Navy Day.

This is coolbert:

Russian Navy Day.

And near disaster!

From MARCO POLO through Harry:

"The Russians celebrate the last Sunday of July [26 July this year] as their Navy Day. This had started in the Soviet Union in 1839. The date memorializes the Russian fleet's first victory over a foreign navy -- 1714 (July -- August) 'Battle of 'Gangut'"

"On Navy Day each year, President Putin visits home of the Russian fleet -- in 2013 Sevastopol and in 2014 Severomorsk, respectively. This year he was in Baltiisk (Kaliningrad Province) -- home of Russian Baltic Fleet."

"There was a near disaster in Sevastopol [Navy Day in Sevastopol]. In front of a large number of spectators, the frigate 'Ladny' demonstrated the firing of an ASW missile -- 'URPK-3' (NATO's SS-N-14 'Silex'). Seconds after the launch, the missile exploded in the air, and fell back onto the sea. It nearly hit the ship. Fortunately, there were no casualties."

Think of the USS Princeton disaster from a much more previous era:

"The USS Princeton Disaster of 1844 occurred on February 28 aboard the newly built USS Princeton when one of the ship's long guns, the 'Peacemaker', then the world's longest naval gun, exploded during a display of the ship."

The President of the United States John Tyler with a goodly number of his cabinet as in attendance the lot of them nearly killed!!

"President Tyler survived the disaster because he was below decks."

Such things can and do happen.

coolbert.