Podcasts about Dutch Harbor

Late last week, power outages left thousands of Homer Electric Association members in the dark, including the region's South Peninsula Hospital. International shipping and logistics giant Maersk is ceasing operations in Alaska by February. Terminals in Dutch Harbor and Kodiak are on the chopping block. The holiday season wouldn't be the same without music. That's why the Soldotna Public Library hosted a mini concert this week featuring an ensemble of local musicians.

The Japanese oceanographic research ship Mirai arrived at Dutch Harbor in Alaska on Monday local time, completing its Arctic Ocean observation mission for this year.

米アラスカ州ダッチハーバーに到着した海洋地球研究船「みらい」、９月３０日【みらい船上・時事】８月下旬に青森県むつ市から出航し、北極観測を行ってきた海洋地球研究船「みらい」が３０日、下船地である米アラスカ州ダッチハーバーに到着した。 The Japanese oceanographic research ship Mirai arrived at Dutch Harbor in Alaska on Monday local time, completing its Arctic Ocean observation mission for this year.

Napoleon Bonaparte was noted for conquering new territory for France, not giving away a huge portion of North America at the cost of mere pennies an Acre. A strange, haunting series of events made the Louisiana Purchase possible, and with it the acquisition of land that later became 15 new states. Those events included the brutal attempts to suppress the only successful slave rebellion in all human history, the unseasonal and unprecedented freezing over of an important Dutch Harbor, plus the skill and flexibility of American leaders who managed to overcome the partisan divisions that had begun to paralyze the young Republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beans talks to Steven, who sent an interesting photos that he came across while watching a webcam in Dutch Harbor, Alaska Alasquatch Podcast Website

REPORTED THREE USN ARLEIGH BURKE DESTROYERS SUPPORTING ISRAEL AIR DEFENSE. 4/4: To Provide and Maintain a Navy: Why Naval Primacy Is America's First, Best Strategy by Henry J Hendrix  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Provide-Maintain-Navy-Americas-Strategy/dp/0960039198/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NGUTL4LKSVEL&keywords=to+provide+and+maintain+a+navy&qid=1673808583&s=books&sprefix=to+provide+and+maintain+a+navy%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-1 The national conversation regarding the United States Navy has, for far too long, been focused on the popular question of how many ships does the service need? "To Provide and Maintain a Navy," a succinct but encompassing treatise on sea power by Dr. Henry J "Jerry" Hendrix, goes beyond the numbers to reveal the crucial importance of Mare Liberum (Free Sea) to the development of the Western thought and the rules based order that presently governs the global commons that is the high seas. Proceeding from this philosophical basis, Hendrix explores how a "free sea" gave way to free trade and the central role sea borne commercial trade has played in the overall rise in global living standards. This is followed by analysis of how the relative naval balance of power has played out in terms of naval battles and wars over the centuries and how the dominance of the United States Navy following World War II has resulted in seven decades of unprecedented peace on the world's oceans. He further considers how, in the years that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, both China and Russia began laying the groundwork to challenge the United States maritime leadership and upend five centuries of naval precedents in order to establish a new approach to sovereignty over the world's seas. It is only at this point that Dr. Hendrixapproaches the question of the number of ships required for the United States Navy, the industrial base required to build them, and the importance of once again aligning the nation's strategic outlook to that of a "seapower" in order to effectively and efficiently address the rising threat. "To Provide and Maintain a Navy" is brief enough to be read in a weekend but deep enough to inform the reader as to the numerous complexities surrounding what promises to be the most important strategic conversation facing the United States as it enters a new age of great power competition with not one, but two nations who seek nothing less than to close and control the world's seas. 1943 Dutch Harbor USS Casco The USS Casco Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier that served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Dutch Harbor is a port town in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It was the site of the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Aleutian Islands in 1942-1943, which was part of the broader Pacific campaign. In June 1942, Dutch Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces, resulting in damage to the town and naval facilities there.

A new bill is introduced in DC for a decades-old dispute over Cape Fox's unsettled lands. HBO's new season of True Detective, set in a fictional Northwestern Alaska town, features some local talent. A real Northwestern Alaskan town builds the nation's first deepwater port in the Arctic. Dispatches from the Dutch Harbor cod fishery and the Kensington mine.

Join your hosts April Botta, Lynne Macolini, and Whitney Mattox as we embark on a thrilling expedition cruise through the breathtaking landscapes of Alaska. In this special two-part series, we're thrilled to have Susan Snyder, an Independent Travel Advisor with Coasters & Castles Travel, sharing her unforgettable 18-night journey aboard Hurtigruten.

In honor of Filipino American History Month our guests are two professors from the University of Alaska Anchorage: Drs. EJR David and Gabriel Garcia. This past session House Bill 23 sponsored by Representative Genevieve Mina passed the Alaska legislature unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Dunleavy. This bill makes October officially Filipino American History Month. So today we will be talking about Filipinos in Alaska; our guests are both PhDs, both born in the Philippines, and both immigrated to Alaska as children. Dr. Gabriel Garcia is a professor of Public Health at the University of Alaska Anchorage and is the coordinator of UAA's Master of Public Health Program. His research highlighted health disparities in Filipino fish processing plant workers in Dutch Harbor. We will also be discussing his current research about the potential resiliency that can be gained from ethnic studies programs.  Dr. E.J. R. David is a professor of psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His primary duties are with the PhD program in clinical community psychology with a rural, cultural, and indigenous emphasis. He has published four books. The first three are academic works about internalized oppression and the colonial mentality.  His fourth is a memoir titled, We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet: Letters to my Filipino Athabaskan Family.Rep. Genevieve Mina is the second Filipino woman elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. She represents East Anchorage (Airport Heights, Mountain View, and Russian Jack neighborhoods). 

Today we share exploits from the front lines of crisis response with Adam Wine, a seasoned professional with over three decades of experience in the US Coast Guard, Adam currently serves as Emergency Management Coordinator for the Fairfield County Virginia Emergency Management Agency. He shares with us a riveting tale of a leadership failure in a crisis, underlining the importance of self awareness and knowing one's limitations. Adam also shares stories from a major oil spill response in Dutch Harbor, AK, and how the ability to adapt and adjust to changing conditions and public sentiment is pivotal to a successful response. 

Jeff was joined by lobbyist Paul Fuhs. They talk about his time serving as mayor of Dutch Harbor, his time serving as Commerce commissioner under former Governor Wally Hickel, a trip he took to the Soviet Union in 1990 and how he ended up singing "Back in the U.S.SR." with a Soviet Army band, trips Jeff and Paul have taken to Crimea since the Russian annexation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what that means for Arctic cooperation, how the war in Ukraine will likely end, and the importance of domestic energy. 

Last time we spoke about the drive towards Salamaua. New Guinea was about to see a large scale offensive launched at Salamaua, but in order for it to be pulled off, the allied high command decided to produce many feints to distract the Japanese. Codenamed Operation Postern, General Blamey directed his subordinate to launch offensives around Salamaua, but not to attack kit directly. Battles began to break out over the Pimple, Green Hill, observation hill and bobdubi ridge. It was costly warfare for both sides, but the strategy was working as the Japanese were beginning to believe the allies were targeting Salamaua, rather than the actual target which was Lae. We also talked about the tragic tale of the fate of the surviving doolittle POW's and the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur. The Japanese would perform many more war crimes during this war. But today we are venturing back to the frigid north pacific. This episode is the battle of Attu Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  It is May of 1943, almost a year has passed since the battle of Midway. The battle of Midway, though as you have heard me say probably a hundreds times by now, not the turning point of the pacific war, nonetheless has captivated people since it occurred. There is something about Midway that just makes it a great story, its full of everything, deception, foreshadowing, underdog victory, its on the level of Herodotus to be brutally honest with you. But while thats all good and fun it really overshadows other events in the Pacific War. One thing that gets really overshadowed is the Aleutian campaign, which ironically was born from the battle of Midway. As we have seen throughout this series, the Japanese invasion of the islands of Attu and Kiska were incredibly important aspects of the war, hell it was the first time American territory had been seized since the war of 1812, a war in which my nation of Canada defeated America, haha jokes jokes, trust me I know quite a lot about the war of 1812 and its by no means as simple as that and is honestly one of the most misunderstood wars in history. The invasions of Attu and Kiska were a large shock for the American public and their liberation was demanded from the offset.  Now to backtrack only a tiny bit for coherency's sake, last time we talked about Admiral Kinkaid's plan to attack Kiska. The plan became a major item debated at the Casablanca conference. The allied commanders liked the plan and sent it over the the Joint chiefs of staff to try and hammer out the details to form it into a real operation that got the codename Operation landcrab. When it was presented to General John DeWitt, he recommended using the 35th infantry division, but the War department decided to use the 7th motorized division instead. They had of course been trained for desert warfare in north africa, but General Rommel had just been defeated and thus the division's expertise in that area was no longer needed.  Vice Admiral Francis Rockwell received overall command of Operation Landcrab and when he looked over the plan, he quickly pointed out some major problems. Number one, they simply did not have enough naval assets to pull it off. Going back to the drawing board, Kinkaid suggested they switch their target for Attu, believing the island only held a garrison of around 500 Japanese. Attu would turn out to have closer to 3000 men. Regardless, Kinkaid argued bypassing Kiska for Attu might result in the Japanese abandoning Kiska.  The idea was approved and the 10,000 strong 7th division commanded by Major General Albert Brown would receive a crash course in amphibious landings and tundra warfare. The initial lands were set for May 7th, but the finer details of the plan were only finalized on April 1st at the San Diego military conference. As mentioned before, shipping was the most crippling issue facing the North Pacific as they really only received hand me downs so to say. Thus Operation Landcrab would be forced to use five terribly-overcrowded transports: the Harris, Heywood, Zeilin, Perida and Kane escorted by Task Force 51's Destroyers Dewey, Dale, Monaghan, Aylwin; minelayers Sicard, Pruitt and the Minesweeper group Perry, Elliot, Chandler and Long. They were to depart on April 24th.  Now to preserve secrecy for the operation, the 7th division who were training in California were told they were going to deploy in the Solomon Islands. Kind of a nasty surprise when you think about it, your training for a tropical climate only to be shipped off to one of the coldest and most miserable places in the world haha. A key element in the plan consisted of the provisional scout battalion, commanded by Captain William Willoughby. This unit was made up of the physically toughest men out of the 7th division and would prove to be the finest American fighting forces on Attu. Captain Willoughby would have 410 men who were given very little time to train. Willoughby secured massive firepower for his men, getting rid of half their rifles and all their submachine guns and replacing them with automatic rifles, machine guns and exchanging their soft lead ammunition for armor piercing rounds, which was a big necessity so they did not ricochet on the ice. He also filled his mens packs with grenades to the brim. The men left San Francisco on april 24th at 1pm, completely ignorant of their true destination. In the meantime the Americans wanted to keep their actual target a mystery from the Japanese and began a bombardment campaign against Kiska and Attu, tossing most of the bombs at Kiska. The bombardment campaign was heavily hampered by tremendous storms for the first half of april, seeing winds up to 115 mph and gusts over 127 mph. The Americans managed to better Kiska with 1175 sorties during April second half, then on May 1st they switched focus to Attu where their bombers hammered it with over 200,000 pounds of bombs. The pilots unfortunately were bombing blind as Attu was covered in a thick fog, thus there was no way to know the effectiveness of their campaign.  Of the entire invasion force, only Willoughby's provisional scout battalion would get training ashore in the Aleutians prior to deployment. While the rest of the 7th division came ashore at Cold Bay, they would be forced to stay aboard their ships as there were no accommodations ashore, a shivering and crammed mess to be sure. Only Captain Willoughby's men would carry on over to Dutch Harbor where they embarked on a week's last minute training in snow and muskeg. While the 7th division boys were shivering their asses off in Cold Bay, General Butler signaled the bombardment campaign to lay down the hammer of Attu, tossing Admiral McMorris force into the mix. McMorris led the Light cruisers Richmond, Detroit and Santa Fe; and destroyers Coghlan, Bancroft, Caldwell, Edwards, Frazier and Gansevoort to bombard Attu with naval gunfire. Over in Attu, Colonel Yamasaki Yasuyo who had been appointed to command the 2nd district force of the North Seas Garrison had arrived to the island in April and was given orders to hold Attu without any additional help until at least May. In May he was to receive reinforcements. Until then he had the 83rd and 103rd infantry battalion; the Aota battalion which was a provisional anti-aircraft battalion;  the 302nd Independent Engineer Company and 2nd Company of the 6th Ship Engineer Regiment; and  the 6th Independent Mountain Artillery Company. In all 2630 men, with just a few coastal guns, some flak guns and small arms to defend themselves. Yamasaki decided to keep the garrison at Chichagof Harbor, while at Holtz and Massacre Valleys he had the men abandon the low ground to instead dig pits, trenches and bunkers of the high, rugged ground overlooking the valleys. Rockwell and Brown spent May the 1st and 2nd discussing the landing plans against Attu. Characteristically the Aleutian weather was to be bleak, furious storms raged thus postponing the operation. D-day had to be pushed from may 7th to the 11th. Rockwell called for landing the entire 7th division at Sarana Bay as he didn't believe he could maintain full-scale supply of 2 different landing points. But Brown favored making 3 landings. One at Holtz bay by Colonel Frank Cuilin's northern force; the 1st battalion of the 17th regiment; another in Massacre Bay by Colonel Edward Earle's southern force consisting of the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 17th regiment and the 2nd battalion of the 32nd regiment; and Captain Willoughby's  Scout battalion was to land at Beach Scarlet; lastly a reserve force consisting of the 1st and 3rd battalions of the 32nd regiment and the 1st battalion of the 4th regiment  ready to depart at any moment from Adak. The key to the plan was to have all three forces join up in the mountain pass  called Jarmin Pass which lay between Holtz and Massacre Valleys. Converging there would basically trap the Japanese at Chichagof Valley, leaving them open to naval bombardments and aerial bombing as the 7th division's advanced upon the high ground. Willoughby's scouts would have an extremely dangerous task having to land from two large submarines at night, the USS Narwhal and Nautilus. They would have to creep up in complete silence to achieve the element of surprise. This was easier said than done however. When jumping into their rubber boats, their equipment would clank and some of their heavy weapons would rip holes in the fragile boats. Thus Willoughby instead planned to come topside, inflate the rubber boats on the afterdecks and try to quietly crowed the boats while they were still high and dry. The submarines would submerge under them, so the boats would float without a ripple. Pretty smart stuff and very innovative for the day. Once a beachhead was established, the destroyer USS Kane would bring the remaining 165 men to Attu.  Admiral Kinkaids Task Force 16 would provide the naval support, consisting of two groups:  the Southern Covering Force of Admiral McMorris consisting of Light cruisers Richmond, Detroit and Santa Fe; and destroyers Coghlan, Bancroft, Caldwell, Frazier and Gansevoort; and the Northern Covering Force of Admiral Giffen  consisting of Heavy cruisers Louisville, San Francisco and Wichita; and destroyers Balch, Hughes, Morris and Mustin. They would have the task of naval bombarding the enemy positions and would receive the support from Admiral Rockwell's Task Force 51 consisting of the escort carrier Nassau, 3 old battleships the Nevada, Idaho and Pennsylvania; and destroyers Edwards, Meade, Ammen, Phelps, Hull, MacDonough, Aylwin and Monaghan, a Transport Group covered by three destroyers Dale, Dewey and Farragut and a Minesweeper Group of two minesweepers Chandler and Long.They were to be the largest American naval force assembled since the invasion of Guadalcanal and their guns would hammer the enemy on Attu to support the ground forces. On the 3rd of May, the assault force finally departed Cold Bay en route to Attu, despite the fact their intelligence indicated the Japanese knew they were coming. The convoy cut across the Chain at Amukta pass making a wide circle north of Kiska to avoid detection. By the 6th, they had reached their launch point, 100 miles north of Attu, but a storm began to smash them during the evening. The surf became too dangerous for landings, forcing Rockwell to postpone yet again. Rockwell took his transports and had them perform circles while his battleships headed west incase the Japanese tried to send reinforcements from the Kuriles. By the 11th, the storm had ended, leaving a soupy fog over the ocean. Because of the fog the destroyer USS Macdonough accidentally cut across the destroyer USS Sicard's course causing a collision. No one was injured, but the collision breached Macdonough's hull, forcing Sicard to tow her back to Adak. Sicard was one of the control ships for the landings, thus the landings would now be more difficult. Meanwhile, Colonel Yamasaki received warning of the incoming American invasion by May 4th and set to work ordering his men into combat alert positions. He kept the men on edge for a week, but by the 10th he had exhausted them and it looked like perhaps the weather and stopped the invasion from coming. Thus Yamasaki decided to leave the beaches unguarded, as his small force could not possibly guard every inch of them. His force was made up of, what we call the b-teamers, older men and raw recruits, primarily drawn from Hokkaido. The only advantage they enjoyed was the fact they were used to colder climates and knew the terrain and weather. Giving up the beaches to occupy the high ground was the only sensible defensive posture Yamasaki could hope for. Thus a major component of the defensive strategy would be to draw the enemy further in towards the mountains and away from their supplies on the shore. Yamasaki organized his forces into two sectors; the Chichagof harbor sector and the  Holtz Bay sector. Lt COlonel Yonegawa Isamu defended the Holtz Bay sector with his Yonegawa force of 420 men, 526 men of the Aota provisional anti-aircraft battalion led by Major Aota Seiji, 270 men of the 6th independent month artillery led by Captain Ono CHinozo, 270 men of the 6th ship engineers led by Captain Kobayashi and 183 men of the field hospital unit.  Chichagof Harbor sector was defended by Major Watanabe Tokuji who had 664 men of the 303rd independent infantry battalion. Willoughby and his scouts moved ashore first at 1am on May 11th, marking the start of a struggle that would carry on for 19 days. It was not going to be the 3 day adventures Admiral Kinkaid had promised them. Willoughby and 244 of his scouts clambered out of the large submarines Narwhal and Nautilus into their inflatable boats and made their way 3 miles to the western shore of Attu. They successfully landed on Beach Scarlet after two hours and immediately headed for an icy little creek that climbed up a ravine towards some ridges, there was no sign of the Japanese anywhere. Disaster struck immediately when some naval Wildcats swept in low over Scarlet Bay and began strafing their boats, narrowing missing 3 guards left behind with the boats. The Wildcats had come from the USS Nassau, there to support them, not destroy their escape vehicles. The friendly fire was certainly a bad omen to start their mission. With 36 hours worth of rations in their packs and no ability to retreat the scouts made their way climbing a snow covered mountain ridge. Willoughby and his soldiers spent the first night at the bitterly cold summit. A B-24 would be sent to drop additional ammunition and rations to them, but the powerful snow filled winds hurled the parachute supply crates deep in some crevasses. Over in the south, the old battleships delivered a bombardment of Chichagof harbor. After this the largest of the three assault bodies had arrived aboard their transports to Massacre Bay in the early morning. However the fog was so intense the allied aircraft couldn't see a glimpse of the ground from their altitude of 20,000 feet. In fact both the Japanese and allies bombers would be spending the majority of the battle grounded because of weather. The americans yet again had to postpone, this time until the afternoon. General Brown had had enough and ordered the southern force of Colonel Edward Earle to make the landings regardless. At 3:30 the first wave began to hit the Massacre beach unopposed. An hour later the second wave landed at 5pm. The soldiers came ashore to a eerily silent beach, greeted allegedly by a solitary raven, whose croaking echoed eerily off the foggy ridges until the bird flew away. Meanwhile the Northern force led by Colonel Frank Culin landed on Beach Red, meeting no immediate Japanese resistance as they formed their beachhead. Beach Red proved to be a narrow strip only a hundred yards long or so, surrounded by 250 feet heights. It was a highly unlikely landing area and thus the Japanese had never set up defenses there. Instead the Japanese set up positions, intending to hit the allies at Moore ridge using two 75mm mountain guns. By midafternoon, Culin had 1500 men ashore and climbing with no sign of the enemy. During this period however Culin succumbed to hypothermia forcing Lt Colonel Albert Hartl to take command. Hartl began his command by tossing out a screen of Aleut scouts, some who originally came from Attu, over the ravines and mountain ridges. By 6pm a US patrol encountered 4 Japanese, they killed one man, wounded and captured a second, but the other 2 managed to escape and raised the alarm. The Japanese began digging in on the high ground overlooking Holtz Valley. The days deep silence unnerved the men more than an outpouring of gunfire.  Lt H.D Long described the eerie silence followed by a sparrow that quote “ He sat on a bump above the beach and sang his lungs out, and an explosive gasp shushed out of hundreds of throats. The spell was broken, the world hadn't died around us. The first DSC from Attu should go to that bird. He saved lives that day. His song changed us from a tight, tense, hypnotized, unrelated group of human beings to a relaxed, laughing, cohesive fighting force” Back over in Massacre Valley, Colonel Early decided to toss one battalion up the valley floor and another up a parallel ridge. The two-pronged maneuver was slow going because of the muck of snow, mud and muskeg. They would soon come upon a chain of Japanese machine gun nests and mortar positions held by men of the 303rd infantry battalion. They were led by Lt Goto and Honna who told the men to wait silently for the enemy. Their position lay in some thick fog, but they could see the Americans clearly below them, struggling forward up the valley through a wet layer of snow and sucking mud. They had orders from the Northern Imperial Army headquarters at Paramushiro  “Destroy the enemy. We pray and hope for your successful battle.”   However the first shots of the battle would be fired at around 6pm by Brigadier General Archibald Arnolds 3 105mm field artillery. The pieces of artillery had been brought ashore with the southern force, but immediately got stuck in mud. A scouting force led by Lt James west had found a Japanese mortar positions and called its location down to the artillery men at the beach. Their first shell missed, but the Japanese mortar crew walked right into the next two shells which destroyed their guns and blasted the crews to pieces. They were the first casualties of the battle of Attu.   While those shells were being lobbed at the ridge-lines, Japanese snipers opened up fire taking long range shots at the US troops struggling up the valley throughout the day. By 7pm Earle led hundreds of men forward in an attack on the pass at Massacre Valley's inland end, soon to be dubbed Jarmin Pass. Japanese machine gun fire and mortar explosions caught the Americans on open ground. The men fell back, rallied, tried to again and were driven back once more.   The Japanese had prepared their battlefield expertly, choosing defensive positions that provided cover and concealment. Their snipers were positioned at right angles to cover the approaches from the enemy upon their machine gun nests. The grenade launchers covered depression where the Americans might take cover. A system of tunnels and trenches allowed them quick and easy movement. Telephone wires strung along the ground provided them communication. Caches of food and supplies were easily moved around throughout the combat. Low hanging fog along the ridges and mountain sides concealed their positions while also providing them good observation of the Americans huddling in their water filed foxholes down below. While the Japanese watched their enemy, the enemy could only see mist above them.   Earle tossed countless assaults, each bloodily repulsed. Sergeant Louis Adami of G company, 32nd infantry described one of the failed assaults. “The attack pushed off early in the morning at about 0630 and immediately the Japs opened up. The first casualties were being hit in the back by guns high on the mountain to our left. It was demoralizing because we couldn't spot them. […] They had machine guns all over the place, and knee mortars were systematically blasting holes in our advancing lines”. At nightfall, Earle would thus be forced to regroup behind a defensive perimeter, digging foxholes in the cold snow.    Further north, battleship Nevada was hammering the Japanese positions with her 14 inch guns as the Americans watching severed arms, legs and entire Japanese corpses pop out of their trenches, flopping grotesquely down the steep slopes after each salvo. The salvo's were chewing great chunks of mountain and inflicting heavy casualties. The Northern force meanwhile had reached high ground when the Japanese artillery had opened up on them, pounding Beach Red. By 10pm the americans were two miles inland and less than a mile from their first objective, designated Hill X. Hill X was a hilltop dominating Holtz Valley. The Americans would have to stop for the night as they could not see where they were going, unfortunately this gave the Japanese ample time to build up defensive positions on Hill X. At 4am, Willoughby got his half frozen men off their feet and they marched over the final ridges of Attu's western mountains and emerged to the rear of the Japanese positions on the high ground overlooking Holtz Bay and the Northern force. The scouts quickly took up positions sliding on their back down long snow slopes. The Japanese saw them and launched a preemptive attack. Willoughbys men, exhibiting professionalism, took cover and demolish the attack with machine gun and mortars. The scouts doctor, Captain David Kelin went to work setting up aid stations with extreme speed that would save the lives of 15 badly wounded men on the 12th and 13th. On the 13th the Americans pushed within 2 miles of the Jarmin Pass, fighting every step they took. Willoughby and his elite scouts fought so furiously, the Japanese defenders estimated their strength to be a full division worth instead of 410. On the 14th a trio of F4F wildcats tried to support them courageously fighting the bad weather, but incredible wind gusts smashed them against a mountainside killing all of the pilots. Willoughbys men carried on their costly struggle that was necessary to stop the enemy from turning their full might down upon the Northern force. At 9am, as the fog lifted, Colonel Earle ordered his 3rd battalion to assault the Jarmin pass, but yet again it failed. His men only made it a few yards before they were crawling back under heavy fire. Earle himself was visiting the front lines early that afternoon and was a victim of sniper fire. His death was a grave loss, prompting General Brown to send his chief of staff Colonel Wayne Zimmerman to take command of the southern force.  At the same time Colonel Culin's men were attacking the right flank of the Japanese defenders at Jarmin Pass, being met with machine gun fire, rifle fire and mortars. Pinned down one of Culin's companies would be unable to move forward or back and had to be rescued. After beach artillery, Phelps naval guns and Nassaus Wildcats made a bombardment, the Northern force was able to push forward and link with the isolated company. By the late afternoon, Hill X was captured by Culins men who had to overrun Japanese positions to do so. The Japanese soon regrouped and counterattacked causing heavy casualties, but did not manage to dislodge the Americans. At this point, casualties were shockingly high, General Brown pressed Rockwell to land two reserve battalions, but unbeknownst to him the Perida had suffered an accident. As she was edging towards Massacre Beach to land her reinforcements and supplies, the transport ran into a pinnacle rock. Water gushed into her forward hull destroying radio equipment needed ashore. Perida backed off, listing and staggered until she beached at the mouth of the bay and now was undergoing repairs. Rockwell only had 4 more vessels for shipping. On May 13th, Zimmerman picked up where Earle had left off tossing men at Jarmin Pass. The soldiers struggled uphill through snow and Japanese lead, managing to get within 200 yards of the summit before triple crossfire tossed them back. After this defeat, Brown pressed again for reinforcements and was told two battalions would arrive early in the afternoon. By midafternoon, the 1st battalion of the 32nd regiment successfully landed and immediately marched up hill to fill the front lines. The 3rd battalion of the 32nd regiment however were prevented by steady Japanese anti-aircraft guns from landing.  Brown asked Rockwell to get Nevada to fire upon the Holtz Bay area. As Nevada steamed back and forth firing her 14 inch guns against the Japanese anti-aircraft positions in Holtz Bay, suddenly an officer on the bridge alerted everyone an enemy submarine was in the area. Rockwell snapped “Screw the torpedoes, slow speed ahead”. The IJN submarine I-31 lined herself up with the Neveda and fired a torpedo, but the old battleship managed to dodge it narrowly and her destroyer escorts Edwards and Farragut began firing upon the submarine, managing to trap her and sinking her with naval gunfire. Nevada silenced the Japanese flak guns giving the boys on the ground a fighting chance. Willoughbys scouts who had not eaten for 2 days drove the Japanese from the high ground, securing the summit and settling in for the night. To the east of them, Culins 1st battalion managed to drive the Japanese from a hilltop with the assistance of Nassau's wildcats. Culin called up for reinforcements as his men dug in. For in 36 hours a full scale assault towards the mountain pass and enemy camp in Holtz Bay was going to begin.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The fighting for Attu was turning into carnage. The frigid weather combined with flying lead in all forms would take a horrifying toll on the poor souls who had the unfortunate job of dying in a remote part of the world, few people ever venture.

Last time we spoke about Admiral Yamamoto's Operation I-Go. The empire of the rising sun had to do something about the allied advance up the solomons and New Guinea. Yamamoto devised a grand counter air offensive to hinder the allies airfield building in the regions. However, this was not 1941, it was 1943 and the Japanese aviation crews and pilots were not the same men they once were. The war was taking its toll on the effectiveness of Japan's airpower and it was showcased during Operation I-Go.  Despite the wild claims of the pilots who would have Japan's leadership believe they shutdown every allied aircraft in existence, the reality was they had only inflicted enough damage to set back the allied timetables for 10 days. Unbeknownst to the Japanese also was that allied cryptanalysts were continuing to break their codes and found out fateful information about the mastermind behind Operation I-Go. But today you need to grab your onions cause were are talking about Chindits. This episode is the return of the Chindits  Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  For a few weeks we have been covering what basically can be described as the major strategic shift during the Pacific War. I know I repeat it so often, but the battle of guadalcanal was the real turning point of the Pacific War. It led the allies to grab the initiative for the rest of the war and as a result the Japanese were forced to take a defensive stance. The taking of guadalcanal and the Buna-Gona-Sanananda areas led to a lot of shuffling for both sides. And with all that shuffling came heavy losses and resources being forcefully allocated to certain areas at the cost of others. Now up in the frigid northern waters of the north pacific, the 6 hour battle of the komandorski islands had nearly ended in an American debacle. If admiral Hosogaya had pressed his advantage, he would have most likely destroyed the Salt Lake City alongside several other warships. But as we saw, the high explosive shell fired by a single man had prompted Hosogay to falsely believe American airforces were attacking him and he pulled out. Hosogaya's conservative decision was condemned by his superiors and he was forced into retirement as a result. Admiral McMorris's force suffered damage to 3 ships and lost 7 men, but he walked away and the Japanese convoy failed its mission. It was to be Japan's last attempt to resupply the Attu and Kiska garrisons with surface ships, all future runs would be done via submarine. Thus the success of Admiral Kinkaids daring blockade had sealed the fate of the Japanese garrisons on the two islands. Yet before the Americans could begin invading these two islands they needed to perform basically the same strategy their colleagues were doing in the south pacific. They needed to secure advance bases and island hop their way west. One of the first major moves came when Admiral Kinkaid and General Buckner made the joint decision to move the Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters out to Adak. Adak was a thousand miles nearer to the enemy, but concentrating so much on the island created its own problems. A year prior, there had been only 5000 people in the Aleutians, now there were nearly 40,000. The bottleneck became so severe, Buckner's soldiers were being supplies with just 10 rounds of ammunition per weapon and food rations were very limited. The men were living off canned vegetables and the occasional shiploads of foul-smelling mutton from New Zealand. Mutton in general was notably not very loved amongst American forces. Australians took a notice of this as Americans began to complain in Australia that they were tired of eating it all the time there. Actually a hilarious rumor emerged amongst the Americans in Australia that General MacArthur owned a sheep ranch and was being enriched at their expense. Yes I managed to toss another punch at Dougey. Medical problems began to emerge in the Aleutians as many American bodies began to reject the environment, that is polite talk for Americans who can't handle a bit of cold. Lingering head colds became so bad, the men began to refer to it as “Aleutian malaria”. I mean I do get it, snow can suck, the cold sucks, waking up at 6am to record this podcast only to look out my window at what is becoming a hours shoveling of my driveway sucks, Canadian problems 101.  As for the US Navy, the north pacific submarine force had spent the first few months of Kinkaids command simply gathering strength, building up enough to make a final push, but nothing too exciting. A new PT boat squadron had been assembled employing the Higgens model. Now I don't know about all of you, but the idea of being on a tiny PT boat in the Aleutians sounds horrifying. If you might recall in January, 4 torpedo boats led by Lt CLinton McKeller had departed King cove to sail for Dutch Harbor. They sailed through a squall, coated with 4 inches of ice. The 4 boats made it to the nearest harbor, Dora Harbor on Unimak and were stuck there for nearly a week. There anchored they were bashed around by howling 80 knot winds, and Pt-27 smashed into some jagged rocks, Pt-28 went aground and sank, pt-22 crashed on a reef and sank, but McKellar was able to keep his crews intact. The two surviving boats had to be rescued some days later by the tender Virginia E.  The devastating experiences of the McKeller's men led to this new squadron of PT boats being outfitted with hot-air heaters. To compare to the PT boat crews miseries, the experience of the pilots in the Aleutians was not any better. Butler lost 11 planes due to bad weather in January alone. The weather improved in February allowing for some missions, but they were hampered terribly by a technological issue. The B-24 liberators constantly had their bomb-bay rack mechanisms freeze on them. Thus the bombing missions half the time went bust. Now Admiral Kinkaid suggested an attack on Kiska in January of 1943. The plan found its way to the Casablanca conference in north africa where president FDR, Sir Winston CHurhcill and the allied combined chiefs of staff hammered out the fine details. Kinkaid's plan to attack Kiska actually managed to become an item debated at the conference. The allied leaders approved it and sent it over to the US joint chiefs of staff to develop it into a real operation, which became code named Operation Landcrab. The task was handed over to General John DeWitt, who recommended using the 35th infantry division, but the war department decided instead to use the southwestern 7th motorized division. However this division was trained in desert warfare. The rationale for this was due to Rommel's recent defeat and the lack of need for desert trained troops in Europe.Well obviously the desert tactics nor the tanks, truck and other armored vehicles were of any use to the Aleutians, the entire division required training in arctic amphibious operations which would take over 3 months. Luckily amphibious assault specialists like Major General Holland “Howlin Mad” Smith, Colonels Castner, Eareckson, Alexander and Carl Jones were accustomed to the Aleutian theater and helped retrain the 7th division at Los Angeles. By February Washington had assigned an insufficient number of ships for the invasion of Kiska. This prompted Kinkaid to suggest instead of attacking Kiska to bypass her and hit Attu. Attu was believed to only have a garrison of 500 men and Kinkaid believed seizing Attu, just west of Kiska would prompt the Japanese to abandon Kiska. Thus operation Landcrab was greenlit and ready to go, and all the major commanders of the theater would meet at a conference in San Diego to hash out the final details. The San diego conference quickly deteriorated into a series of arguments between two new commanders, rear-admiral William Ward Smith and Vice admiral Francis Warren Rockwell and the experienced Alaskan leaders Buckner and DeWitt. They squabbled over reconnaissance issues, in truth the Americans did not have a good picture of the western Aleutians. Bucker pointed out that the Navy, Army and Airforce had 4 different sets of map coordinates and asked the issue be rectified. This led the Alaska Scout leader Colonel Castner to urge Major General Albert Eger Brown who would be commanding the 7th infantry division to perform a reconnaissance personally. Brown however did not do this. Furthermore Buckner requested they employ a battalion of his ground forces for the operation to improve their low morale. Rockwell argued his shipping capacity was overstretched, leading DeWitt to assign the commercial ship Perida to take Buckner's troops into the battle. Rockwell then complained the commercial ship would not be able to land his troops quickly enough to protect them it the enemy resisted the landings and Brown threw back at him the addition of these troops just disrupted the entire mission. So as you can see a lot of dick waving. In the end they reached a compromise, to hold Buckner's 4th regiment in reserve at Adak, ready to ship out in less than a day to hit Attu if needed. On April 18th, reconnaissance revealed there were at least 1600 Japanese on Attu, prompting Rockwell to commit the entire 7th division, 10,000 men in all and the extra 4th regiment for operation landcrab. Now before the men his the island Rockwell sent a small team of combat specialists to come up behind the Japanese to prevent them from falling back into the mountains where they could hold out for weeks or even months. Captain Willoughby's Scout battalion, 410 officers and men, trained vigorously in a short amount of time for the operation. They replaced all of their rifles and submarine guns with automatic rifles, machine guns and mortars and soft lead bullets for armor piercing bullets as those could penetrate ice without ricocheting. The mens packs were filled to the brim with grenades.  Meanwhile General Butler began a bombing campaign to soften up the island. A terrible storm prevented air raids during the first half of april seeing winds his 115 miles per hour and gusts over 127. Nonetheless over 1175 combat sorties would be made in april, with over 4000 pounds of bombs falling on Attu. Though it should be mentioned most of the bombers dropped their loads blind as Attu was covered in a thick fog. Finally on April 24th, the 7th division departed San Francisco at 1pm aboard 5 transports. The Aleutian campaign was soon coming to an end. But now we need to grab our onions and travel back to Burma to talk about good ol Wingate and the boys.  Back in Burma, Wingates forces were beginning the last phase of operation Longcloth, fleeing for their lives back to India. Now Fort Hertz and the new Ledo Road had been protectedAt his headquarters in Wuntho Wingate had to make a choice: retire back to India or press on and cross the Irrawaddy. Being Wingate he chose to press on with the Japanese hot on the Chindits trail. Now I do apologize I believe this will be the second time I am rehashing most of the Chindit story, I sort of am forced to do so as a result of how the week by week format laid out this story on the youtube channel. Think of it as a refresher to finish off the operation.  Major calvert's Column 3 and Fergussons column 5 headed towards the Gokteik Gorge to blow up its viaduct; Colonel Alexander's southern group was to rendezvous with the Kachin guerillas at Mongmit; and Wingate would personally lead columns 7 and 8 to hit Inywa one of the main based of the Burmese independence forces. Wingates northern force made its way to the Irrawaddy's principal northern tributary, the Shweli by March 17th. Here the river was so wide, their ropes and dinghies would not suffice, the crossing had to be made by boat. The approach to the stream was over open paddy fields, where they could easily be spotted and gundowned. Another major issue of course was the Burmese liberation Army. Wingate began by sending an envoy across the river to treat with the BLA and they promptly decamped. While this was going on Wingate discovered the local boats and their skilled native paddlers could help move his forces. They helped tow the Chindats RAF circular dinghies using 1500 lb net weights. Upon seeing how the locals managed Wingate wrote notes that in the future he should employ at least 40 men to each column who were skilled in handling boats and that 80 percent of his men needed to know how to swim. Yes many of these Chindits did not know how to swim. The mules as usual proved to be difficult to get across, leading 40 to be abandoned while the rest were tethered to boats and paddled across.  Fergusson's Column 5 crossed the Irrawaddy at Tigyaing with assistance of local villagers, missing the Japanese pursuers by a hair's breadth. Fergusson turned south, but then received orders from Wingate to abandon his mission to help Calvert and instead rejoin the rest of the brigade. Calvert completely unaware of these orders, faced a game of hide and seek with the Japanese, leaving them boody traps as they marched. At Tigyaing, Calverts group's rearguard were being hit by the Japanese as they crossed the river. Further south of him, the Southern group had crossed the river at Taguang on March 10th, continuing east. Wingate's men were making their own way eastwards, but the supply drops were becoming less and less frequent and the amount of wounded men was increasing. Wingate was forced to leave many men behind as the Japanese continued to pressure them. On march the 15th, the Southern group met up with Calvert's column 3 near Pegon where they exchanged information. Despite orders to head for Mongmit, Major dunlop and Colonel Alexander decided to advance to Namhkan, crossing the Shweliriver and making an escape for China. As the southern group continued they ran into Fergusson's column 5 on March 20th at Inbale Chaung. There they received orders to continue with the original plans, so they redirected themselves to Mongmit again. There they were supposed to meet with the Kachin guerrillas, but they were so late the Kachin had departed. Meanwhile Calvert and Fergusson were having a rough time as an entire Japanese battalion had arrived at Myitson and they were fanning out patrols to hunt them down. On March 23rd, Calvert found one of these patrols near the Nam Mit River and laid a trap killing 100 of them. In his words  ‘We let fly with everything we had and a lot of Japs could never have known what hit them. It was one of the most one-sided actions I have ever fought in.' He paid for the ambush with a dozen Gurkhas. Calvert's column made its way towards Gokteik, their glittering prize when disappointment was dealt to them. They received orders from Wingate to withdraw back to India. Wingate also took the care to tell his commanders not to call it a “retreat”, but instead to tell their men they were marching north to cooperate with parachute troops in an attack on Bhamo and Indaw. This was to deceive the enemy if men were captured and to simply boost morale. Calvert complied with the order, but in a bit of defiance decided he wanted to hit a railway on the retreat. Reading Calvert's mind Wingate sent an additional message to Calvert saying he needed to get out as fast as possible and not perform any additional strikes, he finished with this “we can get new equipment and wireless sets. But it will take 25 years to get another man. These men have done their job, their experience is at a premium”. Wingate at this point decided they needed a good supply drop and ordered one for March 24th in a paddy field near the village of Baw, which happened to be held by a Japanese company. This was the same location for the rendezvous with Fergussons column who were in bad need for supplies having been forced to butcher their own mules for meat and eat stews of monkeys, rats, locusts and cockroaches. Disaster struck. Wingate sent his forces to attack the Japanese company at Baw leading the RAF pilots seeing the confused battle to only drop one third of the supplies. Fergusson met up with Wingate on the 25th finding his superior to be a bit manic. Wingate was now claiming because of their actions, the Japanese commander would be hard pressed to annihilate them all to save face. Wingate faced a daunting issue, the Japanese would contest the passage of the Irrawaddy, how would they get through now? He decided to try a bluff, they would march back to Inywa and cross at the identical point they had taken to go east, thinking the Japanese would never expect it. To do this they would have to kill all their remaining mules and lighten their loads, perhaps we can take a moment of silence for these poor mules. Wingate told the men once they got across the river they were to break up into smaller groups, try to sabotage more railway installations and make their way back to Assam. The forces made a dreadful march back to Inywa, slaughtering their mules as they went, much to the grief of the muleteers. It became clear early the Japanese were following them. Colonel Tomotoki Koba had set up three defensive lines between the Chindits and the Indian border: 1 at the Irrawaddy, 1 along the Mu valley and 1 following the line of the Chindits. Koba's orders were pretty simply, to drive the Chindits into a trap as if they were wild beasts to hunt.  Wingate attempted feints and decoys, such as sending Fergusson's Column 5 towards the village of Hintha. This decoy worked great for everyone else of course, as Fergussons men suffered heavy casualties for their efforts. The feints and decoys worked as the bamboozled Japanese never fully caught up to the main body, failing to capture the Chindits in the Shweli loop as it was known. By 4pm on 28th, the main body reached Inywa where they lucked out greatly. It turned out the Japanese had neglected to commandeer the boats along the Shweli. Wingate was able to commander a number of local boats and his men began to cross the river. Column 7 went first followed by 2 and 8. But Column 8 as they made their way were fired upon by Japanese patrols. It was fortunate for the Chindits the Japanese patrols were small and lacked heavy machine guns. Even so, the mortar and rifle fire was enough for Wingate to call off the rest of the columns leaving column 7 on the other side of the river to make their own way home to India. Wingate took the rest of the forces to a secure bivouac 10 miles south east of Inywa where he ordered the men to disperse into 5 smaller groups. It was now every man for himself as they say. The first group to really suffer was Fergussons column 5. After the bitter fight at Hintha, he sent word to Wingate advised him where they should be rendezvousing for a supply drop. But when Fergusson got to the location, there was no drop and no Wingate. Fergusson's radio radio was destroyed at Hintha so he had to rely on runners and now knew he basically was on his own. Fergusson decided to take his column and head for the Kachin hills. When his men tried to cross the Shweli it turned into a disaster. Many men were swept away by a flood and most of their animals alone with them. 46 men had to be abandoned on a sandbank in the middle of the river and in Fergusson's words “‘the decision which fell on me there was as cruel as any which could fall on the shoulders of a junior commander'. His men staggered on half crazed with hunger and thirst. After 15 days they reached the Chindwin on April 24th and would limp over to Imphal 2 days later. Their column suffered horribly, 95 survivors out of an original 318. Major Ken Gilkes column 7 managed to get to China with 150 survivors and would fly back to India. Wingates dispersed groups would have a particularly horrible time on their way home. They had tales to tell of Japanese atrocities, the treachery of Burman villagers, the constant battle to stay awake, the agony of hunger and thirst and the feeling of being hunted down like beasts. Their menu more often the naught was python meat and nettles. There also began a rumor amongst the dispersed groups that Wingate had intentionally taken the easy way out for himself while using the rest of them as decoys.  As for Wingates group, his original thinking was that the trek would take 2 weeks but it took roughly 22 days. They spent 2 full days around the Irrawaddy trying to find a safe way across as the Japanese patrols attacked them. On April 13th, with the help of friendly locals who provided paddlers and bamboo rafts they got across. They planned to go across in three groups, and unfortunately for the last group who was acting rearguard they would be left behind. The starving survivors made their way to the Wuntho-Indaw railway then through the Mangin range. At this point all of the food ran out, making even the Python stews seem appetizing. They would make the mistake of trying to buy rice from a pro-Japanese village who began hitting gongs to summon the Japanese causing them to run. At another more neutral village they were able to buy some buffalo meat. As they continued through the Mangin range they nearly died of starvation if it was not for a stroke of luck when one of their Burmese interpreters contacted a local monastery who sold them chicken, tomatoes, rice bananas and 5 pigs. Refreshed they continued and by the 23ed of april could see the Chindwin river. Wingate recounted stating ‘Behold the Chindwin. It is a poor heart that never rejoices.' The 30 mile trek to the Chindwin was the hardest part of the journey. When finally facing the great river Wingate was forced to divide his men into those deemed strong enough to swim across and those who needed a boat. It took 5 men 7 hours to hack some elephant grass to make rafts. Wingate and others swam the Chindwin at a narrow point 500 yards or so wide. Even the strong swimmers were in danger of drowning, many forced to float on their backs. Wingate himself was pretty close to being swept away but managed to keep afloat using a pack for buoyancy. Everyone who got to the other side of the river were utterly exhausted. To their misery they soon heard the incoming Japanese on the other side of the river. As they hit the first village they came across they devoured the meals they could find. But they had left countless non swimming comrades on the other side and Wingate was desperate to send rescue parties. They found a post manned by some Gurkha rifles and obtained their help grabbing local boats and taking a flotilla back over the Chindwin to save the men they could find. In the end Wingates small group of 43 would see 34 survivors reach Assam. Meanwhile far to the south, Dunlop and Alexander's southern group were the furthest away from India. They decided to try and head back to Fort Hertz, but would be ambushed many times along the way. They crossed at the head of the Irrawaddy using stealth to avoid clashes with the Japanese. With the help of locals who gave them food and boats they made it across by April 20th, but after crossing were hit again by the Japanese suffering heavy casualties. Now down to 350 men, they continued towards the Mu River where they were ambushed yet again on the 28th. Colonel Alxander would be killed among others, as Dunlop recounted  "Clarke told me that the last mortar bomb had blown away most of the Colonel Alexander and officer De La Rue's legs. Edmonds and some orderlies had carried them away into the jungle, but that no one could now be found who knew of their whereabouts." Dunlop led the force of exhausted men to the Chindwin river fighting off multiple Japanese patrols. They would wander into early may and were saved by Karen guerilla forces a very lucky break. Lastly, Calverts column 3 made their way to the Shewli river by March 27th with Japanese patrols hot on their trail. Calvert decided the best course of action was to break up into 9 smaller groups. Out of the 360 men in Column 3, 205 eventually recrossed the Chindwin by mid April. Calvert personally would lead a group to detonate more explosives across the Burmese railway.  So ends operation longcloth. Two major things to note were Wingates character and behavior during the expedition. For the first, it is not surprising to see that extreme stress brought up the brittle personality of mr Wingate. It seems in his own mind, Wingate could never be at fault. Wingate clearly had not factored the importance of river crossings, which is unforgivable given Burma's riverine system. The crossings over the Irrawaddy showcased Wingates glory hunting nature. Wingate also was draconian in his punishment of the men. He told his men if any of them plundered villages or lost their own equipment he would have them shot. This went beyond normal army code. If sentries fell asleep and were caught, Wingate gave them 3 choices; be shot, make their own way back home or be flogged, not surprisingly everyone chose to be flogged. Wingate's behavior likewise kept switching from mania to depression given the circumstances.  The casualty figures of the operation were appalling. Out of 3000 men of the 77th brigade that Wingate took into Burma, 2182 returned; 450 were killed in action and the rest went missing. Out of the southern group 260 men out of the 1000 survived. What had been achieved to justify such losses? There are arguments made on both sides. General Slim said of the operation  “They had blown up bridges and cuttings on the Mandalay–Myitkyina railways that supplied the Japanese northern front, and attempted to reach across the Irrawaddy to cut the Mandalay–Lashio line. Exhaustion, difficulties of air supply, and the reaction of the Japanese, prevented this, and the columns breaking up into small parties made for the shelter of 4 Corps. About a thousand men, a third of the total force, failed to return. As a military operation the raid had been an expensive failure. It gave little tangible return for the losses it had suffered and the resources it had absorbed. The damage it did to Japanese communications was repaired in a few days, the casualties it inflicted were negligible, and it had no immediate effect on Japanese dispositions or plans.'” Even Wingates supporters admit the operation was a failure, some describing it “an engine without a train”. Fergusson would add it ‘What did we accomplish? Not much that was tangible. What there was became distorted in the glare of publicity soon after our return. We blew up bits of railway, which did not take long to repair; we gathered some useful intelligence; we distracted the Japanese from some minor operations, and possibly from some bigger ones; we killed a few hundreds of an enemy which numbers eighty millions; we proved that it was feasible to maintain a force by supply dropping alone.' Really in the end, Wingates exploits were used for propaganda purposes lifting the terrible morale amongst the British. The sacrifice of over 800 men for a rather pointless operation had to be glorified for if not it would have crushed morale further. Sit Winston Churchill would say of Longcloth on July 24th of 1943 ‘There is no doubt that in the welter of inefficiency and lassitude which has characterised our own operations on the Indian front, this man, his force and his achievements stand out; and no question of seniority must obstruct the advance of real personalities in their proper station in war.' Wingate performed a press conference on May 20th to spin the allied propaganda machine. Reuters called them “the british ghost army”, the daily mail hailed Wingate as “clive of Burma”. Wingate had performed the typical British habit of turning obvious defeats into glorious victories, it was very much his Dunkirk. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The mad onion man Wingate successfully, or unsuccessfully performed Operation Longcloth. His exploits became legendary, but perhaps one should look closer at the reality behind what occurred in the depths of Burma.

