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.........

Friday, April 23, 2010

Iceland, images of the Northern Lights..[ 1031 ]

Volcanic ash cloud: stunning Northern Lights images captured over Iceland

A series of spectacular images of the Northern Lights have been captured over the ash plume from the Iceland Volcano.

Telegraph co. uk.,By Andrew Hough
Published: 10:30AM BST 23 Apr 2010

Previous1 < class="total">3 Images > Next

The Northern Lights are seen through a valley leading away from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano: Volcanic ash cloud: stunning Northern Lights images captured over Iceland

The Northern Lights are seen through a valley leading away from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano Photo: REUTERS

The incredible images show in amazing detail the sky lit up in amazing green colour above the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

In the images, captured by New York-based photographer Lucas Jackson, red lava can also be seen spewing from the top of the active volcano.

Mr Jackson had earlier captured an astonishing lightning display over the volcano, which he wrote about in detail in an online blog.

The images, from the Reuters news agency, came as Iceland said it would close two of its airports for the first time later on Friday just as the rest of Europe was starting to recover from a week of airline chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud.

The Icelandic aviation authority has announced that the Keflavik International Airport and Reykjavík International Airport will be closed from this morning.

Airports within Iceland had previously been unscathed by the giant ash cloud thanks to strong northwest winds which blew ash from the volcano, in the south of Iceland, out to sea and over Europe.

The closures come as airports are finally reopening across Europe after world travel was crippled for almost a week.

At its peak, the crisis affected 1.2 million passengers a day and 29 per cent of all global aviation, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Stranded air passengers have been warned they could face a lengthy battle to reclaim the cost of hotels and meals despite budget airlines agreeing to reimburse them.

And It appears increasingly likely that the taxpayer will end up footing the bill for the £1.6 billion cost to the airline and tourist industries of the six-day shutdown.

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