The Bilge Pumps

Dear all, for this Bilge Pumps we apologize in advance for the amount of Australian in this podcast. We may mention the Collins-class replacement to Jamie, we may have had a bottle of irn bru riding on how long he could talk on it for and we may or may not have come up with a solution to several problems.

So with the warning out of the way, please sit back and enjoy some Bilge Pumps as your regular crew of Alex, Drach, and Jamie take a canter through the topics suggested, some of the topics that will feature this year, and some of the current events of the last couple of weeks.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of mint cake and the faintest whiff of fried chicken – but we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 33:it's all about the competition, it's all about the amazing ideas and proposals that have been sent in to the Bilgepumps team... as such it's all about the year ahead as this episode will explain. So sit back & enjoy some bilgepumps as your regular crew of Alex, Drach & Jamie take a canter through the topics suggested, some of the topics that will feature this year and some of the current events of the last couple of weeks.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork– but we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 32, it's a discussion of Presence and honestly... Be afraid, be very afraid...that most terrifying circumstance has come to pass for the second time in 2021, Jamie was busy - it's the Christmas holidays in Australia, which are also the Summer Holidays down there: so Alex & Drach are just wishing all the best to his young sni... daughters and hoping they are having a lovely time with their parents!

Again the episode needed to be done; there have just been too many stories for Bilge Pumps to not happen. So it is just Alex and Drach for 70-plus minutes on the stories of the current events and the presence mission for navies. So for even those with only a mild interest in naval affairs, it's either gold or your going to need to have some time in your happy space to get over it...

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork– but we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 31, it's New Years Resolutions and once again... Be afraid, be very afraid...that most terrifying circumstance has come to pass once more, Jamie was busy... and the episode needed to be done. So it is just Alex and Drach for seventy plus minutes on what new years resolutions various navies of the world need to make... For even those with only a mild interest in naval affairs, it's either gold or your going to need to have some time in your happy space to get over it...

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork– but we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 30. This is it, the Christmas Special you have all been waiting for! The regular Bilge Pumps Crew is joined by Commander Michael Clapp (ret.) and Major General Julian Thompson (ret.) - the command from the Amphibious Task Group, the Inshore Squadron, and 3rd Commando Brigade during the Falklands War. We hope you enjoy the conversation and have as much fun listening to it as we did making it.

For those interested in taking part in our competition, please send your PDF submissions to [email protected] by January the 10, 2021.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 29. Okay so we decided we had to go through the year in retrospective, to look back at the 28 previous episodes, to consider how we have got to where we are and what has happened in a very packed year. Expect cynicism, sarcasm, probably bad jokes, and a whole lot of naval content all put, hopefully, in the correct amount of historical context.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 28. In this episode we are joined by a former Flag Captain, a former Royal Navy Rear Admiral, Jeremy Larken, who served as the Captain of HMS Fearless and flag captain of Michael Clapp in the Falklands War. In it we discuss future threats, the world as it is now and as it was then, and he keeps the Bilge Pumps crew on our toes as we aim for one of our widest-ranging discussions yet.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 27. This should come with a warning, as normal Jamie was busy, but luckily Alex and Drach were not left Jamie-less, being joined by Jamie from the Royal Navy. It continues the air defense at sea theme of Episode 24, although this time we are looking not at the weapons to protect the ships, but the missiles, the threats to the ship at sea.

#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 26, Part 1. This is special, this is one of those times the Bilge Pumps team just gets amazed! We cannot believe how lucky we are to have this person come on our podcast yet again! This is Stephen George, Commander, Royal Navy (ret.), an aero engineer the likes of which you will rarely get to speak in public.

Last time, Commander George came to talk about his part in the unprecedented effort which went into achieving over 80 percent availability from nine aircraft for nearly 120 days during the 1982 Falklands War. This time again it will be the F-35, myth busting, context providing, actual explanations by a real engineer whose only concept of spin is the centrifugal force variety, not the make-things-sound-pretty variety.

Beware though, this interview was the fulfilment of Jamie's dreams, after years of only hearing full declarative sentences from those with an axe to grind against the F-35. Finally, here was an engineer, who has worked closely with the project both in and out of uniform, prepared to be candid about its mistakes, but also be full-throated in explanation of why it did what it did and what it got right.

#Bilgepumps is six months old and this is Episode 26, so in puppy training terms we have reached the point of potentially being house trained. So we may no longer boast that new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).

Bilge Pumps, Episode 26, Part 2. This is special, this is one of those times the Bilge Pumps team just gets amazed! We cannot believe how lucky we are to have this person come on our podcast yet again! This is Stephen George, Commander, Royal Navy (ret.), an aero engineer the likes of which you will rarely get to speak in public.

Last time, Commander George came to talk about his part in the unprecedented effort which went into achieving over 80 percent availability from nine aircraft for nearly 120 days during the 1982 Falklands War. This time again it will be the F-35, myth busting, context providing, actual explanations by a real engineer whose only concept of spin is the centrifugal force variety, not the make-things-sound-pretty variety.

Beware though, this interview was the fulfilment of Jamie's dreams, after years of only hearing full declarative sentences from those with an axe to grind against the F-35. Finally, here was an engineer, who has worked closely with the project both in and out of uniform, prepared to be candid about its mistakes, but also be full-throated in explanation of why it did what it did and what it got right.

#Bilgepumps is six months old and this is Episode 26, so in puppy training terms we have reached the point of potentially being house trained. So we may no longer boast that new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork. But we're getting the impression it's liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).