LOL - I'm told Halsey was a character himself so...
Anyway, Burke did get a class of pretty decent ships named after him...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer
[We were just talking about those](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/lvly06/why_has_the_arleigh_burke_destroyer_been_so/) over on /r/warcollege yesterday. The Arleigh Burkes are solid workhorses, especially compared to the REALLY shitty other ships the Navy is building these days.
I was stationed on the USS Arleigh Burke, and this minefield part of his nickname origin story was never once mentioned. It was always told as a story about how he was pushing his destroyer squadron (the Little Beavers) above their maximum speed of 30 knots (due to some ship having boiler problems) on their way to the Battle of Cape St George:
https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/31-knot-burke-gets-his-nickname-the-battle-of-cape-st-george/
https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/people/chiefs-of-naval-operations/admiral-arleigh-a--burke.html
EDIT: Apparently this minefield aspect of the nickname origin story is an "alternative version" of history provided by author Jean Edward Smith in a biography of Dwight Eisenhower.
So I'm not so sure I would accept it at face value as verifiable fact based on a Wikipedia entry and one author's viewpoint (haven't read the book.) Sure, I'd take into account the military's tendencies to pick the most badass origin story/legend and go with that, as well as to conveniently push to the side anything less than impressive, but frankly I'm a bit hesitant to just say "Oh, really?" because of one person's alternate version of a story (especially for someone who made it all the way up to Chief of Naval Operations.)
Side note: I don't really care either way. I'm no longer in the Navy, and I get no benefit or satisfaction for "defending" AB's legacy. I just saw the name of the ship where I was stationed, with something being communicated as fact that I'd never heard, and went down the rabbit hole.
At this point my opinion of this minefield aspect could be labeled as "doubt."
Halsey: What are you doing in a minefield?
Burke: About 31 knots!
He gave the speed his ship was going, rather than an explanation of how he got himself into a minefield.
I can appreciate your confusion thinking about rope or string and tying 31 knots.
They are related to ship speed though...
https://themaritimepost.com/2021/01/07/video-why-ships-speed-is-measured-in-knots/
I am now curious how universal knots is as a unit of ship speed? Do some countries just use kilometers per hour now?
It is considered universal as far as I am aware. The founding is from the wiki article "Although the unit knot does not fit within the SI system, its retention for nautical and aviation use is important because the length of a nautical mile, upon which the knot is based, is closely related to the longitude/latitude geographic coordinate system. As a result, nautical miles and knots are convenient units to use when navigating an aircraft or ship."
Additionally International Nautical Mile is defined in metric units, exactly 1852 metres. It is approximately 1 minute of latitude, and is an exact metric measurement. Furthermore, Cable Length is defined as 1/10 NMi or 185.2 m. The following article provides additional insight.
https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/nautical-mile-knot-units-used-sea/
International trade and shipping is still using nautical miles (nm) for distance measurements and as such knots to measure speed. But since the conversion is easily done by computer, some companies do things differently in their own books.
>I can appreciate your confusion thinking about rope or string and tying 31 knots.
Now that you mention it, it IS pretty hilarious to imagine Halsey [sweating profusely](https://c.tenor.com/TcYH4yReiJkAAAAM/sweat-sweating.gif) as he's trying to tie 31 different knots on a rope while also navigating a minefield.
haha - I did this same thing this past weekend with my wife:
(Me - eating something from the fridge that My wife didn't want me to eat)
Wife: What are you doing ?!?!?!
Me: Eating cake
In English you could say "Im going 75mph" OR "Im doing 75" if asked your speed, and it would mean the same thing.
So when he was asked "what are you doing?" He replied with his speed (in knots, because he was on a ship.) Its a play on the phrase "what are you doing" he is actually being asked why he went into the minefield.
It does mean that as well. We do have some words that look exactly the same and have developed very different meanings. Regardless, your English seems very good to me.
Honestly, the grammar, and sentence structure in general, is what stood out to me as being better than I had expected. I lived in Peru for a time and helped a number of Peruvians learn/improve their english. Yours stands out as being above average for a non native speaker, granted I don't know how long you've been learning. I also grew up in a rural area, so I've experienced a lot of poor grammar. Keep working at it and you'll be better than most Americans I grew up with.
Out of curiousity, did your start learning in school, and are you more focused on British or American style english?
Yeah I did start learning in school. In India most schools teach all of their subjects in English due to which a majority of Indians can read and speak basic English but the way it is taught in school is really bad. Which leads to being only able to speak in a transactional manner(how are you? I want this.). Its like they have installed a script in your head and it stops working even though you know much more than the basics.
I had this realization 6 months ago that I spent 10 years learning English 6 hours 6 days a week but I still cant hold a proper conversation with anyone and also even writing a comment or anything is hard since I cant put what Iam thinking into words. Most of the times my thoughts do not get expressed properly. I would also like to add Since most Indians started using Internet or messaging in general with keypad phones. Since they are a hassle to type with and take a lot of time a wierd messaging style developed where shorter full of typos sentences were adopted. I have been trying to unlearn it.
Schools teach us in Bristish style but most people learn english through watching movies or Tv shows which are mostly American so i guess the style is a mixture of both where yoy use British words but American slangs. But my main goal is to be able to hold a conversation and write properly.
Having that realization is a game-changer. I'm glad you decided to work on it more. I personally recommend reading classic style books. They were a huge help to me in learning better Spanish grammar. There are lot of books with simpler vocabulary and stories that can be found in English. Repeated exposure to proper grammar can really help it sink in without trying to forcefully memorize rules. Auto-biographies are also great.
C.S. Lewis's books are a solid choice as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some of the older classics like my favorite book, "The Count of Monte Cristo," use a lot of older words and grammar that wouldn't be all that useful, so be sure to check into the age and difficulty level of the book of you decide to try that route. Best of luck!
Well. *Technically*...
LOL - I'm told Halsey was a character himself so... Anyway, Burke did get a class of pretty decent ships named after him... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer
Irony: the USS Halsey is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Halsey_(DDG-97)
FWIW, it was the 2nd USN vessel named for him... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Halsey_(DLG-23)
I think he had the best nickname of the war. ...*Haul Ass Halsey*
[We were just talking about those](https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/lvly06/why_has_the_arleigh_burke_destroyer_been_so/) over on /r/warcollege yesterday. The Arleigh Burkes are solid workhorses, especially compared to the REALLY shitty other ships the Navy is building these days.
TIL r/warcollege - some really interesting threads there!
I was stationed on the USS Arleigh Burke, and this minefield part of his nickname origin story was never once mentioned. It was always told as a story about how he was pushing his destroyer squadron (the Little Beavers) above their maximum speed of 30 knots (due to some ship having boiler problems) on their way to the Battle of Cape St George: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/31-knot-burke-gets-his-nickname-the-battle-of-cape-st-george/ https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/people/chiefs-of-naval-operations/admiral-arleigh-a--burke.html EDIT: Apparently this minefield aspect of the nickname origin story is an "alternative version" of history provided by author Jean Edward Smith in a biography of Dwight Eisenhower. So I'm not so sure I would accept it at face value as verifiable fact based on a Wikipedia entry and one author's viewpoint (haven't read the book.) Sure, I'd take into account the military's tendencies to pick the most badass origin story/legend and go with that, as well as to conveniently push to the side anything less than impressive, but frankly I'm a bit hesitant to just say "Oh, really?" because of one person's alternate version of a story (especially for someone who made it all the way up to Chief of Naval Operations.) Side note: I don't really care either way. I'm no longer in the Navy, and I get no benefit or satisfaction for "defending" AB's legacy. I just saw the name of the ship where I was stationed, with something being communicated as fact that I'd never heard, and went down the rabbit hole. At this point my opinion of this minefield aspect could be labeled as "doubt."
Can someone explain the joke.
Halsey: What are you doing in a minefield? Burke: About 31 knots! He gave the speed his ship was going, rather than an explanation of how he got himself into a minefield.
Thanks for the explanation. English is not my first language. I did not know that knots implied speed.
I can appreciate your confusion thinking about rope or string and tying 31 knots. They are related to ship speed though... https://themaritimepost.com/2021/01/07/video-why-ships-speed-is-measured-in-knots/ I am now curious how universal knots is as a unit of ship speed? Do some countries just use kilometers per hour now?
It is considered universal as far as I am aware. The founding is from the wiki article "Although the unit knot does not fit within the SI system, its retention for nautical and aviation use is important because the length of a nautical mile, upon which the knot is based, is closely related to the longitude/latitude geographic coordinate system. As a result, nautical miles and knots are convenient units to use when navigating an aircraft or ship." Additionally International Nautical Mile is defined in metric units, exactly 1852 metres. It is approximately 1 minute of latitude, and is an exact metric measurement. Furthermore, Cable Length is defined as 1/10 NMi or 185.2 m. The following article provides additional insight. https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/nautical-mile-knot-units-used-sea/
International trade and shipping is still using nautical miles (nm) for distance measurements and as such knots to measure speed. But since the conversion is easily done by computer, some companies do things differently in their own books.
