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Mercury Grand Marquis

The Mercury Grand Marquis is an automobile that was produced by Mercury from the 1975 until 2011 model years. Introduced as the flagship sub-model of the Mercury Marquis in 1975, the Grand Marquis became a stand-alone model line in 1983, serving as the largest Mercury sedan. The model line served as the sedan counterpart of the Mercury Colony Park station wagon up to 1991. The fourth generation was the basis of the 2003 and 2004 Mercury Marauder.

From 1979 until 2011, the Grand Marquis shared the rear-wheel drive (RWD) Panther platform with the Ford LTD Crown Victoria (Ford Crown Victoria after 1992), and from 1980, the Lincoln Town Car. For over three decades, the Ford and Mercury sedans were functionally identical, with two of the three generations of the model line sharing the same roofline. The Grand Marquis was available as a four-door sedan for nearly its entire run; from 1988 to its final year in 2011, it was the only body style that was offered. A four-door hardtop was available from 1975 to 1978 and a two-door hardtop coupe from 1975 to 1987.

The Grand Marquis was the second-best-selling Mercury line (after the Cougar) with 2.7 million units produced; at 36 years of continuous production, the Grand Marquis was the longest-running Mercury nameplate (the Cougar, 34 years). Ford manufactured the Grand Marquis, alongside the Mercury Marquis, Mercury Marauder, Ford (LTD) Crown Victoria, and (beginning in 2007) the Lincoln Town Car, at two facilities: the St. Louis Assembly Plant in Hazelwood, Missouri (1979–1985) and the St. Thomas Assembly Plant in Southwold, Ontario, Canada (1986–2011).

Ford announced the discontinuation of the Mercury brand in 2010, but a few 2011 model-year Mercurys were made. The last Grand Marquis - and the final Mercury branded car - was produced on January 4, 2011, at St. Thomas Assembly.

1975–1978
For the 1967 model year, Mercury introduced the Mercury Marquis two-door hardtop as a divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD. Distinguishing it from other Mercury two-door hardtops, the Marquis included a standard vinyl roof and upright rear side windows that were similar to the Cougar.

For 1969, the division revised its full-size range. The Monterey was retained as the standard-trim model, with the Marquis replacing the previous Montclair and Park Lane (the Marquis Brougham became the top Mercury, replacing the Park Lane Brougham). The Marauder returned as a fastback Marquis (replacing the S-55), lasting through 1970. Mercury discontinued separate station wagon models, with the Colony Park becoming a Marquis-based station wagon.

The Grand Marquis name made its first appearance in 1974 as part of an interior trim package for the Marquis Brougham. In addition to a wood-trim steering wheel, the interior was fitted with leather-and-velour split-bench seats.

For 1975, all full-size Mercury sedans adopted the Marquis nameplate, as the division retired the Monterey (in use since 1950). To expand the model range, the Grand Marquis became the highest-trim Marquis (slotted above the Brougham). Bridging the price and content gap between the Marquis Brougham and the Lincoln Continental, the Mercury Grand Marquis gave the division a vehicle to compete against premium medium-brand sedans, including the Buick Electra 225, Oldsmobile Ninety Eight, and the Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. The Grand Marquis was offered in either a four-door "pillared hardtop" sedan or a two-door hardtop sedan body style; as with the Marquis and Colony Park (and the Lincoln Continental), hidden headlights were standard. The model line included the 460 CID V8. A 400 CID V8 became standard for 1976 and 1977, with a 351 CID V8 becoming standard for 1978 (except in California, where the 400 V8 was standard). Through 1978, the 460 V8 was optional. All engines were paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Shared with the Lincoln Continental, four-wheel disc brakes were optional.

First generation (1979–1991)
For the 1979 model year, the full-size Mercury model line was downsized. The Grand Marquis returned as the premium model of the Mercury Marquis model range. The cars were seventeen inches shorter and nearly 1,000 pounds lighter (dependent on powertrain) than their 1978 predecessor. While its exterior footprint closely matched the Cougar (Montego) intermediate sedan, the 1979 Grand Marquis offered more interior and luggage space.

Alongside the extensive downsizing of the model line, the Ford LTD Crown Victoria was introduced for the 1980 model year, serving as the first direct divisional counterpart of the Grand Marquis. Both vehicles shared nearly identical exterior designs except for front and rear fascias.

During the early 1980s, all three Ford divisions revised their full-size and mid-size models. For 1983, the Mercury lineup moved the Marquis nameplate to the mid-size segment (replacing the previous mid-size Cougar), introducing an all-new Cougar coupe (replacing the previous Cougar XR7), and discontinuing the Zephyr (replaced by the smaller front-wheel drive 1984 Topaz). The Grand Marquis now served as the full-size Mercury; for the first time since 1951, Mercury produced a single full-size sedan nameplate (alongside the Colony Park station wagon).

The "downsized" Grand Marquis introduced in 1979 would remain in production throughout the 1980s, as competitors such as the Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98, and Chrysler New Yorker (and Fifth Avenue) were downsized further and adopted front-wheel drive. Amid these mid-tier competitors, the Grand Marquis eventually became the only option on the market with rear-wheel drive and a V8 engine; the GM competitors were downsized to a smaller, front-whel-drive platform for 1985, while Chrysler got out of the traditional full-size market in 1981. Only the full-size GM station wagons carried on as direct competitors to the Mercury Colony Park wagon during the late 1980s.

Along with its stablemates, the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car, the Grand Marquis received a light refresh in 1988 that included more rounded front and rear fascias and other subtle updates inside and out. In 1990, a driver's side airbag was introduced as standard equipment to comply with new federal safety regulations.

By 1991, the final year for this generation of Grand Marquis, the only other full-size vehicle to offer both a sedan and wagon variant was the freshly redesigned 1991 Chevy Caprice; the corporate cousin of the Caprice, the Buick Roadmaster, wouldn't offer a sedan until the 1992 model year, while the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser was strictly available as a wagon for its brief run in 1991 and 1992.

Chassis specification
The first-generation Grand Marquis was built on the rear-wheel drive Ford Panther platform. While Ford and Mercury sedans had shared common chassis underpinnings since 1961, the Panther chassis marked the first time the two model lines shared the same wheelbase with the Mercury downsized from 124 to 114.3 in.

Although reduced in size, the Grand Marquis retained the suspension design with a live rear axle suspension and double wishbone independent front suspension, with coil springs at all four wheels. In 1985, gas-charged shock absorbers were standardized for the model line, with load-leveling rear air suspension introduced as an option. The Grand Marquis featured front vented disc brakes and rear drum brakes.

For 1986, 15-inch wheels returned as standard equipment (after having been an option since 1979).

Powertrain
The previous standard 255 cuin V8 was discontinued, and the 302 cuin V8 (rounded up to "5.0 L" by Ford) became the sole engine available through 1991. The throttle-body fuel injection engine was rated at 130 hp. Starting with the 1986 model year, the engine adopted multi-port fuel injection with a cast-aluminum upper intake manifold, increasing output to 150 hp.

The 302 cuin V8 engine were paired with the four-speed AOD overdrive automatic transmission.

Body
Mercury offered the first-generation Grand Marquis solely as a sedan in two-door and four-door configurations. For 1983 only, the Grand Marquis was offered as a station wagon (effectively a Colony Park without woodgrain trim); from 1984 onward, all full-size Mercury wagons were Colony Parks. While styled nearly identical to the LTD Crown Victoria, the first-generation Grand Marquis was three inches longer than its Ford counterpart; alongside the doors and front and rear windows, only the bumpers are externally shared between the two model lines.

After the 1987 model year, the two-door Grand Marquis was discontinued; only 4,904 were produced.

Exterior
In contrast to the stainless-steel band surrounding the B-pillars of the LTD Crown Victoria, the Grand Marquis was offered with multiple vinyl roof configurations, sharing the B-pillar "coach lamps" of the Lincoln Town Car. Alongside the standard half-length vinyl roof, a full-length roof was offered; the LS offered an additional option of a "formal roof," configured with a "frenched" rear window. The Grand Marquis was styled with a different rear fascia, using full-width taillamps (separated by the license plate).

During its production, the first-generation Grand Marquis underwent minor changes. For 1982, simulated vents were removed from the front fenders. Starting with the 1983 model year, the grille and taillamps were redesigned as the Grand Marquis became a distinct model line. For 1985, to lower production costs, the external "Electronic Fuel Injection" and "Automatic Overdrive" emblems were deleted (both had become standard features); for 1986, a CHMSL (center brake light) was introduced.

For 1988, the Grand Marquis underwent a mid-cycle revision, with restyled front and rear fascias, better integrating the bumpers into the bodywork. To save weight, steel bumpers were replaced by aluminum.

Interior
From 1979 to 1991, the Grand Marquis sedan was offered solely as a six-passenger sedan with a front bench seat. While mostly similar to its Ford counterpart, the dashboard of the Grand Marquis was trimmed with brushed stainless steel; in place of the horizontal speedometer, the Grand Marquis was fitted with two square pods for the fuel gauge, warning lights, and speedometer.

In 1985, the dashboard underwent several revisions. Alongside the adoption of a single-DIN radio unit (phased in across all Ford vehicles), the 8-track cassette player and CB radio options were discontinued; control of the horn shifted from the turn signal stalk to the steering wheel.

As part of the 1988 revision, the interior was updated with all-new seats (distinguished by taller head restraints) and an updated dashboard (with more wood trim and revised gauges). The Grand Marquis LS received options including a JBL Audio 6-speaker AM/FM/Cassette stereo system (with a power antenna) and a heated windshield called "Instaclear."

For 1990, the interior underwent a second major revision. To comply with passive-restraint regulations, the Grand Marquis was given a driver-side airbag; the rear outboard seats received 3-point seatbelts. Coinciding with the addition of the airbag, a new steering column consolidated the turn signal and windshield wiper controls onto a single stalk; tilt steering became standard. The dashboard was completely redesigned, adopted the horizontal speedometer used by Ford (using a silver background); for the first time, a temperature gauge was included alongside the fuel gauge.

