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.........

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Αir balloon catches fire over Virginia..[ 4202 ]

Hot air balloon catches fire over Virginia; search on for 3 people

By Greg Botelho, CNN

May 10, 2014 -- Updated 0329 GMT (1129 HKT)

Watch this video

Police looking for hot air balloon crash

(CNN) -- A hot air balloon burst into flames and crashed Friday night in Virginia after apparently hitting a power line, prompting a search for the wreckage and the three people believed to have been on board, authorities said.

The incident happened over Doswell, 25 miles north of Richmond, around 7:30 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. Preliminary information indicates the balloon apparently struck a power line and then caught fire, according to Bergen.

Witnesses reported the balloon ablaze and crashing somewhere northeast of Meadow Event Park, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Images from the scene show one balloon well above the ground, with its basket in flames.

About two hours later, authorities still didn't know exactly where the balloon ended up. Nor did they know the condition of the one pilot and two passengers thought to be on board, according to Geller.

"We've been actively searching," the state police spokeswoman said. "At this point, we have found no wreckage."

There was no rain at the time, Geller said, though severe storms rolling through could complicate the search.

The incident came one day before the scheduled start of the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, which is set to run through the weekend. On its website, the event's organizers invite people to "get up close and personal with 20 hot air balloon teams from across the country."

The event has been canceled in light of Friday's incident, according to a post on the festival's Facebook page.

CNN's Chandler Friedman and Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.

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