Monument to the first fleet review, Osaka, Japan
Hello PHG fans, today we're headed back to Japan, and on a special occasion as well. It happens that this week we marked 158 years since the first Japanese fleet review took place near Mount Tempo in Osaka . The Meiji Emperor, in whose name the Meiji Restoration took place and Boshin War was fought, was on hand to witness six Japanese ships and one french vessel sail together on 26 March 1868. This was the first of 18 fleet reviews, the last of which was in 1940 in Yokohama.
Tony Boccia
USS Stingray (SS-186) Memorial, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Hello PHG fans! Today we're headed back to the Philippines, and taking a look at a memorial for the USS Stingray (SS-186). This monument is located not far from the northernmost point on Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. On 27 August 1944, Stingray made a secret drop near here of 15 Filipino guerrillas (trained in Brisbane by the Allies) and six tons of supplies. Small deliveries such as this one helped soften the beachhead in Luzon as the plans to retake the Phil
Tony Boccia
On this day: Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami - March 11, 2011
On this day in 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean roughly 80 miles east of Miyagi, Japan. The earthquake, the strongest in recorded Japanese history, set off a series of tsunamis that killed 18,000 throughout the northeast coast of the country. Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had all but a hundred or so of the casualties. The tsunami that struck Fukushima knocked the power out in the Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which led to a partial meltdow
Tony Boccia