An early photograph of the cannons at West Point

The cannons at West Point facing the Hudson River, photographed in the 1880s.

West Point is the most famous military academy in the U.S. - and probably in the world. But as the history page of the academy tells us, the role of West Point in the history of the U.S. dates back to the Revolutionary War:

 General George Washington considered West Point to be the most important strategic position in America. Washington personally selected Thaddeus Kosciuszko, one of the heroes of Saratoga, to design the fortifications for West Point in 1778, and Washington transferred his headquarters to West Point in 1779. Continental soldiers built forts, batteries and redoubts and extended a 150-ton iron chain across the Hudson to control river traffic. Fortress West Point was never captured by the British, despite Benedict Arnold's treason. West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in America.

Jutlandia - one of the first ocean going motor ships in the world

The Jutlandia, built by Barclay, Curle & Co in 1912. Note the lack of a funnel.

In February 1912 the Danish East Asiatic Company's Selandia became the first ocean going motor vessel in the world. The Selandia ( including its two diesel engines) was built by Burmeister and Wain in Copenhagen, which already in 1894 had began to co-operate with the inventor Rudolf Diesel. 

In addition to the Selandia, the Danish East Asiatic Company had ordered two sister ships to be delivered the same year. Probably due to lack of capacity at Burmeister and Wain, one of the ships, the Jutlandia, was  built on the Clyde in Scotland by Barclay, Curle & Co. The Jutlandia was handed over to the Danish owners in May, 1912. 

The good performance of first ocean going diesel ships made the East Asiatic Company soon switch completely from steamers to diesel powered ships, an example followed by more and more shipowners all over the world:

"In 1914 there were fewer than 300 dieselpowered vessels in service with an aggregate tonnage of 235 000 grt; a decade later the fleet had grown to some 2000 ships of almost two
million grt; and by 1940 the total tonnage had risen to 18 million grt embracing 8000 motor ships.
Between the two world wars the proportion of oil-engined tonnage in service thus expanded from 1.3 to 25 per cent of the overall oceangoing fleet. By 1939 an estimated 60 per cent of the total tonnage completed in world yards comprised motor ships, compared
with only 4 per cent in 1920."

(Pounder’s Marine Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines Eighth edition)

Basic information on the Jutlandia:

• Built: Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow (Yard no. 490)
• Tonnage: 7600 dwt. 4874 gt.
• LBP: 370'
• Beam: 53'
• Depth from Shelterdeck: 30'
• Diesel: 2 pc. 8 cyl. B&W 4-stroke engines. 2500 IHP. Twin screw.
• Service Speed: 11 knots

Sir Simon's shining Sibelius

"My symphony stands as a protest against the present-day music. It has nothing, absolutely nothing of the circus about it."
Jean Sibelius 

What a joy it was to watch and listen to Sir Simon Rattle conduct his Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra last Sunday, when the French/German television channel ARTE broadcast the Lucerne Festival concert from August 28!

At least for this listener the absolute highlight of the concert was Sibelius's Fourth Symphony. It is by no means an "easy listening" piece, but it contains some of the most moving and beautiful music ever composed for an orchestra - when performed by a good enough orchestra and conductor. In this regard, the combination Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon is second to none! They radiate the kind of absolute concentration and precision that is required to produce musical perfection! 

The birth of aircraft carriers: The first flight from a moving ship a hundred years ago

Commander Charles Samson taking off from the runway on the foredeck of  HMS  Hibernia.

The development of aircraft carriers began in the early 1900s. The first experimental take off of a fixed-wing aircraft from a ship took place in the United States in 1910 from the deck of U.S. Navy cruiser USS Birmingham. In May 1912 the British naval aviation pioneer Charles Rumney Samson became the first man to take off from a ship underway. Sources differ on whether the flight from the runway, built over the foredeck of the battleship HMS Hibernia, took place on 2 May, 4 May or 9 May. The Hibernia is reported to have steamed at 10.5 knots at the time of Sampson's take-off. It all happened during the Royal Fleet Review in Weimouth Bay. 

A Royal Navy aircraft at the Royal Fleet Review.

 During the fleet review,King George V (on the extreme left) witnessed a number of flights.

The Swedish news magazine Hvar 8 Dag reported in its May 1912 issue that the Royal Fleet Review had received a lot of attention in England as well as elsewhere, because the Royal Navy had for the first time used airplanes in its operations:

"The Hibernia had been completely adapted into an airplaneship, from which Commander Samson flew several particularly beautiful and succesful flights, which were observed with great interest by the foremost authorities of the Royal Navy." 

The news report also cites German sources who believed that the use of airplanes "could mean a turning point in the entire British naval strategy." 

Athens and the Greek parliament building in the 1880s

On this late 1880s photograph of Athens, the current Greek parliament building is very visible on the upper right. The neoclassical three-floor structure originally served as a palace for the Greek monarchs. The palace, designed by German architect Friedrich von Gärtner, was completed 1843.

A contemporary photo of the Greek parliament building.
(wikipedia)

Late afternoon in Helsingborg on November 11

The old lighthouse and pilot station in Helsingborg.

This morning was quite foggy in the Helsingborg area, but the rest of the day was OK, and the late afternoon - when I went downtown in order to shoot some photos - was really nice.

A cargo ship passing by before sunset.

The sun was setting over Helsingør on the opposite side of the Sound just after 4 PM

The City Hall tower dominates the Helsingborg skyline.

James Bond has arrived in Helsingborg.

The old steam ferry station was built in 1885. Now it is used as a restaurant and night club.

The Scandlines ferry Tycho Brahe departing from Helsingborg.

The passenger ferry Pernille on its way to Helsingør.

The pilot boats waiting for action.

Views from my balcony (3): A foggy morning

The foghorns are blowing this morning in the Sound. Visibility for ships must be very bad. I can barely see the houses at the edge of the lawn:

On this picture the fog gave me a nice "bokeh":

PS

During this "dark season" here in the north of Europe, it is sometimes nice to watch views from more southern locations, like this one: