A letter from John Cleese to America...

[metalman]

How the mighty have fallen

Active British Navy
(17) frigates
(42) destroyers
( 2) (Invincible class) Light Aircraft Carriers (18 to 23) aircraft & helicopters, Displacement 20,700 tons
( 0) Sea Harriers
(13) Submarines
 


HMS Illustrious (20,600 tons) with the USS John C. Stennis (104,000 tons)

[metalman]

PMC wrote:
@Metalman

Ah, but we're getting new ones shortly and I'm assured they're bigger too.

It raises an interesting point:

USS Winston S Churchill - is the only US Navy warship with a foreign officer onboard on it's permanent crew roster (Royal Navy). It also is unique in the US Navy for having a fully stocked bar, any vessel bearing Churchill's name should expect nothing less, hehe

Assuming they are not cut due to funding problems.

Britannia Flees the Seas

Do they know something?

The MoD plans to build, ( Type 45 Destroyers (£1 billion each), (2) aircraft carriers (£3.5-3.9 billion), (4) Astute class hunter killer submarines (£3 billion) and a fleet of up to 14 auxiliary ships (£3.5 billion).


The  (2) future aircraft carriers are planned at 65,000 tons and 280 meters long (carry 35 planes).


The US has (6) carriers in the reserve fleet and has offered one to Britain or Japan.

In 1963, by an Act of Congress, Winston S Churchill  :cheers:   was proclaimed an "Honorary Citizen of the United States". As First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill would be distressed by the current state of the Royal Navy.

[metalman]

PMC wrote:

Lessons from Afghanistan and UN peacekeeping duties have meant that the RN needs a more capable strike carrier fleet along the lines of the US Navy, however purchasing a USN reserve carrier would require extensive re-engineering and possibly mean high running costs.  

Atually Metalman, I think you'll find that the steam catapaults used on the US carriers was a British invention?  As were the angled flight decks required to land and launch planes simultaneously....

All good military innovations are copied.

The carriers are offered as a gift. The USS KENNEDY is now on its final port call before it is decommissioned.

A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational carrier fleet

Charles de Gaulle (R91) is 40,600 tons, with 40 aircraft

[metalman]

Karlos wrote:
The US, at the present time, is behaving imperialistically. There is no other conclusion supported by the available facts at this time.

"Imperialism" e.g.

"Colonial Imperialism" extending a nation's authority by colonial acquisition and the establishment of economic and political subjection over underdeveloped non-European nations.
 
"Capitalist Imperialism" a Marxist pejorative term defined as the global American economic exploitation of the worlds peoples, e.g. "capitalistic international trade and banking"

"Cultural Imperialism" a pejorative term for the widespread global domination of American culture

"American Imperialism" a pejorative term for American military action.


By Marxist "facts and conclusions" been to some rally's lately?

One man's dictatorship is another man's "true Democracy"

Imperialist Embargo Is Killing Fidel