The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Monday, September 28, 2009

World's first platform for observing seabed{ 428 ]

Japan developing world's first reusable platform for observing seabed

The new movable seabed observation post prototype at JAMSTEC in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Mainichi)

The new movable seabed observation post prototype at JAMSTEC in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Mainichi)

Sept.27,2009 - The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is developing the world's first movable platform for taking observations of the seabed.

While most countries possess fixed seabed observation posts, JAMSTEC's is the first that can be relocated. As well as being capable of measuring sea temperature and salinity, it's also designed to be used for investigating life on the seabed.

The seabed is home to some unique organisms, and while changes in the earth's crust and acidification of the world's seas due to global warming are thought to have some effect on the seabed environment, the extent of this is not exactly known.

The platform itself consists of a 2 by 4 meter frame, to which various instruments, batteries and so on are attached, and emplaced by an unmanned submersible. Each one costs around 200 million yen, and a prototype has already been completed.

One issue still to be fixed is that of power. Fixed observation posts can be powered by cable from nearby islands, but the new movable models are forced to use batteries. JAMSTEC is now looking for a partner to develop compact, high-capacity batteries within a few years, and work on economizing the platforms' power usage.

(Mainichi Japan) September 27, 2009

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