title: New Plymouth

text: An railway link between New Plymouth and Waitara was completed in 1875; this later became the Waitara Branch. The next year, work began on a line south to Stratford, which was reached in 1879, followed by Hāwera in 1881. This line, known as the Marton - New Plymouth Line, was completed on 23 March 1885, and when the Wellington - Manawatu Line of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company was opened on 3 November 1886, a direct railway link was established to Wellington. The original routing through the centre of the town was replaced in 1907 by an alignment along the foreshore, which remains today. The New Plymouth Express passenger train began operating on this route in December 1886. In 1926, it was augmented by the Taranaki Flyer for the run between New Plymouth and Wanganui, A direct railway route to Auckland was not established until 1932, when the Stratford–Okahukura Line was completed; the next year, when the line was handed over from the Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department, the New Plymouth Night Express began operating to Auckland. All carriage trains were replaced by RM class Standard and 88 seater railcars by 1956. The Wanganui service ceased in 1959; the Auckland service was truncated to terminate in Taumarunui from 1971; and the Wellington service was cancelled on 30 July 1977. On 11 February 1978, the Taumarunui railcar was replaced by a passenger train, but it was ultimately cancelled on 21 January 1983. Since this date, the only passenger trains to operate to New Plymouth have been infrequent excursions operated by railway preservation societies.


title: New Plymouth

text: The breakwater at Ngamotu was completed in 1883, providing safe berthage for vessels, and the Moturoa wharf was completed in 1888. Port Taranaki is a critical transport link for the region and the only deep water port on the west coast of New Zealand.


title: New Plymouth

text: In 1916 the city's electric tramway system began and petrol-powered buses began running four years later. The tramway system was closed in 1954. It was replaced by trolley buses which operated until 1967.


title: New Plymouth

text: The first aircraft landed at the racecourse in 1920 and commercial flights began using the airport at Bell Block in June 1937. During World War II this grass airfield became RNZAF Bell Block; and was replaced in 1966 by the current tarmac airport, NE of the old airport site.


title: New Plymouth

text: New Plymouth has two fire stations in the city with the central station a block away from the CBD. The station houses four fire appliances, including an aerial appliance, along with three specialist vehicles. New Plymouth Central Fire Station is manned by two crews (8 firefighters) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and responds, not only to the city, but to surrounding areas if needed.


title: New Plymouth

text: New Plymouth West Volunteer Fire Brigade is based west of the city in the suburb of Spotswood. The volunteer station houses a single appliance but is close to Port Taranaki and LPG/Gas tanks. The brigade supports New Plymouth and surrounding satellite towns.


title: New Plymouth

text: Police stations are scattered throughout the city with the main base at a modern police station on Powderham Street. Other suburban stations are located in Fitzroy, Westown and Bell Block.


title: New Plymouth

text: St John Ambulance supplies all ambulance services to Taranaki with their main station based at Taranaki Base Hospital.


title: New Plymouth

text: The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust provides search, rescue and patient transfer missions when required. The AgustaWestland AW109 is based at its hangar at Taranaki Base Hospital.


title: New Plymouth

text: Port Taranaki is the home port for HMNZS Endeavour, although the ship is based at the Devonport Naval Base on Auckland's North Shore.


title: New Plymouth

text: There are schools in Fitzroy, Frankleigh Park, Hurdon, Lynmouth, Mangorei, Marfell, Merrilands, Moturoa, Spotswood, Strandon, Vogeltown, Welbourn, Westown and Brooklands. The Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has its main campus in Welbourn.


title: New Plymouth

text: New Plymouth Boys' High School and New Plymouth Girls' High School are single-sex secondary (years 9–13) schools with rolls of and respectively. The Boys' High School was founded in 1882, and the Girls' High School separated from it in 1914.


title: New Plymouth

text: Francis Douglas Memorial College and Sacred Heart Girls' College, state-integrated catholic boys and girls schools (Years 7–13) respectively, while Spotswood College in the western suburbs is the only co-educational secondary school in the city.


title: New Plymouth

text: Other stations run by NZME and Mediaworks are broadcast throughout Taranaki but are networked from either Auckland or Wellington.


title: New Plymouth

text: The main television and FM radio transmitter for New Plymouth is located near Tahurangi Lodge on the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki, south of the city. The first transmitter at the site was commissioned in 1966, relaying Wellington's WNTV1 channel (now part of TVNZ 1). Today, digital terrestrial television (Freeview) is available in the city from the Mount Taranaki transmitter.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: Nicotine withdrawal is a group of symptoms that occur in the first few weeks after stopping or decreasing use of nicotine. Symptoms include intense cravings for nicotine, anger or irritability, anxiety, depression, impatience, trouble sleeping, restlessness, hunger or weight gain, and difficulty concentrating. Withdrawal symptoms make it harder to quit nicotine products, and most methods for quitting smoking involve reducing nicotine withdrawal. Quit smoking programs can make it easier to quit. Nicotine withdrawal is recognized in both the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and the WHO International Classification of Diseases.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: The most documented symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are cravings for nicotine, anger or irritability, anxiety, depression, impatience, trouble sleeping, restlessness (psychomotor agitation, including indeliberate movement), hunger or weight gain, and difficulty concentrating. Symptoms are usually strongest for the first few days and then dissipate over 2–4 weeks. The most common symptoms are irritability, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. Depression and insomnia are the least common. Other withdrawal symptoms may include anhedonia, constipation, cough, decreased positive affect, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, impulsivity, fatigue, flu symptoms, mood swings, mouth ulcers, and increased dreaming. Cessation of nicotine can also require changes in levels of various medications.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: Nicotine withdrawal refers to the effects that nicotine-dependent individuals experience after they discontinue or decrease nicotine use. Nicotine is an addictive substance found most commonly in tobacco and tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, e-cigarette liquid, pipe tobacco, snus, snuff, and nicotine medications such as nicotine gum. Withdrawal is the body’s reaction to not having the nicotine it had become accustomed to. Withdrawal is most common and intense in cigarette smokers and intermediate in smokeless and e-cigarette users. The symptoms of nicotine withdrawal usually appear 2–3 hours after last intake of nicotine and peak in 2–3 days. In a minority of smokers, cravings may last for years. Nicotine withdrawal causes few physical signs and is not life-threatening but associated cravings can be as severe as withdrawal from other drugs. After the initial withdrawal period, anxiety, depression, and quality of life generally improve such that former smokers are better off than continuing smoking.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: Various causes have been proposed to explain the causes of nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors in the brain that, in turn, cause an increase in dopamine. Dopamine is the major chemical that stimulates reward centers in the brain. The brain recruits an opposing force to dampen the effects of nicotine and this causes tolerance (the reduction in the effect of nicotine). The onset of this opposing force and the fact that the brain becomes used to and dependent on nicotine to function normally is known as physical dependence. When nicotine intake is decreased, the brain's opposing force is now unopposed and this causes withdrawal symptoms. It also appears that opiate, serotonergic, glutamic, cannabinoid, and corticotrophin receptors may play a role in nicotine withdrawal. In addition, smoking becomes conditioned to environmental cues that can then prompt withdrawal symptoms. In the brain, the dorsal striatum may be associated with physical (motor) but not affective withdrawal sign.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: Gradually reducing nicotine intake causes less withdrawal than abruptly stopping. Another way to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms is to provide the body with an alternative source of nicotine (nicotine replacement therapy) for a temporary period and then taper this new nicotine intake. Other medication used for quitting smoking include bupropion, varenicline, cytisine, nortriptyline, and clonidine and psychedelics. Treatments other than medication, such as increased exercise, can also reduce nicotine withdrawal. Many behavior changes such as avoiding situations where one usually smoked, planning ahead to deal with temptations, and seeking the support of friends and family are effective in helping people quit smoking, but whether this is due to reduced withdrawal is unclear.


