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On the journey back to London yesterday, I also had the chance to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Soviet-era submarine Foxtrot B-39 at Strood as I passed over the River Medway on the Rochester Bridge. It's been moored here since 2004, ostensibly for restoration...

Photo taken from a moving train shows the submarine Foxtrot B-39 at her mooring in the River Medway. The full length of the submarine can be seen between the girders of the bridge.

And not forgetting the mural & the extensive military history of Sheerness... 4/4

Photos shows the 'Welcome to Sheerness' mural painted on a side wall of the now closed amusement arcade situated just behind the seawall. The mural features a mermaid, lying on her side on a sandy beach with her hand resting on the lever of a detonation box. The three masts of the SS Richard Montgomery are pictured in the sea. The tagline of the mural is 'Welcome to Sheerness: you'll have a blast'. A smaller inscription to the bottom left hand side reads "The Montgomery Mermaid'.

Photo taken from the seawall at Sheerness heading towards Garrison Point, showing three different structures on the site of the Albemarle Battery. The central building is a concrete observation tower.

Photo shows a copper plaque commemorating the contribution Sheerness made to Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940.

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The wreck is close to the Medway Approach Channel. At low tide... 2/5

Photo taken from Sheerness seawall showing the concrete slope to the beach, visible at low tide. The masts of the SS Richard Montgomery are approximately 1.5 miles away.

Photo showing the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery. The buoys of the no-entry exclusion zone can be seen, with a grey-hulled freighter passing in the background, heading west.

Photo showing the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery. The buoys of the no-entry exclusion zone can be seen, with a blue-hulled vehicle-carrier passing in the background, heading east towards the sea.

Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Sheerness: 82 years after sinking, the management of the #SSRichardMontgomery wreck is scheduled to move to its next phase. The removal of its visible masts. I took a quick trip yesterday to see them before they go... 1/5

Photo showing the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery. The buoys of the no-entry exclusion zone can be seen.

Photo showing a close-up of the masts of the SS Richard Montgomery. One of the no-entry exclusion zone buoys can be seen. The Essex coast is visible in the background.

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Prairie Grain. I'm assuming the #FederalSpey is still at berth in Port of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Is this a second bulk carrier coming in across the Bay? #lonearcticdeepwater

Screenshot taken from Marine Traffic on 29th August 2026 at approximately 10.00am (London, UK) showing a map of Hudson Bay, Canada. It shows a blue circle representing the Port of Churchill, Manitoba where one ship is in port and a single green indicator for a potential second cargo vessel heading to the port.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Reminds me I recently came across a July 1963 article on the TU-20...

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Prairie Grain: "Multiple export vessels will ship the grain later this summer to global markets..." Wondering if this is the start of that process (I only see it listed as 'cargo vessel').. #lonearcticdeepwater www.arcticgateway.com/agg-news/new...

Screenshot taken from Marine Traffic on 26th August 2026 at 07.15am (London, UK) showing a map of Hudson Bay, Canada. It shows a blue circle representing the Port of Churchill, Manitoba and a single green indicator for a cargo vessel heading to the port.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

And the recent walk along Scotstown Beach near Peterhead, Scotland. It was a stunning day walking on a beautiful empty beach... 2/2 #OnXII

Screenshot of a record and map of a walk along Scotstown Beach, Scotland.

Photo shows Scotstown Beach, near Peterhead, Scotland. Taken from the top of a sand dune, it's looking south towards Peterhead. A WW2 pillbox can be seen buried in the sand.

Photo shows a WW2 pillbox buried in the sand on Scotstown Beach near Peterhead, Scotland. The St. Fergus gas terminal can be seen in the background.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Some favourites from this year’s journeys... Stockholm, early December. A 'flâneur day', something of a relentless exploration of the city... 1/2 #OnXII

Screenshot of a record and map of a walk in Stockholm.

Photo shows an illuminated Christmas decoration on Strömgatan, Stockholm.

Photo shows a street view, taken on Söderledstunneln with the Avicii Arena (the Globe) in the background.

Photo shows the inside of the Bullar & Bröd bakery and coffee shop on Valhallavägen. Both the bread and coffee were excellent!

Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Target achieved: walk 1000 miles between August Bank Holiday 2025 to the same weekend in 2026. Continuing the yearly endeavour... #OnXII bsky.app/profile/guyy...

Screenshot of a notification indicating I'd met my walking mileage target of 1000 miles.

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Lastly, remember the Deep Discoverer? Well, take a close look at the second photo. There's a man on the helipad: quite the position to watch port departure from! / end

Photo shows a close of the ship Deep Discoverer as it moves through the Navigation Channel to the open sea. It shows the bow of the ship and the helipad above the bridge.

Photo shows a close up of the ship the Deep Discoverer after it has passed through the Navigation Channel. It is a close up shot showing the top of the bridge, communications equipment and the helipad from behind. There is a man standing on the helipad as it sails.

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Sunrise over Footdee Beach & the Navigation Channel... 6/n

Photo shows the sunrise from Footdee Beach.

Photo shows the sunrise from Pocra Quay looking past the Marine Operations Centre to the open sea.

The South Harbour was opened in 2023, an expansion that added 1.5km of deep water berthage... 5/n

Photo of the Southern Harbour showing the ship Boca Northern Ocean berthed at the Dunnottar Quay. It is next to a rig on the Crathes Quay and is using its cranes to assist with repair work.

Photo taken next to the Girdle Ness Lighthouse showing the raised legs of the rig in the South Harbour in view above the hill of Walker Park.

The Navigation Channel & late afternoon departures... 4/n

Photo taken from Greyhope Road in Torry. It shows the Marine Operations Centre and the ship Deep Discoverer, assisted by the pilot, making its way up the Navigation Channel to leave port.

Photo taken from Greyhope Road in Torry. It shows the Marine Operations Centre and the ship Helliar making its way up the Navigation Channel to leave port.

Photo taken from Greyhope Road in Torry. It shows the Marine Operations Centre and the ship UAL Houston, assisted by the pilot, making its way up the Navigation Channel to leave port.

The Navigation Channel & early morning arrivals... 3/n

Photo taken from Footdee Beach shows the sea and the North Pier with a ship making its way into the Navigation Channel.

Photo taken from Pocra Quay in Footdee. It shows the Marine Operations Centre and the North Link ferry Hjaltland making its way up the Navigation Channel to dock.

Photo taken from Pocra Quay in Footdee. It shows the Marine Operations Centre and the ship Grampian Sovereign making its way up the Navigation Channel to dock.

The city & the port are proximate; this is the Energy Duchess berthed at Trinity Quay in the Upper Dock... 2/n

Photo showing a bow-on view of the ship Energy Duchess berthed at Trinity Quay in the Upper Dock at Aberdeen. The image shows cars travelling on the A956 turning off Market Street directly in front of the ship.

Photo showing a side-on view of the ship Energy Duchess berthed at Trinity Quay in the Upper Dock at Aberdeen. The photo was taken from Market Street, and shows the towers of the Sheriff Court and Marischal College behind the ship.

North-East Scotland: Port of Aberdeen. A series taken over three separate days... It is Scotland's largest berthage port, with over 7,600m of quayside. It supports general cargo, oil & gas, renewables, decommissioning, cruise & ferry services. These are images of the North Harbour... 1/n

Photo showing the Port of Aberdeen with the main city centre behind it. It shows the Turning Basin, Point Law, Albert Basin and Victoria Dock. Taken from near the Skate's Nose Jetty.

Photo showing the Port of Aberdeen. It shows the Pilot Jetty, Abercrombie Jetty, Footdee and the Marine Operations Centre.

Photo showing the Port of Aberdeen. It shows the Round House, the Marine Operations Centre, the North Pier and the Navigation Channel.

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Lastly, looping back to the Remote Radar Head. It's the Control Reporting Centre (CRC) at RAF Boulmer, via the RRH's feeding into ASACS, that coordinates the UK's Quick Reaction Alert operations. Which links back to where my journey started - at RAF Lossiemouth as QRA 1 - North... #thoiranaire / end

Photo of the sunset over the Moray Firth at dusk, showing an illuminated Covesea Lighthouse next to RAF Lossiemouth.

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I turned 180 degrees & there is the St. Fergus terminal... 11/n

Photo taken from the top of a sand dune on Scotstown Beach, looking north. It shows the St. Fergus gas terminal next to a curving bay, with the Rattray Lighthouse at the end.

So, let's try & tie the proximity together. This shot from Scotsdown Beach is looking south towards Peterhead, about 5 miles away. At the left is the fish market & harbour (the square block). The towers of PPS are visible. Smaller & to the right on the horizon, the white radome of RRH Buchan... 10/n

Photo taken from on top of a sand dune on Scotstown Beach, looking south and showing the town of Peterhead.

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Defence: Remote Radar Head. RRH Buchan is one of seven RRH's & was upgraded as part of Programme HYDRA. Collectively they are 'parented' by RAF Boulmer which operates the Air Surveillance & Control System (ASACS) & establishes the Recognised Air Picture (RAP) used to defend UK airspace... 9/n

Photo showing the radome of Remote Radar Head Buchan on the horizon. Taken from Stirling Village on a viewpoint hill just off the A90.

Photo shows the white radome of Remote Radar Head Buchan from the facilities approach road.

Close up photo of the white radome of Remote Radar Head Buchan, with a grass field in the foreground.

Photo taken on the A90 showing the road sign for Remote Radar Head Buchan.

Food: Peterhead is the UK's biggest whitefish & pelagic fishing port (& one of the largest in Europe) & so occupies a key position in this part of the food chain, with local auction, processing, cold-storage & extensive road logistics & distribution support... 8/n

Photo showing the Peterhead fish market and some of the 42 loading bays. The photo was taken after the market had closed for the day so there is no traffic and the bays are closed.

Photo of a trawler in Peterhead port, next to the Queenie Brig bridge which provides access to the trawler quays and fish market.

Photo of a single large trawler at berth next to the tanker jetty at Peterhead port.

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high-volume supply of gas as a heating source". St. Fergus provides between 25–50% of UK supply... 7/n

Photo showing the St. Fergus gas terminal from across fields.

Photo showing the St. Fergus gas terminal from the shoreline on Scotstown Beach.

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Energy: Gas. This is St.Fergus Gas Terminal. According to the @e3g.bsky.social 'Home Front' report (2026), "85% of UK homes are reliant on four highly centralised gas infrastructure sites, where major pipelines meet their associated refining, processing & distribution centres, for continuous... 6/n

Photo showing the St. Fergus gas terminal in the distance taken from the edge of Peterhead.

Image of a diagram showing a map of the UK and North Sea gas pipeline connections, illustrating the significance of St. Fergus.

At the same time, the Eastern Green Link 2 project (EGL2) is underway, creating a 505km HVDC subsea cable link between Peterhead & Drax in North Yorkshire... 5/n

Photo showing the on site offices for the Eastern Green Link 2 groundworks and construction activity.

Image of a map of the UK showing the planned route of the Eastern Green Link 2 high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable between Peterhead and Drax.

for this rebuild process but current lead times for new gas turbines are 7-8 so concerns have been expressed about the overall longer term stability of the Scottish Grid... 4/n

Photo of the Peterhead Power Station taken from the edge of Boddam on the A90. The image show a grass bank so only the tops of the towers are showing. There is a wooden billboard advertisement for the Zanres fish and chips shop in the foreground.

Photo of the Peterhead Power Station taken from Stirling Village on the A90. The towers show over the village rooftops. A bronze statue of the upper half of a male RAF officer is to the left on a granite plinth. This is a commemoration to RAF Buchan (now closed).

Energy: Electricity. Peterhead Power Station (PPS) is one of only two in Scotland (the other is Torness which is scheduled to close around 2030). PPS is also reaching end-of-life & is seeking a capacity contract to re-power the plant. I understand the expectation is 4 years... 3/n

Photo shows the entrance road to Peterhead Power Station.

Photo from the viewing hill next to Peterhead Power Station showing the main buildings and towers.

The establishing shot: this is Peterhead Port (maritime - transport) & you can see trawlers (food - fishing), offshore-subsea support vessels (energy - oil/gas/renewables), Peterhead Power Station (energy - electricity) & a Remote Radar Head (defence - Air Surveillance & Control System)... 2/n

Photo taken just after dawn on the quayside at Peterhead port. It shows 2 large trawlers at berth and an offshore support vessel leaving port. There is a seagull flying through the picture!

Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

North-East Scotland: Peterhead & clustered critical national infrastructure. Last week I spent some days in Bluetoon, with the Blue Mogganers & several CNI sectoral elements in close proximity: transport, energy, food & defence, touching upon themes of #societalresilience & #nationalsecurity... 1/n

Ariel photo of Peterhead port, looking south, overlaid with indicators of the key areas of the port. The image is reproduced from the Peterhead Port website.

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... anti-invasion defences soon began." end /

Photo shows the view from inside one of the derelict Engine Houses. A small base including the gun houses, battery observation posts, searchlights, magazines & accommodation was constructed. There is graffiti on one of the walls which reads 'Lossie ATC".

Photo shows the information board which also includes a map of the battery.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

"Hold the Line - In May 1940, during the early months of WW2, the Admiralty warned of a "concentration of flat bottomed ships in Norway". Over 600 kilometres of British coastline was thought suitable for landing enemy troops & tanks, & the construction of a large scheme of coastal & inland... 2/n

Photo shows the view looking out from within a derelict Gun House. The gun mounting can be seen in the central foreground. The Gun House overlooks a line of anti-tank cubes, the shingle beach and the sea.

Photo shows a sandy path up to the Gun House (one of two) with Lossie Forest in the background. An information board is in the foreground.

