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Famous Studios

Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was established as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized control of the aforementioned studio amid the departure of its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1942. The studio's productions included three series started by the Fleischers—Popeye the Sailor, Superman, and Screen Songs—as well as Little Audrey, Little Lulu, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Honey Halfwitch, Herman and Katnip, Baby Huey, and the Noveltoons and Modern Madcaps series.

The Famous name was previously used by Famous Players Film Company, one of several companies which in 1912 became Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, the company which founded Paramount Pictures. Paramount's music publishing branch, which held the rights to all of the original music in the Fleischer/Famous cartoons, was named Famous Music, and a movie theater chain in Canada owned by Paramount was called Famous Players.

The library of Famous Studios cartoons is currently divided between three separate film studios (via various subsidiaries):
 * Paramount Pictures via Melange Pictures (which owns the August 1942-October 1950 cartoons) and Paramount Animation (which owns the March 1962-December 1967 cartoons);
 * Universal Pictures via DreamWorks Animation and DreamWorks Classics (which owns the November 1950-February 1962 cartoons under Harvey Films);
 * Warner Bros. via Turner Entertainment Co. (which owns the Popeye the Sailor cartoons, with King Features Entertainment under license for the original comics and characters); and DC Entertainment (which owns the Superman cartoons).

Fleischer Studios dissolution
Fleischer Studios was a successful animation studio responsible for producing cartoon shorts starring characters such as Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor. The studio moved its operations from New York City to Miami, Florida in 1938, following union problems and the start of production on its first feature film, Gulliver's Travels (1939). While Gulliver was a success, the expense of the move and increased overhead costs created financial problems for the Fleischer Studios. The studio depended upon advances and loans from its distributor, Paramount Pictures, in order to continue production on its short subjects and to begin work on a second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town (also known as Happily Goes to Town).

Compounding the problems the studio was facing was the fact that the studio's co-founders, brothers Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer, were becoming increasingly estranged, and by this time were no longer speaking to each other due to personal and professional disputes. On May 25, 1941, Paramount assumed full ownership of Fleischer Studios, and required the Fleischer brothers to submit signed letters of resignation, to be used at Paramount's discretion. Following the unsuccessful release of Mr. Bug in December 1941, Max Fleischer sent Paramount a telegram expressing his inability to cooperate with Dave. Paramount responded by producing the letters of resignation, severing the Fleischer brothers from control of their studio.

Paramount renamed the studio Famous Studios. Paramount owned the company but Famous remained a separate entity. Three top Fleischer employees were promoted to run the animation studio: business manager Sam Buchwald, storyboard artist Isadore Sparber, and Max Fleischer's son-in-law, head animator Seymour Kneitel. Buchwald assumed Max Fleischer's place as executive producer, while Sparber and Kneitel shared Dave Fleischer's former responsibilities as supervising producers and credited directors. A third animation director, Dan Gordon, remained only briefly before being fired shortly after the move to New York. Although the Fleischers left the studio at the end of 1941, Famous Studios was not officially incorporated until May 25, 1942, after Paramount's contract with Fleischer Studios had formally run its course. The first Famous Studios cartoon was the Popeye short You're a Sap, Mr. Jap, released on August 7, 1942.

Early years
Shortly after the takeover, Paramount began plans to move a significantly downsized Famous Studios back to New York, a move completed early in 1943. Virtually all of the Famous staff, including voice artist/storyman Jack Mercer, storyman Carl Meyer, voice artist Mae Questel, and animators such as Myron Waldman, David Tendlar, Thomas Johnson, Nicholas Tafuri, and Al Eugster, were holdovers from the Fleischer era. These artists remained with Famous/Paramount for much of the studio's existence. As at Fleischer, the head animators carried out the tasks that were assigned to animation directors at other studios, while the credited directors—Kneitel, Sparber, Gordon, and Disney/Terrytoons veteran Bill Tytla—acted more as supervisors. Sammy Timberg served as musical director until he was succeeded in 1944 by Winston Sharples, who formerly worked with the Van Beuren Studios.

Continuing series from the Fleischer period included Popeye the Sailor and Superman, both licensed from popular comics characters. The expensive Superman cartoons, having lost their novelty value with exhibitors, ended production in 1943, a year after Famous' inception. They were replaced by a series starring the Saturday Evening Post comic-strip character Little Lulu. Also in 1943, Famous began producing the formerly black-and-white Popeye cartoons in Technicolor, and began a new series of one-shot cartoons under the umbrella title Noveltoons (similar in respects to the Color Classics series from Fleischer Studios, and also the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series from Warner Bros.).

The Noveltoons series introduced several popular characters such as Herman and Katnip, Baby Huey, and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Casper was created by writer Seymour Reit and Famous animator Joe Oriolo in the late 1930s as a children's-book manuscript, and was sold to Famous during World War II. It became the studio's most successful wholly owned property.

In 1947, Paramount decided to stop paying Little Lulu creator Marge Buell licensing royalties, and created another "mischievous girl" character, Little Audrey, as a replacement. That same year Famous resurrected an old Fleischer series, Screen Songs, introducing a new series of musical cartoons featuring a "bouncing ball" sing-along. In 1951, the Screen Songs became "Kartune Musical Shorts," which ended in 1953 after Max Fleischer claimed ownership of the "bouncing ball" trademark. Only two more musical cartoons were released (as one-shot Noveltoons): 1954's Candy Cabaret and 1963's Hobo's Holiday.

Although the studio still carried much of the staff from the Fleischer regime, animation fans and historians note that its films soon diverged from the Fleischer style. Many historians, including Leonard Maltin, derided the company style for being highly formulaic and largely oriented toward a children's audience, with none of the artistic ambition or sophistication that the management under the Fleischer brothers strove for.

Later period and sales of cartoon libraries
Sam Buchwald died of a heart attack in 1951. Seymour Kneitel and Isadore Sparber became the production heads of the studio shortly afterward, and Dave Tendlar was promoted to director in 1953.

The mid- and late-1950s brought a number of significant changes for Famous Studios. In 1955, Paramount sold most of its 1942–1950 shorts and cartoons (except for the Popeye and Superman shorts) to U.M. & M. TV Corporation for television distribution. The Popeye cartoons were acquired by Associated Artists Productions, and the Superman cartoons had already reverted to Superman's owners National Comics after the studio's film rights to the character had expired. On October 1, 1956, Famous Studios was downsized and reorganized. Paramount assumed full control of the studio, integrating it as a division named Paramount Cartoon Studios. Around the same time, Isadore Sparber was fired, leaving Seymour Kneitel in sole charge of the studio. In addition, because of studio budget cuts, the animation quality of the shorts began to drop sharply; by 1959 everything that the studio was turning out began to look noticeably cheap, with limited animation. Paramount also ceased using Technicolor by this time in favor of less expensive color processes. The last Famous Studios short to use Technicolor was Katnip's Big Day, the finale of the Herman and Katnip cartoon series. Despite the studio submitting some of their shorts for Academy Award consideration, none received a nomination.

Paramount sold its remaining cartoon film library and the rights to its established characters to Harvey Comics in 1959; however, the final theatrical cartoon to have any of their established characters already acquired by Harvey Comics since was Turtle Scoop featuring Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare (both uncredited and redrawn) in 1961. Paramount's attempts at creating replacement characters, among them Jeepers and Creepers and The Cat, proved unsuccessful. Nonetheless, television animation production outsourced from King Features and Harvey Films brought the company additional income. Ironically, these arrangements had Paramount working on new television cartoons starring Casper, whom they had originally created, and Popeye and Little Lulu, characters they had previously licensed for theatrical cartoons. In the case of King Features' Popeye and King Features Trilogy TV cartoons, Paramount was one of several animation studios, among them Jack Kinney Productions and Rembrandt Films, to which King Features subcontracted production. The first of only two all-new Little Lulu cartoons after the character's 13-year hiatus off-screen, Alvin's Solo Flight, was released as part of the Noveltoons series in 1961, while twelve of the King Features Trilogy cartoons, starring characters such as Krazy Kat, Little Lulu, Beetle Bailey, and Snuffy Smith, were released theatrically by Paramount in 1962 under the title Comic Kings.

Seymour Kneitel died of a heart attack in 1964, and Paramount brought in comic-book veteran Howard Post to run the cartoon studio. Under Post's supervision, Paramount began new cartoon series and characters such as Swifty and Shorty and Honey Halfwitch (the latter having originated from the Modern Madcaps series in the 1965 short Poor Little Witch Girl), and allowed comic strip artist Jack Mendelsohn to direct two well-received cartoons based upon children's imaginations and drawing styles: The Story of George Washington and A Leak in the Dike (both 1965).

However, Post left the studio due to internal conflicts with the Paramount staff. His replacement was Shamus Culhane, a veteran of the Fleischer Studios. Culhane completed a few films that Post started and then ignored the rule book and made films that were very different from the previous regime. In 1966, the studio subcontracted The Mighty Thor cartoons from Grantray-Lawrence Animation, producers of the animated television series The Marvel Super Heroes. In 1967, Culhane directed another short based on children's art, My Daddy, the Astronaut, which became Paramount's first film to be shown at an animation festival. However, when Paramount's board of directors rejected a proposal to produce episodes for a second Grantray-Lawrence series, Spider-Man, Culhane quit the studio, and was succeeded by former Terrytoons animator Ralph Bakshi in mid-1967.

In 1967 Paramount radically revamped its short-subject release schedule to reflect all-new attractions. Black-and-white subjects were discontinued, as were all cartoon reissues (such as the "Popeye Champions"). The studio retired the Noveltoons and Modern Madcaps series, replacing them with Go Go Toons, Merry Makers, and Fractured Fables. Ralph Bakshi quickly put several shorts into production, experimenting with new characters and ideas, but by late 1968 Paramount's new owners, Gulf+Western, had decided to shut down the animation studio, a task completed in December. The last cartoon from Paramount Cartoon Studios, Mouse Trek, the finale of the Fractured Fables series, premiered on December 31, 1967.