title: Nicotine withdrawal

text: Most nicotine users have at least one of the above withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop. These effects are much milder to those who use isolated nicotine over tobacco. Withdrawal can occur in less frequent users, but heavier users and those with a past or current psychiatric disorder tend to have more severe withdrawal. Genetics also influence the severity of withdrawal.


title: Air Niugini

text: Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby. It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby to 12 major airports while its subsidiary company, Link PNG, operates routes to minor airports. It also operates international services in Asia, Oceania, and Australia on a weekly basis. Its main base is Jacksons International Airport, which is located in 7 Mile, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. "Niugini" is the Tok Pisin word for "New Guinea".


title: Air Niugini

text: The airline was established in November 1973 as the national airline of Papua New Guinea with the government holding 60% of the shares, Ansett (16%), Qantas (12%) and Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) (12%). It started as an exclusively domestic carrier; however it expanded to offer international services shortly thereafter. In founding the airline, the government aimed to encourage regional development in a country without an extensive road network. The airline was established using DC-3 and Fokker F27 aircraft.


title: Air Niugini

text: In 1975 when PNG gained independence, pilots from the two airlines operating for the government were from Ansett Australia and Trans Australia Airlines. The majority of these pilots elected to return to these companies and continue their careers in Australia. This left a huge shortage in the pilot strength (over 95%) and consequently replacements were recruited from both Australia and New Zealand. These pilots had little or no experience in airline operations and few if any skills or experience operating in the extremely hostile environs of PNG.


title: Air Niugini

text: Nonetheless, they were trained by the outgoing pilots from Ansett and TAA and with the first class training behind them continued to provide safe and reliable services to all of PNG. When Air Niugini took over the international routes - then operated by Qantas - once again the senior pilots were called upon to convert from basic turboprop aircraft (F27) to B707-338C 4-engine jet aircraft. Considerable alarm was expressed that these "jungle pilots" could not possibly operate large jet aircraft hitherto flown by Qantas flight crews. Again with excellent training and support from Qantas, the PX crews converted successfully to the venerable B707 and from there took over all the check and training on those two aircraft and continued thereafter to the various replacement aircraft being primarily A300-B4, A310-300, B757 and B767.


title: Air Niugini

text: There were two crashes internally on the domestic operation with the total loss of one F28 aircraft and one DHC7, both due to pilot error. No deaths or injuries occurred in either crash.


title: Air Niugini

text: International services commenced very early on in the history of the airline with a leased Boeing 720 from 6 February 1976 to 2 February 1977. This was later replaced with a Boeing 707 purchased from Qantas. During the late 1970s, internal services were performed by a combination of Fokker F28 jet and Fokker F27 turbo-prop aircraft. By the end of 1975 Air Niugini leased Boeing 727-200 type aircraft from Ansett and TAA to serve routes to Brisbane. The airline also acquired a lease of a Boeing 707 from Qantas to commence a weekly service to Manila and Hong Kong. In 1976, the government bought out the Qantas and TAA holdings and in 1980 acquired the Ansett shares to make the airline wholly government owned. The fleet of F-27s was phased out in the early 1980s with the introduction of the newly developed de Havilland Canada Dash 7 four-engine turbo-prop.


title: Air Niugini

text: In 1979, Air Niugini opened routes to Honolulu and to Singapore via Jakarta. That same year, new facilities were opened at Jacksons Airport and new Sales Offices opened in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Europe and the United States.


title: Air Niugini

text: Air Niugini operated their Boeing 707 from Auckland to Hong Kong via Port Moresby in a tripartite agreement with Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific. This service ran from 1981 to 1985.


title: Air Niugini

text: In 1984, the airline replaced the two Boeing 707 aircraft with an Airbus A300 on lease from TAA. This was replaced several years later with two Airbus A310s as the carrier expanded to offer flights principally between Australian Eastern capital cities and destinations in Asia such as Singapore and Manila via their hub Port Moresby.


title: Air Niugini

text: The airline endured considerable hardships in the 1990s, with unrest in Bougainville and a volcanic eruption in Rabaul destabilising the company's busiest domestic services. The Asian currency crisis also made an impact, with Air Niugini posting financial losses during this decade. The government of Papua New Guinea responded by cutting jobs from the airline, suppressing wages, as well as opening offices in Asia and Europe in an attempt at having the airline run profitably. The reforms bore fruit by 2003, with the airline posting a profit of US$15.8 million for that year.


title: Air Niugini

text: A Boeing 767 was acquired in August 2002, replacing the Airbus aircraft, and was used to offer expanded international services. Combined with aggressive pricing, this made it the most competitively priced airline on many of its routes. A sharing agreement still exists with Qantas in which that airline buys "blocks" of seats on Air Niugini's flights between Port Moresby and Australia.


title: Air Niugini

text: The financial turnaround seems to have stymied pressure from various sectors, including the IMF and the Australian Government, to privatise the national carrier. The PNG government has voiced concerns that privatisation would jeopardise domestic routes that provide a vital service to regional people and encourage economic development, but which fail to realise a profit.


title: Air Niugini

text: From September 2004, Fokker 100s have been introduced to start to replace the aging Fokker F28 aircraft that are used on domestic routes, the daily Cairns service, and the twice a week service to Honiara in the Solomon Islands.


title: Air Niugini

text: In March 2006, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Don Polye announced an open air policy, which would allow other airlines to fly international routes into and from Papua New Guinea. The policy will take effect in 2007.


title: Air Niugini

text: In December 2007, Air Niugini returned its leased Boeing 767 aircraft to its owners, Air New Zealand. The airline briefly entered a wet lease arrangement with Viva Macau before taking up a lease with Icelandair for a Boeing 767-300ER and a Boeing 757-200W. The 757 was returned in March 2011 and replaced with two additional 767-300ER aircraft.


title: Air Niugini

text: On 18 April 2008, flights commenced on the Sydney-Port Moresby route initially using leased Embraer 190 aircraft leased from SkyAirWorld of Australia.


title: Air Niugini

text: On 15 October 2014, Air Niugini announced a wholly owned subsidiary airline company, Link PNG, which commenced operations on 1 November 2014 to coincide with Air Niugini's 41 years of operation. Link PNG principally services routes to provincial and district centres which were being operated by the Air Niugini Dash-8-Q200 and Q300 aircraft. 7 Fokker-70 aircraft were acquired (October 2015) from KLM and were transferred during Oct-Dec 2015.


title: Air Niugini

text: In June 2018, people rioting in the town of Mendi following disputed election results destroyed a Link PNG Dash-8 at the town's airport.


title: Air Niugini

text: On 14 June 2019, Air Niugini announced it would take over the Cairns-Hong Kong route that Cathay Pacific was abandoning. They would fly via Port Moresby hoping to have considerable income derived from transporting live seafood to Asians markets.


title: Air Niugini

text: In July 2019, Air Niugini cancelled its order for a single 787-8 which was postponed infinitely beforehand.