Trim
From 1979 to 1982, the Grand Marquis returned as a sub-model of the Mercury Marquis model line. Marketed as the flagship Mercury nameplate, the Grand Marquis competed against the Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98, and Chrysler New Yorker (and New Yorker Fifth Avenue). For 1983, the Grand Marquis was expanded to an unnamed standard trim and the top-trim LS. The former effectively replaced the Marquis Brougham (the mid-size Marquis adopted the Brougham nameplate), and the latter was a trim designation adopted across the Mercury model line during the 1980s.

As part of the 1988 model update, the standard-trim Grand Marquis became the GS (in line with the Topaz and Sable). The badging of the model line underwent a revision, as the script lettering used since its 1975 introduction was replaced by block-style lettering (in the style of the Sable, Topaz, and Tracer); the Lincoln-style hood ornament was replaced by a version with the Mercury "flying M" badge," which were added to the trunk lid and wheels.

Second generation (1992–1997)

Unveiled on November 28, 1990, for the 1992 model year, both Ford and Mercury Panther-platform cars underwent their most extensive changes since their introduction for the 1979 model year. While the chassis was retained, the body was all-new. After thirteen years on the market, the full-size sedans from Mercury and Ford were struggling against far more modern competition. Additionally, as an unintentional consequence of years of badge engineering, the Grand Marquis and its LTD Crown Victoria counterpart were left as virtual identical twins. The Grand Marquis and Ford Crown Victoria (no longer an LTD model) were given different bodies; the only visually shared body parts were the front doors and the windshield. Development began in early 1987, with a design approval in 1988, January 14, 1991, the start of production, and March 21, 1991, introduction.

In line with the rest of the Ford Motor Company vehicles sold in North America, aerodynamics and fuel economy played a prominent role in designing the new Grand Marquis. Unlike the Crown Victoria, which followed the design themes of the Ford Taurus, the Grand Marquis continued with traditional styling features, such as full-width taillights, a formal roofline, and a chrome waterfall grille. The chrome waterfall grille became a signature styling feature across the Mercury product line from the late 1990s.

As part of the redesign, Ford sought a new type of buyer for its full-size Mercury sedan; instead of the older buyers who traditionally bought them, the 1992 Grand Marquis was marketed to younger buyers in need of a larger car than a Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable. The opera lamps and padded vinyl top were discontinued (the latter becoming a dealer-installed option). Aluminum alloy road wheels replaced the simulated wire wheel covers. Revisions to the suspension and steering were made to improve both ride and handling. Four-wheel disc brakes replaced the rear drum brakes with ABS traction control optional.

As with the 1988-1991 models, the Grand Marquis was available in base-trim GS and deluxe-trim LS models. Front cornering lamps distinguish LS models. From 1992 onward, the Grand Marquis was produced solely as a four-door sedan, as the Colony Park station wagon was discontinued. Ford's Keyless Entry System became optional on lower-trim models and standard on upper-trim packages.

1992

 * Second-generation Grand Marquis introduced at the North American International Auto Show on January 11, 1991, after the November 28, 1990 unveiling. It launched on March 21, 1991, as an early 1992 model. All models come with driver's-side airbag standard with an optional passenger-side airbag. Partway through the model year, the AOD transmission was replaced by the AOD-E, which brought a different bellhousing pattern.

1993

 * Dual airbags have become standard equipment for all models. Radios are redesigned with a new control layout.

1994

 * Increased side door impact protection. The A/C refrigerant changed from R-12 to R-134a.

1995

 * Mid-cycle redesign. Exterior trim features increased use of body-color trim and less chrome. On the front, a larger, rounder grille is better integrated into the body, while all lights on the front are changed to clear lenses. The license plate is now centered in between the taillamps. On the trunk lid, the Mercury and Grand Marquis lettering is italicized and reduced in size. The interior is updated with new seats, door panels, and the dashboard is redesigned. Switching locations with the climate controls, a Double-DIN radio featured large buttons and knobs; on models without automatic climate controls, rotary knobs replaced sliding controls. The power seat controls, if specified, were now located on the door panels, along with enlarged buttons for the power windows and door locks. The outdated horizontal speedometer was replaced by the instrument cluster used in the Crown Victoria (adding a voltmeter and oil-pressure gauge); a digital instrument panel with the trip computer was still an option.

1996

 * No significant changes. Inside, the Ford "brick" airbag wheel, which has been used since 1990, was replaced with a new design shared with many Ford and Lincoln-Mercury cars, integrating the horn into a smaller steering wheel hub.
 * The car could now run on natural gas.
 * OBD-II was now used.
 * New colors.

1997

 * Last year for the second-generation Grand Marquis. The Mercury emblems are removed from the C-pillars. Following the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster by General Motors, 1997 Grand Marquis sales would rise over 20% in comparison to 1996.

Powertrain

While the Panther platform was carried over from 1991, an all-new engine would be used for the 1992 Grand Marquis. The replacement for the OHV 5.0 L and 5.8 L Windsor V8s, the 190 hp 4.6 L SOHC Modular V8 engine was the first overhead-cam V8 to appear in an American-market full-size sedan. An optional handling package, including a heavy-duty suspension, 3.27 rear-axle (instead of 2.73), and a dual-exhaust system that raised engine output to 210 hp, was optional. It was essentially the counterpart to the Ford Crown Victoria Touring Sedan.

All models of the Grand Marquis were coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission. For 1993, the hydraulically controlled AOD transmission was replaced by the electronically controlled AOD-E transmission. In 1995, the AOD-E was replaced by the heavier-duty 4R70W transmission; it was shared with the Lincoln Mark VIII and Town Car.

Production
While the redesigned 1992 Grand Marquis/Crown Victoria would prove more fuel-efficient than their predecessors, a loophole in CAFE regulations allowed Ford Motor Company to sell full-size cars and improve the average economy of all of its cars. CAFE regulations require vehicles with fewer than 75% domestic parts content to be counted as part of an automaker's imported fleet rather than a domestic one. During the 1991 retooling for production of 1992 models at its St. Thomas, Ontario facility, Ford switched a number of its parts suppliers from Canada and the United States to suppliers outside North America, bringing the domestic parts content of the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria below 75%. The Grand Marquis was now part of a fleet consisting primarily of the far more fuel-efficient Ford Festiva rather than other V8-engined cars such as the Cougar and Ford Mustang.

After 1996, General Motors ended production of its B-platform sedans, discontinuing the Buick Roadmaster and Chevrolet Caprice; without its closest direct competitors, Ford and Lincoln-Mercury were left with a highly profitable market niche essentially to themselves; however, several competitors began to introduce competitive vehicles in the segment. Replacing the outdated Imperial and Fifth Avenue, the 1994 Chrysler New Yorker (bench seat) and LHS (bucket seats) were the first Chrysler sedans to match the interior dimensions of the Grand Marquis since the 1970s. For 1995, the Toyota Avalon was the first Japanese-brand sedan sold with six-passenger seating (although assembled in the United States); an extended-wheelbase version of the Camry, the Avalon was considered a full-size sedan based onfits interior space.

Third generation (1998–2002)
The third-generation Grand Marquis went on sale in late 1997 for the 1998 model year with an evolutionary update to the exterior and interior. While the 1992 Crown Victoria was better received in the marketplace than the new-for-1991 Chevrolet Caprice, its exterior design (inspired by the Ford Taurus) was not as popularly accepted as the Grand Marquis. The Grand Marquis outsold the Crown Victoria in 1994 and 1997, despite the latter's police and fleet sales advantage. Ford took note and kept the Grand Marquis' design language in place for 1998 while bringing much of it to the Crown Victoria to pivot away from 1992 to the 1997 "Aero" look.

To streamline production, Ford and Mercury returned to a shared rear roofline between the two model lines, using the formal rear styling of the Grand Marquis; the configuration would remain in use through the end of production in 2011.

With General Motors' full-size B-body vehicles discontinued in 1996 to focus on more profitable SUVs and trucks, the third-generation Grand Marquis primarily competed against its Ford Crown Victoria counterpart. They remained successful, selling over 100,000 units per year.

Chassis specification
The third-generation Grand Marquis retained the Panther chassis from its predecessors, lengthened in wheelbase to 114.7 inches. To upgrade handling stability, the triangulated four-link rear axle (in use on large Fords since 1965) was replaced by a four-link rear axle with a Watt's linkage, though a solid rear axle was retained. To improve braking, the four-wheel disc brakes were given dual-piston calipers for the front rotors, requiring 16-inch wheels. ABS was initially standard for 1998, then became optional in 2001, and again became standard in 2002. The traction control (which remained an option) was revised to work at any speed (rather than only low speeds).

Powertrain
The third-generation Grand Marquis retained the same powertrain as the 1995–1997 Grand Marquis, with a 4.6 L Modular V8 and a four-speed 4R70W automatic transmission. In a minor revision, several under-hood components were relocated, with the power steering reservoir attached to the engine and the coolant overflow reservoir relocated onto the radiator (both were located on a fender). In another change, the engine was converted to coil-on-plug ignition along with fail-safe cooling using a dual-speed electric fan.

For 1998, the standard-equipment V8 (with single exhaust) was increased in output to 200 hp (from 190). The handling suspension package continued in production, paired with the dual-exhaust version of the 4.6 L V8, producing 215 hp. For 2001, the engine received redesigned cylinder heads and a new intake manifold called "Performance Improved" (P.I.), which increased horsepower to 220 and 235 hp, respectively.

A 2.73 rear-axle ratio was paired with single-exhaust engines; a numerically higher rear-axle ratio was used as part of the handling package. For 2000 and early 2001, a 3.55 rear axle was used; other versions used a 3.27 rear axle.

Handling & Performance Package
Carried over from the second generation, the Handling & Performance Package was initially available on both GS and LS trims. The package included sport-tuned front shocks and springs; larger front and rear sway bars; a heavy-duty rear suspension with air springs; shorter rear gearing for better off-the-line acceleration; a higher stall 11.25-inch torque converter (2000–mid 2001 only); dual exhaust; auxiliary oil-to-air coolers for the power steering and transmission; sport-tuned steering; and lace-spoke 16-inch wheels. In 2002, the package was restricted to LS models only.

