One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

On May 31, 2:29*am, harry wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

THAT IS SO SAD HAIRRY...ALL THOSE SOULS ;-(
CAN'T YOU POST SOMETHING HAPPY FOR A CHANGE?
YOU SNOOTY, COOTY, ENGRISH BOOTY.
BOOWAAAAAAHAHAHAHA....STILL SAD.
PATECUM
TGITM

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.



I've always wondered,

after the collision, if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark

On May 31, 8:48*am, Mark wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

I've always wondered,

after the collision, *if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark

Thats a question I have never heard asked. Excellent!

bob haller wrote in news:136ecb50-a6cf-48a4-9233-
:

On May 31, 8:48*am, Mark wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

I've always wondered,

after the collision, *if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark

Thats a question I have never heard asked. Excellent!

And what will a bobbing boat do when scraping against a very solid iceberg?
Presuming there is a way to tie up the ship. Just using the engine to push
the ship against the iceberg is something I wouldn't want to see (or hear).

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

Mark wrote:

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.



I've always wondered,

after the collision, if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark
Hi,
His only concern was keeping the schedule arriving on time at NYC.
If he slowed down or altered the course to avoid the iceberg disaster
could be averted. Sad history. Mother nature is merciless.

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
...


Mark wrote:

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.



I've always wondered,

after the collision, if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark
Hi,
His only concern was keeping the schedule arriving on time at NYC.
If he slowed down or altered the course to avoid the iceberg disaster
could be averted. Sad history. Mother nature is merciless.

IIRC, the course took it into an "iceberg field", or an area where multiple
icebergs had been reported. As you say, a small alteration in course would
have taken it south of the "field", and things may have turned out
different.

Of course, corporate would not have been pleased, and I'm sure the captain
would not have made the return voyage.

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Steve

In article ,
"Steve B" wrote:

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
...


Mark wrote:

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.



I've always wondered,

after the collision, if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark
Hi,
His only concern was keeping the schedule arriving on time at NYC.
If he slowed down or altered the course to avoid the iceberg disaster
could be averted. Sad history. Mother nature is merciless.

IIRC, the course took it into an "iceberg field", or an area where multiple
icebergs had been reported. As you say, a small alteration in course would
have taken it south of the "field", and things may have turned out
different.

Of course, corporate would not have been pleased, and I'm sure the captain
would not have made the return voyage.

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Steve

Wikipedia says Titanic's radio operators rec'd iceberg reports from
other ships, but were too busy handling passenger "correspondence" to
bother relaying those warnings to the bridge. Here are a couple of
quotes from wikipedia:

"Sunday at 1:45 pm,[note 2] a message from the steamer Amerika warned
that large icebergs lay in Titanic's path, but because wireless radio
operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were employed by Marconi,[48]
and paid primarily to relay messages to and from the passengers,[49]
they were not focused on relaying "non-essential" ice messages to the
bridge.[50] Later that evening, another report of numerous large
icebergs, this time from Mesaba, also failed to reach the bridge."

and

"Just before the Californian's wireless operator had gone off-duty at
around 23:00, he attempted to warn Titanic that there was ice ahead, but
he was cut off by an annoyed Jack Phillips. Occupied with sending
backlogged passenger messages, Phillips fired back an angry response,
"Shut up, shut up, I am busy ..."

On 5/31/2011 2:29 AM, harry wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Reminds me of an largely unknown Titanic fact:

Many stories have come to us from the tragic sinking of the great
ship The Titanic...some are not as well known as others.
Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellman's mayonnaise was
manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000
jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which
was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York. To
date the largest shipment ever exported to Mexico.
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about the stuff, were eagerly
awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that
they declared a National Day of mourning which they still observe today.
It is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

On 5/31/2011 11:12 AM, Frank wrote:
On 5/31/2011 2:29 AM, harry wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Reminds me of an largely unknown Titanic fact:

Many stories have come to us from the tragic sinking of the great
ship The Titanic...some are not as well known as others.
Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellman's mayonnaise was
manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was carrying 12,000
jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico which
was to be the next port of call for the great ship after New York. To
date the largest shipment ever exported to Mexico.
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about the stuff, were eagerly
awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So much so that
they declared a National Day of mourning which they still observe today.
It is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.


I'm glad it wasn't Miracle Whip! ^_^

TDD

On 5/31/11 9:33 AM, bob haller wrote:
On May 31, 8:48 am, wrote:
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

I've always wondered,

after the collision, if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark

Thats a question I have never heard asked. Excellent!

It would have taken miles to back down. Then I doubt he could have
steered in reverse. It's dangerous to park near an iceberg because they
turn over without warning.

Icebergs are difficult to walk on. Once when we were drifting, an
iceberg came up and bumped into us. None of the deck hands was stupid
enough to try to walk on it, so they sent for me and I went over the
side on a rope. It was great fun because the ice was polished, rounded,
wet, and sloping toward the frigid water. While I was trying to learn
to walk on it, the berg drifted away from the ship.

If you want to hit icebergs, put somebody who doesn't know how to drive
in charge. Our captain loved to do that. He had a great sense of
humor. Then give him radar. Ice doesn't reflect radar, so when he
finds himself among icebergs, the biggest one will look on radar like an
opening. He'll order full speed ahead, straight for the berg. The crew
may keep warning him not to do it, but he'll know he's right because he
sees the opening on radar.

The first time it happened, I was below and the collision knocked me out
of my chair. As long as your ship is a lot smaller than the Titanic and
the hull is 4" thick, it probably won't be torn open.

On May 31, 8:28*am, "Steve B" wrote:
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message

...











Mark wrote:

One hundred years ago today, the Titanic was launched in Belfast at
the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

I've always wondered,

after the collision, *if the captian had elected to keep the ship
alongside the iceberg, if the passangers could have climbed onto the
iceberg and used it as a life boat.

Mark
Hi,
His only concern was keeping the schedule arriving on time at NYC.
If he slowed down or altered the course to avoid the iceberg disaster
could be averted. Sad history. Mother nature is merciless.

IIRC, the course took it into an "iceberg field", or an area where multiple
icebergs had been reported. *As you say, a small alteration in course would
have taken it south of the "field", and things may have

MIGHT HAVE

turned out
different.

Of course, corporate would not have been pleased, and I'm sure the captain
would not have made the return voyage.

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Steve

Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.


Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

Then, we'd have to whip each other once a year?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"The Daring Dufas"
wrote in message ...


Many stories have come to us from the tragic sinking of
the great
ship The Titanic...some are not as well known as others.
Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellman's
mayonnaise was
manufactured in England. In fact, the "Titanic" was
carrying 12,000
jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz,
Mexico which
was to be the next port of call for the great ship after
New York. To
date the largest shipment ever exported to Mexico.
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about the stuff, were
eagerly
awaiting delivery and were disconsolate at the loss. So
much so that
they declared a National Day of mourning which they still
observe today.
It is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.


I'm glad it wasn't Miracle Whip! ^_^

TDD

"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.


Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark is a prime example of what happens when one follows instructions.
And not necessarily those of an engineer.

Steve

On Jun 1, 12:05*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

harry wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:05 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

To you and me, there's as much evidence that the Ark existed as there is for
the Titanic.

Oh, sure, thousands of people are said to have worked on the Titanic, saw it
sail, and were even aboard. On the other hand, everybody on earth witnessed
the voyage of the Ark!

On 6/1/11 8:40 PM, HeyBub wrote:
harry wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:05 pm, wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

To you and me, there's as much evidence that the Ark existed as there is for
the Titanic.

Oh, sure, thousands of people are said to have worked on the Titanic, saw it
sail, and were even aboard. On the other hand, everybody on earth witnessed
the voyage of the Ark!


The lack of instructions for a keel lends credibility to the gist of the
story. History's longest wooden ships were considerably shorter, about
300 feet. They broke apart. If they hadn't come apart, the flexing
would have caused water to leak faster than a crew could pump.

It was a monsoon barn. There was a very rainy period from 3000 to 2200
BC. River valleys would flood every year, which made fields very
fertile. People would have to go to the hills, then haul their goods
back and fight for a place to plant. The ark was a three-deck barn with
more than two acres of floor space. It allowed Noah's family to weather
monsoons without fleeing to the hills. When the annual floods receded,
they could shoot other farmers as trespassers.

On Jun 2, 1:40*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
harry wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:05 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

To you and me, there's as much evidence that the Ark existed as there is for
the Titanic.

Oh, sure, thousands of people are said to have worked on the Titanic, saw it
sail, and were even aboard. On the other hand, everybody on earth witnessed
the voyage of the Ark!

As it never existed, no-one saw it. You claim you were a policeman.
You have funny (peculiar) ideas of witnesses and evidence.

On Jun 2, 4:41*am, J Burns wrote:
On 6/1/11 8:40 PM, HeyBub wrote:



harry wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:05 pm, *wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

To you and me, there's as much evidence that the Ark existed as there is for
the Titanic.

Oh, sure, thousands of people are said to have worked on the Titanic, saw it
sail, and were even aboard. On the other hand, everybody on earth witnessed
the voyage of the Ark!

The lack of instructions for a keel lends credibility to the gist of the
story. *History's longest wooden ships were considerably shorter, about
300 feet. *They broke apart. *If they hadn't come apart, the flexing
would have caused water to leak faster than a crew could pump.

It was a monsoon barn. *There was a very rainy period from 3000 to 2200
BC. *River valleys would flood every year, which made fields very
fertile. *People would have to go to the hills, then haul their goods
back and fight for a place to plant. *The ark was a three-deck barn with
more than two acres of floor space. *It allowed Noah's family to weather
monsoons without fleeing to the hills. *When the annual floods receded,
they could shoot other farmers as trespassers.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Heh.Heh. It also had on board T.Rex and animals imported by flying
saucer from N&S America and Australia. These were taken back after
the flood by the same means. Yeah right?

There are many "flood epic" legends around the ME. This was obviously
a one off event. Gilgamesh etc.
This is the likely explanation.
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/blacksea.htm

"harry" wrote in message news:0aba4c13-5348-40ce-aa04-

stuff snipped

There are many "flood epic" legends around the ME. This was obviously
a one off event. Gilgamesh etc. This is the likely explanation.
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/blacksea.htm

Flood epics are interesting in that they serve societal interest in a
round-a-bout way by getting people to thing and worry about floods and to
place at least some "seeds for cities" on the very highest ground around.
Almost every Judeo-Christian-Islamic myth has a precursor in Egyptian,
Chinese or Indian mythology. What's his name - I am thinking Rudd Fleming
but he was an English prof who looked like . . . Joseph Campbell. Synapses
still firing!!! He was a walking encyclopedia of theology, mythology,
psychology and sociology. Did a PBS series around the same time as "Ascent
of Man" the Jacob Bernowski (or something like that) series on anthropology.

--
Bobby G.

On Jun 2, 7:58*am, "Robert Green" wrote:
"harry" wrote in message news:0aba4c13-5348-40ce-aa04-

stuff snipped

There are many "flood epic" legends around the ME. This was obviously
a one off event. *Gilgamesh etc. This is the likely explanation.http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/blacksea.htm

Flood epics are interesting in that they serve societal interest in a
round-a-bout way by getting people to thing and worry about floods and to
place at least some "seeds for cities" on the very highest ground around.
Almost every Judeo-Christian-Islamic myth has a precursor in Egyptian,
Chinese or Indian mythology. *What's his name - I am thinking Rudd Fleming
but he was an English prof who looked like . . . Joseph Campbell. *Synapses
still firing!!! He was a walking encyclopedia of theology, mythology,
psychology and sociology. *Did a PBS series around the same time as "Ascent
of Man" the Jacob Bernowski (or something like that) series on anthropology.

--
Bobby G.

They obviously don't read their bible in New Orleans!

harry wrote in news:e72c76bb-f41a-4533-bec6-
:

The Russians sacrificed more than anyone else in WW2.

Sometimes by their own ...

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

"Han" wrote in message
...
harry wrote in news:e72c76bb-f41a-4533-bec6-
:

The Russians sacrificed more than anyone else in WW2.

Sometimes by their own ...

Wikipedia says the Russians executed an entire division's worth of soldiers
under their "If you retreat you will be shot by your own troops" doctrine.
There are a lot of sites devoted to the USSR - German conflicts populated by
(fewer and fewer) surviving members of the battles from both sides. The Sov
historians categorically deny that anything but sporadic "retreat killings"
occurred.

But I temper those comments with my ex-boss Colonel's belief that fragging
in the Vietnam more was a totally mythological concept and that US soldiers
didn't kill their officers. The loss of even a division to retreat killings
hardly makes a dent in the rest of the Soviet deaths. They lost what's
equivalent to the number of people living in all Australia with the
population of NYC thrown in on top of that.

They got creamed and that made them a very wary country after WWII,
determined to never suffer the same fate again. It was the motivation
behind the creation of the Iron Curtain to a large extent. They wanted a
buffer zone of countries between them and Europe to slow down any land-based
invasion.

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in
:

"Han" wrote in message
...
harry wrote in news:e72c76bb-f41a-4533-bec6-
:

The Russians sacrificed more than anyone else in WW2.

Sometimes by their own ...

Wikipedia says the Russians executed an entire division's worth of
soldiers under their "If you retreat you will be shot by your own
troops" doctrine. There are a lot of sites devoted to the USSR -
German conflicts populated by (fewer and fewer) surviving members of
the battles from both sides. The Sov historians categorically deny
that anything but sporadic "retreat killings" occurred.

But I temper those comments with my ex-boss Colonel's belief that
fragging in the Vietnam more was a totally mythological concept and
that US soldiers didn't kill their officers. The loss of even a
division to retreat killings hardly makes a dent in the rest of the
Soviet deaths. They lost what's equivalent to the number of people
living in all Australia with the population of NYC thrown in on top of
that.

They got creamed and that made them a very wary country after WWII,
determined to never suffer the same fate again. It was the motivation
behind the creation of the Iron Curtain to a large extent. They
wanted a buffer zone of countries between them and Europe to slow down
any land-based invasion.

--
Bobby G.

I did say sometimes ...

Yes, among the Allies and occupied countries, the Soviet Union lost the
largest percentage of their population in WWII,followed by the
Netherlands ...

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

On 6/2/11 2:19 AM, harry wrote:
On Jun 2, 4:41 am, J wrote:
On 6/1/11 8:40 PM, HeyBub wrote:



harry wrote:
On Jun 1, 12:05 pm, wrote:
Steve B wrote:

It was one of the most avoidable accidents in history.

Remember, the Titanic was built by professionals.

The Ark was built by amateurs.

The Ark never existed.

To you and me, there's as much evidence that the Ark existed as there is for
the Titanic.

Oh, sure, thousands of people are said to have worked on the Titanic, saw it
sail, and were even aboard. On the other hand, everybody on earth witnessed
the voyage of the Ark!

The lack of instructions for a keel lends credibility to the gist of the
story. History's longest wooden ships were considerably shorter, about
300 feet. They broke apart. If they hadn't come apart, the flexing
would have caused water to leak faster than a crew could pump.

It was a monsoon barn. There was a very rainy period from 3000 to 2200
BC. River valleys would flood every year, which made fields very
fertile. People would have to go to the hills, then haul their goods
back and fight for a place to plant. The ark was a three-deck barn with
more than two acres of floor space. It allowed Noah's family to weather
monsoons without fleeing to the hills. When the annual floods receded,
they could shoot other farmers as trespassers.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Heh.Heh. It also had on board T.Rex and animals imported by flying
saucer from N&S America and Australia. These were taken back after
the flood by the same means. Yeah right?

There are many "flood epic" legends around the ME. This was obviously
a one off event. Gilgamesh etc.
This is the likely explanation.
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/blacksea.htm

It's no explanation for worldwide flood traditions.

According to the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, it got so rainy about
3000 BC that the Dead Sea rose 300 feet in 300 years. That's when
cities and big grain harvests appeared around the world.

The rainy period ended about 750 years later. Then, in 300 years, the
Dead Sea dropped 300 feet, where it remains.

Here are some of the scientists who were part of the expedition during
one 17-year period.
http://www.nd.edu/~mchesson/edsp_fieldstaff.html

On Jun 2, 5:39*pm, Han wrote:
harry wrote in news:e72c76bb-f41a-4533-bec6-
:

The Russians sacrificed more than anyone else in WW2.

Sometimes by their own ...

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

Americans killed 2m indians. They didn't treat Chinese so good either.

On Jun 3, 3:36*am, harry wrote:


No-one here (UK) lays claim to single handedly winning WW2. *Everyone
is well aware and is grateful for the USA's efforts. *(And the USSR)
We just get ****ed of by the "John Wayne-won-WW2-alone-syndrome" and
Hollywood ********. Not to mention some of the the half wits spouting
here.

You only add to the hate in the world. We couldn't have better friends
than the English and their Colonies.
You, thank God, are not typical...and the way you use the language,
you sound American! ("They didn't treat Chinese so good either.")
WTF?

On Jun 3, 6:52*am, Bob Villa wrote:
On Jun 3, 3:36*am, harry wrote:



No-one here (UK) lays claim to single handedly winning WW2. *Everyone
is well aware and is grateful for the USA's efforts. *(And the USSR)
We just get ****ed of by the "John Wayne-won-WW2-alone-syndrome" and
Hollywood ********. Not to mention some of the the half wits spouting
here.

You only add to the hate in the world. We couldn't have better friends
than the English and their Colonies.
You, thank God, are not typical...and the way you use the language,
you sound American! ("They didn't treat Chinese so good either.")
WTF?

