The Consolidated Model 31 flying boat (1939) was the first aircraft designed with a high-efficiency Davis Wing. Intended as a successor to the PBY Catalina, initial testing suggested excellent handling, a speed of 250mph and a potential 3,500 mile range. 📷 Destination’s Journey #NavalHistory 🧵1/4

With very many thanks to @revdrjohn.bsky.social I'm happy to report the #NavalHistory feed is back in commission - John will be leading the charge on stomping out AI slop, removing dubiously tagged posts and adding naval history content found elsewhere on BlueSky. (1/2)

11 Apr 1809 // Captain Lord Cochrane led an attack by fireships from Admiral Lord Gambier's squadron on the French fleet anchored in the Basque Roads at the mouth of the River Charente. Little direct damage was caused, but many French vessels were grounded and immobilised. [1/4]

11 Apr 1942 // Destroyer HMS Kingston was left a total loss by German bombs while in dock for repairs at Malta. She had been damaged at the 2nd Battle of Sirte, and had been hit in two previous air raids since arriving in Malta on 27 March. (Imperial War Museum FL 8925) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

11 Apr 1943 // Destroyer HMS Beverley (ex USS Branch) was torpedoed and sunk in the north-western Atlantic south of Greenland by German submarine U.188 while on convoy duty. 139 men were lost, 5 survivors were picked up but one later died. (Imperial War Museum FL 2019) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

Today is National Submarine Day. During WWII, 263 U.S. Navy submarines deployed on war patrols. This image of 52 submarines in the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island in 1946 represents the same number of subs that went on eternal patrol after being lost in the war.

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (1942) was developed in parallel with the B-29, essentially as a backup in case of unresolvable issues with the Boeing project. In the event, the B-32 suffered numerous problems and delays of its own. Only 118 were built and few saw service. 📷 Stan Stokes 🧵1/9

Hey guys and gals. I have a favour to ask... If you’ve read and enjoyed my book, Jungle Commandos, I’d be most grateful if you could review or simply rate it on Amazon. It makes a big difference. Thank you 🙏🏻

#OTD in 1918, Germany sank the entire Liberian navy with a single shot. After Liberia entered WWI on the Allied side, Germany sent a U-boat to Monrovia that used its deck gun to score one hit on the R.L.S President Daniel E. Howard, sinking Liberia's only gunboat.

10 Apr 1940 // Destroyer HMS Hunter, already damaged during combat with German destroyers, was accidentally struck from behind by HMS Hotspur off Narvik, and capsized and sank. 107 of her crew were lost, a further 5 later died of wounds. (Imperial War Museum FL 10190) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

10 Apr 1940 // Destroyer HMS Hardy was heavily damaged fighting to her last torpedo and shell against German destroyers off Narvik, and capsized after being beached. 32 men died. Captain B A W Warburton-Lee was awarded a posthumous VC. (Image: Wikimedia Commons) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

10 Apr 1940 // Submarine HMS Thistle was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U.4 (which she had earlier unsuccessfully attacked) off Stavanger when caught on the surface recharging her batteries. All Thistle's 59 crew were lost. (Imperial War Museum image FL 4997) #RoyalNavy #WW2

If there's one thing worse than embarrassing yourself in the face of the enemy it's embarrassing yourself in the face of your allies, and on the 10th April 1918 the Italian and French navies engaged in a synchronised display of competence the like of which we might hope never to see again.

#otd 1940, FAA Skua dive bombers sink the light cruiser Konigsberg in Bergen harbour #history #ww2 #navalhistory open.substack.com/pub/jerijero...

For context re: my earlier post, here’s the original clip. If you’ve not seen it before, you’re in for a treat. If you have, watch it again anyway because it’ll instantly make your Friday at least 50% better. youtu.be/brd44OS0Ueo?...

“You can’t hear an image” The image

Something for @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social in the latest from @londonist.com - a family tree of London bollards

New year, new season, new episode! Join us for news of the war for the biggie.. 1945. Off to a flying start with the headlines from the 12th January 1945, the tide has turned on the Bulge as the allies push on. @merrynwalters.uk @andyaitch.bsky.social linktr.ee/NewsOfTheWar

That’s Smee in the corner

9 Apr 1940 // Destroyer HMS Gurkha was sunk off Stavanger by German aircraft during the Norway Campaign with the loss of 16 of her crew. 190 survivors were rescued by light cruiser HMS Aurora. (Image: Wikimedia Commons) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

9 Apr 1942 // Aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Ceylon. She had left Trincomalee the previous day without her aircraft, in company with HMAS Vampire (also sunk). 307 men from Hermes died. (Images: IWM A 30464, Australian War Memorial 30243) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

9 Apr 1942 // Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Vampire was escorting aircraft carrier HMS Hermes off Ceylon when the two came under Japanese air attack, both being sunk. Vampire was bombed and broke in two. [1/2] (Photograph of HMAS Vampire in March 1942: Australian War Memorial 106665)

9 Apr 1942 // Destroyer HMS Lance was severely damaged by air attack while docked for repairs at Malta. She had already been damaged in a raid on 5 April. She was salvaged and towed to back to Britain but was declared a total loss. (Imperial War Museum image A 7266) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

Recently digitised - with the end of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific, a motorcycle trial is held for British 12th Army despatch riders at Rangoon in Burma. #filmcataloguing Full film: IWM JFU 497 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

Following the 1980 US Presidential Election, the B-1 received a remarkable reprieve as Ronald Reagan revived the program with an order for 100 aircraft. The B-1's resurrection was complete, but the road ahead was bumpy. Join us for part 3 of The B-1 Story. 📺 youtu.be/fDtajC3AUHM 🎧 pod.fo/e/3f9fef

I have a small group of visitors visiting for a tour of Guernsey to look at various fortifications and learn more about the German Occupation. They are open to others joining. Dates are 7th - 9th September. Let me know if you are interested.

