TCG Goksu photographed in Liverpool on 25 April 2015. She was visiting the city after a NATO exercise and was moored behind the USS Vicksburg.

Previously she was the Oliver Hazard Perry Guided Missile Frigate USS Estocin (FFG 15) but was disposed through the Security Assistance Programme to the Turkish navy in April 2003.

She was ordered in February 1976 and built by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Launched on 3 November 1979 she was commissioned into the fleet on 10 January 1981.

Overall she is 136m long with a 14m beam and 6.8m draught. Propulsion comprises General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp through a single shaft and variable pitch propeller giving a top speed in excess of 29 knots. She also has retractable 260kW retractable Azimuth thrusters for manoeuvring and docking.

Complement is 226 including pilots and aircraft maintainers.

Armament includes a OTO Melara Mk 75 76mm/62 calibre naval gun, a single Vulcan phalanx CIWS, 4 No. 50 calibre machine guns and a Mk 13 Mod 4 single arm launcher for Harpoon Anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Ant-Ship anti-Aircraft missiles.

Mk 13 Mod 4 single arm launcher for Harpoon Anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Ant-Ship anti-Aircraft missiles.

OTO Melara Mk 75 76mm/62 calibre naval gun

Vulcan phalanx Close in Weapon System.

Goksu's badge and timber name plate.

Turkish flag at the stern.

Gothic revival style drinking fountain photographed in Sefton Park, Liverpool on 5 March 2016.
 
The fountain is located within the park near the South end of the lake and was designed by Lewis HornBlower and Edouard Andre who were responsible for the design of the park.
 
The fountain has a sandstone base and canopy supported by granite or marble pillars with four iron water basins, under the canopy are entwined dolphins.
 
The controls for the fountain are now blanked off and the feature sadly no longer works.
 
The fountain dates to 1872 when the park was opened by Prince Arthur.
 
Judging from the wear to the sandstone base this has in the past been a popular feature and has been used by countless visitors to the park.

Whitaker Tankers Whitchampion's funnel ( IMO 9252280, GT 2965, 2003) photographed in Southampton on 11 April 2015.

Whitaker Tankers are headquartered in Hull and operate a fleet of inland barges and sea going tankers in UK and European waters. 

They are a family run company who have been in business for over 130 years.

A painting by Parker Greenwood of the Cunard Liner Campania at the review of the fleet at Spithead on 26 June 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. 

GRT = 12,950 

Built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Goven, Scotland she was 189.6m,long with a 19.9m beam and 9m draft. She was laid down in September 1891, launched in September 1892 and undertook her maiden voyage on 22 April 1893.

Installed power was 12 double ended Scotch boilers, two five cylinder triple expansion engines (31,000shp) with propulsion provided by twin triple blade propellers. Service speed was 22 knots and she had a a top speed of 23.5 knots.

She could carry 2000 passengers and 424 crew.

Campania served as one of Cunard's major passenger liners until she was superseded in both speed and size by a succession of four-funnelled German liners. The German competition necessitated the construction of replacements for the Campania and her sister ship which came to fruition in 1907 with the appearance of the RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. With the appearance of a third Cunard giant in 1914 the RMS Aquitania Campania was no longer required and her 250th and last planned voyage for Cunard commenced on 25 April 1914. On her return to Liverpool she was chartered by the Anchor Line to undertake voyages from Glasgow to New York but with the outbreak of the First World War she was called up for war duty but proved too old and managed only three voyages before being sold for scrap. Her last voyage as a passenger liner was on 26 September 1914.

Whilst awaiting demolition the Admiralty stepped in and bought her with a view of converting her to an armed merchant cruiser that could carry seaplanes. The conversion was carried out at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. Her interior was completely gutted, and room made inside to store up to 14 aircraft. She was also equipped with eight 4.7" guns.The conversion was completed in 1915 and two weeks later she joined the fleet at Scapa Flow as HMS Campania her task being to send aeroplanes ahead to scout for the German fleet.

After a short period a 49m flight was added to the front of the ship to enable aircraft to take off directly from the ship without being lowered into the water.
Trials following this conversion indicated that the deck was too short, so it was extended to 67m. The alterations required the removal of the forward part of the superstructure, and the first funnel which was replaced by two narrower funnels on each side. The aft deck was also cleared with the aft mast removed so that she could also serve as an Observation Balloon Ship.

She served in the Royal Navy up until 5 November 1918 which was just six days before the armistice was signed, when she was involved in an accident in the Firth of Forth during high winds. Campania dragged her anchor in a sudden squall and at 03:45 struck the bow of the battleship Royal Oak and then dragged along the side of the battle cruiser HMS Glorious.  She then began to sink stern first. A few hours later an explosion (presumed to be a boiler) sent her to the bottom.