title: Air Niugini

text: Air Niugini operates to 25 domestic destinations and 14 international destinations in 10 countries across Asia and Oceania as of March 2017.


title: Air Niugini

text: In the morning of 28 September 2018, Flight PX73 (Operated by Boeing 737-800 P2-PXE) landed short of the runway into a lagoon off Chuuk International Airport in Weno, Chuuk of the Federated States of Micronesia. There were forty seven people on board the aircraft (thirty six passengers and eleven crew). According to initial reports, all forty seven survived, and there were no serious injuries. However, shortly after the crash, the airline reported one missing passenger. On Monday, 1 October, two days after the crash, Air Niugini announced the death of a single male passenger.


title: Jeevan (Tamil actor)

text: Jeevan (born Vijayabaskar "Vickey" Rangaraj) is an Indian Tamil film actor in the Tamil film industry. He first appeared in the film "University" (2002). However, this was followed by greater success "Kaakha Kaakha" (2003). Following a 3-year sabbatical, he returned as an actor in the main role with Susi Ganesan's "Thiruttu Payale" (2006), which earned him praise. He signed up for the remake of the 1974 film "Naan Avanillai" (2007), and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success.


title: Jeevan (Tamil actor)

text: He graduated from the St Bede's School in Chennai. One of his classmates was actor Surya Sivakumar. He took up BA in Theatre Arts. He studied Theatre in London, and then took a 2½ years training in acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Hollywood. He worked as a bartender in a pub in East London called 'Weatherspoons'.


title: Jeevan (Tamil actor)

text: He first appeared in the film "University" but remained largely unnoticed due to poor public opinion of the film. However, this was followed by greater success as Pandyaa in "Kaakha Kaakha". Despite winning critical acclaim and receiving several offers to play the antagonist in Tamil films, Jeevan waited two years and opted against signing any more films since he wanted to play lead characters. In March 2005, he was offered the film "Thotta" directed by Selva and accepted to work on the film, though delays meant he had starred in other films as protagonist before it released.


title: Jeevan (Tamil actor)

text: Following a three-year hiatus, he returned as an actor in the main role with Susi Ganesan's "Thiruttu Payale", which earned him praise. He signed up for the remake of the 1974 film "Naan Avanillai", and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success. His recent releases include "Thotta" (co-starring Priyamani) and "Machakaaran" (opposite Kamna Jethmalani).His other ventures include "Jeyikkira Kuthira and Asariri" which are yet to be released. Paambattam is the recent film in his career which is still under production.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund is a British Guernsey-registered music IP investment and song management company founded by Merck Mercuriadis and Nile Rodgers in 2018. Focused on songs and associated musical intellectual property rights, it was founded on the premise that hit songs are long-term predictable assets unaffected by economic cycles that will increase in value as the worldwide music streaming market grows. In addition to acquiring songs and songwriter catalogues, the company manages the playlist, cover, interpolation, and synchronization revenues of its IP.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund has raised £1.052 billion to fund acquisitions since it was established in 2018. At the close of its first full year as a publicly traded company, its catalogue totaled more than 5,000 songs; of those, approximately 2,000 had been #1 hits somewhere in the world, and 4,000 had reached the Top 10. Five songs co-owned by Hipgnosis Songs Fund appeared in the Top 10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 of the decade chart. In July 2020, it was reported that the Hipgnosis music rights portfolio, consisting of approximately 13,300 songs, had been independently valued at more than £760 million. As of January 2021, Hipgnosis owned or partially owned more than 57,000 songs. By December 2021, its catalogue had grown to 65,000 songs worth $2.55 billion.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund was listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in July 2018 and transferred to the premium segment of the main market in November 2019. It has been a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index since March 2020.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund was founded by Merck Mercuriadis, who has managed artists including Elton John, Iron Maiden, Morrissey, Beyoncé, and Nile Rodgers. Mercuriadis stated in a February 2019 interview: "Nile [Rodgers] and I, one day, just started riffing off of these ideas of how do we change this system, how do change what’s going on today where the songwriter – who provides the most important component in an artist having success –  is the lowest person on the totem pole?" Mercuriadis believed that a rights and song management company with substantial assets could change the existing economics of publishing for songwriters, and in 2018, building capital by offering investors pure-play exposure to songs and associated musical intellectual property rights in place, Hipgnosis Songs Fund was formally founded. The company was named after Hipgnosis, the art and design group founded by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. The Family (Music) Limited, an advisory board that included Mercuriadis, Rodgers, Starrah, The-Dream, David A. Stewart, Nick Jarjour, Bill Leibowitz, and Ian Montone was established in 2018. Rodney Jerkins joined the advisory board in July 2020.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund went public in July 2018; an earlier plan to float the company in the UK had been postponed to conduct further due diligence. Its prospectus stated that there was a "unique market opportunity as technology disruption is changing the way music is consumed." At its July 10, 2018 launch on the British Stock Exchange, Hipgnosis Songs Fund raised £202m, well over its goal. Trading as SONG, it was one of two investment trust IPOs that were oversubscribed that year. Following the listing, the company reported that it had acquired a 75 percent interest in its first music rights catalog from musician The-Dream for £18.83 million. Among other hits, the 302-song collection included Justin Bieber's "Baby", Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: By the end of 2018, Hipgnosis acquired the Poo Bear catalogue of 214 songs, including Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?" and the English language version of "Despacito"; a 37.5% stake in Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards' catalogue, which comprised 290 songs including "Everybody Dance", "Le Freak," "I Want Your Love" and "Good Times"; the 121-song catalogue of TMS, including "Don't Be So Hard On Yourself" for Jess Glynne, and "Wings" and "DNA" for Little Mix; and the 121-song catalogue of Tricky Stewart, who co-wrote many of The-Dream's hit songs, including "Me Against the Music" (by Britney Spears and Madonna), and Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body."


