Gauging Reprecussions of “Fallout”

Recent activity shows that both the primary goal and unexpected secondary goals of my “Dumb vs. Dumber” series have had their effects. The primary goal of using satellite images obtained from the internet to ascertain the Naval strength of Iran and america has been suprisingly fulfilled, while other countries have been updating and/or censoring their satellite images.
Within days of the last article Yahoo uncensored Bandar Abbas. In viewing the images there, which were clearly from the summer of 2007, one saw that Iran was very active with it’s Naval forces. The Jamaran FFG is seen in the final stages of fitting out, and one will see an Alvand class FFG, Tariq class SSK and some Ghadir class SSK’s, Bayandor class FF, 2 Hengam class LST’s, 2 Charak class LST’s, a Bandar Abbas class LS, and several PT craft. In addition the Iraqi LST kept as a war trophy has been moved. Such a low inventory of combat warships shows the bulk of Iran’s Navy was out on active patrol.
On May 21, 2008 google/wiki updated their images of Bandar Abbas, which clearly were taken in 2008. In viewing them I saw the Jamaran active, all 3 Alvand class FFG’s in different berths, a Bayandor class FF getting underway, 2 Tariq class SSK’s 2 Ghadir class SSK’s, 2 Yugo class SSK’s, all 4 Hengam class LST’s, the Corvette Joshan, 6 Charak class LST’s, an Iran class LST, both Bandar Abbas class LS, and several PT Craft. In addition the Kharg and a Kangan class LS are both visible outside Bandar Abbas underway on maneuvers.
As of my writing this MSN, Ask, and other online servers which provide satellite images have yet to allow images of Bandar Abbas on their sites. From what is visible in Yahoo and google/wiki is that Iran’s Navy is active and capable, alongside Iran’s armed forces, of defending Iran. The question is can Iran maintain the ability to defend itself.
In viewing america’s Naval bases one sees that the images of most of them are regularly updated, with little manipulation done. The ones that have been regularly updated are Groton, Norfolk, Newport News, San Diego, Bremerton, Everett, while other Naval facilities are seldom or never updated. While little has changed, as one will still see a large power projection of american warships in base, it is the fine details worth noticing. For instance on google/wiki the USS George H W Bush CVN is visible in the final stages of fitting out before comissioning, San Diego shows the Midway CV in port as a Museum Ship, yet only LHA/D ships are in port and no CVN’s. Plus key facilities like Bath, Pascagoula, Kings Bay, New Orleans, Pearl Harbor, Guam are not updated. MSN and Yahoo are not regular updaters as well, so the american navy appears to have something to hide.
In terms of updating their Naval facilities other countries are selective. On google/wiki Russia has only updated St. Petersburg, China Dalian and Zhanjiang, India Mumbai, Japan Kure, Brazil Niteroi, Chile Valparaiso, Singapore, Malaysia Lumut to name a few of the more important ones. What stands out are when smaller bases are updated in favor of larger bases and when censorship begins to occur. Examples of the former are how Thailand has updated Songkhla but not Sattahip, where the CV Chakri Narubet is based, and Bangkok, or how australia has updated darwin but not perth. In terms of censorship Taiwan has begun to censor Tsoying and Portugal Lisbon. Of note also is how China has improved the image resolution on Qingdao and Spain on Ferrol but neither have updated their images. Considering the vandalism that goes on google/wiki by putting up false info by the cabal of 400 nodders that run it it is understandable the reluctance for these countries to update their images ongoogle/wiki. Most noticeable is how MSN and Yahoo have made some updates to their images which are more useful. For instance MSN has updated Yokosuka to show the CV Hyuga fitting out before being launched. Dakar is updated to show the French CV Jeanne d’Arc and The German DDG Hamburg, 2 Bremen class FFG’s, and the Berlin LS in port during maneuvers on MSN and Yahoo, but for some reason not on google/wiki.
This however does not explain the reluctance of other online servers, maniny MSN and Yahoo, to censor some locations there. Most notable is MSN. There France has an interesting way of censoring it’s naval bases. Initialy, it cut out the images of it’s bases, now it has blurry images up of most of it’s active ships and includes old images, as of the ex CV Clemenceau at Toulon. Even more odd is how Spain censors Cartagena on the Birds Eye view on MSN, allowing one to view the Descubierta FFG and the Peral but the Naval facilities themselves are censored. This despite the fact that Yahoo has now updated images of Spain’s naval bases, albeit only old images are shown, particularly at Ferrol where no server has made updates to show the CV Juan Carlos I which is fitting out there. In viewing MSN’s Birds Eye satellite one notices quite a bit of censorship and image manipulation. Examples of these locations include Den Helder, Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, Rostock, Renfrew, Esquimalt, plymouth, sydney, Everett, Norfolk,, Newport News, San Diego, Bremerton, Taranto, La Spezia, Goteborg, Copenhagen, Groton, Portsmoutn NH, Bath, ME, New Orleans, where one will see images in 3D by switching to Birds Eye, but in order to print one must click the print preview on the browser screen, not the MSN print.
It is easy to understand the censorship on google/wiki because of the vandalism there, as one does not want to leave onself open to the harassment, defemation, and slander of the wikifreak mafia. Sites like MSN and Yahoo are another story, for they at least have responsible users, but in censoring they are showing a lack of responsibility. As ever the future is uncertain.