First shots fired at sea as allied battle plan unfolds

The Times ^ | March 19, 2003 | David Sharrock and Michael Evans

[MadIvan]

THE first shots of the war have been fired, killing at least one Iraqi during a suspected operation to mine the waters off Kuwait. But that opening skirmish is about to be dwarfed by the most formidable military assault in modern warfare: 250,000 British and American troops — backed by more than 1,000 aircraft, 400 tanks and a 110-strong armada — are poised to unleash their awesome power on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq the moment the order is given.

The first clash occurred in the mouth of the Khawr al-Zubayr river, a few miles south of the port of Umm Qasr, when a Kuwaiti gunboat challenged a flotilla of about 25 Iraqi dhows. The boats failed to respond and the Kuwaitis opened fire. It was unclear whether the dhows had laid any mines.

The Royal Navy has four mine counter-measure vessels in the Gulf which were searching the waterway last night.

Tensions in the waters off Iraq are running high and coalition ships are alert to the threat of mines and terrorist strikes. A British ship escorting Royal Navy and US minesweepers was threatened yesterday while at anchor in the northern Gulf. A cargo vessel, feared to be on an al-Qaeda suicide mission, came within 800 yards of RFA Sir Bedivere during a tense hour-long stand-off. Crew members trained two machineguns on the 500-tonne ship, The stand-off ended only when it was driven away by the heavily armed USS Ardent.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[AlextheWise1]

500 tons is a tiny ship. A medium sized trawler maybe.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Nah, the Kuwaitis deserve to draw first blood in this fight. We did ours in Afghanistan.

Naw, seeing how we already saved their entire country, we should have at least flipped for it....

[Let's Roll]

Way to go, Tony!! Thanks, MadIvan. Can't find a thread on this - nothing on CNN yet. Surprise, surprise.

[timydnuc]

Ivan, I want tell you how proud we all of you, your Prime Minister & House of Commons tonight. I can't tell you, in words, how that vote made me feel. I was whistleing "Rule Brittania" all day long. Except for that little trift we had back in 1776 through 1812 you are the finest friends we've ever had. Although I could never bow to your Queen, I'd love to shake the lady's hand.

When our boys march into Bagdad shoulder to shoulder that should shut the French up.

By the way, after this whole thing is over you have our permission to kick France's a$$ one more time, if you want.

Timy

[Enemy Of The State]

http://www.funforwards.com/flash/september02/saddam.swf

[Paul Ross]

Remember it only took a small fiberglass boat to practically sink the USS Cole! Anyways, if we had a crew of Al-Quaeda, they should be either in the brig... or in Davy Jones Locker...

[templar]

500 tons is a tiny ship.

I've never understood how boats are rated. What does the '500 tons' refer to?

[deport]

I think tonnage refers to load/cargo capacity...

[LonePalm]

I've never understood how boats are rated. What does the '500 tons' refer to?

This is easy. The displacement of a ship is measured in deadweight tons. The portion of the ship below the waterline displaces a volume of water equal to the total weight of the ship and its cargo. In this case 500 tons.

Hope this helps.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[BlueDragon]

There is net tonnage, which is what it will carry.
Gross tonnage = whatever it is actually displacing.
Hauling out a 69 net ton fishing boat, some years ago
(in Ventura, CA), it was calculated that the full "lift"
was more like 130-140 tons, which would be "gross tons".
500 tons is a pretty big "boat", basically a "small" ship.
The 69 tonner I've mentioned, was 66' documented length
(measuring from rudder post to bow shear at water-line), and 75' over-all (panama measurement).

[OKSooner]

Yo, Ivan. Say thanks to your MP for us.

BTW, is the expression "Here, Here!", or is it "Hear, Hear!"?

[Citizen Tom Paine]

With respect to the most formidable assault in modern times

D Day 6 June 1944

12,000 planes

5,000 ships

130.000 troops the first wave

That was some show IMHO

[genew]

Bump To The Top

[mhking]

And so it begins...

[JEC]

Thanks guys, se you in Baghdad.

[teletech]

How soon til we start blowin' up stuff? I salute Tony Blair & the UK! The UK KNOWS what it means to be an ally!

[SevenDaysInMay]

Labour birthed an orphan? All that screaming and nothing to take home.

What else to do with a boat load of seamen? Pick a fight.

[Robert_Paulson2]

how much water they displace when they are floated.... usually... a boat will float the amount of tonnage equal to the weight of the vessel.

when it has displaced its own weight in tonnes of water, it floats at that level in the water...

that is what I was told

[geedee]

Man what I wouldn't give to be able to safely sit above Iraq in a blimp and see the light show when General Franks flips the switch.