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Prior to a second raise of £146.5 million in April 2019, Hipgnosis acquired the 182-song catalogue of Giorgio Tuinfort, including more than 15 UK Top 10 singles with David Guetta; Itaal Shur (209 songs, including "Smooth"), the 249-song catalogue of Johnta Austin, ("We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey, "Be Without You" by Mary J Blige); 588 songs by Sean Garrett, including "Yeah", Ciara's "Goodies, and "Check on It by Beyoncé; and the 245 song catalogue of Rico Love, including ""Without You" by David Guetta. In October 2019, the company acquired Timbaland's catalogue, which included all six albums by Missy Elliot, and the five Justin Timberlake albums that Timbaland produced. The catalogue comprises 108 albums and songs with collective sales in excess of 32 million. Five songs co-owned by Hipgnosis appeared in the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 of the decade chart. (The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey's "Closer", "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson, "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B, "Girls Like You", and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber). In December 2019, Hipgnosis added the first four studio albums by Kaiser Chiefs, and the songwriting catalogue of Jack Antonoff to its repertoire.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis raised £49.9 million in August 2019, and an additional £233.7 million in October, bringing its "acquisition warchest" to nearly £650 million. As of October 2019, Hipgnosis Songs Fund holdings included more than 6000 songs, with hits from every decade since the 1950s, valued at £1.2 billion. In November 2019 the company was admitted to the London Stock Exchange Premium Segment of the Official List on the completion of four equity fundraises since its launch in June 2018.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In January 2020, former blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge sold his publishing rights to Hipgnosis. In April 2020 the company acquired 70% of Mark Ronson's catalogue.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: On 2 July 2020, to fund new investments to build a "pipeline of catalogs with an acquisition value of over £1bn," Hipgnosis announced that it sought to raise an additional £200 million through issuing a new tranche of class C shares. On July 7, following the release of its FY2020 annual report—which disclosed that Hipgnosis had generated £65.661 million in revenue during its 2020 fiscal year—the company's market capitalisation hit an all-time high of nearly £1 billion.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis exceeded its July 2020 fundraising goal of £200 million after its new share placing was oversubscribed. The company raised £236.4 million, its largest equity raise, bringing Hipgnosis' total raise to more than £862 million. It subsequently acquired the catalogs of Jerkins, RedOne, and Barry Manilow, bringing its portfolio to approximately 13,300 songs.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In August 2020, Hipgnosis's market cap exceeded £1 bn. In September 2020, the company acquired the American music publisher Big Deal Music, adding 4,400 copyrights to the company's portfolio. Big Deal was renamed Hipgnosis Songs Group. Later that month Hipgnosis announced that it would issue a new tranche of ordinary shares to raise £190 million, stating that the capital would be used to acquire 50 catalogues that it had identified and exclusively secured. The target of £190 million was hit in 72 hours, bringing the fund's total raise to £1,052 bn, £392m of which was raised in two months.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: Hipgnosis Songs Fund acquired 100% of the 162-song LA Reid catalogue in October 2020. Reid also joined the Hipgnosis advisory board.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In November 2020, Hipgnosis acquired 42 catalogues from Kobalt Music Group, comprising 1,500 songwriters and 33,000 songs, for $322.9 million. The acquired catalogues had been owned by Kobalt Capital's first fund, including Nettwerk, 50 Cent, Skrillex, The B-52s, Enrique Iglesias, and Steve Winwood. Kobalt, which is Hipgnosis' main publishing administrator, continued to represent these catalogues as well as the rest of Hipgnosis. Hipgnosis also bought a 50% stake in the publishing, neighbouring rights and recording catalogue of Rick James in November. In December 2020, Hipgnosis Songs Fund reached a £1.25b market cap.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In January 2021, Jimmy Iovine sold his producer royalties to Hipgnosis, including 259 recordings and his movie production royalties for "8 Mile", which starred Eminem, and 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"." Iovine stated that proceeds generated from the purchase would fund a new high school in Los Angeles as part of the USC Iovine and Young Academy. Hipgnosis also acquired the catalogue of Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham, a 50% stake in the catalogue of Neil Young, all 145 of Shakira's songs, and 43 songs produced by Bob Rock. In March 2021, Hipgnosis acquired the catalogue of songwriter Carole Bayer Sager. In May 2021, Hipgnosis acquired the song catalogue of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (for its publishing business "MoeBeToBlame Music") for a reported $140-$150 million. Hipgnosis also acquired the catalogue of songwriter Andrew Watt. In August 2021, Hipgnosis acquired the catalogue of Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie. On 10 August 2020, Hipgnosis acquired 100% of Chris Cornell's catalog of song rights (241 songs), including his band Soundgarden's catalog.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In October 2021 The Blackstone Group, an alternative investment management company, announced that it would partner with Mercuriadis to invest $1bn US to acquire song catalogues and music rights. It also announced that Blackstone would take an ownership stake in Hipgnosis Song Management.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In May 2022, Hipgnosis Song Management acquired 100% of the Justin Timberlake catalog, including the copyright, ownership, and financial interests of the writer's and publisher's share of public performance income. The worldwide administration rights to the compositions, subject to Timberlake's deal with Universal, expiring in 2025, were also acquired.


title: Hipgnosis Songs Fund

text: In July 2022, Hipgnosis signed an international sub-publishing deal with Peermusic. French performance rights society SACEM agreed to collect digital royalties for Hipgnosis in Europe.


title: Jordan Todosey

text: Jordan Todosey ( , born February 8, 1995) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as , the first transgender character on the long-running TV series "", and as Lizzie McDonald on "Life with Derek".


title: Jordan Todosey

text: Todosey was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and began working as a child actor at a young age, making appearances in series such as "Instant Star" (2004–2008), "Life with Derek" (2005–2009) and "Flashpoint" (2008–2012)"."


title: Jordan Todosey

text: Todosey is perhaps best known for playing a transgender character, Adam Torres, in the "Degrassi" franchise, becoming the first actor to portray a transgender character in the show's 30-year history.


title: Jordan Todosey

text: For her performance, Todosey won a Gemini Award in 2011, for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series, and the two-part episode "My Body Is a Cage" has also been widely recognized, including winning a Peabody Award in 2011, citing that Todosey "beautifully portrayed" a transgender character.


title: Jordan Todosey

text: When Todosey's character was killed off from the series in 2013, controversy ensued, including a statement from GLAAD condemning the decision to kill off Todosey's character, while also calling Todosey's performance "authentic, multi-dimensional..."


title: Jordan Todosey

text: Linda Schuyler, one of the show's creators, defended the choice to kill the character, saying in a statement that Todosey's storyline "will affect even more lives in an authentic way…"


title: Jordan Todosey

text: Todosey played Lizzie McDonald in the series "Life with Derek" and the spin-off movie "Vacation with Derek". She also appeared in one episode of "Flashpoint"; in "The Pacifier" as a Firefly (Girl Scout); and in "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" as Tuff Ryan at 9 years old. She also voiced the main character, Willa, on the animated TV series "Willa's Wild Life". She starred in "Santa Baby" as Amelia.


title: Jordan Todosey

text: In 2015, she co-starred with Henry Rollins and Boo Boo Stewart in the thriller "He Never Died". She is currently appearing as Tracey in "Between" and also recently appears in "Murdoch Mysteries".


title: Raktanchal

text: Raktanchal is a Hindi-language crime drama web series directed by Ritam Srivastav for MX Player original. The story of the web-series is inspired by real-life events from the 1980s of two notable mafias Purvanchal, a region in east Uttar Pradesh. The series stars Kranti Prakash Jha and Nikitin Dheer along with Chittaranjan Tripathy, Vikram Kochhar, Pramod Pathak, Soundarya Sharma, Ronjini Chakraborty and Daya Shankar Pandey.


title: Raktanchal

text: It is written by Sarvesh Upadhyay and produced by chitra vakil sharma , chandni soni , Pradeep Gupta, Shashank Raai, Mahima Gupta under the banner of Pinaka Studios Pvt Ltd and Mahima Productions. The series was premiered on May 28, 2020 on OTT platform MX Player. Kranti Prakash Jha has said that there will be a second season. Second season of the series was premiered on February 11, 2022 on OTT platform MX Player. Second Season is produced by Arjun Singhh Baran & Kartk D Nishandar under the banner of Gseams.


title: Raktanchal

text: "Raktanchal" is set in the 1980s of Purvanchal and is inspired by the true events. It is the story of Waseem Khan (played by Nikitin Dheer) who rules the tender mafia in Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh, who is also involved in the smuggling of arms and ammunition. The story revolves around Vijay Singh (played by Kranti Prakash Jha) and Waseem Khan, who are constantly at loggerheads and leading to a series of bloodbaths.


title: Raktanchal

text: Khan is challenged by the antihero Vijay Singh, who held high morals and wanted to become a civil servant until Khan's gang murdered his father Virendra Singh (played by Gyan Prakash). While Vijay is determined to take revenge of his father's murder, who was killed by Waseem's company, while Waseem is determined to hold on to his power come what may.