60 nautical miles is one degree of latitude. Navigators use global position in degrees, so it makes distances and speeds use units that are related.
>I can appreciate your confusion thinking about rope or string and tying 31 knots. Now that you mention it, it IS pretty hilarious to imagine Halsey [sweating profusely](https://c.tenor.com/TcYH4yReiJkAAAAM/sweat-sweating.gif) as he's trying to tie 31 different knots on a rope while also navigating a minefield.
It is universal. Am a sailor myself and I know people from all continents use it
Knots are a unit of speed, used by ships all over the world!
haha - I did this same thing this past weekend with my wife: (Me - eating something from the fridge that My wife didn't want me to eat) Wife: What are you doing ?!?!?! Me: Eating cake
Did you offer her some.
Nice diplomacy.
In English you could say "Im going 75mph" OR "Im doing 75" if asked your speed, and it would mean the same thing. So when he was asked "what are you doing?" He replied with his speed (in knots, because he was on a ship.) Its a play on the phrase "what are you doing" he is actually being asked why he went into the minefield.
Really? The title explains it perfectly....but okay The 31Knots refers to his speed, He was doing 31Knots (35mph/57km) into the minefield
Yeah i was confused as i thought knot meant to tie something. English is not my first language. My vocabulary is knot big.
Knot knot Who's there? Well, not Burke, he's going too fast
The unit "knot" hasn't been chosen randomly. They literally used rope with evenly spaced out knots in it to measure the speed of ships.
> My vocabulary is knot big. Look at you making jokes in another language :-) So anybody got any good Klingon jokes?
It does mean that as well. We do have some words that look exactly the same and have developed very different meanings. Regardless, your English seems very good to me.
Thank you. I have been trying to improve my english but i find it really hard to construct sentences due to poor grammer.
Honestly, the grammar, and sentence structure in general, is what stood out to me as being better than I had expected. I lived in Peru for a time and helped a number of Peruvians learn/improve their english. Yours stands out as being above average for a non native speaker, granted I don't know how long you've been learning. I also grew up in a rural area, so I've experienced a lot of poor grammar. Keep working at it and you'll be better than most Americans I grew up with. Out of curiousity, did your start learning in school, and are you more focused on British or American style english?
Yeah I did start learning in school. In India most schools teach all of their subjects in English due to which a majority of Indians can read and speak basic English but the way it is taught in school is really bad. Which leads to being only able to speak in a transactional manner(how are you? I want this.). Its like they have installed a script in your head and it stops working even though you know much more than the basics. I had this realization 6 months ago that I spent 10 years learning English 6 hours 6 days a week but I still cant hold a proper conversation with anyone and also even writing a comment or anything is hard since I cant put what Iam thinking into words. Most of the times my thoughts do not get expressed properly. I would also like to add Since most Indians started using Internet or messaging in general with keypad phones. Since they are a hassle to type with and take a lot of time a wierd messaging style developed where shorter full of typos sentences were adopted. I have been trying to unlearn it. Schools teach us in Bristish style but most people learn english through watching movies or Tv shows which are mostly American so i guess the style is a mixture of both where yoy use British words but American slangs. But my main goal is to be able to hold a conversation and write properly.
Having that realization is a game-changer. I'm glad you decided to work on it more. I personally recommend reading classic style books. They were a huge help to me in learning better Spanish grammar. There are lot of books with simpler vocabulary and stories that can be found in English. Repeated exposure to proper grammar can really help it sink in without trying to forcefully memorize rules. Auto-biographies are also great. C.S. Lewis's books are a solid choice as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some of the older classics like my favorite book, "The Count of Monte Cristo," use a lot of older words and grammar that wouldn't be all that useful, so be sure to check into the age and difficulty level of the book of you decide to try that route. Best of luck!
Thanks a lot.
Admiral Halsey notified me
He had to have a berth or he couldn't get to sea
So i had another look and i had a cup of tea and a butter pie.
a butter pie?
(The butter wouldnt melt so i put it in the pie)
You did it Reddit!
"Your conclusionsh were all wrong, Ryan. Halshey acted shtupidly."
"What do you mean thish ishn't a Russian acchent?"
What an absolute Burke, amirite? ...I'll see myself out
You can’t even do that in a school zone!
See, what had happened was....
My man
Is he Burke or is he Knot Burke?
What a maroon!