British Navy announces "Operation Orion '08" so as not to miss the fight!

[whistle]

British navy announced it will deploy its HMS Illustrious aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf along with a Type 42 destroyer and a Type 23 frigate next spring, 2008. Also two minesweepers and three support vessels will be included. The entire operation will be called "Operation Orion 08." They will cruise for six months in the gulf, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

<SNIP>
Navy to patrol Gulf in the spring of 2008
By David Blair in Manama
Last Updated: 2:49am GMT November 02, 2007

A Royal Navy aircraft carrier will be deployed in the Gulf next spring, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

HMS Illustrious will sail for the highly sensitive waters near Iran accompanied by Edinburgh, a Type 42 destroyer whose main role is providing air defence, and Westminster, a Type 23 frigate.

Two minesweepers and three support vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will complete the deployment for Operation Orion 08.

The ships will spend about six months in the Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

Their presence may coincide with a crucial period in the West's confrontation with Iran.

Observers believe that the spring is the last possible moment for President George W Bush to order military strikes against Iran's nuclear programme. The imminence of America's presidential election may make it impossible for Washington to carry out an attack any later.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the deployment had been "planned for a while" and that British carriers were present in the Gulf last year and in 2005.

"The idea is to demonstrate our commitment to maritime security in a strategically very important part of the world."

The warships will be handled by the Navy's permanent staff of 30 based in Bahrain's capital, Manama.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/02/wgulf102.xml

[nightrider767]

1. Operation Orion!?!

I hate those names. WHy don't they just be honest and call it something like "Operation Prepare To Drop Bombs On People Places ANd Things 08"?

[whistle]

2. Exactly, but here is the story of Orion from Greek mythology

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Orion
(Urine)

Son of Poseidon and the gorgon Euryale, Orion was a great hunter who fell desperately in love with Merope, whose father rejected him.

Orion then tried to abduct her but was blinded and put to sleep by the god Dionysus. His sight was only restored after having been told by an oracle that he must travel East and let the first sunrays fall on his eyes which he did.

Orion then settled on Crete where he fell in love with Aurora. For this he was killed by the the jealous Artemis, to whom he had dedicated himself, and turned into a star constellation.

His shadow continued in Hades, still hunting wild animals.

Orion had also persecuted the Pleiades, and they turned into doves to escape him. When he still followed them, they turned into stars, making the constellation with the same name.

Another story tells us a different version about who was Orion's and how he got his name: see Hyreios

Hyreios

Old farmer who was visited by three strangers one day. He invited them in and and offered them a generous meal of ox meat. To return the hospitality, the strangers asked Hyreios if he wished for anything. The old farmer sighed, and said jokingly, "yes, a son". What he did not know was that the tree guests were Zeus, Poseidon and Hermes.

After having finished their meal, the three gods took the skin of the ox and let their "divine water" on it. Then they buried it by the tomb of the farmer's wife.

Nine months later a son was born, and it was named Orion (=urine), who was to become a great hunter.
This myth very much resembles the Biblical story of Abraham and Sarah (1st Book of Moses).

Go figure, I wonder just how much help the British fleet would be to the American efforts based on those tales.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. So the moral of the story is

Be very careful whom you fall in love with.

That applies to Great Powers, as well.

[nightrider767]

4. Perhaps "Operation Icarus o8" would be more fitting

Icarus soared through the sky joyfully, but in the process came too close to the sun, which melted his wings. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus_(mythology)

[whistle]

5. That is what the U.S. operation will be called if Shrub* has his way