Legacy
Despite the reputation of the studio in recent years, the Famous shorts have since gained a cult following on both public-domain home media and in animation circles.

The 1961 short Abner the Baseball is displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ownership and licensing
Throughout the 1950s, most of the major Hollywood studios sold off their film libraries to various television companies. In the case of Paramount, throughout the decade, they sold off the Famous Studios library to various different TV syndication companies resulting in multiple studios owning different cartoons.

U.M. & M. TV Corporation
In January 1956, Paramount sold the February 1942-October 1950 Fleischer and Famous Studios cartoons (excluding Popeye and Superman) to U.M. & M. TV Corporation for $3 million, equal to $ today. In 1957, U.M & M was bought out by National Telefilm Associates (NTA). In the 1980s, NTA changed its name to Republic Pictures after the original studio of that name, whose library NTA had also acquired. After a brief period of ownership by Spelling Entertainment in 1994, Republic Pictures was purchased by Paramount's parent company Viacom in 1996, placing the shorts back in Paramount's control (Republic Pictures was renamed Melange Pictures LLC. in 2006).

Due to poor attention to then-required copyright renewals over the decades, many of these cartoons are now in the public domain.

Popeye and Superman
In June 1956, Paramount sold the entirety of the Fleischer/Famous Studios Popeye cartoons from 1933 to 1957 to Associated Artists Productions (which had also recently purchased much of the Warner Bros. back catalog) for $1.25 million. The assets of A.A.P. were in turn purchased by United Artists in 1958. In 1981, United Artists merged with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to form MGM/UA. In 1986, Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System attempted to acquire MGM/UA, but due to debt concerns, Turner was forced to sell the company back to its previous owner Kirk Kerkorian. However, Turner kept most of the pre-May 1986 MGM library as well as a few portions of the United Artists library, including the former A.A.P. library, and formed his own holding company Turner Entertainment Co. to manage the rights. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery). Since then, Warner Bros. controls the rights to the theatrical Popeye cartoons via Turner Entertainment Co.

As per their original contract, the rights to the Superman cartoons reverted to National Comics after Paramount's deal expired in 1947. While the cartoons themselves are now in the public domain after their original copyrights were not renewed, the ancillary rights are still owned by DC Comics, and the cartoons (in authorized editions from the original negatives) are distributed by Warner Bros., which has owned DC since 1969.

Harvey Comics and Harvey Films
In July 1958, Paramount sold off the Famous Studios cartoons made between November 1950 and February 1962, as well as the rights to all original characters created by Famous Studios (Casper, Baby Huey, Herman and Katnip, Little Audrey, etc.) to Harvey Comics for $1.7 million, who in turn created Harvey Films to handle the rights and rebranded the cartoons as Harveytoons. The deal also gave ABC television distribution rights to the cartoons for the next 30 years (the rights reverted back to Harvey in 1989) while Paramount retained theatrical rights.

In 2001, Harvey Comics was purchased by the holding company Classic Media. In 2012, Classic Media was purchased by DreamWorks Animation, which retains ownership of the cartoons. In 2016, DreamWorks Animation was purchased by Comcast's NBCUniversal, with Universal Pictures assuming the distribution of the cartoons on behalf of DreamWorks.

However, while NBCUniversal and DreamWorks Animation own the bulk of the rights to the Harveytoons catalog, as per their original 1958 contract, Paramount still retains theatrical rights to the cartoons and thus also controls the original camera negatives. However, the contract also stipulates that Harvey (and by extension, DreamWorks and NBCUniversal) are allowed to access the original film elements from Paramount whenever they feel the need to update their prints.

The later cartoons
Paramount continues to own the rights to the cartoons made from March 1962 to December 1967.

Home media
As of 2021, there has been no official release of the Paramount-owned Famous Studios library. Many of the cartoons are in the public domain and widely available (albeit usually in poor quality) in several low-budget DVDs and Blu-Rays sold in supermarkets and department stores. In 2012, Thunderbean Animation restored and released a collection of public-domain Noveltoons on DVD entitled Noveltoons Original Classics.

In 2008, Warner Home Video released Popeye the Sailor: 1941–1943, Volume 3, the third volume of a series of Popeye DVDs. It contained all the black & white Famous Studios Popeye cartoons alongside the last of the Fleischer shorts. In 2018, Warner Archive released Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1 which continued where the previous set left off and contained the first 14 Technicolor Famous Studio cartoons from 1943 to 1945. Warner Archive continued the collection with Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2 and Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3 officially collecting all the Popeye cartoons from the 1940s. The remaining Famous Studios Popeye cartoons from the 1950s have yet to be released.

During the 1990s, Harvey Entertainment produced The Harveytoons Show, which collected most of the Harvey-owned Famous cartoons, first aired in syndication with the series being consulted by animation historian Jerry Beck. In 2006, Classic Media released 52 of the show's 78 episodes on a four-disc DVD set titled Harvey Toons – The Complete Collection. In 2011, Vivendi Entertainment and Classic Media released all Herman and Katnip cartoons on a single-disc DVD set titled Herman and Katnip: The Complete Collection. Also in 2011, Shout! Factory under license from Classic Media released 61 of 78 Casper cartoons from The Harveytoons Show, on a three-disc DVD set titled Casper the Friendly Ghost: The Complete Collection. On November 2, 2021, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (through Studio Distribution Services joint venture label) released all of the Harvey-owned Famous Studios cartoons on a three-disc DVD boxset titled The Best of the Harveytoons Show.

Theatrical short film series

 * Popeye the Sailor (1942–1957; inherited from Fleischer Studios)
 * Superman (1942–1943; inherited from Fleischer Studios)
 * Noveltoons (1943–1967)
 * Little Audrey (1947–1958)
 * Baby Huey (1950–1959)
 * Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare (1953–1957)
 * Little Lulu (1943–1948, 1961–1962)
 * Screen Songs (1947–1951)
 * Casper the Friendly Ghost (1950–1959)
 * Herman and Katnip (1950–1959)
 * Kartunes (1951–1953)
 * Modern Madcaps (1958–1967)
 * Jeepers and Creepers (1960)
 * The Cat (1960–1961)
 * Abner the Baseball (1961; two-reeler special)
 * Comic Kings (1962–1963)
 * Swifty and Shorty (1964–1965)
 * Honey Halfwitch (1965–1967)
 * Merry Makers (1967)
 * Go Go Toons (1967)
 * Fractured Fables (1967)

Television series

 * Felix the Cat (1958–1962; co-production with Joe Oriolo Productions and Trans-Lux)
 * Matty's Funday Funnies (1959–1962 episodes only)
 * Segments of Popeye the Sailor (1960–1962; outsourced from King Features)
 * Segments of King Features Trilogy (1961–1965; outsourced from King Features)
 * Twelve of the Paramount-produced shorts in this series were released theatrically in 1962 under the title Comic Kings.
 * The New Casper Cartoon Show (1963–1964, produced for Harvey Films)
 * The Mighty Thor segments of The Marvel Super Heroes (1966; outsourced from Grantray-Lawrence Animation)

Industrial shorts

 * Electronics At Work (1943)
 * It's CSP for Me (1950)

title: Famous Studios


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Type 69 tank

The Type 69 and Type 79  are Chinese first generation main battle tanks. Both were developments of the Type 59 medium tank (a locally produced Soviet T-54A) with technologies derived from the T-62. They were the first indigenously developed main battle tanks by China, although also classified as medium tanks while in development and service. Their lineage from the T-54A can be seen through the distinct gap between the first and second road wheels. Other improvements included a new engine, ballistic computers, and laser rangefinders. The more advanced Type 79 variant was equipped with a 105 mm rifled gun which was also found on the Type 80 tank.

Development of the Type 69
After the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical staff and support to China's arms industry. This caused China's domestic tank development to stagnate significantly. Sometime after 1960, the PLA tank corps and Fifth Ministry of Machine Building embarked on the development of China's first domestically developed tank. In 1965, development objectives were finalized and the product was named "WZ121" internally. In 1966, the first prototype rolled off the factory. However, the Cultural Revolution and its resulting chaos further impeded tank development.

During the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict, the PLA was able to capture a Soviet T-62 MBT. The captured tank was examined and some of its components such as the Soviet Luna IR (infrared) searchlight system, were copied and integrated into the Type 69 prototype. After around a decade of development, the first domestically developed and produced Chinese tank was inducted into the PLA ground forces as the Type 1969 Medium Tank or Type 69 Tank for short.

The Type 69's appearance did not differ much from that of the Type 59. The fume extractor on the 100mm gun was moved back slightly and there was a large IR light attached to the turret. There was a laser rangefinder on the gun mantlet and a smaller IR light on the commander's hatch, making it the first Chinese tank capable of fighting in the dark. The main upgrade in the Type 69 was in its firepower. The Type 69 was the first Chinese tank to be outfitted with a 100mm smoothbore gun capable of firing APFSDS rounds. It also had two-plane gun stabilization. With these upgrades the Type 69 was a much more battle-capable MBT than the Type 59, especially at night. It was also faster thanks to an upgraded engine. The Type 69's protection, however, was essentially the same as the Type 59. Like the Type 59, it also did not have any NBC protection.

The Type 69 was incorporated into service in 1974. As it was fundamentally an improved variant of the Type 59, however, the Chinese military decided to develop another second-generation main battle tank based on new technologies. The new tank program, also known as the Type 80, began development in 1978, built upon the foundation that was laid during the development of the Type 69 tank.

