Maritime Security: Port of Houston gets a bump in $

Reported as Houston at risk: Homeland Security officials place this area in the top tier of targets vulnerable to terrorist attack:

Shortly after reporting a gut feeling that terrorists might be about to attack the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that Houston would get $25 million this year in federal anti-terrorist grants, a 50 percent increase over last year. The money will be used for planning, equipment, training and exercises.

Houston will also receive $14.5 million in federal funds to improve communications among first responders such as police and firefighters. That money can be put to good use in Harris County and reminds public safety officials that almost six years after 9/11, our first responders do not yet have the best equipment to battle an attack using weapons of mass destruction.

Homeland Security officials deserve credit this year for basing federal grants on some sort of risk analysis, rather than on which state's senator sits on which influential committee. Because of Houston's large population, port and concentration of petrochemical plants, federal officials placed this area in the top tier of likely terrorist targets, along with New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Chertoff said Houston was not necessarily in danger, but the consequences of an attack here could be severe: A low-tech U.S.S. Cole-type attack could sink a ship in the Ship Channel, interrupting traffic for weeks or months.

Earlier post on politics and port security here. Decisions based on risk assessment seem preferable to those based on politics... to me anyway.

As to how long the Ship Channel might be closed, I suspect that it could be opened faster than the projection in the article, if necessary. More on the Ship Channel here:

Already the busiest port in the United States for handling foreign tonnage and one of the fastest-paced ports in the world, the Galveston Bay port complex in Houston finds itself at a crossroads.

To meet ever-increasing demands, the port hopes to soon see results from several new initiatives: the Houston Ship Channel deepening and widening project; the addition of a world class container terminal; and the possible merger of the ports of Houston and Galveston.

Along its 54 miles of winding channel, the Port of Houston has grown to become one of the largest ports in the world in terms of volume and cargo value. Captain of the Port Houston-Galveston zone also encompasses several of the other busiest ports in the country: Houston, first in foreign tonnage; Texas City, fourth; and Freeport, 24th.

On any given day, you can find at least four supertankers conducting lightering operations offshore, discharging their cargo to smaller tankers because the 1,200-foot giants are too large to safely enter port. Add to that about 400 oil and gas production platforms in the zone and you've got a formula for busy marine safety activities.

Last year, 7,100 freight ships called on the port of Houston, and 100,000 barges navigated the Houston Ship Channel.

Houston is also home to the largest concentration of petrochemical activity in the nation. The $15 billion petrochemical complex, second largest worldwide, is represented by every major U.S. energy company and most foreign oil companies.

Crude Oil Prices

Chart of the Day offers up Oil Prices (per barrel -inflation adjusted) with this comment:

The price of crude oil is rising once again. Todayís chart provides some perspective to the latest price spike with a long-term view of West Texas Intermediate Crude. One point of interest is that oil is trading near 25-year highs but still well below the inflation-adjusted highs of 1980. It is also interesting to note that most oil price spikes were a result of Middle East crises and often preceded or coincided with a US recession.

I have an idea- let's have hearings on who's right on this

Well, the would be Empress strikes back: Clinton hits back at Pentagon official:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton hit back Friday at a Pentagon aide who charged that her questions about Iraq withdrawal planning have the effect of helping the enemy — calling the accusation a spurious dodge of a serious issue.

Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner for president, had asked the Pentagon to detail how it is planning for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq. She first raised the issue in May, pointing out that whenever troops leave, it will be no simple task to transport the people, equipment, and vehicles out of Iraq, possibly through hostile territory.

Eric Edelman, the Defense Department's undersecretary for policy, offered a sharply-worded response, saying such discussions boost the enemy.

"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia," Edelman wrote. His tough language in a letter obtained Thursday was surprising in part because it came in correspondence with a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has oversight of the Pentagon.

Hey, let's investigate and hold hearings. Perhaps Senator Clinton will do the polling of the Iraqis and al Qaeda types to see who has the right position in this matter.

Friday Reading or Viewing

CDR Salamander's Fullbore Friday, with a link to a bit on a Marine Medal of Honor awardee.

Steeljaw Scribe on a impressive Grumman product.


Oh yeah, and it's the 38th anniversary of that first event.



Of course, I was at sea.

Syrian ship caught smuggling into Lebanon

With a hat tip to World Maritime News, a report from The Daily Star of Lebanon on a suspected smuggling incident: Syrian ship caught smuggling explosives:

A Syrian ship has been held in detention since Tuesday in Sidon's harbor after it was suspected of smuggling explosive materials. The Syrian ship, Lady Azza, which docked in Sidon two days ago, was supposed to transport scrap metal from Sidon to an unknown destination in Syria.

However, employees at Sidon' s harbor said boxes containing engines and thermal mercury pressure meters were being smuggled outside of the ship using one of the trucks carrying scrap into Lady Azza.

The Syrian ship has not entered Lebanese territories to discharge any merchandise, but rather to load scrap.

Military experts who visited the ship said engines and pressure meters which were being unloaded were not used in any military operations but were rather for industrial use.
***
Military Intelligence were keen to specify the nature and usage of smuggled material, after several bombings rocked Beirut killing a number of politicians, and causing serious material damages.

Various political groups have accused Syria of plotting attacks against Lebanon by either exporting terrorist fighters or furnishing dormant terrorist nets with weapons to conduct attacks in Lebanon. The ship and its crew will not be allowed to leave Sidon's harbor while investigations are under way.

Syria has a reputation for smuggling -see here.

Another image of the ship may be found here.

Some Points on Counterterrorism Work

Some good points applicable to a wide range of agencies and citizens about keeping focused on possible terrorism operations found here:

Although difficult to measure empirically, an agency can see at least some of the results of their efforts. One, the lack of attacks certainly means we are doing something right. Two, intelligence received from terrorist organizations might hint at the success of a strategy. In 2004, a terrorist operative had been assigned to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. During his pre-mission surveillance, he constantly saw NYPD helicopters, harbor boats, patrol units and the heavily armed Emergency Services Unit performing patrols on the bridge. Obviously, this presence would have a severe impact on the planned attack and he sent an e-mail back to his superiors: "I will be unable to continue my assigned mission because the weather is too hot." The weather, of course, was the police presence.

All of us need to keep the "heat" on by keeping our eyes and ears open.

UPDATE: Of course, thanks to Senate Democrats, you may be at some risk by reporting what you see as a "John Doe" bill which would have offered protection has been stymied, see here:

At least for now, the Democrats have killed Rep. Pete King's amendment which would have provided protection from being sued for people who report suspicious behavior — like the Flying Imams' simulated hijacking — in national security cases. Michelle Malkin has the details.

Maybe it's me, but I just find this stunning. Asking whether, in this era (or, frankly, any era), you should be able to tell the police you saw something troubling without having to worry about it is like asking whether you should be able to breathe. It is common sense — if such a thing exists anymore in Reid/Pelosi America.

The Democrats' maneuver here is also an obnoxious assertion of state power over the individual: If the state subpoenas you for information, you are compelled to provide it to the authorities whether you want to or not; but if you want to provide it voluntarily in order to protect your community, the Democrats say, "prepare to be sued."

What possible good reason is there to silence people who want to tell the police they saw suspicious behavior? Under circumstances where we are under threat from covert terror networks which secretly embed themselves in our society to prepare and carry out WMD attacks? Planet earth to the Democrats: To execute such attacks, terrorists have to act suspiciously at some point. There are only a few thousand federal agents in the country. There are many more local police, but even they are relatively sparse in a country of 300 million. If we are going to stop the people trying to kill us, we need ordinary citizens on their toes. Again, this is just common sense.

Profiling? Our war is against ISLAMIC radicals. They think the KORAN is commanding them to murder us. The guy who tried to bomb the airport in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago was yelling ALLAH! as he fought with the police. We're supposed to ignore that?

Democrats killed the amendment in a very sneaky, technical, under-the-radar way in the House — so they can tell their insane fringe backers they pulled it off, yet no one's fingerprints are on it. As far as I'm concerned, that just means we should blame "THE DEMOCRATS." Period. If they don't want personal accountability, we should see it this way: When it comes to national security, this is who they are.

H/T: CDR Salamander.

See also here.

Piracy: Another ship taken off Somlia?

Another ship taken off Somlia?

