Friday, June 29, 2018

WORLD WAR II NAVY ARMED GUARD AND MERCHANT MARINE WEB SITE

World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard
and
World War II U.S. Merchant Marine


"
This website pays tribute to the men of the Armed Guard and the merchant marine of World War II who bravely sailed together into harm's way, and in particular honors those who never returned."

 We here at American Admiralty Books are nearly all military veterans of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard and licensed Merchant Marine Officers. We have a high level of interest in the history of all of the American Sea Services and like to report on and link our readers to important sites. We've explored the above linked site and find it real resource both for those with a casual interest in the maritime history of the WWII era and the serious historian. Researchers may find here many useful sources of information and analysis. Most importantly there are some serious primary source material documents readable on line here. The best example we can point out are some WWII issues of the "POINTER", and official magazine of the Merchant Marine started in WWII. We are pleased to direct you attention to this most useful site, and to include it in our "Big Links Locker". We note also that this site has no sponsor and is need of donations. We commend the site you you attention, please consider donating.Click here to reach the site: 
http://www.armed-guard.com/index.html


Johnas Presbyter , Editor

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

CHINAS NEW NAVAL AVIATION PROPAGANDA VIDEO RIVALS "TOP GUN"

TOO BAD THEIR ACTUAL AIR CRAFT CARRIER OPERATIONAL SKILLS DON'T DON'T MATCH THEIR PROPAGANDA VIDEO SKILLS. 

Image Captured from linked Video

THE AVIATIONIST , an on line magazine, has an interesting feature on a new propaganda video by the PLAN (Peoples Liberation Army's Navy, aka "Chinese Navy) . The on line magazine lauds the production values of this highly entertaining video, though we see it as simply a propaganda piece. Despite China's claim that all of our Pacific bases are now within their reach we're not exactly quaking in our boots . Yes no doubt they can navigate within striking range, and yes their air craft can be launched and reach our bases. But when their one ( and soon 2) under trained carrier crews reach destination and attempt to carry out such a mission neither Chinese carrier nor escorts will be going home. We can reach many of our bases from some of our other bases and and we have many more carriers with more powerful air craft and better trained air and ship crews. Surely the PLAN isn't fool enough to think such a fool's errand would go unpunished? But propaganda is about sword rattling , not sword weilding. But all that aside the video rocks if you can get past the politics, great sound track. Check out THE AVIATIONIST for more. 

Monday, June 25, 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAY US COAST GIUARD AUXILIARY


uscg auxillary

Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

 On June 23, 2018 , The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary celebrated its 79th Anniversary. Originally known as the "Coast Guard Reserve", a uniformed group of Coast Guard sponsored volunteers providing their own boats, radios, air craft and uniforms the organization was formally divided at the start of WWII into an auxiliary of unpaid uniformed volunteers and a paid military reserve modeled after the Department of Defense Reserve Forces.  

 The Volunteer uniformed members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary have supported Coast Guard missions along our coasts and on our inland navigable waters since June 23, 1939. On that date Congress authorised the formation of "Coast Guard Volunteer Reserve". Later as World War II appeared on the horizon Congress passed the Auxiliary and Reserve Act of 1941 creating the military Coast Guard Reserve  Coast Guard Reserve and the uniformed volunteer civilian auxiliary under Title 14, Capter 23 of the United States Code. Title 14, Chapter 23 of the United States Code. Since 1941 the Auxiliary has augmented every Coast Guard mission area except armed combat and criminal law enforcement. During WWI a considerable number of Auxiliary members participated in antisubmarine warfare off of our coasts when transferred to the Coast Guard's Temporary Reserve. Similarly transferred members ( always volunteers) even joined General MacArthur in the liberation efforts of the Philippines bringing their own boats to operational area serving as dispatch, and courier vessels. The all volunteer citizen sailors of the Coast Guard Auxiliary are a major factor in the flexibility of the U.S Coast Guard and the service's ability to "surge" forces on demand. In the after math of Hurricane Katrina the Coast Guard in New Orleans was in need of extensive support services by large truck and tractor trailers rigs. There is no motorized division in the Coast Guard or even an overland transport company or platoon. The Auxiliary rounded up members familiar with large truck transport and formed a temporary motorized support group that served for months into the post Katrina recovery efforts. 

 All over the nation, including on some large lakes that straddle state borders where an Auxiliary manned station is the only daily Coast Guard presence and especially here on the Gulf Coast, we are happy to know the all volunteer uniformed branch of the Coast Guard is "Always ready" when needed. HAPPY BIRTHDAY US COAST GUARD AUXILIARY! 







Thursday, June 14, 2018

A NEW US NAVY WARRANT OFFICER FAST TRACK FOR CERTAIN CYBER RATINGS

Image result for Images of naval warrant officers and their insignias
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                   Get From Second Class Petty Officer To Warrant Officer   Without The Usual Intermediate Grades Special Program For CTI, CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT . 

Here is what's new. For the first time since 1975 the US Navy is bringing back the old W-1 (Warrant Officer) grade. After the edition of two additional Chief Petty Officer Grades (Senior Chief E-8 and Master Chief E-9) the navy dropped the entry point warrant officer grade of "Warrant Officer" (W-1) and all newly appointed warrant officers after 1975 were directly appointed to Chief Warrant Officer (W-2) and could advance through the Chief Warrant Officer grades to W-4. Today the high demand for cyber skills in the civilian job market has caused the Navy to seek out a faster track for promotion of its most skilled cyber ratings particularly in the cryptologic areas.   