Heinz Baumann learned to sail on lakes in Europe, but was introduced to a whole new world of sailing and racing when he moved to the Bay Area. He's sailed his boat Rageboge, a 38-foot Hallberg Rassy, down to Mexico with his family and across the Pacific in the 2022 Pac Cup. More recently, he's started a charter business called Swiss Adventures and he takes paying crew sailing in Alaska, all the way from Seward out to. Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands.

Kathleen from Plenty of Sunshine Travel met with Lori from Holland America for this week's cruise chat. . Lori did an excellent brand overview and discussed the advantages of cruising with Holland America. . Holland America has 11 ships currently in their fleet. With Holland's indoor music walk, you can dance the night away to any style of music that fits you. . If you prefer a quiet side of life, you can go to their library and borrow a book. Holland has amazing restaurants for those of us who love food! From Steakhouses to Italian, Holland has it all! . Holland has great Alaska cruises, and you need to stay in Alaska for a few days before or after your cruise to experience Alaska the way it is meant to be experienced. I LOVE the 28-Day Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice Itinerary. This cruise is only offered once, and we need to go! It visits SEATTLE, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, Prince Rupert, TRACY ARM FJORD, Haines, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Valdez, Prince Wiliam Sound, Dutch Harbor. Kodiak, Homer. Anchorage, Seward, Nome, College Fjord, Little Diomede Island. This goes above the arctic circle. You will see so much of Alaska! . Another Itinerary only offered once is ~ Canada, New England, with Iceland. This visits: Boston, Massachusetts, US, Portland, Maine, US, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada, Red Bay, Labrador, Canada, Qaqortoq, Greenland, Cruising Prince Christian Sound, Isafjordur, Iceland, Akureyri, Iceland, eydisfjordur, Iceland, Djupivogur, Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Grundarfjordur, Iceland, Nanortalik, Greenland, St Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada, St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Saint Pierre And Miquelon, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Bar Harbor, Maine, US, Boston, Massachusetts, US. . How about a 73-day Grand Africa Voyage? So often we don't think about combining cruises and safari but Holland has put those two together for us! This cruise goes to: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US, Funchal (Madeira), Portugal, Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, Agadir, Morocco, La Goulette (Tunis), Tunisia, Souda (Chania), Greece, Limassol, Cyprus, Suez Canal At Port Said, Transit The Suez Canal, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Aqaba (For Petra), Jordan, Safaga, Egypt, Crossing The Equator, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Mamoudzou, Mayotte, Andoany (Hell-Ville), Nosy-Be, Madagascar, Maputo, Mozambique, Richards Bay, South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, Luderitz, Namibia, Walvis Bay, Namibia, Luanda, Angola, Takoradi, Ghana, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Banjul, Gambia, Dakar, Senegal, Mindelo, Cape Verde, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US. or a 73 day Grand South America and Antarctica voyage. Half Moon Cay, Tortola, Grand Cayman, Dominicam Barbados, Puerto Limón, Tobago, Devil's Island, PANAMA CANAL, Boca da Valeria, EQUATOR, Manta (Quito), Manaus, Fortaleza, Guayaquil (Quito), AMAZON RIVER, Santarém, Salaverry (Trujillo), Parintins, Alter do Chão, Callao (Lima), General San Martin (Pisco), A Salvador da Bahia, Coquimbo (La Serena), San Antonio (Santiago), lela Rébincon Cruceo, Buenos AiresArmação dos Búzios, Rio de Janeiro-Punta del Este, Montevideo, Castro, CHILEAN FJORDS, AMALIA OR BRUJO GLACIER, SARMIENTO CHANNELSTRAIT OF MAGELLAN, COCKBURN & BEAGLE CHANNELS, GLACIER ALLEY, Ushuaia, CAPE HORN/DRAKE PASSAGE, Punta Stanley, Falkland Islands. . . If you want to learn more about Holland America or any other cruise lines I have met with. Please get in touch with me at info@PlentyofSunshineTravel.com. You can also fill out this simple form https://bit.ly/3mxFUNd, and I will get back to you. . If you want see this video HERE is our YouTube Channel . Search #PlentyofSunshineTravel on Facebook or Instagram to see our posts. . . . #Holland #HollandAmerica #exploretheocean #HollandAmericaTravelAgent #travelagent #CruiseSpecialist #Cruise #CruiseGuru #TravelAgent #CanadianTravelAgent

