What? No Tanks?

Screen shot from the game (splash screen)

Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age

Nope, no tanks today, I've been too busy learning a new game on the computer. It's one of those games about which my former naval officer son once remarked, "Too much like what I do for work for me to really enjoy it ..."¹

And this one is pretty good.

I picked this up a few months back but haven't really had the chance to really get into it until now. I did play it once right after I got it, decided to jump straight in without playing any of the tutorials and got my ass kicked.

I was in charge of two ships doing gunfire support off the coast of Vietnam, feeling my way through the controls. A couple of enemy aircraft came on scene, seeing a MiG make a low pass over my flagship, unopposed because I forgot to tell the lads to engage, made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.

Seeing BOTH of my ships dead in the water and on fire, really got my attention. This time, I'm going through all of the tutorials, multiple times no doubt, before going to sea again!

There's a lot to this game and it's going to take some time to get good at it, or I might suck at it forever, that happens. So bear with me, if the posts seem short, it's probably because I'm out at sea somewhere, stalking someone, or running from someone.

So far, I am very impressed.

It's something to watch your aircraft come up on the elevators (on a carrier) or come out of the hangar (helicopters on destroyers), watch them preflight, then launch. The graphics are pretty good, much sharper than the release trailer above.

I should note that this game is in "Early Release," which means we get to pay to play and provide bug reports and suggestions to the developers. I should note that I have zero problems with this. In my old job I remarked on more than one occasion that that was the sort of work I'd pay someone to let me do. So getting paid to do it was a bonus.

The time period is the Cold War, so think Sprucans and older non-nuke carriers as well as the first three nuclear carriers, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Nimitz (CVN-68), and USS Dwight  D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). Hopefully they'll include Burkes at a later date. For now, I'm happy with what there is.

Here's a series of screen shots I took while launching a helo from USS Gallery (FFG-26). In the first shot you can see the port side hangar door opening. On the lower right of the screen is the flight deck window which indicates that I've got an SH-2F heading towards the launch point.

Screen shot from the game (Actual game play)

Now in the next screen you can see the helo is out of the hangar but hasn't moved to the launch point yet (the middle of the circle on the flight deck).

Screen shot from the game (Actual game play)

Once the aircraft is at the launch point, you can listen as the engines spool up, the sound is pretty awesome. After a short wait, the rotors begin to spin. Although you can't see it in the shot below, the rotors are spinning and it's shortly before the pilot "pulls pitch." If you look close, you can see the rotor wash on the sea from the helo!

Screen shot from the game (Actual game play)

Now the aircraft is airborne and awaiting your orders.

Really cool stuff if you ask me.

Screen shot from the game (Actual game play)

So if the posts seem short (maybe even non-existent), you'll know why.

Okay, sea and anchor detail have been called away, gotta run, see you when I get back. Virtually, of course.

Ciao!

¹He does play now, after being out of the Navy for over a decade.

Is the Main Battle Tank Obsolete?

Source

In yesterday's post more than one commenter mentioned that the advent of the drone has made the tank as useless as horse cavalry. (Note, horsemen were used to some good effect in Afghanistan. Horses are still useful in getting people from point A to point B.)

I wanted to address that idea, that thought. While I thought about how I would answer the question, I turned to The Chieftain. I was quite sure that Nicholas Moran might have some thoughts on the subject. Better than mine, that's for sure.

And of course he does.

Now the video is three years old, back when people were starting to notice all the drones flitting about Ukraine destroying Russian vehicles (including tanks) and hapless infantrymen who were caught in the open. (Anyone who has survived infantry combat will tell you that it's a very bad thing to be caught in the open.)

So rather than try to argue the point myself (and I am no expert on armored combat) I'll let the SME do it. Take it away LTC¹ Moran!

Note: YouTube has been having some issues lately, if the video claims it's "not available at this time," just refresh your screen.

So yes, the tank ain't dead yet, probably won't be for quite some time.

And it isn't because they look cool, it's because they are still bloody effective.

As to what lessons we can learn from Ukraine and all of those videos on X and YouTube? Here's LTC Moran's take on that ...

He knows his stuff and he knows when not to opine. Good man that.

¹ Proper abbreviation for a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.

The New Tank on the Block

Source

Militaries which don't evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of the battlefield waste human lives and resources. It's nice to know that the U.S. Army is not falling into that trap.

