Route.

The Cut flows along the northern edge of the new town of Bracknell, which was established on 17 June 1949. Prior to this, Bracknell had been a small village near Bracknell railway station, and the area which it now occupies was largely rural. The river had three tributaries, Downmill Stream, which ran along the western edge of the designated area, Bull Brook which ran through the centre, and Blackmoor Stream, which ran along the eastern edge. Rather than embrace these waterways, parts of them were culverted and the new town built over the top. Almost all of Downmill Stream disappeared in this way, as did the southern part of Bull Brook, and most of Blackmoor Stream.  The Cut has its source near Ascot Place in Winkfield. A number of small streams supply three ornamental lakes, which also receive water from Blackmoor Stream. This rises further south at Englemere Pond, a shallow acidic pond located in the Englemere Pond Nature Reserve, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Much of Blackmoor Stream, including all of the northern section, runs underground in a culvert. Ascot Place itself is a late-18th century country house set in of parkland. Development took place between 1760 and 1790, when the house was built, the stream running through the grounds was dammed to create the three lakes, and much of the surrounding parkland was laid out. Of the lakes, the middle one is the largest, and at its western end is a grade I listed grotto, built by Robert Turnball between 1750 and 1770, so possibly pre-dating the house. Immediately to the west of the grotto is a three-arched bridge, constructed of red brick in the late 18th century. Beyond the third lake, the stream passes out of the park grounds and under Braziers Lane. At Brockhill, it passes Brockhill House, where it feeds a lake which has been there since at least 1879. Between bridges carrying the B3017 and B3022 roads, it is joined by another stream, flowing northwards from Chavey Down.  Continuing westwards, it passes the Meadowbrook Montessori School, one of the first in Britain to cater for primary age children. Wane Bridge carries a minor road called Malt Hill over the river, and then it is joined by two tributaries, one flowing south from Nuptown, and Bull Brook flowing north from Warfield. Like Blackmoor Stream, much of Bull Brook has been culverted as Bracknell has expanded. It begins at two locations, one near Gravel Hill and the other in Swinley Park, which meet in an underground culvert. It appears on the surface near Savernake Pond, which now acts as a balancing pond, slowing the rate at which urban run-off water enters the main watercourses. The pond covers an area of. An underground branch connects the sewage treatment works on Whitmoor Bog to the river, after which the culvert flows westwards and then turns north, passing under the housing estate of Bullbrook. A small section is on the surface near Martins Heron railway station and it re-emerges near Jigs Lane South. As it heads to the north, it passes under Harvest Ride, flows to the east of Whitegrove library, and continues under County Lane to enter Warfield Park. Two more bridges carry the B3034 and B3022 roads over its course before it enters the grounds of Warfield House, an early 18th century country house, which was extended in the 19th century and altered in the middle of the 20th century. To the west of the house is a large ornamental lake covering, created by a weir at the northern end, after which the channel turns to the north-west before it joins The Cut. The name Warfield is derived from Weir Field, and denoted a place for fishing on The Cut.  The junction with The Cut is just southwest of Warfield Church. This grade II* listed parish church is dedicated to St Michael and All Angels, and was constructed in the 13th century. A north chapel was added in the 14th century, but the nave and transept were rebuilt in the 15th century, so only the north aisle is original. The building was partly restored in 1872 by G E Street.  Beyond the junction, the river turns to the south west, passing under Osbourne Lane and then running between Scotlands Farm and Newell Green to pass under the A3095 road at Bott Bridge. In 2016, some of the river downsteam from the bridge were diverted, to allow a roundabout to be constructed on the B3034, and an access road to a new housing development to cross the river. The project included the creation of a floodwater retention pool, with the associated controls to manage it, and the use of woody material to create backwater habitat along the length of the diversion. As the river passes the end of Watersplash Lane, it is joined by a small tributary flowing north-west from Green Acres, and continues under Harvest Ride. After it reaches Frampton's Bridge, carrying the B3018 road, it is joined by the Downmill Stream, emerging from a culvert. This tributary begins at Gormoor Pond, to the south of a road called Nine Mile Ride, and apart from two lakes at South Hill Park and the Mill Pond at Wildridings, is culverted for most of its length. Prior to the establishment of Bracknell, it ran past Downmill Brickworks, on the north side of the railway line. By 1972, the section between the railway and the junction with the cut had been culverted, but south of the railway it was still in the open. Mill Pond was originally what its name suggests, but was enlarged to act as a balancing pond when Bracknell was constructed. It now covers an area of.  The Cut from Bott Bridge to Jocks Copse and Tinkers Copse below Frampton Bridge is a designated leisure area called the Cut Countryside Corridor. After the junction with Downmill Stream, the river turns to the north west, passes under two bridges, and enters the grounds of Binfield Manor, a grade II listed 18th century house with 19th century additions, which was altered in the 20th century, and is surrounded by parkland. The river drops down a weir to enter a large lake, with another weir at the northern end, just after a bridge carrying the B3034 road. It then heads generally northwards, passing under several bridges carrying minor roads, and over a ford at Westleymill. To the west of Braywoodside, it comes close to the M4 motorway, and historically turned to the west, to reach the River Loddon. The original course is now called Twyford Brook, but around 1820 a new course was cut, heading north east, to reduce flooding at Ruscombe Lake. The old course remained in water, and there was a small area of marshy ground between the two in 1912, but the construction of the M4 motorway severed the connection. On the new course, there is another weir after the B3024 bridge, and on the final section, it is spanned by the M4 motorway, the A404(M) and A308(M) motorways at the Junction 8/9 roundabout, and the A308 roundabout at the end of the A308(M). It is joined by a tributary called The Bourne near Junction 8/9, and tumbles down a weir to join Bray Cut, part of Maidenhead Waterways.  The course turns to the east, and on the north bank is the grade I listed Jesus Hospital, with its almshouses, chaplain's house and chapel. It was constructed in 1627, when it was founded by William Goddard, and is now managed by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. The river continues under the B3024 road and the M4 motorway, beyond which it is flanked by large lakes which were formerly gravel pits. The southern one is Bray Lake, and is used for sailing. At its eastern end is a gravel works and Bray Keleher Water Treatment Works, which processes 45 Ml per day of drinking water from the River Thames, and was being upgraded by South East Water to handle 68 Ml per day, with an expected completion date of 2021. The Cut joins the Thames just above Bray Marina.

Ecology.

The river has had a chequered history with regard to its water quality and suffered from pollution, particularly in the 1960s, probably due to the rapid expansion of nearby Bracknell and inadequate sewage treatment by the works at Whitmoor Bog and Ryemead Lane, Winkfield. However, in recent decades things have improved and the river now contains a large population of small chub, along with some roach and gudgeon though it seems to have limited appeal to anglers. Other fish present are three-spined sticklebacks and stone loach, and the riparian fauna includes kingfisher, grey heron (especially around Warfield House lake), grey wagtail and mink.  The river receives the treated discharges from at least three sewage treatment works, and has a number of weirs, which impede the movement of fish. It also suffers from run-off from roads and industrial estates, but a project to improve the ecology began near to the Jock's Lane recreation ground. The Braybrook Community Nature and Fishing Club had been formed, and its members included a high proportion of junior anglers. They fished on a local pond, and the management committee included both junior members and adults. In order to introduce people to the challenges of fishing on a flowing river, Bracknell Council applied for a grant from the Angling Trust, which was awarded because of the age range of those involved. Ten fishing platforms, including two with disabled access, were constructed by the river. The success of this application led to the club applying to the Environment Agency’s Fisheries Improvement Programme, to see if they could improve the state of the river. Again, a grant was awarded, and work began on cutting down some of the tree canopy, to allow light to reach the water and encourage the growth of aquatic plants. The cut wood was used to create berms, forming meanders and narrowing the channel, so that the velocity of the water increased. This scoured the silt from the bed of the river, revealing clean gravel underneath.  In 2017, there were 13 reported incidents of pollution of the river near Jock's Lane, which killed large numbers of fish. The Environment Agency worked with Thames Water, who are responsible for the drainage network downstream from Bracknell, visiting local businesses to advise on the safe storage and disposal of chemicals and oil, in a bid to stop such incidents happening. As a result of this, the Environment Agency felt it was safe to try restocking the river, and on 14 December 2017 some 1,700 chub, 1,000 dace, 1,000 roach and 300 tench were released near the Jock's Lane recreation ground. All had been reared at the national fish rearing facility at Calverton, Nottinghamshire.

Water quality.

The Environment Agency measure the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish, and chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations. Chemical status is rated good or fail.  The water quality of The Cut system was as follows in 2016. The reasons for the quality being less than good included discharge of sewage into the upper reaches, poor livestock management, and physical modification of the channel, which presents barriers to the free movement of fish. The chemical status of the lower reaches has improved, from Fail in 2013 and 2014 to Good in 2015 and 2016. The Environment Agency designate the Downmill Stream as "Cut to west Bracknell".

The Cut is a river in England that rises in North Ascot, Berkshire. It flows for around, through the rural Northern Parishes of Winkfield, Warfield and Binfield in Bracknell Forest on its way down to Bray, where it meets the River Thames just above Queens Eyot Island on the reach below Bray Lock, having been joined by the Maidenhead Waterways.


The La's.