Last time we spoke about Wingate, the Chindits and Operation Longcloth. The onion eating madman Wingate certainly pushed his men to the limits as Operation Longcloth was in full swing. The Japanese had been alerted to the presence of the Chindits when they started blowing up railways and soon a game of cat and mouse was set loose. Some of the CHindit columns, especially those in the southern group were absolutely battered and had to flee for their lives back to India. Meanwhile Wingate and the main body were in a sticky situation and probably should have turned back from the offset, but Wingate pushed on regardless. His rather reckless attitude led the men to be hunted down more fiercely until orders from India forced Wingates hand to return home. In order to return home Wingate would have to sacrifice some and push others to the absolute limit. But today we are venturing back to the icy cold waters of the northern Pacific. This episode is the battle of Komandorski islands Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Raid, counterraid and a constant battle against the brutal power of mother natures frigid northern climate occupied both the Japanese and Americans in the Aleutians for much of 1942. Things did not really quick off much until the arrival of Rear Admiral THomas C. Kinkaid on january 3rd of 1943. Kinkaid quickly persuaded his chiefs to send both men and materials to Alaska to help expel the Japanese menace from their footholds on Kiska and Attu. Thus a naval force led by Rear Admiral Charles McMorris was sent. McMorris led Task force 8 which consisted of the heavy cruiser Indianapolis, light cruiser Richmond and the destroyers Gillespie, Coghlan, Bancroft and Caldwell. One of their early successes as we saw last time was the occupation of Amchitka. The race to take the island between the Japanese and Americans was a bit of a nail biter, but in the end it would fall securely into allied hands and a new airstrip was quickly built.  Kinkaid and McMorris began a blockade of the enemies approaches to Kiska and Attu trying to squeeze them out of the region. Submarine reconnaissance gave a report on February 18th claiming to have spotted several enemy warships harbored at Attu's Holtz Bay. McMorris decided to carry out an attack against Attu as a result. The submarine report however also made its way to Adak and the report prompted General Butler to order a bomber strike against Holtz Bay before McMorris could arrive to the scene. Unexpectedly the Americans were met with clear weather for once, which allowed McMorris to make it over to Attu in great time, so both the naval and aerial forces reached their target around the same time. This also however almost was met with disaster as a single B-17 flying around 10,000 feet mistook the american task force to be Japanese. The pilot attempted two bomb runs, but luck would have it, the bombs failed to release because of mechanical malfunctions. Meanwhile some anti-aircraft fire from the Americans forced the B-17 to withdraw. McMorris set to work ordering his task force to shell Chicagof village and Holtz Bay. They fired their salvo's using a checkerboard pattern, firing for 2 hours while some of his ships paraded back and forth. The bombardment managed to kill 23 Japanese, wounded one and demolished a building, but was not overly successful at neutralizing the airfields. After the bombardment, McMorris took the Indianapolis and destroyers Gillespie and Coghlan westward to bolster the blockade. This also allowed him to tease Japanese home waters a bit and potentially intercept some outbound convoys. The Japanese had actually launched a convoy back on February 13th. The convoy was transporting an infantry platoon, airfield construction materials and munitions, all escorted by the light cruiser KISo and destroyers Hatsushimo and Wakaba. Until this point the allies had never ventured to these waters and when they did, the Japanese were caught off guard and dispersed quickly leaving the 3100 ton Akagane Maru vulnerable. She was caught, fired upon and sunk while the other IJN vessels made way back to Paramushiro, not wanting to get caught up in the enemy's activity. The fact the allies were now prowling out in these waters indicated to the Japanese they were blockading Kiska and Attu. This left General Higuchi in quite a predicament; he had two options laid bare: to simply withdraw from the Aleutians or to continue reinforcing Attu and Kiska. The later of course would require more resources from the IJN, perhaps even sending naval assets to hit allied strongholds like Adak or the newly acquired Amchitka base. General Higuchi made a request for the later choice and this was vetoed down by Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya. As I have mentioned in some episodes, the IJN held an aggressive doctrine that held most actions to be directed at enemy warships. What I mean by this, take for example with the IJN submarine fleet, was that they viewed merchant raiding as dishonorable and instead favored using such assets in fleet engagements. It honestly goes far too unnoticed that during the Pacific War the other key actors, such as Nazi Germany, Britain and America employed considerable assets to hit their enemy's merchant fleets. The Nazi's devestated Britain with their U-boats, trying to strangle the island nation similarly to what the German empire did in WW1. Likewise the US employed its submarines in the Pacific almost exclusively against Japanese merchant shipping lanes and it was one of the major reasons for their victory. The American effort to eventually strange the Japanese home islands of their merchant fleet brought her literally to her knees, while the IJN submarine fleet only began significant efforts to do the same far too late into the war. On top of this, partly as a result of not having a doctrine to attack enemy merchant fleets, the IJN had basically no doctrine on how to defend their merchant fleets, and this proved disastrous from the early days of the war. Admiral Hosogaya had vetoed General Higuchi's call to perform some merchant attacks based on the grounds it was dishonorable, but when Higuchi requested then to simply abandon the Aleutians, he vetoed this as well on the grounds it would leave the Kuriles and northern Japan bare to attacks. It is rather interesting, if you pull out a map and look at the Aleutian island chain that extends over towards Japan, how likely this could have been. Though the weather conditions would have made it an absolute nightmare, a drive from the north could have had major potential. In the end Higuchi and his forces would be forced to make do, trying to build up their fortifications and airfields to combat the American campaigns to bombs them out. Higuchi had not a ton at his disposal. He had 8000 troops on Kiska and around 1000 at Attu, none of which were first rate soldiers, but it was to be expected given the nature of where they were and their roles. They had around 60 trucks, 20 motorcycles, some cars and small tractors. Anti aircraft guns were plentiful, but they had no artillery, not any significant mechanized strength.  They mined and barbed wired their sparsely defended beaches, hoping the war over the skies would keep the Americans at bay. But after the loss of Guadalcanal, the Japanese could ill afford to spare much in terms of aircraft to the North Pacific. By early march American bombing campaigns had crippled or sunk over 40 vessels and inflicted a total of 3477 casualties. Higuchi's men were running low on provisions, beginning to face the same fate as their comrades once did on Guadalcanal, albeit a very different type of climate. A resupply convoy slipped past the American blockade on March 9th, but it was to be the last. McMorris was stepping up the blockade game, finally forcing Admiral Hosogaya into a corner. Again Hosogaya was facing the dilemma, abandon the aleutians or commit significant assets to break the blockade. Hosogaya planned a major resupply mission using 2 large transports filled to the brim and 4 destroyers likewise carrying loads. He planned to blast his way through the American blockade, personally taking command of the 5th fleet “Northern Force” which consisted of heavy cruisers Nachi and Maya, light cruisers Tama and Abukuma and destroyers Wakabam, Hatsushimo, Ikazuchi, Inazuma and Usugumo. Hosogaya would be taking Nachi as his flagship for the operation set to depart on March 22nd. In keeping with the IJN's tradition of overly complicating operations, 3 groups of ships would converge on a rendezvous point 60 miles south of the Soviet owned Komondorski islands. Meanwhile Admiral Kinkaid had made some reforms to Task Force 8, forming it into the new Task Force 16 consisting of heavy cruisers Salt Lake City, light cruiser Richmond and destroyers Bailey, Coghlan, Dale and Monaghan. The Indianapolis had been switched out for the older Salt Lake City, which recently had been repaired after being damaged at the battle of Cape esperance. The same day Hosogayas 5th fleet departed, so did McMorris's from Dutch Harbor, heading to the west to enforce their blockade efforts. What is a bit interesting for this event, while dozens of carriers were being constructed, literally a 100 would be afloat by the end of the war, the war in the aleutians would see no more of these. In the remote fog-bound and storm lashed waters of the north, neither the Japanese nor Americans would field any carriers, after Yamamoto had withdrawn his during the Midway catastrophe. The battle for control over the Aleutian sea's would be quite the traditional one. Small task forces meeting and engaging another in furious exchanges of cannon fire at line of sight ranges. Hosogaya sailed his 5th fleet northern force to meet the transports, supply ships and escorts to shepherd them the rest of the way to Attu. His convoy sailed in two separate sections, the 2nd escort force consisting of Usugumo and transport Sanko maru and Convoy D led by Rear Admiral Mori Tomoichi comprising of Abukuma, Ikazuchi, Inazuma and the transports Sakita Maru and Asaka Maru. The second escort force left Kataoka naval base on the 22nd, while Convoy D departed on the 23rd. Hosogaya sailed south over the gray northern seas as the convoys went north. The Japanese did not realize it, but Joseph Rocherfort and his fellow cryptanalysts at Station Hypo were continuing to break Japanese naval codes, providing invaluable information on IJN movements. The Americans knew of the convoy sailing for Attu and Kinkaid was planning to intercept it. Now the IJN warships outmatched the Americans in terms of firepower, both in gun and significantly more so in torpedoes. The type 93 long lance oxygen torpedo boasted a 25 mile range against the Abysmal american Mark 15's which held a 7.4 mile range. The Long lances also held a 1080 lb warhead compared the Mark 15's 827 lb warhead. Regardless, the Americans had the distinct advantage of intelligence and the sailors were in high spirits despite knowing how outgunned they were. Joseph Candelaria, a water tender aboard the Monaghan said this prior to the battle “ I remember going up on the deck and across it going down to the fire room. We was going to attack some transports; going to be all over in a few minutes; duck soup”.  As the two fleets were edging closer to another in the northern sea, a terrible storm broke out. The battering winds and huge swells made the destroyers heave and thrash terrible and soon the light and heavy cruisers began to experience some minor damage. Hosogaya's force remained ignorant of the American threat stalking them through the inhospital weather. The weather issue caused problems for the Japanese at their rendezvous point. They were forced to cut speed by half on march 24th due to the violent weather and Hosogaya was only able to link up with Convoy D by 4pm on march 25th. The two other ships of 2nd escort force remained missing, thus Hosogaya's vessels began patrolling in a 60 mile line while awaiting their comrades. In the meantime the Americans had their own problems, the sea had grown so violent the crews feared sinking. Geoerge O'Connell aboard Salt Lake City recalled this  “the Salt Lake City would literally dive into the base of the next wave. Tons of water would come crashing down onto the forecastle, sweeping over Turrets I and II and... the open bridge. Shortly after our turn into the sea, and after only a few moments of that dangerous agony... Commander Bitler came to the bridge. Visibly disturbed, he said the ship patently could not take the punishment” By the early morning of march the 26th the storm finally died down making it safer for both sides. Damage to the American ships saw some smashed hull plates, bent stanchions, flooded storerooms, but nothing major.  The morning saw the furious ocean calmed to a near smoothness with almost no swell. Thick grey gloomy clouds hung over the expanse. McMorris had received a number of reports from PBY's stating they had seen the enemy ships appearing and disappearing in the west. McMorris was certain this had to be the large convoy and was anxious to intercept it, under the belief they would only have a few destroyers as escort. The leading destroyer Coghlan made a rader contact showing several unidentified ships around 10 miles north. McMorris took his force, then strung out in one mile intervals to close in around his flagship the Richmond and begin sailing towards the northeast to intercept the enemy. The mood amongst the Americans was exuberant, they believed the radar blips indicated a helpless line of transports with perhaps a destroyer or two in attendance, nothing to match their 6 vessel group. As one officer aboard Salt Lake City, Lt Howard Grahn put it “fox in the henhouse, the chickens had all turned to wolves and the door was locked”. As the forces came closer together, Japanese lookouts saw the Coghlan and Richmond and initially thought it was the second escort force, but quickly surmised their identity. Hosogaya ordered a message to be sent via signal lamp and this confirmed for the Americans to their horror that they were not facing a helpless convoy but rather 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 4 destroyers. McMorris had orders to avoid superior forces and could have dashed for safety, but with the Japanese force so close chances of that were quite slim. It was likely the Japanese would overtake them all and sink them regardless, thus he decided to engage the enemy. Hosogaya upon realizing what he was facing motioned the transports further back and got his warships between the foxes and his chickens. McMorris sent word to Kinkaid asking for air support. The two fleets set into a collision course with the Japanese destroyers swing to bear down on the port bow of Richmond. McMorris planned to draw the enemy cruisers away with a feint and then dash in behind them to attack the cargo ships. The Japanese cruisers were the first to fire with Nachi in the lead. At 8:40 cruiser Maya opened first at 20,000 yards upon Richmond which swung into a westward turn. Nachi suddenly received some electrical problems cutting power to her turrets for several minutes. As the range closed in more between the forces, the American ships began to open fire while the Japanese shifted their attention from Richmond to the larger and more threatening looking Salt Lake City. The Tama continued to fire upon Richmond scoring no hits, causing the surface around the American vessel to erupt in fountains of spray. Hosogaya ordered his destroyers to make torpedo runs, but none of them obeyed the order. Various captains would later make excuses such as not receiving the signal or being unable to reach the correct speed for proper maneuvers, but this was certainly a sharp contrast from IJN destroyers whose commanders and crews were famous for aggression. Meanwhile the American ships began “chasing salvos” to avoid taking hits, altering their course towards the last splash in order to foil enemy gunners. The IJN cruisers began launching their torpedoes, but all missed with one churning past dangerously close to Richmonds bow. The American guns put Nachi's main battery out of action forcing Hosogaya to change his course to get even closer to bring his other batteries into play. In response McMorris made a 40 degree turn to port to confuse the enemy's gunner. Captain Bertram Rodgers, soaked to the skin with ice cold water made gast guesswork as to where the next enemy salvos were aimed and expertly headed towards the point the last salvo had hit, assuming the enemy spotters would correct their aim each time. In this manner Rodgers chased salvoes with great skill exclaimed “fooled em again!”. At 10am, with almost no actual its having been achieved, Salt Lake City landing 3 hits on Nachi damaging her rudder and jamming her starboard. Her crew managed to free the rudder but it began functioning erratically. Noting the ships loss of maneuverability, and within 20,000 yards the crews all shifted their fire onto salt lake city. Hits were made from Richmond and Coghlan upon Nachi causing much smoke. McMorris then decided to disengage turning his force westwards. Upon seeing the Americans trying to flee, Hosogaya ordered Tama to cut across their arc and deployed Nachi, Maya, Hatsushimo and Wakaba to cut off the American escape route. Task force 16 was forced to flee for their lives going west and northwest. During this chase, both sides began frantically calling for aerial support, but both were informed no were coming. The Maya and Salt Lake City were the only ships dueling during this interval and Maya managed to hit Salt Lake City's amidships catapult taking out a floatplane and then hit her quarterdeck. Salt Lake City's own gunfire managed to damage her hydraulic steering system making her maneuvers more difficult. Over 200 shells fell around her until a dud hit and caused flooding to an engine room forcing her to slow down. In response to this McMorris ordered Coghlan and Bailey to drop back to the rear of the line and generate a smoke screen Hosogaya had the initiative now, the enemy was fleeing and they were far from Alaska, in fact they had managed to get themselves much closer to the Kuriles. The American crews believed their only chance of survival lay getting interned by the Russians, but Hosogaya squandered that chance by speeding up to block them. The Japanese were closing in and believing they were close to point blank range McMorris decided to make a wide turn south covered again by his destroyers smoke screen. The Japanese launched 16 torpedoes all at the same time but missed with all of them. At 10:59am the Nachi finally ranged in on the Salt Lake City, despite the smoke screen cover and landed a shell killing 2 men, one of which was Captain Rodgers second in command Lt Commander Windsor Gale. Then a 8 inch shell from Nachi hit her below the waterline at 11:03am destroying 2 fuel tanks, damaging propeller shafts and started flooding her engine room. Soon Salt Lake City was dead in the water as the Japanese concentrated their fire upon her. Her engineers struggled to restart her boilers and offset the flooding as McMorris ordered his destroyers to perform basically a suicidal torpedo run at the enemy in the hopes of saving Salt Late City time to repair herself. The 4 US destroyers began surging at the enemy as the Salt Lake City continued firing her guns back at Nachi. The Salt Lake City landed some hits on Nachi killing several men. Admiral Hosogaya himself was saved by a hairsbreadth as a shell had gone through the bridge killing 3 officers standing right next to him. By the time Salt Lake City had exhausted 80% of their armor piercing rounds, one Lt Benjamin Johnston made an amazing hit, largely by accident as he recalled “ I guess I probably would have asked permission to throw rocks had the Japs been close enough! […] In order to conserve armorpiercing ammo, I shifted to high capacitys [sic] with the hope that one shell at a time might just possibly cause the Japs to think a plane or two from Amchitka […] was dropping a few bombs. The high capacitys, not having shell dye, just might appear similar to bombs exploding on the water. They did, and the Japs fired off bursts into the overcast” After seeing the blue shell dye of the American armor piercing shots for hours, the Japanese believed Johnstons random HE shell was from an aircraft as the Nachi and Maya anti-aircraft guns suddenly began to fire into the clouds.  Meanwhile the American destroyers continued their charge forward with the Bailey in the lead. At 10,000 yards the Japanese concentrated fire upon Bailey and a shell through her killing 5 men. Captain Ralph Riggs of the Bailey ordered her to fire torpedoes at the extreme range of 9500 yards and just as the first fish was launched into the water suddenly the Japanese ships began steaming away. Hosogaya had ordered his fleet to retreat! Hosogaya had broke off the battle for a variety of reasons. His warships were dangerously low on ammunition and sailing back and forth in search of the second escort force had used up most of their fuel. The smoke screens had masked the state of Salt Lake City, Hosogaya believed she was still combat ready during the battle. Also the admiral had received reports about the Americans calling in for air support and alongside the odd HE shell incident he believed there might be American aircraft in the vicinity. There is also another factor no Japanese admiral would ever admit, fearing shame brought upon him. He saw 3 officers blown into chunks of flesh a few feet from himself and perhaps the commanders nerves were shot. Hosogaya's sudden departure was a miracle for the men aboard Salt Lake City. Admiral Kinkaid after investigating her damage declared “the Japanese could have sunk Salt Lake City with a baseball”. Likewise Ensign F.R Floyd wrote this on the ships log shortly after the battle ended “This day the hand of Divine Providence lay over the ship. Never before in her colorful history has death been so close for so long a time. The entire crew offered its thanks to Almighty God for His mercy and protection”. As indecisive as the battle was, it caused major changes. Hosogaya lost his command when the IJN staff analysis recognized correctly that more aggression would have resulted in Salt Lake City and perhaps more ships being sunk. In all 7 Americans and 14 Japanese were killed with 20 Americans and 26 Japanese wounded, no ships sunk. Most importantly the battle caused the Japanese to abandon efforts to resupply and reinforce Attu and Kiska. Now the IJN would rely on submarines to carry out the task, which could only manage so much. The battle of the Komandorski islands resulted in a tactical draw, but a strategic victory for America. It was also the last real slugout gunnery duel ever to take place between opposing surface fleets without the use of combat airplanes. Basically it was the last of the good old fashioned naval battles, those of you who play world of warships could probably make a “get rid of CV's joke”. McMorris received praise from Nimitz and Kinkaid for the unlikely victory. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The ice cold water in the north pacific saw a good old fashioned naval brawl the likes of which would not be seen again. It was a strategic victory for America and one that would advance her recapture of the Aleutians.

