Cloak and Dagger

Caption: It does sound disturbingly familiar.

Then there’s the war on drugs now that the War Department has taken over.

A Towed Array Caught a Fish

On October 31, 1983, USS McCloy (FF-1038) was conducting anti-submarine operations off the East Coast of the United States. While searching for Soviet ballistic missile submarines that were known to operate in the area, McCloy was also attempting to track down a Soviet Victor III-class submarine for data purposes, as they had yet to be found in the Western Atlantic.

She had earlier identified a suspected submarine and moved to intercept it. Once at the submarine’s suspected location, the Towed Sonar Array was let out. McCloy did an excellent job of establishing contact, as once they began using the Towed Sonar Array, they found they were right on top of the Soviet Sub.

Almost immediately, the cable became snagged. Stretched out, it finally snapped and whipped out of the water. McCloy immediately turned for home after retrieving what was left of her towed array. As she radioed a report of the incident back to base, she received the humorous reply: “When McCloy gains contact, McCloy confirms contact. A new tail is on the way.” As McCloy left the area, a P-3 aircraft took over observation.

The P-3 later confirmed that K-324 was dead on the surface. The submarine’s screw was fouled by the Towed Array’s cable. The submarine had to wait for a salvage ship to arrive before getting towed to Cuba for repairs.

The information-gathering mission was a success, as detailed photographs were taken of K-324. On the other hand, Soviet engineers got access to current components of the Towed Sonar System used by the United States Navy.

Pictured: USS Peterson (DD-969), Russian “fishing” Intelligence Ship, Russian Trawler 506 Bayevo of the Pulkovskiy Meridian Class (Project 1288), Soviet Victor III K-324. K-324 also collided with USS Drum (SSN-677) (Sturgeon-class SSN) in 1981 near Vladivostok in Peter the Great Bay; USS Drum had been attempting to photograph a towed array pod attached to the back of the Soviet submarine when the collision occurred.

USS McCloy FF-1038, (below)

Bullet Points:

** The Sheriff of Baghdad chats with Meagan about conspiracy theories.

** Toxic Masculinity

** China’s gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) is the world’s most competitive and consequential university admission test. Taking place every June, the multi-day exam serves as the primary gateway to higher education. For millions of Chinese youth, a single numerical score dictates their university placement and long-term career trajectory. China’s gaokao chart may be one of the clearest pictures of China’s rise – and decline in confidence. The gap between China’s college-entrance-exam-age population and actual applicants collapsed from 18.9 million in 2000 to just 2.42 million in 2024. In the boom years, families believed education was the ladder to upward mobility, so more students stayed in the game. That was the optimism of the WTO era. But now the trend is turning. The gap is projected to rise again to 3.18 million in 2026. That matters. It suggests more young people are questioning whether the gaokao, and the credential treadmill behind it, still leads anywhere. When faith in education weakens, it usually means faith in the economy is weakening too. This is not just an education story. It’s a confidence story. Can Red China’s education system turn that education into employment opportunity?

** Boating with EdB – compilation

** “At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.” – President Trump

** The rabid left loved their martyr. We’re speaking of Saint George Floyd, of whom so much was made.

** The announcement… and Dad’s right again.

** The Hunt – Coastal elites hunt “deplorables” from fly-over country in this 2020 film. I’m not endorsing the Netflix movie, but it does have its lighter moments. How much do cigarettes cost in Arkansas? The Devil is in the details.

** Barack and Big Mike – there’s a reason they found each other. “Michelle Obama is a man,” Hokit yelled into the microphone. “Am I right, America?”  The crowd at the Claw on the South Lawn of the White House would seem to have agreed with Hokit – if you’re gauging the reaction by the cheer-o-meter. I didn’t hear a single dissenting boo. Of course it would stand to reason that Bathhouse Barry would marry a guy. Joe Rogan, there in the ring, just laughed. Rogan knows too. I hope that Hokit doesn’t end up like Joan Rivers after she outed Big Mike.

-> Aftermath: Josh Holkit Said Michelle Obama is a Man at the UFC Fights at the White House. In response, the Obama PR Group released a photo (right) proving beyond doubt that Barack’s husband, Michelle, is a woman, pregnant with their son, Wilson. Chicago probate documents reveal that when Michelle Obama’s grandmother died in 1984, she left $2,000 and a gold necklace to “my darling grandson Michael.”  The family attorney called the documents ‘privileged’ and refused to comment further. Of course.

** 754AD – The Battle of Tours.

** Making a boat – step by step – with EdB. You don’t expect him to do it all by himself.

** TikTok banned this video about men in women’s sports.

** Zohran Mamdani is teaching the whole country a lesson, as his city empties of people, writes Kimberley Strassel (WSJ)

** Oh Hillary, you plump, shrewish, has-been – (Fox News) “While Bill was getting b— j— in the Oval Office from an intern and spewing all over her dress (that she kept for posterity without being cleaned) and groping female Air Force enlisted crew on Air Force One. You lecture about ‘respect for the institution’ while your husband lost the nuclear codes. And when you finally slinked out in 2001? You and your crew trashed the place—vandalism, theft, the GAO confirmed it. Sit down, b—–, the adults are back in charge.”

Do the Danes hold a Grudge against the British?

The First Battle of Copenhagen (1801): Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson engaged the Danish fleet to break up the League of Armed Neutrality. During this clash, the British sank three Danish ships and captured 12 others.

The Second Battle of Copenhagen (1807): In a preemptive strike, the British bombarded Copenhagen (with mortars firing explosive shells) and forced the Danes to surrender. The British captured or destroyed approximately 60 ships, including 18 ships of the line and 16 frigates, and sailed most of them back to England to be integrated into the Royal Navy. 

The British Navy reasoned that they needed the Danish ships to flesh out their blockading squadrons and also to deny Napoleon the use of the Danish fleet if they capitulated to him. So they declared war on Denmark, which tried to remain neutral. This was back when Great Britain had a navy… and a functional army capable of deployment. There is no danger of a re-run. Though the Danish Army doesn’t have much ammunition for their rifles and yells, “bang” when training – so there you are.

Identify the Aircraft

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