Mavers gained a reputation for perfectionism and eccentricity in the music press for his famed scrapping of multiple versions of the band's debut album, and often came across as dry, acerbic and stubborn in interviews, although with a clearly defined notion of music as he thought it should be: genuine, rootsy and authentic. In earlier press interviews, however, Mavers was often enthusiastic, witty, driven and informed, but he eventually became more withdrawn and caustic before choosing to drop out of the limelight altogether. This consciously willful shunning of the limelight has led some to portray Mavers as a "recluse".  Obsessing over the group's troubled recording efforts between 1987 and 1992, Mavers eventually retreated back to his Liverpool home after the release of the La's' eponymous debut, his perception of the music industry highly soured by the fact the release was not a version of the album he wished to be made public. More silence in the music press followed, barring one 1995 NME interview. Mavers was at this point occasionally playing with other Liverpool musicians. Mavers actively disavowed the album in print while struggling to maintain his artistic integrity.  In late 2003 a book about Mavers and his band was released, "In Search of the La's: A Secret Liverpool" which did contain a 2000 dated interview with Mavers discussing his band and what he intends to do with his music. While providing insight into Mavers' personality, the book ends on an ambiguous note concerning his return to music.  In March 2005 the La's announced dates in Britain and Ireland, their first in a decade, along with festivals sets such as Glastonbury and the Summer Sonic festival in Japan, with the line-up of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar), John Power (bass), Jay Lewis of the band Cracatilla (guitar) and Nick Miniski (drums). The set generally consisted of old songs, including the perennial favourite "There She Goes", with new songs performed as encores. The drummer was quickly replaced by Mavers' old schoolfriend Ian Jasper, and live reviews have generally been favourable. The La's' return may have been surprising, but Mavers' attitude being completely unchanged perhaps less so – the band are yet to conduct any interviews or features with the music press. New songs that would have featured, or will feature, on the 2nd album include "I Am the Key", "Fishing Net" A.K.A. "Something I Said", "Raindance" and "The Human Race".  In March 2009, Mavers made a surprise appearance in Birmingham, joining Pete Doherty on stage to play "Son of a Gun" and "There She Goes".  On 19 June 2011, Mavers made a rare outing, doing a secret acoustic set at the Deaf Institute, Manchester under the name of Lee Rude & the Velcro Underpants (a play on the names of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground): this featured Mavers playing with Gary Murphy of defunct Liverpool band the Bandits. Mavers and Murphy continued impromptu gigs in Sunderland, Glasgow and London, before heading abroad to Amsterdam and later to the Rock En Seine Festival in Paris and at UK festivals Kendal Calling and Bestival, before bringing the'stripped back' sets to a close at a homecoming show at Liverpool's O2 Academy after announcing they were set to return soon after recruiting a full band.  An interview with Mavers also appears in the 2013 music interview book, Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters, by Daniel Rachel. Within the interview, Mavers discusses the themes of certain songs and his songwriting craft (essentially describing himself as a conduit rather than author), again decries the sole released LP by The La's, and also explains he has a "great patience" for the music to happen.

Lee Anthony Mavers (born 2 August 1962) is an English musician. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is best known for the hit "There She Goes" from October 1990.


Etymology.

Its name arose by back-formation from the name of Chesham. It was once known as the Pittlesburne which incorporates the old word "burna" used in the Chilterns to describe a clear spring-fed stream on a lower dip-slope, often with a stony bed. Examples are the rivers Misbourne and Bulbourn, and the river Ver was formerly the Redbourne.

River course.

The Chess is fed by groundwater held in the chalk aquifer of the Chiltern Hills and rises from three springs which surface as Vale brook, from Bury Pond, and alongside the Missenden Road near Pednor just to the north of Chesham. It flows within culverts beneath the town before flowing in a southeasterly direction through Waterside. The river flows below parkland landscaped by Capability Brown at Latimer House and the site of a 1st Century Roman villa close to the village of Latimer; to the north of Chenies; through unimproved water meadows at Frogmore and the watercress beds at Sarratt Bottom to the west of Sarratt. The Chess flows under the M25 motorway at Solesbridge Lane, before passing through the private housing estate of Loudwater, whose name was historically associated with the river at this point. Below this the river passes several disused water mills which supplied power and water for paper manufacture during the 18th and 19th Centuries. At Rickmansworth it joins the River Colne to the east of the town. The river banks are mostly not public rights of way, and only small stretches of the river are accessible. It is navigable only in its lower reaches.

Drought.

The river suffered from a severe lack of water for approximately two years between 2004 and 2006 and again in 2011 and 2012. Well below average rainfall over long periods was a contributory factor. Winter rainfall is particularly important for replenishing ground water. However, the exceptional rainfall in April and June 2012 allowed the ground water to slowly rise at a time of the year when ground water levels usually start to fall. Consequently, levels in the river Chess were showing signs of improvement by July 2012.  Local speculation during the river drought of 2005 was that over-extraction for bottling, by Nestlé's Powwow Water was a significant contributing factor. Indeed after extraction had stopped, and the river recovered somewhat, the bed was now so overgrown it was a struggle for the river to fully recover until much of the growth was removed by volunteers in 2012. In 2005 Councillor Justine Fulford campaigned to prevent the extension of the licence on the grounds that it was damaging to the local environment.

Wildlife.

The Chess Valley is partly within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), with wildlife characteristic of chalk streams and chiltern hills. It supports several key species listed in the Government's UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Mammals such as the water vole, birds including the green sandpiper, grey heron, grey wagtail, little egret, osprey, mute swan, stonechat, water rail and kingfisher, flora such as water crowfoot, purple loosestrife, hemp agrimony, water forget-me not and branched bur-reed. Freshwater fish, found include specifically the brown trout, grayling and bullhead. To support the fish population there is a rich diversity of invertebrates, including the mayfly.

Human influences.

The valley has a long history of human habitation. There are a number of Roman villa sites along the valley, including Latimer Park. At Sarratt strip lynchets can be seen in terraces along the hillside made by the action of ploughing along the slope and thought to have been the site of medieval vineyards.  Human habitation has altered the valley and the river in many ways, not all of them beneficial for wildlife. River modifications such as dredging and widening slow the current, allow silt to accumulate and smother the gravel riverbed. Changes in the land use adjacent to the river can also have impact. Water meadows have been replaced by arable fields and building developments, altering drainage patterns and causing pollution. Abstraction of water from the underlying chalk aquifer reduces river flows and lowers the river's ability to tolerate drought.  The introduction of alien species to the catchment has had a major effect on the wildlife of the river. Water vole populations declined catastrophically along the Chess between 2001 & 2003 with a 97% population decrease being observed. This population crash was caused mainly by the North American mink, a species introduced to the British Isles originally for the fur trade. In 2004 a water vole recovery project was set up by the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project and the Environment Agency, combining mink control with habitat improvement to try to halt this decline. In 2005 a survey found that the water vole population had recovered to 18% of its 2001 levels.  A less positive story is that of the native white-clawed crayfish, which has suffered at the hands of another American import, the signal crayfish. Originally imported by the aquaculture industry, the signal crayfish was seen as a way for trout farms to diversify and exploit new markets. However, due to their expert, escapologist nature, signal crayfish soon escaped into surrounding river systems and quickly spread throughout the majority of the UK's southern river system. Signal crayfish have carried crayfish plague, to which they are resistant, but the native white-clawed crayfish is not. The result has been the gradual eradication of native crayfish from the UK's rivers. In the case of the Chess, white-clawed crayfish have been extinct since the mid-1990s. The Chess is also home to a number of invasive alien plant species including Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and Orange balsam.  Not all imports have quite such a catastrophic effect. Another escapee into the Chess from fish farms and trout fisheries is the rainbow trout, thought to have been introduced to the Chess in the early 20th century. They have since gone on to establish one of a handful of self-sustaining populations in the UK.  Some of the flow of the Chess results from the outflow of treated sewage from Chesham Sewage Treatment Works, which is material during dry conditions. During heavy rainfall, overflow at the works results in untreated sewage being released to the river. In 2014, a release persisting 5 months occurred, with substantial effects on river quality. Upgrade works to address the increased flow into the works have subsequently been completed.

Chess cress.

Historically, the clear chalk stream water of the River Chess, together with the fertile land, was ideal for growing watercress, and this industry which flourished in both Chesham and Rickmansworth in the Victorian era supplied London, being transported on the newly constructed Metropolitan Railway. Today the only working watercress beds are at Moor Lane, Sarratt. In 2014, persistent overflows from Chesham Sewage Treatment Works forced the watercress farm to cease sales, and to continue operation the farm now uses well water.

Chess Valley Walk.

The Chess Valley Walk is approximately long and links with the Metropolitan line stations of Chesham, Chorleywood and Rickmansworth giving visitors the chance to walk either part or the entire route. The route can be followed in either direction and is clearly waymarked. Most of the route is on public footpaths but there are short sections on roads.

The River Chess, a chalk stream, rises just north of Chesham in the Chiltern Hills, to flow through Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire to join the River Colne in Rickmansworth. The Chess, along with the Colne and Gade, gives rise to the name of the district of Three Rivers, where it forms its confluence with the Colne at Rickmansworth.


Plot.

