The Frigate ORP General T. Kosciuszko (273) visited Liverpool as part of the Battle of the Atlantic celebrations held between 25 and 27 May 2013. 

I was fortunate to get on board her during her visit, starting at the rear of the ship on the helicopter deck after crossing from the HMCS Iroquois we entered the vessel through the door between the hanger doors and followed a central corridor before turning left and coming out on the port side of the ship. The corridor was guarded by Polish sailors at regular intervals to avoid I presume anyone straying into other parts of the vessel, these guys were enormous - no one was going anywhere apart from along the corridor and then outside! After spending some time at the front of the ship we crossed back to the Iroquois,

The General T. Kosciuszko is the former USS Wandsworth (FFG-9) which was commissioned into the US Navy on 4 April 1980. In 2002 the Frigate was transferred to Poland and renamed General Tadeusz Kosciuszko. She is one of two Oliver Hazzard Perrry Class Guided Missile Frigate in the Polish Navy.

The Oliver Hazzard Perrry Class Guided Missile Frigate was designed to fill the classic Frigate role, she is a combatant designed for air, surface and sub-surface warfare and as she can replenish at sea she can conduct missions and maintain a presence around the world.

She is 135.6m long with a 14m beam and 7.5m draft. The full load displacement is 3638 tons and she has a complement of 220.

Maximum speed is 29 knots although normal cruising speed is 20 knots giving an operational range of 4500nm at this speed.

Kosciuszko is powered by two General Electric Lm2500 gas turbine engines generating 41000hp, propulsion is via a single shaft with a 5m diameter variable pitch propeller.

Main armament includes 

• SSM  Harpoon 
• SAM SM-1MR
• Mk13 Mod 4 launcher for both SAM and SSM missiles
• 76mm OTO Melara mk 75 gun.
• 20mm  6 bareled Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx CIWS
• 4  x 12.7mm machine guns
• Eurotorp MU-90 torpedoes
• Mk 32 - two triple 324mm tube torpedo launchers
  

View of the bridge and Mk13 Mod 4 launcher for both SAM and SSM missiles. 

The Mk-13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a single-arm missile system and on this vessel is equipped to fire the SSM RGM-84 Harpoon and SAM SM1-MR for anti-ship and anti-air defence. It is capable of firing at a rate of up to one missile every eight seconds. Its 40-round magazine consists of two concentric rings of vertically-stored missiles, 24 in the outer ring and 16 in the inner. In case of a fire, the system is equipped with a fire supression system.

The RGM-84 Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile homing to 95km at Mach 0.95. It was originally developed for the US Navy to serve as its basic anti-ship missile for fleet-wide use and was developed by Boeing and initially deployed in 1977. 

The SM-1MR, is a medium range surface-to-air missile system (SAM) homing to 38km at Mach 2. This US missile program was started in 1963 with the SM-1MR being initially deployed in 1967 replacing older system that had been in place on a variety of US Warships since the 1950's.

The 20mm 6 barrelled Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx CIWS located aft over the helicopter hangers can deliver 3000 rounds / minute up to a range of approximately 1500m.

View of the rear helicopter deck.

Closed hangar door with painted ships emblem.

Polish flag on the prow.

Mark 32 triple 324mm tube torpedo launcher on the port side.

The General T. Kosciuszko is equipped with Eurotorp MU-90 torpedoes. 

The MU90 is an advanced lightweight torpedo with a standard NATO calibre of 323.7mm. It has a weight of 304 Kg is 2850mm long and designed to counter any type of nuclear or conventional submarine. Of extremely long endurance, the weapon can operate in water depths in excess of 1000m or as shallow as 25m.

The torpedo homing system, matched with the high-energy propulsion system, enables target engagement ranges up to 11,000m at 50 knots or 23,000m at 29 knots.

12.7mm machine gun mounting on the Port side

View into one of the hangers with stowed Kaman H-2G Super Seasprite helicopter.

I took the photograph on 28 May 2013 as she was preparing to leave Liverpool. It was a grey, rainy, windswept day and the colour of the ship merged well into the landscape behind. Even so from where I was working quite a number of people turned out to see her and other ships depart in line from the Mersey. The rest of the pictures were taken on 25 May 2013 which by contrast was a clear, bright, warm day.

I have for the last two days spent most of my time in Liverpool, although I saw a lot of ships there were only two new ones to add to my list.
 
These were both General Cargo Ships, the first was Oslo Trader (IMO 9509700, GT 22863, 2011) and the second was Atlantica Hav (IMO 8215730, GT1514, 1989) which is quite an old ship by current standards.

Today just after midday at high tide was particularly good and I could have taken a lot of photographs of ships both entering an leaving the Mersey if time had permitted.

On Thursday I am on a business trip to Paris. Leaving home very early I need to be at Manchester airport by 0400 to ensure I can get into the centre of Paris by 10am local time. This time I have decided to fly rather than take the Eurostar as it means I can be there and back same day.

Liverpool Pilot Vessel Dunlin (MMSI 235031236) seen in Liverpool on a cold morning in February.