title: Raktanchal

text: The series received positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances. Ronak Kotecha, editor-in-chief of "The Times of India" gave three-and-a-half of five stating , "With powerful performances and bloody face-offs, "Raktanchal" has enough ammo to keep you engaged through all nine episodes."


title: Raktanchal

text: Ruchi Kaushal of "Hindustan Times" said, "In this world where an eye for an eye has been making the whole world blind, stirring performances are the key. Kranti Prakash Jha plays his part well as a lanky gang leader and carries "Raktanchal" on his shoulder. His character reminded me of Jimmy Sheirgill's "Rangbaaz Phirse" for its IAS-aspirant- turned gangster story. While Jimmy's charm worked wonders in that show, Kranti also does justice to his role. Besides him, Vikram Kocchhar is one actor who brings a smile with his twisted portrayal of coal mafia."


title: Raktanchal

text: Scroll.in's chief editor Nandini Ramanath reviewed "The leads are well cast, with each playing to their strengths.". Prathyush Parasuraman writing for "Film Companion" gave a mixed review and said "there is a lot of violence. And to be honest, I am quite tired of it."


title: Raktanchal

text: In August 2020, "Raktanchal" crossed 100 million views on MX Player. In October 2020, "Raktanchal" was included in the list of "Best series on MX Player", released by "Indian Express".


title: Joyland (film)

text: Joyland is a 2022 Urdu and Punjabi-language Pakistani drama film written and directed by Saim Sadiq in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, and Salmaan Peerzada. It centers on the Rana family, whose patriarch yearns for the birth of another boy.


title: Joyland (film)

text: It had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022 in Un Certain Regard, where it competed for the Caméra d'Or. "Joyland" is the first Pakistani film to premiere at


title: Joyland (film)

text: Cannes Film Festival and it received a standing ovation after its screening, and also won Jury Prize and Queer Palm prize for best LGBTQ, queer or feminist theme movie at the festival.


title: Joyland (film)

text: The film was released in Pakistan on 18 November 2022. It was selected as the Pakistani entry for Best International Feature Film at 95th Academy Awards.


title: Joyland (film)

text: In inner-city Lahore, a wheelchair-bound yet severe patriarch (Salmaan Peerzada) is the head of the middle-class Rana family, which includes his two sons, daughters-in-law, and four granddaughters. He wants his children to give him a grandson and forces his daughter-in-law Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq) to quit her job after Haider (Ali Junejo), his younger son and her husband, finds work at an erotic dance theater. But all changes when Haider falls in love with Biba, a transgender dancer (Alina Khan).


title: Joyland (film)

text: The film had its world premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section on 23 May 2022. Film Constellation, a U.K. and France-based sales firm, has taken up the international rights for the film, which will be shared with WME Independent for representation in North America. French rights of the film were acquired by Condor.


title: Joyland (film)

text: The film was invited at 2022 Toronto International Film Festival in 'Special Presentations' section and was screened on 8 September 2022. It also made it to 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section of 27th Busan International Film Festival and was screened on October 6, 2022. Later in December, it was invited to the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival and was screened on 18 December 2022. In the same month, it was also invited to 'Spotlight' section of 2023 Sundance Film Festival to be held from January 19 to 29, 2023.


title: Joyland (film)

text: The film was scheduled to be released in Pakistan on 18 November 2022. However, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned its release on account of the country's Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979. This decision was reversed on November 16, clearing the way for domestic screenings of the film, after censoring several "objectionable erotic" scenes.


title: Joyland (film)

text: The film received widespread critical acclaim from international critics. It received a standing ovation at the premiere at Cannes Film Festival.


title: Joyland (film)

text: On the occasion of the film's India premiere, Anna M.M. Vetticad wrote on "Firstpost": "In these divisive times, it is worth pondering over the many commonalities between our two countries – our failings included – as are reflected in this wonderfully sensitive chronicle of friendship and love, longing and loneliness, sexuality, desire, enforced gender roles, and the everydayness behind which prejudice, repression and oppression thrive." Vetticad added: "In contrast to the cacophony of tyranny and persecution accompanying Haider, Mumtaz and Biba’s journey, the film ... runs as smoothly as a symphony in motion."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire graded the film as B+ and wrote, "The frame moves slowly, if at all, but it always brims with physical and emotional energy; there’s always something in the ether, whether embodied by dazzling displays of light as characters move across stages and club floors or by breathtaking silences."


title: Joyland (film)

text: In "National Herald" Namrata Joshi wrote that the film has been crafted on the "power of the implicit". Joshi praised "virtuoso cast", writing, "each character, irrespective of her or his length of stay on screen, is imbued with a rare completeness, and brought alive by meticulous, effortless performance". Concluding her review, she stated, ""Joyland" begins with a birth, a sense of hope and possibility but leaves one with a tremendous sense of loss." Next she brought out the pathos of the film writing, "The circle of life is communicated with tenderness and poise by Sadiq that makes it doubly poignant."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Anupama Chopra reviewing the film, praised the performances of ensemble writing, "The actors - Ali Junejo , Salmaan Peerzada , Sarwat Gilani, Sania Saeed, and Alina Khan - deliver emotionally resonant performances." Chopra concluded, "With poetry and abiding melancholy, "Joyland" creates a poignant portrait of a splintered family". Shubhra Gupta of "The Indian Express" found "Joyland" "the Pakistan’s first official entry, heartwarming ..."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Lovia Gyarkye of "The Hollywood Reporter", reviewing the film described it as a "family saga, one that [the director] Sadiq uses to observe how gender norms constrict, and then asphyxiate, individuals". In his bottom line comment, Gyarkye termed "Joyland" as "An aching consideration of gender and sexuality."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Anna Smith of "Deadline Hollywood Daily" opined that the film "has a vivid sense of place, created not so much by its geographical backdrop as its characters." Smith concluding her review wrote, "Joyland" remains a thoughtful, well performed and engrossing drama set in a culture that’s shifting, and not always with ease."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Allan Hunter of "Screen Daily" wrote, "Sadiq’s screenplay navigates a complex web of secrets and lies, pressures and prejudices to create a soulful human drama intent on challenging narrow minds." Hunter opined that "there are no real villains here beyond a society that imposes rigid expectations on individuals and genders" so, Hunter believed that "liberation carries a hefty price in "Joyland", especially for the women," he further felt that "Sadiq’s engaging, thought-provoking film is fully aware of the sacrifices made and the struggles that still lie ahead."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Film critic Jason Gorber, reviewing at Cannes festival, appreciated the film stating, "Expect this to be an absolute breakthrough from this year's Cannes 2022 with enormous international attention." Gorber found the film "Profound and powerful" and further stated, "Pakistani drama upends all expectation of cinema from that often closed culture, one that brashly looks at love, family, longing in its myriad forms.


title: Joyland (film)

text: Ryan Leston of Slash Film rated the film with 7 out of 10 and praised the director Saim Sadiq for his subtle approach to the film. Leston appreciated the film calling it, "a wonderful film about longing and desire with a melancholy undertone that you just don't expect." Concluding review Leston observed, ""Joyland" is a profoundly moving film that might just make a difference."


title: Joyland (film)

text: Guy Lodge of "Variety" found the film "tartly funny and plungingly sad in equal measure," and opined that, "as a tale of transgender desire in a Muslim country, its very premise makes it a boundary-breaker." Appreciating the director, Lodge wrote, "Sadiq's debut impresses with its sensitive storytelling and vibrant visuals."


title: Joyland (film)

text: For Davide Abbatescianni, of "The New Arab", the picture "deserves wide praise, especially considering the troubled socio-cultural context in which it was shot." Moreover, "it prompts important questions about chasing dreams and discovering our true selves."


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: 300 Winchester Short Magnum (also known as 300 WSM) is a .30 caliber rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridge that was introduced in 2001 by Winchester.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: The overall cartridge length is 72.6 mm. The cartridge case length is 53.34 mm. The bullet diameter is .308 in (7.82 mm), which is common to all U.S. .30 caliber cartridges. The principle at work in the short magnum cartridge is the fitting of larger volumes of powder in closer proximity to the primer's flash hole, resulting in more-uniform ignition. .300 WSM has a case capacity of 80 grains of . The .30-06 Springfield holds 69 grains of ; .308 Winchester holds 56 grains of ; 30-30 Winchester holds 45 grains of . The .300 Winchester Magnum has a case capacity of 93.8 grains of . While providing ballistic performance nearly identical to that of the .300 Winchester Magnum, 300 WSM does this with about 14 grains less powder. The .300 WSM also head-spaces off of the case shoulder, versus the older .300 Winchester Magnum's belted head space design.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: The advantage to this round is the ballistic performance is nearly identical to the .300 Winchester Magnum in a lighter rifle with a shorter action burning 8 - 10% less gunpowder. A disadvantage of cartridge case designs with relatively large case head diameters lies in relatively high bolt thrust levels exerted on the locking mechanism of the employed firearm.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: Also, in small ring actions the larger chamber diameter removes more steel from the barrel tenon, making it weaker radially.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: The .300 WSM is adequate for hunting all big game including (but not limited to): moose, black bear, brown bear, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer in forests and plains where long range, flat shots are necessary. The .300 WSM is also used in benchrest shooting.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: The .300 WSM has a standard bullet diameter of .308 in (7.82 mm) and takes advantage of the numerous bullet options available in that caliber.


title: .300 Winchester Short Magnum

text: The 300 WSM is a Delta L problem cartridge, meaning it can present unexpected chambering and/or feeding problems. The Delta L problem article explains this problem in more detail. The .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum has very similar cartridge dimensions but is not interchangeable.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 62nd season of the franchise, 61st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 50th in Los Angeles. During the offseason, the Lakers signed free agent and former defensive player of the year forward Ron Artest. Coming off from winning their fifteenth championship in the NBA Finals defeating the Orlando Magic in five games, the Lakers successfully defended their title. They spent the most money of any team on player salaries that season, totaling $112.7 million ($91.3 million on player salaries and $21.4 million on luxury tax). The Lakers once again sold out all 41 home games for the season at Staples Center.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers clinched the Pacific Division for the 21st time in franchise history. Despite winning eight games less than the previous season, they still held the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs and made it to the NBA Finals for the third straight season in which they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the first round, swept the Utah Jazz in four games in semifinals and the Phoenix Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals in which the Lakers were favored to beat the Suns en route to advancing to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Boston Celtics in a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals won by the Celtics 4 games to 2. This time, the Lakers won the series 4 games to 3 for their 16th NBA title and handed Boston its first Game 7 loss in an NBA Finals in team history. Kobe Bryant won his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP as well as his fifth and final NBA Championship. After the Finals, Bryant underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in July.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: On July 14, 2010, Phil Jackson won the 2010 ESPY Awards for Best Coach/Manager while Kobe Bryant won for Best NBA Player.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers came into training camp with no serious injuries. All players were expected to be healthy enough to play in the season opener. After having surgery on his knee last season, Andrew Bynum was told that he has ligamentous laxity, which required him to wear a knee brace for the entire season.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: During training camp, D. J. Mbenga was not able to participate fully in practice due to a "malalignment of his hips/hip flexors". The imbalance was causing him pain in his abdominal, groin and hip flexor areas. He made a full recovery and played on opening night. Pau Gasol injured his hamstring during a preseason game and missed the first 12 games of the season. In December, Ron Artest revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury during the Lakers' opening exhibition game. He kept the injury quiet so it wouldn't seem like he was making excuses, telling neither the media nor his coaches.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Trevor Ariza chose not to sign when the Los Angeles Lakers offered the Mid-Level Exception (approximately $6 million per year). When the Lakers looked towards other free agents, Ariza agreed to sign with the Houston Rockets for slightly more money. The Lakers had a team option on Sun Yue to pick up his contract for one year paying him $736,000. But the Lakers decided to release him to keep the roster to 13 players. Sun eventually signed with the New York Knicks.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Assistant coach Kurt Rambis left the Lakers to pursue a head-coaching position with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rambis was believed to be the potential replacement to Phil Jackson if Jackson was to leave in the offseason.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers had team options to exercise contracts on Josh Powell and D. J. Mbenga. The Lakers decided to bring both Powell and Mbenga back, paying them $959,000 each. Kobe Bryant also had an option to terminate his contract this offseason, which would pay him approximately $23,000,000 for the season and $24,800,000 for the season after. He chose not to opt out of his contract and signed a 3-year contract extension.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Ron Artest was the first player from another team to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. On July 2, Artest told CBSSports.com that he has agreed to a contract with the Lakers. He decided not to pursue a more lucrative contract from his former team (the Rockets) and signed a 5-year deal worth $33 million on July 8. The Lakers used their Mid-Level Exception to sign Artest. Artest has long wanted to play for the Lakers and was looking forward to playing with Kobe Bryant and childhood friend Lamar Odom. Artest changed his jersey number from 96 to 37 in honor of Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" which was the #1 selling album for 37 weeks. Jackson died 13 days earlier.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Shannon Brown agreed to a contract with the Lakers on July 6. Brown turned down a more expensive offer from the Indiana Pacers and agreed to a 2-year $4.2 million deal. The Lakers used the Bi-annual exception to sign Brown. He has a player option to terminate his contract after the 2009–10 season.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Lamar Odom was the last Lakers free agent to resign with the team. Before the previous season ended, Odom said he was willing to take a pay cut from the $11.4 million he made in his final year of his contract (which was $14.1 million under the Lakers salary cap because the difference was paid upfront as a "trade-kicker" when he joined the Lakers). Early in July, the Lakers presented two offers to Odom:


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: When Odom and his agent did not respond quickly enough, owner Jerry Buss pulled both deals off the table. At the same time, the Miami Heat actively pursue Odom. Heat President Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade met with Odom in Los Angeles in an attempt to get Odom to return to Miami. Afterwards, Odom spoke with Jerry Buss, and Odom's agent and Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak kept an open dialogue. On July 30, Lamar Odom agreed to a four-year deal, reportedly for $33 million, with a team option for the final year. Odom said he did not want to leave Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher and the rest of the Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: On September 28, the Lakers signed four players to non-guaranteed contracts: Tony Gaffney, Srdjan Pejicic, David Monds, Mickaël Gelabale and Michael Fey. On September 30, the Lakers also signed Thomas Kelati to a non-guaranteed contract, bring their total player roster to 18 players. By the beginning of the season, they had to reduce their roster to a maximum of 15 players. On October 10, the Lakers cut Mickaël Gelabale, David Monds, and Michael Fey, bringing the roster to 15 players. On October 21, Thomas Kelati was cut from the team. On October 24, the Lakers cut Gaffney.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers traded their first round draft pick (#29) to the New York Knicks for $3,000,000 and the Knicks 2011 second round draft pick. The Lakers traded their second pick (originally from the Charlotte Bobcats for the Kareem Rush trade) for cash.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers originally had three picks entering the Draft. Their 29th pick was used to pick Toney Douglas from Florida State, and chose Patrick Beverley from Arkansas with their 42nd pick, a pick which they got from a previous trade with Charlotte. The Lakers traded both each for a 2011 second-round draft pick and cash. They kept their final pick and selected Chinemelu Elonu. The Texas A&M center earned All-Big 12 honors last season after averaging 9.8 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds and 53 blocked shots. He set a school record by making 66.5 percent from the field and was named the Big 12's most improved player.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Los Angeles Lakers opened the season at home against their intra-city rival the Los Angeles Clippers. Before the game, the remaining Lakers on the team from last year received their 2009 NBA championship rings. Pau Gasol missed the first 11 games due to his hamstring injury, so Lamar Odom moved to power forward and was placed in the starting lineup. The season opened with the starting lineup being:


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers started off 7–1, then lost two in a row. Luke Walton was another player who was injured, suffering a pinched nerve in his back on November 16. He was out for approximately six weeks. However, Gasol came back soon after and the Lakers returned to their normal lineup (with Odom coming off the bench):


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Through the first 14 games of the season, the Lakers ranked second in the league in defensive field-goal shooting (41.7%). They also had to deal with poor play by reserve players. After Gasol's return, the Lakers went 10–0, which included a game on December 4 when Bryant made a three-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Miami Heat 108–107. Their 11-game winning streak ended on December 12 against the Utah Jazz. On December 11, Bryant suffered a fracture in his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it didn't force him to miss any games. On December 16, Bryant made another game-winning shot, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime. The Lakers went on a five-game winning streak heading into their Christmas Day game at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost the game for their third home defeat of the season. Later that night, Ron Artest suffered a concussion from tripping over a box and falling down a flight of stairs. He missed five games to recover. The Lakers struggled with his absence, giving up 100 or more points in four consecutive games. On January 1, Bryant made a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Sacramento Kings. It was the third time that season that Bryant made a buzzer-beater to win a game. On January 3, Gasol mildly strained his left hamstring in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks and had to leave the game. Artest returned to play the next game versus the Houston Rockets, and Odom almost recorded a triple double with 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists. After Christmas, the Lakers struggled, going 6–5. Since then, both Walton (28 games) and Gasol (six games) returned from injuries and the Lakers played with a full roster for the first time that season against the Clippers on January 15.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: On January 21, the Lakers began the second half of the season by playing eight consecutive road games in 12 days. Beginning with a rematch of the Christmas Day game against the Cavaliers and concluding on February 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, the defending champions also visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Bryant surpassed Jerry West to become the Lakers' all-time leading scorer. The Lakers finished the road trip 5–3. In February, Gasol was named winner of two of the three most prestigious annual awards given to European players, based on performances during the 2009 calendar year for both national and club teams. On December 27, Gasol was announced by the Italian magazine "Superbasket" as the winner of its "Mr. Europa" award and on December 28, Gasol was announced by the Italian sports newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport" as the winner of its "Euroscar". On February 6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, an injured Bryant sat out for a game for the first time since 2007. Odom matched a career high with 22 rebounds in the Lakers' win, the first time they had won in Portland since 2005. Gasol produced 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks in a win on February 8 against the San Antonio Spurs, joining five other players to accomplish the feat. The Lakers headed to the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak. All three victories came without Bryant and the final two were without Bynum.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Bryant was voted as a starter for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, but sat out due to injury. Gasol was selected as a reserve for the West and logged 13 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Brown entered the dunk contest but was defeated in the second round.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: Bryant returned from injury on February 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers went 4-1 without him. Bryant made a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 99-98 victory. However, the Lakers went 4-4 in the eight games after Bryant's return. Since the All-Star break, the Lakers have struggled, recording a 5-5 record including the first three-game losing streak since Gasol joined the team in a trade two years earlier. The team also had to deal with injuries to Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton. The Lakers responded by winning five games in a row, but Bynum suffered an injury and was removed from the active roster. It was revealed that Bynum strained his Achilles tendon against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19, and that he was expected to miss almost two weeks (six games) to recover. After their three-game losing streak, the Lakers responded by winning seven games in a row, then lost two of their next seven. They were the eighth best team in the Western Conference between the All-Star break and April 5 by record, but still held the top seed. Bryant chose to miss three of the final four regular-season games to recover from injuries. Bynum returned from injury for the first game of the playoffs.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers played the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Both Bryant and Bynum returned from injury to start in the first game. In game one, the Lakers outscored the Thunder 27-13 in the first quarter. The Thunder attempted to close in on the lead, but the Lakers held on in the 2nd half, matching the Thunder's point total in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Although Bryant led the Lakers in points scored (21), Gasol had the most impressive night statically, collecting 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. The series went to Oklahoma City for games three and four. The Thunder won both games including a 21-point win in game 4. Kevin Durant averaged 30.5 points in the two games to lead the Thunder. During the two games, the Thunder used their speed to run on the Lakers which translated into 24 fast-break points and 23 second-chance points in game 4. In game 5 in L.A., Gasol and Bynum combined for 46 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists in a 111-87 win. Game six saw the Lakers returning to Oklahoma City where they could clinch the series with the win. The Lakers' bench outscored the Thunder's 30-16, however the Thunder claimed a one-point lead with 3:04 to play. With time winding down, Gasol caught an offensive rebound off of a missed jump shot by Bryant and scored a layup with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game for the win.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers next opponent was the Utah Jazz who advanced to the second round of the playoffs by defeating the Denver Nuggets 4-2. This was the third straight year the two teams met in the playoffs. The Lakers started off the first quarter shooting 79.8% from the field, and leading by 10 at half time. The Lakers gave up the lead in the 4th quarter before Bryant scored 11 points in the final four minutes to lead the Lakers to a 104-99 victory. Although Bryant had the most successful night in game 2, it was the Lakers front court of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom who dominated the game. Each had at least 11 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks while the team outrebounded the Jazz 58-40 to a 111-103 victory. Andrei Kirilenko returned in game 3 from more than a month out with a strained left calf. While the Lakers' big men were dominate in the first two games, they had to rely on their backcourt in game 3 with Bynum and Odom being held in check. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said the Jazz's effort to keep the Lakers out of the middle opened up some 3-point shots and Los Angeles capitalized. Artest scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half while overcoming his three-point range slump in the playoffs. The fourth quarter had 12 lead changes, including Bryant and Fisher making back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-2 run in the final minute. In the final four seconds, Deron Williams missed a shot and Wesley Matthews rebound and tip missed just before the end of the game. The Lakers won 111-110 and were on the verge of sweeping the Jazz. In game four, the Lakers jumped ahead and led by 22 points in the first half. The Jazz opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run and were able to cut the lead to 70-65, but the Lakers responded by finishing the period on a 10-2 run and led 80-67 at the end of the third quarter. The Lakers led by 10 for most of the 4th quarter. Coach Phil Jackson called it "the first really consistent game we have played...We controlled the game and forced our will on our opponent." Bryant scored at least 30 points in all four games and the Lakers swept the series 4-0.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Lakers then faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. In game 1, the Lakers blew out the Suns 128-107 led by Bryant's 40 points including 23 in the third quarter. Odom came off the bench to tally 19 points, 19 rebounds, and three assists. In game 2 Bryant played the role of facilitator, putting up 13 assists, while Gasol recorded 29 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists. The teams were tied at 90-90 heading into the fourth quarter, but Bryant and Gasol led the fourth quarter rally and the Lakers won the game 124-112. Game 3 was played in Phoenix, where the Suns used their big men and physical play to win the game. Amar'e Stoudemire scored 42 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Robin Lopez 20 points. Odom and Bynum, however, both picked up fouls early and were ineffective for the Lakers for most of the game. The Lakers only scored 15 points in the second quarter and were down 86-84 in after three quarters. The Lakers were able to take the lead 90-89 with 8:47 to play, but the Suns rallied back to win 118-109. After battling each other in game 4 and slugging out a 23-23 first quarter, the Suns erupted for a 41 points in the second quarter, shooting 74%. Early in the 4th quarter the Lakers led 87-85. However, the Suns reserve players (who outscored the Lakers reserves 54-20) produced and 18-3 run in the 4th which the Lakers never recovered from despite Bryant's 38 points and 10 assists. In game 5, the Lakers surged to a 16-point lead in the first half including a 21-4 run and led by 18 points by half time. Steve Nash, who had 29 points and 11 assists in the game, led the Suns to a 16-4 rally in the third quarter to trim the lead to six by the end of the period and one with 2:52 left in the game. Jason Richardson made a three pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the game to tie the score 101-101. On the next possession, Bryant, who had 30 points and 11 assists in the game, air-balled a three, but Artest offensively rebounded and made a game winning layup as time expired. In game 6 in Phoenix, the Lakers had the lead for most of the game. Los Angeles outscored the Suns 23-10 over the last eight minutes of the second quarter to lead 65-53 at the break and were up by 17 entering the fourth. However the Suns went on a 16-4 run and cut the Lakers lead to 95-90 with 6:09 remaining in the game. Artest scored 25 in the game and Bryant had a 37-point performance including nine points in the final two minutes to win the game 111-103 and clinch the series 4-2.


