iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Nina Baker @ninabake2.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This is such a useful resource. I have been able to look up particular days and places to provide weather context for events in my books.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Over 100 WRCNS served in Inverclyde from 1943-45 as part of the Canadian shore manning, training and hospital base, HMCS Niobe. Due to lack of space (up to 2,000 men were at the main Greenock base), the WRCNS were stationed a few miles along the south bank of Clyde, in Gourock and Langbank.

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Illia Ponomarenko @ioponomarenko.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Friends, I’m immensely happy to announce my second book, The Land of Tears and Hope: The Ukrainian Story. Pre-order here: bloomsbury.com/us/land-of-t... Many of you know me as a defense reporter who spent years breaking bread with Ukrainian soldiers in trenches....

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Chris Sams @jerijerod14.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Canadian Corvettes providing escorts for the Atlantic convoys during #ww2 #history #navalhistory

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Below features HMCS Fredericton, K245, that operated as a convoy escort from Dec 1941 to the end of the war. In 1942 the ship was part of the Canadian Western Local Escort Force (WLEF), very likely dating this film.

HMCS Fredericton, K245, viewed from the air. A Canadian Corvette, a single 4-pounder gun is seen towards the bow, with an open bridge and single funnel amidships. To the stern are the depth charge arrays.
Credit: Royal Canadian Navy

Gunshield art/graffiti for HMCS Fredericton, K245. A cartoon flying winged tiger is seen soaring above a cartoon surfaced U-boat, with a depth charge being dropped onto the U-boat and a very large explosion from the U-boat in progress. All Canadian vessels carried such unique graffiti, similar to the more well-known art on US B-17 bombers.

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Lost Glasgow @lostglasgow.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

With the death of King Harald of Norway, let's rewind to December 1941, when his grandfather, King Haakon VII, wearing the uniform of his royal navy, travelled to Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd's Clydeholm Shipyard, in Whiteinch, where a merchant ship named in his honour was launched. Pic: Newsquest

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

PS Waverley, launched in 1947 and still sailing the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, passing Loch Long, August 20, 2026. #coastalhistory #maritimehistory #landscapephotography

Viewed from high above looking north, the Paddle Steamer Waverley sailed past the entrance to Loch Long on the First of Clyde, Scotland. The Waverley's scarlet funnels stand out against the relatively calm waters of the Clyde. A bright but cloudy sky illuminates the green hillsides of Argyll that surround Loch Long. Trees in full foliage are in the foreground.

The picture was taken from Tower Hill, Gourock, Scotland.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Privileged to spend a day on the PS Waverley, the world's last sea-going paddle steamer. Here the Waverley approaches the pier at Tighnabruaich (Tee-na-bru-ich) in the Kyles of Bute, Firth of Clyde, Scotland. More video and pictures follow.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Arrived safely in Southampton on Queen Mary 2. From the journey, here is a Mid-Atlantic video, featuring fog and ten foot waves. Very glad not to have to deal with weather such as this, and much worse, on a WW2 Corvette! #navalhistory #maritimehistory

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Currently on a Transatlantic voyage on the Queen Mary 2, crossing what before 1943 would have been the "black pit..." ...where allied convoys were beyond the range of air cover, and were therefore highly vulnerable to U-boat attack. Live 2026 footage follows...

A computerized map of ships on the north Atlantic. Many ships are indicated near the north American and British / European coats. The Queen Mary 2 stands out alone
in the centre of the north Atlantic.

A map of air coverage prior to 1943, where a large section of the north Atlantic could not be reached by air coverage. This large area of sea was known as the black pit, and was where U-boats sunk hundreds of merchant ships during WW2.

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Ready Aye Ready - Royal Canadian Navy #RCN @ready-aye-ready.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Newsreel: Repat Fleet Adds Aircraft Carrier. In HMCS Puncher, repatriated soldiers gather on board; elevators lower men into the ship; view of the bunk areas; the aircraft carrier moves down the Clyde River, past the John Brown shipyards. (1945) #RCN #RoyalCanadianNavy #Canada (LAC Canada)

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 17/04/2026

Ukrainian Yak-52 crew engaging Russian Shahed drones in an aerial interception role, with pilots from the 11th Army Aviation Brigade taking part in counter-drone operations. #Ukraine

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

An RN rating carries a young girl along a cluttered dock in Greenock, Scotland, March 1, 1945. This famous image, and the story behind it, epitomise naval purpose: protect the high seas, safeguard civilians. This is the story of the Sørøya Island rescue. #maritimehistory #navalhistory 🧵 1/29

An RN rating, wearing a Navy hats and boots, carries a young girl, aged about 10, along a cluttered dock in Greenock, Scotland, March 1, 1945. They are walking past oil drums, tractors and moored ships. The girl is smiling. The rating has the look of someone who has completed a hugely worthwhile task.

