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Photographs of Victoria, the pet cat of a failed 1921-1923 expedition to colonise the Arctic Wrangel Island. The last picture shows Ada Blackjack and Victoria, the sole survivors of the expedition, on board the rescue ship.

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moody lake walk

by Denny Bitte

Source: dennybitte

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A few interesting things from the Cold War Scotland exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

#cold war era #cold war history #Royal Observer Corps #Civil Defence Corps #nuclear history #nuclear war

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F7U Cutlass F2H Banshee F9F Panther F6U Pirate

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Canadian CF-104 Starfighter flies over Hohenzollern castle in the Federal Republic of Germany. 1969

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Maurice Gicquel et le groupe de l'ENSA

C'est le WE, let's go to the mountains !

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On 26th January 1981 the empty shell of the 'Bass Conqueror' off the shore of Ireland.

“Some people might think I am a crackpot, but I am sure I will survive to answer them when I return"

The words of 27-year-old Kenneth Kerr, a former petty officer on the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror, who on May 21st, 1980, left Newfoundland in Canada on his second attempt to row 2100 miles across the Atlantic in the 13ft glass-fibre dinghy Bass Conqueror.

Having held a life-long ambition to set the record for the smallest boat ever to have been rowed across the Atlantic single-handedly, Kenneth’ tragically didn't make it home.. Bass Conqueror, an Orkney Spinner flat-bottomed rowing boat, was specially fitted out for his first attempt in 1979 by a boat builder at Kenneth’s home town of Port Seaton in East Lothian, and named after a product brewed by Tennent Caledonian Breweries - joint sponsors of the venture .But Kenneth’s initial attempt was to end disastrously. Capsized twice by giant waves after 58 days at sea, he desperately fought to upright the vessel both times and was incredibly fortunate to find both his tiny inflatable life-raft and transmitter floating close by. But in stormy seas 700-miles off the Canadian coast, the boat soon began to fill with water, and after climbing into the 4ft diameter raft, Kenneth watched as Bass Conqueror was swallowed up by yet another enormous wave.

With no food or water, struggling with the bitter cold and at the mercy of the high seas, he fumbled with the transmitter to send out a distress signal, which was picked up by a British Airways Concorde en route to New York. Canadian coastguards were alerted, spotter planes were dispatched and an Argus aircraft was soon able to pass on his position to a German container ship - Stuttgart Express - which detoured 45 miles to come to his rescue.

His barnacle-covered vessel was found washed-up on the Irish coast five months later. However, inspired by John Ridgway and Chay Blyth, who had successfully crossed the Atlantic in 1966, Kenneth was not ready to give up on his dream.

Following repairs at the Orkney Co. Boat Yard at Arundel, Sussex, Bass Conqueror was ready for another attempt, and on May 21st, 1980, he set off yet again from Newfoundland. On August 13th, 500 miles off the coast of Ireland, Kenneth was spotted by the crew of a passing cargo ship, who gave him fresh food and water, and in the weeks ahead made several radio transmissions, the last of which came after 156 days at sea on October 25th when a faint message of ‘bearing 123 degrees’ was picked up by expedition ship Eye of the Wind.

Sadly, Kenneth was never to be seen or heard from again. Bass Conqueror was recovered by a Norwegian rescue team near Stavanger on this day in 1981.

Bass Conqueror is now in row in the Scottish Maritime Museum, Linthouse Building at Irvine, as seen in the pics, and if you ever visit look out for 17 notches on the strengthening board on the floor of the boat. During both attempts at the crossing, Kenneth notched up every week he completed - the 8 notches from his first attempt can also be seen. Seventeen weeks gives 119 days, but the message picked up by the crew of Eye of the Wind is evidence that he was still alive after 156 days. We do not know what happened in those missing five weeks, and it will always remain a mystery.