Photographs from the top of Noon Hill near Rivington, Lancashire early evening on 12 March 2016. 

The hill is 380m high and forms part of the West Pennine Moors. 

On top of the hill is a bronze age burial mound which is marked by the stones in the picture. It is one of two similar burial mounds in the area, the other being approximately a mile to the East.

The mound has been dated to 1100BC and has been excavated on two occasions (1958 and 1963/4). It is located on the North edge of the summit and includes a slightly oval mound of earth and stones 1.3m high and measures 21m North-South and 19m East-West.

On the monument's southern edge there are three partially exposed gritstone boulders which form part of the cairn's kerb which once ran around the perimeter of the mound. The excavation of the cairn located the primary burial at the monument's centre. This comprised three cremations interpreted as an adult male, adult female, and a child, located beneath a collapsed enlarged food vessel and inserted into a central stone cist.

Three or four secondary cremations and a number of flint tools including barbed and tanged arrowheads, scrapers and a knife were also found during these excavations.

Round cairns are prehistoric monuments and span the period BC700 to BC2000, they were constructed as stone covered mounds covering single or multiple burials, these burials are commonly found within the mound in stone lined compartments called cists. In some cases they were surrounded by a ditch and like the one at Noon Hill they are often found in prominent locations.

Twin decked river cruiser Tideway photographed on the Thames on 10 March 2016.

I spent two days in London last week on a training course and walked to the river during my lunch break on both days.

She was built in 1973, can carry 85 people and is 19m long.

MMSI = 235056224

Painting by Burmell Poole dated London June, 1919.

Ship depicted is the RMS Mauretania in her dazzle camouflage which she carried in the later stages of the First World War.

During the war she operated as a troop ship and hospital ship.

She was ordered in 1904 and built by Swan Hunter, Tyne & Wear, UK. She was laid down in August 1904, launched September 1906 and her maiden voyage was on 16 November 1907. Retiring from service in 1934 she was scrapped at Rosyth in 1935.

GRT was 31,938 and she was 240.8m long with a 26.8m beam and 10.1m draft.

Propulsion was via Parsons steam turbines and initially triple bladed propellers which were later changed to four bladed versions.

She could carry 2,165 passengers.

Holy Trinity Church in Skipton photographed on 12 November 2015 when I was visiting the town for a meeting.
 
The first church on site was built in the early 12th Century and was probably constructed from wood.

The current church dates from about 1300 and was extended to the East in the late 15th Century. The church was damaged during the siege of Skipton in the English Civil War but was repaired and restored in the 1650's with the financial assistance of Lady Anne Clifford of nearby Skipton Castle who's fathers tomb was in the church.

In the 1853 the tower was struck by lightning. 

In 1909 it was restored by Lancaster Architects Austin & Paley who had the galleries removed, a North Transept and new vestries added and new seating installed.

The church was struck again by lightning in 1925 causing a fire that destroyed the organ and damaged the roof. 

In 1979 the lady Chapel was bult in the South East corner of the church and more recently a prayer corner was built in a corresponding position at the North East corner of the church.

Seatruck Power photographed on 25 April 2015. 
 
She is a Seatruck FSG 746 series Ro-Ro ferry and was built in Germany at the FSG Flensburg Yard as Yard number 747 in 2011.
 
Overall she is 142m long with a 25m beam and 5.7m draft.
 
GT = 18,920 DWT = 5,300 and NT = 5,680.
 
She can carry 151 trailers in 2,166 lane metres.
 
Machinery comprises two marine diesel engines (8,000kW approx each) giving a service speed of 21 Knots.
 
Accommodation on board comprises 2 senior officer cabins, 5 officer single cabins and 14 crew single cabins in addition to 6 double driver cabins and a spare cabin giving a complement of 22 crew and a maximum of 12 drivers.
 
MMSI - 235090183
REG - UK, Dougas
IMO - 9506215
Call Sign -  2FCX7
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
Built - Flensburger, Flensburg, DE
Yard No. - 747
L 142m W 24m
GT 18920
Year - 2011
Liverpool, 25 April 2015

Liverpool Pilot Sloop No.6 'Irlam' in Liverpool Bay, this was painted by Samuel Walters (1811-1882) in 1824.

Irlam was built in Liverpool in 1831 and served as a pilot sloop until 1852 when she was sold.

She was lost near Warren Point, Northern Ireland later in 1852.