In March 2011 the lifeboat at New Brighton was called out to assist this vessel which was six miles out from the mouth of the Mersey in the early hours of the morning. 

The stricken vessel had lost all power in its engines after a fire onboard had been extinguished by the crew. The boat was towed into Liverpool by its sister ship Petrel under escort from the lifeboat, none of the crew members were injured.

Picture taken in Liverpool, 8 February 2013

Photograph of HMS Example (P165) taken in the Albert Dock, Liverpool 24 May 2013.

She was originally built for the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service as the lead ship of the 'Example Batch' which was identical to the Archer Class being built simultaneously for the Royal Navy. Example and her sister ships were transferred to the Royal Navy when the Royal Navy Auxiliary Service disbanded in 1994. 

She was built by Watercraft, Shoreham By Sea and launched in 1985. 

Displacement is 49t with a length of 20.8m, 5.8m beam and 1.8m draft. 
  
Propulsion is via Rolls Royce Perkins CV12 Turbo diesels generating 1,200 bhp (895 kW), this gives her a top speed of 18 knots and range of 550 nautical miles at 15 knots.

Armament can consist of 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns and / or a 20mm cannon.

An early morning photograph of Ramsbottom where I was working yesterday, this is an unusual place for me to work but the company I was meeting had a small office here.

The town is characterised by its position on the South side of the West Pennine Moors. The ground rises sharply on either side of the town with Holcombe Moor, Harcles Hill and Bull Hill to the West and Top O' Th' Hoof, Harden Moor, Scout Moor and Whittle Hill to the East.

The name of the town probably means "ram's valley" from the Old English ramm, a ram and botm, a valley. A record from 1324 records the name as 
Ramesbothum and the town was noted as being Ramysbothom in 1540.

Evidence of prehistoric human activity has been discovered on the hills
surrounding the town in the form of Bronze Age burial sites.
 
Originally the present site of the town was a wooded river valley but from Anglo-Saxons times the trees were progressively felled until in the Middle Ages Ramsbottom was an area of scattered woods, farmsteads, moorland and marshes with small communites of families presumably living off the land.

Due to its location during the Industrial revolution Ramsbottom developed into an important manufacturing and mill town resulting in many of the buildings that can be seen there today.

Ex-Canadian Coastguard vessel CCGS Simon Fraser (IMO 5328732) seen in Livorno, Italy on 8 June 2012.

Built as a Buoy Tender in 1960 by Burrard DDN, Vancouver BC as Yard No 306 the Simon Fraser has a length of 62.28m, 12.8m beam and 4.27m draft.

The Fraser is powered by two Diesel Electric 2-cylinder Alco diesel engines via two propellers giving a speed of 13.8 knots and range of 5000nm at this speed or 5800nm at 10 knots, her original complement was 24.

She was sold by the Canadian Authorities via Crown Assets Disposal for $251,000 and when photographed was in the process of being turned into a luxury yacht by Exploration Commercial Charter Yachts of Livorno. The Fraser underwent general maintenance and was confirmed as being seaworthy at the Woodside dock in Dartmouth, N.S. before leaving for Livorno via Bermuda.

The ice-class vessels multimillion-dollar refurbishment will see extensive changes to her superstructure and interiors.The vessel will be used for charters and being an ice-class ship could be used for expeditions to the Arctic or Antarctic.

Another fine sunny day in Liverpool yesterday with temperatures reaching 23 Degrees C.

On my way into the city for one of my regular meetings I saw three new ships to add to the list. First was the Bulk Carrier Tiare (IMO 9391971, GT 44213, 2009) which was berthed opposite the main container terminal at Seaforth.

The other two I sw at the same time on the river. Chemcal / Oil Products Tanker Nena K (IMO 9479668, GT 4218, 2009) was heading upstream to Stanlow whilst heading out to sea to the wind turbine farm was tug Union Fighter (IMO 9537525, GT 810, 2010) which assisted by tug Svitzer Stanlow was pulling a barge containing wind turbine shafts.

As noted elsewhere in this blog I enjoy going to the Isle of Wight and have been there numerous times in recent years sailing from Southampton to Cowes down the Solent on one of the three Red Funnel ferries.

The prices however seem to have been steadily going up over the last three years and as a result of this we have decided to do something different and go to Northern France. 

We have therefore booked a week in Picardy in August sailing from Dover to Calais and then driving to our camp site which is located not far from the channel coast about an hours drive from the port.

I have not been on a cross channel ferry before, apart from flying over the channel the last time I crossed was through the tunnel and before that about 20 years ago I went across on the hovercraft.

Quite looking forward to it - Hope the sea is calm!

Roman numerals cut into the old dock walls measuring the water depth in feet.

The picture was taken in Liverpool between Canning Dock (built 1737) and Canning Half-Tide Dock (built 1753).

This section of Liverpool's docks was initially opened in 1737 as a protected tidal basin providing an entrance to the Old Dock which was opened in 1715. 

In 1832 the docks were officially named after the Liverpool MP George Canning.

Photographed 25 May 2013 - Canning Dock, Liverpool.