Cap Mandrake
Posts: 23184
Joined: 11/15/2002 From: Southern California Status: offline
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That screen shot of a DD and a couple of subchasers taking on Force Z reminds me of a joke. *********07:45, 1805, somewhere off the coast of Spain********* The captain of a French frigate surveys the waters to his West. As the fog clears, there are revealed three frigates flying the Union Jack. Lt.: Mon capitan! We are ougunned! We must flee. Cpt.: Non! Zey have ze posishun. We must fight zem. Bwing me ze red shirt. <a groomsman complies and returns promptly with an ornate red shirt, which the captain quickly dons. A terrible battle enuses, with heavy casualties on both sides but the Cpt. never wavers, instead standing calmly in the smoke, the shot, the splinters and the sniper fire. Against all odds, the French prevail, sinking one ship and driving off the other two. After the battle the Lt. approaches the Cpt. reverentially.> Lt.: Mon capitan! Zat was brillaint! Ze red shirt, is eet a family heirloom? Cpt.: Non, Lt., you do not understand. It ees my zhob to eenpsire ze men. If I have ze wound and ze bleeding zey will loose ze courAGE, eh? Zees is why I wear ze red shirt, so zey will not see ze blood. <well, naturally, the Lt. is now in awe of his captain and makes a committment to model the captain's behavior. The next morning, again the fog clears but this time it is Nelson's entire fleet. Arayed agaisnt the small frigate are 27 ships of the line, including 3 first raters.> Lt.: <The Lt. feels the blood drain from his head but he remembers his vow from the day before. He barely croaks out the words.> Shall we bring ze red shirt, mon Capitan? Cpt.: <The Cpt. does not avert his gaze from his foe. He stands stoicly for several seconds.> Non, today bwing me ze brown pants.
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