[QUOTE=WubWubWompWomp;37385627]Australia is a big country, but there's not many people. Everyone here in Vic knew, or knows, someone who got caught in the fires. I knew a bloke who got killed, not a nice affair.
[editline]24th August 2012[/editline]
Also: it wasn't the fires that killed the most, but the heat wave that preceded them. Houses would catch alight as people were packing up to leave while the flames were still kilometers away, catching the people inside.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I heard about the heatwave. It wasn't so much a warning as something to kill you off before you could suffer the flames.
[IMG]http://www.virginmedia.com/images/fuel-depot-431x300.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/images/gallery/casu01big.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/BuncefieldFire.jpg[/IMG]
The Buncefield fire was a major conflagration caused by a series of explosions on 11 December 2005 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, an oil storage facility located near the M1 motorway by Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. The terminal was the fifth largest oil-products storage depot in the United Kingdom, with a capacity of about 60,000,000 imperial gallons (270 ML) of fuel. The terminal is owned by TOTAL UK Limited (60%) and Texaco (40%).
The first and largest explosion occurred at 06:01 UTC near tank 912, which led to further explosions which eventually overwhelmed 20 large storage tanks. The emergency services announced a major emergency at 06:08 and a fire fighting effort began. The cause of the explosion seems to have been a fuel-air explosion of unusually high strength. The British Geological Survey monitored the event, which measured 2.4 on the Richter scale. News reports described the incident as the biggest of its kind in peacetime Europe and certainly the biggest such explosion in the United Kingdom since the 1974 Flixborough Disaster. The flames had been extinguished by the afternoon of 13 December 2005. However, one storage tank re-ignited that evening, which the fire-fighters left to burn rather than attempt to extinguish it again.
The Health Protection Agency and the Major Incident Investigation Board provided advice to prevent incidents such as these in the future. The primary need is for safety measures to be in place to prevent fuel from exiting the tanks in which it is stored. Added safety measures are needed for when fuel does escape, mainly to prevent it forming a flammable vapour and stop pollutants from poisoning the environment.
-
I live 2 minutes from this, and let me tell you it was extremely fucking loud, I was only awake for a few minutes (hadn't even hopped out of bed) and BOOM!!!! I looked out of my window and I see this massive cloud of black smoke belowing from the industrial estate. Anyway the industrial estate was completely fucked, warehouses were just reduced to flimsy frames, just baron. They only started to rebuild and restore the building in 2009 to now as well.
Also how creepy is that last photo?
[IMG]http://www.virtualuppermantle.info/images/Volcanoes/Eyjafjallajokull/Eyjafjallajokull-Volcano-505.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/267/cache/eyjafjallajokull-volcano-lightning-iceland_26742_990x742.jpg[/IMG]
[thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Eruption_of_Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_Volcano%2C_Iceland_April_17_Detail.jpg[/thumb]
[thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/April_19%2C_2010%2C_Ash_plume_from_Eyjafjallajokull_Volcano_.jpg[/thumb]
Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in 2010. Some epic pictures. I lived pretty close to the eruption, looked damn epic, although the ash rain was probably the most horrible thing I've experienced.
That volcano has the most unpronounceable name in the world.
[QUOTE=Robbi;37392727][IMG]http://www.virtualuppermantle.info/images/Volcanoes/Eyjafjallajokull/Eyjafjallajokull-Volcano-505.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/267/cache/eyjafjallajokull-volcano-lightning-iceland_26742_990x742.jpg[/IMG]
[/QUOTE]
New desktop backgrounds, right there.
[img]http://commentisfreewatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/munichap2504_468x3351.jpg[/img]
The most iconic image of the Munich Massacre in 1972
-snip, shit
[QUOTE=WeekendWarrior;37316411]Weren't the Allies actually on Japan's doorstep by the time the bombs were dropped? The battle of Okinawa finished around halfway through June '45 IIRC.[/QUOTE]
What nobody ever seems to understand is that despite us having backed Japan down to their own islands the fight could have easily extended another year.
