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Posts:
5,285
Registered:
2/15/03
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(15 of 19)
Re: Helena I visited the Channel Islands in 1993-It is paradise for WW2
May 22, 2005 6:21 PM
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Buffs. I visited the underground Wehrmacht Hospital in Jersey which was built by slave labour-mainly Russian and Spanish Republicans-it is reamrkably preserved with even the original blue/white counterpanes on the beds and other artifacts dating from that time.
I also attended a smoker in the Hotel which was the main German officers living quarters; visited the many pillboxes and concrete gun emplacments which abound on the islands and the only concentration camp on British soil in Sark.
The museums also have a virtual reality presentation of the British warship H.M.S. Charybidis being sunk off the Channel Islands coast.
One of the German pillboxes was reallly spooky as Nazi soldiers singing marching songs voices were piped through the pillbox speakers.
THe Pomme D'Or Hotel another Nazi miltary occupied facility hasn't changed much externally since the Occupation-a Panzer commnder who was resting after Russian Front service committed suicide in on eof the rooms and his black uniform -in pristine condition-is on display in one of the museums.
Fascinating place!-ther is also virtual reality recreations of when Heinkel iii bombers made a devastating raid on civilians standing around in Jersey harbour.
But the Underground bombproof German hospital was truly impressive albeit what it cost in terms of the terrible human misery of the slave workers who built it.
P.S.-Hate to put the cat among the pigeons but wasn't the U.S.S. Helena sold to Argentina where it was renamed @The Amirale Belgrano sunk by we Brits in 1982 during the Falklands War?
Don't sneer, because one of the U.S. warships which survived Pearl Harbour, December 7th, 1941, became the Admirale Belgrano which was sunk by a British submarine in 1982.
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Posts:
7,868
From:
MD
Registered:
4/25/00
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(16 of 19)
May 23, 2005 4:41 AM
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She was a Brooklyn class cruiser that was sunk during the Falklands War as the ADM Belgrano, Purchased by Argentina, she was originally renamed 17 de Octubre.
The Helena was sunk during one of the fights during the Guadalcanal campaign at Kula.
How are prices compared with Portsmouth in the Channel Isles?
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Posts:
2,245
Registered:
11/1/03
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(17 of 19)
May 23, 2005 5:49 AM
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Tobacco and booze among other things are much chaper in the Channel Islands because of the different tax system there.
And as the don't have Value Added Tax as far as I know, there is the potential for lots of things to be cheaper, but you need to allow for their higher shipping and distribution costs.
--
angie
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Posts:
4,240
Registered:
10/23/00
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(18 of 19)
May 23, 2005 11:31 AM
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I believe it was the St. Louis, not the Helena, that was sold to Argentina.
tom
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Posts:
5,285
Registered:
2/15/03
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(19 of 19)
Re: USS Phoenix Thanks I was in Portsmouth last summer-2004 - and
May 23, 2005 4:01 PM
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It is definitely-as Angie says-more expensive for many things than the Channel Islands are-even allowing for the fact that I was last in the Channel Islands in 1993.
I'm very fond of 'Pompey' as Portsmouth is known to us in Great Britain, not least because I celebrated my 21st birthday in 'Pompey'/ Portsmouth, England, many, many, many, moons ago...
I also saw-that same 21st birthday year- my favourite Welsh singing diva, Dame Shirley Bassey, perform there, live in concert, in Portsmouth's magnificent Guildhall.
Portsmouth's W.W.2 'D-Day' museum is also well worth a visit, as is a visit to H.M.S. 'Victory' to see the spot where Admiral Nelson(Kiss me, Hardy!) died during his victory over the French at Trafalgar on October 21st, 1805.
However do not believe the English museum naval guides on H.M.S. 'Victory who will tell you, totally misleadingly, that the short 'Carronade' cannons on 'Victory's decks,which wrought fearful, close quarters, execution on the French, were masterpieces of 'English Gunnery production'-The Carronades were made wholly and exclusively by the Carron Iron Company of Falkirk,Stirlingshire, in Scotland, founded 1759-died 1986-although there are some good original examples of this Scottish made gun on H.M.S. 'Victory'dating from Nelson's time.
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