Deployment and teething problems
Despite these improvements, due to the large number of technical problems when operating the tanks, the initial batch of Type 69 tanks were returned to the factory. By March 1974, only 100 Type 69 tanks had been produced. The relevant departments in tank development did not have sufficient experience or knowledge, and the overly ambitious design requirements meant that a large amount of time was wasted. Compounding to this immaturity in the tank manufacturing industry was the on-going Cultural Revolution. The Type 69 took almost a decade of development but resulted in a tank that looked only marginally different from the original Type 59 and was only significantly different in its firepower. By the time the Type 69 went into production, other countries had already developed much more advanced tanks such as the American M60 MBTs or what would eventually become the Russian T-72.

Development of the Type 79
Relations between China and the West warmed in the 1980s, and China was able to import some Western technologies to improve its weapon systems. The Type 69 was upgraded with Western systems such as the British Marconi FCS, and the L7 105 mm gun. The new version received the designation Type 79, which represented the conclusion of China's first-generation tank development.

Both the Type 69 and Type 79 tanks share almost identical hulls and turrets with the older Type 59. The only difference is that the two more recent tank models have been upgraded with better technologies that were either captured or bought from more advanced countries. (Gelbart 1996:17-19) The Chinese Type 59, 69 and 79 tanks can therefore be viewed as part of the same, evolutionary tank family in the same way that the Soviet T-54, T-55 and T-62 tanks share a common lineage.

Today only a couple of hundred Type 69/Type 79s remain in PLA inventory, mostly deployed with training or reserve units. The Type 69/Type 79 are being replaced by the newer Type 96 and Type 99 MBTs.

Foreign service

The PLA was dissatisfied with the Type 69's performance, but it still became one of China's most successful armored vehicle exports. These export versions were called Type 69-II (in contrast to the domestic Type 69-I) and had incorporated improvements which were not found in the original Type 69-I. Over 2,000 were sold worldwide in the 1980s. The simplicity, robustness and low cost of the tanks made them attractive on the export market, and China sold hundreds to both sides during the Iran–Iraq War. (Gelbart 1996:18) Many of the vehicles were later used by Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.

During the 1980s, China sold hundreds of Type 69 MBTs to Iraq. By the Persian Gulf War of 1990 and 1991, western analysts claim that Iraq had upgraded some Type 69s with a 105 mm gun, a 60 mm mortar, and a 125 mm gun with an auto-loader. All of them were reinforced with frontal layer armor welded on the glacis plate. All these versions were known as Type 69-QMs. It was reported during the 1991 Gulf War that the Iraqi Type 69 units fought harder than the elite Republican Guard units, equipped with T-72 MBTs. One possible explanation is that Saddam ordered his Republican Guard units to preserve their strength, while sending the rest of the army, equipped with inferior Type 69 tanks, to the frontline.

According to battle reports from the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Type 69-QMs were used by the Iraqi Army units defending Nasiriyah in March 2003, most of them being employed as artillery pillboxes. They played an important role in the ambushes mounted against the US Army 507th Maintenance Company and Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, before AH-1 Cobra helicopters wiped out the Iraqi tanks. Two Type 69s destroyed at least four vehicles of the 507th, among them a heavy truck rammed by one of the tanks. There is also a first hand account of about four Type 69s hidden behind some buildings pounding the Marines' Charlie Company with indirect fire and likely disabling several AAVs. Some combat useless Type 59/69s were emplaced as decoys or mere obstacles.

Myanmar Army Type 69 tanks also reportedly engaged Royal Thai Army M60A3 tanks in 2001 during the battle for Border Post 9631, although it is unclear if either side lost any vehicles.

Prototypes

 * Type 69 – Prototype based on the Type 59 hull, fitted with a new 580 hp diesel engine, Type 69 100 mm smoothbore gun, IR searchlight, and laser rangefinder.
 * Type 69-I – Domestic variant incorporating some technologies from captured Soviet T-62 MBT, such as the Luna IR searchlight system, and improved NBC protection. The -I designation (such as Type 59-I, Type 69-I) denotes a domestic variant. A -2 designation denotes an variant designed for export. Similarly a "M" suffix also denoted a foreign export variant.

Type 69
This version was widely exported and produced under license in Pakistan by Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT). The Type 69-II is referred to as the Type 30 in the Royal Thai Army.
 * Type 69-IIA – First production version released in 1982, fitted with:
 * Type 69-II 100 mm smoothbore gun
 * New FCS system with:
 * TSFC 2-axis gun stabilization
 * Type 70 gunner sight
 * TCRLA Laser rangefinder
 * BCLA Ballistic computer
 * Type 889 radio
 * Armored track skirts
 * Storage racks on turret
 * Smoke grenade launchers
 * 2 diamond shaped oil cap on angled plate behind engine deck
 * Type 69-IIB/C – Command version of the Type 69-II with additional communications equipment and auxiliary power pack. Features a long radio aerial and two storage boxes on the rear, containing cables and field phone.
 * Type 653 ARV – Armored recovery vehicle based on the chassis of Type 69 MBT. The Type 653 ARV is fielded with no turret but instead features a powered structure controlling a dozer blade at the front of the hull and a hydraulically powered crane. The crane is capable of lifting up to 70 tons.

Type 79

 * Type 79 (Type 69-III) – Also designated WZ-121D, an improved Type 69-II incorporating Western technologies. In service with the PLA as the Type 79 MBT. In 1981, the first prototype was modified as per specification as Type 69-III. Two formal prototypes were built in 1983, equipped with key components such as a laser rangefinder. The Type 79 entered production in 1984, and was shown in public at the PRC's 35th anniversary parade in 1984. Improvements include:
 * Rubber-padded tracks
 * NBC protection. Hatches that automatically close on detection of NBC agents
 * ZPL-83 (Type 83) 105 mm gun (improved L7 variant) with replaceable indigenous thermal sleeve (Type 79-II).
 * Passive IR sights or thermal imaging system for gunner and commander
 * British Marconi FCS with:
 * TLRLA laser rangefinder
 * BCLA ballistic computer
 * TGSA gunner sight
 * Type 12150L-7BW liquid-cooled 730 hp Diesel engine.
 * Hydraulic assist steering
 * Automatic fire suppression system
 * Side-skirt armor
 * Type 79-II
 * Fitted with improved ZPL-83A (Type 83A) 105 mm gun.
 * Can be fitted with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA)
 * GCZ-110: armored engineering vehicle

Iraq

 * Type 69-QM – Also known as T-55B inside the Iraqi Army. Type 69-II with standard 100 mm rifled main gun, armour reinforced with layer armour on the front glacis, an observation mast and, on some units, a 60 mm mortar. Command vehicles often fitted with blocks of appliqué spaced armour, similar to the so-called Enigma T-55s. Produced 1986–1988.
 * Type 69-QM1 – Type 69-II upgraded with NATO standard 105 mm rifled gun and laser range-finder. Produced in 1984–1988.
 * Type 69-QM2 – Type 69-II upgraded with Warsaw Pact standard 125 mm (L80) smoothbore main gun and laser range-finder. Produced 1986–1991.

Bangladesh
Bangladesh Army Engineers improved its weaponry and armor system to make it more effective.
 * T-69IIG – An upgraded Bangladeshi model with the following modifications:
 * Bi-axis stabilised Type-83A (improved L-7 with bigger bore and longer barrel) 105mm smoothbore gun (NATO compatible), with semi-automatic loader.
 * New fire control system (FCS), laser range-finder, Night vision sights & combat data link
 * 850 hp diesel engine
 * Chinese 3rd generation explosive reactive armour (ERA) protection, automatic collective fire suppression system, Laser warning receiver, NBC suite.
 * New communications and navigation equipment (including GPS receiver)
 * Rubber padded track

Myanmar

 * Myanmar Army have Type-69 MBT 50 and Type-69-2 MBT 180. All were upgraded locally with Ukrainian equipment in 2019 May into Type-69II(Mod) standard.

Non-military applications
A civilian variant of the Type 69/79 was used to develop the Chinese firefighting tank. Currently only three fire brigades in China have purchased such a vehicle.

Current operators

 * : 50 Type 69-I and IIA tanks were purchased from China in 1991. 5 Type 653 ARV received in 1993 and 3 Type 654 in 2012. 58 Type-69-II tanks were rebuilt to the Type 69-IIG version in 2010–2013.
 * 🇨🇳: 200 Type 79 remained in service by reserve and training units
 * 🇮🇷: 500 Type 69-II received in 1986-1988 from China or North Korea. ~200 in 2002
 * Kurdistan Region
 * 🇵🇰 : 400
 * : 50 Type-69 and 180 Type-69II
 * : Manufactured under license in Sudan by MIC and PRC in Type-69 L 100, Type-79 100
 * 🇹🇭 – Royal Thai Marine Corps: has 5 Type 69-II (local designation Type 30) in service.
 * : 10 Type-69-IIs received in 1987

Former operators

 * 🇮🇶: Approximately 1,500 Type 69-I and Type 69-II tanks received between 1983 and 1988 from China. ~200 in service in 2002.
 * 🇹🇭: Royal Thai Army: 53 Type 69-II and 5 Type 563 entered service with the Thai Army in 1987-1989 and were decommissioned in 2004. But 5 T-69s which were upgraded still be used as the opposing forces.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Type 69 tank


text: Talk:List of environmental organizations


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Jessica Biel

Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress. Biel began her career as a vocalist appearing in musical productions until she was cast as Mary Camden in the family drama series 7th Heaven (1996–2006), in which she achieved recognition.

In 1997, Biel won the Young Artist Award for her role in the drama film Ulee's Gold. She received further recognition for her lead role as Erin Hardesty in the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Biel has since starred in such films as The Rules of Attraction (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), Stealth (2005), The Illusionist (2006), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Valentine's Day (2010), The A-Team (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), Total Recall (2012), and Hitchcock (2012).

In 2017, Biel was the executive producer and star of the USA Network limited drama series The Sinner, for which she received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Early life and education
Jessica Claire Biel was born on March 3, 1982 in Ely, Minnesota, to Kimberly (née Conroe), a homemaker and spiritual healer, and Jonathan Biel, a business consultant and General Electric worker. Her paternal great-grandfather was the son of Hungarian-Jewish immigrants, which she discovered on the show Who Do You Think You Are?; she also has German, French, English, and Scandinavian ancestry.

