For you military history buffs – bad karma das boot

Since I spent so much time working with Google Earth for the surfacestations project, I decided to create a blog for fun, where I can practice my sleuthing skills using that great tool. I find aerial photo recon quite fun.

Military history buffs (and movie buffs) surely remember the K-19, Russia’s ill fated first nuclear submarine. I think I found it on Google Earth. Have a look, let me know if you concur. There’s quite an interesting story surrounding it and the movie version of the sub.

K-19ā€²s finalĀ stop?

And, be sure to bookmark The Daily Google Earth I’d also appreciate blog links if you are so inclined.

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JB Williamson
May 15, 2011 10:45 am

Here is one that we used to fly over regularly, a russian diamond mine…
62.457519,113.70944
Russian Federation, Samarskaya oblast, Mirnyy

May 15, 2011 10:52 am

In a previous lifetime, I was a civilian staff instructor in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. The Thresher seemed to have a similar bad karma about it. But, we sophisticated 21st century intellectuals know that there isn’t any such thing as karma, good or bad.
Don’t we?
http://www.navysite.de/ssn/ssn593.htm
As I recall hearing many years ago, after the loss of the Thresher, Admiral Rickover required ship yard supervisors to go along on submarines for the test dives after an overhaul. As the French would say: “pour l’encouragement des autres”.
http://home.wxs.nl/~pdavis/Byng.htm
Regards,
Steamboat Jack (Jon Jewett’s evil twin)

Andrew30
May 15, 2011 10:59 am

Anthony:
Recon these.
This: (use eye level of 8000 feet)
Lat/Long 38.265509Ā° 105.949865Ā°
Is a scale model of This: (use eye level of 140 miles)
Lat/Long 34.611192Ā° 80.177666Ā°
The building beside the model are a military training facility.

May 15, 2011 11:17 am

Check Google Earth at this location:
77Ā°59’46.30″N = 77.9962N
39Ā° 4’46.11″W = = 39.0795W
This is where I spent most of 1967 trying to detect Chinese Atomic Bomb explosions. The ‘official’ position of our instrument [Inge Lehmann station] is actually a little bit off, at 77.9467N 39.1833W [see http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/acda/ctbtpage/station.pdf ], but I’m not so sure as to how accurate that is.
REPLY: Top of the Greenland Ice Sheet? That must have been fun – A

Gary
May 15, 2011 11:18 am

Try 41.515189, -71.541339 for an odd shape.
REPLY: Sorry Gary, I don’t see anything there, just woods. lat/lon typo maybe? – A

Leon Brozyna
May 15, 2011 12:08 pm

What is this? You don’t have enough on your plate with WUWT? Expanding out to WPOTD and TDGE? What is this, a subtle ploy to take over Al Gore’s internet?
Got to admit that the visual stimulii are a different and pleasing change.

May 15, 2011 12:15 pm

Leif Svalgaard says:
May 15, 2011 at 11:17 am
REPLY: Top of the Greenland Ice Sheet? That must have been fun ā€“ A
Try to actually go to that location…

Jeff Alberts
May 15, 2011 12:49 pm

I don’t think there’s any such thing as “bad” karma (or karma, period, for that matter).

May 15, 2011 1:11 pm

Well good. I look forward to learning all sorts of things I never even knew were interesting, just as I learned to appreciate the nuts and bolts of weather data collecting from your surface stations project long ago. BTW, thanks, Mr Watts, and the amazing commenters, for all the education that pours through this blog.
I’ve added The Daily Google Earth to Pecan Corner’s blog roll (WUWT is already there) and will mention it in my next little wrap up.

Alan
May 15, 2011 1:43 pm

A link to Daily Google Earth has been added to http://www.googleearthing.com/
Google Earth is quite addictive.
Alan

Ed Forbes
May 15, 2011 3:06 pm

thanks for the article. K19 has been an interest of mine for some time now.
I remember watching news film of the sub with the crew on deck when this happened. Could not have been a fun experience for the crew.

Garry
May 15, 2011 4:05 pm

This Google Earth/Maps site has been around for 5 or 6 years and has a pretty robust archive of previous posts:
http://googlesightseeing.com/

Paul Pierett
May 15, 2011 7:08 pm

The film version starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson used the old Russian Sub from Tampa Bay where it was a museum. I shot some photos of it as it was being fixed up in Dry Dock.

Keith Minto
May 15, 2011 9:06 pm

Jeff Alberts says:
May 15, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I donā€™t think thereā€™s any such thing as ā€œbadā€ karma (or karma, period, for that matter).

What if my karma runs over your dogma ?

May 16, 2011 5:32 am

Ouch. Reading the history of that sub is almost enough to make a person superstitious. No sailor would get on that ship again. Sunk, raised caught on fire is a rather perfect ending. (maybe)

Gary
May 16, 2011 6:47 am

Try 41.515189, -71.541339 for an odd shape.
REPLY: Sorry Gary, I donā€™t see anything there, just woods. lat/lon typo maybe? ā€“ A

Oops, yeah, slip of the finger. Should be 41.545189 N and 71.541339 W
Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, RI

May 16, 2011 6:48 am

Anthony, How fun! Of the many jobs that I held in the navy, the tour that I did as a Soviet submarine analyst was one of the most fun—maybe because I was a lieutenant living in a beach house in Lanikai. Anyway, if this whole weather/climate thing doesn’t work out for you, I’ll be happy to make the introductions for you at ONI. http://www.oni.navy.mil/Join_Us/types_jobs.htm

George E. Smith
May 16, 2011 9:27 am

“”””” Steamboat Jack says:
May 15, 2011 at 10:52 am
In a previous lifetime, I was a civilian staff instructor in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. The Thresher seemed to have a similar bad karma about it. But, we sophisticated 21st century intellectuals know that there isnā€™t any such thing as karma, good or bad.
Donā€™t we?
http://www.navysite.de/ssn/ssn593.htm
As I recall hearing many years ago, after the loss of the Thresher, Admiral Rickover required ship yard supervisors to go along on submarines for the test dives after an overhaul. As the French would say: ā€œpour lā€™encouragement des autresā€.
http://home.wxs.nl/~pdavis/Byng.htm
Regards,
Steamboat Jack (Jon Jewettā€™s evil twin) “””””
Well Steamer, that sounds like a vartiation on the theme employed when illness fakings slackers are assigned to parachute repacking duty. So after their shift is over, they each get to grab a parachute out of the finished packed bin, and get shoved into a plane for their dive of the day. A self enforcing check on the quality of their workmanship.

Dave Worley
May 16, 2011 5:55 pm

“parachute repacking duty……A self enforcing check on the quality of their workmanship.”
….or why congressmen should not have a separate medical and retirement plan from the rest of us.

bob alou
May 18, 2011 9:51 am

Here is one you can see starting at about 50 mi eye alt. I believe it is a last name.
30 04′ 48.02″ N, 97 08′ 46.93″ W