Maybe. As reported here:

A St. Vincent and Grenadines- flagged cargo ship has been missing for three weeks but rescue efforts are underway to locate the vessel, a Kenyan maritime official said on Thursday.

Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Program, said the MV Reef Azania vanished 20 days ago after leaving Dubai carrying tons of general cargo for delivery in Seychelles and Zanzibar.

Mwangura said the ship owners have not located the vessel which had 12 crew members -- eight Tanzanians and four Indians -- onboard.

"The MV Reef Azania left Dubai 20 days ago and was to deliver cargo to Seychelles and then to Zanzibar but no one knows where the sailors are," he told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

"We don't know where the vessel went missing but intense efforts were underway to establish the fate of the missing ship."

If it is confirmed that the MV Reef Azania was seized by Somali pirates, it would bring to five the number of foreign vessels held off the Horn of Africa nation in some of the most dangerous waters in the world.

Green line on the map is a possible route which would have taken the vessel into Somali pirate waters. Click on map to make it a little larger.

More on terrorist plans to blow up ship in Spain

More word on a foiled bomb plot against ships in Spanish waters at ETA was planning to blow up a ship in an Andalucian Port:

t's been revealed that industrial magnets were found in the car abandoned by ETA terrorists close to the Portuguese border last month

It’s now known that the Basque terrorist group ETA was planning to explode a boat in a port in Andalucía.

The car which was abandoned by the terrorists near the Portuguese border last month contained industrial magnets which are used to attach items to boats.

The Spanish security services also believe that their actions over the past six weeks have stopped the gang from placing two car bombs, in Santander and Navarra.

ETA is a leftist Basque separatist group:

ETA is a leftist group that uses terrorism in hopes of forming an independent Basque state in parts of northern Spain and southwest France. ETA stands for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, which means “Basque Fatherland and Liberty” in the Basque language. The State Department lists ETA as a foreign terrorist organization, and the United States and the European Union have frozen ETA assets since the September 11 attacks. Spain has long fought ETA and opposes an independent Basque homeland, though its 1978 constitution designated an autonomous Basque region with responsibility for education, health care, policing and taxation.

Original post on this "ferry plot" here.

Another Hero Down: General Wayne A. Downing

Taps for General Wayne A. Downing :

General Wayne A. Downing, a member of the Class of 1962, has brought extraordinary credit to the United States Military Academy through his lifetime of uniquely distinguished service to the Nation. As a combat leader, educator, global strategist, and national security expert, Wayne Downing´s critical contributions to national defense and security have immeasurably raised the prominence of West Point as an institution vital to the American way of life.

Wayne Downing served the Nation in critical roles during three decades of our Nation´s wars. Upon commissioning into the Infantry, he embarked on a thirty-four-year military career, rising to the rank of four-star general and the position of commander of all United States Special Operations forces. His reputation was that of a smart, decisive, forceful, and caring leader, known in particular for his unwavering determination to accomplish any mission assigned and provide his soldiers the best possible support. Since retiring from the Army in 1996, General Downing has repeatedly answered the call of public service. He is one of our Nation’s foremost advisors and experts on fighting the war on global terrorism. General Downing´s career has epitomized the phrase "lifetime of service to the Nation" and exemplified ideals inherent in Duty, Honor, Country.

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the hills, from the lake,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

History mystery: Submarine downs airship

Small item found here:

1943 - German submarine shoots down K-47, the only U.S. airship lost during WW II.

Actually, the Navy historians have it wrong - it was the K-74 that was shot down. There's more to the tale, as set out here:

People who served in LTA rightfully boast of their aircraft's dependability. Airships assigned to fleet units were 87 percent available "on line" at all times. 35,6000 operational flights were made in the Atlantic and 20,300 in the Pacific, for a total of 5550,000 hours in the air escorting 89,000 ships loads with troops, equipment and supplies. Additional hours were flown by utility squadrons using K-ships and G-ships providing photographic calibration and torpedo recovery services.

LTA records reflect only one airship lost through enemy action. This loss was the night of 18 July 1943 when K-74 was advised that no enemy sub was in her assigned patrol area. However, K-74 detected a sub by radar and engaged it on the surface in the Caribbean. A gun duel briefly silenced the German fire, but the airship's bombs failed to release while over the U-boat, where upon she was brought down by the submarine's gunfire. K-74 floated for hours and all the crew but one were picked up the next day.