Biel's family moved frequently during her childhood, living in Texas, Connecticut, and Woodstock, Illinois, before finally settling in Boulder, Colorado. While growing up, Biel played soccer and trained as a level six gymnast.

From 2000 to 2002, she attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Beginnings (1991–2002)
Biel initially trained to be a vocalist. At age nine, she appeared in several musical productions in her hometown, playing lead roles in productions such as The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. At 11 she participated in a competition sponsored by the International Modeling and Talent Association in Los Angeles where she acquired an agent and professional talent manager. She began modeling for print advertisements and appeared in commercials for products such as Dulux Paint and Pringles. In her film debut, Biel played the character Regrettal, a lead role in the ambitious musical film It's a Digital World, produced and directed by Paul Greenberg. At age 14, after auditioning for several television pilots, Biel was cast as Mary Camden, the oldest daughter and second-oldest child in the family drama 7th Heaven.

Biel landed her first feature film role as Peter Fonda's granddaughter in the critically acclaimed drama Ulee's Gold, released in 1997. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award. In spring 1998, during a break from filming 7th Heaven, she co-starred in I'll Be Home for Christmas with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as his character's love interest. When she was 17, she posed for a risque photo shoot that appeared in the March 2000 issue of Gear. Producers of 7th Heaven were outraged and brought legal action against Gear. She later expressed regret for doing it, claiming she had been used and that she had been shown different pictures from those published. In 2001, Biel played the love interest of Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the baseball-themed film Summer Catch. In 2002, she starred as promiscuous college student Lara in the ensemble film The Rules of Attraction, an adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel. The movie received mixed reviews, became a box-office hit, and has since gained a cult following.

Rise to prominence (2003–2012)
Biel was cast in her first top-billing role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although the film met with negative reviews, it was a commercial success, scoring the number-one spot in its opening week and going on to earn more than $80 million in the U.S. In 2003, Biel began work on the third installment of the Blade film series, Blade: Trinity. Despite negative reviews, Trinity was a box office hit, grossing $150 million worldwide. After finishing it in 2004, she headed to Australia to shoot the action-thriller Stealth. Biel also appeared in the 2004 film Cellular; played a supporting role, Ellen, in the romantic comedy Elizabethtown (2005); and starred in the indie film London. In 2005, Esquire named her the "Sexiest Woman Alive" in a six-part series with each month revealing a different body part and clue to the woman's identity.

In 2006, Biel played a turn-of-the-century duchess in the period piece The Illusionist, co-starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. While her casting was met with a mixed response, her performance was ultimately praised. James Berardinelli of Reelviews called her the "film's real acting revelation", while Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "Handily employing a refined English accent where the others lay on a light Austrian veneer, Biel is entirely stunning enough to fight to the death over." Biel played an Iraq War veteran in the 2006 film Home of the Brave, a drama about soldiers struggling to readjust to society after facing the hardships of war. In Next Biel starred alongside Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore. She appeared in the summer comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, co-starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. In late 2007, Biel signed on to play a stripper in Powder Blue, alongside Forest Whitaker (who also produced the film), Ray Liotta and Patrick Swayze. In 2007, Stuff magazine's named her No. 1 on their "100 Sexiest Women".

At the start of 2008, Biel shot Easy Virtue, an adaptation of the play by Noël Coward. Like the play, the film is set in the 1920s and Biel plays young widow Larita, who impulsively marries John Whittaker in France and must face her disapproving in-laws on returning to England. The film premiered in September 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Critics praised Biel for her performance, with Todd McCarthy of Variety saying Biel "more than kept up" with veterans Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth and praising her "sparkling" performance. The Hollywood Reporter described her performance as "an irresistible force of nature — a kind, witty, supremely intelligent and beautiful woman who ... is capable of rejoinders that thoroughly undercut her opponent's withering criticism." Biel also performed two songs on the film's soundtrack, "Mad About the Boy" and "When the Going Gets Tough".

In 2009, Biel lent her voice to the animated science fiction film Planet 51. Biel performed the role of Sarah Brown with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a fully staged concert production of Guys and Dolls during the 2009 season at the Hollywood Bowl. On the last night, she received a rousing standing ovation from 17,000 people. She subsequently landed a part in Lincoln Center Theater's two-week-long workshop of the musical version of the Pedro Almodóvar film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, along with Salma Hayek.

In 2010, Biel starred in the large ensemble cast film Valentine's Day and in the A-Team, based on the television series as Capt. Charissa Sosa. In 2011, she appeared in New Year's Eve, directed by Valentine's Day's Garry Marshall. In 2012, Biel starred in the remake of the 1990 science fiction movie Total Recall alongside Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale. She portrayed actress Vera Miles in the biographical film Hitchcock, based on Stephen Rebello's book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. She also appeared in Playing for Keeps with Gerard Butler.

Independent film route and move into producing (2013–present)
Biel starred in the thriller film Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013. In April 2008, Biel began working on the political satire Nailed, with Jake Gyllenhaal. The film centers around a woman who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head and travels to Washington, D.C. to fight for better health care. In May 2009, Biel spoke about the film's production turmoil, saying: "That was definitely an experience, something I could not say no to. I am a huge David O. Russell fan. It's just heartbreaking that so many people put so much work into this particular project only to have it sit there, unfinished." The film was released on video on demand on February 10, 2015, and received largely negative reviews from critics.

In 2015, Biel starred in the independent drama Bleeding Heart, in which she plays a yoga instructor named May who meets her biological sister Shiva (Zosia Mamet), a sex worker, for the first time. The film premiered on April 17, 2015, at the Tribeca Film Festival, receiving mixed reviews, though Biel earned praise for her performance. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair commented: "Though she's not given too much to work with in terms of character, Biel plays May with appealing nuance, creating a low-key, bliss-based Angeleno, all light and airy and gentle and poised, who discovers within herself an untapped hardness and anger and strength... when Biel has to conjure up more profound emotions, she proves adept, and surprisingly subtle." Clayton Davis of AwardsCircuit.com also praised her performance, writing, "With an internalized and very subtle performance, Biel excels in her ability to find the very motivation of May."

In 2016, Biel co-starred with Patrick Wilson (with whom she had worked on The A-Team) in the thriller A Kind of Murder, based on the novel The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith. She voiced the character Vix in the animated film Spark, with Susan Sarandon and Hilary Swank, which was released in 2016. Biel also appeared in the drama The Book of Love, based on the book The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, about an introverted architect (Jason Sudeikis) who loses his wife (Biel) and sets out to help a teenager named Millie (Maisie Williams). Biel also produced the project from its conception some years prior, and was directed by Bill Purple, who directed her in the short film Hole in the Paper Sky. The film was released in January 2017.

On August 2, 2017, Biel's eight-episode limited series murder mystery, The Sinner, debuted on USA Network. Biel is both executive producer and played the series' lead character Cora Tannetti. She stated that she moved into production so that she could develop projects with challenging and interesting roles rather than waiting for them to happen.

In October 2021, it was announced Biel would star and executive produce the true-crime drama miniseries Candy for Hulu.

Biel is set to lead the upcoming sci-fi thriller Ursa Major directed by brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker.

Personal life
In January 2007, Biel began dating singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. They became engaged in December 2011 and married on October 19, 2012, at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy. The couple have two sons.

Alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Biel publicly lobbied in June 2019 against California's vaccination bill that would limit medical exemptions from vaccinations without approval from a state public health officer.

Charitable causes
On July 18, 2006, Biel participated in a charity auction to raise medical funds for teen Molly Bloom, who was injured in a limousine accident. "I promise I'm a cheap date", Biel quipped in a pre-recorded video. John Schiffner of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, successfully bid $30,000 to have lunch with Biel. Biel and Schiffner lunched at The Palm restaurant in Denver, Colorado, on August 18, 2006.

In early 2007, Biel co-founded the Make the Difference Network with her father and another business partner, Kent McBride.

In 2010, Biel climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with members of the United Nations Foundation to raise awareness of the global water crisis. That same year Biel earned a nomination for a Do Something Award.

Biel teamed with nonprofit health care organization WomanCare Global to develop content that will provide girls with sex education.

In 2021, Biel teamed up with Jeremy Adams, a natural products entrepreneur, and co-founder Greg Willsey, to launch Kinderfarms, a health and wellness brand for families.

title: Jessica Biel


text:
Talk:The Herd (Australian band)

Untitled
''This page was listed on Votes for deletion in May, 2004. The result of that discussion was to keep the article. For an archive of the discussion, see Talk:The Herd/Delete.''

I removed this segment from the article:

'' A different band "The Herd", featuring Peter Frampton and Andy Bown (later of Status Quo), existed in the 1960s. ''

I don't know enough about this group to decide whether it should be a footnote on one of the above linked pages, or warrants its own article. -- Chuq

i just deleted info under the heading "singles" that said "we get around" is a herd single. this is not true, urthboy, a member of the group, created this track totally independant of the other artists and although the initial author referenced this fact, by placing urthboy in brackets after the fact, it still has no place here i feel, such information clearly belongs on a seperate page pertaining to urthboy, a link to which placed on this page. (Griddy 13:58, 19 August 2007 (UTC))

removed links
I removed the reference to "Coal to Coast jobs" website in "Controversy" section. I don't think this is relevant to the article, and is separate to the festival. Kathodonnell (talk) 01:54, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

sleek geeks show song
I changed this entry "Recently the group performed a song about recycled water on the ABC's Sleek Geeks." to specify the dates to make the article clearer as "recently" reflected time of article creation (perhaps?) rather than an enclyclopedia entry. references below. note some are forums/blogs, but they reflect the date of the episode & link The Herd to this episode. ABC Sleek Geeks website also lists final episode "Water" airing on 7th February 2008, though it doesn't refer to The Herd specifically. Sleek Geeks Series 1 episode 6 "Water" tv guide entry The Herd on Sleek Geeks post on Stealth Magazine forum, dated 07 Feb 2008 19:21 (sydney time) Sleek_Geeks (series 1) Original run 3 January 2008 – 7 February 2008 post by superciliousness "It was fun to watch Sleek Geeks tonight and have The Herd put together a track on reverse osmosis and the recycling of waste water. Quite silly. Brilliant." 06 Feb 2008

Kathodonnell (talk) 03:38, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

summerland album announcement
I've reworded this section, to remove the part about the announcement. the album has been released, which I think is more important information. the announcement section (I think) makes the article sound more like a press release, so removing this part to stick to the facts for WP entry. keep the original text here in case someone disagrees/would like to revert. I've kept the references.