In 2012, Benghazi, Libya is named one of the most dangerous places in the world, and countries have pulled their diplomatic offices out of the country in fear of an attack by militants. The United States, however, still has a diplomatic compound (not an official consulate) open in the city. Less than a mile away is a CIA outpost called "The Annex", which is protected by a team of private military contractors from Global Response Staff (GRS). New to the detail is Jack Silva, who arrives in Benghazi and is picked up by Tyrone "Rone" Woods, commander of the GRS team and a personal friend of Silva. Arriving at the Annex, Silva is introduced to the rest of the GRS team and the CIA Chief of Station, who constantly gives the team strict reminders to never engage the citizens.  Prior to the U.S. Ambassador's arrival, the GRS team members visit the Special Mission, the location where the Ambassador will be staying. They review the location and warn its Diplomatic Security (DS) agents about the risk of minimal security arrangements and the high probability of a surprise attack due its volatile circumstances. The U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens arrives in Benghazi to maintain diplomatic connections amidst the political and social chaos, with limited protection from five Diplomatic Security (DS) agents, principally, Scott Wickland and Dave Ubben, along with guards hired from the local February 17th Martyrs Brigade militia, nicknamed "17-Feb". On the morning of the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Stevens notices suspicious men taking pictures of the compound and notifies his security detail. Back at the Annex, Silva finds out that his wife is pregnant.  That night, a group of militants from Ansar al-Sharia assault the compound. The 17-Feb guards quickly surrender their posts, allowing the attackers easy access to the Special Mission compound. Wickland takes Stevens and Smith, an IT specialist, into the safe room. Unable to breach the safe room, the attackers set the building on fire hoping to burn the men out. Wickland is able to escape but loses both Stevens and Smith. At the Annex, the GRS team desperately wants to go to the compound to help, but the Chief refuses, fearing that the team's departure would expose the Annex. However, the team dispatches to the compound and meets up with the DS agents. Silva and Woods go into the building to try to find Stevens and Smith, but are only able to find Smith's body. After an intense firefight inside the compound against the militants, the DS team retreats; but after Wickland goes in the wrong direction, they are followed by militants on their way back to the Annex. Later, the GRS team also retreats to the Annex.  Knowing an attack by the militants is imminent, the CIA staff of the Annex makes several desperate calls for help. The only help they can get is from Glen "Bub" Doherty, a GRS officer in Tripoli, who forms a team including two Delta operators that fly to Benghazi after several delays. Meanwhile, the GRS team fends off the militants as they try to breach the Annex perimeter. After repelling the largest attack wave, the Annex receives word from ISR that help is en route.  The Tripoli GRS reinforcements arrive and begin preparing the CIA and DS staff to depart for the airport. The militants launch a mortar attack in which Ubben and Geist are wounded; Geist's left arm is partially severed. Woods rushes to aid Geist and is killed by another mortar round. Doherty is also killed when a third mortar detonates directly in front of him.  With the GRS team compromised, and the Annex now vulnerable, the remaining GRS operators watch as a convoy of vehicles rolls toward the Annex. Fearing the worst, the operators prepare to make a final stand, until it is revealed that the convoy is an element of the Libya Shield Force militia escorting the GRS reinforcements. They also find out that Stevens was found behind the compound, but was pronounced dead at the hospital.  At the airport, the CIA staff and the wounded Geist board the plane to Tripoli while the remainder of the GRS team waits for the next plane with the bodies of Stevens, Smith, Woods and Doherty. Closing titles reveal that all of the surviving members of the Annex security team received contractor medals in a private ceremony and have since retired from the GRS team and live with their families, and that Geist was able to save his arm after several surgeries.

Production.

Development.

On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was in talks with 3 Arts Entertainment to acquire the film rights to the book "13 Hours", written by Mitchell Zuckoff, with Erwin Stoff to produce. Chuck Hogan was set to adapt the book, based on the true events of the Benghazi attack by militants on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on the evening of September 11, 2012. The film would focus on six members of a security team that fought to defend the Americans stationed there. On October 29, 2014, Michael Bay was set to direct and produce the thriller.

Casting.

On January 14, 2015, John Krasinski was cast in the film, to play one of the lead roles, a former US Navy SEAL. On February 3, Pablo Schreiber also signed on to star in the film, playing Kris "Tanto" Paronto, one of the six-man security team. On February 6, James Badge Dale was set to star, as the leader of the security team. Max Martini was cast as another member of the security team on February 17, 2015. David Denman signed on to star in the film on March 3, 2015, playing Boon, an elite sniper. On March 5, 2015, "THR" reported that Dominic Fumusa also signed on, to play John "Tig" Tiegen, one of the members of the security team, who is also a former Marine with weapons expertise. Freddie Stroma was added to the cast on March 17, 2015 to play the role of an undercover CIA officer in Libya. On May 7, 2015, Toby Stephens was set to play Glen "Bub" Doherty, another of the security team members.

Filming.

Principal photography began on April 27, 2015 in Malta and Morocco. A large film set was built in March 2015 in Ta' Qali, Malta.

Release.

On June 30, 2015, Paramount announced that the new title would be "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi", and set the film to be released on January 15, 2016, on the MLK Holiday weekend. The film premiered on January 12, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, benefiting the Shadow Warriors Project, which supports private military security personnel and other groups.  Unusual for a major American film, the film was given only a limited release in Canada during its American wide opening weekend, playing in select theatres in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. The film expanded to a wide release in Canadian theatres the following weekend, January 22–24.  Paramount specifically marketed the film to conservatives, in a method similar to previous films "Lone Survivor" and "American Sniper", both of which had beaten box office expectations. This included screening the film for key Republican Party figures in order to generate endorsement quotations.

Home media.

"13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 7, 2016. Likely due to a boost from the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, the film made $40 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales by August 2016.  13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on June 11, 2019.

Reception.

Box office.

"13 Hours" grossed $52.9 million in North America and $16.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $69.4 million, against a production budget of $50 million, making it Michael Bay's lowest-grossing directorial film to date.  The film was projected to earn around $20 million in its four-day Martin Luther King weekend debut. It faced competition from fellow newcomer "Ride Along 2", as well as holdovers "The Revenant" and "". Other films in a similar vein that had opened on the MLK weekend in previous years, "American Sniper" ($107.2 million in 2015) and "Lone Survivor" ($37.8 million in 2014), found success, although they had faced weaker competition, and were considered less politically divisive. However, "The Hollywood Reporter" noted that the film could outperform expectations if it was buoyed by waves of patriotism. The film made $900,000 from 1,995 theaters during its Thursday previews and $16.2 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.

Critical response.

"13 Hours" received mixed reviews from critics, though some viewed it as a welcomed tame effort from Michael Bay. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on 218 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10 against an audience approval rating of 82%. The site's consensus reads, ""13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" is a comparatively mature and restrained effort from Michael Bay, albeit one that can't quite boast the impact its fact-based story deserves." On Metacritic the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.  Soren Andersen, writing for "The Seattle Times", gave the film 3 stars out of 4, criticizing the lack of distinctive characters but ultimately summarizing "13 Hours" as "engrossing" and "a ground-level depiction of heroism in the midst of the fog of war". Richard Roeper similarly praised "13 Hours" in his review for the "Chicago Sun-Times". Although he lamented the script, Roeper found the film to be a "solid action thriller with well-choreographed battle sequences and strong work from the ensemble cast". Like Roeper's review, "New York Daily News" Joe Dziemianowicz was less receptive towards the script, but applauded the film's focus on the real-life attack, summarizing: "War is gritty here, not glamorous... <nowiki>[</nowiki>Michael Bay<nowiki>]</nowiki> delivers a gripping, harrowing, and heartfelt film."  In a mixed review, Inkoo Kang of TheWrap praised "13 Hours" for its action scenes, but panned Bay's direction as "myopic". She writes, ""13 Hours" is the rare Michael Bay movie that wasn't made with teenage boys in mind. But that doesn't make his latest any less callously juvenile." Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press was critical of the film's direction and cinematography, and found the screenplay to be confusing. Similarly, "The Economist" described the film as "a sleek, poorly scripted and largely meaningless film".

Libyan response.

The film caused controversy in Libya. Libya's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Salah Belnaba, denounced the film's portrayal of the Libyan people and described it as "fanatical and ignorant." Libya's Culture and Information Minister, Omar Gawaari, also criticized the film saying: "it shows the truth of libya", adding that Michael Bay "turned America's failure to protect its own citizens in a fragile state into a typical action movie all about American heroism".

Accolades.

At the 89th Academy Awards, "13 Hours" received a nomination for Best Sound Mixing. However, Greg P. Russell (one of the four nominees from the film) had his nomination rescinded when it was discovered that he had contacted voters for the award by telephone in violation of campaigning regulations.

Historical accuracy.

The film's historical accuracy has been disputed. In the film's most controversial scene, the CIA chief in Benghazi (identified only as "Bob") tells the military contractors there, who seek permission to go defend the embassy, to "stand down", thus denying them permission. The real-life CIA chief stated that there was no stand-down order. His statement was echoed by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee's finding that there was "no evidence of intentional delay or obstruction by the Chief of Base or any other party". However, no help was sent, even though officials at the highest levels found out about the attack within the first few hours out of the 13. Also, "National Review" commentator David French argues that the Senate committee cited above found plenty of evidence of the "stand down" order in the form of personal testimony from multiple witnesses. It just chose to rule that the contrary testimony outweighed it.  Kris "Tanto" Paronto, a CIA contractor who was involved in action during the event said, "We were told to'stand down'. Those words were used verbatim—100 percent. If the truth of it affects someone's political career? Well, I'm sorry. It happens." The CIA base chief portrayed in the film has directly contradicted Paronto's claims, saying "There never was a stand-down order... At no time did I ever second-guess that the team would depart."  Also disputed is the film's portrayal that air support was denied. A House Armed Services Committee report found that air support was unavailable, or it would have arrived too late to make a difference. French defended the film's references to air support, writing that even if resources could not have been flown in during the time available, this would itself be "scandalous", given Libya's known instability. In July 2016, the Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi released its report that included numerous witnesses indicating that U.S. military help was available, but not called upon. The report indicated the Department of Defense would not provide the requested list of military assets that were available that night.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (also known simply as 13 Hours) is a 2016 American action thriller film directed and produced by Michael Bay and written by Chuck Hogan, based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book of the same name. The film follows six members of Annex Security Team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya after waves of attacks by militants on September 11, 2012. The film stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, and Max Martini, with supporting roles by Toby Stephens, Dominic Fumusa, Pablo Schreiber, Alexia Barlier, David Denman, and David Costabile.


