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IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Moving nuclear subs isn't something you announce on social media
An Ohio class guided missile submarine, the Great Whites of the US navy. Image: AFP James Stavridis Over the last week, two political leaders have exchanged barbs underlining the powerful nuclear arsenals of their respective nations. It was not just a pointless demonstration of bravado - it also showed that careless words and vague military threats can move the world closer to a disastrous conflict. The first to lash out was Dimitry Medvedev, a former president and prime minister of Russia, who now serves as deputy chair of President Vladimir Putin's security council. In a social media post on July 28, he said a US ultimatum for Moscow to come to the negotiating table over Ukraine was a 'threat and a step towards war.' Later, he alluded to Russia's 'dead hand' nuclear launch system, which automatically fires a nuclear strike if the nation is attacked with such weapons. President Donald Trump responded to Medvedev's comments by saying he had ordered two nuclear submarines 'to be positioned in the appropriate regions.' He concluded by saying, correctly, that 'words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' (On Monday, a Kremlin spokesman warned against 'nuclear rhetoric.') Between them, the US and Russia have more than 10,000 nuclear weapons. How dangerous is this war of words between the Kremlin and the White House? And what is the significance of Trump claiming to have moved nuclear submarines to new stations? I'm not a submariner - or a 'bubblehead,' as they are known (more-or-less affectionately) in the Navy. But I've commanded them in combat as a commodore and a rear admiral, directed the launch of their conventional Tomahawk missiles at terrorist targets in Africa and Asia, and sailed in them from time to time. I like to say these formidable warships are the apex predators of the ocean. And their locations are always kept secret. Former Russian president Dimitry Medvedev has been trolling Trump on US nuclear issues. Image: AFP As an anti-submarine-warfare officer for three years on a destroyer early in my career, I hunted both Soviet and Chinese subs and, in exercises, American boats. ('Boats' is the colloquial term for submarines, whereas surface combatants are 'ships.') We like to think of our destroyers as the greyhounds of the sea, and lethal to submarines; but truth be told, more often than not we ended up the target rather than the hunter in those drills against US boats. The US operates three types of nuclear-powered submarines, each posing a different level of threat to Russia. It is unclear which of the three types Trump claimed to have moved around; all US nuclear subs are capable of clandestine operations throughout the world's oceans. First, and by far the deadliest, are huge ballistic-missile boats: Ohio class SSBNs, which displace 20,000 tons when fully submerged. The Navy has 14 of these killer whales, each capable of carrying 24 Trident II nuclear-tipped missiles with ranges exceeding 4,000 miles. The missiles are in vertical tubes at the center of the boat, and the crew of 150 officers and enlisted men and women call that part of the warship 'Sherwood Forest' - a stand of lethal tree trunks. While more than half the Ohio class are usually on patrol, it seems unlikely that Trump would have ordered changes to their movements given the extraordinary range of their missiles. US president Donald Trump should no better than to brag about the position of the country's nuclear submarines on social media. Image: AFP The second big group of nuclear-powered submarines is the attack boats, or SSNs. The US currently operates three classes - Los Angeles, Seawolf and Virginia - totaling just over 50 warships. These are multi-mission platforms: they can hunt enemy submarines; launch long-range Tomahawk missiles at land targets with pinpoint accuracy; gather intelligence covertly; and sink enemy military and civilian surface ships. The three classes vary in size from 7,000 to 9,000 tons and their weapons and sensors vary - but all are deadly and very difficult to find through acoustic surveillance. I was glad to have two of them loosely assigned to my strike group in the early 2000s. Finally, four Ohio-class behemoths have been converted to carry more than 150 Tomahawk land-attack missiles in the tubes that formerly held ballistic missiles. These are favored by combatant commanders because of the big load of missiles, which constitute a strike group's main battery. Since the Tomahawk's range is about 1,500 miles, these would probably be the boats Trump moved, presumably closer to Russia. He may have designated the commander of US European Command, my old position, as the operational commander. These missiles could hold at risk Russian command-and-control nodes, supply routes and military targets.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Isle of Palms considering restrictions on shore-based shark fishing
ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – A Lowcountry beach community is considering implementing new regulations on recreational fishing that would prevent anglers from intentionally trying to catch sharks. The discussion comes after an Isle of Palms resident raised safety concerns about a commercial shark fishing business operating from the beach near their home. 'If you're attracting larger sharks from offshore, bringing them in where it's a threat possibly to swimmers and surfers, I think that's something we definitely ought to look at,' Councilman Rusty Streetman said during a Public Safety Committee meeting last month. Current city law prohibits commercial activity on the beach, but nothing in the code specifically stops someone from recreationally fishing for sharks or other species in the surf, according to Isle of Palms Police Chief Kevin Cornett. As shore-based shark fishing becomes increasingly popular along the coast, city councilmembers are now looking at ways to curb the potentially dangerous activity. 'Shark fishing has a long and checkered history off the South Carolina coast,' Councilman Blair Hahn wrote in a June 9 message to News 2. 'It has been made in Horry County and many coastal communities for decades. For multiple reasons, the IOP never addressed this practice…I believe the time has come to do so.' The practice involves releasing chum into the water from a structure like a pier to attract sharks closer to the shore, sometimes with the help of drones or kayaks. Anglers then use heavy rods and other specialized gear to reel them in. 'We currently have multiple individuals that set up between 47th and 50th Avenue, paddle ten-pound-plus hunks of meat 200 yards offshore and set large steel J hooks,' Hahn said. He explained that an underwater ridge about one mile offshore, called the 'bump,' has become a hotspot for sharks and other large fish such as tarpons that feed on shrimp, noting that tiger sharks, bull sharks, and even Great Whites have been tracked in the area. 'Bringing these predators to shore, especially after making them angry and hungry, is an exceptionally bad idea,' Hahn said. 'I have watched individuals drag shark through surf, past multiple individuals swimming in the ocean on multiple occasions. Shark bites are bad on many levels. Obviously, shark bites create life-threatening injuries. In addition, shark bites tax our EMS services and have a chilling effect on tourism.' These techniques not only increase the likelihood of an unwanted interaction between sharks and swimmers, but the use of larger fishing gear also presents safety risks to those enjoying other activities on the water. 'The last thing we want is a kid to get stuck on a hook, and depending on what they're fishing for, could dictate how big that hook is,' Chief Cornett said during a June 3 committee meeting. The proposed restrictions would be modeled after ordinances and guidelines already in place in other parts of the state, including Seabrook Island and Horry County, according to officials. Southern Shrimp Alliance study reveals a majority of Charleston-area restaurants serve imported shrimp While the specifics are being worked out, the ordinance would generally prohibit someone from intentionally fishing for sharks and require that they be immediately released if caught – an extension of a state law that already mandates catch-and-release for certain species. Chumming with raw meat or fish parts, excluding poultry products, within a certain distance of the beach and using certain equipment like drones and trot lines would also be prohibited. 'You're not going to take feed, dead fish, and others and put it in the water,' said Councilman John Bogosian, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. 'That's specifically attracting sharks, and that activity shouldn't be legal.' Still, Bogosian questioned how the rules would be enforced given that recreational fishermen do not usually know what they will catch when casting a line. 'If you put it in there that fishing for shark is illegal, to me it's unenforceable unless someone says, 'Yeah, I'm fishing for shark,'' he said. Cornett acknowledged that enforcing a shark fishing ban would be challenging overall, but certain acts like chumming would be 'easy to verify.' The issue is expected to go back before the committee in July for further discussion. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
07-06-2025
- Science
How officials are working to keep beachgoers safe from sharks
Great Whites have been spotted early off the East Coast and new tracking technology is giving scientists a look at what's bring them closer to shore.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'There's a shark in the pond!': 20-foot predator startles Rhode Island diners
'There's a shark in the pond!': 20-foot predator startles Rhode Island diners (Video credit: atlantic_shark) Memorial Day diners at a popular seaside restaurant on Block Island were treated to more than just seafood this week, they witnessed a massive 20-foot shark gliding through the calm waters of Great Salt Pond, just feet away from a small boat. The startling scene was captured on video by local resident Jen Seebeck, who was eating at Dead Eye Dicks, a waterfront restaurant overlooking the pond. The footage shows the shark's enormous dorsal and tail fins cutting through the surface as onlookers gasp. At least one person can be heard shouting the now-iconic phrase from the 1975 film Jaws, 'There's a shark in the pond!' The Atlantic Shark Institute, which reported the sighting, said the shark's species has not yet been identified, but estimated its length to be around 20 feet. The sighting instantly evoked comparisons to the legendary movie, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Close call on calm waters A small boat was seen cautiously motoring away from the powerful predator as it swam through the pond, which connects to the open ocean. Though sharks occasionally make their way into shallow or enclosed waters, the presence of such a large specimen in the small, tourist-frequented Great Salt Pond is rare and unsettling. 'Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking,' the Atlantic Shark Institute wrote in a social media post. 