Tag Archives: ocean

The Now Future: US Navy and Lasers

Not all aspects of The Now Future are benign, warm-fuzzy-inducing pieces of technology. Some of them are harbingers of a ray-gun future — which is now officially here.

LA Times Tech blog: “Navy tests laser gun by zapping motorboat off California coast”

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Navy fired a laser ray gun mounted on a warship, zapping — and setting fire to — an empty motorboat as it bobbed in the Pacific Ocean.

The test demonstration, which took place off the Southern California coast near San Nicholas Island, could mark a new era in Naval weaponry, officials said.

“This is very important to the Navy’s future weapon systems,” said Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of the Office of Naval Research. “By turning energy into a weapon, we become more efficient and more effective.”

Office of Naval Research: “MLD Test Moves Navy a Step Closer to Lasers for Ship Self-Defense”

Marking a milestone for the Navy, the Office of Naval Research and its industry partner on April 6 successfully tested a solid-state, high-energy laser (HEL) from a surface ship, which disabled a small target vessel.

The Navy and Northrop Grumman completed at-sea testing of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD), which validated the potential to provide advanced self-defense for surface ships and personnel by keeping small boat threats at a safe distance

Paleo culture and tools on California's Channel Islands

BBC: “Island tool finds show early settlers’ diversity”

Caches of tools and animal remains from around 12,000 years ago, found on islands off the California coast, have given remarkable insight into the lives of the first Americans.

The finds show fine tool technology and a rich maritime economy existed there.

The tools vary markedly from mainland cultures of the era such as the Clovis.

This article distills a report in Science, “Paleoindian Seafaring, Maritime Technologies, and Coastal Foraging on California’s Channel Islands”. The abstract:

Three archaeological sites on California’s Channel Islands show that Paleoindians relied heavily on marine resources. The Paleocoastal sites, dated between ~12,200 and 11,200 years ago, contain numerous stemmed projectile points and crescents associated with a variety of marine and aquatic faunal remains. At site CA-SRI-512 on Santa Rosa Island, Paleocoastal peoples used such tools to capture geese, cormorants, and other birds, along with marine mammals and finfish. At Cardwell Bluffs on San Miguel Island, Paleocoastal peoples collected local chert cobbles, worked them into bifaces and projectile points, and discarded thousands of marine shells. With bifacial technologies similar to those seen in Western Pluvial Lakes Tradition assemblages of western North America, the sites provide evidence for seafaring and island colonization by Paleoindians with a diversified maritime economy.

USS Eliza Hayward (SP 1414)

The next entry in our series on the number 1414 comes from the historical US Navy ship the USS Eliza Hayward, which had the designation of SP 1414 — “SP” for Section Patrol.

grainy photograph of the USS Eliza Hayward SP-1414 from WWI
WWI photograph from the National Archives

According to the US Naval Historical Center:

Eliza Hayward, a small sailing sloop, was acquired by the Navy in August 1917. She served in the Fifth Naval District in noncommissioned status during the next year and was returned to her owner in September 1918.

The Eliza Hayward was just one of many US ships named after women over the years. Check out “List of U.S. military vessels named after women” on Wikipedia for lots more.

"The sea is everything."

black and white photograph showing the USS Nautilus with New York City in the background

On this date in 1957 — 52 years ago — the USS Nautilus reached 60,000 nautical miles traveled, equaling its namesake from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for endurance. The real-life Nautilus was the very first nuclear-powered submarine.

The ship is now docked in Groton, Connecticut, and is a National Historical Landmark and museum.