Origin.

The origin of Müller Matz ("Matz the Miller") may lie in a Russian card game called "Melniki" (Russian for "miller"). Most of the rules are the same. According to Rozaliev (1991), Melniki was a family game that was played by adults and children to while away their leisure time. He believed that it died out during the 20th century and was no longer encountered today, although Bernd Baron von Maydell has suggested that Müller Matz is still played by Baltic-German families. According to Grimm (1768), the term "Matz" was used as the name of a lowly or foolish man and thus corresponds to the Russian word Durak ("fool"). Since the first part of Müller Matz in particular resembles the well-known Russian card game, Durak, this may be an alternative origin of the game and its name.

Rules.

If two to four play, one full pack of 52 cards is used minus the Jokers. If more play, two packs are used. Cards rank in their natural order, Aces high. Players play with their hand cards face down.  The game comprises two parts, known as 'lives' ("Leben"). The winner is the player who, at the end of the second life, is the first to shed all his cards.

First Life.

The aim of the first life is to be able to start the second life with a good hand of cards. A general strategy is to collect trumps and high cards in each suit as far as possible, ready for the second life, but not too many.  Each player is dealt three cards initially; the rest are placed face down as a stock in the middle of the table. A card is turned and placed next to it to determine trumps. Players may exchange a Six or a Two for it, but only when it is their turn.  The cards are held face down. The player to the left of the dealer begins by playing a card to the player on his or her left.  There are now three options: N.B. it is important not to forget to always draw a new card from the stock if you have fewer than three hand cards. If you have three trumps in your hand, you may "go to sleep", which means that you can lay them all down for your second life and replenish your hand with three more.  When the stock in the middle is exhausted, play continues until only one player has cards left in his hand, whereupon the first life is ended and the second one begins. When the stock is used up, players may 'go to sleep' with two trumps or a single trump.

Second Life.

Play begins with the player who, in the first life, was first to shed their cards. He plays a card to the middle of the table, ideally the lowest card of his longest suit.  His left-hand neighbour has 3 options:  As soon as there are as many cards in the middle as there are players, the last card wins and the cards are taken out of play. The one who played the last card, leads to the next trick. The first player to shed all his cards has won. But this does not end the game; the remaining players continue to play. If cards are left on the table when a player goes out, they will still be beaten when there are as many cards as the number of players at the start of the trick. As soon as a new trick is started, it is won when the number of cards equals the, now reduced, number of players.  The player who is the last to have cards in his hand has lost.

In popular culture.

The game is mentioned in Else Hueck-Dehio's "Tipsy's Special Love Life" ("Tipsys sonderliche Liebesgeschichte", 1959) which was set around the turn of the century (1900s). When Tipsy is asked to marry, she justifies her refusal by saying: "You are wasting your money in the most unsound way... Yes, you play. You sit on the cliffs of Monte Carlo and play Müller Matz with the Prince of Monaco."

Müller Matz is a shedding-type card game that was played in the first half of the 20th century, and probably in the 19th century, in the Baltics.


History.

Moniaive has existed as a village as far back as the 10th century. On 4 July 1636 King Charles I granted a charter in favour of William, Earl of Dumfries, making Moniaive a 'free Burgh of Barony'. With this charter came the rights to set up a market cross and tolbooth, to hold a weekly market on Tuesday and two annual fairs each of three days duration. Midsummer Fair was from 16 June and Michaelmas Fair on the last day of September.

Covenanting.

In the 17th century, Moniaive became the refuge for the Covenanters, a group of Presbyterian nonconformists who rebelled at having the Episcopalian religion forced on them by the last three Stuart kings, Charles I, Charles II and James VII. There is a monument off the Ayr Road to James Renwick, a Covenanter leader born in Moniaive, and who aged 26 was the last Covenanter to be executed in Edinburgh.

James Paterson.

The Scottish artist James Paterson, a founder member of 'The Glasgow Boys', settled in Moniaive in 1884 and stayed for 22 years. He painted many local scenes including ""The Last Turning"" – a view of a woman approaching the village on the lane on the western side of the old millpond (now drained) in the Dalwhat Valley – now displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. A James Paterson museum existed within the village until 2005 displaying photographs and memorabilia from the collection of his granddaughter, Anne Paterson-Wallace.

Cairn Valley Light Railway.

The Cairn Valley Light Railway was opened from Dumfries in 1905 as a subsidiary company of the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Plans initially had involved developing Moniaive into a resort due to the countryside being very scenic and peaceful. Passenger services were suspended as a wartime economy on 3 May 1943 and to all traffic on 4 August 1947.

Local economy.

The local economy is dominated by sheep and some cattle farming as well as forestry. The area has a large self-employed community including writers, artists, graphic designers, historical interpretation services, clothing designers, aromatherapists, stained glass workers, a wine importing business, a chocolatier, computer repairs, garden and landscaping services, plant nursery, and child care. There is a large general store including a post office counter, a garage, a cafe, a chocolatier, an Italian restaurant, several artist studios, a primary school, a guest house and two hotels with bars and restaurants, one with accommodation, and two village halls.  A bi-monthly newspaper, called the "Glencairn Gazette", is produced by volunteers and distributed free to residents.

Festivals.

In 2015 Moniaive reinvented itself as Moniaive Festival Village and went on to win a Creative Place Award from Creative Scotland. The village is home to a number of festivals that are held every year including; the Moniaive Folk Festival, the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival, Moniaive Comic Festival, the Scottish Autoharp Weekend, the Moniaive Horse Show, the Moniaive and District Arts Association annual exhibition, the Glencairn and Tynron Amateur Cottagers and Gardeners Horticultural Society show and the Moniaive Gala. In 2016 the Moniaive Comic Book Festival was resurrected as part of the Creative Place award programme, it successfully held its second comic festival in 2017.

Cairnhead Community Forest and Striding Arches.

Cairnhead Community Forest is a Scottish charity formed in 1998 to encourage and enable community participation through a working partnership with its owner Forestry and Land Scotland. There are three arches by artist Andy Goldsworthy around Cairnhead on Bail Hill, Benbrack and Colt Hill. Each arch stands just under four metres high, with a span of about seven metres, and consists of 31 blocks of hand-dressed red sandstone weighing approximately 27 tons.

The GeoDial and Wildflower Garden.

In 2009 a GeoDial was commissioned by the Geological Society of Dumfries and Galloway for the people of Moniaive to celebrate the geodiversity of the area. It stands next to the Dalwhat water in the Moniaive Wildflower Garden and riverside walk. The GeoDial has an interpretation board that identifies the rock types of the GeoDial and of the rocks that make up the stone circle that surrounds it.

Moniaive ('monny-IVE';, ""The Holy Moor"") is a village in the Parish of Glencairn, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It stands on the Cairn and Dalwhat Waters. Moniaive has been named best overall small village in the Nithsdale in Bloom competition five times in a row, from 2006–2011. The village streetscape was featured in the 2002 Peter Mullan film "The Magdalene Sisters". In 2004, "The Times" described the village as one of the 'coolest' in Britain.


Pro Tour Card.

From 2011, the PDC Pro Tour operates a Tour Card system. 128 players are granted Tour Cards, which enables them to participate in all Players Championships and UK Open Qualifiers.  The 2011 Tour Cards were awarded to:  Tour Cards were also offered to the four semi-finalists from the 2011 BDO World Championship, although none of the players took up the offer.  From 2012 onwards, the PDC awards Tour Cards were awarded to:  From 2015 onwards, the PDC withdrew the Tour Cards awarded to BDO semi-finalist and the new distribution of Tour Cards is as follows:

Players Championships.

Players Championships, originally known as PDPA Players Championships, are organised by the Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) and have increased in number in recent years. They are known as "floor tournaments", because they usually feature 16 darts boards in close proximity on an arena floor where the tournament is played in the space of a day. Televised events differ by having just one main board on a stage with the audience and cameras situated around it.  Eligibility for these events are usually restricted to PDPA members only, however tournaments held outside of the United Kingdom often allow entry to non-PDPA members who are residents of the country staging the tournament. Some overseas players from the BDO take the opportunity of playing in PDC Players Championships in their home countries.

Order of Merit.

The prize money won in Players Championships count towards the PDC Order of Merit, which contributes to each player's world ranking.  During 2007, the PDC and PDPA added further importance to Players Championships by changing qualification criteria for major televised events. A separate Players Championship Order of Merit was introduced which calculates players earnings for these tournaments only each calendar year. The players who won the most money (without qualifying automatically via the PDC Order of Merit) were awarded qualifying places at major tournaments, such as the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and World Championship.  Previously, a sudden-death knockout qualifying tournament decided the players which meant players could miss out on tournaments because of unlucky matches or unlucky draws. The World Championship, however, still maintains an additional qualifying tournament – from which Kirk Shepherd emerged and went on to reach the world final itself in 2008. This was dropped for the 2010 running of the event, however it was reinstated for 2011.

Entries.