 The usual point for ascension to either the Chief Petty Officer grade (E-7) and the earliest point for ascension to the Chief Warrant officer Grade (W-2) has traditionally been from First Class Petty Officer (E-6).   From either E-6 or 7 promotion to the Chief warrant officer grades brings a considerable  pay raise, not so much from E-8 or 9 and these senior and master Chief Petty Officer grades are more rarely involved in the Warrant competition. THE NEW PROGRAM BY RESTORING THE W-1 WARRANT GRADE OFFERS AN ASCENSION POINT OF SECOND CLASS PETTY OFFICER, SKIPPING THE NECESSITY OF MAKING FIRST CLASS TO EXAMINE FOR THE WARRANT COMPETITION. THE W-1 GRADE OFFERS A SUBSTANTIAL PAY INCREASE TO BOTH SECOND AND FIRST CLASS PETTY OFFICERS COMPARABLE TO MAKING CHIEF PETTY OFFICER. 

 While W-1 doesn't cover all of the gap between military and civilian pay for journeymen Crypto techs, it provides a serious living wage, plus allowances and benefits and an officer life style. The Navy hopes this opportunity will keep many of the best and brightest in the targeted rates aboard. But it will do more than that. The Chief Petty Officer rates are subject to percentage of rate limits, for example usually by law only 1% of a particular rating may consist of active duty Master Chiefs (E-9) by siphoning off some of the competition to the warrant grades more CTS will be able to advance to Chief Petty Officer sooner. A first enlistment CT second class nearing reenlistment time would be looking at greatly enhanced probability of making First Class Petty Officer (E-6) within weeks of reenlisting, and participating in the warrant competition while still a second class. If the CT second class (E-5) doesn't make the warrant during his first attempt, he will be sitting for First class in weeks with a high probability of advancing. He can then apply for advancement directly to Chief Warrant Officer via the usual route and will be eligible to take the Chief Petty Officer exam within 2 years. Most of the targeted rate members who make second class petty office within their first four years in service should find themselves as Chief Petty, Warrant, or Chief Warrant Officers by the time they are six years into the service.  

 Many of the members of the Chief Petty Officer and Chief Warrant Officer corps in other ratings not subject to such civilian competition for their skill sets spent the better part of 20 years advancing to these grades. With all of the extra time ahead of them these fast track Chiefs and Warrants have plenty of time to climb the respective career tracks to Master Chief (E-9) or Chief Warrant Officer (W-4)  or make the transition via the limited duty officer track to commissioned officer. What many civilians don't under stand is that at these levels the rigid hierarchy or rank that civilians perceive gives way to more of a bell curve of compensation with Master Chief Petty Officers, Chief Warrant Officers and Lieutenant Commanders not being very far apart in monthly pay or retirement benefits.   

 Add in the the twenty or thirty year retirements with the probability of lucrative civilian employment awaiting them,  the medical benefits in retirement, retirement pay that you don't have to wait on a specified age to collect, and the attractant factor for a naval career goes up. With this  early ascension program a naval career, even when you have highly sought after and compensated skills wanted in the civilian world could put the Navy's tech stars well ahead of those who chose the early out civilian path.                        

Friday, June 8, 2018

APRIL VOKEY AMERICA'S TOP FLY FISHER

APRIL VOKEY HAS MADE A LIVING IN RECREATIONAL FISHING. http://www.aprilvokey.com/blog/


Image lifted from April's Home Page:
April Vokey was raised in British Columbia and has been fishing since she was knee high to a grasshopper. She began her recreational fishing career as many do, as a fishing guide and morphed into something of a fishing journalists, researcher and non fiction writer and Internet personalityy. Others have expanded recreational fishing professionalism into realms beyond guiding, but she is one of the pioneers at launching professional and profitable activity into cyber space. April brings the pod cast format to fishing at ANCHORED WITH APRIL VOKEY FLY FISHING PODCAST:   http://www.aprilvokey.com/podcasts/

Here is what we find really interesting and new about her cyber approach to a professional recreational fishing career. Previously the first professional bass fishermen, fly fishermen and others making a career of recreational fishing beyond guiding, turned to television. Even after the proliferation of channels that enlarged the TV realm beyond the original three net works it was still the lucky few who could win a sport fishing show. Creative freedom was also limited as TV likes those who take direction best. Anyone can start a blog on the Internet with zero capital. If its high quality it will eventually attract an audience and with that some advertising revenues. What really sets April apart from her competition is that not only is her blog successful  http://www.aprilvokey.com/blog but she has been able to produce such high quality information and presentations that she has a growing list of subscribers who pay to see what she is posting beyond the blog and she has attracted commercial sponsors. Her endorsements mean something to her readers who do believe that she is one of the best fly fishers on the planet , if not THE best and she is able to run an on line shop:
http://www.flygal.ca/shop/. Yet despite all that cyber business producing cash flow on line she still runs a guide service and solicits clients on line.

 Now here is the point that no aspiring professional recreational fisher should miss. All this cyber work,while no doubt very time consuming at first, is well enough organized now that April doesn't neglect her fishing spending half the year fly fishing in her native British Columbia and the other half salt water fishing in Australia. No doubt some of these expeditions are paid guide work and some are for production on her pod cast or other parts of her web presence, but April fishes probably nearly as many days as you put in on that 9 to 5 job you hate. So April always is learning like all great fishers. What creates her market is that she doesn't keep her great fishing technique, locations, and gear discoveries secret, she is an excellent teacher/ video presenter.....but for the best stuff you're gonna want to be a paid subscriber. But you definitely can learn more about April for free on her blog and visiting her shop toll free. Becoming a professional recreational fisher is easy and you just can't get a college degree in it and then send out a resume. You make your own way or you don't make it. April is blazing a new path to a more highly compensated form of recreational fishing professionalism. We highly recommend her web sites for both the serious angler, the wanna be serious angler, and especially the serious angler thinking of turning pro. Click in and get some lessons from a real pioneer.

  Im the Great Namazu , retired catfish demigod and I approved this post.