Photo shows the view looking out from inside a derelict Battery Observation Post. The Post overlooks a line of anti-tank cubes, the shingle beach and the sea.

Photo shows the view looking out of the side window of a pillbox. A line of eroding anti-tank cubes can be seen stretching away into the distance.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

North-East Scotland: Lossiemouth East Beach - 1941 Invasion Defences. An unbroken line of anti-tank cubes interspersed with pillboxes scratches over 8 kilometres along the Moray Coast. These are the longest & best preserved examples in Scotland. From the text on the information board... 1/n

Photo of Lossiemouth East Beach showing a long line of anti- tank cubes. Lossie Forest is behind the cubes and in front of them is a single beach and the sea. Lossiemouth can be seen in the distance.

A line of anti-tank cubes with a pillbox at the end built on the dunes between the forest and the sea.

Photo shows five anti-tank cubes in close up. Behind them is the raised single beach.

Photo shows a series of anti-tank cubes and a pillbox, now sunken on it's foundations. Lossie Forest is to the left and the single beach is to the right.

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Guy Yeomans @guyyeomans.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I am drinking Scottish Mountain Lager. By the sea. I will not be answering questions at this time...

A photo of a pint of Torr Scottish lager sitting on a black bar top.

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Sunday afternoon. In the sun, next to the Moray Firth. Beer & starting my next holiday book, 'Preparing for War' by @olivierschmitt.bsky.social, whilst overlooking RAF Lossiemouth & P-8A's & an E7 Wedgetail. Perhaps a visual representation of the 'Strategy of Means'...

Photo showing a book on a table next to a pint of Guinness. The table is on a terrace which overlooks the Moray Golf Course & then further in the distance RAF Lossiemouth. Four maritime patrol aircraft can be seen on the tarmac.

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Plot #2: facing North West & bearing 313 degrees. This is the direction to Reykjavik, crossing part of the Gap & a distance of approximately 760 miles... 5/6

Map showing the direction, bearing and distance from Lossiemouth, Scotland to Reykjavik, Iceland.

Photo of Lossiemouth West Beach. The photo shows a single landing approach light on a yellow pole, the beach and the sea, facing a bearing of 313 degrees.

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Plot #1: facing North-East at 039 degrees. Direction to Zapadnaya Litsa in Murmansk Oblast, home base to the Northern Fleet's Yasen class SSBN submarines. Distance approximately 1,300 miles... 4/6

A map plotting direction, bearing and distance to Zapadnaya Litsa in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

Photo showing Lossiemouth West Beach. Looking back towards the town from behind the set of final approach landing lights and facing in a north east direction, bearing approximately 039 degrees

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As an attempt to visualise elements of this geography & its teleconnections, here's the establishing shot. On the West Beach at Lossiemouth sits a bank of final approach lights, 8 in the set. Standing at the mid-point behind the set, I tried to make two rough plots... 3/6

A photo taken at West Beach at Lossiemouth, showing the beach, sea and Cove sea Lighthouse in the distance. In the left of the image is a bank of 8 final approach lights for RAF Lossiemouth.

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A further personal #GIUK-NGap klaxon. RAF Lossiemouth is a frontline base. From the RU perspective, it sits in the World Oceans, proximate to the Far Seas Zone & covering the Gap, the #atlanticbastion & the broader #highnorth. Kaushal & Black (RUSI, 2025) assert an RU... #thoiranaire 1/6

Map from Kaushal and Black's 'The Atlantic Bastion' paper (RUSI, 2025), showing a representation of the area and boundaries of the Atlantic Bastion concept.

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And I don't want any of you QRA Typhoon fans to feel left out... #thoiranaire

A Typhoon on final approach to landing at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland

A Typhoon on final approach to landing at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, showing Covesea Lighthouse

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Yesterday evening, I watched several PA8-A's from the fleet come back into land after being out all day... 3/3

PA8-A Poseidon coming back into land at RAF Lossiemouth, over the Moray Firth

PA8-A Poseidon coming back into land at RAF Lossiemouth, over the Moray Firth with Covesea Lighthouse

PA8-A Poseidon coming back into land at RAF Lossiemouth over the golf course

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Earlier, I watched ZP804 - Spirit of Reykjavik take off from runway 05/23... cc @puca.bsky.social... 2/3

PA8-A Poseidon ZP804 - Spirit of Reykjavik at stand prior to take off at RAF Lossiemouth

PA8-A Poseidon ZP804 - Spirit of Reykjavik taxiing at RAF Lossiemouth

PA8-A Poseidon ZP804 - Spirit of Reykjavik moments before commencing take off at RAF Lossiemouth

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