Interests
Football (The North American Variety)
Canadian Football (CFL)
Favourite Team: Toronto Argonauts
National Football League (NFL)
Favourite Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Ships:
Here are some links to some great ships and museums, some of which I have actually visited!
Been there, done that:
One of the most famous ships of all time is the HMS Victory. It was my great pleasure to actually visit this historic and beautiful ship in 1999 at Portsmouth, England. Along with the HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose, the “Portsmouth Historic Dockyard” is well worth a visit!
Docked in the Thames River is HMS Belfast, Europe’s only surviving big-gun armoured warship. I never actually went aboard (regrettably), but I went out on the dock and visited the gift shop!
The USS Wisconsin (BB-64 “The Last Battleship”) is berthed at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center located on the downtown waterfront in Norfolk, Virginia.
The HMCS Sackville is “The Last Corvette”, the last one of the little ships that won the Battle of the Atlantic in WWII.
USS ALBACORE (AGSS-569) is in a permanent dry berth in Portsmouth New Hampshire.
HMCS FRASER (DDE-233, later DDH-233): the last remaining member of Canada’s first domestically designed and produced class of warships
USS Cassin Young (DD-793) A Fletcher class destroyer at Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts (berthed across from the USS Constitution)
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario. Features the former icebreaker the “Alexander Henry”. (It’s a B & B as well!)
USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Massachusetts. I have been here twice, once to tour “Old Ironsides” the other to tour the USS Cassin Young (see above).
USS Arizona Memorial: In December 2006, I experienced the trip of a lifetime to the Hawaiian Islands. At the top of my ‘must see’ list was the USS Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor.
USS Missouri (BB 63): While at Pearl Harbor, I took the opportunity to thoroughly tour the Missouri.
USS Bowfin: Also at Pearl Harbor. A great opportunity to tour a Balao-class Sub.
USS New Jersey (BB62): this makes three of the four Iowa class ships I have toured!
USS Olympia: The Olympia (C-6) is the oldest steel warship afloat in the world.
USS Becuna (SS319): a Balao class sub from WWII, moored next the Olympia.
US Brig Niagra: a faithful working replica of Commodore Perry’s ship from 1812.
Naval Links:
“ReadyAyeReady.com” This web site’s mission to promote the history, heritage and potential of the Canadian Navy by publishing photos, information and articles that tell the entire story of the RCN since 1910.
Reading
I love books. Here are some of my favourite places to get them:
BetterWorldBooks.com: Better World Books is a for-profit social enterprise that collects used books and sells them online to raise money for literacy initiatives worldwide. Search for books here first!
ten pound island book company: old, rare and out of print books, manuscripts and charts pertaining to the sea
abebooks.com: millions of new & used books from over 13,000 sellers
Willis Monie Books: used book seller in Cooperstown, NY. I have spent hours here searching their stacks (and loving every minute of it)!
