1939, future Supermarine Spitfire test pilot Alex Henshaw landed his Percival Mew Gull G-AEXF, in which he'd won the 1938 King's Cup, at Gravesend, setting a new UK-South Africa-UK record of 4 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes. G-AEXF is now in the Shuttleworth Collection. #avgeek #aviation

Unfinished battleships lying in Hamburg Harbor, c. 1920. On the lower left, the Mackensen class battlecruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich lying next to the Baden class battleship Wurttemberg. On the lower right, the uncompleted Greek battleship Salamis, which was scrapped in 1932. #NavalHistory

8 Feb 1917 // Destroyer HMS Gurkha struck a German submarine-laid mine in the English Channel off Dungeness, broke in two, and sank with loss of 74 of her crew. Just five survivors were picked up by armed trawler Highlander. (Image courtesy Tyne & Wear Archives) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

8 Feb 1918 // Destroyer HMS Boxer sank after colliding with SS St Patrick off Sandown, Isle of Wight, after dark. Confusion on the St Patrick over the destroyer's lights caused her to steer the wrong way. One crewman from Boxer was lost overboard. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 74982) #RoyalNavy #WW1

A Solent (at Oakland Aviation Museum) played the role of a Pan-Am Clipper in Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Short Seaford (1944) began life as the Sunderland Mark IV, an improved version of the existing flying boat designed to operate in the Pacific. Though it used many common elements, the aircraft ultimately incorporated so many changes that it was given a new name. 📷 IWM ATP 14556B 🧵1/4

The Miles M.20 resulted from an Air Ministry requirement for a ‘utility fighter’ which could be quickly manufactured. There was a concern, fortunately never realised, that Luftwaffe bombing could cripple aircraft production. The prototype was produced in just 9 weeks. 📷 destinationsjourney.com 🧵1/5

I have been channelling my inner @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social and done a roof/tower tour of Winchester Cathedral Will do a thread in a bit

Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart, mission specialists on the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41-B, used nitrogen-propelled maneuvering units to perform the first untethered spacewalks #OTD in 1984. 🧪 🔭 🚀 (1/n) Images: NASA

Continuing on the Substack theme. From @spitfirefilly.bsky.social aviation themed substack. If you’re a fan of the film The Battle of Britain (if you’re a Brit av geek you are required by law😉) this is for you. A peek behind the curtain. open.substack.com/pub/spitfire...

When the Germans invaded Poland on 1st September 1939, the Polish Air Force relied on three main types. These were: the PZL P.11 fighter, the PZL.23 Karaś light bomber and the PZL.37 Łoś medium bomber. Contrary to popular belief, most of these aircraft survived the initial Luftwaffe attack. 🧵1/9

If you are still following my Naval attacks in the Dardanelles series here is the next part… jerijerod14.substack.com/p/send-in-th... The first landings of the Royal Marines and how well that went. #ww1 #history #navalhistory

The last survivor of HMS Repulse has now passed away. RIP. www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/2582024...

Post a ship that’s not #StarTrek or #StarWars

British propaganda animation showing Austro-German aggression in 1914 and the British empire coming together to defeat the Kaiser. #ww1 #history

Three traitors: Pétain, Darlan, Laval: An Outside Observer’s Assessment in 1941 achurchill.substack.com/p/article-pe...

IBCC Lecture & Supper Series – The Invisible Campaign – Bomber Command Gardening Operations 1940-1945. Speaker: @lydiajane13.bsky.social Venue: International Bomber Command Centre 📅 5th March 2026 🕰️ 6:30pm - 9:30pm 🎟️ £15.25 Full details at internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/n...

6 Feb 1915 // Destroyer HMS Erne was driven ashore during a gale near Rattray Head lighthouse, Aberdeenshire, with no loss of life. Salvage attempts went on until October but were unsuccessful, and she was abandoned as a wreck and sold for scrap. (IWM image: Q 21225) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

The "SNCASE SE.1010" was a prototype airliner with the ability to fly in the stratosphere. It made its first flight in 1948 and was modified to perform aerial photography for the National Geographic Institute. Its development stopped after the crash of the aircraft in 1949.

🚨 It's here! It's the 23rd December 1943, and it's all kicking off in the #NewsoftheWar. Starting with the front page headlines that someone's sunk a five-square battleship. And if you get that reference, you're as old as one of our podcast hosts. @merrynwalters.uk @andyaitch.bsky.social