"In March 2008 the Herd announced that it was releasing its fourth studio album, Summerland, in May, 2008. The first single from the album 'The King is Dead' makes reference to Australia's change in government with John Howard being replaced after 11 years as Prime Minister by Kevin Rudd. In an interview with Triple J, Rok Poshtya advised: 'We just finished recording the new album on Saturday. So we're mixing it for the next three weeks. And it should be out like April, May. And we'll have a song to various radio stations that matter in March hopefully.'" Kathodonnell (talk) 04:43, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

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Like a
340 BAG OF FRESH HIPHOP FROM YA LOCAL FISH AND CHIP SHOP AAH SCALLOPS 121.44.69.196 (talk) 03:28, 14 September 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:The Herd (Australian band)


text:
Type 90 tank

The Type 90 tank (90式戦車) is a main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was designed and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for the Type 61 and to supplement the then current fleet of Type 74 tanks, and entered service in 1990.

History

After the adoption of the Type 74, the Japanese High Command was already looking for a superior, completely indigenous tank design to defeat the Soviet T-72. As a result, development of a prototype, the TK-X MBT began between 1976 and 1977. Joint development was performed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and TRDI (Japan Defense Agency's Technology Research and Development Institute). Major subcontractors included Japan Steel Works, Daikin Industries, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and NEC.

A first series of two prototypes of the Type 90 were developed, both armed with a Japanese 120 mm smoothbore gun (produced by Japan Steel Works Limited) firing Japanese ammunition (produced by Daikin Industries Limited). The first prototype (TK-X-0001) was completed by 1982, and underwent testing shortly after. Following the first tank's completion, development began on the second prototype (TK-X-0002), until it was completed by June 1985, after experiencing delays. Testing and design modifications such as improvements to the turret and half modular type ceramic composite armour were conducted starting in October 1983, and continued until October 1986.

A second series of four prototypes was built between 1986 and 1988, incorporating changes resulting from trials with the first two prototypes. These were armed with the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun also fitted to the German Leopard 2 and, in a modified version, the US M1A1/M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks. These second prototypes were used for development and then user trials, all of which were completed by December 1989, before Japan formally introduced the Type 90 in August 1990. Mass production began in 1990, and 30 vehicles were produced by the end of the year.

With the exception of the 120 mm smoothbore gun, which is made under license from Rheinmetall of Germany, the Type 90 and its subsystems are all designed and built in Japan, leading to higher per unit costs than comparable models from NATO countries such as the M1 Abrams and the Challenger 2. Development of upgrades to the Type 90 suffered both as a result of limited budget, which caused procurement delays, and funding prioritization in favor of the Type 10 main battle tank. Due to a perception that Type 90s are unsuited to operations in the tight confines of Japan's urban areas, they are preferentially assigned to the JGSDF Fuji School Brigade and the 7th Armored Division based in Hokkaido, where there is sufficient room for maneuver.

With the exception of training exercises such as the annual Combined Live Fire Exercise hosted by the United States Army at Yakima Training Center in Washington state, the Type 90 has never been deployed overseas, and has never been tested in combat.

Armament
The Type 90 mounts a Rheinmetall L44 120 mm smoothbore cannon licensed produced by Japan Steel Works Limited. This is the same gun that is mounted on the German Leopard 2, the American Abrams, and the South Korean K1A1 tank. Before Rheinmetall's gun was selected, Japan had successfully produced a domestic version of the 120 mm smoothbore for testing, but the lower cost of the Rheinmetall gave it an advantage over the domestic version..

Since its introduction there have been several upgrades to the fire-control system, including the addition of a Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet laser rangefinder with a range of 300 to 5,000 meters, a 32-bit ballistics analysis computer, improved thermal imaging and Automated-tracking systems, and improved gun stabilization. The FCS also has an automated tracking system, and is capable of engaging moving or stationary targets while moving in day or night. The automatic target tracking system uses a thermal image display which can be controlled by either the tank gunner or commander. It is capable of tracking soldiers, vehicles and helicopters. The targeting computer can also calculate lead on moving targets.

The commander's sight consists of a 3× / 10× (day-only sight). The sight can track vertically from −29 to +29 degrees, as well as track horizontally through 180 degrees. The gunners sight has a 10 x magnification.

The gun is armed and loaded by a mechanical bustle autoloader (conveyor-belt type) developed by Mitsubishi of Japan. As with autoloader-equipped Russian main battle tanks, the French Leclerc, and the Swedish Strv 103, the Type 90 achieves manpower savings by reducing the crew to three. Its ability to operate without a loader also allows the use of a smaller turret. The practical auto-loading and firing cycle for one target is around 4–6 seconds.

Mounted in front of the gunner's hatch on the turret is the ubiquitous Browning M2 machine gun, manufactured under license by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, part of the Sumitomo Group. In addition to the .50-caliber machine gun, a Japanese-built 7.62 mm machine gun is mounted coaxially to the left of the main gun.

Armor
The profile of the Type 90 is similar to the German Leopard 2A4 and it uses modular ceramic and steel composite armor, common in contemporary tank designs. The adoption of modular composite armor design facilitates the upgrading and exchange of the armor.

The Type 90 is smaller than most main battle tanks with a height of 2.33 m, a width of 3.33 m, and a weight of 50.2 MT. It was designed with a distinctive low-slung turret with boxy, vertical sides and a long overhanging bustle. In comparison, the Leopard 2A4's dimensions are 2.48 m high and 3.70 m wide with a weight of 55.2 MT.

Mobility
The powerpack of the Type 90 tank has the Mitsubishi 10ZG32WT 10-cylinder two-stroke cycle diesel engine providing 1500 hp, coupled with Mitsubishi MT1500 automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse gears, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (designated 10ZG32WT, MT1500). The development of the 10ZG32WT prototype was started in 1972 and was finished in 1982. It can attain a top output of 1,120 kW (1,500 horsepower @15min).

The hydropneumatic suspension units are mounted on the front and rear pair of road wheels, which can be adjusted on-the-fly to deal with uneven terrain, a requirement on Japan's rough, mountainous terrain.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense official data report, the acceleration of the type is 0–200 m in 20 seconds.

Manufacture
The Type 90 has an approximate unit cost of 790 million Japanese yen or approximately 7.4 million US dollars at 2007 exchange rates.

341 Type 90 tanks were produced between 1990 and 2009 with an average annual production number of 19 vehicles. The original procurement plan was established in the 1980s while Japan was experiencing asset price bubble. After the asset price bubble burst in 1991 and the collapse of Soviet Union in 1992, Japan started to cut its defense budget. In order to save budget for Kongo-class destroyers and other new weapons, Japan made a plan to reduce the size of its tank force. The production of Type 90 therefore slowed down and part of its budget was shifted to the research and development of the new Type 10 main battle tank.

Transportation
Being 12 tonnes heavier than its predecessor, the Type 74, the Type 90 was found to be more challenging to operate around Japan, with the exception of Hokkaido. Some politicians therefore criticized the effectiveness of Type 90 due to difficulty in transportation. In fact, more than 65% of major bridges in Japan were still considered passable for the Type 90, while overseas main battle tanks, such as Challenger 2 and Leopard 2, could only use 40% of bridges in Japan.

Operators
🇯🇵: 341 (2014)

 * Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
 * JGSDF_Northern_Army.svg Northern Army
 * JGSDF_2nd_Division.svg 2nd Division
 * 2nd Tank Regiment
 * JGSDF_7th_Division.svg 7th Division
 * 71st Tank Regiment
 * 72nd Tank Regiment
 * 73rd Tank Regiment
 * 7th Reconnaissance Unit
 * JGSDF_5th_Brigade.svg 5th Brigade
 * 5th Tank Battalion
 * JGSDF_11th_Brigade.svg 11th Brigade
 * 11th Tank Unit
 * JGSDF_Director_Directly_Controled_Unit.svg JGSDF Fuji School
 * Armor Department
 * JGSDF Fuji School (Combined Training) Brigade
 * Armored Guidance Corps
 * Training Evaluation Unit
 * JGSDF_Director_Directly_Controled_Unit.svg JGSDF Ordnance School (JGSDF Camp Tsuchiura)

Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

 * Arjun Mk 1: Indian main battle tank
 * C1 Ariete: Italian main battle tank
 * Karrar: Iranian main battle tank (equivalent to T-90M)
 * M1 Abrams: US main battle tank
 * T-90: Russian main battle tank
 * Type 99: Chinese main battle tank
 * Zulfiqar-3: Iranian main battle tank

title: Type 90 tank


text:
Fred Ossanna

Fred Albin Ossanna (August 13, 1893 – September 1978) was a Minnesota lawyer who, along with Kid Cann, oversaw the dismantling of the Minneapolis-St. Paul streetcar system as head of Twin City Rapid Transit Company in the 1950s. Ossanna had been hired by Charles Green, a Wall Street speculator who had purchased a large number of TCRT stock shares and ousted D.J. Strouse as head of the company soon after. When it was discovered that Green had connections to organized crime, Ossanna took control. In a period of 22 months ending in June 1954, rails were removed from city streets where trolleys once traveled to be replaced by General Motors buses. Ossanna and associate Barney Larrick were both convicted of fraud on August 6, 1960 for activities that had taken place during the conversion from streetcars to buses. Ossanna had been a prominent local attorney, and left marks in various places. He helped found the Sunset Memorial Park and Funeral Chapel in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1922 by providing funding. In 1938, he had acted as counsel in a debacle known as the "Bemidji Affair" where bidding irregularities had appeared on a project for the Bemidji State Teachers College (Bemidji State University). At some point, Ossanna had done some work for National City Lines, a company that became infamous for buying up streetcar lines and converting them to bus systems.

title: Fred Ossanna


text:
User talk:Kylefr635

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia!

