Having nothing but a rather dirty-white uniform to my name, the Americans on the base were kind enough to donate clothing, mine being a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of bright blue and white striped trousers, one could see me coming a mile away ;). 15 articles link to this page. Speeches, fun and games and dancing were the order of the day and a good time was had by all. I bet everyone who cruises has a least one story of an “abandoned port call” . Thank you so much for your great blogs while travelling the world on the Amsterdam. BAE wants to halve the time and reduce the cost of building aircraft, UK MCA trials Elbit’s Hermes 900 for maritime search and rescue, US Air Force awards Northrop Grumman contract to replace ageing ICBMs, USAF redesigns equipment to better fit its female pilots, AFLCMC completes second phase of awards for Skyborg Vanguard programme, GA-ASI conducts first flight test of REAP pod on MQ-9 RPA, German defence ministry cancels STH project award procedure, CSC to Provide Cybersecurity Services to US Air Force, BAE Systems closes military GPS business acquisition, Israel Aerospace Industries CEO steps down, Curtiss-Wright values debt offering at $300m, Department of Air Force releases $169bn budget proposal for 2021, Virtual sterling? The other main off-duty activities for the “range-rats” were sea-fishing from shore, volcanic golfing (bring your own astroturf), and drinking too much beer. As always, your decision to make sure that the crew and passengers safety comes first as definitely the right call. Reminds me of our call at Rarotonga….. United States. “I would not wish this upon my worst enemy”, I would not wish this upon my worst enemy. I was concerned about the conditions at the anchorage, as I knew from past experience that there can be quite large South Atlantic swells, the area offering little protection from them. Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island and is located south of the equator in the South Atlantic Ocean.
I remember well the anchorage, the swells, the schools of fish, the sharks, and the tenders that brought personnel and stores out to the ship from the dock at Georgetown. Advanced Composites Design and Manufacturing Solutions, Advanced Antenna Systems for Military Applications, 23 January 2020 (Last Updated January 23rd, 2020 09:54). The Ascension Island Tourist Information Office can be contacted on: The highlight of my trip (after an overnight C-130 flight from Florida) was driving the government car up Green Mountain, then dodging the sheep and hiking to the peak. HAL worked at record speed to get the necessary buses to take us to the new location. I loved reading about your previous visit to the Island!
Can just see you in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, You didn’t even try that on Bora Bora!!!!. I spent three days wandering around the island. I spent three days wandering around the island. Fluor excels at projects like this where it delivers timely and cost-effective solutions in some of the most remote and difficult locations in the world.”. My guests were disappointed of course, as was I, however the majority were very understanding, there are always those who do not quite see it from my perspective though. tourism@ascension.gov.ac, kind regards Ascension Island is, as land masses go, quite young. Hi! It was a unexpected treat to say the least What started as a disappointing day quickly turned into a day of new adventures and great memories. Can hardly believe that the voyage is coming to an end in less than two weeks.But what a memorable world voyage this has been and reading your blog since we left you in Auckland has been wonderful. 2022 World Cruise Opens for Booking Today, Four Ships to Leave the Holland America Line Fleet in 2020, Holland America Line Extends its Pause of Cruise Operations, Holland America Line Ship Disembarkation Update, Grand World Voyage Diary: World Cruise Playgrounds – Rio & Buenos Aires, Facebook Fans Share Their 2020 Travel Resolutions, Holland America Line Named Tops for Dining, Itineraries and Entertainment in 2019 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, We took to the lifeboats off Ascension – a captain’s story | St Helena Online. I visited there for a week on NASA business 20+ years ago. Fluor Government Group president Tom D’Agostino said: “We are honoured to be selected to support the airforce and to be a part of its global mission. However we are keen to recieve feedback from visitors so as to develop and improve, should anyone wish to comment on their travels to Ascension, or indeed wish to arrange a holiday we would be very pleased to hear from you! I mean yes I was wearing a wooly hat and a fleece but the place had no proper ventilation or iContinue reading “I would not wish this upon my worst enemy”. Last edited at 12:21 on May 6, 19 by Utrecht. I'm a Lancashire lass who has given up the rat race in the UK to come to Ascension Island for two years with my partner. It's all hush hush so I ask you not to tell anyone. Amazon Halo: Will the company’s foray into the wearables market be a success? Visit GlobalData Store. Category: Ascension Island Premature Passage Planning On April 17, 2020 April 17, 2020 By Scott In Ascension Island , boats , Cape Town , catamaran , catamarans , Fernando de Noronha , Grenada , Passage , St Helena , Uncategorized , USVI , X5 3 Comments In September of 1979 I travelled by Military Airlift Command from Florida to Ascension Island to join a ship. The US Air Force established AFCAP to fulfil the Department of Defense’s global mission during contingency events. The US Air Force Installation Contracting Agency has awarded a contract to Fluor to repair the Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield runway. Since when!? Get new content delivered directly to your inbox. All of the establishments covered below under… In July 2015, Fluor and its joint venture partner AMEC Foster Wheeler were awarded a position by the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency on the AFCAP IV for six years. I was toldContinue reading “I have been utterly betrayed”, I don’t have any enemies but you get the gist right?
FLYING COCKROACHES! You will be pleased to know that we are now much better prepared for visitors and able to offer a number of tours and excursions including an Island Tour, Georgetown Heritage Walk and Green Mountain Historic Tour. However, the rest of the day was simply amazing. I write from the South Atlantic, heading just north of west towards the Brazilian coast, Fortaleza to be precise. The task order contract is worth about $170m and was awarded to the company’s Fluor AMEC II entity under the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program IV (AFCAP IV). Browse over 50,000 other reports on our store. Sending our tender ashore, the crew had enormous difficulty getting alongside the relatively short and exposed dock, it wasn’t really designed for ships’ tenders, rather the small boats that the islanders use and seldom do they try to tie up, preferring to get close and having the occupants ‘jump’ off.
Follow My Blog Get new content delivered directly to your inbox. “Ascension Auxiliary Airfield is in a strategic location and the runway is the lifeline to the island. Latest report from It makes me much more appreciative of how well-handled HAL ships seem to be. Ascension Island is a tiny dot of green in the tropical mid-Atlantic, a volcanic outpost of empire where it's hot and cold at the same time. My world darkened, heart racing, perspiration of my eyebrows and stomach in knots. With most of us on shore, we watched in disbelief as the ship left without us !!! I have never felt so betrayed. I have a framed photograph of Ascension Island that I took from the bridge wing of the Vandenberg. We had a wonderful 140th Anniversary celebration, an enormous cake, a replica of HAL offices in Rotterdam and now the Hotel New York.
Browse over 50,000 other reports on our store. This blog is a shared journal to give you all a taste of life on one of the most remotest islands in the world.
Drinking Let me firstly deal with drinking (alcohol) as it is easier. I LOVE cruising Holland America because they always do the right thing by putting “Safety First” ! We are nearing the equator and the heat is beginning to build and become oppressive, however the seas are ‘following’ and the sun is shining. In September of 1979 I travelled by Military Airlift Command from Florida to Ascension Island to join a ship. It soon became apparent that this was not going to work, the safety of our guests is paramount and damage to our tenders is to be avoided, these conditions were a harbinger of both factors. Then, when the General Hoyt S. Vandenberg arrived, I went aboard as an almost-brand-new third mate. Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island and is located south of the equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. Estimates suggest that volcanism was still shaping this island as little as 1000 years ago. You take great care of the ship and you passengers, also even greater thanks for watching over the crew , we feel very comfortable that our daughter (your librarian ) is in very safe care with you . Your story about Ascension Island is fascinating–and it brings back memories!!
Your story about Ascension Island is fascinating–and it brings back memories!! Russian Tu-160 and Il-78 aircraft conduct night refuelling in air, Textron to deliver 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs to Thai Air Force, IAI to acquire stake in UAS developer BlueBird Aero Systems.
Give our best regards to all our friends on board the Amsterdam and I look forward to the continuation of your blog. That is part of what makes cruising unpredictable , exciting, and full of stories. Maybe one day we’ll even get to cruise with you ! Mine was in 2000 in Monte Carlo.
100 Blog Entries from Ascension Island; This is version 21. When did they evolve to become this bionic beasts of nature.
It provides additional capabilities to the airforce and other government agencies to offer support to the logistic requirements of its deployed forces through the use of civilian contractors. The island is part of the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha under the sovereignty of the British Crown. Nashua, New Hampshire Ascension Island Overload POV: You have stumbled upon my blog and I tell you all the stuff that goes down here. Bank of England ponders digital currency, CTO Talk: Q&A with Forescout’s Robert McNutt. Yet it is widely shaped by wind.
Exposing Ascension Island for it's beauty and its horrors….
Required fields are marked *, © 2020 Holland America Line Inc. All Rights Reserved, Ascension Island Tourist Information Office. There are no tours as such, a great deal of the island being ‘off limits’ because of the military bases there and additionally , there is little or no transport available. As it was, circumnavigating the coast, with its rugged cliffs and towering peaks afforded us a great view of areas we would otherwise not have seen; dolphins frolicking around us as we did so. ASCENSION Island was built, quite recently as these thing go, by volcanism. The shot of the dolphin is remarkable. If you are on Ascension Island more than 2-3 days you are probably going to partake of all the available options in terms of eating and drinking so I will cover the lot in one review. Although I’m not on this cruise, I’m really enjoying his insights, which give me a much better understanding of the challenges involved in navigating the various ports at which HAL cruises call. Reluctantly, I had to cancel our call and recover our tenders, waiting in the anchorage while the Island merchandise was sold on board and at 1 p.m. weighed anchor for a scenic cruise of the island, before setting courses for Brazil. So I started off in RAF Brize Norton (in Oxfordshire) in the lounge area for departures for a good solid 3 hot hours. If I had know earlier I may have not set foot on this island entirely. It is from the same vantage point as your photo of the island, and the two pictures are nearly identical. Actually, we probably saw more of the island than had we made the call. The island is part of the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha under the sovereignty of the British Crown.