Grand Marquis LSE
At the 2001 Chicago Auto Show, Mercury introduced a new trim package for the Grand Marquis named LSE. Using the basis of both the LS trim and the Handling & Performance Package, the LSE added five-passenger seating with front bucket seats, a floor-mounted shifter, and a center console. The center console featured a large storage bin with a cigar lighter, dual cup holders, and a padded armrest. Options on the LS, such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel with temperature and audio controls, electronic climate controls (EATC), and dual 8-way power seats, were standard on the LSE. In addition to these features, the LSE included all mechanical upgrades found on the Handling & Performance Package and used the same lace-spoke 16-inch wheels on P225/60TR16 tires.

According to Mercury, the LSE offered a compelling balance of performance and comfort. It was introduced to the lineup to boost consumer interest in the model and went on sale beginning midyear 2001. For the 2001 model year, the base price of the LSE was US$28,295.

All LSEs are Grand Marquis LS models according to their VIN and are badged as such. LSEs did not have a separate VIN designation. The LSE name was only found on the front carpet mats included from the factory.

Body design and interior
While strongly resembling the previous generation, the 1998 Grand Marquis shared only the roof stamping and doors from its 1997 predecessor. Designers revised the front and rear bumpers, squaring off their design. The exterior trim was simplified, with the chrome trim removed above the headlamps. The rear fascia resembles the Crown Victoria but uses a red lens panel between the taillights. The grille was restyled slightly as a larger version of the 1995-1997 design.

The interior was mostly carried over from the 1995 update, with a two-spoke steering wheel replacing the previous four-spoke design. Seats were freshened with slightly revised designs, and the chrome trim was deleted from the column-mounted gear shifter and the turn signal lever. The interior backlighting was switched from light blue to green, and the gauge cluster needles, which were previously orange, were now red. In 2000, several federally-mandated features were added to the interior: an emergency release handle inside the trunk, LATCH anchors, and a "Belt Minder" (chime that sounds when an occupant is not belted in). New seat belt designs became standard in 2001 as part of the addition of Mercury's Personal Safety System, which also included dual-stage airbags and seat position sensors. Additionally, for 2001, redundant steering wheel controls for both the climate control and radio became available as optional equipment on LS models. Lastly, a wood-grain steering wheel, similar to that found on the Town Car, became available as an option in 2001.

Fourth generation (2003–2011)

For 2003, the Grand Marquis received mechanical, exterior, and interior styling updates (along with the Ford Crown Victoria, and Lincoln Town Car). The Panther chassis was redesigned. In the retail market, the Grand Marquis replaced the Ford Crown Victoria, which became available only for fleet sales beginning in 2008. During the 2000s, Mercury would introduce two additional full-size sedans: the revived Mercury Marauder, an equipment variant of the Grand Marquis, and the Mercury Montego (rebranded the 2008-2009 Mercury Sable).

Exterior
Styling revisions extended to bumper fascias, waterfall-style grille, headlamps and side markers, frame-less windshield wipers, and rear fascia. An optional Grand Marquis LS Limited Edition trim level featured a hood ornament and two-tone paint.

Chassis and powertrain
A revised frame featured hydro-formed frame rails, an aluminum #2 cross-member, and was now fully boxed. According to Mercury, the new frame was 20% more resistant to vertical bending. Coil-over front shocks were adopted, with revised steering knuckles, revised upper control arms, and new aluminum lower control arms. In the rear, mono-tube shocks were introduced; they were also inverted and mounted outside the frame rails. The new suspension required that Mercury change the wheel designs to those with a high-positive offset. A quiet EBD booster with a mechanical panic assist system was added, improving front-rear brake bias. An electronic variable assist rack and pinion power steering replaced the previous recirculating ball system; the new steering unit was also speed-sensitive and 22.5 pounds lighter than the previous configuration. The exhaust system was re-designed with frame-mounted hangers.

The 4.6L V8 engine and the 4R70W four-speed automatic transmission were carried over. The engine featured a knock sensor and revised tuning, rated at 224 hp with a single exhaust system and at 239 hp with dual exhaust. Horsepower and torque ratings would remain the same through to the end of production in 2011. The oil pan was enlarged by 20% to six quarts. Other changes included a re-designed intake manifold with an aluminum water crossover, and an electronic return-less fuel system with a revised EGR setup. The updated engine was distinguished by a redesigned engine cover, featuring a silver "V8" emblem; the oil filler cap was moved to the passenger-side valve cover, and the power steering fluid reservoir was relocated from the timing cover to the radiator shroud. A new and improved variable-speed electronic radiator fan replaced the outgoing two-speed unit.

Interior
The redesigned Grand Marquis featured updated door panels and redesigned controls, but retained the previous dashboard, which has been used since 1995. Seats featured revised upholstery and larger front headrests. A new dual media (cassette/CD) radio was initially standard, and became optional midway through the 2003 model year. Wiper-activated headlights were now standard. A shoulder belt was added for the rear middle passenger along with second-generation rear child seat anchors, and side airbags were introduced as an option; they became standard for 2009.

Trim
As part of the redesign, Mercury revised available trims for 2003. The Grand Marquis was expanded to four instead of the traditional two-model line. In addition to the base-trim GS, there was now GS Convenience, LS Premium, and LS Ultimate.

GS models included six-passenger seating with an 8-way power driver seat, an AM/FM/CD/Cassette radio (deleted in favor of a cassette-only unit in mid-2003, then a single CD player beginning in 2005), manual temperature controls, power mirrors, heated mirrors (2003 only), power locks and windows, cruise control, Mercury's SecuriLock passive anti-theft system (PATS), and Mercury's Personal Safety System. Freestanding options available on the base GS were limited to heated mirrors (2004–08), an AM/FM/CD radio (mid-2003-04), chromed wheel covers (2004–07, standard for 08), rear air suspension (2007–08), and two-tone paint.

Over the standard GS, the GS Convenience added all-speed traction control, power-adjustable pedals, rear reading lamps, body-side paint stripes, and remote keyless entry. Additionally, several free-standing options were available on the GS Convenience: leather seating, a full-size spare tire, chromed wheel covers (2004–06), heated mirrors (2004-06), and a trunk organizer. A GS Convenience Two-Tone Edition was offered from 2005 to 2006. Aside from two-tone paint, it included pinstripes, body-colored side moldings, unique scuff plates & C-pillar badging, chromed wheel covers, a hood ornament, and body-colored door handles. Interior features of this package included leather-trimmed seating with the Mercury logo stitched into the front seat-backs. Following the 2006 model year, the GS Convenience was dropped from the lineup. Many of its standard features and free-standing options were made available on the base GS through packages such as the GS Comfort Appearance Package (included leather-trimmed seats and 16-inch aluminum wheels), as well as the GS Confidence Package (included traction control, heated mirrors, and fog lamps).

LS Premium models added aluminum wheels, wide body-side moldings with bright inserts, an 8-way power passenger seat (this would later become optional), an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, electronic automatic temperature control (EATC), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an overhead console, and an instrument cluster with a digital message center (2006-2011). Freestanding options available on the LS Premium included a six-disc CD changer radio with a subwoofer (an Audiophile unit on 2005 and newer models), chromed aluminum wheels, LSE package (later replaced by the Handling package), heated front seats, leather-trimmed seats, side airbags, heated mirrors (made standard again for 2006), and PPG laminated side windows (2004–05). Following the 2006 model year, the LS Premium was renamed back to LS.

The range-topping LS Ultimate added rear-air suspension with a rear stabilizer bar, "Ultimate" fender badging, standard leather seating, an AM/FM/CD/Cassette player (AM/FM/CD radio on later models), a fully digital gauge cluster (2003–05), and a steering wheel with redundant controls. In addition to the options on the LS Premium, the Ultimate offered an optional wood-grain steering wheel. The LS Ultimate would not be available for 2008, but returned for 2009.

The LSE was not a separate trim version, but a package for LS Premium models. It replaced the Handling and Performance Package available on the third-generation model. The LSE offered five-passenger seating with leather, dual power bucket seats, a center console, and a floor shifter. Mechanically, the LSE had a larger front sway bar & rear sway bar, power steering & transmission coolers, uniquely tuned rear air springs, dual exhaust, a 3.27:1 rear axle ratio, and a 16x7 inch "snowflake" wheel design similar to those on the 2003-2005 Crown Victoria LX Handling and Performance Package (HPP); the difference being that the LSE's wheel pockets were painted grey versus HPP's machined wheel pockets. The 2003 LSE was short-lived for the U.S. market, as its production ended in December 2002. However, a limited number of LSEs continued to be produced for the Canadian market in 2003 and 2004; it briefly returned to the U.S. market for 2005.

From 2003 to 2005, a Limited Edition version of the LS model was sold. This included an appearance package with chromed mirrors, body-colored door handles, and a two-tone leather interior. Limited Edition models also came with side airbags standard. They included a Mercury badge hood ornament, making its return for the first time since 1991.

From 2006 to 2007, a Handling package was offered on the LS trim. It was a direct replacement for the outgoing LSE package and included all of its features except for a new nine-spoke machined 16x7-inch wheel design shared with the 2006-07 Crown Victoria LX HPP and six-passenger bench seating.

For 2007 and 2008 LS models, a Palm Beach trim option was available; it consisted primarily of unique upholstery and badging.

Following the introduction of a "No-Stock" marketing guideline by Lincoln-Mercury, the Grand Marquis trim line underwent a revision for 2009. Aside from long-wheelbase GCC export models, the GS was dropped, while the LS was split into two series: LS Fleet and LS Retail. The former was available exclusively for fleet purchase in the United States, while the latter was available only by dealer special order to minimize unsold inventory of cars. Moreover, incentives such as $4,000 per vehicle were added to remove previous stock from dealer lots. After Ford announced the discontinuation of the Mercury brand in June 2010, all 2011 cars were Mercury Grand Marquis LS Ultimate Editions.

2003 Mid-year De-contenting
Midway through the 2003 model year, Ford introduced production changes for the Grand Marquis (and all Panther platform vehicles) to reduce production costs by approximately $4,000,000 annually. Vehicles built after December 2002 were no longer included remote-release fuel door (introduced in 1992), black B-pillars (switched to body-color paint), map pockets on the front seats, an instrument panel digital clock (a feature integrated into the radio on other Ford vehicles), a standard dual-media radio (CD/cassette), automatic parking brake release, foam sound insulating strips inside the headliner, silver V8 emblem on the engine "beauty cover", under-hood bulb, or an air intake sound resonator. Furthermore, the Grand Marquis no longer included a rear sway bar except for LS Ultimate or vehicles with the Handling Package. The five-passenger LSE package was discontinued for the U.S. market. Several colors were dropped from the model line, including Deep Wedgwood Blue, Matador Red Metallic, Gold Ash Metallic, Aspen Green Metallic, Silver Frost Metallic, and Chestnut Clearcoat Metallic.