Thu nhập từ 500 tới 800 đô la mỗi ngày, nhưng làm việc suốt 20 tiếng trong điều kiện lạnh giá khắc nghiệt của Alaska, Mỹ. Liệu bạn có dám đánh đổi? Vậy mà có những người phụ nữ Việt đã làm điều đó trong suốt nhiều năm. Họ là những nữ tài xế taxi tại Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Making Magical Vacations Travel is local in the Lancaster County Area. She is a Manheim native and Class of "88 Graduate of Manheim Central, with clients spanning the globe from Dutch Harbor, Alaska to Puerto Rico. Monica Forte, owner, has been in the travel industry for 33 years with being directly contracted and awarded designations with MAJOR travel suppliers. Monica and her 25 MAGICAL Specialists Maximizes Your Time - Saves You Money and Ensures You and Your Family Will Get The MOST Out of Your Vacation Needs. Monica, has been asked by many WISH granting organizations to assist and plan Magical Vacations for those who have had terminal illnesses, who are retired, wounded vets that have served our country and families who are currently serving. It's such an honor for them to create magical vacations for all families. It's a tall order they receive from families to have confidence in them and to have her take over their vacations. When they become frustrated and confused, that's when Monica's services are called in. Monica knows first hand the magic any vacation can bring. The only question she'll ask you is "Where Will Your Dreams Take You?"

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Weather in the Interior should be cooler, and wetter. Rain and snow melt are collapsing a well known ice cave and damaging bridges along the Richardson Highway. And hydrogen fuel cells in big ships could be good business for Dutch Harbor.

GCI is doing more than going the extra mile to bring fiber to the Aleutian Chain in Alaska. In fact, it's going hundreds of extra miles below the surface of the ocean to accomplish the feat. Alaska's top service provider is making significant progress on the so-called GCI Alaska United Aleutians Fiber Project, an initiative that will soon start to deploy more than 800 miles of subsea fiber that will serve as the backbone for 2-Gig broadband and other services for communities in the remote, hard-to-reach region. In this case, we're talking about a subsea fiber that will provide baseline connectivity for more than 7,000 people along the Aleutian Chain in the extreme Western end of the state, which includes the Unalaska region and Dutch Harbor of Deadliest Catch fame. The $58 million project (funded by a $25 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program and $33 million of direct investment by GCI) recently reached a key milestone, as more than 3.7 million pounds of custom-built fiber started its sea journey from Germany to Unalaska aboard the 330-foot-long M/V Vertom Thea cargo ship. Once the fiber reaches British Columbia, it will be loaded onto two cable-laying vessels to complete its journey across the Gulf of Alaska to Unalaska. GCI is in the process of matching its subsea fiber deployment with fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) access networks that will deliver services to homes and businesses along the Aleutian chain. Here's a snapshot of topics covered in this podcast:The scope of the project and why it's important to the region. (1:30)How 2,000 tons of specially-built subsea fiber is being delivered by cargo ship – starting in Germany, and eventually reaching the Unalaska area later this year for deployment by cable-laying vessels. (5:00) How GCI will connect homes and businesses to 2-Gig broadband services once the subsea fiber is deployed and lit up. (10:25) What other services, beyond broadband, that GCI will deliver to homes and business in the region. (17:00)— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week, we covered one of the most important battles of the Pacific War, the milestone that stopped the expansion of the Japanese Empire and allowed the Americans to go on the offensive for the first time in the war. But concurrent to the Battle of Midway and the death of the 1st Kido Butai, Admiral Yamamoto had devised a plan to strike Dutch Harbor and invade the first territory in North America: the Aleutian Islands. With huge resources allocated to this operation, the American defenders in Alaska were about to meet one of the most significant invasion forces this soil would ever see, so join us as we delve deeper into the struggle for Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Clint Borgen is the Founder and President of The Borgen Project, an organization working to bring U.S. political attention to global poverty. Borgen works with Congressional leaders to build support for legislation that improves conditions for people in developing nations. He is widely regarded as one of the leading poverty-reduction campaigners in the United States.In this episode, Clint talks about The Borgen Project's mission to fight extreme poverty. The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. Highlights:Clint's personal journey to becoming the Founder of The Borgen ProjectHow The Borgen Project engages political leaders in the United States to address poverty around the worldWhat you can do to participate in the political process and advocate for issues you care about Connect:Website: www.borgenproject.orgTwitter: @borgenprojectFacebook: www.facebook.com/borgenprojectBio:Clint Borgen is the Founder and President of The Borgen Project, an organization working to bring U.S. political attention to global poverty. Borgen works with Congressional leaders to build support for legislation that improves conditions for people in developing nations. He is widely regarded as one of the leading poverty-reduction campaigners in the United States.Background: In 1999, while working as a young volunteer in refugee camps during the Kosovo War and genocide, Clint Borgen recognized the need for an organization that could bring U.S. political attention to issues of severe poverty.In 2003, after graduating from Washington State University and interning at the United Nations, Borgen began developing his project. In need of startup funding, Borgen took a job living on a fishing vessel docked in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (the same location as The Deadliest Catch). From humble beginnings in one of Earth's most remote locations, The Borgen Project was born.Now headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, The Borgen Project has become an influential campaign aimed at reducing global poverty through public mobilization and political advocacy, and serves as a testament that one man and a laptop can change the world.Support the show (http://bit.ly/donatetodfg)

Darby Stanchfield stars as ‘Nina Locke' in the Netflix hit show  Locke and Key. Stanchfield is well-known for her role as ‘Abby Whelan,” the spunky and outspoken investigator on all seven seasons of the Shonda Rhimes hit ABC show “Scandal” alongside ‘Olivia Pope' (Kerry Washington). She also r stars in  the Disney+'s film “Stargirl” which was adapted from the best-selling novel. Prior to “Scandal,” Darby was featured in season two of AMC's Emmy ® Award winning drama “Mad Men.” In the hit series, Darby played the role of Helen Bishop, a liberal single mother who relishes in stirring up controversy with Betty Draper, the wife of an iconic advertising guru. Other television credits include starring opposite Nathan Fillion in ABC's crime thriller “Castle,” a recurring role as Shannon Gibbs on CBS's military drama “NCIS,” and a spot on CBS's action packed series Jericho where she played “April Green.” In addition, Darby has appeared in roles across a host of successful television series including “Burn Notice,” “CSI: Miami,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “CSI: New York,” “The Mentalist,” “Private Practice,” “Bones,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Without a Trace,” and Monk . Her feature film credits include Adrienne Shelley's critically acclaimed “Waitress,” opposite Nathan Fillion and Keri Russell, and an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's “The Picture of Dorian Gray” co-starring opposite Josh Duhamel. Darby can be heard in a recording of Neil Simon's “Biloxi Blues” with Josh Radnor and Justine Bateman, part of an ongoing series of radio plays that LA Theatre Works produces for NPR. Originally from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Darby is a graduate of The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco where she received a Master Of Fine Arts degree Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Divers Alert Network has released a special edition of Alert Diver Magazine. This year-end special edition is a compilation of some of their best articles. This is a great reference. According to the Alaska Daily News, there has been a successful clean up effort in Dutch Harbor where they have removed over 1 million pounds of old fishing net and line. Divers Alert Network has funded a study with Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine to research the safety of Full Face Snorkel masks. They have recently released their results. The December issue of Scuba Diving Magazine is now available. The December issue is their gear guide edition. Check it out. A couple of paddle boarders out in CA were treated to an encounter with a very large Mola Mola - the ocean sunfish. The Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach, FL is definitely a bucket list dive. Just off of Interstate 95 and just north of West Palm Beach it is easy to get to and easy to park and set up your gear. You can pick up tanks, weights, and a dive flag from Force-E dive center just minutes from the bridge. Diving is from the Phil Foster Park. The park has a full bathroom along with an outdoor fresh water shower to rinse the sand and salt from your gear. Your dive should start 30 to 45 minutes before high slack tide. You will get in at least a 90 minuted dive where you will see all kinds of fish and critters. With water temperatures in the 80s and visibility between 50 to 70 feet, you will love this dive. The Blue Heron Bridge is most definitely a place that you will want to dive multiple times and even get in a night dive.

Mario Bravo unseated an entrenched incumbent City Councilperson to become the new District 1 representative. He has a history that includes working fishing boats out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Now, he is dedicated to improving San Antonio for all. Transcript: Justin Hill: Hello and Bienvenidos, San Antonio. Welcome to The Alamo Hour, discussing the people, places, and passion that make our city. My name is Justin Hill, a local attorney, a proud San Antonian, and keeper of chickens and bees. On The Alamo Hour, you'll get to hear from the people that make San Antonio great and unique, and the best-kept secret in Texas. We're glad that you're here. All right, welcome to The Alamo Hour. Today's guest is Councilman Mario Bravo. Mario is District 1 Council Person for the city of San Antonio, recently elected. District 1 is basically everything you see on a map in the middle of San Antonio, from Southtown all the way up to about 410, a little bit on other sides, but between 281 and I-10. He ran on the issues of public safety, healthy community, and economic redevelopment. He unseated an entrenched incumbent, who, if he had won, would maybe have been the longest-serving council person in San Antonio history, is that right? Mario Bravo: I'm not sure, but yes. Justin: Something along those lines. It would have been a very long run. Mario: I think that's probably right because we had just recently gone from four years to eight years for term limits. Justin: Oh, okay. Yes, yes. Mario: He would have been at about eight and a half years. Justin: There are two four-year terms now for y'all, right? Mario: Four two-year terms now. Justin: Oh, yes, because four two-year terms would make a whole lot more sense. I remember thinking how strange it was the way we did it. Mario has been involved in activism in San Antonio for a long time. We'll talk to him about that. We asked him to come on to talk to us about his most recent election, challenges for the city, and now is a very challenging time, so this is very [unintelligible 00:01:42], I think, and a little bit about who he is. I got to know Mario, when he decided to run for this District 1 seat, I reached out to him and said, "I think it's time for a change. I'd like to get to know you." Mario is very passionate about our city and his district. Before this, we were talking that when you're passionate about something, it doesn't feel like work and he's really enjoying it. Mario, I sort of start all these with a little bit of getting to know some strange questions. What are your favorite places to eat and drink right now in town? Let's do District 1, District 1 where's your favorite place to have a bite and have a drink right now? Mario: Oh, there's quite a few, but Liberty Bar's one for sure. I'm a big fan of Curry Boys on North St. Mary's Strip. I like to get the much [unintelligible 00:02:31] tacos from Garcia's. Justin: I just heard Curry Boys BBQ, right? Mario: Right. It's barbecue, but it's like barbecue chicken and brisket, but with Curry, and it's amazing. Justin: No, it was fantastic. It was all very spicy though. Just heed the warning. I haven't been to Liberty Bar in a little while, but I used to be known to go there on occasion. Favorite hidden gems in District 1 of San Antonio, maybe places people didn't know or haven't been within your District. Mario: Hidden gems. Justin: You have a lot of stuff in your district, so this should be an easy one. Mario: Well, I'm just trying to think of what's hidden? I guess not everybody knows about Sanchos and how great their michelada and their Bloody Marys are. Justin: I was going to go with the Japanese Tea Garden, but we'll stick to the drinking thing. I'm okay with that. Sanchos is good and it's very fairly priced, which I also appreciate, and District 1 has some places that are not fairly priced. What was the

Join SeafoodNews Podcast co-hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they talk about the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery closure; the first phase of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Modifications; CBP issuing Penalty Notices for alleged violations of the Jones Act that threatens to bring shipping of Alaska seafood from Dutch Harbor to U.S. customers on the East to a standstill; and more! This episode is brought to you by Urner Barry Consulting. Urner Barry Consulting provides tailored solutions to identify growth opportunities within the fast-paced protein commodity sectors. Combining the expertise of our analytical team, our warehouse of proprietary and trusted data, and unparalleled insight into market forecasting, Urner Barry Consulting will not only pinpoint developing global trends, but assist you in knowing exactly when and how to adopt them to maximize your return. Call 732-240-5330 for more information.

Listen as Fish Biologist Bill Carter tells us about his journey taking him across the country; from Florida, to Dutch Harbor, to running sled dogs, and finally studying fish and wildlife in Selawik National Wildlife Refuge.   

David Alan Arnold has one of the coolest and scariest jobs in the industry.Every year he goes to Dutch Harbor, Alaska to film Deadliest Catch from a helicopter. In this week's episode David shares how he got started as a helicopter camera op, and the crazy stories that come with the territory...from death spins and crash landing near hungry grizzlies, to the Cubs winning the World Series and running out of fuel over the Bering Sea.Listen to hear some amazing stories from Alaska. Key Points:1:36 - How He Got Started10:26 - Favorite Story from Adventures14:55 - Time on Deadliest Catch 18:02 - Why Do This Dangerous Job24:01 - Tools of the Trade30:30 - Favorite Old Piece of Gear32:48 - How To Get Started37:03 - Close Call on Job41:19 - Favorite Shot44:52 - Skills Learned Outside Film Industry Links:Contact DavidHelp From Above: How I went from Sweeping the Floor to Painting the SkyCineflexConnect with the Practical FilmmakerFollow The Practical Filmmaker on InstagramWatch more episodes on YouTubeSupport the showFind more filmmaking resources

March 26, 2021--Alicia Bales interviews former KZYX intern and reporter Hope McKinney about her career in radio, and her new position as News Director at KUCB in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. In the second half of the show, anti-racist advocate Stef Chen Welch talks about her experience as an Asian American woman living in Mendocino County, and the epidemic of Anti-Asian hate that led to the Atlanta mass-shooting last week.

