18 replies to this topic

[chester]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

[Steam Flyer]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

There's a US version in Lake Champlain

FB- Doug

[TQA]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

You gotta see Diamond rock to appreciate the difficulties faced by those 120 men. It's f******g steep too!

[chester]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

You gotta see Diamond rock to appreciate the difficulties faced by those 120 men. It's f******g steep too!

Cool. It keeps playing all monty pythonish in my mind: "Right, then off you go with the cannon" "Off we go where? onto the bloody rock? with the cannon?"

[czo79]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

There's a US version in Lake Champlain

FB- Doug

Seriously? I can't find anything on it, can you tell me anything about it, what island, etc?
thanks,
-czo

[stranded]

bit like they regarded gibraltar as an unsinkable aircraft carrier in WW2

[rattus32]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? ...

Maybe they were dumped there to study insects? ;-)

[Soñadora]

well, I refer to the house as 'The Stucco Cutter'

[Matagi]

Ok, as no one has asked the question of all questions before: What's it rate?

[jackdaw]

No Stone Frigate, but I got a Stone Sloop..... Brick actually..

[Expatriated]

Ok, as no one has asked the question of all questions before: What's it rate?

Since HMS Diamond Rock had fewer than 20 guns it was a Sloop of War and hence unrated...

[TQA]

DIAMOND ROCK off the south of Martinique.

Used by the British in 1804 as a 'sloop of war' after landing 120 men and cannons. Somehow they got the guns and stores on to the top where they fired on any frenchies going by.

They manned it against all odds for 17 months

Attached Files

•  MartiniqueDiamondRock.jpg   22.97K   6 downloads

[Kent H]

The British come up with some great names. Some we borrow and some we do not. This is one that the USA did not.

Here is the USA's most famous stone frigate
http://en.wikipedia...._Fraile_Island)

[Officebob]

All of Britain's colonies call their key Naval buildings "Stone Frigates" as well..even to the North of you....go figure.

[bugger]

There is an old Royal Navy building in Kingston, Ontario Canada called the stone frigate. It even has port and starboard running lights.

[Tucky]

[chester]

DIAMOND ROCK off the south of Martinique.

Used by the British in 1804 as a 'sloop of war' after landing 120 men and cannons. Somehow they got the guns and stores on to the top where they fired on any frenchies going by.

They manned it against all odds for 17 months

they did things back then with human power that just make your jaw drop. i guess absolute power has it's advantages: you WILL haul that cannon to the top of that cliff or you will die trying...now get on with it".

Hehehehheheh

[chester]

name='Officebob' timestamp='1353809140' post='3950613']
All of Britain's colonies call their key Naval buildings "Stone Frigates" as well..even to the North of you....go figure.

There is an old Royal Navy building in Kingston, Ontario Canada called the stone frigate. It even has port and starboard running lights.[/s]

I'm told that the HMCS Unicorn across the street use ship terms for facilities inside...decks, starboard, port, etc.

[sailman]

So, i'm checking out the Vendee Globe and I'm looking at the race viewer and see a map label: Georgetown Island. this is not afamiliar name to me so I google it and come to Ascension Island. The description said that the british navy garrisoned the island after Napoleon was dumped on St. Helena and designated it a Stone Frigate. Stone frigate? a nickname for any naval facility on land. Entymology? the british navy unloaded 120 men and a cannon on a rock off martinque, declared it a "sloop of war" with orders to take a shot at any french ships....! I'm guessing the ordinary seamen were making "friggin' stone frigate" jokes before there boots dried off. It turns out there is a stone frigate right across the street from my office, the HMCS Unicorn. Hehehehe, those crazy Brits ;>)

I'm sure you guys knew this but it amused me for a few minutes.

You gotta see Diamond rock to appreciate the difficulties faced by those 120 men. It's f******g steep too!

I dove on Diamond Rock and marvelled at what they accomplished. There was a series of books by Dudley Pope about the Napoleonic wars and the British Navy (modeled after Forrester's Hornblower character). The book "Ramage's Diamond" tells the story of that expedition.