Millions of civilians and soldiers would have died, not to mention the risk of losing the morale of the war weary people at home. The detonations really were the best course of action to take as it saved multiple millions of lives.
The Japanese would have fought to the last man, women and child in they Allies had invaded. While I think the choice of targets was poor, it ultimately saved more lives than it took. Both Allied and Japanese lives
[QUOTE=Papoose;37391375]I live 2 minutes from this, and let me tell you it was extremely fucking loud, I was only awake for a few minutes (hadn't even hopped out of bed) and BOOM!!!! I looked out of my window and I see this massive cloud of black smoke belowing from the industrial estate.[/QUOTE]
This makes me wonder, is it possible for an explosion to be loud and powerful enough to be literally heard around the world?
[QUOTE=Mr. Face;37423806]What nobody ever seems to understand is that despite us having backed Japan down to their own islands the fight could have easily extended another year.
Millions of civilians and soldiers would have died, not to mention the risk of losing the morale of the war weary people at home. The detonations really were the best course of action to take as it saved multiple millions of lives.[/QUOTE]
They could have extended it, but the US wouldn't have allowed that. The US was going to use a "Sea of Glass" tactic on Japan if they refused to sign a treaty, they'd of glassed over the entire nation, then sent in infantry to wipe out what was left. Just imagine the entire nation of japan gone, then thousands of US infantry coming home with radiation poisoning. We're lucky they surrendered when they did.
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;37424387]They could have extended it, but the US wouldn't have allowed that. The US was going to use a "Sea of Glass" tactic on Japan if they refused to sign a treaty, they'd of glassed over the entire nation, then sent in infantry to wipe out what was left. Just imagine the entire nation of japan gone, then thousands of US infantry coming home with radiation poisoning. We're lucky they surrendered when they did.[/QUOTE]
Care to cite that, because it sounds like you're talking shit to me
The portal to hell is opened with the incantation of good intentions.
[QUOTE=l l;37424201]This makes me wonder, is it possible for an explosion to be loud and powerful enough to be literally heard around the world?[/QUOTE]
After reading this i was reminded of Krakatoa and went to research it some more.
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_of_Krakatoa[/url]
[QUOTE]The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from its point of origin.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]On 27 August four enormous explosions took place at 05:30, 06:44, 10:02, and 10:41 local time. The explosions were so violent that they were heard 3,500 km (2,200 mi) away in Perth, Western Australia and the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away, where they were thought to be cannonfire from a nearby ship. The energy released from the explosion was equal to about 200 megatons of TNT, roughly 4 times more powerful than the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear weapon ever detonated by man.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The pressure wave generated by the colossal final explosion radiated from Krakatoa at 1,086 km/h (675 mph). It was so powerful that it ruptured the eardrums of sailors on ships in the Sunda Strait. The pressure wave radiated across the globe and was recorded on barographs all over the world, which continued to register it up to 5 days after the explosion. Barograph recordings show that the shockwave from the final explosion reverberated around the globe 7 times in total.[/QUOTE]
The pressure was felt around the world, but not the sound of it. If a fuckhuge supervolcano decides to erupt violently or we manage to create bombs 50 times bigger than we already have then i assume it would be heard around the world.
[QUOTE=download;37424674]Care to cite that, because it sounds like you're talking shit to me[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Plans_for_more_atomic_attacks_on_Japan[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall[/url]
I don't know what you mean by "talking shit".
Since this seems to be more of a "Historical photo Thread" now, I'll post a few pictures my grandfather took while he was in the rangers in the pacific during WWII.