8 Apr 1940 // Destroyer HMS Glowworm sank off Norway after a valiant and tenacious attack on German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. 109 of her crew were lost. CO Lt Cdr Gerard Broadmead Roope was posthumously awarded the first VC of #WW2 for this action. (IWM FL 1973) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory

Apparently they recovered a N1K2-J (Shiden) off Kyushu. It's in very rough shape, but the distinctive 4x20mm Type 99-II armament is still prominent. news.ntv.co.jp/n/kyt/catego...

This week’s podcast asks the question - did the Royal Navy experience an embarrassing defeat in the War of 1812? Nope podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m... #history #navalhistory #podcast

7 Apr 1917 // Minesweeper HMS Jason (built as a torpedo gunboat 1892, converted to a minesweeper in 1909) struck a German submarine-laid mine off Coll in the Inner Hebrides and sank with the loss of 25 of her crew. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 43299) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

Night all

Wizard stuff on the memory of RAF Bomber Command on @ww2tv.bsky.social this evening. Lots that is relevant to what's going on in the world today too. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQQn...

OTD April 7 1989 The Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets, the only Project-685 submarine built, sinks after a catastrophic on-board fire resulting in the total loss of the vessel and the deaths of 42 of her crew.

A couple of nautical pics from a visit to the Discovery Museum in Newcastle today, starting with Turbinia (1894), the first vessel powered by steam turbines and capable of an impressive 35 knots. 🧵1/5 #NavalHistory

had great fun with this one! We got to talk about the time the head of British nuclear rocketry (a keen Morris dancer) accidentally took part in a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament demonstration/fundraiser. The history of the British/Australian space programme really deserves to be better known.

Well, if it’s 7 April, it must be 11 years since His Gracious Majesty, via the medium of the Daily Express, gave us this headline

6 Apr 1909 // Destroyer HMS Blackwater sank with no loss of life after colliding with merchantman SS Hero as the latter passed through a line of destroyers late at night off Dungeness. The loss was blamed on the negligence of Blackwater's officer of the watch. (IWM Q 43350) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory

6 Apr 1941 // Armed merchant cruiser HMS Comorin (ex P&O) caught fire while with a convoy in the North Atlantic. Despite very bad weather 455 survivors were rescued (20 lives lost). Destroyer HMS Lincoln sank her with gunfire on 7 April. (Australian War Memorial images) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

There is a Dornier 24 in the Dutch National Military Museum in Soesterberg. collectie.nmm.nl/nl/collectie...

My favourite author Paul Koudounaris has a new book out on 19th-century railroad dogs. He came across the material while researching another book & decided to give these stories to readers for free. In these pages, their restless spirits are granted a well-deserved immortality. shorturl.at/Cs20x

Good series on the Dornier Do 24 et al by James. I'd add that the Dornier patent sponsons gave exceptional seaworthiness to these 'boats, and the Do 24 was a remarkable aircraft by any measure, as I explored in my Database for Aeroplane magazine in July 2024.

Dornier were well known for producing flying boats before the Second World War, with two designs in particular going on to see front line service. These were the Dornier 18 (1935, L), used almost exclusively for reconnaissance, and the multi-role Dornier 24 (1937, R). 🧵1/10

My YouTube debut! I'm debunking bad history Instagram reels. Doing my bit to hit the kids where they are. (This was a cool project and thanks to Beginning to Now for inviting me!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4lL...

Back from the #LakeDistrict and back into the hillwalking after last year mostly scuppered with nerve pain. Four more Wainwrights successfully summited to take me to 76 (of 214). Struggling a bit with mood atm but if I have the energy to walk up hills, then I should find energy to post about it 🧵

Imagine being able to take a summer's day and fit it inside a box?

5 Apr 1942 // Heavy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire were attacked and sunk by Japanese dive-bombers south-west of Ceylon. 424 men from the two ships died and 1122 were rescued. (Imperial War Museum: HMS Cornwall FL 8539, HMS Dorsetshire FL 2120) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

5 Apr 1942 // Destroyer HMS Gallant was rendered a total loss after being damaged by German bombing while under repair at Valletta, Malta. Her hulk was expended as blockship at St Paul's Island off Malta in September 1943. (Imperial War Museum FL 22249) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

4 Apr 1918 // HM Submarines E.8 and C.26, part of a British submarine flotilla in the Baltic, were scuttled at Helsinki. The Royal Navy did not want them falling into the hands of either the advancing Germans or the Bolsheviks. (Image: HMS E.8 IWM HU 57612) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

4 Apr 1918 // Destroyer HMS Bittern was rammed in thick fog by merchantman SS Kenilworth off the Isle of Portland and sank with all 60 crew lost. The enquiry placed the blame on the Kenilworth, which was off course and showing no lights. (Imperial War Museum: Q 42670) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory