Jamie Fredric's Blog, page 5

SEAL Training - When You Say BUD/S, You've Said It All

Hell week--the week of training that becomes the ultimate test, 120 hours of continuous training on less than four hours of sleep. It searches out and exposes those who possess the qualities that SEALs must have in their guts before being able to continue the next four phases of training.
Their bodies will be pushed to extremes, being worked harder than they ever dreamed possible.  Sleep deprivation and moving constantly forces the trainees to reach deep inside themselves to find the will to...

SEAL Training

Hell week--the week of training that becomes the ultimate test, 120 hours of continuous training on less than four hours of sleep. It searches out and exposes those who possess the qualities that SEALs must have in their guts before being able to continue the next four phases of training.
Their bodies will be pushed to extremes, being worked harder than they ever dreamed possible.  Sleep deprivation and moving constantly forces the trainees to reach deep inside themselves to find the will to...

Russian Trawler

In MISSION CRITICAL, there is an annoying Russian trawler 'dogging' the fleet. This picture (1975) shows a trawler off the stern and port side of the carrier JFK.

Pensacola NAS Air Museum

The Pensacola Naval Air Station air museum has a terrific display of old and new aircraft.  I couldn't even guestamate how many aircraft are here. 

F4 Phantom, a.k.a. 'Snoopy'
F14, dubbed the 'Fleet Defender'
Two pictures with unique views of the Blue Angels' aircraft



Corsair

SR-71 Blackbird

Designed by Kelly Johnson and manufactured by Lockheed Skunk Works and classified as a 'black project', the SR-71 was, and still is, the fastest manned, highest flying reconnaissance plane, equipped only with a sophisticated camera and radar and infrared systems. Missiles or guns for self-defense were a mute issue because this 'Bird' was designed specifically to fly extremely high and with blinding speed. It feared no one; it feared nothing.
The outer shell of the Blackbird was made of...

Battleship USS Alabama

The USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, is a very impressive sight, from her 16" guns, to her wooden deck, to her massive size! You can tour most of the inside by climbing up and down steep ladders, walking through bulkhead and watertight doors, viewing memorabilia, and imagine life aboard this behemoth.


16" Guns, USS Alabama

A view from Deck 8 "Under Siege" filmed aboard Alabama

Navy SEALs

Here's a website with good photos of SEALs during different phases of practice and training, i.e., locking out of subs, CQB, combat swimmers, etc.  Many of these were described in Mission Critical and Warning Order.

http://www.americanspecialops.com/photos/seals-gallery.php

The Berlin Wall - Mentioned in "Warning Order"

The Berlin Wall was more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) long. In June 1962, a second, parallel fence some 100 metres (110 yd) farther into East German territory was built. The houses contained between the fences were razed and the inhabitants relocated, thus establishing what later became known as the Death Strip. The Death Strip was covered with raked sand or gravel, rendering footprints easy to notice, easing the detection of trespassers and also enabling officers to see which guards had...

Diving With A Draeger Rig

The LAR V Draeger rebreather is a closed circuit underwater breathing apparatus. Running on 100% oxygen, all expelled breath is recycled into the closed circuit where it is filtered for carbon-dioxide. The result is a complete elimination of expelled bubbles which makes the Draeger ideal for clandestine amphibious operations. The LAR V Draeger rebreather cannot operate as deep as SCUBA systems. The unit's relatively small size and front-worn configuration makes them suitable for shallow...

NIS/NCIS - A Brief History

The main character in my books, Mission Critical and Warning Order, is Grant Stevens, assigned to the Naval Investigative Service in Washington, D.C.  In 1992 the name NIS was changed to NCIS.  Here is a brief overview of the organization:The major buildup of civilian special agents began with the Korean War in 1950, and continued through the Cold War years. In 1966 the name Naval Investigative Service (NIS) was adopted to distinguish the organization from the rest of ONI, and in 1969 NIS...