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Illia Ponomarenko @ioponomarenko.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

No words left to say.

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Illia Ponomarenko @ioponomarenko.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Epic. A Ukrainian Air Force F-16 takes out a Russian-Iranian Shahed-136 at a close distance. The witnesses are extremely happy and supportive 😀

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

The RCAF has a Naval Aviation museum in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. Active as an air base since the 1920s, the co-located museum has some breathtaking exhibits. So well worth a visit – here are a few sights that caught my eye… #navalhistory #maritimehistory #coastalhistory 🧵1/11

A painting memorializing the service of aviation in the Royal Canadian Navy through the decades. A scroll with the words “Our History, Our Pride” sits at the top, with eight head and shoulder figures clustered beneath and appearing to float in the sky, wearing uniforms from the last 100 years, both naval and aviation. The front figure is a woman, one of the seven men is black, the rest are white. In the seas beneath are aircraft carriers, naval rescue ships and a naval helicopter, with a jet plane visible on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Commander John R Hunter serving the crew of manning base HMCS Niobe, Greenock, Scotland, December 25, 1944. The Royal Canadian Navy tradition of the senior officer handing over command to the youngest member of the crew, and the officers serving a festive meal, started in the 1940s. #navalhistory

Acting Commander (and Commanding Officer) John Rooke Hunter of HMCS Niobe, a Royal Canadian Navy manning base in Greenock, Scotland, serves Christmas drinks to RCN Ratings and WRCNs, December 25 1944. Commander Hunter is wearing his full uniform, with the three stripes of his position prominent on the cuff of his jacket. The stripes are "wavy", indicating that he was an officer of the RCNVR (Volunteer Reserve). Commander Hunter is holding a large jug of tea (or other drink) and is pouring into the cups and bowls of seated and uniformed RCN Ratings and WRCNs, who are smiling broadly, clearly enjoying the moment of their commanding officer serving them. Commander Hunter appears to be enjoying the moment also, leaning in to the task. Men from further down the row are looking on, also smiling at the scene. In the background, some bunting is hanging between the windows of the large room where the serving is taking place.

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Led By Donkeys @ledbydonkeys.org · 19/12/2025

The story of Farage and Putin, told by British-Ukrainian soldier Shaun Pinner on a destroyed apartment block in Kyiv.

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Ready Aye Ready - Royal Canadian Navy #RCN @ready-aye-ready.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Royal Canadian Navy Operations Room, St. John's, Newfoundland, 24 September 1942 (LAC a180609-v6.jpg) #RCN #Photos #History

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Neil Drysdale @neildrysdale.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Happy St Andrew’s Day to Scots, wherever you are in the world!

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Florence @flore14.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

🌾 The day I stood here, I felt the weight of Ukraine’s grief. The girl’s eyes, far too old for a child, moved me to tears. Holodomor was a soviet-made genocide, to crush 🇺🇦 for daring to stay free. I left that place changed. I stand with Ukraine all the more for it 🕯️

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

A narrow WW2 North Atlantic port entrance, protected by torpedo nets AND icebergs! We could only be in St John’s, Newfoundland. Here is a thread of intertwined St John’s coastal and naval history, with views of both the past and the present. #coastalhistory #navalhistory 🧵1/13

A view looking down from the coastal west side, out to sea, of the narrows that make up the entrance to the harbour of St John's, Newfoundland. The narrows are 200 feet wide and about 800 feet in length. Visible just beyond the entrance to the narrows are two icebergs. Within the narrows, several rows of torpedo nets are visible through surface floats. Military garrison buildings are mixed with local houses along the steep, rocky cliffs that surround the narrows. Pic from The Rooms, Newfoundland Archives.

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Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast @shipwreckspod.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

3 Sept is Merchant Navy Day in the UK, to honor all the brave men and women who serve in the merchant Navy, both past and present. The Red Ensign is flown to recognize their sacrifices, both past and present. #merchantnavy #redensign #UK

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

The LAST Corvette: HMCS Sackville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 269 Flower-class corvettes served as convoy escorts during WW2, in 11 Allied Navies. Here is a tour of the one, breathtaking, survivor. Restored to 1944 sailing condition, as Canada’s Naval Memorial. #navalhistory #maritimehistory 🧵1/20

HMCS Sackville, a Flower-class corvette, moored on the Halifax waterfront in July 2025. The ship was the smallest convoy escort, only 205 feet in length and 950 tons in weight. It was designed as an anti-submarine vessel. The picture is taken from a mooring opposite the bow of the of the ship. The ship's pennant number, K181, is visible in black numbers, painted towards the bow on the side of the ship. The ship is painted in camouflage grey and sky blue. A small gun is visible towards the bow, and a single funnel with red-painted stripes around it is visible towards the rear. A crow's nest rises above all in the centre of the ship.

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Britain’s War Memorials @britwarmemorial.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

War memorial. Greenock Cemetery, Greenock, Inverclyde. Commemorating the citizens of Greenock who died as a result of the air raids 1940 to 1941. #LestWeForget

War memorial commemorating the citizens of Greenock who died as a result of the air raids 1940 to 1941. Inscription.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Captain John Cameron's report on the loss of the original PS Waverley at Dunkirk, May 29, 1940. Of course the "new" PS Waverley sails to this day, on the Clyde and around the British Isles, and is the world's last sea-going paddle steamer. waverleyexcursions.co.uk #navalhistory #maritimehistory

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Inverclyde History from Cartsburn Publishing @inverclydehistory.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Just spent the afternoon showing the Captain, Officers and crew from Fregate Normandie around Greenock. We visited Drums Farm, original Free French HQ,: Bagatelle, where DeGaulle met with Western Approaches Command: and of course the Lyle Hill and Cross of Lorraine where a short service was held

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

This Dutch delft plaque is on display at St Bartholomew’s in Gourock, Scotland. It memorializes the hospitality bestowed on “sailors, soldiers and airmen” from 1940-47. But what is the wartime history of the Dutch military on the Clyde? #maritimehistory #navalhistory #coastalhistory 🧵1/9

A decorated plaque made from blue and white Dutch delft tile, encased in a gilded frame. The words say:

To The Glory of God
and in grateful remembrance of generous hospitality bestowed on the Netherlands Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen during their stay in the United Kingdom Annis Domini 1940-47, this tablet was presented by the Protestant churches of the Netherlands.
"I was a stranger and ye took me in"

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Alies Maybee 🇨🇦 @amaybee.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

My dad took the first troop ship from 🇨🇦 to Britain early Oct 1939, I believe. He was in the 1st Canadian Div. He signed up the day after we declared war, no question he would fight fascism.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Everyone who is into WW2 history, post your favourite comic strip from wartime! Here is a David Low classic, and what any dictator can expect if they try to enter Scotland...

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Dr Sarah-Louise Miller @sarahloumiller.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Filmed this BBC series in Liverpool last year, and it’s now out on BBC iplayer if you’re looking for some telly to watch! It was wonderful to film at the brilliant Western Approaches museum, and to demonstrate the work of the Western Approaches Tactical Unit!

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This Is My Glasgow @thisismyglasgow.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Between the 13th and 15th of March 1941, the German airforce dropped over 250 tonnes of bombs on Clydeside, killing around 1,200 people (half in Clydebank and half in Glasgow). Cont./ #glasgow #eastwoodnewcemetery #gravestones #cemetery #clydebankblitz #graveyard #wwii #wwiihistory

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Trans-Atlantic cooperation – something we have relied on for decades. The RMS Queen Mary was a liner and troopship that sailed from 1936-67. Preserved still, the ship is uniquely and historically symbolic of ties across the Atlantic ocean. #maritimehistory #navalhistory #coastalhistory 🧵1/29

The RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary, moored permanently in sheltered water at Long Beach, California. The ship is 100 metres long, the hull painted black, upper decks white, and 3 funnels red with black tops. A crows-nest mast is visible at the bow in front of an elevated bridge. The ship is 12 decks high and towers above its surroundings. Multiple ventilation shafts are visible.

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Illia Ponomarenko @ioponomarenko.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

My piece for TIME: "Ukraine has options. Europe is still in the game. Ideas on how to mitigate the damage from Trump’s siding with Putin are boiling. As long as we, the people, want to keep our country we love, there is always a way forward." time.com/7265176/trum...

time.com

Never, Never Underestimate Ukraine

My country is not a Banana Republic that will simply bend to President Trump's wishes, writes Illia Ponomarenko.