The one crewman who didn't return was Isadore Stessel, who has a web page devoted to his memory here:

Isadore Stessel, bombardier on a Navy Blimp K-74, died at sea near the Florida Keys on 1943 - his life the only one lost in a fight with a German submarine that shot the airship down.

54 years later, Isadore Stessel's cousin received the medals Isadore earned:

* Purple Heart for dying in action while engaging hostile enemy
* Navy Commendation
* American Campaign
* WW - II Victory Medal for the long-unknown defeat of the enemy.

The medals were presented at a ceremony as part of Armed Forces Day & National Heritage Preservation Day at the site of the former Richmond Naval Air Station in South Dade County. It was the base for blimps that patrolled the Florida coast during WW-II, looking for enemy submarines and escorting merchant ship convoys.

The purple heart was apparently mailed to Isadore's parents in 1944 but was never delivered. All the information the Stessel's received was a telegram reporting his death, plus the particularly terrible detail that he had survived the downing of the blimp only to be killed by a shark. His remains were not recovered. He was 28 years old, the son of Sam & Rose Stessel.

There were 11 men aboard the blimp, a 250 foot K-74 escorting a convoy of merchant ships past the Keys. Near midnight on July 18, they detected a submarine on the surface, following a tanker ship and a freighter. Not sure if the sub was friend or foe., they decided to fly in low over it. If it fired at them, they would know. A deck gunner on the sub opened fire. The blimp's machine gunner fired back. Stessel, a petty officer second class turned loose two depth charges, ashcan like bombs designed to shatter submerged submarines. The enemy sub escaped only to be sunk a few days later by the British. The K-74 damaged the sub's ballast tanks badly enough that the sub could not submerge, there were no survivors from the sub. The tanker and the freighter were unscathed. The blimp deflated and fell onto the ocean. All the crew but Stessel were rescued.

Painting of the action from that site.


Some more on the "K-ships" here with some interesting photos. Wikipedia entry here. More here at the Naval Airship Association, from which the "escort" photo was liberated.

Offer up a salute to the memory of Petty Officer Stessel!

Stategy Page on "Modern Piracy"

Found at Strategy Page as Sea Transportation: Taking The Measure of Modern Piracy:

Note that what constitutes an act of piracy is not clearly defined. It essentially comes down to non-state sanctioned use of force at sea or from the sea. This could include intercepting a speedboat to rob the passengers, but that's usually just thought of as armed robbery.
***
Pirates usually function of the margins of society, trying to get a cut of the good life in situations where there aren't many options. This is usually in areas where state control is weakest or absent, in failing and "flailed" states (a flailing state is something like Nigeria, Indonesia, or the Philippines, where the government is managing to keep things together but is faced with serious problems and areas out of its control, unlike a failed state such as Somalia, where there isn't a government at all.)
***
In contrast to the Straits of Malacca situation, the U.S. approach to piracy has been largely a police mission, without trying to deal with the land-side. Again, that would mean occupying Somalia. But there are some regional constraints on piracy. There seems to be little or no piracy in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Apparently this was because the smugglers decided the pirates interfered with their business (by bringing in coalition naval forces), and so shut down any pirate operations themselves. The Somali pirates may be in for another surprise, as there's talk by the UN humanitarian assistance folks (who have been losing relief ships to pirates) of seeking international agreement on permitting anti-piracy patrols to "violate" Somali territorial waters!

Usually, it just requires that some state with a vested interest in putting a stop to piracy, and the power to act on its vested interests, decides that it's had enough and takes vigorous action.

Keeping an eye on China: India sets up a radar outpost in Madagascar

Reported as India activates first listening post on foreign soil: radars in Madagascar:

India has activated its first listening post on foreign soil that will keep an eye on ship movements in the Indian Ocean. A key monitoring station in northern Madagascar, complete with radars and surveillance gear to intercept maritime communication, was quietly made operational earlier this month as part of Indian Navy’s strategy to protect the country’s sea lanes of commerce.
***
While the station will also monitor piracy and terrorist activities, its primary aim is to counter the growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean Region. The station is India’s first in southern Indian Ocean that is gaining importance due to increasing oil traffic across the Cape of Good Hope and the Mozambique Channel route preferred by super tankers.