For 2004, laminated safety glass became an option, and GS-trim vehicles featured a new wheel cover design.

For the 2005 model year, an all-new steering wheel design was introduced (for the first time since 1998), and the Grand Marquis offered a fully digital instrument cluster as an option for the last time. For LS-trim vehicles, an Audiophile six-disc in-dash CD changer was provided as an option (similar to the Montego and sourced from the Lincoln Town Car). The LSE package made a return; however, only 533 examples were produced. Due to a supply chain issue, the radio antenna was removed from the rear windshield and placed on the rear fender (it would return to the rear window for 2006). Minor deletions included the removal of illuminated vanity mirrors for GS-trim vehicles and deleting "Grand Marquis" insignia on the center of the dash trim. In a functional change, drive-by-wire throttle control was introduced, and the cruise control function to the engine computer itself was relocated above the driver-side inner fender. A sound resonator was returned to the air intake, featuring a 70mm mass airflow sensor. The four-speed transmission, now designated the 4R70E, received upgraded electronics. Updated crash severity sensors and a front-passenger weight sensor were introduced, allowing the restraint system to enable or disable the front passenger airbag as needed automatically.

2006 update and later years
For 2006, the Grand Marquis received the final styling update of any Ford Panther-platform vehicle. An all-new front fascia was fitted with a rectangular grille (similar to the 1988-91 Grand Marquis); for the first time, fog lamps were offered as an option. The rear fascia adopted a dark grey applique between the tail lamps.

The instrument panel received a revised gauge package with a tachometer. On LS models, the new instrument panel consolidated many features previously used by the overhead console into a message center, allowing the driver to perform a system check, view/reset oil life, distance to empty, average/instant fuel economy, and trip time. Revisions featured a redundant digital speedometer and a built-in compass. The LSE package was replaced by the optional Handling Package for the LS trim, which retained the previous chassis upgrades (but not the 5-passenger seating configuration); the Handling Package also featured a new alloy wheel design. Sourced from the F-Series and E-Series, the Grand Marquis received a revised 4-speed 4R75E transmission.

For 2007, the 4.6L V8 received flex-fuel capability (E85), and the side airbags were revised to improve safety.

For 2008, the 239 hp handling package was discontinued. The Grand Marquis was thus marketed exclusively in the single exhaust 224 hp configuration for most markets (except for GCC export models).

In 2009, side airbags became standard equipment; recessed window switches were introduced to comply with federal safety standards. The GS trim was also dropped, and the LS trims were available in fleet or retail variants.

For 2010, the Grand Marquis adopted the extended transmission tail-shaft housing from the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

For its shortened 2011 model year, the Grand Marquis received redesigned front-seat headrests in compliance with updated federal safety standards.

Export markets
The Grand Marquis was sold throughout North America during its production, although it was not always badged as a Mercury. Outside of North America, exports were concentrated on the Middle Eastern market, where its large size and V8 power were attributes sought by buyers towards the end of production.

Canada
After 1999, Ford of Canada discontinued sales of the Ford Crown Victoria outside of commercial fleets and law enforcement, concentrating civilian sales in Canada on the Mercury Grand Marquis. Following the 2004 model year, the Mercury brand was phased out in Canada, though Ford of Canada would market the Grand Marquis through its Ford dealerships. Sales continued through the end of production in 2011, as the redesigned 2011 Ford Taurus replaced it.

Mexico
Ford de Mexico would twice market the Mercury Grand Marquis under the Ford brand. In 1982, the Grand Marquis was introduced as the replacement for the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and wagons, but it was always sold in Mexico as a Ford model. The Grand Marquis wagon was produced and sold for the Mexican market as the Ford Grand Marquis Country Squire and sold through the 1984 model year. From 1982 until 1984, it was manufactured in Mexico. When it was reintroduced for the 1992 model year, it was imported from St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Wearing both Ford and Mercury badging, the Grand Marquis adopted a Ford Blue Oval on the trunk lid after 1998. From 1992 until its demise in 2004, all versions were equipped with a real dual-exhaust setup.

Although the Ford Grand Marquis was considered a sales success in Mexico and developed a reputation for luxury and prestige as the most expensive domestic nameplate available for sale, as in the United States, sales began to decline as the model aged and more modern competitors were introduced to the market. For the 2005 model year, Ford de Mexico replaced the Grand Marquis with the Ford Five Hundred, sold through 2007.

Middle East (GCC)
The Grand Marquis and its Ford Crown Victoria counterpart were marketed in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The GCC-Spec vehicles initially offered a lower price, reliability, and relative simplicity (compared to German and Japanese luxury sedans). Nevertheless, the GCC-spec Mercury Grand Marquis began to lose market share in the 2000s towards updated competitors (such as the Holden-produced Chevrolet Caprice and Dodge Charger).

Modification

Produced alongside North American examples in St. Thomas, Ontario, GCC-Spec versions of the Mercury Grand Marquis included several mechanical and trim modifications.

All included the High Ambient Temperature and Speed Package, heavy-duty battery, and an auxiliary transmission fluid cooler. Before 2002, export vehicles included a catalytic converter delete option. All standard-wheelbase examples were fitted with true dual exhaust.

The Grand Marquis was available with an Export Handling Package as an option to upgrade handling. The counterpart to the Handling and Performance Package sold in the United States, the Export Handling Package consisted of rear air suspension (with stiffer springs), a larger front stabilizer bar, and a heavy-duty rear stabilizer bar. In contrast to the U.S., the GCC-spec option retained the stock rear axle ratio. Standard on the LS trim level, the package was available for any standard-wheelbase GCC-spec Grand Marquis. Following 2003, the model was identified by a trunk lid spoiler (shared with the Mercury Marauder).

From 1998, the GCC-spec Mercury Grand Marquis was fitted with the 40/20/40 split front seats of the Lincoln Town Car (in place of a 50/50 split bench). To accommodate the Middle Eastern climate, cloth seats are standard equipment, with leather upholstery as an option. In addition, the language of warning labels was in Arabic.

Trim variation
Middle Eastern versions of the Grand Marquis have slightly different options and features than their North American counterparts. Before 2009, six different trim levels were available:
 * GS
 * GS Convenience
 * GSL (Long wheelbase version)
 * LS (LSE package limited to mid-2001 to mid-2003 and 2005 model year)
 * LS Premium
 * LS Ultimate

In 2009, the LS models were only available with a column shifter and 40/20/40 Lincoln Town Car seats in luxury cloth or leather trim. The GSL is a long-wheelbase model offering 152 mm of extra legroom for rear passengers. It is equipped like an LS model, with standard features such as an 8-way power driver's seat (2-way manual passenger seat), side airbags, leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatically dimming rearview mirror, electronic climate control, power-adjustable pedals, premium sound system with CD and cassette, 17-inch wheels with 235/55WR17 Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, heated door mirrors, fog lights and special "GSL" badging. The once-optional gauge cluster is standard, with controls on the dashboard's center between the audio unit and climate controls. In North America, this model was only available to fleet customers as a commercial (taxi) version of the Ford Crown Victoria.

For the 2009 model year, the Grand Marquis was available in two trim levels, GSL and LS, which were near-identical regarding features and options. The LS was a de-contented fleet model that lost standard features such as an overhead console with a compass and a power passenger seat. The Export Handling Package was dropped, eliminating features such as the Mercury Marauder spoiler and rear air suspension.

The GS model reappeared in the lineup for the 2010 model year. Several features (such as the Mercury Marauder spoiler) became available as standalone options. The Export Handling Package was made standard and included a power passenger seat. In Kuwait, the LS model (M7F) was not available to the general public in 2010, as they are heavily sold to fleet buyers, such as the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, and state-owned Kuwait Oil Company, where they are given to employees as fringe benefits.

For the 2011 model year, the long-wheelbase GSL was replaced by the GS, and the LS model was made available again to the general public in Kuwait. The LS Ultimate Edition remains a Fleet model and differed slightly from the GS, equipped with leather seats, electronic automatic temperature control (EATC), and an automatically dimming rear-view mirror. Lumbar support was no longer available.

Discontinuation
In 2006, Ford's The Way Forward restructuring plan detailed that the company would be closing 14 manufacturing plants in North America by 2012. This was estimated to save Ford nearly US$5,000,000,000 and reduce their workforce by nearly 30,000. The St. Thomas Assembly Plant, where the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria were assembled, was switched to a single daily production shift to reduce operating costs, with the Lincoln Town Car joining the two in production at St. Thomas by 2008.

Consequently, in 2008, Ford indicated that the St. Thomas Assembly Plant would be closing by 2010. However, the Canadian Auto Workers Union successfully negotiated an extension to at least 2011. The closure was made official in 2009, as Ford confirmed that the St. Thomas Assembly would be closed at the end of 2011.

Moreover, due to the severe effects of the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis, on June 2, 2010, Ford formally announced that it would end production of all Mercury vehicles by the end of 2010; the brand was discontinued after 72 years. In September 2010, the final Grand Marquis models for retail sale were produced after a short production run. Slated to end production in December 2010, the production of fleet models was extended due to a parts shortage at St. Thomas Assembly. The final Grand Marquis, a white LS Fleet model, was produced on January 4, 2011, at 7:46 am. It was the very last Mercury produced by Ford. The St. Thomas Assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, closed on September 15, 2011, ending the production of the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car.

In continuous production for 36 years, the Grand Marquis was the longest-produced and second best-selling Mercury (behind the Cougar), with over 2.7 million produced. Among Ford Motor Company models in North America, only the Ford Econoline, Ford Mustang, Ford Thunderbird, Ford F-Series, and Lincoln Continental nameplates have been produced longer. The Panther platform was the basis for Grand Marquis design for 32 years. Nearly unmatched by other automakers for longevity, the Grand Marquis's external appearance remained unchanged for the last 19 years of its production life (along with its engine, the 2011 model shared many body panels with its 1992 counterpart).

title: Mercury Grand Marquis


text: Category:Shipping companies

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

title: Category:Shipping companies


text:
Hugh W. Sloan Jr.

Hugh W. Sloan Jr. (born November 1, 1940) was treasurer of the Committee to Re-elect the President, Richard M. Nixon's 1972 campaign committee. Previously, he was an aide to White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman.

He resigned from the Committee to Re-elect over ethics concerns related to actions behind the Watergate scandal. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, in their book All the President's Men, portrayed Sloan as one of the few honest men they interviewed.

Life and career
Sloan was born in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended Hotchkiss and spent his last year of preparatory school at the Al denham School in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. He graduated with a B.A. (Honors) from Princeton University in 1963, and then served in the United States Navy until 1965.

In 1965 he worked as a fund raiser for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, then for the Republican National Finance Committee until 1968.

In 1968 Sloan served as assistant finance director on the Nixon–Agnew Finance Committee, then after the election served as a personal aide to Nixon on the Presidential Transition Committee until early 1969, when he joined the White House Staff as an assistant to Dwight Chapin on January 20. Under direction of Chapin, Sloan supervised the mail operation in the appointments office, which included handling all invitations to the president. He was also responsible for staffing and planning White House social functions until early March 1971.

That same year he married Deborah Murray and served as a finance/campaign expert for what was originally the Citizens Committee to Re-Elect the President, then headed by acting director Jeb Magruder, (who became deputy campaign director when John Mitchell resigned from the Justice Department to take up his political duties full-time in 1972). The organization was renamed the Committee for Re-Election of the President (CRP), with Sloan as its treasurer.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein said that Mark Felt told them that Sloan knew nothing about the Watergate burglary or how the money he disbursed was actually used. Sloan resigned when he found out what the White House Plumbers were up to and became a source for Woodward and Bernstein. Sloan was not identified by name in their Washington Post stories about the Watergate scandal but was in their book about their reporting of it, All the President's Men, in which he was portrayed as one of the few honest men they interviewed.

Sloan subsequently became a trustee of Princeton University. Since 1985 he has been a director of the Manulife Financial Corporation, a Canadian-based financial services group. From 1998 to 2008 he was deputy chairman of Woodbridge Foam, a supplier of urethane technologies to the automotive industry. Sloan is also a director of Wescast Industries, an automotive supplier whose stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Portrayal in film
Stephen Collins portrayed Sloan in Alan J. Pakula's 1976 film All the President's Men.

title: Hugh W. Sloan Jr.


text:
Charles E. Potter

Charles Edward Potter (October 30, 1916 – November 23, 1979) was a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.

Early life
Potter was born in Lapeer, Michigan and attended the public schools there. He received an AB degree from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1938. He worked as an administrator of Bureau of Social Aid in Cheboygan County, Michigan, 1938–1942. In 1942, he enlisted as a private in the United States Army with combat service in the European Theater of Operations with the US 28th Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded at Colmar, Alsace, France, in 1945, resulting in the loss of both legs. He was discharged from the service as a major in 1946.

He was awarded the Silver Star twice, the French Croix de Guerre, and the U.S. Purple Heart. After the war, he was engaged as a vocational rehabilitation representative for the Retraining and Reemployment Administration with the United States Labor Department until his resignation in 1947.

Congress
Potter was elected on August 26, 1947, as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 11th congressional district for the 80th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Fred Bradley. He was reelected to the two succeeding Congresses and served from August 26, 1947, until his resignation November 4, 1952.

He was elected to the United States Senate in 1952 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Arthur H. Vandenberg, replacing Blair Moody, who had been appointed to the post. He served the remainder of Vandenberg's term, from November 5, 1952, to January 3, 1953. He was also elected in 1952 for the term commencing January 3, 1953, defeating Moody in both elections. He served until January 3, 1959, having been defeated for reelection to a second term in 1958 by Philip Hart.

Potter voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

During his tenure, he served as the only member of the Subcommittee on Korean War Atrocities, investigating war crimes committed during the Korean War.

Later career
After leaving Congress, Potter engaged as an industrial consultant and international securities executive. In his 1965 memoir, Days of Shame, he outlined the battle between moderate Republicans and Democrats to contend with Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. Potter was a close confidante of President Dwight D. Eisenhower on this and other issues.

Potter was a Methodist and a member of American Legion, Amvets, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Eagles, Elks, Kiwanis, and the American Battle Monuments Commission. He resided in Queenstown, Maryland, until his death at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, D.C. at the age of sixty-three.

Charles E. Potter is interred in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Virginia.

title: Charles E. Potter


text:
Mohamedou Ould Slahi

Mohamedou Ould Slahi (محمدو ولد الصلاحي; born December 21, 1970) is a Mauritanian engineer who was detained at Guantánamo Bay detention camp without charge from 2002 until his release on October 17, 2016.

Slahi traveled from his home in Germany to Afghanistan in December 1990 "to support the mujahideen." Slahi trained in an al Qaeda camp and swore allegiance to the organization in March 1991. He returned to Germany soon after, but traveled back to Afghanistan for two months in early 1992. Slahi said that, after leaving Afghanistan the second time, he "severed all ties with ... al-Qaeda." The U.S. government maintains that Slahi "recruited for al-Qaeda and provided it with other support" since then. He lived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from November 1999 to January 2000. Slahi was suspected of involvement in the attempted LAX bombing and was investigated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Due to the scrutiny, Slahi returned to live in Mauritania where he was questioned and cleared of involvement.

After the September 11 attacks, the U.S. again was interested in Slahi. He was brought in for questioning by Mauritanian authorities on November 20, 2001, after which he was detained for seven days and questioned by Mauritanian officers and by agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The CIA then transported Slahi to a Jordanian prison through its extraordinary rendition program; he was held for eight months. Slahi said he was tortured by the Jordanians. After being flown to Afghanistan and held for two weeks, he was transferred to military custody and the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba on August 4, 2002, under the authority of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). Slahi was subjected to sleep deprivation, isolation, temperature extremes, beatings and sexual humiliation at Guantánamo. In one documented incident, he was blindfolded and taken out to sea in a boat for a mock execution. Lt. Col Stuart Couch refused to prosecute Slahi in a Military Commission in 2003. He said that "Salahi's incriminating statements—the core of the government's case—had been taken through torture, rendering them inadmissible under U.S. and international law."

In 2005, the internationally recognized criminal defense lawyer Nancy Hollander got involved in Slahi’s case, together with lawyer Theresa Duncan. They argued Slahi’s rights to a fair trial, despite criticism for defending a terrorist suspect. In 2010, Judge James Robertson granted a writ of habeas corpus, ordering Slahi to be released on March 22. In his unclassified opinion, Judge Robertson wrote: "... associations alone are not enough, of course, to make detention lawful." The Department of Justice appealed the decision. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the ruling and remanded the case to the District Court on November 5, 2010, for further factual findings. The District Court never held the second habeas hearing.

On July 14, 2016, Slahi was approved by a Periodic Review Board for release from detention. Slahi was freed and returned to Mauritania on October 17, 2016; he had been imprisoned at Guantánamo for over fourteen years.

Slahi wrote a memoir in 2005 while imprisoned, which the U.S. government declassified in 2012 with numerous redactions. The memoir was published as Guantánamo Diary in January 2015 and became an international bestseller. Slahi is the first Guantánamo detainee to publish a memoir while imprisoned. Slahi wrote four other books while in detention, but he has not been allowed to access these books since being removed from Guantanamo.

1988–1999
Slahi was an exceptional student in high school in Mauritania. In 1988, he received a scholarship from the Carl Duisberg Society to study in West Germany, where he earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Duisburg. In 1991, Slahi travelled to Afghanistan to join the Mujahideen fighting against the communist central government. The United States had supported the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation starting in 1979, and funnelled billions of dollars of weapons and aid to the "freedom fighters". After the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, there was a civil war between Mohammad Najibullah's government and the Mujahideen. Slahi trained for several weeks at the al Farouq training camp near Khost, which was run by al Qaeda, one of many Mujahideen groups in the civil war. At the end of his training in March 1991, he swore bayat to al Qaeda and was given the kunya (nom de guerre) of "Abu Musab." However, he did not participate in the civil war, instead returning to Germany.

In February 1992, Slahi travelled again to Afghanistan and was assigned to a mortar battery in Gardez. Six weeks later, the Najibullah regime fell and he returned to Germany. In hearings in Guantanamo, Slahi has stated that he travelled to Afghanistan twice, attended the al Farouq training camp, and fought against the Afghan central government in 1992, but that he was never an enemy combatant against the United States. In fact, he was fighting on the same side as the United States, which in 1992 supported the Mujahideen fight against the communist government in Afghanistan.

Slahi's cousin and former brother-in-law is Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, also known as Abu Hafs al-Mauritani. Before the September 11 attacks in the United States, Al-Walid was a spiritual adviser to Osama bin Laden, was on the Shura council of al Qaeda, and headed the sharia council. Two months before the attacks, al-Walid, along with several other al Qaeda members, wrote a letter to bin Laden opposing the planned attacks. Al-Walid left al Qaeda after the attacks.

While al-Walid was in Sudan, where al Qaeda was based in the mid-1990s, he twice asked Slahi to help him get money to his family in Mauritania, about $4,000 in December 1997 and another $4,000 in December 1998. In the 2010 habeas corpus opinion for Slahi, the judge wrote: "the government relies on nothing but Slahi's uncorroborated, coerced statements to conclude that the money transfers were done on behalf of and in support of al-Qa'ida." In 1998, Slahi was heard by U.S. intelligence talking to al-Walid on a satellite phone traced to bin Laden.

The 9/11 Commission Report, based on the interrogations of Ramzi bin al-Shibh, stated that in 1999, Slahi advised three members of the Hamburg Cell to travel to Afghanistan to obtain training before waging jihad in Chechnya. The federal District Court in 2010 that reviewed Slahi's case found that Slahi "provided lodging for three men for one night at his home in Germany [in November 1999], that one of them was Ramzi bin al-Shibh and that there was discussion of jihad and Afghanistan." Besides Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mr. Slahi's other two houseguests were future September 11 hijackers. Slahi claims it was merely a matter of hospitality to fellow Muslims.

