Aurora is a unique game. It's the hobby of one man, Steve Walmsley, who shares it with the world for free. It's a game where you handle everything from the highest levels of strategy to the finest details of the design of your spacecraft. It has depth unmatched by just about anything else I've ever played, although the learning curve is steep, and there's no official tutorial. Also, no graphics, and no win condition. It's not for everyone, but for the right kind of person, it's about the best game ever.

Let me start by emphasizing that your first game on your own will almost certainly not end well. Either you'll build a fleet that mysteriously becomes floating debris in the face of a much smaller enemy force, all of your ships will run out of fuel and you won't be able to retrieve them, or you'll accidentally bombard your homeworld with high-speed minerals. Or you'll find some new way to have problems.¹ To get started, download the game from the Aurora forums. Start with the stickied Full Installation for C#, and then any sticked patches. Instructions should be in those posts.² Once you've done that, start up the game. It comes with one pre-loaded, but you'll want to make a new game, using the settings icon in the top bar. Leave all of the options for the new game screen at their defaults. On the create new race screen, be sure to check Auto-Assign Tech Points (doing this manually without running out early is very tricky)³ and set the Themes, images and race titles to whatever you want.⁴ Read more...

Oil fuels the world. Despite the promise of other energy sources, it's vital to the world economy, and that means it needs to be moved around the world. As usual, the best way of doing so is by sea. Oil forms a major part of the global maritime trade, and is responsible for the largest ships ever built.

Whaling ship Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport

Liquid cargo has long been transported by sea, although the usual method was to load it in barrels and transport it as break-bulk cargo. This was inefficient, and not just in the traditional way that break-bulk cargo was. Barrels didn't stack very well, and they had a tendency to leak, usually losing 10% or more of their cargo during a typical voyage. Despite this, they were used exclusively in the first maritime oil trade, that of whale oil. Demand for this product soared in the first half of the 19th century, driven by the development of kerosene lamps, and the collapse of the whale population drove a search for other sources of lighting oil. One of these was petroleum, which began to take off in the 1850s, particularly in Pennsylvania. By the late 1860s, oil was America's second-largest export, and various parties began to experiment with better ways to carry oil across the Atlantic. Read more...

Coastal defenses have a long history in the United States, with Charlesfort, the earliest example, located at Parris Island, South Carolina,⁵ and dating back over two centuries before the country won its independence from Britain. It, like most other early coastal fortifications, was a simple construction of a few guns protected by earth and timber walls. During the pre-revolutionary years, the sea was the best way of moving between isolated settlements, and most major communities built such batteries in times of crisis, abandoning them to the elements after the threat had passed.

Fort Independence, Castle Island, Massachusetts⁶

A few prominent sites had more permanent fortifications built, most notably Castle Island, ideally positioned to cover the main shipping channel into Boston. The first fortifications were built there in 1634, and expanded as Boston grew in importance, being rebuilt first in wood and then in stone. In 1692, it was rebuilt once more and named Castle William, while an expansion in 1701 saw it grow to over 100 guns, the largest fortification in British North America. It formed an important stronghold for the British in Boston as the inhabitants of that town grew increasingly restless, and was destroyed when they evacuated Boston after George Washington emplaced anti-ship batteries of his own to dominate Boston Harbor. Read more...

It's once again time for our Open Thread. Talk about whatever you want, even if it's not military/naval related.

I have another documentary recommendation, How to Command a Nuclear Submarine on Amazon Prime. This is a look at the RN's famous Perisher submarine command course, widely known for its difficulty. Four RN and one USN officers are evaluated at the helm of HMS Triumph in a variety of exercises. Overall, it's well-done, although there's nothing groundbreaking in it. It's also narrated by Peter Capaldi, better known as the Twelfth Doctor, which occasionally resulted in me getting confused over what show I was watching.

2018 overhauls are British Battleships in WWII, two more of Jim Pobog's sea stories, the first three parts on main guns, Life Aboard Iowa, and the first part of So You Want to Build a Modern Navy. For 2019, we have my Easter post on the four chaplains, Continuous At Sea Deterrent, the review of Polly Woodside, So You Want to Build a Battleship - Construction Part 3 and Shells Part 3.

While the container ship is perhaps the public face of maritime trade today, they make up only about 13% of the world's shipping fleet.⁷ For all of the TVs, car parts and clothes that cross the oceans in containers, oceanic transport is dominated by bulk cargoes like coal, iron ore, oil and grain. These cargoes are measured by weight and handled entirely differently from containerized cargoes. While liquid cargoes definitely deserve their own discussion, today we'll focus on the solid bulk carrier, which makes up 43% of the world's shipping fleet.