PDPA members must enter events through the PDC's online entry system, while non-PDPA members must enter through the local organiser for the relevant event. The entry fee for all Players Championships is £100 for Tour Card holders.  In addition, seedings for Players Championship events are determined by a one-year rolling Players Championship Order of Merit, consisting of prize money won in Players Championships over the 12 months before that event. The top 32 players in the Order of Merit that have entered the tournament are seeded.  All UK Players Championship events have a 128-player draw.  All non-UK Players Championship events consist of no more than 256 players, with all Tour Card holders that have entered the event starting at the last 128 stage.  If fewer than 128 players enter a Players Championship event, byes are awarded to players in order of their seeding. For example, if there is one bye, the number 1 seed will receive a bye into the last 64.

Prize money.

The prize money for PDC Pro Tour events has increased steadily over the years. Prize money is awarded to all players who reach at least the last 64 of a Pro Tour event. In the past, Players Championships held outside of Europe awarded less prize money than those held in the United Kingdom or Europe.  In 2011, all Players Championship events and UK Open qualifiers awarded £34,600 each, but from 2013 on Players Championship events awarded £50,000.  Up to 2013 on the Pro Tour, there was also a rolling jackpot for nine-dart finishes. £500 (Players Championship events) / £400 (UK Open qualifiers) per event is reserved for any player who hits a nine-dart finish, with the money rolling over to the next event if the feat is not achieved. If more than one player hits a nine-darter in an event, the jackpot is shared.  Prize funds for Pro Tour events over the years:

UK Open Regional Finals/Qualifiers.

The UK Open is a major tournament which took place at Bolton's Reebok Stadium each year in June from 2003–2013. From 2014 onwards it has taken place in March at Minehead. Prior to the televised event, there are eight UK Open Qualifiers (originally named Regional Finals), where the prize money won is collated into a UK Open Order of Merit table which determines 96 qualifiers for the UK Open finals in Bolton. From 2003–2015 there were ties and a preliminary round would be used to reduce the field to 96. In 2016 ties were scrapped and count back was used to separate players who were level.  The tournaments are organised in a similar fashion to the Players Championships in that 32 boards are in operation for a non-televised "floor tournament", completed inside one day. During the 2007–08 UK Open, sponsors Blue Square streamed live coverage of these Regional Finals on the internet.  From 2011 until 2013, the UK Open Qualifiers were held on four double-header weekends instead of being held on eight Sundays. From 2014 onwards there were only 6 UK Open Qualifiers. UK Open Qualifiers were abolished in 2019, as all tour card holders were invited to the UK Open from then on.

Player eligibility.

Until the 2010 UK Open, a player must have competed in at least three Qualifiers before being able to qualify for the televised stages. From 2011 onwards, this was reduced to two Qualifiers.  Until 2007–08, the tournaments were open to all darts players, which meant that players from both darts organisations, the PDC and the BDO were able to compete. They are now restricted to PDPA members only.

PDC European Tour.

In 2012, the PDC introduced a series of five tournaments held across Europe known as the European Tour. The number of events has steadily risen with eight held in 2013 and 2014, nine in 2015, ten in 2016, twelve in 2017, and as of 2018, there are thirteen events. These events see the top players on the PDC Order of Merit compete against players from a UK qualifier, European qualifier and home nations qualifier (the country where the event is held). Currently the prize fund for each tournament is £140,000, with £25,000 going to the winner. These events differ to others held on the Pro Tour as they are played on one board in front of an audience. They are not televised, but selected events have been available on the PDC's YouTube channel in the past. All events are now shown live on the PDC's PDCHD-TV website.

The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships, UK Open qualifiers and European Tour events. Michael van Gerwen has won the most PDC Pro Tour titles winning 75 as of June 2019. Phil Taylor is second on the list winning 70 events with Gary Anderson in third place winning 30.


The Hex River rail pass.

The enormous Cape Fold Belt effectively separated Cape Town on the coast from the hinterland of Southern Africa, and had obstructed previous attempts to expand the Cape Colony's railway infrastructure inland. In 1872 the Cape Government, under Prime Minister John Molteno, ordered that a railway line must be constructed across this barrier in the vicinity of the Hex River Mountains. The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was formed and railway engineer William George Brounger was appointed to oversee the task.

Route.

The Hex River Mountain was a major obstacle to be overcome during the construction of the railway between Cape Town and the diamond fields at Kimberley in the Northern Cape. In 1874 surveyor Wells Hood, under the instruction of Brounger, found a potential route up the climb from De Doorns in the Hex River valley to the top of the Karoo plateau east of the Valley, that would require gradients of no more than 1 in 40 uncompensated, very steep by railway standards, and tight curves with a minimum radius of. He also proposed that a short tunnel would be required.  By 1876, the Molteno Government had selected Thomas Brounger's proposed route through the Hex River valley, with the line to follow the route from Worcester through De Doorns, then along Hood's proposed pass across the mountain via Osplaas to the summit at Matroosberg, and then via Kleinstraat to Touws River.

Cape Gauge.

The original line between Cape Town and Wellington was laid to standard gauge, but this gauge could not be accommodated economically on the tight curves required by the proposed Hex River rail pass. This led to a decision by the CGR to use a narrower gauge of across the pass. After initially making use of dual gauge, it was decided in 1873 to convert all existing trackage of the CGR to this narrower gauge that was eventually to become known throughout Africa as Cape gauge. Credit for the fact that most of the present day railway lines in Africa are Cape gauge can therefore be directly attributed to the Hex River rail pass.

First Tunnel.

The original tunnel, Southern Africa's first railway tunnel, is situated at from De Doorns on the original line to Matroosberg. The tunnel is straight and the portals are of dressed stone masonry, but the inside is unlined. On the route ascending the mountain, Osplaas provided the only level stretch that was long enough for a conventional passing loop.

Second Tunnel.

This first tunnel served the railways for 53 years, until the track was re-laid in 1929 to diminish a curve to accommodate larger locomotives. In the process a new concrete lined curved tunnel was sunk alongside the original. Since another crossing place had also become necessary, a siding named Tunnel was fashioned just east of the tunnel by laying two level dead-end spur tracks that branched directly off on opposite sides of the main line. This allowed trains to wait in one or the other of these sidings to allow an opposing train to pass. This latter tunnel remained in use for sixty years, until the line across the pass was closed to rail traffic in 1989.  Despite its quick and relatively cheap construction, the Hex River rail pass served the South African Railways (SAR) for more than a century. It was the starting point of the country's first railway line to the Witwatersrand and opened the way for Cecil Rhodes' colonisation thrust into central Southern Africa.

Current route.

The railway line between Cape Town and Beaufort West has a ruling grade of 1 in 66 and a minimum curvature of, except for the pass where the steep gradient and sharp curves restricted train lengths and required additional locomotive power to bank trains on the ascent. In 1943 the gradients between De Doorns and Matroosberg stations were eased to 1 in 40 compensated, while the curves were eased to a minimum radius of, but despite this the Hex River rail pass still formed a bottleneck that would require more drastic measures to be eliminated.  This eventually led to the decision to construct a tunnel system to eliminate the Hex River rail pass altogether. In 1945 Mr W.H. Evans, later to become Chief Civil Engineer of the SAR, proposed a new route for the section between De Doorns and Matroosberg that would result in a gradient of 1 in 66 compensated and a minimum curve radius of. The scheme would require four tunnels, two with a length of each and two more with lengths of and respectively. The benefits to the SAR would be significant. Operating costs would be decreased as a result of the elimination of sharp curves and steep gradients. The length of the section would be reduced by and it would also eliminate altogether 5,280 degrees of curvature and of false rise in level. Train running times could be reduced by 23 minutes in the ascending direction and 36 minutes in the descending direction.

Approval.

The scheme was approved in 1946 and it was decided that full-face working would be employed in the long tunnel. With this method and working two faces simultaneously, it was expected that complete with lining could be achieved annually, with the whole tunnel completed in four years.  Tunnelling on the subsidiary tunnels and external earthworks commenced immediately, but start of work on the long tunnel was delayed due to special equipment that had to be designed and ordered in 1946. While awaiting the special equipment, the western (Cape Town side) and eastern (Johannesburg side) portals were established by heading and benching, and short sections of tunnel were driven at both ends by 1948. The original eastern portal (coordinates ) was dug immediately adjacent to the N1 national road some west of Touws River and took the form of a cutting into a gradient to sufficient depth to commence tunnelling.

First postponement.

In April 1950, however, work on the whole Hexton scheme was deferred for reasons of economy. Instead, the existing line through the pass was electrified by 1954 and operated with the Class 4E electric locomotives that had been ordered for use through the tunnels. At the time the project was halted, altogether of tunnel had been excavated and of concrete lining had been placed in the shorter tunnels.

Second and third postponements.

The tunnel scheme was briefly resuscitated in 1965 but was deferred once again in 1966. Work was eventually resumed in 1974 and included the remodelling of the lower section of the deviation between De Doorns and Osplaas stations as well as the construction of tunnel no. 1, the twin tunnels. This was completed in 1976, at which point financial constraints resulted in yet another postponement. Authority to proceed was only given once again in late 1979.  The twin tunnels bored through a hill that was skirted around the western and northern sides by the original alignment to Osplaas. When completed, the south-eastern of the twin tunnels became part of the new alignment of the De Doorns-Osplaas section. The north-western of the twin tunnels was initially used for construction trains working on the rest of the tunnel system and became part of the new route when the tunnel system opened. The south-eastern of the twin tunnels eventually fell into disuse along with the old Hex River Railpass.