Map is from the article.

ICC CCS Weekly Piracy Report (to 17 Jul 07)

ICC Commercial Crime Services Weekly Piracy Report (to 17 Jul 07) found here.
Highlights:

12.07.2007: 1555 UTC: Chittagong anchorage ‘B’, Bangladesh.
Six robbers, armed with knives, boarded an anchored container ship. D/O raised the alarm, all crew mustered and chased the robbers. Robbers stole ship’s stores and escaped.

11.07.2007: 0500 LT: Belawan anchorage, Indonesia.
Duty crew, on an anchored chemical tanker, spotted a robber on the forecastle deck. The OOW was informed and the alarm raised. The robber jumped overboard and escaped in an unlit boat. Later ships stores were found missing.

10.07.2007: 0245 UTC: Posn 12:59N – 049:17E 90 nm North of Somali northern coast, Gulf of Aden.
A tug, underway, observed a dhow type-fishing vessel on her port side proceeding on a reciprocal course. The fishing vessel altered and started coming closer to the
tug. As the tug altered course, the fishing vessel altered her course and increased speed as well. Once the tug increased speed, the fishing vessel aborted the attempt.

You know, just stay away from Somalia.

Somali pirates? Panama-flagged freighter "disappears"

Reported here:

A Panama-flagged cargo vessel has gone missing in Somalia's pirate-infested waters, a Kenyan maritime official said on Tuesday.

The MV Infinity Marine 1 disappeared some 37 nautical miles off the northeastern village of Ras Hafun in late June, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

"The last time the ship made contact was on June 26. So far, we do not have any information about the crew," he told AFP.

The vessel, sailing from the United Arab Emirates, was carrying general cargo including food stuffs, iron sheet, generators, batteries, white wood and light vehicles.

Anniversary of the Port Chicago explosion

History of the massive 1944 explosion near San Francisco, the "largest homeland disaster in World War II," here:

On the evening of 17 July 1944, the empty merchant ship SS Quinault Victory was prepared for loading on her maiden voyage. The SS E.A. Bryan, another merchant ship, had just returned from her first voyage and was loading across the platform from Quinault Victory. The holds were packed with high explosive and incendiary bombs, depth charges, and ammunition - 4,606 tons of ammunition in all. There were sixteen rail cars on the pier with another 429 tons. Working in the area were 320 cargo handlers, crewmen and sailors.

At 10:18 p.m., a hollow ring and the sound of splintering wood erupted from the pier, followed by an explosion that ripped apart the night sky. Witnesses said that a brilliant white flash shot into the air, accompanied by a loud, sharp report. A column of smoke billowed from the pier, and fire glowed orange and yellow. Flashing like fireworks, smaller explosions went off in the cloud as it rose. Within six seconds, a deeper explosion erupted as the contents of the E.A. Bryan detonated in one massive explosion. The seismic shock wave was felt as far away as Boulder City, Nevada. The E.A. Bryan and the structures around the pier were completely disintegrated. A pillar of fire and smoke stretched over two miles into the sky above Port Chicago. The largest remaining pieces of the 7,200-ton ship were the size of a suitcase. A plane flying at 9,000 feet reported seeing chunks of white hot metal "as big as a house" flying past. The shattered Quinault Victory was spun into the air. Witnesses reported seeing a 200-foot column on which rode the bow of the ship, its mast still attached. Its remains crashed back into the bay 500 feet away.

All 320 men on duty that night were killed instantly. The blast smashed buildings and rail cars near the pier and damaged every building in Port Chicago. People on the base and in town were sent flying or were sprayed with splinters of glass and other debris. The air filled with the sharp cracks and dull thuds of smouldering metal and unexploded shells as they showered back to earth as far as two miles away. The blast caused damage 48 miles across the Bay in San Francisco.

National Memorial info here. More here from a Merchant Marine view, including the names of the mariners who died as well as info on the U.S. Navy Armed Guard members who died. According to this,

Of the deaths from the explosion, 202 were African Americans, and the accident accounted for 15 percent of all African American casualties in World War II.

