The Irish Navy is Shrinking!

 Smaller Ships?

Ireland has not really got a navy as such, neither has it a army or an air force, but rather a combined defense forces, since it is a small country sharing a land border with the U.K.

In recent years it has greatly updated its equipment and so its fishery protection forces, having eight new vessels, but it has also a reduced recruitment in the last year, which has lead to two of its new patrol ships being sidelined and smaller converted tugs from New Zealand and home built vessels coming into service!

These vessels might be small, but they are still designed to have a punch in their operations and so they replace two for four plus types of the south-east and south-west of the nation.

Sukhoi Super Jet 100-95.

Now in Service.

This will perhaps be the beginning of new revolution in Russian aircraft design and exports world wide? The best aviation has marked Russia as a world leader from its first take to the skies? 

Apart from the many accidents of the past Soviet era, which may have much to do with the weather conditions played upon by the western propaganda?

Sukhoi was only know to us until recent years as a military jet producer, but this break into the civil field come in the light that Antonov and others are based in the Ukraine?

Economical fuel consumption jets are the future for the ever expanding fleets and the problems with global warming and climate change issues? Speed and comfort are the next along with reliability, new design and smaller layouts seem to be more in demand than the larger aircraft?

The Coast Guards. Part-Two.

Border patrol to people Trafficking.

At times we do live in a horrible world, with people taking advantage and exploiting those trying to escape poverty and war?

The role of this type of shipping has developed from smuggling goods and contraband to know recovering dead drowned bodies. Narcotics is still a major problem and so is illegal fishing and the wrecking of boats to claim insurance.

Seas have become places to cross in flimsy craft, it may not look to far on the map? But it is immense in reality even crossing at the shortest point. The ancient mariners took days to do a 13 to 26 mile trip and it had to be chanced in fair weather. Today boats are abandoned by the smuggling crews in all sorts of weathers.

Most of the worlds navies cannot afford a separate force, so they encompass their smaller vessels to do this work. 

Many new tactics are now developed and employed in observing and intercepting, including surprise in the early hours and during storms to get one off guard.

Modelling. Part-One.

Closest to the Subject.

For many people today the world of modelling allows one to get close to the subject of their interest, wither it be aircraft, space, submarines or missiles. Most of us will see real trains everyday, with shipping and vehicles at easy access to photograph or film.

But the model allows us that chance to have a closer look at the detailing that has gone into the engineering of a machine. Scale, what is the best?

I think it is easier for younger folk to work with the smaller scales, because they are fiddly. Larger scales such as 1:48/35/32 and 25 are perhaps the best for adults and us who are getting a bit older. Detailing of these kits are much easier, especially if ones hands shake.

There is such a variety of model making kits now available from plastic, to metal and of course some can create from just matchsticks.

Cargo Ships. Part-Two.

Container World.

It was the introduction of the container that has changed the world, we now can have anything and everything exported and imported in a metal box. The mordern world is built around the container, which can be carried by road, train, large transport aircraft and shipping.

These containers are available in various sizes, I have noticed that in India and Ireland they are smaller and are perhaps easier to handle without the need of a fork-lifter or crane. But the disadvantage with conainers is that they are good for hiding criminal goods and are hard to detect by police and customs.

Old containers are not heading directly to the scap yard, but now being used in housing projects both in the United Kindom and the Netherlands, while in Canada units are employed for small business start ups.