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 28th of March 2021 The news headlines: Ham Radio Friedrichshafen cancelled In-person exams to resume 18th April is World Amateur Radio Day The in-person Ham Radio international amateur radio exhibition held in Friedrichshafen, Germany, has once again been cancelled. With the Covid-19 pandemic maintaining a firm grip on world events, the venue has been forced to postpone the event until 2022. The dates for 2022 will be the 24th to 26th of June. Details of any online activities in place of this year’s event will be released nearer the time. The RSGB remote invigilation exams have been a great success during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Society can now plan to resume exams for candidates who prefer to sit them in a club setting with in-person invigilation. The RSGB will start accepting bookings from club Examination Secretaries from the date when the Government lifts all Covid-19 restrictions in their part of the UK. The Society will release further details shortly. The online remote invigilation exams will continue in parallel. Mandatory practical assessments at Foundation level will remain suspended pending an ESC/ESRG-led review and consultation on their long-term future. The 18th of April will be World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. The theme for 2021 will be ‘Home but never alone’. Due to Covid-19, many gatherings and amateur radio events have been cancelled, however, amateur radio kept us connected. Listen out for special event stations around the world that will be on the air that day. The RSGB is holding its AGM online this year on Saturday the 24th of April and will live-stream the event. You can submit written questions for Board Directors in advance through a form on the Society’s website at rsgb.services/gb2rs/007. After the formal business part of the meeting, EMC Chair John Rogers, M0JAV will give an update on Ofcom’s new EMF regulations. In the UK, the clocks went forward one hour at 1 am today, the 28th of March. This means we are on British Summer Time. Please note that many contests and other events often state the timings in UTC or GMT, which will be one hour behind the local clock time here in the UK. The next edition of RadCom Basics is now available. It includes articles on Using a Multimeter – both digital and analogue, tracking down sources of interference and part two of Making Small Metal Boxes. RSGB Members can read previous editions of RadCom Basics by going to rsgb.org/radcom-basics. You can also register to receive notification of subsequent issues as they become available at the same address. At the request of the European Commission, the IARU met with representatives of the automotive industry, standards bodies and the Commission on the 25th of March. It was to review the current position on the development of an emission standard for Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicles. There was a frank exchange of views and the Commission determined that further joint tests should be arranged. The IARU confirmed it was content to participate and welcomed the initiative. A further meeting will take place once the relevant tests have been completed, with a view to making progress towards an emission standard. Read the full news item at iaru-r1.org. There is an IET webinar about Amateur Radio on the 12th of May starting at 7.30 pm. Phil Gould will give you an appreciation of amateur radio, a hobby that puts science and technology into action. You can register on the IET website at theiet.org, then go to the events tab. Registration is open to non-members as well as members of the IET. Lee, M0RLE started a net at the beginning of the first lockdown. It is every Monday evening on GB3RF and GB3PF and usually attracts over 20 people. He has been working most of the lockdown but has kept the net going including contacting people if they miss the net to check that all is well. Well done Lee. The short film ISS_Overs won the Best Dramatic Short at the Quarantini Monthly Film Festival. It has also been selected as a finalist in the Awards Sections of the WeMakeFilms International Film Festival. It is about an elderly amateur radio operator who catches a signal from the International Space Station while in lockdown. Now the DX news Lee, HL1IWD will be active holiday style as HL1IWD/5 from Koje Island, IOTA reference AS-081, between the 2nd and 4th of April. He will operate CW and some FT8 on the 40 to 20m bands. QSL via the bureau, or direct to EA5GL. Keith, KL2JE will remain operating from Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Island, NA-059, until the 10th of April. In his spare time, he is on 20 metres using FT8. Mats, SM6LRR, will be active as 8Q7MS from the Maldives between the 28th of March and the 10th of April. He is operating holiday-style on mainly the 40 to 15m bands using CW, but he will also use SSB. Now the Special Event news For the annual RAFARS Airfields on the Air activity, GB0WYT – standing for RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire – will be operational on the 3rd and 4th of April. This is the ninth year of operation. Due to the current restrictions, the callsign will be operated by RAFAC Radio Staff and members of Huntingdonshire ARS who live locally to RAF Wyton. Subject to conditions, they will be operating on the HF bands using CW, voice and RTTY, PSK31, FT8; they will also be on 2m FM and SSB. John, MW1CFN will be active as GB1004FTS from Anglesey, EU-005, between the 25th of March and the 8th of April. He will operate SSB and digital modes on the HF bands, 6 and 2m. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct. The special callsign celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force’s No 4 Flying Training School, which opened on the 1st of April 1921. Now the contest news The RSGB VHF Contest Committee will once again accept portable entries from stations within some areas of the UK from the 29th of March. Different parts of the UK have different regulations, so please ensure you obey your national and local government’s advice. Details are in the RSGB Contest Committee Newsletter and you can subscribe at rsgbcc.org. The CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest ends its 48 hours run at 2359UTC today, the 28th. Please check the rules as there is a new multi-station category. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Wednesday the UK EI Contest Club 80m contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is your 6-character locator. Next weekend the SP DX contest runs from 1500UTC on the 3rd to 1500UTC on the 4th. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations will also exchange their Province code. On Sunday the 4th of April the First 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 26th of March. What a mixed week we had, with large geomagnetic storms interspersed with quiet periods. The first storm occurred last weekend when the Kp index hit six on Saturday and then five on Sunday. This wasn’t unexpected and we did warn that it might happen in the last GB2RS broadcast. A second storm occurred when a weak shock passage was detected at around 1920UTC on Wednesday evening. This was likely related to a coronal mass ejection coming off the Sun’s eastern limb, which was observed on the 20th of March. The solar wind increased from 375km/s to around 440km/s and the Bz Interplanetary Magnetic Field component tipped south. Otherwise, it was relatively quiet on the sunspot front with the solar flux index climbing from 77 on Sunday to 84 on Thursday, reflecting the increased UV due to groups 2811 and 2812. Conditions have been a little lacklustre, with daytime maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path struggling to climb over 18MHz at times. Next week NOAA has the solar flux index prediction at 78 all week. It also predicts unsettled geomagnetic conditions on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with the Kp index set to rise to five thanks to a high-speed stream from a coronal hole. Expect depressed critical frequencies and MUFs until this clears later in the week and the Kp index returns to more normal values. This might be a good time to check your antennas so that you are ready for the 10 metre Sporadic-E season in a few weeks! And now the VHF and up propagation news. After some welcome Tropo down to Atlantic France and Northern Spain early last week, we are in the midst of a very disturbed period of weather and this will continue into early next week. Perhaps contrary to expectations there could be some more Tropo on the southern warm air side of a waving front over southern Britain. These will most likely be west-east paths from southern Britain into northern Europe. Otherwise, we can hope the frontal rain band may provide limited rain scatter options on the GHz bands. From about Tuesday, a new high will establish a dominant position over the UK and this could make Tropo more likely again, but this will be a cold air high and usually, these are not the best providers of good Tropo. As we enter April in the coming week, it's worth dusting down the Sporadic-E equipment and consider looking at 10m or 6m digital modes for early signs of life. If the locational trigger is jet streams, in this case, it would favour Scandinavia and the Baltic region. For EME enthusiasts, declination goes negative today, so peak Moon elevation will fall as the week progresses and Moon windows will shorten. Path losses are at their lowest with perigee coming up on Tuesday. The Lyrids meteor shower will start to ramp up in about two weeks’ time, peaking on the 22nd of April, but until then, the best time for meteor scatter contacts is the pre-dawn random meteor enhancement. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

Commercial fishing has long topped the Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of jobs with the most fatalities -- and crabbing in the Alaskan waters is by far the most lethal form of fishing. Guest Robert Travis shares his experiences as a greenhorn deckhand straight out of Dutch Harbor and re-lives harrowing tales of surviving a treacherous 122-day stint fishing for Alaskan crab on the frigid, unforgiving Bering Sea. Read the full blog post for episode #145 at safetyphd.com. PRO SNOWBOARDER. After high school, Rob was a sponsored professional snowboarder and a coach at the Camp of Champions for four summers in Whistler Blackcomb - which is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. By many measures it is the largest ski resort in North America. He broke his tib/fib in July and was put in full leg cast. The lure of adventure and cash called, and Rob cut off the cast with an angle grinder and headed to Alaska for crabbing season. ALASKAN CRABBING - SIGNING THE DEADLY CONTRACT. Rob shared that he nearly walked away from his opportunity to sign a contract with a crab boat company. The harrowing tales told by locals were just about enough to turn back the men that have a predisposition to seek this level of risk. However, Rob signed the contract and clearly understood the statement that he would experience injury or be killed by doing this work. Survive, and pocket more than $65,000 for 4 months work. Also, know that a 5-year “veteran” deckhand is a rarity as most are maimed or killed before they reach that mark. DANGERS ON DECK. Working on a 198-foot converted ice breaker, Rob was fortunate to be on one of the most durable rigs out on the ocean. Most crabbing takes place in the unforgiving Bering Sea. Ice can coat boat decks, 700-pound cages being winched aboard can lurch and sweep workers overboard. Even in a survival suit, designed to provide insulation from cold water, death can come before help arrives. About 80% of crab fishery fatalities are from drowning. WHEN THE HORN BLOWS. 16-hour shifts were typical and the swells often unrelenting. The job was so demanding that workers consumed 7000 or more calories daily (triple the intake of a typical adult male). There was one thing that every deckhand dreaded - a blast from the ship's horn. Rob explained that the skipper was in the wheelhouse and overlooked the deck. The skipper also monitored the ocean and could see approaching swells, some 60-feet high! The skipper would then blast the horn alerting the deckhands to immediately grab onto something sturdy and brace for the unpredictable combination of waves rolling over the deck, a rising or plummeting deck, and sharp angle tilts -- not to mention the possibility of a 700-pound crab cage breaking loose and skidding across the deck. Rob recalled the searchlights of nearby boats - trying to find and recover an overboard sailor. He noted that staying fit gave him a split-second advantage to getting to safety and noted that being light and fit are great attributes for this line of work. CONCRETE IN HIS VEINS. Concrete is the family business for Rob - it's in his lineage, the family crest. He was pouring 250,000 square feet a summer with his dad when he was 15 and started his own concrete company at age 17 - pouring in summers and snowboarding in winters. After the 2007 crab boat season, Rob decided to start a concrete business. After regrouping from damage sustained in a massive wildfire, he continued to expand his concrete work. He's won gold medals at the international polished concrete awards twice in craftsman and commercial division. ROOF TOP LIFE RAFTS. Roughly five years ago, Rob and a small group of friends were determined to design and build the best safety and survival gear for floods and natural disasters. Hence, Roof Top Life Rafts was founded. Millions of people around the world endure deadly, unpredictable floods from storms, natural disasters or failure of water management systems. Homeowners, office workers, students, all need a solution to get themselves to safety in an emergency flood situation. More about RTLR when Rob returns to the show later this year! FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 145 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 8-3-2020. Purchase Dr. Perrodin's Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com. Robert Travis' website:  https://www.rooftopliferafts.com/  

The Alaska Marine Highway has been in the news a lot this summer with talk of big budget cuts and a ferry worker strike. Adam was aboard the Tustumena on a trip out to to Dutch Harbor and spoke with several of his fellow travelers about what the State Ferry means to them.

This year, the Russians are taking an unprecedented move by revamping their crab quota system, and in turn, cutting down on illegal fishing. Now, the price of King Crab is slated to skyrocket, igniting the most cut-throat season yet. The quicker the captains can catch their crab and return to dock, the more money they can make. Everyone is vying for an edge – luring back some of the fleet’s most legendary faces. But just how hard can they push before things get deadly? It's a competition so fierce, the captains must push into uncharted territory, including one veteran actually going to Russia. This season will bring new fishing alliances, former Catch captains returning to the fleet and a global, headline-grabbing winter storm that pounds their crab boats. Captains Sig Hansen and Josh Harris will share what fans can expect and what it takes to survive the world’s most deadly profession. In Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, Captain Phil Harris was a legend on the Bering Sea who spent decades fishing the icy and treacherous waters off the coast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He captained the F/V Cornelia Marie for more than 20 years, and after his tragic passing, his son Josh Harris took over the family business, along with business partner Casey McManus. Now, an unbelievable discovery of mysterious Hawaiian fishing charts scribbled with Captain Phil’s handwriting, notes and statistics, has prompted Deadliest Catch captain and Alaskan legacy fisherman Josh Harris to take a once-in-a-lifetime quest to Hawaii, to learn about the time his late father spent fishing there decades ago.

This year, the Russians are taking an unprecedented move by revamping their crab quota system, and in turn, cutting down on illegal fishing. Now, the price of King Crab is slated to skyrocket, igniting the most cut-throat season yet. The quicker the captains can catch their crab and return to dock, the more money they can make. Everyone is vying for an edge – luring back some of the fleet’s most legendary faces. But just how hard can they push before things get deadly? It's a competition so fierce, the captains must push into uncharted territory, including one veteran actually going to Russia. This season will bring new fishing alliances, former Catch captains returning to the fleet and a global, headline-grabbing winter storm that pounds their crab boats. Captains Sig Hansen and Josh Harris will share what fans can expect and what it takes to survive the world’s most deadly profession. In Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, Captain Phil Harris was a legend on the Bering Sea who spent decades fishing the icy and treacherous waters off the coast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He captained the F/V Cornelia Marie for more than 20 years, and after his tragic passing, his son Josh Harris took over the family business, along with business partner Casey McManus. Now, an unbelievable discovery of mysterious Hawaiian fishing charts scribbled with Captain Phil’s handwriting, notes and statistics, has prompted Deadliest Catch captain and Alaskan legacy fisherman Josh Harris to take a once-in-a-lifetime quest to Hawaii, to learn about the time his late father spent fishing there decades ago.

In this newscast: The committee tasked with exploring reconfiguration of Kodiak elementary schools opted against the stratification plan, which would have grouped specific grade levels at each of the elementary schools. The summer ferry schedule released last week shows fewer "chain runs" to Dutch Harbor, slightly more trips to Ouzinkie and Port Lions, no trips to Old Harbor and a new, dynamic pricing model. U.S. Department of State and federal health experts are advising against cruise ship travel in response to coronavirus spread. Alaska lawmakers are considering ending the session early if the coronavirus arrives in Juneau. The state instituted a freeze on hiring new state workers and suspended all out-of-state travel for state workers. Iditarod teams arriving at a checkpoint 153 miles into the race describe the trail as largely uneventful thus far. All that, plus Fish Radio and the Island Messenger community bulletin. Fish Radio is provided by Laine Welch at alaskafishradio.com.

In this newscast: Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will hold a public hearing on disposing two land parcels and consider contracts for building renovation and culvert replacements. Despite scheduling and ferry uncertainty, the Chamber of Commerce secured Golden Wheel Amusement rides again for this year's Crab Fest. State officials are leading preparations for the anticipated arrival of the coronavirus. Meanwhile in Anchorage, coronavirus fears are spurring what critics call "panic buying" at certain retailers. Emergency managers are asking residents to be prepared, but not panicked. The Alaska House majority introduced a bill that would set permanent fund dividends at roughly $900. Dutch Harbor was surpassed by Naknek in NOAA's ranking of the nation's most valuable fishing ports. All that, plus Fish Radio and the Island Messenger community bulletin. Fish Radio is provided by Laine Welch at alaskafishradio.com.

Preliminary investigations into the April 2, 2001 sinking of the Arctic Rose reveal that she previously underwent modifications to her design. Were they the reason this 93-foot fishing trawler... The latest in science, culture, and history from Smithsonian Channel.

I peak inside the mail bag and respond to a listener and then I give you all the details on my recent journey to the Aleutian Island of Unalaska which after some contemplation got me thinking about what makes YOU excited about the images you create so we’ll have some listener feedback on that as well. I reference this map in the episode briefly, basically, it's intended to give you an understanding of the different locations we photographed. Sponsor for this episode Golden Hour by Polar Pro Filters: https://www.polarprofilters.com/pages/golden-hour Image Gallery for the commentary: http://www.latitudephotographypodcast.com/galleries/unalaska-island/ Palouse Shoot-n-Print Workshop direct link: https://latitudephotographyschool.com/workshops/palouse-shoot-n-print-workshop/ Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off. Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT Sign up to be the first notified when the new Latitude Photography School is available and open for business: https://latitudephotographyschool.com Main Topics Today I’m talking about: What’s in the mail bag My time in Alaska Contemplating on the idea of what makes us get excited in our photography. The mail bag Listener message from Terrell What an informative podcast on sensor size. I really didn't understand as completely as I thought I had. I was wondering would you think a show on lens resolution would also be just as informative. Being a gearhead it gives me a reason to buy stuff if there's a logic behind the purchase.  With these new bodies now seeming to start at 30+ MP I keep reading and hearing that such and such lens (older) can't resolve these newer big files. Is this just a sharpness issue or more? Do I need to buy new lenses? And the last thing: I've played around with that new RF 70-200 for Canon and no issues I had but what I would like to know is the external focusing a result of physics or cost? Just curious. Answer: Yes, I do think an episode on lens resolution would be good. I’ll look into that. As for your question, I’ll look into it a bit more before tomorrow’s episode is out, but with the RF70-200 I think it’s a dual issue for that lens design. Physics so they can decrease the size of the lens when stored and I’m sure it’s probably cheaper to build as well, though Lensrentals did a teardown of that lens and found it to be one of the best built lenses ever, so Canon didn’t skimp on build quality. They had to though given all the extra moving parts and not being able to protect everything inside the barrel like the older lens designs. Why Unalaska? Jeana, a long time listener, asked me how Unalaska came to be on my radar in the first place. I’ve been dreaming of the Aleutian Islands for some time now. This was my first experience in Alaska. I’ve wanted to go for so long but the size and multitude of opportunities the state offers makes it a daunting task to figure out what you’re going to do. I chose Unalaska for a few reasons.  First, it’s rather remote so most folks don’t go there. I like to get to the fringe of the earth as it were. If it’s less known I’m more interested in it and if I do go to a really well traveled place you’ll find me searching for other images that aren’t so known about the region, like when I went to Hong Kong and spent most of my time on the small islands and not in the heart of the city. I had Alaska Airlines miles, and it was cheap to get to. Cash outlay was $12 for the airfare, plus air miles of course. And finally, being such a small island with limited access to trails and the like, I knew a majority of the time would be spent hiking, exploring and shooting and not trying to get to the place to shoot. I love a compact area that has loads of opportunities for photography and Unalaska is overloaded with photographic goodness. There’s so much there, even with a week we were barely able to get beyond the surface, as it were. So initially, it was just the allure of the wild Aleutian Islands, Adak being my initial draw since Alaska Airlines actually does fly there, but I Ultimately chose Unalaska because it was better suited to be my first experience on one of the Islands. I was expecting terrible weather, and we got it. High wind, you betcha. Rugged landscape, absolutely. Amazing photographic opportunities around every corner? Yes! The journey up there It took all day to get there. Waking at 2:30 a.m. a bit earlier than needed for my 5:00 a.m. flight out of Walla Walla, I started out on the wrong foot, literally. In my slightly sleep deprived daze I put on my shoes, one of one type and the other a mismatch. They’re both Keen, so they felt very similar, but when I landed in Seattle at about 6:15 am and got off the plane I felt a difference in my feet. And I’d seen what I’d done. I was kinda ticked, but figured I should just laugh it off. But as I waited for the next flight I’m sitting there watching all these people walk by with matching shoes, I was jealous for their feet, feeling the same and not sticking out like mine were. But I had two pair of boots packed so I knew I was going to be OK once I got there. Just before we boarded for Anchorage I met Randy Gemar, my companion for this trip. A few months ago I put out a request for someone to join me and to split costs. We chatted on the phone and figured to go ahead with it. My friends and parents are all asking me in hushed tones, “are you sure this is a good idea?” Let me tell you, Randy is the best photo buddy anyone could have along with them. Everything was just perfect plus, I had the added security of someone else with me. When you’re 800 miles from the nearest hospital and the only way off the island is a medivac flight in dire situations, you want someone with you who can help should the worst happen. And Unalaska has tons of cliffs over 800 ft high and several other potentially dangerous hazards that can cause problems. The lay of the land Unalaska is the first island in the Aleutian chain of islands with a major settlement. The Alaska Peninsula stretches about 350+ miles from Katmai National Park and Preserve out towards the little town of Cold Bay. Then you have Unimak Island, a few much smaller islands, and then Unalaska. The port is called Dutch Harbor and it’s the nation’s top fishing port. In 2015 they brought in 787 million pounds of fish totaling about $218M. All other Aleutian Island Ports combined brought in 467 million pounds totalling $111M. This is also where they film the show “The Deadliest Catch.” However, in the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas the town is so quiet and calm. Whenever we drove about we were pretty much the only vehicle on the road. I’ll publish a map to the facebook group and here in the show notes. This is a custom drawn map that shows the different places we went to for shooting. I’ve also color coded the locations by the day we were there as well.   The tundra is definitely one big sponge to walk on. Many times that sponge is sopping wet and you get the sense of it like this. (play the sound of walking on the tundra) Other times it’s dryer yet it’s so soft your foot is completely swallowed by it as you step across it. If you go off trail you can’t even see your tracks until the tundra is frozen and the ice causes it to keep its form a bit from your stepping upon it.  The wet sopping type of tundra is more grassy, or field grasses, and the type that swallows your foot is a plant that’s rather like a bush, but it is very low lying and very cushy. They are often interchanged on the same trail over and over again. The temp hovered around 40º the whole time we were there, this is at sea level though. The snow level was at about 1,000 ft, depending on the day. We had a storm roll through on Wednesday which brought the snow level down quite a bit. First day of shooting We decided to head up Mt. Ballyhoo. The previous evening we drove about getting our bearings and I’m so glad we did. We were able to find the trailhead for this hike and then that made it a whole bunch easier in the darkness of the morning. The sun didn’t rise until about 10:30 and we started hiking at about 8:00 a.m. The hike starts at about 250 ft. elevation and quickly ascends to 1,600 when you’re on top. We made it to about 1,500 ft. The entire trail is about a mile long, so that’s about 1,250 elevation gain in roughly a mile. It was rather a tough hike but very much worth it. I’ll go through the images shot that day which are on the website in a special gallery. The link is in the show notes.  (Specific commentary on images) I left my bag at about 900-1,000 ft elevation and only took the Sony a6400 and the 18–135 lens on up to the top. I was just so tired of carrying all that weight and the Sony did a fantastic job. We spent longer than we originally planned up there. Bit it was so worth it. The light was amazing and there was so much to shoot. On the way down, as it was so steep and snow covered for half of it, we both slid and slipped a bit. You just have to stay clear of the cliffs and other really steep edges and you’ll be fine. We picked up our bags and continued on the rest of the way down. We finished up at about 3:30 or so and with the sun setting in two hours we didn’t want to spend too much time getting to the next spot, but we did take a brief break at the apartment before heading out again.  For sunset we went up Bunker Hill. There’s a road that takes you up to the top but it was gated off and I didn’t care for that. I was beat from the morning hike. But I did it anyway. And it was also just gorgeous up there. The hill is on the southern part of town so I got a nice overview of the town, but you can also look directly into Captains Bay. The clouds really moved in so we didn’t get any dynamic light, but I still got one good image of the bay and the mountains surrounding it. Day Two I didn’t get hardly any shots that were keepers today. First off, I was so beat from the two hikes on Sunday that I simply CRASHED when I got back to the room. I didn’t eat supper and I was just so wasted. I needed to rest. So that’s what I did. I think it made Randy a little nervous but that’s also one of the primary reasons I really wanted a photo buddy along for the trip, safety is a huge concern as I have five other people depending on me at home. I’m the sole bread winner so I need to take certain precautions to make sure all is safe and I get back home in one piece, and that I’m functional when I return as well :) So Randy went out in the morning but the rain was just really coming down hard. I didn’t get out of bed until about noon and after a massive breakfast we headed out at about 1:30 or so. We did a few errands such as buying a SIM card for my phone so I could finally communicate with the family and a few other things. I did make a few images of a small waterfall but they are already deleted. They weren’t any good. We drove around some more to get our bearings on the Overland Drive and I did get a few images of the snow line, but the sun was already down and it was quite dark. One image I did get that isn’t in the online gallery is a complete abstract. It’s literally a shot of the fog that is completely out of focus and almost feels like a mistake. But I kept it because I just loved the mystery is conveys and how moody it is. We were unable to make it over the pass due to the snow on the road so we turned around and went back to the apartment the way we came. Third Day This was Tuesday, December 17, 2019. We decided to go to Ugadaga Bay. The trail starts at about 800 ft elevation and descends to sea level. There’s a few waterfalls along the way but as we started once again at about 8:00 a.m. on the trailhead we didn’t shoot until we got down to the bay. It’s a large bay that is part of the larger Beaver Inlet so it’s well protected from the Pacific Ocean currents and the storms and other energy that comes from the Bearing Sea. So that meant the tiny waves coming on to the rocky shore were very small and peaceful. Very calm. Like this: (play sound of lapping water) (Go through images and describe them from the gallery) Again, we spent longer than we originally anticipated we would. We started hiking out at about 1:30 and were back at the car by about 4:30. We hiked a total of 6.7 miles and as we were heading out the rain came on once again. It got stronger and stronger as we got closer to the car so we skipped a few spots that we really wanted to shoot. But with the decreasing energy and the increasing rain, mixed with decreasing light, we decided to see if we could come back. We didn’t, but I’m OK with that as we got some other excellent shots. We got back to the apartment and just took it easy with a massive supper and time to dry off. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened Sunday evening either, but I was feeling much more in tune with all the hiking. Lesson learned: I need to get out more so I’m in better shape. Fourth Day For Wednesday we planned to hike the Peace of Mind Trail. In looking at the elevation gain and reading about the trail we knew it would be such a bugger of a hike. It started at about 750 ft. elevation, gained to about 850 then had a sheer drop of about 500+ feet in less than a half mile. That drop was about 1.5 miles in as well, and it was another two miles to the bay. So we looked at the map I bought on Monday and decided to try out the first mile or so, until that big drop. Maybe we’d see some waterfalls there. But we didn’t. I got one shot just to prove I was there. It’s not pretty but I decided to keep it purely for story telling purposes. We then got back to the car and drove up the Overland Drive again trying to see if we could get over the pass this time. And we did! And we decided to shoot up there as we  had about 360º views of awesome mountains transitioning from snow covered to not at about the 1,000 ft level. And the pass is roughly at about 1,000 ft. But, the wind was blowing at about a sustained 45mph. It was tough shooting. My battery died and I had left the bag in the car, so I left it to got get another battery. and after doing so I decided I’d better spread the legs out further. I had the camera on a ledge, if it had blown over it wouldn’t be destroyed, but it’d have to go down a small hill to retrieve it. As I returned I slid the last 15 ft to the tripod trying to stop since it was downhill and the wind was just blowing me so much, and the tripod was only on two legs. So I’m glad I went back as I’m sure it’d have gone over if I’d let it be. I spread the legs out further and then ran up the hill against the wind to get another battery. We then drove around a bit after a brief lunch. We headed up north to Constantine Bay.  (Discuss the images as seen on the gallery)

Links Mentioned in today’s show: Episode Sponsor: https://polarprofilters.com Use this link AND the code "latitude15" the next time you need to rent gear. I'll get a small percentage and you'll get 15% off. Lensrentals.com affiliate link: https://www.gopjn.com/t/SENJRktJT01DR09OS0lLQ0dLT0tGTg Need to carry your gear in style? Treat yourself to a ThinkTank Photo bag with this link and get a free gift at checkout: http://bit.ly/2IMRhOT The Big Announcement I’ve finally got plans lined up for the release of my newest adventure, that is, Latitude Photography School. Right now you can go to the website, https://latitudephotographyschool.com and all that you’ll see is a sign up form. I’m busy working on my next course offerings and other tutorial items. I’ll also have an associated YouTube channel to go along with this new service. The two courses I’m crafting have to do with beginning photography and an intermediate course on creativity in photography. With each course there will be associated assignments or projects. You’ll be able to post the assignment results in the private facebook group and you’ll get some feedback from myself and other students. I will also have smaller items that are more tutorial based. Topics will cover everything from understanding the camera to being out in the field to doing things right in post-production. It will take some time to produce all these items, but one thing I need to make sure you’re aware of, you’ll be able to purchase access to the courses individually as you want, or you can have a membership option and you can have access to the courses for as long as you’re a member. So head on over to the site if you’re interested and sign up to be notified when the doors are open for business.  I have closed the cart on my online print course as well for the time being but you can still purchase the shoot-n-print workshop in the Palouse in May or June, direct links are in the show notes. Winter Day Hikes I love backpacking, but there’s nothing like a good day hike either. You go out for the day and come back to a hopefully cozy bed to get a good night’s rest. If you’re traveling you may also be eating out in restaurants, or maybe cooking in your room or Airbnb. Either way, your experience is way less rugged than if you’re full-on backpacking. I should insert here that the advice I’m giving is not intended to be thorough nor does it address all situations or skill levels. Please be aware of your own abilities and if you have a doubt about something, don’t do it. I’ll be looking at ways to get properly prepared for such an outing. As you know, I’m heading to Unalaska Island in a couple weeks. I do have a podcast listener coming along so that’s certainly good. And that takes us to item number 1. Hiking buddy It’s always good to have a hiking buddy along if safety is in any way a concern. There’s so many times where I love going out alone and just being there in God’s big beautiful creation with just my cameras. But when I called up to the visitor’s office in Dutch Harbor and I got some information on the weather in mid December I knew it’d be best to have a hiking buddy. Not only to share costs with, but simply for safety. They also require registrations for hikers, so they know someone is out there, which is good, but there’s nothing like having someone with you when you’re out there on a trail, several miles from town and hundreds of miles out in the middle of the ocean.  Notifications Jared Yoder posted a great question in the Master Photography Podcast group about this idea of getting prepared for a day hike. And I’m glad he did. And then David Patton gave some very good advice right away. And one of those items was to be sure you tell someone where you’ll be going and when you plan to return. This is especially important if you head out of cell phone range. If they don’t hear from you they can at east give the local rescue and law enforcement authorities a heads up and maybe they’ll need to go out and search for you. The timeframe might be much longer if no one knows when to expect you back. So do let someone know of your plans. Non-photography tools I always carry a knife with me. It’s not a big knife, but I have one just the same. I have a Gerber that my brother gave me for being the best man at his wedding, I have a CRKT that someone left in a bathroom and after a search of who it might belong to I simply kept it, and then I have another that I purchased in Poland as a souvenir. I also have a leatherman that is invaluable when camping, but sometimes it comes with me hiking as well.  I also always take a good waterbottle with me. It’s always good to have more than you think you’ll need. Especially when it’s cold, you don’t think you’ll need as much, but you do. You can always melt snow, but I say why bother when you can just have enough water for the day. I go for between 20–32 oz. for a few hours hike, but I also have a secondary bottle in the car that I guzzle just before heading out. Water purifier. If you’re going to be out longer I say bring along a water purifier. It can provide good clean water for your whole party and you don’t have to carry as much with you. Of course it only works if you actually have a water source you can get water from. Hand warmers. These little packets of warmth are perfect for keeping your water from freezing and your fingers too. I use them in my fold over mittens when I’m not shooting and when the weather is super cold. Sometimes I also put them in my boots but not usually, they’re more uncomfortable than they are worth. I’ve tried the flatter kind that adhere to your sock and those are OK, but really, good socks will do the trick better than anything. More on that in a bit. Maps etc. It’s always good to have a map to study. I use the Alltrails app on my phone and that’s good, but with the pro account you can also print off maps. I’ve not actually done that yet, but I plan to in the near future. Not with my trip to Alaska, because there’s so few trails listed on the app, but with other areas here in the PNW I’ll be able to do that. Off-line maps are best because what would you do if your battery died on your phone? There’s nothing like studying the map before hand and really having the place sink in as much as possible. Before I went to Europe for three weeks with my father several years ago I bought several maps and just studies them over and over. When there I rarely referenced them but I always knew where I was and where things were in relation to other things. Absorbing maps is a good thing for sure. Clothing - Footwear You need good boots, there’s no other way around it. For winter boots I’ve used Sorel and Kamik brands. Both have been exceptionally good. Shop at reputable places like REI, Cabellas, Dicks Sporting Goods and others that I’m not thinking of at the moment. I’m sure you’ll find some on Amazon as well, but the point I want to drive home is the insulation rating and waterproofing. Winter boots are certainly different than hiking boots in size and overall function. I’ve got the Kamik Nation Plus Pac Boots. They’re a fine boot but they are listed as having a “200 gram Thinsulate liner.” But the Cabellas brand that’s 2x as much has 2,000 gram Thinsulate. Other brands have other insulations as well. The best thing I can recommend is going to the store and trying them on. Talk to the associate and see what works for you. I like mine because I also use SmartWool socks with them. The only time I really felt cold in these boots and socks like that was after a full day in Banff National Park in February. I’d sweated enough that finally, at the end of the day it didn’t matter what I did, I just needed to get out of those boots. Had I brought a fresh pair of socks I’m sure I’d have been fine. When I go to AK, I plan to bring fresh socks with me on the trail so I can swap them out as needed. I also am trying out some Alpaca wool liners. I bought them at the homesteading life conference this summer in Missouri. I bought them from Alpacas of Troy. https://alpacasoftroy.com I’ve only been out on one small hike with them to the proof will be in the pudding when I go to Alaska. Clothing - Pants If it’s not too cold I’ll just wear regular hiking pants. No cotton though please. Has to be a quick drying type of materials. I have some excellent hiking pants from Mountain Hardwear. I bought them on clearance from REI. They’re listed as a 30” waist and let me tell you, I’m NOT a 30” waist, that’s probably why they were on the clearance rack. But they fit perfectly. I just love them. But all too often in winter time those are way to thin. So I have some larger hiking pants that I’ll wear as an outer layer and use either a base layer underneath or I’ll just wear some flannel pants as insulation. If it’s a short jaunt I’ll go with the flannel pants, if it’s a longer time out I want the base layer protection against moisture buildup. The point here is layering is good. I’ve even been known to go with all three layers. However, that does get a bit uncomfortable if I need to sit down or whatnot. But when I kneel in the snow, no problem. I don’t even feel the cold on my knee.  I’ll use snow pants when it’s downright frigid cold, like when I was in Banff last winter and the warmest it got was about 9 degrees F. Starting the day out at -26 or so requires more insulation and the bib overall style of snow pants does the job. Ad read, Episode Sponsor. Clothing - Upper body I’ll go with recommending layering once again. When it’s ultimate cold I’ll go with four layers. A base layer, an insulation layer, an insulation coat such as my Eddie Bauer goose down jacket, and then an outer shell. I like a built in hat on my outer shell. It’s almost funny, when it gets super cold the outer shell tends to get rather crunchy. By going with an oversized coat I can also guarantee that wind won’t get up underneath it and I won’t get frozen out that way either. I’m not sold on any one brand per se, but I do recommend that you go with quality items. Even Wal-Mart may have some quality items from time to time. I could never spend hundreds of dollars on a single piece of gear like a jacket. My down coat cost about $50 and my outer shell was more than that, about $60 or so on sale.  Head wear I’d like to say I never take my hat off, but that’s just not the case. When it comes to winter photography I need to stay warm, but the head is the first thing that gets modified as it’s prime temp control. I have a really warm hat from REI, I totally forget the brand, but it’s so warm and light weight, I can easily forget I have it on except for my head and ears are warm. I like a hat that covers the ears as I hate ear muffs. I also have another hat that is rather warm but it also has an embedded light in the front part. Makes for a great setup when hiking at night. You can also use a head lamp which I always have in my backpack. When I combine the insulation hat with the outer shell jacket it’s almost always going to keep you warm enough. But in times like when I was in Banff, I needed something extra. I needed a Balaclava. This is the type of device a bank robber would wear, but having it covering your head and neck is invaluable in keeping the chills out. When I use this I always have to be careful with my glasses, and I hate how the moisture always gathers around the mouth so I usually extend the hole and force it around my chin which stretches it out a bit. But it’s better than having the moisture condense right there. Gloves I wear three kinds of gloves, depending on the weather and the nature of my hike. I like a thin glove by Columbia that has touch sensitive pads for the touch screen on my camera for generally cold days. If it’s getting colder I’ll cover them with some thick wool mittens that fold over the finger tips. I’ll put a heat pack in the fingers area and I’ll be good when I’m not shooting. If I need to be a bit more active I’ll use standard skiing gloves by Serius. They’re not all that warm, but when you’re moving about the blood circulation keeps the fingers warm and functioning anyway. Only when you stop does it start to get cold. Either way, I’m prepared for anything with these glove options. Other clothing related items. I’m considering getting some ski goggles for my trip to Alaska. The wind is potentially going to get very blustery and having some goggles might be the best option to keep the eyes clear and functioning properly. I am also considering some gaiters. These are items that go around the top of your boot and extend up the leg a bit. The point here is to keep all the snow out of the boot top if at all possible. And a gaiter can really make that happen for you. My snow pants are oversized and essentially do the same job but having dedicated gaiters would still be better. Micro spikes are another item that can work really well. They’re like snow chains for your boots. I have little diamond shaped grippers and getting some that are actual spikes are also on my list. They do a great job of gripping the slippery snow and ice and I recommend them if you’re doing anything even remotely risky. A couple years ago I got down to the base of Palouse Falls in the middle of the biggest freeze we’ve had in a long time. The journey down there is frightful at best and to me, impossible without some grippers on your boots. Though I did see others down there in standard tennis shoes which I though was just unnecessarily foolish. Backpacks For camera gear, backpacks specifically, I’m partial to ThinkTank Photo. Probably because I have an affiliate link with them. But they do make some serious bags. The best options right now for this type of photography is going to be the Backlight Elite 45 or the Backlight 36 or 26. I personally have the 26 model and find it suitable for what I need. However I also have the Urban access 15 which in overall design is superior to the Backlight 26, but only because it has two different compartments, plus the front pouch area. I like how the top of the bag is expandable and you could put a whole mess of stuff in there and you can still have a pretty good camera kit too. If your camera kit is larger (maybe I should say “standard”) then the Backlight 36L and the Elite 45 will be more to your liking. It comes in at about $400 US but it’s so versatile and huge. I just wish they had functionality and design of the Urban Access 15 in a MindShift styling and materials.  LowePro also makes some great bags. For this type of shooting I’d recommend their Whistler line. I also really like their powder line but the photos they show on their site don’t cover how the gear fits in which is too bad. I have not personally tried either of these bags. If you want something that’s styled just a bit differently, check out Langly bags. Their Alpha Globetrotter has two separate sections (something I like in a backpack) and their Multi-pack Globetrotter is massive. Might not be perfect for a winter’s hike, but it’s worth looking into. Of course, there’s Shimoda Designs with their newly released Action X line of bags, built really well and very durable to boot.  And finally Peak Design just updated their everyday backpack as well. So you should probably check that out too. The things I really look for in a bag is flexibility of how the gear is stored, protection, size and materials. There’s many fine bags out there that I didn’t mention only because I think they’re using the “wrong” materials. I want something water proof and durable and flexible. A bag that’s too rigid doesn’t work for me. Other camera thoughts When it’s cold you want multiple batteries. Keeping them warm is also a must. I’ll stash them in my jacket pockets, inside the outer shell if possible, and swap them out as necessary. An item to keep water off can be a good thing, but it can also get in the way. I have a rain jacket and a much larger item (can’t recall the brand right now) for inclement weather, but really, a weather sealed camera is your best bet for sure. When I was at Palouse that winter and I was close to the falls, and the wind shifted, I got about 1/4 in of ice on my camera and lens. It was fine but I just put it away for the rest of the shoot. I didn’t want to risk damage when it was all frozen. By allowing it to simply melt off I was able to not have any issues at all. You’ll probably want some spiked feet on your tripod. Gripping the snow is better than having it slide all over the place. Almost anything will do, just get something that’s not the rubber feet.  Memory card wallets are another good thing to have when out in the cold. I have a very rugged wallet by Polar Pro. I couldn’t help but think it overkill until I thought of the rugged conditions I’ll be in. It’s not waterproof, but it’s super rugged and will protect the cards when not in use. I used to just let them float around in a little pocket in the bag but no longer. I either use the Pixel Pocket Rocket by Think Tank Photo or this option by Polar Pro. I also have a Defender Lens cap which is pretty sweet.  First aid and other emergency kit The size of my kit is generally proportional to the length I’m gone and the distance I’ll be away from civilization. One time when I went to South America I remember thinking I want a kit so good I can do minor surgery with it. That’s probably overkill, but when going out for the day you probably don’t need a suture kit and all sorts of different types of bandages. But maybe you do, just depends on where you’re going. I have various sizes and it’s hard to specifically recommend one over the other, I can only stress that it’s important and you should look through your options and consider your plans and see what makes sense for you. Bear spray is also important if you’re going to a place like Yellowstone or some other place like that. Be sure you read the instructions and have it ready to go. The worst thing is to have it and not have it accessible when you need it. Sunglasses are also important. Can’t forget those. In white out conditions like a snowy scene, there’s nothing like cutting out all that UV light. Your rods and cones will thank you! Shooting tips When I’m all dressed up like this I tend to absolutely rely on the live view shooting mode the camera offers. That keeps the camera on the tripod and I don’t have to breath on it all the time with it mashed up against my face. I like the bigger tripod as well since the legs will likely sink in the snow quite a bit, and it’s just easier to manage the bigger controls. I still try to challenge myself to get low, high, and find unique ways of viewing my subject. But I know if I’m not at least mostly warm and comfortable no matter what my subject is I’ll get cranky and lose interest in photographing it if I’m too cold for too long. Though there have certainly been times where I didn’t feel cold until I was done shooting and it was time to head back to the room, all of a sudden I get the chills and start hustling it back to the car! Closing Remarks Thank you so much for listening. I would love to have your feedback or questions, just simply email me at brent@latitudephotographypodcast.com and I’ll try to answer your question in a future episode. Also, there’s a new benefit for listeners with lensrentals.com. Use my link in the show notes and the code “latitude15” for 15% off your next order. You can use the code without the link but if you use that link a few pennies are tossed my way and I thank you for your support. So, that’s it for today, until next time, happy shooting!

Commander and helicopter pilot Tim Schmitz talks the daring effort to rescue nearly fifty victims after their vessel, the ‘Alaska Ranger’, sank in the Bering Sea 180 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A nighttime takeoff from the storm swept and frozen deck of the cutter Munro, a flight plan with no possibility of reaching shore and no margin of error to make it back to the cutter, only dim strobe lights to guide the crew to those treading water, the loss of a victim despite the determined efforts of all involved, and the triumph of saving lives at sea - it’s a story that is truly dangerous, daring, and epic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theyhadtogoout/support

The Alaska Marine Highway System has been in the news a lot lately, beginning with the governor’s veto of the ferry budget in the spring, and a ferry worker strike later in the summer. This week on Outdoor Explorer, we’ll the board the M/V Tustumena for her run from Kodiak out to Dutch Harbor, speaking […]

Amber's too cold, Anna's too hot, and we've both lost our dang minds! In an effort to think about something other than the summer heat, this week we're offering you a sampler platter of some of the amazing archaeology from the Arctic regions up north! Learn how people got to the Arctic, what some of them did when they got there, and what's happening to Arctic sites now in light of global warming. Also hyenas. Refreshing! LinksThe Peopling of the Americas: Evidence for Multiple Models (Discover)Late Pleistocene exploration and settlement of the Americas by modern humans (Science)Beringia (National Parks Service)These First Americans Vanished Without a Trace — But Hints of Them Linger (LiveScience)The ancient people in the high-latitude Arctic had well-developed trade (EurekAlert)Do Canadian Carvings Depict Vikings? Removing Mammal Fat May Tell (LiveScience)How Did Prehistoric Hyenas Reach the Americas? Through the Arctic (Ha'aretz)As the Arctic Erodes, Archaeologists Are Racing to Protect Ancient Treasures (Smithsonian)The Unalaska Sea Ice Project (Boston University Zooarchaeology Laboratory)What Clam Thermometers Tell Us About Past Climates (Sapiens)Clamshells and Climate Change: What seal bones and clamshells teach us about past climate (The Brink)Digging for butter clams in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (Youtube)The Dirt Book Club!The earth is faster now: indigenous observations of Arctic environmental change, by Igor Krupnik and Dyanna JollyThe last imaginary place: a human history of the Arctic world, by Robert McGheeContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

Amber's too cold, Anna's too hot, and we've both lost our dang minds! In an effort to think about something other than the summer heat, this week we're offering you a sampler platter of some of the amazing archaeology from the Arctic regions up north! Learn how people got to the Arctic, what some of them did when they got there, and what's happening to Arctic sites now in light of global warming. Also hyenas. Refreshing! LinksThe Peopling of the Americas: Evidence for Multiple Models (Discover)Late Pleistocene exploration and settlement of the Americas by modern humans (Science)Beringia (National Parks Service)These First Americans Vanished Without a Trace — But Hints of Them Linger (LiveScience)The ancient people in the high-latitude Arctic had well-developed trade (EurekAlert)Do Canadian Carvings Depict Vikings? Removing Mammal Fat May Tell (LiveScience)How Did Prehistoric Hyenas Reach the Americas? Through the Arctic (Ha'aretz)As the Arctic Erodes, Archaeologists Are Racing to Protect Ancient Treasures (Smithsonian)The Unalaska Sea Ice Project (Boston University Zooarchaeology Laboratory)What Clam Thermometers Tell Us About Past Climates (Sapiens)Clamshells and Climate Change: What seal bones and clamshells teach us about past climate (The Brink)Digging for butter clams in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (Youtube)The Dirt Book Club!The earth is faster now: indigenous observations of Arctic environmental change, by Igor Krupnik and Dyanna JollyThe last imaginary place: a human history of the Arctic world, by Robert McGheeContactEmail the Dirt Podcast

The Aleutian Campaign, Part 2 While the Battle of Dutch Harbor was occurring, Japanese troops were secretly executing the second part of their Aleutian Plan, the invasion and occupation of two Western Aleutian islands.  If you would like to become a monthly supporter of the podcast, please visit my Patreon To do a one-time donation, click HERE For $5 off of your first purchase at POSHMARK, use my promo code MUMS5! Facebook, Age of Radio, Threadless Get 2 free audiobooks at Audible Get $30 off your first Blue Apron order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bailey Davis joins us to share her story from a young girl following her Dad around the boat to.... well... everything. Bailey has cooked, been a deckhand (and still is), and has even been on the fun side slinging the beers for the fella's. She brings a unique view from all different sides of the wheelhouse. Born in Astoria Oregon and currently making her home out of Dutch Harbor and still works for Crab and Black Cod in addition to seasonal beer slinging. Please remember to like/share and leave us a review.   Galley Stories

The was originally recorded in the spring on 2016 while transporting the F/V Stella Jo to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. We had just finished up our herring season in Togiak and I decided to record this episode with the Spreaker App. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slidingontheblue/support

The Aleutian Campaign, Part 1. On June 3, 1942, the Imperial Japanese navy was heading towards Alaska with six aircraft carriers, 11 battleships, and more than 80 aircraft.This would be the first time in nearly 100 yrs that the continental US territory was attacked by a foreign power.  f you would like to become a monthly supporter of the podcast, please visit my Patreon To do a one-time donation, click HERE For $5 off of your first purchase at POSHMARK, use my promo code MUMS5! Facebook, Age of Radio, Threadless Get 2 free audiobooks at Audible Get $30 off your first Blue Apron order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adm. Yamamoto wants to occupy the Midway Islands, but first needs to confuse his opponent Adm. Chester Nimitz with a diversionary attack on the Aleutian Islands. The attack on Midway does not go according to plan, but neither does the defense of Dutch Harbor, Attu or Kiska. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2017-03-21 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.China has launched operation "Sky Net 2017" to hunt down corruption suspects who have fled abroad.The authorities made the announcement in a meeting convened by the office for capturing corruption suspects abroad under the central authority&`&s anti-graft coordinating group.According to the meeting, the campaign aims to nab suspects in duty-related crimes and recover their ill-gotten gains.The Ministry of Public Security will launch the Fox Hunt operation to capture suspects abroad. China&`&s central bank, the People&`&s Bank of China, will cooperate with the ministry in cracking down on money transfers through offshore companies and underground banks.Last year, a total of 1,000 fugitives have been returned to China from over 70 countries and regions. Among them are 130 state functionaries, 19 of whom were wanted on "red notices" for the most wanted fugitives.The meeting said the campaign has achieved partial success, and the anti-corruption work will continue. The central authority is calling for strengthened coordination and an improved system to make greater achievements.This is Special English.Beijing&`&s neighboring Hebei province will significantly reduce its use of coal for heating this year to improve air quality.According to the provincial authorities, by the end of this year, 90 percent of coal used in the province&`&s rural areas will be replaced by clean energy. Environmentally friendly heat generation methods will also be employed.The province is known for having poor air quality and frequently experiences heavy smog during the winter heating season. Household coal-burning in the winter is the main reason for heavy pollution in Hebei and neighboring Beijing as well as Tianjin.The amount of coal used for heating in the province&`&s rural areas topped 30 million tons in 2015, accounting for more than a half of the province&`&s total coal used for heating. Primitive boilers in the region using poor-quality coal emit large amounts of pollutants.Last year, coal-burning is accountable for around half of air pollution in capital city of Shijiazhuang during the heating season, compared to 20 percent outside of heating season.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. The myriad services just a swipe of the finger away are no longer limited to food delivery, airport check-ins, or finding a bike on the street. The latest novelty in China is an after-death service: organ donation.Once beset by misconceptions and opaque proceedings, the Internet is unleashing explosive growth of people signing up for organ donation.The China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation said the number of online applicants in two days had been equal to those registering at Red Cross offices over the past two years.The foundation is backed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China&`&s health watchdog. In December, it launched an organ donation function on Alipay, an online payment platform with 450 million users.Alipay users can easily register as potential organ donors, because one has to submit accurate personal data to sign up as an Alipay user. It saves the foundation efforts to collect and verify potential donors&`& information.People can de-list their registers from the pool by a few clicks at any time, even at the deathbed.After three months of operations, the number of registered donors on Alipay has exceeded 100,000 and the number continues to rise. In China, around 300,000 patients need organ transplants each year.This is Special English.China has established the world&`&s largest 5G test field in the race to standardize the mobile communication technology.Industry giants including Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation have joined the tests held at an outdoor site in Beijing.The tests are set between 2016 and 2018. It includes three stages of verifications for key technology, technological solution and systems. Now the program is at its second stage test.China started preparations for 5G network several years ago. A promotion group was set up in 2013 to coordinate efforts by mobile service operators, manufacturers and research institutes.Years of investment has put China in a pole position to formulate the industry standard and reap the benefits of a network that provides much faster connectivity and lower energy consumption.China aims to commercialize 5G mobile networks in 2020. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. China&`&s first vessel capable of conducting rescues in deep, open waters has been put into service in the South China Sea.The Ministry of Transport says this is the most advanced rescue vessel in the area and will play a key role in emergency rescues. The all-weather, high-powered rescue ship was designed and built by China. It is 130 meters long and 16 meters wide, with a displacement of 7,300 tonnes and a range of 16,000 nautical miles.The ship carries a towing system and autonomous underwater vehicle that can dive as deep as 6,000 meters. It is China&`&s first rescue ship that can conduct air, sea and underwater searches at the same time.The ship can rescue 200 people at a time and is designed for bad sea conditions including 12th grade waves and is suitable for the refueling and landing of helicopters.China has 74 special rescue ships and 20 rescue helicopters.This is Special English.The Central Institute of Socialism has held its first seminar for Catholic clergy in China to discuss China&`&s religious policies.The seminar was attended by 49 Catholic clergy members from Beijing and east China&`&s Jiangxi Province.Scholars, including Canadian professor of politics Daniel Bell, have been invited to lecture on topics including Confucianism and Christianity.The institute said it will hold a seminar on similar topics for representatives from the Christian community in China.The institute was founded in 1956. It is a political academy for non-communist parties and people without party affiliation. It offered education programs to people from ethnic and religious groups.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.The Ministry of Culture said it organized more than 2,000 events around the globe to celebrate the Spring Festival which fell in January this year.A total of 280 million people attended the celebrations which took place in more than 140 countries and regions across the world. The celebrations included a variety of shows and concerts.The ministry said the celebrations have been welcomed and local elements were combined into the activities.Top government leaders from almost 50 foreign countries sent their New Year greetings to Chinese people around the world.This is Special English."Convergence LA" has been unveiled at downtown Los Angeles in the United States. "Convergence LA" is a landmark public art installation funded by Chinese real-estate developer Greenland.The artwork is a digital craftsmanship that visualizes historic and real-time data of Los Angeles and displays it on a 30-meter-wide LED media wall. The piece of art was created by two local artists.The visuals were created by various kinds of data, including weather, news and traffic information. A Los Angeles City Council member said the digital artwork will potentially increase the traffic in downtown L.A. area. People are going to be curious and will start visiting the attraction."Convergence LA" is located tight next to the "facade of Metropolis", a Greenland property that Council members described as "a huge second spark" of revitalization after the establishment of "L.A. Live". And this spark encouraged many other investors to invest in downtown L.A."L.A. Live" is an entertainment complex occupying more than 520,000 square meters in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to the Staples Center and the Convention Center.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. An Alaska volcano that has erupted periodically since mid-December sent up its biggest cloud to date recently, prompting warnings to airliners and a major U.S. fishing port in the Aleutian Islands.Bogoslof Volcano erupted early this month, spewing ash for three hours and sending a cloud of dust to 35,000 feet in the air.The National Weather Service warned that trace amounts, less than 1 millimeter, of ash could settle on Dutch Harbor, a major port for Bering Sea crab and pollock.It was the 36th eruption for Bogoslof over the last three months, and the first since Feb. 19. Geologists say it was the most significant event for the entire eruption. The eruption was marked by 200 lighting strikes and elevated seismic activity that lasted for hours.This is Special English.There are fears that Australia&`&s famous saltwater crocodiles could become a bigger threat to humans. Ecologists have discovered that the giant reptile&`&s population is increasing by three percent every year.Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven meters in length. They were listed as a protected species in the 1970s. However since hunting the "crocs" was declared illegal, their population has recovered dramatically.Wildlife ecologists say the reptiles could soon pose a real risk to those who live in populated areas in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.Scientists have been doing surveys of crocodiles in the King River and other parts of Western Australia since 1986. This is the longest running survey for saltwater crocodiles in the Kimberley.In the early years, researchers found between 20 and 40 crocodiles along the 40 kilometers of river, and now there are as many as 150 animals in the same area.The study also shows an increase in the number of larger crocodiles as well, and their population is recovering from the brink of extinction.The research points to the crocodiles moving into more urban areas as the population continues to increase.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. An international team of researchers has found that rain and snow may play a more important role than how hot or cold it is for the evolution of plants and animals.The team reviewed 170 published studies that measured natural selection over certain time periods for plant and animal populations worldwide. It concluded that between 20 and 40 percent of variation in selection within studies could be attributed to variability in local precipitation.Twenty biologists from the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia published their findings in the journal Science.The findings demonstrate that variation in selection is commonly coupled to shared climatic conditions, particularly aspects of precipitation.A co-author on the study say that whether or not adaptive evolution will occur in response to this selection is unclear, but the study results do suggest that climate change has the potential to alter adaptation across the globe.This is Special English.A new study shows that trees planted by ancient people may have shaped the landscape of the Amazon rainforest.The study has been published in the journal Science. It compared data of the trees at over 1,000 spots across the Amazon forests. A co-author of the study said some trees were planted by people who lived there long before the arrival of European colonists. The abundant species were common in ancient times.The study found that 85 tree species are known to have been planted by Amazonian peoples for food, shelter or other uses over the past thousands of years. They were five times more likely to be common in mature upland forests than non-domesticated species.（全文见周日微信。）

Fast alle Seelachs-Filets, die bei uns verkauft werden, wurden in Dutch Harbor verschifft. Doch haben die Industrie und der größte Fischereihafen der USA in der Stadt Unalaska Zukunft? (Produktion 2015)

Dutch Harbor auf den Aleuten ist der größte Fischereihafen der USA. Zu Tausenden wird der Alaska-Seelachs hier in riesige Blöcke gepresst und eingefroren, um ihn später zu Tiefkühlkost weiterzuverarbeiten.

Der beliebteste Fisch der Deutschen stammt aus der fernen Beringsee. Zu Tausenden wird der Alaska-Seelachs hier in riesige Blöcke gepresst und tiefgefroren, um später daraus genormte Fischstäbchen oder Schlemmerfilets herzustellen. In Alaska heißt der Seelachs “Pollock” und war früher nur Beifang. Fast alle Seelachs-Filets, die bei uns verkauft werden, wurden in Dutch Harbor verschifft. Doch hat die Fischereiindustrie in ihrer jetzigen Form Zukunft? Umweltschützer fordern, die Gewässer um die Aleuten unter Schutz zu stellen.

One of the greatest Foreign Materiel Exploitation stories of World War II was the testing of a crashed Japanese Navy A6M2 Zeke, known as Koga's Zero. After the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in June 1942, a Zero piloted by an Ensign Koga, crash-landed on an island in the Aleutians. A PBY Catalina spotted the Zero. Navy personnel recovered it, buried the pilot and took the aircraft to San Diego. After making it flyable, the Navy conducted performance and vulnerability testing against all American fighter aircraft. They learned that the Sakae engine was carbureted and cut out in a negative G maneuver. The aircraft rolled faster to the left than to the right and that in a high speed dive the Zero's controls stiffened due to compressibility issues. By November 1942, all the intelligence went to the fleet and the tide turned against the Zero. It was an intelligence treasure and one of the great FME projects of the war.

The final segment from Guest producer Doug Schrecengost (drunk fishermen in Dutch Harbor, AK and Dark matter). Plus, listener mail and Voicemails.