UPDATE: Identified dead here, unidentified dead and missing here.

About the "mutiny" and "court martial" that followed here and here.

And, perhaps, some good that came out of the damage:

Port Chicago would also lead people to examine their society. There was growing resentment toward the policies of racial segregation throughout the nation. The Navy opened its ranks to African-Americans in 1942, but men served in segregated units supervised by white officers, and opportunities for advancement were extremely limited. The men assigned to the ordnance battalion were African American.
***
The explosion and later mutiny proceedings would help illustrate the costs of racial discrimination and fuel public criticism. By 1945, as the Navy worked toward desegregation, some mixed units appeared. When President Harry Truman called for the Armed Forces to be desegregated in 1948, the Navy could honestly say that Port Chicago had been a very important step in that process.

Honor the fallen.

Explosives to be used on Napoli

The grounded and cracked container ship Napoli will be cut apart by explosives. allowing for a more expeditious removal...

UPDATE: Second round of explosives here.

Nice to see the recognition

Nice article recgonizing the Captain of the Port for Savannah, GA. U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Dave Murk.

Latest ONI Worldwide Threats to Shipping Report (to 11 July 2007)

Latest ONI Worldwide Threats to Shipping Report (to 11 July 2007) here. Highlights:

1. NIGERIA: Oil production barge attacked, hostages kidnapped 08 Jul in Calabar River, Niger Delta. Gunmen in speedboats kidnapped two senior Nigerian employees of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, a Briton and a Bulgarian. It is unclear on which group is behind the attack (LM).
***
1. GULF OF ADEN: Tug reported suspicious approach 10 Jul at 0245 UTC while
underway in position 12:59N-049:17E, 67NM south of Yemen. The tug observed a dhow type-fishing vessel on her port side proceeding on a reciprocal course. The fishing vessel altered and started coming closer to the tug. As the tug altered its course, the fishing vessel altered its course and increased its speed as well. Once the tug increased its speed, the fishing vessel aborted the attempt (IMB).
***
3. SOMALIA: Container ship reported suspicious approach 8 Jul at 1842 local time while underway in position 00:19:0N-050:45:0E, 351NM east of Kisamayo. OOW on the container ship spotted a small craft at distance of 13NM on the starboard bow. The craft increased its speed and headed directly for the vessel. The master was notified and the ship carried out
evasive maneuvers. The craft adjusted its course and speed to close onto the ship. The master ordered all lights to be switched off and increased its speed. The distance between the craft and the ship slowly decreased, however, the craft later moved away (IMB).
***
13. BANGLADESH: Container ship boarded, robbed 05 Jul at 2215 local time in position
22:11.00N–091:43.50E, Chittagong anchorage ‘B’. Several low wooden boats were roaming near the vessel when one boat, near the port bow, stopped the engine and drifted towards the ship pretending that the engine had broken down. All of the crew concentrated their attention on this boat. Meanwhile, another boat approached the ship unnoticed from the starboard quarter. The robbers boarded the ship using grappling hooks and stole from the ship’s stores. Later, the
robbers tried to board again but alert crew raised the alarm and directed the search light towards the boats. The boats moved away and the port control informed (IMB).
***
2. INDONESIA: Chemical tanker boarded, robbed 11 July at 0500 local time in position 03:55N-098:44E, Belawan Anchorage. Duty crew spotted a robber on the forecastle deck. The OOW was informed and the alarm was raised. The robber jumped overboard and escaped in an
unlit boat. Later, the ship’s stores were found missing (IMB).
***

I love a good conspiracy theory and here's a good one

Karsten von Hoess raises some interesting questions in his July 16 post here concerning a "missing" North Korean-flagged freighter off Somalia and arms dealing... go read and think conspiracy.

Top photo is of a North Korean freighter searched in Hong Kong on suspicion of weapons carrying.
Lower photo relates to a drug smuggling North Korean freighter dispatched by the Royal Australian Air Force, as set out here.

Monday reading: A famous Navy name

Chaotic Synaptic Activity pursues some Monday history with Monday Maritime Matters about a founding father of the U.S.Navy.