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Welcome from me, too, Brandon! You look like a good advertisement for homeschooling.

Two easy places to start contributing:
 * First, put something on your User Page. Many of of us use ours to list our interests in a more permanent way than the New User Log (but you can copy from there) or our quicklinks.
 * Second is your hometown or county - see what's there and add a paragraph or two, or go to the "Discuss this page" if you want to offer some ideas without actually changing the article page yet.
 * Enjoy it all anyway! - Robin Patterson 02:16, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Kylefr635


text: File:Eric Clapton Journeyman.jpg

title: File:Eric Clapton Journeyman.jpg


text:
User talk:Roxymusic

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Non-free use of File:Sir ernest satow.jpg
Thank you for uploading File:Sir ernest satow.jpg. However, there is a concern that the use of the image on Wikipedia may not meet the criteria required by Non-free content. Details of this problem, and which specific criteria that the image may not meet, can be obtained by going to the image description page. If you feel that this image does meet those criteria, please place a note on the image description or talk page explaining why. Do not remove the di-fails NFCC tag itself.

An administrator will review this file within a few days, and having considered the opinions placed on the image page, may delete it in accordance with our criteria for speedy deletion or remove the tag entirely. If you have any questions, please ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thank you. — Moe   ε  20:28, 19 November 2011 (UTC)

title: User talk:Roxymusic


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User talk:Terryhufc

Hello and welcome to Wikipedia!

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title: User talk:Terryhufc


text:
Ian Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar

Ian Hedworth John Little Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, (8 July 1926 – 21 September 2007) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was styled Sir Ian Gilmour, 3rd Baronet from 1977, having succeeded to his father's baronetcy, until he became a life peer in 1992. He was Secretary of State for Defence in 1974, in the government of Edward Heath. In the government of Margaret Thatcher, he was Lord Privy Seal from 1979 to 1981.

Early life
Gilmour was born in London on 8 July 1926, the son of stockbroker Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet, and his wife, Victoria, a granddaughter of the 5th Earl Cadogan. His parents divorced in 1929, and his father married Mary, the eldest daughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn. The family had land in Scotland and he inherited a substantial estate and shares in Meux's Brewery from his grandfather, Admiral of the Fleet, the Hon. Sir Hedworth Meux. They lived in the grounds of Syon Park in London, with a house in Tuscany.

Gilmour was educated at Eton College and read history at Balliol College, Oxford. He served with the Grenadier Guards from 1944 to 1947. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple in 1952 and was a tenant in the chambers of Quintin Hogg for two years.

He bought The Spectator in 1954 and was its editor from 1954 to 1959. He sold The Spectator to the businessman Harold Creighton in 1967. The Daily Telegraph wrote that his editorship had livened up the magazine "publishing new writers such as Bernard Levin and Katharine Whitehorn and taking a strong liberal reforming stance on moral issues such as the death penalty, abortion and homosexuality; he also castigated Eden over Suez." He had written an editorial denouncing the invasion of Suez as an "act of aggression".

Member of Parliament
He was elected as Member of Parliament for Central Norfolk in a by-election in 1962, winning by 220 votes. He held this seat until 1974, when his seat was abolished due to boundary changes, and he stood for the safe Conservative seat of Chesham and Amersham, sitting as its MP from 1974 until his retirement in 1992.

In parliament, he was a social liberal, voting to abolish the death penalty, and legalise abortion and homosexuality. He also supported the campaign to join the EEC. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Quintin Hogg from 1963. He was one of the few members to vote against the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968, regarding it as racist and designed to "keep the blacks out".

Gilmour espoused the Arab cause when it was less popular in progressive circles than it later became and supported it throughout his years in the House of Commons, where his chief ally was Dennis Walters who was chairman of the Conservative Middle East Council.

In government
He served in Edward Heath's government from 1970, holding a variety of junior positions in the Ministry of Defence under Lord Carrington: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Army from 1970 to 1971, then Minister of State for Defence Procurement until 1972, then Minister of State for Defence. He joined the Privy Council in 1973. He replaced Carrington in January 1974 to join Heath's Cabinet as Defence Secretary, but lost his position after Labour won the most seats in the general election at the end of February. He was in the Shadow Cabinet after the general election in February 1974 as Shadow Defence Secretary to late 1974. From the end of 1974 to February 1975 he was Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.

In opposition, Gilmour became chairman of the Conservative Research Department. With Chris Patten, he wrote the Conservative Party manifesto for the October 1974 election – a second loss, by a wider margin. When Margaret Thatcher became the new leader of the Conservative party, she appointed Gilmour as Shadow Home Secretary in 1975, then as Shadow Defence Secretary from 1976 to 1978. He became Lord Privy Seal after the 1979 general election, as the chief Government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, working again under Lord Carrington, who, as Foreign Secretary, sat in the House of Lords. He co-chaired with Carrington the Lancaster House talks, which led to the end of Ian Smith's government in Rhodesia, and the creation of an independent Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. He also negotiated with the EEC to reduce Britain's financial contribution.

Backbenches and retirement
Gilmour did not enjoy good relations with Margaret Thatcher. He was a moderate who disagreed with her economic policies, and became the most outspoken "wet". During a lecture at Cambridge in February 1980, Gilmour contended, "In the conservative view, economic liberalism à la Professor Hayek, because of its starkness and its failure to create a sense of community, is not a safeguard of political freedom but a threat to it." Thatcher remarked in her autobiography, somewhat sarcastically: "Ian remained at the Foreign Office for two years. Subsequently, he was to show me the same loyalty from the back-benches as he had in government." Gilmour survived a reshuffle in January 1981, but was sacked in September of the same year. He announced that the government was "steering full speed ahead for the rocks", and said that he regretted that he had not resigned beforehand.

Gilmour remained on the backbenches until 1992, and opposed many Thatcherite policies, including the abolition of the Greater London Council, rate-capping and the poll tax. He was in favour of proportional representation. In 1989, he was considered by discontented backbenchers as a possible future leader; in the event, he supported Sir Anthony Meyer in his leadership challenge in December 1989. However, he did not participate in frontline British politics again, and was given a life peerage by John Major on 25 August 1992, becoming Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, of Craigmillar in the District of the City of Edinburgh, of which his family were, for several hundred years, the feudal superiors.

In 1999, he publicly endorsed the Pro-Euro Conservative Party in the European Parliament elections, and was threatened with expulsion from the Conservatives as a result. At Question Time on 23 June 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair described the party's reaction as a demonstration of how right-wing and anti-European the Conservative Party had become. Gilmour later said that he had stopped paying membership fees in the party after becoming a peer.

Gilmour was president of Medical Aid for Palestinians from 1993 to 1996, and was chairman of the Byron Society from 2003 until his death.

Writings
Gilmour was known for writing coherently from the One Nation perspective of the Conservative Party, in opposition to Thatcherism; in particular in his books Dancing with Dogma (1992) and (with Mark Garnett) Whatever Happened to the Tories (1997), and in his critical articles in journals such as the London Review of Books.

His book, Inside Right (1977) is an introduction to conservative thought and thinkers. He also wrote the books The Body Politic (1969), Britain Can Work (1983), Riot, Risings and Revolution (1992), and The Making of the Poets: Byron and Shelley in Their Time  (2002).

Personal life
On 10 July 1951, Gilmour married Lady Caroline Margaret Montagu-Douglas-Scott, the youngest daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch and sister of John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch. Their wedding was attended by several members of the British Royal Family, including Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), and the future Elizabeth II. They lived in Isleworth, and had four sons and one daughter. On 22 February 1974, Lady Caroline Gilmour launched HMS Cardiff. His wife died in 2004, but he was survived by their five children, the eldest of whom, the Hon. David Gilmour, succeeded to his father's baronetcy. Among the younger sons, Oliver Gilmour is a conductor and Andrew Gilmour (UN official) is a senior United Nations official.

His grandson is the British historian Tim Bouverie.

Death
Lord Gilmour died from complications of a stroke and pneumonia on 21 September 2007, aged 81, at West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth, Greater London.

Cultural portrayals

 * Gilmour was portrayed by Pip Torrens in The Iron Lady, a 2011 biographical film of Margaret Thatcher. In the film, Gilmour voices his concern over the decline of manufacturing in the UK.


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Siân Lloyd

Siân Mary Lloyd (born 3 July 1958) is a Welsh television presenter and meteorologist from Maesteg. She was the United Kingdom's longest-serving female weather forecaster, having appeared on ITV Weather for 24 years, from 1990 until 2014.

Biography
Lloyd was born in Maesteg, Glamorgan, the daughter of two teachers. She attended Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera, and in 1975 performed at the Urdd National Eisteddfod where she won the Crown. She graduated with first-class honours from University College, Cardiff (now Cardiff University), before going on to Jesus College, Oxford where she began work for a post-graduate B.Litt. degree in Celtic Studies, but she left after a year without graduating. She has meteorology qualifications from the Met Office College, a distinction, and frequently appears in TV documentaries about the weather.

Lloyd started her media career as a researcher for the BBC Wales Today nightly news programme, having responded to an advert in the media pages of The Guardian. She then became an announcer for S4C. During a themed premiere for the film The Avengers (1998) she dressed in a skin-tight black catsuit, for which she won the prize for best costume.