HAIRY HARRY IS AM ENGRISHMAN
HE IS JUST A SNOOTY TEA DRINKING CRUMPETS MUNCHING FOOL.
I DO NOT PAY MUCH MIND TO HIS ANTI YANKEE RANTS.
THE "AMERICANS" THAT KILL (INDIANS) NATIVE AMERICANS, WERE IN FACT THE
EXPATRIATED MEANN ASS ENGLISH *******S THAT FLED EUROPE IN DEFIANCE OF
THE MONARCHY.

WE SHOULD TRACK THEIR LINEAGE AND HUNT THEM DOWN LIKE WE DO TO
MURDEROUS NAZI NATURAL COMMUNIST.

PAT ECUM
TGITM

"Han" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" wrote in
:

"Han" wrote in message
...
harry wrote in news:e72c76bb-f41a-4533-bec6-
:

The Russians sacrificed more than anyone else in WW2.

Sometimes by their own ...

Wikipedia says the Russians executed an entire division's worth of
soldiers under their "If you retreat you will be shot by your own
troops" doctrine. There are a lot of sites devoted to the USSR -
German conflicts populated by (fewer and fewer) surviving members of
the battles from both sides. The Sov historians categorically deny
that anything but sporadic "retreat killings" occurred.

But I temper those comments with my ex-boss Colonel's belief that
fragging in the Vietnam more was a totally mythological concept and
that US soldiers didn't kill their officers. The loss of even a
division to retreat killings hardly makes a dent in the rest of the
Soviet deaths. They lost what's equivalent to the number of people
living in all Australia with the population of NYC thrown in on top of
that.

They got creamed and that made them a very wary country after WWII,
determined to never suffer the same fate again. It was the motivation
behind the creation of the Iron Curtain to a large extent. They
wanted a buffer zone of countries between them and Europe to slow down
any land-based invasion.

--
Bobby G.

I did say sometimes ...

Yes, among the Allies and occupied countries, the Soviet Union lost the
largest percentage of their population in WWII,followed by the
Netherlands ...

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

I didn't realize the Netherlands was number two on a very, very bad list to
be near the top of. How do the casualties break down?

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in
:

Sadly, I think the Netherlands ever do get hit with a storm the size
of Katrina, it means the end of Holland. I've seen the remarkable
dams they've built -- but for every tall wall, there's a taller
ladder. The storm surge from a major hurricane on a place that's
struggling to keep the ocean out every *normal* day frightens me.
Some scientists say that hurricanes are a major part of the heat
exchange system of the planet. If that shifts, who knows what storm
patterns will evolve? One easy guess is longer lasting hurricanes and
it appears to be the unusually long-lived storms that affect Europe.


On January 31, 1953, a long-lasting Northwest storm hit peak, just as the
bimonthly springtide hit peak. Water pushed down into the "funnel" of
the shallow North Sea formed by the Netherlands and England near the NE
entrance to the Channel. That water broke many natural and man-made
defenses, resulting in one of the worst floods, mainly in Holland, but
also England. Many people died in the flooding. It was one of the first
uses of helicopters in rescues, as well as the use of WWII amphibious
DUKWs, and caissons like the Normandy harbor Mulberries.

In consequence, the socalled Delta Plan was started, modified and
implemented. It was a 25-year plan to increase water defenses by
shortening the enormously long dikes along the islands in the Delta by
closing some of the outlets of the rivers, and reinforcing the existing
westernmost dikes and dunes. As a boy growing up in Holland, it was and
still is one of the most amazing engineering things done. The plan was
often modified by new techniques, adapted or invented for the challenging
plans. It was also affected by emerging realizations on ecosystems.

Holland is well aware of the continued threat of increasingly dangerous
floods, and is (apparently) having a very long and costly plan to further
enhance defenses, both from the sea and the rivers.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

"Robert Green" wrote in
:

I didn't realize the Netherlands was number two on a very, very bad
list to be near the top of. How do the casualties break down?

There was a 5-day battle in 1940 near where I grew up (I moved there is an
infant in 1947). Treason and the bombardment of Rotterdam, mch further to
the west settled the battle.

Also, there were many Jews in Holland, and more had sought refuge in
Holland since everyone thought that Holland would again be neutral in WWII,
just like in WWI. Finally, the winter of 44-45 was one of the most severe
ever, and transportation of foods from the outer provinces to central
Holland was halted by the Germans after the Dutch railroad personnel struck
during the ill-fated operation Market Garden ("A bridge too far").

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid