h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

EF: History of the Royal Navy - Part 5 A14137896 contains a few mistakes, gaps and mis-wordings:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

In "Changing Surface Forces"

This led to the construction of HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and a new Ark Royal in the 1980s.
-->
This led to the construction of the 'Through Deck Cruisers' HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and a new Ark Royal in the 1980s. Due to downsizing these ships had to be much smaller than proper aircraft carriers, but this was not too great a blow due to post-war innovations such as the steam catapult and ski-ramps that now allow aircraft to take off using much less space along with improvements in flight deck layout. The Through Deck Cruisers were all fitted with Rolls-Royce/ Snecma Olympus 593s, the same engines used in Concorde.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

In "Nuclear Submarines"

The first nuclear bomb to be used in anger was dropped upon Hiroshima, Japan by the USA on 5 August, 1945,
-->
6 August, 1945,

---------------------------------------------------------------------

In "The Falklands"

Led by Rear Admiral 'Sandy' Woodward, destroyers and frigates taking part in exercises off Gibraltar joined carriers HMS Hermes and Invincible and three nuclear-powered submarines, as the whole task force under Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse headed to South Georgia. In the three weeks it took for them to get there, US diplomacy failed to prevent war, so after taking the island and sinking the Argentine submarine Santa Fe, the fleet headed towards the Falklands. The Navy set up a 200-mile exclusion zone around the islands and began bombing raids on the Argentine positions around Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. Worried about the vulnerability of the fleet to air attack, Woodward gave the order to sink any Argentine ships outside of territorial waters. This led to the sinking of the carrier General Belgrano by the submarine HMS Conqueror on 3 May, with tremendous loss of life. However, the rest of the Argentine fleet retreated to coastal waters, leaving the Argentineans with the options of air and missile attacks.
-->
Led by Rear Admiral 'Sandy' Woodward, destroyers and frigates taking part in exercises off Gibraltar joined carriers HMS Hermes and Invincible and three nuclear-powered submarines, as the task force under Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse headed towards the Falklands, while a group of ships split off to retake South Georgia. In the three weeks it took for them to get there US diplomacy failed to prevent war, so after taking the island and sinking the Argentine submarine Santa Fe, the fleet started to attack the Falklands. The Navy set up a 200-mile exclusion zone around the islands and began bombing raids on the Argentine positions around Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. Worried by the possibility of a pincer movement between the Belgrano to the south and a carrier force to the north, Woodward gave the order to sink any Argentine ships outside of territorial waters. This led to the opportunistic sinking of the carrier General Belgrano by the submarine HMS Conqueror on 3 May, with tremendous loss of life. However, the rest of the Argentine fleet retreated to coastal waters, leaving the Argentineans with the options of air and missile attacks.

The first Exocet was launched on 4 May and failed to explode, but drove straight through the hull of HMS Sheffield, causing the Type 42 destroyer to give off acrid smoke and then slowly sink.
-->
The first Exocet was launched on 4 May and failed to explode, but drove straight through the hull of HMS Sheffield, causing the Type 42 destroyer to catch fire and give off acrid smoke as the rocket fuel of the Exocet ignited. The ship then slowly began to sink, and would have been salvageable had it not been for the storm that prevented her from being docked.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Post Cold-War, paragraph 2:

one of which was shot down by a Sea Dart fired by HMS Gloucester.
-->
one of which was shot down by a Sea Dart fired by HMS GloucesterThe Sea Dart has since proven very capable of stopping aircraft as well as enemy missiles, and now has a role as an anti-aircraft missile..

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Post Cold-War, paragrapgh 3:

Next came involvement in the 2001 USA/NATO invasion of Afghanistan, in which al-Qaeda's Taliban --> replace "al-Qaeda's" with "the"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

To be added on to the end of the first paragraph of 'The Modern Navy':

A typical service contract lasts for 22 years beginning at age 18, though it is possible to join up to six months before this age.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Modern Navy, last paragraph:

the Royal Navy is now the second most powerful in the worldAfter the US Navy, which represents a country with a population five times greater than the UK.
-->

the Royal Navy is now arguably the second most powerful in the worldAfter the US Navy, which represents a country with a population five times greater than the UK. Russia and China also have rather large navys, but with arguably less-advanced technology and less experience.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks very very much

Alex

Oh pants.

This led to the opportunistic sinking of the carrier General....
--> cruiser (not carrier )



Alex

Working on it...

Got all those!

Sorry to bug you again, but apparently there's a stick I've got the wrong end of:

(footnote)

The Sea Dart has since proven very capable of stopping aircraft as well as enemy missiles, and now has a role as an anti-aircraft missile.
-->
The Sea Dart was originally designed as an anti-aircraft missile and went beyond expectations when it managed to track and destroy the enemy missile.

Sorted

just a question on this one. Was looking up stuff on the cod war and found this article. it says in the bit about the cod war
"an unconditional British withdrawal from the 200-mile band."

yet the BBC News website says that:
"Iceland and Great Britain came to agreement on June 2 1976. A maximum of 24 British trawlers were allowed inside the 200-mile limit.

The annual cod catch was limited to 50,000 tons."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/fishing/background_decline.shtml

which isn't quite an unconditional withdrawal, Britain was still allowed some fishing.

Or have I ot the wrong end of the stick?

Hmmm... looks like you're right.

shall have to record that in the calendar then!

I've added the information as a footnote - let me know what you think

seems fine to me.
Course, what we really need is a link to an edited guide entry on the Cod Wars as their own subject. But I ain't volunteering just now!