Bulk carrier GH Fortune heads to sea

Until the end of the 19th century, oceanic bulk cargo was largely carried by sailing ships, which were cheaper than steamships until the development of the triple expansion engine. Coastal trades made more use of steam, with early examples like the John Bowes entering service from the middle of the century, particularly in the coal trade. But even then, bulk cargoes were often bagged and loaded and unloaded by hand, much as contemporary break-bulk cargo was. These were some of the staples of the tramp trade, which saw vessels chartered for specific loads of cargo, usually only one way, and their owners had to string together a series of contracts to make a profit. While ore and coal were quickly moved to specialized bulk carriers, other bulk cargoes remained aboard tramps well into the second half of the 20th century. Grain, the flow of which greatly depended on harvests worldwide, was a common tramp cargo, as were smaller-volume goods like sugar, forest products, and scrap metal. Read more...

In early April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a few desolate rocks in the South Atlantic. The British mobilized their fleet in response. After a fierce battle in the air and at sea, the British gained the upper hand, and began landing troops on May 21st at San Carlos Water on the west coast of East Falkland. The Argentinians attempted to defeat the invasion with air attacks, but the British eventually gained the upper hand. On the 28th, the British, despite some setbacks, began the ground campaign, defeating the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green and opening the way to lay siege to the main enemy positions near Stanley. The first days of June saw the islands shrouded in clouds, but that didn't prevent the British from leapfrogging forward to Fitzroy and Bluff Cove, just to the south of Stanley.⁸

Uganda and Bahia Paraiso transferring casualties

The bad weather persisted on the 4th, keeping the Harriers grounded and slowing helicopter operations. Unloading and reloading continued at Ajax Bay, with Sir Percivale preparing to take another load to Teal Inlet while Sir Tristram took on supplies for Fitzroy. A captured coastal freighter was used to carry two companies of the Gurkhas forward to Bluff Cove, near Fitzroy. Argonaut, damaged on May 21st, was finally repaired enough to make her way home. She departed at noon after transferring all of her excess supplies to other ships. In the "Red Cross Box", Argentine hospital ship Bahia Paraiso arrived to take Argentine wounded from Uganda, and announced her intention to retrieve more wounded from Port Howard and Fox Bay on West Falkland. This caused a scheduled bombardment by Plymouth to be cancelled. Read more...

Gentlemen,

It has been a quiet year. We have focused on handling the transition to peace well, with our only new construction being the carrier Bearn. La Fayette, commissioned a year ago, is the most formidable carrier in the world, and Bearn is a major step beyond that.

We will have two CLs commissioning later this year, and need to decide what to replace them with. Our preferred option is destroyers, probably armed with twin 4" guns. This gives easy DP conversion in the next few years, as well as reasonable size compared to a twin 5" ship.

Read more...

While visiting family over Christmas, Lord Nelson and I toured what is probably the country's newest air museum, Historic Flight's new branch in Spokane, Washington.⁹ It had opened on December 17th, less than two weeks before our visit. We were shown around by my friend John, who volunteers there, and thus our experience was somewhat better than will probably be normal.

Lord Nelson and I with the Hamilton Metalplane

Website

Historic Flight Spokane is a fairly typical small/medium-size air museum, drawing from the collection of John Sessions, whose main base is a Paine Field north of Seattle. Everything in the museum can and does fly, and it's apparently the intention to rotate the collection between Paine and Spokane regularly to keep both museums fresh. While we were there, they had a DC-3, a P-51B, a JRF Goose, a Travelair Biplane, a Beechcraft Staggerwing, a Stearman, and a Hamilton Metalplane, all of which were lovingly restored. John had actually worked on the Goose restoration, and been up in several of the planes in question. I didn't talk with any of the other guides, but if he's any indication, they're definitely knowledgeable. Read more...

31 years ago today, while conducting gunnery exercises off the coast of Puerto Rico, Turret II exploded aboard Iowa. 47 members of her crew were killed. Every year, a memorial ceremony is held for them, and I was able to attend last year and honor the men who died.

