Thames Aerodrome

The Thames Aerodrome serves the town of Thames, in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 3km south of the town in the suburb of Rhodes Park. The Aerodrome is named in honour of former Thames resident Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park, Commander of 11 Group Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain.

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River Thames

The River Thames (ⁱ/tɛmz/ TEMZ) is a river that flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. While it is best known for flowing through London, the river also flows alongside other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor.

The river gives its name to three informal areas: the Thames Valley, a region of England around the river between Oxford and West London; the Thames Gateway; and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself. Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from the river, covering three counties.

In an alternative name, derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock in south west London, the lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway. The section of the river running through Oxford is traditionally called the Isis.

The administrative powers of the Thames Conservancy have been taken on with modifications by the Environment Agency and, in respect of the Tideway part of the river, such powers are split between the agency and the Port of London Authority.

Thames (New Zealand electorate)

Thames is a former New Zealand electorate, in the Thames-Coromandel District. It existed from 1871 to 1946.

Geographic coverage

The electorate is based on the town of Thames. At times, it covered the Coromandel Peninsula.

History

The electorate existed from 1871 to 1946. At times, it was a multi-member electorate. It was represented by ten Members of Parliament.

Charles Gordon O'Neill was the first representative, elected in the 1871 general election. He represented the electorate until the end of the term in December 1875.

Thames was then converted into a two-member electorate. George Grey stood for both the City of Auckland West and the Thames electorates in the 1875 general election. In the two-member Auckland electorate, only Grey and Patrick Dignan were put forward as candidates, and were thus declared elected on 22 December 1875. The Thames electorate was contested by six candidates, including Julius Vogel (who was Premier in 1875), William Rowe and Charles Featherstone Mitchell. On election day (6 January 1876), Grey attracted the highest number of votes and unexpectedly, Rowe beat Vogel to second place (Vogel also stood in a second electorate – Wanganui, where he was returned). Hence Grey and Rowe were declared elected for Thames. A protest against Grey's election was lodged with the returning officer the following day, stating that Grey had not been eligible to stand for election in Thames, as he had already been elected in Auckland West. This petition was filed to the House of Representatives at the end of January.

HMT Thames (1938)

Thames was a Rescue tugboat that saw service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

Named for the River Thames in England, she was launched in 1938. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she was acquired by the Royal Navy in June 1940. She was based at the strategically vital naval base at Gibraltar, moving the large warships there in and out of the harbour. Her duties also included coming to the assistance of any allied ships, naval or merchant, that might be damaged and require towing to safety. If this was impossible, she would take off survivors. To protect against air attacks she was fitted with a 12-pounder anti-aircraft gun.

HMS Ark Royal

On 13 November 1941, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal was torpedoed some 30 miles off Gibraltar by the German submarine U-81. After damage control efforts seemed to have stabilised the subsequent flooding, the commander of Force H, Sir James Somerville sped into Gibraltar aboard the battleship HMS Malaya to organise salvage operations. The Thames and another tug, the St Day were dispatched to the scene. Thames arrived first and was able to attach a tow line to the stricken carrier. She then attempted to tow her to Gibraltar, but her efforts were foiled by the strong current flowing through the Strait of Gibraltar. Despite towing Ark Royal for nine hours at a speed of two knots, she could make little headway. Ark Royal capsized and sank the following day, 14 November, after being overwhelmed by flooding that could not be controlled.

Aerodrome

An aerodrome or airdrome is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither. Aerodromes include small general aviation airfields, large commercial airports, and military airbases. The term airport may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that an aerodrome may not have achieved. That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. Usage of the term 'aerodrome' remains more common in the UK and Commonwealth nations, and is conversely almost unknown in American English.

A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes or amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) an aerodrome is "A defined area on land or water (including any buildings, installations, and equipment) intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure, and surface movement of aircraft."

Aerodrome (disambiguation)

Aerodrome is any place at which flight operations take place. In British English, it refers chiefly to a small airport or airfield.

Aerodrome or airdrome may refer to: