On Midrats 31 July 2022 - Episode 630: July Farewell Maritime Free For All

Please join us at 5pm Eastern on 31 July 2022 for Midrats Episode 630: July Farewell Maritime Free For All

The Russian Navy HQ in Crimea had a Sunday visitor, China continues to be prickly about its neighbor's guest list, the Navy gets a new oiler (yes, that is sexy), Sal wrote a couple of things that got people's attention, and we are just a couple of months away until winter hits the slogfest in Ukraine.

Of course, that is just for starters because in a Midrats Free-For-All, you never know where the conversation will take us - and if you don't like where we're going, you can nudge us your way because the chat room and phones will be open.

If you do miss the show live, you can pick up this episode and others and add Midrats to your podcast list simply by going to you use Apple Podcasts here. Or on Spreaker. Or on Spotify.

The art is from the Naval History and Heritage Command- "Sailors on the Fantail" (1943) by Mitchell Jamieson.

Saturday Is Old Radio Day - "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (1947) from Escape

By Ambrose Bierce

Friday Film: "Freighter at Sea" (1948)

From the days before container ships

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, 22 June to 20 July 2022

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

Saturday Is Old Radio Day - Gangbusters "The case of the Death Mask KIller" (1946)

On Midrats 24 July 2022- Episode 629: Making a Great Maritime Partnership Better, with Emma Salisbury

Please join us at 5pm EDT for Midrats Episode 629: Making a Great Maritime Partnership Better, with Emma Salisbury

The Royal Navy and the United States Navy share a common heritige, and in the last century built one of the greatest maritime security partnerships over a longer period then any other pair of nations.

In more recent years, they also shared common challenges in keeping their once unchallenged sea power relevant, capable, and funded.

What are the lessons from both nations' recent stumbles in naval planning, program management, and managing the military industrial base that enables both? What have we done right that should be replicated, and where should we take the hard won lessons of failure to heart and move on?

We have a great guest for the full hour this Sunday to discuss these and related subjects, Emma Salisbury.

Emma is a PhD candidate at Birkbeck College, University of London, researching the history and theory of the U.S. military-industrial complex.

If you do miss the show live, you can pick up this episode and others and add Midrats to your podcast list simply by going to you use Apple Podcasts here. Or on Spreaker. Or on Spotify.

Friday Films: "The 957th Day" and "Midnight"

War is apparently violent and brutal. These films used to be shown to encourage people to buy war bonds. People whose sons and daughters were serving their country. I guess people used to be made of sterner stuff.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, 8 June to 6 July 2022

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

On Midrats 17 July 2022 - Episode 628: Mid Summer Melee

Please join us at 5pm (EDT) on 17 July 2022 for Midrats Episode 628: Mid Summer Melee:

From Snake Island to the San Diego waterfront, from DC to the Baltic Sea - if there's a maritime issue worth considering, we'll try to pack it in for the hour this Sunday.

As with the normal Melee format, we have open topic, open chat, and open phones - so if there is an issue you'd like covered, now's your time.

If you do miss the show live, you can pick up this episode and others and add Midrats to your podcast list simply by going to you use Apple Podcasts here. Or on Spreaker. Or on Spotify.

Saturday Is Old Radio Day - "The Thing from the Sea" (1941)Dark Fantasy

Friday Film: "Red Chinese Battle Plan" (1967)

On Midrats 10 July 2022 - Episode 627: America's Maritime Disinterest, with Jimmy Drennan

Please join us at 5pm EDT 10 July 2022 for Midrats Episode 627: America's Maritime Disinterest, with Jimmy Drennan

Few navalists can look around them and feel content that their peers, government, and the American people understand - or for that matter seem to care - that our nation's wealth, health, and security is all based on the fact that we are a maritime and aerospace republic. Without excellence, mastery, and control of these two areas in the face of the challenge from China, all else is in danger.

Inside and outside government, what needs to be done to create the conditions so we can provide for those generations who follow us the place and the world previous generations earned for us?

Making a return to visit, our guest for the full hour to discuss this broad ranging topic will be Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Drennan, U.S. Navy, former president of the Center for International Maritime Security.

If you do miss the show live, you can pick up this episode and others and add Midrats to your podcast list simply by going to you use Apple Podcasts here. Or on Spreaker. Or on Spotify.

Friday Film: "Talos Missile Handling"

I suggest to you that an underway replenishment with a Talos ship was a huge pain in the posterior.

UPDATE: Good discussion of underway replenishment of these things at USS Oklahoma City website, from which I "borrowed" the adjacent photo

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, 1 to 29 June 2022

U.S. Navy Office of Naval I... by lawofsea

Breaking foreign flagged ships seized by pro-Russian forces in Ukrainian port reported here

Russian-backed separatists have seized two foreign-flagged ships in the eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, saying they are now "state property", in the first such moves against commercial shipping, letters seen by Reuters showed.

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The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, via its foreign ministry, informed two shipping companies that their vessels were the subject of "forcible appropriation of movable property with forced conversion into state property”, without any compensation to the owners, according to two separate letters.

"Signing of the Declaration" from You Are There