• Tung Thanh Adams - Fire Controlman 3rd class (FC3) Alexandria, VA
• Robert Wallace Backherms - Gunner's Mate 3rd class (GM3) Ravenna, OH
• Dwayne Collier Battle - Electrician's Mate, Fireman Apprentice (EMFA) Rocky Mount, NC
• Walter Scot Blakey - Gunner's Mate 3rd class (GM3) Eaton Rapids, MI
• Pete Edward Bopp - Gunner's Mate 3rd class (GM3) Levittown, NY
• Ramon Jarel Bradshaw - Seaman Recruit (SR) Tampa, FL
• Philip Edward Buch - Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTjg) Las Cruces, NM
• Eric Ellis Casey - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Mt. Airy, NC
• John Peter Cramer - Gunners Mate 2nd class (GM2) Uniontown, PA
• Milton Francis Devaul Jr. - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Solvay, NY
• Leslie Allen Everhart Jr. - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Cary, NC
• Gary John Fisk - Boatswains Mate 2nd class (BM2) Oneida, NY
• Tyrone Dwayne Foley - Seaman (SN) Bullard, TX
• Robert James Gedeon III - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Lakewood, OH
• Brian Wayne Gendron - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Madera, CA
• John Leonard Goins - Seaman Recruit (SR) Columbus, OH
• David L. Hanson - Electricians Mate 3rd class (EM3) Perkins, SD
• Ernest Edward Hanyecz - Gunners Mate 1st class (GM1) Bordentown, NJ
• Clayton Michael Hartwig - Gunners Mate 2nd class (GM2) Cleveland, OH
• Michael William Helton - Legalman 1st class (LN1) Louisville, KY
• Scott Alan Holt - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Fort Meyers, FL
• Reginald L. Johnson Jr. - Seaman Recruit (SR) Warrensville Heights, OH
• Nathaniel Clifford Jones Jr. - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Buffalo, NY
• Brian Robert Jones - Seaman (SN) Kennesaw, GA
• Michael Shannon Justice - Seaman (SN) Matewan, WV
• Edward J. Kimble - Seaman (SN) Ft. Stockton, TX
• Richard E. Lawrence - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Springfield, OH
• Richard John Lewis - Fire Controlman, Seaman Apprentice (FCSA) Northville, MI
• Jose Luis Martinez Jr. - Seaman Apprentice (SA) Hidalgo, TX
• Todd Christopher McMullen - Boatswains Mate 3rd class (BM3) Manheim, PA
• Todd Edward Miller - Seaman Recruit (SR) Ligonier, PA
• Robert Kenneth Morrison - Legalman 1st class (LN1) Jacksonville, FL
• Otis Levance Moses - Seaman (SN) Bridgeport, CN
• Darin Andrew Ogden - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Shelbyville, IN
• Ricky Ronald Peterson - Seaman (SN) Houston, MN
• Mathew Ray Price - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Burnside, PA
• Harold Earl Romine Jr. - Seaman Recruit (SR) Brandenton, FL
• Geoffrey Scott Schelin - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GMG3) Costa Mesa, CA
• Heath Eugene Stillwagon - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Connellsville, PA
• Todd Thomas Tatham - Seaman Recruit (SR) Wolcott, NY
• Jack Ernest Thompson - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Greeneville, TN
• Stephen J. Welden - Gunners Mate 2nd class (GM2) Yukon, OK
• James Darrell White - Gunners Mate 3rd class (GM3) Norwalk, CA
• Rodney Maurice White - Seaman Recruit (SR) Louisville, KY
• Michael Robert Williams - Boatswains Mate 2nd class (BM2) South Shore, KY
• John Rodney Young - Seaman (SN) Rockhill, SC
• Reginald Owen Ziegler - Senior Chief Gunners Mate (GMCS) Port Gibson, NY

They came to the Navy as strangers. Served the Navy as shipmates and friends and left the Navy as brothers in eternity. - George H.W. Bush

It's time once again for our Open Thread. Talk about whatever you want, even if it's not military/naval related.

First, how is everybody doing during the quarantine? Personally, Lord Nelson and I are OK, although I'm looking forward to when this is over and I can get out of the house more.

Second, if you're looking for a way to pass the time, I'd suggest Aurora, a free space-based 4X game. The C# version has just been released, bringing with it vastly improved performance. The best way to describe Aurora is probably a three-way cross between RTW2, Civilization (or maybe Stellaris) and Microsoft Excel. Alternatively, Dwarf Fortress in Space, but without quite the same level of constant struggle to keep everything from falling apart. You're in charge of an empire, making decisions ranging from broad strategy to exactly how big the thermal sensors on your latest warship will be. You research technology, then build components, then design ships using them. For a certain kind of person (myself included), it's incredibly compelling, once you get past the very steep learning curve and lack of graphics.

Do note that the C# release was only on the 12th, so the game is still being updated rapidly, and a lot of updates require you to overwrite your save. This won't be a huge problem for new players, who can expect to throw away several games before they get the hang of it.

If Aurora doesn't appeal, there's also the USNI, who have opened their archives for free for the next few months, and who are offering member pricing and free shipping on all book orders. This isn't as good a deal as the Christmas sale, but it's still a good one if you want to build up your naval library.

2018 overhauls are Early Dreadnoughts, ASW in WWII Forces, Sensors and Weapons and my review of Iowa. 2019 overhauls are the Iowa class, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, Shells parts one and two, Jim Pobog's story about Black Oil and Falklands Part 13.