HMAS Gascoyne’s Ship’s Company paused during passage of the Whitsunday Islands to commemorate Remembrance Day 2013.

Ship’s Company assembled on the Sweep Deck of the Huon Class Minehunter for the Call to Commemoration read by SBLT Clodagh O’Neill. On completion, the Chief of the Boat, CPO Clearance Diver, Christopher Wright recited the poem ’In Flanders Field’ written in 1915 by Canadian Doctor LTCOL John McCrae.

CPO Wright related an example of supreme sacrifice with a special mention of the Australian soldiers who have been killed in action in recent times and asked all assembled  to remember those who have fallen in service to Australia.

With the Australian White Ensign flying in the background, the Navigating Officer LEUT Michael Gordon read the remembrance prayer which was followed a commemorative address by Commanding Officer LCDR Aaron Cox.

“Nine-five years ago today, the guns on the Western Front fell silent. The Great War, the war to end all wars was over with the signing of the Armistice” said LCDR Cox.

He went on to tell of the early actions of the war of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and how ships that only sailed into Sydney Harbour the year before, had assembled near Rabaul in modern day Papua New Guinea, hoping to find Admiral von Spee’s German Far Eastern Fleet.

“Just four days after the announcement of war being declared, the RAN’s first ever order for action, Operational Order No. 1 said in part: ’the intention is to attack with torpedoes any ships which are there and to destroy the wireless station’” sail LCDR Cox.

At 1100, the Last Post was played, the Australian White Ensign lowered to half-mast and Ship’s company paid one minutes silence to remember. At Reveille and full masting of the Ensign, ABML-C Cameron Acreman recited ’Ode to the Fallen’.

Sailing under a blue sky in the crystal clear waters of the Whitsunday Islands, the men and women in Gascoyne felt they could not have been more physically removed from the sacrifices and hardships of the men and women of the wars and conflicts they had gathered to honour.

Chinese shipyards, which are subsidiaries of the Company’s 51% owned subsidiary COSCO (Singapore) Shipyard Group Ltd, have secured contracts to build two jackup drilling rigs and a bulk carrier as follows:

1. COSCO (Dalian) Shipyard Co. Ltd has secured contracts from a Bermuda company for two LeTourneau Super 116E jackup drilling rigs, scheduled for delivery in 1H2016 and 2H2016 respectively. The same buyer has also secured options for two additional jackup drilling rigs.

2. COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard Co. Ltd has been contracted to build a dry bulk carrier of 64,000dwt for a European buyer, with delivery scheduled in the second half of 2014.

The COSCO Group adds that barring  any unforeseen circumstances, the above contracts are not expected to have a material impact on the net tangible assets and earnings per share of the Company for the year ending 31 December 2013.

The RTS Lab in Tehran, Iran, has successfully tested its Pars Rescue Robot which has the ability to quickly locate drowning victims in the ocean and launch life-preserver floats to them, reports Robots.Net.

The robot’s tests were carried out in August 2013 over the Caspian Sea, and thirteen tests in all were made in a four day period.

Pars was able to fly for ten minutes with its present design and its maximum speed was 10 m/s [sic] thus it proved capable of being used in missions with a 4.5 kilometer radius range, reports Robots.Net.

Tests were completely successful and all of the expected goals were achieved. Based on the test results and considering the general rescue methods new ideas for developing Pars were achieved.

RTS Labs hopes to create further, improved prototypes and eventually commercialize the life-saving robot.

Source: Robots.Net