Hexton completion.

In most respects the scheme as eventually completed was the same as that envisaged in 1945. Before proceeding in 1979, however, a sophisticated evaluation of the capacity of the whole Hexton scheme had been carried out using train diagrams and computer-devised train running times. The conclusion was that, with only two passing loops between De Doorns and Kleinstraat compared to the three at Osplaas, Tunnel and Matroosberg on the existing line, the capacity would be 31 trains, but with an additional passing loop it would increase to 42 trains. It was therefore decided to place a third passing loop, called Hexton, inside the long tunnel in addition to the two loops between tunnels no. 1 and 2 at Almeria and between tunnels no. 3 and 4 at Salbar respectively.

Construction.

When tenders were invited, two routes had been selected for tunnel no. 4, the longest tunnel. One would be straight and more or less on the original location, but with the eastern portal relocated further away from the N1 national road. The other would be curved to pass through shale material, that would make the use of a tunnel boring machine an economical proposition. Tenderers were invited to quote for circular or horseshoe profiles and concrete or shotcrete linings for each of the two profiles and for each of the proposed routes. After the engineering, geological and economic factors had been analysed, the straight route with a horseshoe profile and concrete lining was finally selected.  The tunnel was constructed by Compagnie Interafricaine De Travaux (Comiat), a division of Spie-Batignolles in Paris, France.  The contract for tunnel no. 4 was awarded on 13 August 1980 at a tender price of R26,770,082 and with the completion date four years later on 12 August 1984. The contractual completion date was later extended to 25 February 1986. Construction commenced in September 1980, with tunnel excavation commencing in January 1981. As a result of unforeseen adverse sub-surface conditions that were encountered during the execution of the contract, however, the tunnel was only completed in November 1988.  Tunnels no. 2 and 3 are similar in construction to the long tunnel, but were completed under a separate contract at a cost of R9 million. Both of them had been partly excavated when work was suspended in 1949, the tunnel no. 2 to a distance of of which most was concrete lined, and the tunnel no. 3 to a distance of, but only lined in areas of poor ground. The contract called for both to be widened to new design standards to allow for overhead electrification and broader loading gauge clearances.

Completion.

The western portal (coordinates ) of tunnel no. 4, as established in 1948, enters directly into the mountain face, which is nearly vertical at that point. The eastern portal (coordinates ) was relocated a short distance to the southeast of the original 1948 portal and is in a long and deep cutting. The tunnel is long and has a maximum cover of. The gradient is mainly 1 in 66, except at the passing loop where it decreases to 1 in 200. Five ventilation shafts of diameter and with a combined length of were sunk. The cross-sectional area of the horseshoe profile single line tunnel is, but this increases to at the passing loop. Tunnel no. 4 also contains relay rooms for signalling equipment.  The tunnel system became operational in April 1989, more than forty years after the first portals were sunk, and was officially opened on 27 November 1989. The completed four-tunnel system now boasts the longest railway tunnel system in Africa.  Tunnel 4 was the longest railway tunnel in Africa until 2009. The present longest single railway tunnel in Africa is long, on the Gautrain line between Johannesburg Park Station and Marlboro Portal, which was broken through in September 2009.

Ecotourism.

Upon the opening of the new route, the line was effectively doubled since the original line across the pass was retained. As a result of already diminishing traffic volumes due to competition from road transport, however, the old Hex River rail pass line was closed to rail traffic and the electrification infrastructure was removed when the Hexton line was opened. A large part of the track between Matroosberg and Osplaas stations was left in place, however, and is now being utilised as a popular tourist destination known as the Hexpas Ecotrek.

The four Hex River Tunnels consist of a twin tunnel of and three single tunnels of, and, on the Hexton railway route between De Doorns and Kleinstraat through the Hex River Mountains of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The line, which connects De Doorns in the Hex River valley with Touws River in the Great Karoo, is part of the main rail route between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Of the of track, are underground. Construction of the line eliminated the bottleneck of the Hex River rail pass.


Wave power testing at EMEC.

EMEC’s wave test facility is situated on the western edge of the Orkney mainland, in an area with one of the highest wave energy potentials in Europe. The exposed North Sea location means the island group is subjected to the powerful dynamic forces of the North Atlantic Ocean, with the highest wave recorded by EMEC reaching over 18 metres. Construction of the wave test facility was completed in October 2003, and operational activities commenced shortly thereafter. The centre's facilities consist of five cabled test berths, ranging from 50-70m water depth off Billia Croo, Stromness on the Orkney mainland (some 2 km offshore) and two shallow water berths situated close to EMEC's onshore substation.  The following technologies have been installed and tested at the Billia Croo wave test site so far:  For the most up-to-date information regarding technologies testing at EMEC, visit: EMEC tidal clients and EMEC wave clients

Tidal power testing at EMEC.

The tidal power test site at the Fall of Warness, to the west of the island of Eday, was chosen for its high velocity marine currents which reach almost 4 m/s (7.8 knots) at spring tides. The facility offers seven test berths at depths ranging from 25 m to 50 m in an area 2 km across and approximately 4 km in length.  From each developer berth, the subsea cables follow back along the seabed and then pass under the beach and into an onshore substation. An adjacent laydown area then provides an optional area for developers to use conditioning equipment for converting from the level at which they generate to grid compliant electricity.  The substation building has four separate areas: the HV switchroom, communications room, personnel room and the standby generator room.  The test site was officially opened by Scotland's First Minister in September 2007.  The following tidal developers have installed and tested technologies at EMEC's Fall of Warness tidal test site:  For the most up-to-date information regarding technologies testing at EMEC, visit: EMEC tidal clients and EMEC wave clients

Non-grid connected test sites.

EMEC has also worked hard to ease the path to market for marine renewable developers by developing test sites in less challenging conditions, helping to close the gap between testing in a wave or tidal tank and bringing full-scale prototypes to trial in real sea conditions.  These non-grid connected test sites - situated at Shapinsay Sound and Scapa Flow - provide a more flexible sea space for use by smaller scale technologies, supply chain companies, and equipment manufacturers. Such accessible real sea testing enables marine energy developers and suppliers to learn lessons more cheaply by reducing the need for big vessels or large plant.  At these sites multi-point anchoring systems provide developers with a fully functional alternative to either bringing their own gravity base or having to drill and install anchor chains and mooring blocks. Bespoke test support buoys allow developers to dissipate the electricity generated by their devices in an environmentally conscious way, while transferring wave and tidal data back to the control centre. An area of seabed is also available for rehearsal of deployment techniques.  Technologies that have tested at EMEC's non-grid connected sites include:  For the most up-to-date information regarding technologies testing at EMEC, visit: EMEC tidal clients and EMEC wave clients

Performance Assessment.

EMEC is accredited to test laboratory standards (ISO 17025) and can test the performance of wave and tidal energy devices against IEC Technical Specifications.

Technical Verification.

EMEC can provide independent verification in accordance with ISO 17020 to confirm that a wave energy converter satisfies its conceptual reliability, survivability and performance targets. With proof of performance credibly assured, you can reduce the technological risk for technology purchasers, helping to attract investment and increase your market share.

Environmental Technology Verification.

In 2014, EMEC expanded its scope attaining the International Standard ISO/IEC 17020 for verification of the performance of new environmental technologies. Open to energy technologies, water treatment and monitoring technologies, and materials, waste and resources, EMEC-ETV (Environmental Technology Verification) can help innovative technologies reach the market via the provision of a Statement of Verification.

Marine industry standards.

EMEC has coordinated the development of a suite of standards on behalf of the marine renewable energy industry. Each document has been progressed by a working group with individuals representing technology developers, regulators, academia, utilities, and project developers – a true cross-section of the marine energy industry. These standards were launched in 2009 and are available free for download from the EMEC website: EMEC Standards.  In March 2014, EMEC, in collaboration with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult), facilitated a workshop to review the existing suite of EMEC standards and identify areas where new standards require to be developed. The report from the workshop is available to download here: Review of Standards for Marine Renewables (Wave & Tidal)

Research and monitoring.

For most developers coming to deploy at EMEC, installation at these facilities will be the first time their device has been in the open sea and grid connected. They typically will not have a track record which indicates the type and extent of interactions between the device and the receiving environment. Therefore, whilst the central purpose of EMEC is to provide an operational test facility, there is also a key role in establishing and facilitating monitoring of devices in relation to their impacts on the receiving environment. The main driver to this has been through the consenting process, which requires developers to consider environmental issues prior to testing at EMEC and to mitigate against any potential for negative impact.  The involvement within the research field has led EMEC to occupy a unique position, having links with a range of different developers and devices, as well as academic institutions and regulatory bodies. EMEC is independent of any developer or device, as EMEC aims to ensure that different devices are monitored in a consistent way, using the best available methods. Independence of EMEC also encourages the dissemination of monitoring information can be carried out throughout the industry.

Power Purchase Agreement.

SmartestEnergy has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with the EMEC, for the power generated from their wave and tidal devices in the Orkney Islands.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd is a UKAS accredited test and research centre focusing on wave and tidal power development based in the Orkney Islands, UK. The Centre provides developers with the opportunity to test full-scale grid-connected prototype devices in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions. The operations are spread over five sites:


Geography and climate.