1999–2002
Slahi moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in November 1999 because German immigration authorities would not extend his visa for residence in Germany. Since he was a hafiz, he was invited by the imam of a large mosque to lead Ramadan prayers. Ahmed Ressam, who was caught with explosives crossing the Canada–U.S. border in December 1999 as part of the 2000 millennium attack plot, had attended the same mosque. Since Slahi was known to U.S. intelligence through contact with his cousin Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, he was suspected by them of activating Ressam.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) put Slahi under surveillance for several weeks but did not find any grounds to arrest him. According to a classified report of German intelligence, "there is not only no evidence of any involvement by Ould Slahi in the planning and preparation of the attacks, but also no indication that Ressam and Slahi knew each other."

Frustrated by Canada's refusal to arrest him, the CIA worked with Mauritanian intelligence to lure Slahi back by forcing his mother to call him under the false premise that Canada was going to arrest him and he had to return to Mauritania to be protected. Slahi left Canada on January 21, 2000, where he was arrested in Senegal at the request of United States authorities and questioned about the millennium plot. He was transferred to Mauritania to be interrogated by local authorities and United States FBI agents. After three weeks in custody, during which Slahi was accused of being involved in the millennium plot, he was released.

Slahi worked at various companies in Mauritania as an electrical engineer starting in May 2000. After the September 11 attacks, the U.S. renewed scrutiny of everyone suspected of having ties to al Qaeda. On September 29, he was again detained by the Mauritanian authorities for questioning. He cooperated with the authorities several more times and then for the last time starting on November 20, 2001. Slahi was interrogated by both Mauritanian officials and the FBI for seven days.

Then the CIA transported him to Jordan using extraordinary rendition. The CIA supervised his interrogation at a Jordanian prison for eight months. Slahi claims he was tortured and forced to confess to involvement with the millennium plot. On July 19, 2002, the CIA transported Slahi to Bagram, Afghanistan, where he was transferred to military custody and held at the detention facility. The US military flew Slahi to Guantanamo Bay detention camp on August 4, 2002.

Guantánamo Bay detention, 2002-2016
Slahi was assigned detainee ID number 760 and was initially held in Camp Delta. Officials belonging to the CSIS interviewed Slahi in February 2003. He was among 14 men classified as high-value detainees, for whom United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld authorized use of what were called enhanced interrogation methods, which have since been classified as torture. By January 2003, US military interrogators pressed to make Slahi their second "Special Project," drawing up an interrogation plan like that used against Mohammed al-Qahtani. Declassified documents show that Slahi was transferred to an isolation cell near the end of May and abusive interrogation started. He was subjected to extreme cold and noise, extended sleeplessness, forced standing or other postures for extended periods of time, threats against his family, sexual humiliation and other abuses.

In February 2015, a series in The Guardian reported that one of his interrogators was Richard Zuley, a career homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, who was called in on assignment with the United States Navy Reserve. In Chicago, Zuley has been the subject of civil suits by inmates attributing similar abuse, including shackling, threats and coerced confessions.

In September 2003, Slahi was moved to Camp Echo. Memos summarizing meetings held on October 9, 2003 and February 2, 2004 between General Geoffrey Miller and Vincent Cassard of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) acknowledged that camp authorities were not permitting the ICRC to have access to Slahi, due to "military necessity."

Lt. Col V. Stuart Couch, a Marine Corps lawyer, was appointed as Slahi's prosecutor at Guantanamo. He withdrew from the case in May 2004 after reviewing it in depth. Couch said that he believed that Slahi "had blood on his hands," but he "could no longer continue the case in good conscience" because of the alleged torture, which tainted all confessions Slahi had made. Couch said that "the evidence is not believable because of the methods used to obtain it and the fact that it has not been independently corroborated."

The Wall Street Journal published a letter that Slahi wrote to his lawyers on November 9, 2006. In the letter, Slahi said all his confessions of crimes were the result of torture. He laughed at being asked to recount "everything" that he had said during interrogations, joking that it was "like asking Charlie Sheen how many women he dated."

In 2005, the internationally recognized criminal defense lawyer Nancy Hollander got involved in Slahi’s case, together with lawyer Theresa Duncan. They argued Slahi’s rights to a fair trial, despite criticism for defending a terrorist suspect.

Guantánamo Diary
Slahi started writing a memoir of his experiences in 2005, continuing into the next year. The 466-page manuscript was in English, a language Slahi learned at Guantánamo. After litigation and negotiation, the US government declassified the memoir in 2012, making numerous redactions. Excerpts were published by Slate magazine as a three-part series beginning April 30, 2013. On May 1, 2013, Slate also published a related interview with Col. Morris Davis, the military's chief prosecutor at Guantánamo from September 2005 to October 2007. Guantánamo Diary was published as a book in January 2015, the first work by a still-imprisoned detainee at Guantánamo. It provides details of Slahi's harsh interrogations and torture, including being "force-fed seawater, sexually molested, subjected to a mock execution and repeatedly beaten, kicked and smashed across the face, all spiced with threats that his mother will be brought to Guantánamo and gang-raped." It has become an international bestseller. Prison officials prevented Slahi from receiving a copy of his published book.

Joint Review Task Force
When he assumed office in January 2009, President Barack Obama repeated his commitment to close Guantanamo. He convened a six-agency task force to review the detainees and recommend those who could be released. In its 2010 report, the Guantánamo Review Task Force recommended Salahi be considered for prosecution in a military commission. The task force recommended that detainees deemed too dangerous to release, but without sufficient evidence for prosecution, receive a Periodic Review Board hearing. In 2013, Slahi was listed as one of 71 detainees eligible for a review. In March 2016, Slahi was granted a hearing before the Board in June.

Further interrogation request
U.S. district court James Robertson had issued an order to the Department of Defense barring them from interrogating Slahi while his habeas corpus case was under consideration. Guantánamo authorities in October 2014 seized all of Slahi's privileged legal papers and all his personal belongings, including a computer. They also stripped Slahi of his "comfort items," including letters from his late mother, in an attempt to force him to agree to interrogations. Slahi wrote in an unclassified letter to his attorneys in April 2015 that officials had offered to return these items if he agreed to interrogations, which had been barred for six years. Prosecutors in the case of Ahmed al-Darbi wanted to interrogate Slahi about him.

Torture
Slahi was last interrogated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on May 22, 2003. He claimed an FBI interrogator warned him "this was our last session; he told me that I was not going to enjoy the time to come." Three months later Defense Secretary Rumsfeld approved the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques". Slahi was subjected to isolation, temperature extremes, beatings and sexual humiliation by military interrogators. In one incident, he was blindfolded and taken out to sea for a mock execution.

A 2007 Wall Street Journal report paraphrased an incident described in the 2005 Schmidt-Furlow Report, an investigation by the Department of Defense into detainee treatment at Guantanamo following FBI allegations of torture used by DOD interrogators in the early years of Guantanamo:

"On July 17, 2003, a masked interrogator told Mr. Slahi he had dreamed of watching detainees dig a grave.... The interrogator said he saw 'a plain, pine casket with [Mr. Slahi's] identification number painted in orange lowered into the ground.'"

In the summer of 2003, Slahi was repeatedly subjected to the use of an interrogation technique which the Schmidt-Furlow Report stated had been prohibited by the Secretary of Defense on December 2, 2002.

What was not revealed until 2008 was that in a March 14, 2003, legal opinion memo issued by John Yoo of the Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice, to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Yoo advised that federal laws related to torture and other abuses did not apply to interrogations overseas. At that point the Bush administration contended that Guantanamo Bay was outside US jurisdiction. The Defense Department used this memo to authorize the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" at Guantanamo and in Iraq. Also, by 2005, The New York Times reported that by an April 2003 memo from Rumsfeld to General James T. Hill, commander of United States Southern Command, responsible for Guantanamo Bay, Rumsfeld authorized 24 specific permitted interrogation techniques to be used. Jack Goldsmith, head of the Office of Legal Counsel, withdrew the Yoo Torture Memos in June 2004 and advised federal agencies not to rely on them.

Slahi's lawyers in 2008 threatened to sue Mauritanian, Jordanian and U.S. officials over his torture.

The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services produced a report titled Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody on November 20, 2008. It contains information about the treatment of Slahi and others at Guantanamo before 2005.

According to Peter Finn of The Washington Post in 2010, Slahi, along with Tariq al-Sawah, were "two of the most significant informants ever to be held at Guantanamo. Today, they are housed in a little fenced-in compound at the military prison, where they live a life of relative privilege – gardening, writing and painting – separated from other detainees in a cocoon designed to reward and protect."

Habeas corpus proceedings
In Rasul v. Bush (2004), the United States Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantánamo Bay detention camp had the right of habeas corpus to challenge their detention. Slahi had habeas petitions submitted on his behalf. In response, the Department of Defense published 27 pages of unclassified documents from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT) on July 14, 2005.

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA) mandated that Guantánamo detainees were no longer entitled access to the U.S. federal courts, so all pending habeas petitions were stayed. However, in June 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that the MCA of 2006 could not remove detainees' right to habeas and access to the federal court system. All previous habeas petitions were eligible to be re-instated.

Before submitting briefs in the habeas case, the U.S. government dropped its previous allegations that Slahi had participated in the Millennium Plot and that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened.

Release order
After review of the case, U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson granted the writ of habeas corpus and ordered Slahi's release on March 22, 2010. Robertson's ruling was criticized by several Republican Party politicians. Slahi was the 34th detainee whose release was ordered by a federal district court judge reviewing government materials associated with his habeas petition. The unclassified decision was filed on April 9, 2010.

Referring to the government's charge that Slahi gave "purposeful and material support" to al Qaeda, Judge Robertson wrote:

"Salahi may very well have been an al-Qaida sympathizer, and the evidence does show that he provided some support to al-Qaida, or to people he knew to be al-Qaida. Such support was sporadic, however, and, at the time of his capture, non-existent. In any event, what the standard approved in Al-Bihani actually covers is 'those who purposefully and materially supported such forces in hostilities against U.S. Coalition partners .' 530 F.3d at 872 (emphasis added). The evidence in this record cannot possibly be stretched far enough to fit that test."

Judge Robertson addressed the other government allegation, that Slahi was "part of" al Qaeda at the time of his capture. He said the law was not as clear in this instance: "neither Al-Bihani nor any other case provides a bright-line test for determining who was and who was not 'part of' al-Qaida at the time of capture. The decision, in other words, depends on the sufficiency of the evidence. The question of when a detainee must have been a 'part of' al-Qaida to be detainable is at the center of this case, because it is clear that Salahi was at one point a sworn al-Qaida member."

Judge Robertson discusses other factors in his decision, including which side had the burden of proof and considering the reliability of coerced or hearsay testimony. In conclusion, Judge Robertson stated:

"The government had to adduce evidence – which is different from intelligence – showing that it was more likely than not that Salahi was 'part of' al-Qaida. To do so, it had to show that the support Salahi undoubtedly did provide from time to time was provided within al-Qaida's command structure. The government has not done so."

Appeal
The Department of Justice appealed the decision. Oral arguments were heard on September 17, 2010, by a three-judge panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In oral arguments, Judge David S. Tatel questioned whether swearing bayat in 1991 is evidence of actions a decade and more later against the United States. He noted, "When he swore bayat, the United States and al-Qaeda had a common goal. Both the United States and al-Qaeda were opposing a communist government of Afghanistan." The panel discussed sending the case back to the District Court or over-ruling the decision, based on other recent D.C. Circuit rulings on the criteria that justify detention, which were still being developed.

On November 5, 2010, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the decision and remanded the case to the D.C. District Court for further factual findings, based on guidance it had given to the D.C. District Court about review of such habeas corpus cases of detainees. The Circuit Court panel said the following questions needed to be answered:
 * whether Slahi understood that he was referring recruits to work in al-Qaeda's "jihad" against the U.S.,
 * what Slahi may have said to bin al-Shibh in a discussion of jihad in Afghanistan,
 * whether he had been asked by al-Qaeda to help with communications projects in Afghanistan and elsewhere,
 * whether he had taken a role in planning computer "cyberattacks," and
 * whether he remained "a trusted member" of al-Qaeda up to the time of his capture.

The District Court never held any hearings after the Court of Appeals decision.

Slahi had his first Periodic Review Board review on June 2, 2016. A month later, the board recommended that Slahi be released.

Life after detention
On October 17, 2016, Slahi was freed and returned to Mauritania, after being detained without charge for over 14 years.

In 2017, CBS News journalist Holly Williams traveled to Mauritania to interview Slahi. CBS News' flagship news show, 60 Minutes, broadcast the story on March 12, 2017. CBS News described it as Slahi's first television interview since his repatriation. In this interview Mohamedou said he "wholeheartedly [forgives] everyone who wronged [him] during [his] detention." Slahi filed in April 2022 a legal claim against the Canadian government on the grounds that "faulty intelligence provided by Canadian authorities contributed to his detention" in 2002, seeking $35 million in compensation.

In May 2018, Slahi's former guard at Guantanamo, Steve Wood, visited him in Mauritania during Ramadan. It was covered in the 2020 documentary short film My Brother's Keeper.

On January 29, 2021 the New York Review of Books published an open letter from Slahi, and six other individuals who were formerly held in Guantanamo, to newly inaugurated President Biden, appealing to him to close the detention camp.

In February 2021, a film adaption of his memoir titled The Mauritanian directed by Kevin Macdonald, and starring Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Shailene Woodley was released.

Personal life
As of 2019 Slahi's passport had not been returned to him as was promised during his release. He was not able to leave Mauritania to treat his health condition or see his newborn son in Germany. After his academic graduation in Germany in 1999 Slahi had registered himself as unemployed while also being involved in commercial activities which he failed to declare to the authorities, resulting in a suspended sentence for social fraud and an unlimited entry ban.

title: Mohamedou Ould Slahi


text: User talk:200.55.4.27

title: User talk:200.55.4.27


text:
Billingham

Billingham is a town and civil parish in County Durham, England. The town is on the north side of the River Tees and is governed as part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority. It had a population of 35,165 in the 2011 Census.

The settlement has been around since Anglo-Saxon times as a village, a post-Second World War modern town centre was built north of the old village centre on the town's grange. It was a township with an urban district from 1923 until 1968, when it was absorbed into the County Borough of Teesside, and part of the county of Cleveland.

Billingham is home to the Billingham Manufacturing Plant which is a major producer of Chemicals for agriculture.

History
The town was settled by Angles and has a name either meaning Billa's people's home or bill-shaped hill people's home. The town was in one of the Northumbrian regiones. This regione is thought to cover much of the land of northern Teesdale and had late Viking rule. It was later broken up with Billingham in the Hartness district then into a small shire called Billinghamshire. St Cuthbert's Parish Church has elements dating back to the late-7th/early-8th-century in its nave and a tower dating c. AD 1000. There is also a 7th-century grave-marker from the church in the British Museum.

Chemical industry and ICI
The town's chemical industry started in the early 1900s. In 1917, the town was chosen to be the site of a new chemical works supplying ammonia for the war. However, the plant wasn't completed until 1920, after the war had ended. The Brunner Mond Company took over the site and converted it to manufacture fertilisers. In December 1926, Brunner Mond merged with three other chemical companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), who took control of the plant. With the World Wars creating a high demand for explosives it led to a massive expansion of Billingham and post-Second World War a new town centre was built. ICI began to produce plastics at Billingham in 1966.

Aldous Huxley visited the newly opened and technologically advanced Brunner and Mond plant at ICI and gave a detailed account of the processes he saw. The introduction to the most recent print of Brave New World states that Huxley was inspired to write the novel by this Billingham visit. Henry Thorold in the Shell Guide to County Durham states:

"This is one of the most extraordinary of experiences, a sight almost unique in England. On either side of the road are the works. Steaming, sizzling—tall steel towers, great cylinders, pipes everywhere... At night the whole industrial world along the banks of the Tees comes to life... brilliant with a thousand lights, the great girders of the Transporter Bridge dark in silhouette: a magic city."

From 1971 to 1988 ICI operated a small General Atomics TRIGA Mark I nuclear reactor at its Billingham factory to produce radio-isotopes for use in process instrumentation such as level measurement devices. In addition to its own on-site coal-fired power station, ICI also operated the coal-fired North Tees Power Station, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, on the banks of the Tees to provide electricity for its plants. The latter was eventually decommissioned and demolished (at a ceremony attended by Environment Secretary Nicholas Ridley) in 1987. The site of the power station is now Billingham Reach Industrial Estate, an international wharf owned by Able UK Ltd. ICI no longer operates in Billingham, having sold many of its businesses during the restructuring of the company in the 1990s. Some of the company's former manufacturing plants are still in operation, run by other chemical companies. Several chemical plants close to the town were subject to explosions and leaks in 2006 and 2007.

Following the fragmentation and ultimate loss of the chemicals conglomerate ICI, the Billingham Chemical Industrial park became a multi-company facility. The chemical, biotechnology and engineering companies that continue to operate at Billingham are members of the Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC). They include GrowHow, Johnson Matthey, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and Fruitarom. Other members of the NEPIC Cluster operate from the 62 acre (25 hectares) Belasis Business Park in Billingham such as Cambridge Research Biochemicals, ABB and Biochemica. Growhow not only manufacture fertilisers & industrial chemicals in Bilingham, but also capture the CO2 for use in the food and drink industry. Tomatoes are grown in Billingham by North Bank Growers using the recoverable energy from the Billingham complex, which further reduces the area's carbon footprint.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies have a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Billingham. Subject to regulatory approval, at least 60 million doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine will be manufactured there for the UK government from 2021.

Anhydrite Mine
In 1983, NIREX announced a proposal to use the disused anhydrite mine as a site for the disposal of intermediate level nuclear waste. There was a certain amount of opposition to this, led by Billingham Against Nuclear Dumping (BAND), as despite the suitability of the site in geological terms, it was very close to a large population centre. Subsequently, in 1985, the plans were dropped. In 2007, more recent plans to reopen the mines for "use as a long-term disposal facility for low hazard waste" were met with similar opposition and a petition of 3,200 signatures against the mine's opening was presented to the local authority.

In March 2011, Stockton Council's planning committee accepted an application from NPL Waste Management to reopen the mine for the disposal of hazardous waste. NPL planned to convert the mine into a 4,000,000 cubic metre waste storage facility receiving over 100,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Municipal
Between 1923 and 1968, Billingham had its own urban district council which built, among other things, the Billingham Forum, Kennedy Gardens and Billingham Golf Club (the UK's first municipally-owned club). Billingham's last mayor was Octavious Evitts in 1952.

It was included into the County Borough of Teesside in 1968. In 1974, Teesside County Borough was replaced by the County of Cleveland, which had four districts: Hartlepool, Langbaurgh-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees. Billingham was then part of Stockton-on-Tees. In 1996, with the abolition of Cleveland County, Billingham remained within Borough of Stockton-on-Tees which became a unitary authority.

Town parish
Billingham civil parish is the largest area and size in the Stockton Borough. Other than the town itself, areas of the parish include Haverton Hill, Port Clarence, Cowpen Bewley and Seal Sands.

A petition to Stockton Borough Council and referendum held in 2003 both having given assent to proposal for Billingham to become reparished. The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Electoral Commission issued orders for the creation of a Billingham Parish and the setting up of a new town council in February 2007. It is funded by a precept of £80,000. The first elections for the new Town Council were held on 3 May 2007.

Protected and green spaces
Billingham Beck Valley Country Park (also known as Billingham Bottoms) was landscaped from a reclaimed industrial waste tip and has steadily grown to include former grazing land to form a 120 acre site including wetland habitats. Designated as a Local Nature Reserve by English Nature in 1992, it won a Green Flag Award in 2005. The beck itself is one of the major tributaries of the River Tees and has a tidal reach around the former ICI site.

Town
The town is effectively split into two separate areas by name: Old Billingham (the area around the village green adjacent to St Cuthbert's church and built up around the ICI works) and the more planned estates that have spread out since the 1950s, increasing the town's size and borders towards the villages of Wolviston and Cowpen Bewley to the point of almost incorporating them.

Billingham Town Centre provides the town with national retail chains such as Asda, Greggs, Iceland, Argos, Aldi, Costa, Poundland and Boyes, as well as several charity shops, estate agents and banks, with a market featuring in the centre every Monday and Friday. The town centre lacks some services but Stockton Town Centre is less than 3 mi away and Middlesbrough Town Centre is also less than 3 mi away. In 1967, Associated Dairies' fledgling stores division, launched in 1965, opened their first store outside of its Yorkshire heartland in the town centre. Asda Billingham was their first store to open in the North East and is now the oldest continuously trading Asda supermarket in the UK.

In March 2012 it was confirmed that a Wetherspoons Public House would be opened in the Town Centre, along with a Fulton Frozen Foods superstore.

In August each year the town centre hosts the Billingham International Folklore Festival. Dancers and musicians perform traditional and contemporary dance.

In November 2013, a time capsule was buried in front of 'The Family' statue in Billingham Town centre under a stone with the inscription 'FOREVER FORWARD 30 11 2013'. The capsule is not to be unearthed until the year 2078.

Demography
The population of Billingham, according to the census of 1801, was 962. This number increased slowly until the beginning of World War One, when the need for nitrates to use in explosives brought about a significant burst of growth for the town. In 1917, after Billingham was chosen as the site for the production of synthetic ammonia due to its good transport links and access to the resources needed, the population of the town nearly doubled in just a few years from 4500 to 8000. After the war, the site was bought by Brunner Mond and converted for use in the production of agricultural fertiliser. Brunner Mond soon merged with a number of other companies to form Imperial Chemical Industries. This furthered the growth of Billingham's population, which reached nearly 18,000 by 1931. With the onset of World War Two, synthetic ammonia for explosives was once again in demand, further sustaining the town's development. During the latter half of the 20th century, the population of Billingham slowed significantly due to the industrial decline of the area. Furthermore, Billingham attracted relatively few immigrants after its de-industrialisation. Across the wards that make up Billingham, just 2.3% of the population at the 2011 Census were born outside the UK, compared to a national average of 13%. The population was also recorded as 99% white.

Population data for 1801–1971 is available at Britain Through Time.

Education
Billingham is served by two secondary schools: Northfield School, a specialist sports college, and St Michael's Catholic Academy, a specialist Science Catholic academy. Northfield Marsh House site, formerly Campus, was closed in 2012.

At the moment construction is ongoing for St. Michael's to join the Billingham Campus and New Bede/Riverside College facilities on the Marsh House Avenue site. The council has published plans for a £40 million investment in primary schools which will include some being rebuilt or re-designed and refurbished. Roseberry Primary School and Bewley Infant and Bewley Junior Schools are on the list for action within the next few years.

Bede College has served the town for several years, and attracts students from Hartlepool and Stockton, consistently achieving higher results than nearby colleges in Stockton or Middlesbrough. Formerly one of the smallest colleges in the UK, with under 400 students, its recent amalgamation with Stockton Riverside College and relocation to an adjacent new campus has seen its student body increase significantly. As part of the new campus, the college has also gained its own sports facilities.

Religion
Billingham is home to several religious communities, the largest of which are the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church of England community is served by a single Team Parish, with five parish churches: St. Cuthbert's, St. Luke's, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Aidan's, and St. Peter's. The parish covers all of Billingham, the Clarences, Cowpen Bewley, Newton Bewley, and Wolviston. It is part of the Church of England Deanery of Stockton in the Archdeaconry of Auckland, which itself is within the Diocese of Durham. The Roman Catholic community is served by three parishes, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish Billingham, St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's. These parishes are based in Hexham and Newcastle's St Hilda Partnership. The Parish Priest is the Rev John Butters.There is also St Michaels RC Secondary School in Billingham, which is part of the Carmel Trust based in Darlington.

The Christian community is also served by two Methodist churches, one Baptist church and a Pentecostal Church called "New Life" based on Low Grange Avenue. There is also a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Spiritualist community is served by one Spiritualist Church located on Chapel Road, TS23 1DX, just off The Green. This is the second oldest Church in Billingham and started out life as a Methodist church that was then sold on to the Spiritualist National Union when the Methodists needed a larger premises. The chapel has been serving Spiritualism and the local community since 1932.

Road
Billingham is served by the A19 running to Sunderland in the north and Thirsk in the south. Billingham is also served by the A689 to Hartlepool in the east and Bishop Auckland in the west.

Rail
Billingham railway station is on the Durham Coast Line with hourly services provided by Northern to Newcastle and the MetroCentre in the north and to Stockton and Middlesbrough in the south. Grand Central provide an express train from Sunderland to London but the service does not currently serve Billingham.

The original Billingham railway station was closed in the late 1960s and moved a mile east along the line. Rail services were infamously operated using Pacer trains which were in essence converted Leyland National buses, but these were withdrawn in late 2019 due to them not meeting government disability requirements.

Bus
Stagecoach provides services 35 to Stockton via Norton Glebe & High Grange, 36 Middlesbrough & Hartlepool, 52 Stockton High Street & Low Grange and 34 Middlesbrough & Owington Farm. Many route changes were made with Billingham's buses, such as the re-routing around High Grange on the 34. In summer 2018 the 34A was introduced but withdrawn in late 2019.

Go North East provide services X9 & X10 To Newcastle & Middlesbrough.

Local operator Stagecarriage provided local services, such as the X7 to Stockton, Teesside Retail Park and Middlesbrough. This service was withdrawn around a fortnight before the company's collapse in July 2019. The service has not been replaced.

Leven Valley formally provided service 45 to Wolviston. After the closure of Leven Valley, Stagecarrige took over this service, but it stopped running shortly after.

Sport
Billingham is the home of Billingham Town F.C., who celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2017 having been initially founded in 1967 as Billingham Social Club.

The chemical industry's creation of ammonia in the town also led to the formation of Billingham's other football team, Billingham Synthonia, Synthonia being a portmanteau of synthetic ammonia. At the beginning of the 2017–18 season, financial difficulties spurred Billingham Synthonia F.C. to relocate to the Norton Sports Complex in Norton in a ground-share with Norton & Stockton Ancients and are currently ground sharing with Stokesley SC.

Billingham Synthonia Cricket Club is of similar origins to the football club of the same name. The club play in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League.

The town also has its own ice hockey team (the Billingham Stars) in the English National Ice Hockey League, whose home rink is Billingham Forum Ice Arena. There is also another ice hockey team called the Billingham wildcats which is made up of women aged 16+.

The town has one Rugby Union club, Billingham RUFC, which has four senior teams, the 1st XV currently playing in National 3 North, four leagues from the Premiership. The 2nd XV (Lions) currently playing in The "Candy League" Division 1. The 3rd XV currently playing in The "Teesside Merit League", with the Colts playing in a competitive Saturday Colts League. The club also has a junior section, ranging from U-7 minis to U-16s, with teams winning Durham county cups and leagues.

Billingham Forum
In 1967, Billingham Forum was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. A sports and leisure complex, it contains a swimming pool, an ice rink, and a number of sports halls. The complex also houses the Forum Theatre. Notable personalities that have performed in the theatre include Wendy Richard, Jimmy Edwards, Eric Sykes, Darren Day, Arthur Lowe, David Jason, Penelope Keith, Terry Scott, Timothy West, Carroll Baker, and Dame Anna Neagle. Roy Chubby Brown performed there for the first time in November 2006; his DVD for 2007 was recorded there as well.

As part of the proposals to regenerate Billingham, a 'Gateway' initiative proposed the construction of a new sports and leisure centre on John Whitehead Park to replace the Forum. This proved highly controversial, particularly as the Forum's would-be-replacement did not contain a theatre. The proposals were abandoned in November 2004, shortly after the Forum Theatre was granted Grade II listed building status.

Following a survey that reported 98% of participants in favour, Stockton Borough Council submitted a bid of £15-20 million to refurbish the Forum Complex in partnership with The Billingham Partnership group.

On 2 June 2011, the Billingham Forum returned from its £15m refurbishment, which started in mid-2009. The Billingham Forum now encompasses a theatre, business standard conferencing facilities, a swimming facility, a large Ice Arena, a state-of-the-art Activ8 Gym with TechnoGym Digital exercising equipment, a sauna and steam room, fun indoor climbing (GoClimb), a sports injury centre, and dry sports and drama facilities. There was originally a fish pond in the centre of Billingham Forum but it has been removed. The exterior wall panels have also been replenished with a colour scheme of Dark Blue, Grey and Yellow. Billingham Forum is owned by Stockton Borough Council and is managed by Tees Active Ltd.

People

 * Jamie Bell, actor Billy Elliot, and The Eagle
 * Dunstan Bruce, frontman of Chumbawamba and Interrobang!?, and director of documentary 'I Get Knocked Down'
 * Ann Ming, who fought tirelessly and successfully to change the UK law for double jeopardy cases, following the murder of her daughter.
 * Eddie Jobson, musician
 * Paul Smith, frontman of Indie group Maxïmo Park
 * Diane Youdale, AKA 'Jet' from Gladiators
 * The Wilson Family, singing group, Hartlepool Folk Festival Patrons, EFDSS Gold Badge Awardees

Sportspeople

 * Andrew Davies, former Middlesbrough F.C., Southampton F.C., Stoke City F.C. footballer, currently with Bradford City A.F.C.
 * Robert Dowd, professional ice hockey skater for Sheffield Steelers
 * Charlie Ellix, darts player
 * Sean Gregan, footballer
 * Tony Hall, footballer for Waterford United
 * Evan Horwood, footballer
 * Willie Maddren, former Middlesbrough F.C. footballer and manager
 * Craig Willis, Rugby union player for Ealing Trailfinders
 * Tommy Mooney, footballer
 * Gary Pallister, footballer for Middlesbrough F.C., Manchester United and England. Now an occasional pundit for the BBC
 * Jamie Pollock, former footballer for Manchester City
 * Brad Walker, footballer
 * Zooey Perry, handball player

Climate
Billingham has an oceanic climate (Cfb). The town is fairly warm in the summer and the temperature can rise above 30 °C but this is rare. In the winter temperatures can drop below 0 °C but this is also rare.

The highest recorded July temperature occurred on Tuesday 19 July 2022, reaching 37°C.

title: Billingham


text:
Abu Musab

Abu Musab may refer to:

 * Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh, also known as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
 * Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, also known as Abu Musab al-Suri
 * Mohamedou Ould Salahi, Mauritanian former detainee at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp

title: Abu Musab