HMS Vindictive

Improved Birmingham-Class cruiser built by Harland and Wolff at Belfast under an Emergency War Programme and was ordered in July 1917. She was laid down on 8th December 1917 and was intended to be named Cavendish, but on selection to be converted for use as an aircraft carrier was renamed.
This cruiser was launched on 18th December 1918 and the 5th RN warship to carry the name Vindictive. Her conversion involved removal of 3 of her 6in guns and the fitting of a 215 ft landing deck aft with another forward measuring 100 ft. The ship carried six or eight aircraft, depending on their type. Build was completed on 19th June 1919.
In 1925 the ship was again converted and reverted to use as a cruiser in 1929. The forward hangar was retained and a catapult with crane for recovery were fitted aft. After 11 years use as a cruiser yet another conversion was authorised and the ship was converted for use as a Cadet Training Ship.
She was disarmed and modified to provide the facilities for training of Cadets. As a result her use during WW2 was limited to support duties.

Source: Naval History

The Cook Interceptor

The favorable performance of an eight wheel (8x8) vehicle developed by the Cook Brothers of Los Angeles, California resulted in a design study to adapt the chassis as a 3 inch gun motor carriage. The design utilized the 3 inch gun mount M4 developed for the 3 inch gun motor carriage M5. The new vehicle was designated as the 3 inch gun motor carriage T55 and was popularly known as the "Cook Interceptor". As originally proposed, the vehicle had two engines, one in front and one in the rear, with each engine driving one four wheel bogie. In the final design, both engines were installed at the rear. Steering was with the aid of a hydraulic booster and was accomplished by turning the entire front bogie about a center pivot point.
Earlier wheeled carriages for the 3 inch gun had been considered. The first was the previously mentioned T7 which was a modified version of the armored car T13. The second was the 3 inch gun motor carriage TIS which proposed to mount a 3 inch gun on a special Ford, four wheel drive, chassis. Later plans changed the special Ford chassis to a six wheel drive version. However, the project was dropped completely in October 1941 and the two T55 series vehicles were the only wheeled 3 inch gun motor carriages actually constructed.
Tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground revealed that the cross-country mobility of the Cook vehicle was inferior to that of a full track tank destroyer such as the T49 then under test. Both the T55 and the T55E1 were canceled without further production.

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Soviet Airship Crew

1934

From EM Oppmann Archive

via yesaul @ LJ

Empress of Britain

The RMS Empress of Britain was an ocean liner built between 1928 and 1931 by John Brown shipyard in Scotland and owned by Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. This ship — second of three CP vessels named Empress of Britain — provided scheduled trans-Atlantic passenger service from spring to autumn between Canada and Europe from 1931 until 1939. This Empress was distinguished by the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific.
In her time, she was the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ship between England and Canada. She was torpedoed on 28 October 1940 by U-32 and sank. At 42,348 gross tons, she was the largest liner lost during the Second World War and the largest ship sunk by a U-boat (Wiki).

Graf Zeppelin Over Sofia

October 16, 1929

Source: Lostbulgaria.com

Eco-Friendly

From the "Vie à la Campagne" revue, published by Hachette
1927

via Vintage Poster

Standard Gauge

Images of Italeri's 1/35 scale Fiat Autoblinda AB 40 Ferroviaria:

The Autoblinda 40 (AB 40) was an Italian armored car built in small numbers in 1940.

Armament consisted of two 8 mm machine guns in a turret. During production a need for heavier armament was envisioned and so the AB 40 was redesigned as the AB 41 which was the same vehicle except for a new turret with a 20 mm autocannon. Most of the 24 AB 40s that had been built were then converted to AB 41s.

Images: Warren Zoel @ The Great Canadian Modelbuilder's Webpage
Text: Wiki
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