The peninsula is bounded on its west coast by the North Channel and by Loch Ryan and Luce Bay in the east. With around of coastline running from Stranraer in the north to Torrs Warren in the south, the land is heavily influenced by the sea. The coastal landscape varies: the west coast has steep rugged cliffs and occasional inlets, but the calmer eastern coast has sandy beaches and a softer landscape.  The Rhins are exposed to the westerlies from the Atlantic, and thus receives a lot of rainfall (around per year); this has led to the peninsula being principally used for farming, with the relatively flat land offering good dairy and beef production. As the land is almost surrounded by sea, its temperature is significantly stabilised by the North Atlantic drift, which cools the land in summer and warms it in winter. Thus there are few severe frosts. This allows the survival of numerous tropical palms and flora which otherwise could not exist this far north. Examples of these tropical plants can be seen at the Logan Botanic Garden.  The natural geography of the Rhins has led directly to the use of the area for development: the entire peninsula acts as a huge breakwater against the currents of the North Channel and to a lesser extent the Atlantic. This creates relatively calm and safe navigable waters in Loch Ryan and Luce Bay. They are notably used by the ferries that sail to Belfast and Larne, which were originally based at Portpatrick. As the ships became larger they required larger protective harbours, and the exposed Portpatrick was no longer suitable, so they moved to the shelter of Loch Ryan from where they still sail today.  The southernmost point of the Rhinns is also the southernmost point in Scotland, the Mull of Galloway. Here the land and rocky cliffs support a diverse range of animals and plants, with the Mull area designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and also a RSPB nature reserve. Razorbills, guillemots and puffins are three of the bird species which nest on the steep cliffs.  Just north of the Mull, south Rhins, the land narrows significantly, forming an isthmus dividing two bays (the East and West Tarbets). In ancient times boats were brought ashore and moved across the isthmus by manpower, with the aid of log rollers and lubrication. This purpose of all this effort was to avoid navigating around the Mull with its dangerous currents.  The Southern Upland Way begins in the Rhins at Portpatrick and winds its way through the area on its long journey east across Scotland to its finish at Cockburnspath.

History and settlements.

In the South Rhins the Britons were commemorated by the name of a farm, Drumbreddan, "the ridge of the Britons". Their chieftains lived in hill-forts, like that of Dunman, "fort of gables", Kirkmaiden, above sea level; some in drystone brochs, like that at Ardwell Bay. They built substantial fortifications, like the one between East and West Tarbet, which defends the Mull of Galloway against marauders from the north.  Having been settled from ancient times, the area has a long history, forming part of the western kingdoms that collectively ruled most of western Scotland, parts of Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Novantae Celtic tribe was based in the Rhins area, which the Romans called "Novantarum Peninsula". When Agricola was in Britain in 81 AD, a road was built from Dalswinton west to the Rhins, terminating at Stranraer on the southwestern tip of Loch Ryan, leading some to argue that if Agricola did attack Ireland, he would have done so from this location.  Subsistence, Crofting, lifestyles are likely to have been dominant throughout much of the peninsula's history. Farming would have been practised to satisfy the needs of the tenants and, later on, the estates. Fishing would have generally been practised on a local scale for local consumption rather than export. Due to the very sparse populations that lived in the area it was not until the Industrial Revolution that changes from a basic subsistence crofting lifestyle would be noted.  Resources in the area were traditionally used locally and increasingly exported. Salt Pans on the western coast of the peninsula were used for centuries as a local source of salt. Kelp harvesting became increasingly popular, both for local uses and also exported for use in chemical production. Sands, silts and gravels, common to all glaciated alluvial areas were frequently quarried.  As communications improved the wealth of the area improved, with the sea links to Ireland, Glasgow & Liverpool both allowing the export of local farming produce (thus encouraging farming for production rather than subsistence) and also import of materials and goods not common to the area. The importance of the area's proximity to Ireland led to significant infrastructure being developed, most notably the link to the railway network, which was laid to Portpatrick to ensure a fast passage for the mail boat to Donaghadee. As the ships which served the North Channel route increased in size it became more difficult for Portpatrick to offer a safe harbour, with the shipping routes eventually moving in 1849 to the calmer waters of Stranraer Harbour in Loch Ryan.  During the Second World War the area became an important station for anti-U-Boat activities, with flying boats operating from the Loch side of the peninsula at RAF Station Wig Bay, as well as RAF Station Stranraer. RAF Corsewall operated north of Kirkcolm and was mainly used as a training school for flying boats. The bombing range in Luce Bay was used extensively throughout the second world war, with facilities based at West Freugh and Drummore  In modern times the peninsula consists of a patchwork of farms running the full length of the land. Increasingly the area is diversifying into tourism as small scale farming becomes less economically viable. The natural environment of the area, with its long rugged coastline and numerous small bays attracts some tourism. The relatively sparse population is also a key asset, in a time when many tourist locations are suffering over-popularity. The natural environment of the area saw the BBC deciding to film the drama Two Thousand Acres of Sky in the village of Port Logan.  Sites of interest in and around the Rhinns include:

The Rhins of Galloway, otherwise known as the Rhins of Wigtownshire (or as The Rhins, also spelt The Rhinns; ), is a hammer-head peninsula in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Stretching more than from north to south, its southern tip is the Mull of Galloway, the southernmost point of Scotland.


Devices.

Some of the most common forms of mobile computing devices are as given below:  These classes are expected to endure and to complement each other, none replacing another completely.  Other types of mobile computers have been introduced since the 1990s, including the:

In-vehicle computing and fleet computing.

Many commercial and government field forces deploy a rugged portable computer with their fleet of vehicles. This requires the units to be anchored to the vehicle for driver safety, device security, and ergonomics. Rugged computers are rated for severe vibration associated with large service vehicles and off-road driving and the harsh environmental conditions of constant professional use such as in emergency medical services, fire, and public safety.  Other elements affecting function in vehicle:

Security issues involved in mobile.

Mobile security has become increasingly important in mobile computing. It is of particular concern as it relates to the security of personal information now stored on the smartphone. Mobile applications might copy user data from these devices to a remote server without the users’ permission and often without the users’ consent. The user profiles automatically created in the cloud for smartphone users raise privacy concerns on all major platforms, in terms of, including, but not limited to, location tracking and personal data collection, regardless of user settings on the device.  More and more users and businesses use smartphones as a means of planning and organizing their work and private life. Within companies, these technologies are causing profound changes in the organization of information systems and therefore they have become the source of new risks. Indeed, smartphones collect and compile an increasing amount of sensitive information to which access must be controlled to protect the privacy of the user and the intellectual property of the company.  All smartphones are preferred targets of attacks. These attacks exploit weaknesses related to smartphones that can come from means of wireless telecommunication like WiFi networks and GSM. There are also attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities from both the web browser and operating system. Finally, there are forms of malicious software that rely on the weak knowledge of average users.  Different security counter-measures are being developed and applied to smartphones, from security in different layers of software to the dissemination of information to end users. There are good practices to be observed at all levels, from design to use, through the development of operating systems, software layers, and downloadable apps.

Portable computing devices.

Several categories of portable computing devices can run on batteries but are not usually classified as laptops: portable computers, PDAs, ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs), tablets and smartphones.  Boundaries that separate these categories are blurry at times. For example, the OQO UMPC is also a PDA-sized tablet PC; the Apple eMate had the clamshell form factor of a laptop, but ran PDA software. The HP Omnibook line of laptops included some devices small more enough to be called ultra mobile PCs. The hardware of the Nokia 770 internet tablet is essentially the same as that of a PDA such as the Zaurus 6000; the only reason it's not called a PDA is that it does not have PIM software. On the other hand, both the 770 and the Zaurus can run some desktop Linux software, usually with modifications.

Mobile data communication.

Wireless data connections used in mobile computing take three general forms so. Cellular data service uses technologies GSM, CDMA or GPRS, 3G networks such as W-CDMA, EDGE or CDMA2000. and more recently 4G networks such as LTE, LTE-Advanced. These networks are usually available within range of commercial cell towers. Wi-Fi connections offer higher performance, may be either on a private business network or accessed through public hotspots, and have a typical range of 100 feet indoors and up to 1000 feet outdoors. Satellite Internet access covers areas where cellular and Wi-Fi are not available and may be set up anywhere the user has a line of sight to the satellite's location, which for satellites in geostationary orbit means having an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Some enterprise deployments combine networks from multiple cellular networks or use a mix of cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite. When using a mix of networks, a mobile virtual private network (mobile VPN) not only handles the security concerns, but also performs the multiple network logins automatically and keeps the application connections alive to prevent crashes or data loss during network transitions or coverage loss.

Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage, which allows for transmission of data, voice and video. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc networks and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties, protocols, data formats and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.


Personal life.

Böhringer played youth soccer in two local clubs in his hometown of Aalen. He says that he was inspired to play American football after watching a highlight reel of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on YouTube when he was 17. In 2010, the town had the fledgling "Aalen Limes Praetorians" and even a baseball team, but no opportunity to play American football in a local junior team. Prior to being drafted into the NFL, Böhringer was majoring in mechanical engineering at.

German football leagues.

Böhringer joined the Crailsheim Titans under-19 junior team in 2011. In 2013 and 2014 he played for the Crailsheim Titans senior squad in Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. For the 2015 season, he moved to the nearby two-time German champions, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of the German Football League (GFL). Parallel to the national league regular seasons, some of the best European American football clubs, mainly from German-speaking countries plus France, compete for the Eurobowl in the BIG6 European Football League. Böhringer's first big game was the Eurobowl XXIX 21–14 loss at the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions in June 2015. The Unicorns placed first in the GFL South Conference, advancing to the playoffs which ended in another loss (41–31) to the Lions in German Bowl XXXVII.  Böhringer played 16 GFL games and had 59 receptions for 1,232 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 14 kickoff returns for 415 yards and two touchdowns.