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SAINT JAVELIN @saintjavelin.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Trump's admin is making the same mistake as Putin did in 2022: Underestimating Ukrainians. Today we are donating another $5,000 USD to support Ukrainians. If you're feeling the same way, channel it into action - donate to organizations in Ukraine to make a real impact. Stand with Ukraine.

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Scottish History @scottishhistory.org · 04/02/2025

Canadian sergeant aircrew trained under the Empire Air Training Scheme photographed upon their arrival at Gourock in February 1941. They would go on to serve with the Royal Air Force in the air war over Europe. The training scheme helped ensure a steady supply of trained volunteers for the RAF.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Stories of those that passed through the Clyde during WW2: Here are some of the men of the British Honduras (now Belize) Forestry Unit, arriving in Greenock, Scotland in November 1942, after a cold and hazardous 14-day voyage via New Orleans and New York. #maritimehistory #blackhistory #WW2 1/...

A group of 50-60 men pictured, standing and kneeling on the quayside in Greenock, Scotland in November 1942. All are black and are from British Honduras (now Belize), having travelled to do wartime forestry work. The men are wrapped up in what seem to be somewhat unfamiliar layers of warm clothes, but most are smiling broadly and some are giving the thumbs up. Almost all are wearing hats, and one man kneeling and wearing a trilby is ready to play the trumpet that he has brought with him.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

Enjoying a two-day research visit to the Inverclyde Archive hosted at the Watt Institution, Greenock, Scotland. The buildings were first opened in 1827. They don't make Archives like this any more! #navalhistory #maritimehistory #coastalhistory

A two-storey building built in uneven stone blocks with multiple annexes and decorations, giving the impression of a church without a spire. A sign outside explains that it is the Watt Institution. The building is located in Greenock, Scotland and was opened in 1827.

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Robert @clatchardcraig.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

The Broons story for the Hogmanay of 1944 is a masterpiece of Scots art which surpasses anything by Raeburn, Naysmith or the Colourists. This is a hill that I will die upon.

It is Hogmanay in 1944. Granpaw receives a telegram in the close of 10 Glebe Street. Chaos ensues with the Broons quarrelling about who their first foot should be. The rival first foots form a queue at the Broons' door. Then, Granpaw appears with Hen and Joe, who have been given leave from the army. He intercepted a telegram, mind? A final, sublimely couthy, ensemble frame shows the family and their friends celebrating. *moist eyes*

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Black US nurses arriving in Greenock, Scotland - August 15, 1944. They preceded the arrival of the 6888th Postal battalion in Scotland (on the liner SS Ile de France) by six months, having successfully challenged the the US racial quota system. #navalhistory #militaryhistory #blackhistory #WW2

A group of about 25 black female nurses, wearing heavy coats, US army helmets and red cross armbands, await being able to go ashore, after being ferried from their troopship moored on the Clyde to Greenock, a mile into shore. A ferryman in the foreground holds a rope, a lifeboat hangs above them in the background.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

US troops newly arrived in Scotland at Gourock on the Firth of Clyde, July 31, 1943, being greeted by US senators Mead (NY) and Cabot Lodge (Mass). Roughly three million US soldiers passed through Gourock during WW2, on their way to Europe and North Africa. #navalhistory #militaryhistory #ww2

US Senator Mead (New York), wearing a business suit, leans over with his hands on his knees to talk to newly-arrived Black US soldiers sitting on their kitbags on the Gourock, Scotland dockside. The soldiers are smiling. Soldiers with large kitbags on their shoulders are filing past in the background as the conversation takes place. Soldiers in the foreground are leaning on their rifles.

US Senator Cabot Lodge (Mass) talks to newly-arrived US troops, standing in front of the unmistakable sequential triangular roofs of the Gourock train station building. Scotland, July 1943. The senator is wearing a military uniform with a triangular "US" patch on the arm. The soldiers have their full kit with them. A sergeant and a corporal smile as they talk to the senator.

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Brian Mackie @brianmackie.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

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Dave Long @axe99.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

A short thread on feeds: On BlueSky there is no algorithm - you choose your own adventure, and one way to do this is through feeds, which are a great way of focussing content. There are thousands, on all sorts of topics, although clearly those on maritime matters are the best feeds 😁 (1/7)

A picture of the Feeds sub-menu of BlueSky, shoing a list of feeds.

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