Whilst working for Worldwide Television News in London, she was asked to work with the Met Office on documentaries about the weather. She then screen tested for the ITV Weather in 1990 and was appointed to a post which had 200 applicants. Lloyd won the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) award for the best TV weather presenter in 2005 and 2007. For a time, she additionally presented ITV News London weather forecasts. In February 2014 she left ITV to "pursue new opportunities".

Proud of being Welsh, she set up SWS (which means "kiss" in Welsh, and standing for "Social, Welsh and Sexy"), a Welsh networking club, in partnership with entertainer Stifyn Parri in the Groucho Club. Bryn Terfel and Siân Phillips are now patrons.

In 2007, Lloyd won the UK Rear of the Year competition, making her the oldest woman to win the title. She also starred as the 'hidden' celebrity in an episode of the CBBC show Hider in the House. Lloyd also helped support Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association, and in 2007 attended the launch of the Fill in the Gaps campaign. In March 2008, Lloyd published her autobiography, entitled A Funny Kind of Love. In Spring 2010, Lloyd presented the first series of Wedding TV's The Great Cake Bake.

Lloyd appeared on ITV's reality television show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, but was the shock first celebrity to be eliminated by the public vote. She also took part in a celebrity version of the TV show Total Wipeout which aired on 18 September 2010.

Lloyd appeared on Celebrity First Dates in 2015.

Personal life
While at Cardiff University, she met Mark Cavendish, a relative of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and now a businessman. They were together for 14 years, often visiting the family seat at Chatsworth House.

From 2002, Lloyd was in a relationship with Lembit Öpik, then the MP for Montgomeryshire, and was engaged to him from 2004 to October 2006. They lived at a house they bought together in Öpik's constituency outside Newtown, Powys, and were due to marry in 2006. They had met at a Liberal Democrats conference session where the press meet the MPs, where they talked and she lost a ring. He found it, then lost it himself, then found it again two years later and called her; she had a spare ticket to go to the Proms, and they began a relationship. She appeared on Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? with Öpik on 15 April 2006, winning £64,000 for charity. In December 2006 it was revealed that the relationship had broken down.

Lloyd met motor racing entrepreneur Jonathan Ashman at Secretary of State for Wales Peter Hain's 2007 St David's Day party at the Palace of Westminster. Ashman proposed to Lloyd in December 2007, on holiday, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Lloyd and Ashman married in 2007 and divorced in 2015 after eight years.

Career

 * Cardiff Broadcasting Company (1980–2)
 * BBC Wales Today, researcher (1982–84)
 * Development Board for Rural Wales, press officer (1984–86)
 * S4C, continuity announcer (1986–88)
 * Worldwide TV News (1988–90)
 * ITV Weather (1990–2014)
 * How 2 presenter (1997)
 * The Apprentice UK (Brief Appearance, in an ads campaign; 2008)
 * Churchill Car Insurance as the lady feeding the dog sausages.

title: Siân Lloyd


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See my home page.

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text: User talk:62.248.39.230

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Japanese cruiser Chikuma (1938)

Chikuma (筑摩) was the second and last vessel in the Tone-class cruiser of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. The ship was named after the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture. Entering service in 1939, Chikuma saw battle during World War II in the Pacific, hunting small allied ships in the Indian Ocean and serving in many escorting missions throughout many large-scale aircraft carrier battles between Japan and the United States. On the 25 of October 1944, she served in the Battle off Samar where she possibly sank the escort carrier USS Gambier Bay (though most modern sources attribute the carrier's sinking to Battleship Yamato) and damaged the destroyer USS Heermann, before being crippled by gunfire from the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts and sunk by air attacks.

Background
Chikuma was designed for long-range scouting missions and had a large seaplane capacity. She was extensively employed during World War II in conjunction with an aircraft carrier task force, or as part of a cruiser squadron with her sister ship, JAPANESE CRUISER Tone.

The Tone-class cruisers were originally envisaged as the fifth and sixth vessels in the Mogami-class cruiser. However, by the time construction began, serious weaknesses in the Mogami-class hull design had become clear following the Fourth Fleet Incident in 1935. As Japan no longer was obligated to abide by the limitations of the London Naval Treaty, a new design was created and new means of construction were utilized. Though the external dimensions were close to the Mogami class, the design was quite different, with four twin 203 mm (8-inch) main battery turrets placed forward of the bridge, the second super firing over the first, reserving the entire stern area as a large sea plane hangar. Unlike the United States Navy, the Japanese did not have a dual role attack/scout aircraft. No reconnaissance units were assigned to the Japanese carriers, and little emphasis was placed on this aspect of carrier warfare. Instead the Japanese reserved all of their carrier aircraft for attack roles. Reconnaissance was left up to float planes carried by cruisers. Chikuma was intended to provide the long range scout planes needed for their carrier Air Fleets.

Chikuma was equipped with the heaviest armor equipped on a Japanese cruiser. It consisted of a main belt 145 mm (5.7-inches) over the citadel, and 150 mm (5.9-inches) over the machinery. She also carried a deck 65 mm (2.55-inches) over the ammo, machinery, and steering spaces and 30 mm (1.2-inches) elsewhere. She was capable of 35 kn, and could cruise for 8,000 nmi at 18 kn

Early career
Chikuma was completed at Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyards on 20 May 1939. After several months as a unit of the CruDiv6 (Sentai 6) of the Second Fleet, she was transferred to the CruDiv8 in November 1939. In addition to taking part in regular combat exercises in Japanese home waters, she operated off southern China on three occasions between March 1940 and March 1941.

Early stages of the Pacific War
At the end of 1941, Chikuma was assigned to CruDiv 8 with its sister ship, Tone, and was thus one of the key players in the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 7 December 1941, Tone and Chikuma each launched one Aichi E13A1 Type 0 "Jake" floatplane for a final weather reconnaissance over Oahu. At 0630, Tone and Chikuma each launched short range Nakajima E4N2 Type 90-2 Reconnaissance Seaplane to act as pickets and patrol south of the Striking Force. Chikuma's floatplane reported nine anchored American battleships (presumably counting USS Utah (BB-31) as a battleship). During the subsequent attack, the battleships USS Arizona (BB-39), USS Oklahoma (BB-37), USS West Virginia (BB-48) and USS California (BB-44) were sunk and USS Nevada (BB-36), USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), USS Tennessee (BB-43), USS Maryland (BB-46) and other smaller ships were damaged.

On 16 December, CruDiv 8 was ordered to assist in the second attempted invasion of Wake Island. Anti-aircraft fire damaged the scout plane from Chikuma, which was forced to ditch, but the crew was rescued. After the fall of Wake Island, CruDiv 8 returned to Kure.

On 14 January 1942, CruDiv 8 was based out of Truk in the Caroline Islands, and covered the landings of Japanese troops at Rabaul, New Britain and attacks on Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea. On 24 January Chikuma's floatplanes attacked the Admiralty Islands.

After the air raid on Kwajalein on 1 February by Vice Admiral William Halsey, Jr's aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), Chikuma departed Truk with the Carrier Striking Force in an unsuccessful pursuit. Chikuma and Tone later escorted carriers during the Raid on Port Darwin, Australia on 19 February, which sank 11 ships to air attacks. From 25 February 1942, Chikuma was involved in supporting the Japanese invasion of Java.

Battle of the Java Sea
On 1 March 1942, Chikuma's floatplane located the 8,806-ton Dutch freighter Modjokerto attempting to escape from Tjilatjap to Australia. Chikuma, with Tone, and destroyers JAPANESE DESTROYER Kasumi and JAPANESE DESTROYER Shiranui intercepted and sank the freighter before noon. That afternoon, CruDiv 8's spotted the old destroyer USS Edsall (DD-219), 250 mi south-southeast of Christmas Island. Chikuma opened fire with her 8-inch guns at the extremely long range of 11 mi, and all shots missed. Chikuma was joined by battleships JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Hiei and JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima, which also opened fire with their 14-inch main batteries, but Edsall not only managed to avoid 297 14-inch, 132 6-inch shells from the battleships and an additional 844 8-inch and 62 5-inch rounds from the cruisers, but the destroyer also closed to range and fired its 4-inch guns at Chikuma. Hits from Hiei, Tone and dive bombers from the aircraft carriers JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Sōryū and JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Akagi finally stopped Edsall, which was then finished off by Chikuma.

On 4 March, Chikuma sank the 5,412-ton Dutch merchant Enggano (which had earlier been damaged by a floatplane from the cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Takao). On 5 March, floatplanes from Tone and Chikuma took part on the strike against Tjilatjap. After the surrender of the Dutch East Indies, Chikuma was assigned to Indian Ocean operations.

Indian Ocean raids
On 5 April 1942, Chikuma was part of a major task force which launched 315 aircraft against British-held Colombo, Ceylon. The destroyer HMS Tenedos (H04), armed merchant cruiser HMS Hector (F45) and 27 aircraft were destroyed and over 500 killed in harbor, and the cruisers HMS Cornwall (56) and HMS Dorsetshire (40) were destroyed at sea. After searching for more remnants of the Royal Navy, the Indian Ocean Task Force launched 91 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive-bombers and 41 Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zeke" fighters on 9 April against the British naval base at Trincomalee, Ceylon. They found the harbor empty, but wrecked the base's facilities and shot down nine planes, and later sank the carrier HMS Hermes (95), destroyer HMAS Vampire (D68), and corvette HMS Hollyhock (K64), an oiler and a depot ship at sea 65 mi from base.

The task force with Chikuma returned to Japan in mid-April 1942, where it was almost immediately assigned to the unsuccessful pursuit of Admiral Halsey's Task Force 16.2 with the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) after the Doolittle Raid.