'Hopefully this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!' Shark season begins Marine experts say the sighting, while dramatic, is not entirely out of the ordinary. As waters warm up along the Northeast coast, various shark species, including Great Whites, migrate closer to shore in search of food. Montauk, New York, just across the water, has already reported a large Great White shark sighting earlier this month via drone footage. 'This is consistent with seasonal behaviour,' marine biologists noted. 'As fish and other prey move closer to shore during the summer months, sharks naturally follow.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Inside the Darién Gap, one of the world's most dangerous jungles
Way back in 'ye olden days' of the mid-2000s, I was still a wide-eyed, fresh-faced backpacker looking to travel the world. The crazier and more outlandish the adventure or destination, the better. I ticked off a lot of epic things from my bucket list in the ensuing years: Swimming with Great Whites in Mexico, kayaking among glaciers in Antarctica, and making a week-long pilgrimage through a thousand years of history in rural Japan. But one thing that eludes me to this day is road-tripping the Pan-American Highway. Thanks to the Darién Gap, that trip may never get checked off my list. I'm just not that crazy. The Pan-American Highway is an epic 19,000-mile route that connects Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to the southernmost tip of South America in Ushuaia, Argentina. It's continuous except for one small section missing along the southern border of Panama, often referred to as one of the most inhospitable places on the planet — this is the Darién Gap. It's 66 roadless miles of impossibly dense, mountainous jungle and swamp filled with heavily armed paramilitary guerillas, drug traffickers, and some of the world's most deadly creatures covering the border of Panama and Colombia. In an article for the Council on Foreign Relations, Jean Gough, a Regional Director for UNICEF, sums it up: 'Deep in the jungle, robbery, rape, and human trafficking are as dangerous as wild animals, insects, and the absolute lack of safe drinking water.' The environmental impact on the area and the sheer cost of building roads through it have thwarted any previous attempts. Others are concerned that 'the Gap' is a natural barrier against drugs, disease, and undocumented migrants flowing freely into North America and the U.S. The first-ever successful vehicle expedition through the Darién Gap was led by British army officer Gavin Thompson. His team of six started in Alaska, driving all the way to Panama in a newly created Range Rover. Hitting the Darién Gap, he brought in a team of 64 engineers and scientists to hack their way through the jungle and float the Range Rovers across the rivers. But Thompson and every expedition since ran headlong into what the Gap is most infamous for: Lots and lots of things that will kill you. The list of deadly things inside the Gap is lengthy, and dehydration and starvation are the least of your concerns. Instead, you should be concerned with these very real threats. The fer-de-lance pit viper is among the most venomous creatures in the Darién Gap. They're irritable, fast-moving, and large enough to bite above your knees. Antivenom usually solves the problem if you get bitten. But, if left untreated, the venom can cause local necrosis (death of body tissue), leading to gangrene or, in the worst cases, death. Conflict journalist Jason Motlagh crossed the Gap in 2016 for a Dateline story. After receiving his group's antivenom kit and instructions before the crossing, he said, 'If one of us is bitten, we have ten minutes to inject the antivenom before death. We can only carry six vials. If a larger pit viper were to strike, the expert concedes no amount of antivenom would be enough to save us. We might as well lie down and smoke a cigarette until the lights go out.' It's becoming increasingly difficult to bring drugs into the US, so drug traffickers are turning to other avenues. The lawlessness and lack of residents make the Darién Gap a perfect path for smuggling cocaine and other drugs on their journey from South America. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have made a name for themselves since 1964, terrorizing the government and many cities in Colombia. Many from the group have made their home in the lawless jungles of the Darién Gap. A backpacker from Sweden was shot in the head in 2013 and found two years later. Multiple others have been kidnapped for weeks or months after venturing into the Gap. Since a peace deal in 2017 with the United Nations, the group has reformed into an official political party, but a few thousand rebels still continue with drugs, arms, and human trafficking. Spiders fill the jungles of the Darién Gap, but one of the most 'medically important' is the Brazilian Wandering spider. 