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.Blogger Tips and Tricks
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 16, 2013

Japan, powerful typhoon ..[ 3152 ]

Powerful typhoon lashes Japan, thousands evacuate
Associated Press 4:08 a.m. EDT, Monday September 16, 2013


  •     Typhoon Man-yi, packing wind speeds of 100 mph
  •     At least one person has died, dozens injured
  •     Parts of Kyoto city center evacuated

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful typhoon lashed Japan Monday, leaving one dead and dumping torrential rains, damaging homes and flooding parts of the country's popular tourist destination of Kyoto, where 260,000 people in city center were ordered to evacuate to shelters.

Typhoon Man-yi, packing wind speeds of 100 mph Monday afternoon, was centered over the city of Sendai, about 350 kilometers (160 miles) north of Tokyo.

Dozens were injured. Police and disaster management officials said a 72-year-old woman was found dead Monday after her body was dug out of the debris of her home smashed by a mudslide the night before in Shiga prefecture, east of Kyoto. Public broadcaster NHK said three others were missing.

NHK showed tourists in Kyoto being taken to safety on boats on a flooded riverside street, towed by rescue workers.

In the nearby town of Fukuchiyama, an aerial view showed a vast area of muddy water swallowing the town, with houses, fields or other structures half-submerged under water. The town's entire population of 81,246 was ordered to evacuate.

The government set up an emergency task force to assess damage and support rescue effort, said Prime Minister's Office official Hikariko Ono. Kyoto and neighboring Shiga prefecture asked the Defense Ministry to mobilize relief teams.

Some 70 people were injured across the country since Sunday, NHK said, citing its own tally. Among the missing was a 77-year-old woman who disappeared since a mudslide hit her house in nearby Fukui prefecture. A man was missing after he went to check fish traps in a river in Fukushima prefecture.

More than 300 homes were flooded across the western and central Japan, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. About 80,000 houses were without electricity in western and central Japan.

Trains in Tokyo and its vicinity were largely suspended and hundreds of flights were grounded.

As a preventative step, workers at the crippled Fukushima Da-ichi nuclear power plant, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo, were pumping accumulating rain water pooling around hundreds of storage tanks containing radioactive water to the ocean. That was to avoid the risk of potential tank leaks getting mixed with rainwater seeping into the soil or flowing into the sea.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the plant released what is believed to be untainted rainwater to the Pacific in order to avoid flooding near the tanks, a step that could violate safety rules, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said. TEPCO says the radioactivity in the released water was within allowed discharge limits, but duty regulators at the plant are checking.

Recent acknowledgement by officials that contaminated water is leaking from underground and storage tanks into the ocean have triggered concerns about the plant's safety.

The Meteorological Agency said the storm dumped an "unprecedented amount of rainfall" in Kyoto and two of its neighboring prefectures it passed overnight, dumping as much as 8 centimeters (3 inches) per hour. It lifted a "special warning" for the area was earlier Monday but urged residents to stay alert.

In Kyoto, where the city's major Katsura River flooded, some 260,000 people in the prefectural capital alone were told to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of others were also ordered to evacuate across Japan.