My grandfather on the right, posing for a photo with a Philippines soldier.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/PzrzV.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/hcuVD.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/HQDUA.jpg[/img]
His squad, hanging out on a beach.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6Kl9S.jpg[/img]
squadmate, posing for a photo.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/QtkF2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ezeX0.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ClCJA.jpg[/img]
Civilians after the Philippines was liberated.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/KMCmt.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/PyVPn.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/MWKkb.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/sIHE3.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/u30Ub.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/F5Sl0.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6dWfR.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/IhdgI.jpg[/img]
On a truck to Wakayama, Japan.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/QMZBV.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/EPQ6F.jpg[/img]
My Grandfather
[img]http://i.imgur.com/CRhj1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/sI7cJ.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/FL5Qy.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/OyD1t.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/bwFE4.jpg[/img]
Buildings in Kyoto
[img]http://i.imgur.com/yQDMo.jpg[/img]
Souvenir shop in Kyoto
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6kybi.jpg[/img]
Theater in Kyoto
[img]http://i.imgur.com/TlHX0.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ijPdo.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/6R8jH.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/rEbHE.jpg[/img]
Pasig River, Manila.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/IIaWZ.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/RmB95.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/OFTR7.jpg[/img]
School Children in Wakayama.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ozC3h.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/zYLz3.jpg[/img]
My grandfather was one of the soldiers that liberated the university of Santo Tomas. A prison camp for civilians and doctors.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/JWaeo.jpg[/img]
Small graveyard in Santo Tomas
[img]http://i.imgur.com/Jj8wE.jpg[/img]
Truck to Wakayama
[img]http://i.imgur.com/TxuCj.jpg[/img]
Sorry for the page dump
Don't apologize, those are fucking fantastic!
please more of those!
EDIT:
was your grand pa an voulunteer or was he forced?
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;37428450][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Plans_for_more_atomic_attacks_on_Japan[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall[/url]
I don't know what you mean by "talking shit".[/QUOTE]
[quote]Japan's geography made this invasion plan quite obvious to the Japanese as well; they were able to predict the Allied invasion plans accurately and thus adjust their defensive plan, Operation Ketsugō, accordingly. The Japanese planned an all-out defense of Kyūshū, with little left in reserve for any subsequent defense operations. Casualty predictions varied widely but were extremely high for both sides: depending on the degree to which Japanese civilians resisted the invasion, estimates ran into the millions for Allied casualties and several times that number for total Japanese casualties.[/quote]
ouch
[QUOTE=iRager;37430107]please more of those!
EDIT:
was your grand pa an voulunteer or was he forced?[/QUOTE]
Thats all I got for right now, I can see if my grandmother has anymore old photo albums. I think he was drafted into the military, he was 26 with a child on the way when he left. He was considered an old man when he first got into the military, compared to all the 18 year olds being drafted.
[b]EDIT:[/B]
Yep, he was drafted.
[QUOTE=Soldier32;37430216]ouch[/QUOTE]
So essentially the Japanese population fighting down to the last bomb-jacketed child, essentially.
Wow, that's pretty grim when you put it into perspective.
[IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/2z5ovm1.jpg[/IMG]
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Off-topic/shitposting" - Autumn))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;37428450][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki#Plans_for_more_atomic_attacks_on_Japan[/url]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall[/url]
I don't know what you mean by "talking shit".[/QUOTE]
Seem what you just cited proves the exact opposite of what you were saying
[QUOTE=download;37434917]Seem what you just cited proves the exact opposite of what you were saying[/QUOTE]
huh? I cited how the US was planning to drop more Nukes on Japan, and the canceled invasion plans of Japan. I think one of us is misreading the others posts.
[IMG]http://www.truco.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gabe-newell-451x300.jpg[/IMG]
First image of GabeN with a beard.
Apologies if this has already been posted here somewhere, but this is the last photo ever taken with Kodachrome, probably the most loved well-known camera film ever. The last roll was given to Steve McCurry, best known for his National Geographic photo of "The Afghan Girl".
[img]http://img0.pconline.com.cn/pconline/1201/20/2657632_31_thumb.jpg[/img]
Vanity Fair has a brief article and slideshow showing more from the last roll.
[url]http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/02/last-kodachrome-slide-show-201102#slide=1[/url]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/CastelloPlanOriginal.jpg[/t]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_Plan]The original plan for New York City, 1660[/url]
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