'Medically important' is the nice term for 'you're going to have a really bad day if this bites you.' This family of spiders (there are more than one!) has a leg span of five to seven inches. They wander the jungle floor at night and love to hide in people's hiking boots, logs, and banana plants. They've been nicknamed the Banana spider, as that's often where people run into them. Bites from this spider can put you in the hospital or, from particularly bad ones, cause death in 2 to 6 hours. Scorpions look like they're from another planet. A few species prefer conditions in Colombia and southern Panama and call the Darién Gap home, including the black scorpion. Black scorpions (Tityus pachyurus) can be two to four inches long and have black or reddish-black coloring, which gives them their name. They live under rocks and logs and hunt for larvae and cockroaches at night. They are part of the thick-tailed scorpion family, giving them their stocky appearance. The sting is very painful but, thankfully, is rarely deadly to humans … as long as you are treated in a safe amount of time. Even the heat in the jungle can put a serious dent in your mood. Temperatures in The Gap can reach a balmy 95 degrees Fahrenheit with 95% humidity, creating a terrible problem if you run out of water. With trips through The Gap averaging between 20 to 50 days, you had better be prepared to stay well hydrated. There's a lot of water in the Darién Gap but it is far from clean. Even a sip can hold a host of viruses or parasites that could ruin the rest of your trip. So, a good water filter is a must. Many kinds of trees call the jungle home, and the local people make use of all of them. The fiber from the leaves of the Chunga Palm is used to make everything from furniture and hats to jewelry and fishing nets. Perhaps that's why this palm has one of the best defenses of any tree in the Gap. Long black spines — up to eight inches long — cover the Chunga to prevent animals from climbing and taking the fruit. Unfortunately for us, these spines are covered in all sorts of bacteria. One brush with a Chunga, and you might find yourself with infected puncture wounds embedded with shards of Chunga spines. During the mid-eighties, Helge Peterson found himself in Colombia trying to complete a motorcycle tour from Argentina to Alaska. But one small problem stood in his way: The Darién Gap. Convincing a young German backpacker to make the journey with him, they started their journey together. They began the 20-day trek hauling Helge's 400-pound BMW motorcycle into the jungle, through rivers and ravines. At the end of each day, tired and broken, Helge and his backpacking partner would set up camp and start the removal of ticks, sometimes several hundred at a time, from their skin and clothing. Ticks in the area can carry Ehrlichiosis or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, neither of which you want in the middle of the jungle days or weeks from the nearest hospital. Trench foot was first described during Napoleon's retreat from Russia in the winter of 1812, but the name references a condition most common during World War I. It starts with persistently wet skin that isn't allowed to dry. Wet conditions and limited blood flow cause the tissue to tingle or itch, often turn red or blue, and eventually decay. Any open wounds quickly develop fungal infections. With all of this happening in as little as 10 hours, it doesn't allow much time to fix the problem. Botflies like to get under your skin, literally. They start by laying their eggs on mosquitos. What do mosquitos like to do? Bite humans. This conveniently deposits the botfly eggs under our skin. They then hatch, and the larvae have a nice, warm place to live. Through a small hole in your skin, the larva can breathe. They feed on the flesh in their little skin cave and stay cozy and warm. Once they grow into bumblebee-sized adults, they crawl out to lay eggs somewhere else. If there are many larvae involved, it's called myiasis, meaning an infestation under the skin. Yum. That's why it pays to pack a very good bug spray. During the Cold War, the U.S. military ran thousands of training missions inside the Darién Gap, dropping bombs over the jungle. Most of them detonated. However, some did not. Those bombs have been covered over by jungle growth and are now hidden on the jungle floor under a thick layer of vegetation. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of undetonated explosives likely still lie in the jungle, waiting for some poor, unfortunate soul to step off the trail — what little trail is there — just a bit too far and set off a massive explosion. The Darién Gap is home to many predators, both human and animal, but one of the most deadly is the American crocodile. Crocodiles are apex predators, with no known natural enemies, and anything that they come in contact with is potential prey. That includes humans. Crocodiles prefer to hunt at night, but they will attack and eat prey at any time of day. They hide in the water near the edge and wait for an unsuspecting animal (or unlucky hiker) to come to the water, and then the crocodile strikes, dragging its prey under the water to drown before consuming. The above-mentioned article for CFR mentions one Haitian immigrant who struggled in the unyielding rain and wet conditions. 'The journey was really quite hard, especially when the rain came. It was just mud, rivers and going up mountainsides nonstop.' In fact, the Gap is among the wettest places on earth, and the intense rainfall can trigger surprise landslides. The worst part is that there is little hikers or travelers through the area can do to protect themselves. It's just a fact of life — and possibly death — inside the Gap. So the Darién Gap sounds downright peachy to visit, doesn't it? The post Inside the Darién Gap, one of the world's most dangerous jungles appeared first on The Manual.