Battle of Midway
At the crucial Battle of Midway, Chikuma and CruDiv 8 were in Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force. On 4 June, Tone and Chikuma each launched two Aichi E13A1 "Jake" long-range reconnaissance floatplanes to search out 300 mi for American carriers. The floatplane from Tone discovered American ships, but did not recognize that the fleet was a carrier group, which proved to be a crucial mistake. Chikuma's floatplane found the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), and shadowed the ship for the next three hours, guiding the bombers that attacked Yorktown that evening. Two other floatplanes from Chikuma continued to observe the heavily damaged Yorktown through the night, during which time one plane and crew were lost. Chikuma then directed the submarine JSUB I-168 to find and sink the Yorktown the following morning.

Chikuma and Tone were then detached to support Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya's Aleutian invasion force. However, the anticipated American counter-attack failed to materialize. CruDiv 8 cruised northern waters uneventfully. Chikuma returned to Ominato port on 24 June.

Rear Admiral Chuichi Hara assumed command of CruDiv 8 from 14 July 1942. With the US invasion of Guadalcanal, Chikuma and Tone were ordered south again on 16 August with the aircraft carriers JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shōkaku, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Zuikaku, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Zuihō, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Jun'yō, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hiyō and JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Ryūjō. They were joined by the battleships Hiei, Kirishima, seaplane tender JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Chitose, and cruisers JAPANESE CRUISER Atago, JAPANESE CRUISER Maya, Takao, JAPANESE CRUISER Nagara.

Battle of the Eastern Solomons
On 24 August 1942, CruDiv 7's JAPANESE CRUISER Kumano and JAPANESE CRUISER Suzuya arrived to join the reinforcement fleet for Guadalcanal. The following morning, a PBY Catalina seaplane spotted Ryūjō, which SBDs and TBFs from Enterprise unsuccessfully attacked. Seven floatplanes from Tone and Chikuma were launched to locate the American fleet. One of Chikuma's planes spotted the Americans, but was shot down before its report could be relayed. However, a second floatplane was more successful, and the Japanese launched an attack against Enterprise, hitting it with three bombs which set her wooden deck on fire. However, in the meantime, the Americans located the Japanese fleet, and Ryūjō was sunk by planes from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). Chikuma was undamaged in this engagement, and returned to Truk safely.

Through October, Chikuma and Tone patrolled north of the Solomon Islands, waiting word of recapture of Henderson Field by the Japanese.

Battle of Santa Cruz
On 26 October 1942, 250 mi northeast of Guadalcanal, Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe's task force launched seven floatplanes to scout south of Guadalcanal. They located the American fleet, and Abe followed with an attack which sank Hornet and damaged the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57) and cruiser USS San Juan (CL-54). However, Chikuma was attacked by a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber from Hornet, and quick thinking crewmen jettisoned her torpedoes seconds before a 500 lb bomb hit her starboard forward torpedo room. She was also hit by two other bombs, destroying one floatplane on the aircraft catapult. Chikuma suffered 190 killed and 154 wounded including Captain Komura.

Chikuma (escorted by the destroyers JAPANESE DESTROYER Urakaze and JAPANESE DESTROYER Tanikaze) returned to Truk for emergency repairs, and was then sent back to Kure with the damaged carrier Zuihō. During refit and repairs, two additional twin Type 96 25-mm AA guns and a Type 21 air-search radar were added. Repairs were completed by 27 February 1943.

On 15 March 1943 Rear Admiral Kishi Fukuji assumed command of CruDiv 8, and Chikuma was ordered back to Truk. However, on 17 May, Chikuma and Tone were tasked to accompany the battleship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Musashi back to Tokyo for the state funeral of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Chikuma was back in Truk by 15 July, having avoided numerous submarine attacks along the route.

From July to November, Chikuma was engaged in making troop transport runs to Rabaul, and to patrols of the Marshall Islands in unsuccessful pursuit of the American fleet. While refueling at Rabaul on 5 November 1943, Chikuma and its task force were attacked by 97 planes from the carriers Saratoga, and USS Princeton (CVL-23). Cruisers Atago, Takao, Maya, JAPANESE CRUISER Mogami, JAPANESE CRUISER Agano and JAPANESE CRUISER Noshiro were damaged. Chikuma, attacked by a single SBD, suffered only near-misses with minor damage.

Back at Kure on 12 December, Chikuma gained additional 25-mm AA guns, bringing its total to 20. CruDiv 8 was disbanded on 1 January 1944, and both Tone and Chikuma were reassigned to CruDiv 7 (with Suzuya and Kumano) under Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. Refit completed by 1 February, Chikuma returned to Singapore on 13 February and Batavia on 15 March after a month of raiding commerce in the Indian Ocean. On 20 March 1944, Rear Admiral Kazutaka Shiraishi assumed command of CruDiv 7, and Chikuma was made flagship.

Battle of the Philippine Sea
On 13 June 1944, Admiral Soemu Toyoda activated "Operation A-GO" for the defense of the Mariana Islands. Chikuma was assigned to Force "C" Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Mobile Fleet, which proceeded through the Visayan Sea to the Philippine Sea headed towards Saipan. On 20 June, after the battleships JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Haruna, JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kongō and carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Chiyoda were attacked by aircraft from the American carriers USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), USS Monterey (CVL-26) and USS Cabot (CVL-28) and the bulk of the Japanese air cover was destroyed in the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot", Chikuma retired with the Mobile Fleet to Okinawa.

After ferrying army troops to Okinawa, Chikuma was reassigned back to Singapore in July, serving as flagship for CruDiv 4 while Atago was under repairs.

Battle of Leyte Gulf
On 23 October 1944, Chikuma (with Kumano, Suzuya and Tone) sortied from Brunei towards the Philippines with Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's First Mobile Striking Force. In the Battle of the Palawan Passage, Atago and Maya were sunk by submarines, and Takao damaged. In the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea the following day Musashi was sunk, the cruiser JAPANESE CRUISER Myōkō was crippled and had to be towed to safety, while the battleships JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Nagato and Haruna received damage.

On 25 October, during the Battle off Samar, Chikuma engaged U.S. escort aircraft carriers. She managed to close to within 5 nmi (5.8 mi; 9.3 km) of the escort carrier USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73), and landed numerous hits with her 8-inch (203 mm) guns to her flight deck, lighting her ablaze.

Debate on Chikuma's role in Gambier Bay's loss
Going off of older sources of the Battle off Samar, Gambier Bay's sinking is usually credited to Chikuma, as she was known to have fired on her when Gambier Bay received her fatal damage, most crucially a hit that flooded her engine room and left her speed dropping drastically until she was dead in the water, and caused catastrophic flooding, usually listed as an 8-inch cruiser shell, likely from Chikuma. However, Japanese records display that while Chikuma managed to land hits on Gambier Bay earlier, she failed to score any hits when Gambier Bay received her fatal blows as she switched fire to the destroyer USS Heermann beforehand, nor did any other cruiser claim credit for Gambier Bay's sinking. However, the battleship Yamato claimed numerous hits on a US "fleet carrier" at the exact moments Gambier Bay was hit by numerous shells that are commonly attributed as killing blows, including the decisive hit that flooded Gambier Bay's engine room. On paper, the difference between cruiser shells and battleship shells should have been apparent, but Yamato, having mistaken Gambier Bay for a full-sized fleet carrier, fired armor piercing shells from her 46 cm (18.1-inch) main guns that over penetrated Gambier Bay's unarmored hull without exploding. To this day, it's still occasionally debated on whether Chikuma or Yamato sank Gambier Bay. However, general consensus among naval historians has landed on the claim Gambier Bay's sinking should be credited to Yamato, largely ridding Chikuma of her former glory.

Final moments and sinking
Regardless of who sank Gambier Bay, as stated earlier, Chikuma switched fire from Gambier Bay to the aforementioned Heermann, and inflicted severe damage. She then came under fire from the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). Chikuma turned her guns to engage, but failed to score a single hit due to how close the small target was. However, in exchange, over 200 5-inch (127 mm) shells from the destroyer escort slammed into Chikuma, turning her into a floating inferno, and disabling her no. 3 turret. Samuel B. Roberts emptied almost the entirety of her ammunition on Chikuma, and mostly out of ammo and completely out of torpedoes, the destroyer escort was later sunk by the battleship Kongō.

Heavily crippled, Chikuma disengaged, but was soon attacked by four TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers. Richard Deitchman, flying from USS Manila Bay (CVE-61), succeeded in hitting her stern port quarter with a Mark 13 torpedo that severed her stern and disabled her port screw and rudder. Chikuma's speed dropped to 18 kn, then to 9 kn, but more seriously, she became unsteerable. At 1105, Chikuma was attacked by five TBMs from USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71). She was hit portside amidships by two torpedoes and her engine rooms flooded. At 1400, three TBMs from a composite squadron of ships from USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) and USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62) led by Lt. Joseph Cady dropped more torpedoes which hit Chikuma portside. Cady was later awarded the Navy Cross for his action. It is generally thought that the Japanese destroyer JAPANESE DESTROYER Nowaki took off survivors from Chikuma, and then scuttled her at 11.41667°N, 126.6°W in the late morning of on 25 October 1944, but a more recent study suggests Chikuma sank from the effect of the air attack, and Nowaki only arrived in time to pick up survivors from the water.

On 26 October 1944, Nowaki was sunk by gunfire from the cruisers USS Vincennes (CL-64), USS Biloxi (CL-80) and USS Miami (CL-89) and DesDiv 103's USS Miller (DD-535), USS Owen (DD-536) and USS Lewis Hancock (DD-675). The ship sank 65 mi south-southeast of Legaspi, Philippines with about 1,400 men, including all but one of Chikuma's surviving crewmen. The sole survivor from Chikuma was a crew member who was not picked up by Nowaki and drifted ashore on his own.

Chikuma was removed from the navy list on 20 April 1945.

title: Japanese cruiser Chikuma (1938)