My old buddy Dwight (retired Navy and fellow Lexican) tipped me off to this new armored fighting vehicle currently in work. A few things about it raised a few warning flags in this old engineer's brain, so I went looking for The Chieftain's thoughts on the project. I feel a whole lot better now and I think that this "new" vehicle will be a war winner if, God forbid, we need to ever deploy tanks on a future battlefield. (From what I understand, many of the lessons learned in Ukraine will be considered. Just in case you were worried about that.)

Okay, this is a long video, but well worth your time. Nicholas Moran knows his business, he's an armor officer, and puts a lot of thought into the subject matter. He is truly a Subject Matter Expert when it comes to armored fighting vehicles and mobile warfare, both the history and the practice thereof.

Before jumping into the video, there were a couple of things I noted as a former engineer who saw the many ways people could find to kill a viable weapon systems concept.

The Chieftain asked (around the 25:50 mark of the video) why this wasn't a new tank but still an M1 variant. Colonel Howell's answer was that this wasn't really a new tank, because ...

"They did the requirements right back then ..."

Something Zumwalt (my big project as a worker bee) never really got right and never really finished. Requirements churn was a HUGE problem in the early days. If you can't nail those down, why the heck are you spending money on building the damned thing?

This machine is being built with the users in mind, the folks who will actually be manning the thing. (I mean it will even have cupholders! You'd be surprised how nice those are to have! Go to 27:30 in the video for a good talk about crew amenities.)

Anyhoo, here's the video, if you have any interest in how your tax money is spent on new military hardware, you should watch the whole thing.

The only thing which makes me nervous is the software for this beast. Believe me when I say, I know how easy it is to make a mess of that. You don't want your gunner to have to stop and say, "Sorry Skipper, you'll have to wait, the computer is rebooting ..."

Been there, done that and it does not impress the customer.

Enjoy.

And so it begins!

 Sorry, Got word that construction has begun on our new home.  Well, the demolition part anyhow.  So, I've got two Monday Posts today!

Just got a text from our construction supervisor.  Apparently, demolition has begun. 

 

Yes, it has begun!  Taking down the abandoned house was the first in several clearing requirements. The above video is looking to the North West at the start.  That's the road to get onto the property

The area directly to the right of the picture below will be the spot for the Horse Barn and their grazing pasture.  They'll be taking down the scrub crap and leaving most of the trees.  The dead ones will obviously be taken down also.

  

Looking to the south east in this pic  

This next picture the camera is to the left of the frame.

 Lots of junk to be put in the bin.

 

Lot's of stuff to get rid of, but...It's a start!

 

Pyrenees, OK, not Great!

Well, Campers, another week down the tubes.  A lot of phone calls between the contractor and us.  This was followed by another phone call to one of the "Powers that Be" aka  a desk warming bureaucrat, by us to get it done.  So, nothing to report on the housing project.

But... on to the subject of this week's post.  I don't know if I've properly introduced y'all to our adopted "children". 

A little back ground, when my sister passed away, she left two Great Pyrenees (GP) Dogs that we adopted.  Atticus and Gryndll.  

(L) Atticus, (R) Gryndll

We were still living on our 30+ acre property near Fredericksburg.  They had plenty of room to run around and howl at the cattle, deer or other beasts that got near our property.  Sleep was generally not interfered with.

The only downside we've discovered yet in our move to CStat is the rental house we're in is 1) small. 2) Quite close to the neighbors and 3) Near a highway and a Railroad track.  Did I mention there are a lot of trains going by, many after dark.

All of those actions cause an "equal and opposite" reactions from the GP's.  They are doing an excellent job of keeping the "bad guys" away from the house.   Unfortunately, they are also disturbing our sleep.  Bad enough!

But...it's also disturbing our neighbor's sleep.  Apparently last Friday night, one of them couldn't take it anymore. About 10:30, Gryndyll was scarring off a deadly enemy squirrel or other animal when someone came knocking at the door.  Mrs J and I were in our bed clothes and headed toward the bed.  I turned around and went to the door.  

It was a Police Officer.  He explained that someone had complained.  We explained our predicament with the trains and freeway noise keeping them alert.  He was very nice about it after having been introduced to the twosome.  However, he said we had to keep them inside at night.  We explained the dogs also bark inside the house.  

About this time, one of them kicked off barking, behind the closed door.  The officer was impressed, but said we'd need to find a cure.    Haven't found one yet.  That night, Mrs J slept out in the living room with them.  After a while, they quieted down quite a bit.  We'll have to see how they'll handle it if they're alone in the living room.

Why don't they sleep in our room also?  Well, we also have a cat.  The Cat and Gryndll don't get along.  So our room is the Cat's Kingdom while Gryndll primarily is limited to the rest of the house.   Unfortunately, Atticus is also prohibited from the Master Bedroom.

 

Unfortunately, we're in a conundrum.  When they're in the back yard, the house minimizes the loudness of that barking inside the house (obviously not enough to please the complainant) and Mrs J and I can get some sleep.  The Police Officer ruled that option out. 

 

When they're in the house at night and some sound gets them stirred up and barking, well, sleep is not an option. We're trying to train them.  They don't like to be wet, so we've got a spray bottle with water.  When they bark indoors, they get squirted on the head (no, not the eyes or any other part that could be injured).  The problem is that when they're barking in the house and we're asleep, it involves getting out of bed, finding the squirt bottle, figure out who's barking, squirt him or them, and go back to bed.

 

Two things there.  One, it's difficult to get back to sleep and two, something else will set them off.

 

Oh, and by the way, sleep for them during the day? No problema!!!

 

 

 

The real solution is moving in to the new house.  Nobody is close enough to care about barking in the country.  

 

I wonder if our construction supervisor can be talked into boarding them in his house....

 

House would be moved WAY up on the priority list.

 

But...we'll just have to gut it out.  Now that my Monday post is published,  I think I'll stop B,M,& C-ing and go take a nap!

 

Peace (and quiet) out, all y'all! 

Snow Day

Saturday, 07 February 2026
OAFS Photo

I am taking a snow day.

Maybe I'll make up for it in the spring with two posts on the same day.

Or maybe I'll just let it go.

The snow is slowing down (around the 5 inch mark is my guesstimate) and the temperature is dropping fast. It's already dropped about 15° since the morning. (We're talking about Saturday here as I write.)

Sunday (today as you read) is supposed to be brutally cold when the wind kicks up.

And I can hear the flap on the bathroom exhaust fan flapping now.

Might get sporty out there.

I'll worry about clearing the snow later.

There's no where we have to go, so ...

Sit inside with a hot cuppa and watch the world go by.

No doubt juvat is roasting in the 80s down Texas way, Tuna is suffering through the 60s and 70s in Sandy Eggo, and Beans?

God only knows what the weather in Florida is going to be like.

In the pool one day, frozen palm trees the next, it's crazy down there!

Stay warm.

Ciao!

A Battle and A General You May Not Know ...

British and Austrian Infantry Advance on Blindheim Village¹
Source

The Battle of Blenheim (which you may or may not have heard of) was the greatest victory of a British general on the continent since Henry V defeated the French at Agincourt some 300 years earlier. It would be eclipsed by the Battle of Waterloo a little over a hundred years later. Which may be why you've never heard of it.

Sir John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was a member of the family which gave the world Sir Winston Churchill as well as Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. (Whose older brother Charles wrote an excellent account of the Battle of Blenheim which I'm nearly done reading.) He's the general you may or may not have heard of and the victor at Blenheim.

In order to rectify any gaps in your knowledge of European history which might exist, I give you the following, from a fellow on YouTube known as The History Chap². Sorry lads and lassies if I've given ye another way to waste time. But history is important. And sometimes it rhymes ...

So yes, I'll be spending some more time with The History Chap and I'm starting to hear from The Muse that the War of the Spanish Succession might be a great setting for a bit of historical fiction. It's a fascinating period in European history what with Louis XIV³ throwing his weight around.

By the way, the aforementioned war was fought because the King of Spain died without leaving an heir. So Louis XIV volunteered his grandson to take that throne. Other European countries, particularly Austria, objected. So, true to European custom (and truth be told, human custom), they fought a war over it, killing thousands to benefit the few.

The "noble" few.

Sigh, there's an old story there. Which is why we Americans threw off that particular yoke.

Do we ever learn?

Hard to say.

Editor's Note: As I write this, it's snowing, again. Yay, sarcastically, of course. It's pretty, but enough already!

¹ Blindheim is known as Blenheim in English.

² The fellow is a great storyteller, though his pronunciation of Bavaria drives me nuts. Then again, I know it as Bayern, not Bavaria, regardless of that latter name's pronunciation. 🙄

³ The Sun King, surely you've heard of him? (Sorry for calling you Shirley ...)