National Football League.

In early 2016, NFL scouts contacted the engineering student, and he was later invited to the Florida Atlantic Owls football pro day: Afterwards, NFL.com featured him as "NFL Draft Party Crasher".

Minnesota Vikings.

Böhringer was selected in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He signed his contract with the team on May 2, 2016. The same month, the NFL approved the use of the umlaut on his jersey, similar to the use of the cedilla for Pierre Garçon. On September 3, 2016, Böhringer was released by the Vikings as part of final roster cuts and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. After spending the entire season on the practice squad, Böhringer signed a reserve/futures contract with the Vikings on January 2, 2017.  On September 2, 2017, Böhringer was waived by the Vikings.

Cincinnati Bengals.

On May 1, 2018, Böhringer was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program after he chose to transition to tight end. He was waived on September 1, 2018 and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bengals on December 31, 2018.  On August 31, 2019, Böhringer was waived during final roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a futures contract with the Bengals on December 30, 2019.

Moritz Wilhelm Böhringer (born October 16, 1993) is a German professional American football player who plays as a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was the first European player to be selected in the NFL Draft without playing any college football.


Early life.

Crookham was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1923 in Portland, Oregon. He was the son of Kenneth Crookham, who worked for an automobile dealership at the time, and who later went into the business himself. He grew up in the family home on Northeast 38th Street, attending neighborhood schools. He had already decided on a career in law at the age of eight, at the urging of an uncle.  He earned his high school diploma at Grant High School, then attended Oregon State University, Loyola College of Los Angeles, and Multnomah College, before graduating Stanford University with a BA, and earning a JD from Northwestern School of Law (now a part of Lewis & Clark College).  While in college, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor prompted his enlistment in the United States Army, and during his World War II service he saw combat in Europe earning a Bronze Star. He remained active in the Army Reserve after the war's conclusion, rising to the rank of colonel.

Career.

State court judge.

Crookham's early career was as a trial attorney, earning a reputation as a premier appellate lawyer. He was first appointed to the bench by Oregon Governor Mark O. Hatfield in 1962, serving as a judge from 1963 to 1988, and as presiding judge between 1978 and 1985.  As presiding judge, he was often seen carrying case files, insisting on reading each one in its entirety before assignment to a trial judge. Known for being serious about the law and his work, but not about himself, he also had a lighter side. He once held a mock funeral service at the courthouse for Roman numerals, retiring them from use in state pleadings.  "He loved lawyers, and he loved practicing the law, and it showed every day," recalled Clackamas County, Oregon District Attorney John Foote to a journalist. Foote had been a young clerk for Crookham as presiding judge. "He taught me how to be a lawyer," Foote is quoted as saying.  Appearances in Crookham's court were "short and sweet," according to a quotation in the press by Timothy Wood of the Oregon Department of Justice, who had argued at trial before the judge. Crookham didn't cut the lawyers' arguments short out of impatience or rudeness, but because he had already studied the issues so thoroughly. "He told one lawyer, 'Keep on talking, and you'll still lose this,' " Wood said.

Attorney General.

In January, 1992, Crookham became Oregon Attorney General, appointed by the Governor, Barbara Roberts to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of David B. Frohnmayer who left to become University of Oregon's law school dean. Within the month, he announced that he would not seek election to retain the post beyond the unexpired term of his appointment.  His decision left the field wide open for candidates, and a hotly contested race resulted in both the Republican and Democratic Party of Oregon primaries that year. Craig Berkman, Oregon Republican chairman at the time, was reported to be disappointed at Crookham's decision not to run. "Frankly, this makes it very difficult for the Republican Party," Berkman is quoted as saying. "I think he would have made an excellent candidate, but I can hardly blame him for not wanting to commit to an office that he would be in until at least age 73."

Personal.

Crookham, who generally sported a bow tie, was also a master chef with a flair for barbecue, longtime friend U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones said in an interview shortly after Crookham's death, adding that he insisted on being called Charles and was never "Charlie" or "Chuck." "He had a regal aura about him," Jones said, "without being pretentious.  He was also an avid reader throughout his life. Even in the last days of his life, when macular degeneration had ravaged his vision, he devoured books with the help of his brother, Robert. "In the last couple of years, they read over 40 novels," his son, Whitney, told a reporter. "If my dad was at the beach for the weekend, my uncle would call and read to him over the phone."  Crookham's son, Berkeley Fitzcharles Crookham was convicted in 1995 at age 36 "on a felony charge in the beating of his [6 week old] infant daughter" and booked into jail on June 28, 1995, in Multnomah County, Oregon in a case covered extensively in the Oregon press.

Charles Sewell Crookham (March 17, 1923 – October 7, 2004), a native and lifelong resident of the U.S. state of Oregon, was a lawyer, a Republican politician, jurist, and military historian. He was briefly Oregon Attorney General, appointed to serve out David Frohnmayer's uncompleted term, but most of his professional career was spent in the private practice of law and as a judge.


Names.

The creature was called "monk fish" () by Belon (1543), and " ("fish [wearing] the habit of a monk") by Rondelet (1544).  The name "sea monk" (") was applied to it by Gesner (1558), and Joannes Sluperius (1572; ; ) as well.

History.

The alleged sea monk was captured at sea between Denmark's Zealand and Sweden, in the strait Øresund, probably in 1546. Christian III of Denmark sent an illustration of it to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The creature is recorded in Vedel's "Den danske Krønicke" (1575) as measuring 4 ells long. It was either caught in a herring net, or stranded, depending on the source.

16th century natural history.

The capture of the sea-monk is dated variously to 1546 or 1549 in various 16th century literature, or both, in the case of Lycosthenes (1557), who states both captures occurred near Copenhagen, Denmark. There is also a German woodcut by Stefan Hamer possibly dating to 1546, illustrating the sea-monk caught in Copenhagen in 1546.  The sea monk was listed in several illustrated natural history books published in the mid-16th century, such as Pierre Belon (1553), Guillaume Rondelet (1554), and Conrad Gesner (1558). It was described as a "fish" that looked superficially like a monk.  Belon (1553) gave a briefer notice on "piscis monachus" (monk-fish) in his Latin volume, a more expanded account appearing later in his French version of 1555.  Rondelet (1554) called it "the fish with the habit of a monk ("piscis monachi habitu"), and classed it as a merman ("homo maris"). But he did not think the pictorial representations he obtained could be taken at face value, and suspected they were embellished "by the painter to make the thing seem more marvelous". What prompted his suspicions of artistic license seems to be that he discovered there were other portrayals of the monkfish, quite different from his own, obtained by his rival and friend Gesner and others in Rome.  Rondelet stated that a drawing of it from life (or corpse) was made by an artist in the presence of a certain gentleman, who gave a copy to Charles V, and another copy to Marguerite, Queen of Navarre, the latter of which was provided to Rondelet. The picture being the gift of Marguerite, a great patron of the sciences, meant it was not something to be readily dismissed, but rather authenticated, by Marguerite, treated as an authority on par with Pliny.  Rondelet's information was imperfect in other ways: he stated the creature had been taken in "Norway [sic.] at Diezum near the town called Denelopoch", but this was a garbling of "Die Sund" ("the Sound" of Øresund) off of Ellenbogen (Malmö, Sweden). The information was conveyed through some intermediary German source.  Belon (1555) in his French edition about the monk-fish also classed the monk-fish as a merman (), and garnished his commentary with mention of merfolk from ancient writings, specifically sirens, tritons, naiads, and nereids. Belon, according to Steenstrup's assessment, had faith in the existence of this sea monk without ever having seen one. Belon attributed these curiosities to "playfulness of Nature".  The fourth volume of Conrad Gesner's famous "Historia Animalium" described it, and although much of Gesner's piece was derivative or even wholesale copying from his predecessors, Belon and Rondelet, he appended a "collolarium" section containing his own findings and observations. As to the creature that measured 4 cubits, Gesner added that it had a black face like an Ethiopian, according to a German rhyme. Gesner here quoted Albertus Magnus's account of the "monachus maris". He also mentioned a similar monster found in the Firth of Forth, citing Scottish historian Hector Boethius (Hector Boece). Gesner had two other sources to draw from, namely Georg Fabricius and Hector Mythobius.  The aforementioned Lycosthenes in "Prodigiorum ac Ostentorum Chronicon" [Of Portents and Shown Times] (1557) described the 1546 sea monk as having a black head, and gave an illustration of it as such.

Literary works.

The sea monk was subsequently popularised in Guillaume du Bartas's epic poem "La Sepmaine; ou, Creation du monde", where the poet speaks of correspondences between land and sea, mentioning both the "mytred Bishop" and the "cowled Fryer":

Explanations.

In the early 1850s, Danish zoologist Japetus Steenstrup suggested that the sea-monk was a giant squid, a theory more recently popularised by writer Richard Ellis. Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans believed the report was based on the discovery of an errant walrus.  More recently, it has been suggested that it was an angelshark, "Squatina squatina", which is commonly called "monkfish" in English or "munk" in Norwegian and Danish. Other suspected identities of the sea monk include the grey seal, the hooded seal, the monk seal, or a hoax such as a Jenny Haniver.

The sea monk (also monk-fish or monkfish) was a sea creature found off the eastern coast of the Danish island of Zealand in 1546. It was described as a "fish" that outwardly resembled a human monk in his habit. A 2005 paper concluded that the animal was most likely an angelshark.