title: 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season

text: The Los Angeles Lakers took game one against the Boston Celtics, winning by 13 (102–89). Kobe Bryant scored game high 30 points. Pau Gasol lead game high of rebounds (14). Celtics took game two to tie the series (1–1), with a victory of (103–94). Ray Allen scored 32 points (including then–NBA Finals record eight three–pointers a record remained for eight years until Stephen Curry breaks his own record with nine three–pointers in the 2018 NBA Finals.) with Rajon Rondo lead in rebounds (12). In game three, it was a close fought game, Lakers came out with a (91–84) victory with a 29 point performance by Kobe Bryant in Boston to take (2–1) lead in the series. Game four in Boston, the Celtics out fought the Lakers with a (96–89), performance to tie the series again (2–2). Kobe Bryant still lead the game high points of 33. Celtics took advantage of home court in game five with a (92–86) victory. Paul Pierce scored 27 points to lead the Celtics to a (32) lead in the series. With a crucial game six, the Lakers put on a dominant performance at the Staples Center with a 19-point victory (89–67) to tie the series 3 games apiece (3–3). In a pivotal game seven, the rivalry of the Lakers and the Celtics once again met in a game seven. The Lakers struggled the first half as the Celtics had control of the game for the most of the three quarters. Within five minutes left in the game, Kobe Bryant made crucial plays to lead the Lakers to the 16th NBA title and also making Kobe Bryant a five-time NBA Champion.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The consisted of two aircraft carriers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the late 1930s. Completed shortly before the start of the Pacific War in 1941, the and were called "arguably the best aircraft carriers in the world" when built. With the exception of the Battle of Midway, they participated in every major naval action of the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Indian Ocean Raid, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Zuikaku only).


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: Their inexperienced air groups were relegated to airfield attacks during the attack on Pearl Harbor, but they later sank two of the four fleet carriers lost by the United States Navy during the war in addition to one elderly British light carrier. The sister ships returned to Japan after the Battle of the Coral Sea, one to repair damage and the other to replace aircraft lost during the battle, so neither ship participated in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. After the catastrophic losses of four carriers during that battle, they formed the bulk of the IJN's carrier force for the rest of the war. As such they were the primary counterattack force deployed against the American invasion of Guadalcanal in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August. Two months later, they attempted to support a major offensive by the Imperial Japanese Army to push the United States Marines off Guadalcanal. This resulted in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands where they crippled one American carrier and damaged another in exchange for damage to "Shōkaku" and a light carrier. Neither attempt succeeded and the Japanese withdrew their remaining forces from Guadalcanal in early 1943 using the air group from "Zuikaku" to provide cover.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: For the next year, the sisters trained before moving south to defend against any American attempt to retake the Mariana Islands or the Philippines. "Shōkaku" was sunk by an American submarine during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 as the Americans invaded the Marianas and "Zuikaku" was sacrificed as a decoy four months later during the Battle off Cape Engaño.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The two "Shōkaku"-class carriers were ordered in 1937 as part of the 3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Program. No longer restricted by the provisions of the Washington Naval Treaty, which had expired in December 1936, and with relaxed budgetary limitations, the IJN sought qualitative superiority over their foreign counterparts. Drawing on experience with their existing carriers, the Navy General Staff laid out an ambitious requirement for a ship that equaled the 96-aircraft capacity of the and , the speed of and the defensive armament of "Kaga". The new ship was also to have superior protection and range over any of the existing carriers.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The Basic Design Section of the Navy Technical Department decided upon an enlarged and improved "Hiryū" design with the island on the port side, amidships. After construction of the ships began, the Naval Air Technical Department (NATD) began having second thoughts about the location of the island because it thought that the portside location of the island on "Hiryū" and "Akagi" had an adverse impact on airflow over the flight deck. Another issue identified was that the amidships position shortened the available landing area, which had the potential to be problematic in the future as aircraft landing speeds increased with their growing weight. To verify these assumptions, the NATD filmed hundreds of takeoffs and landings aboard "Akagi" in October–November 1938 and decided to move the island over to the starboard side and further forward, about one-third of the length from the bow. "Shōkaku" was the furthest advanced by this point and the supporting structure for the bridge had already been built; rebuilding it would have delayed construction so it was left in place. The changes that had to be made consisted of a widening of the flight deck opposite the island and a corresponding narrowing on the starboard side and the addition of of ballast on the port side to re-balance the ship.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The ships had a length of overall, a beam of , a draft of at deep load, and a moulded depth of . They displaced at deep load. Based on hydrodynamic research conducted for the s, the "Shōkaku" class received a bulbous bow and twin rudders, both of which were positioned on the centerline abaft the propellers. Their crew consisted of 1,660 men: 75 commissioned officers, 56 special-duty officers, 71 warrant officers and 1,458 petty officers and crewmen, excluding the air group.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The "Shōkaku"-class ships were fitted with four Kampon geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller, using steam provided by eight Kampon Type Model B water-tube boilers. With a working pressure of , the boilers gave the turbines enough steam to generate a total of and a designed speed of . This was the most powerful propulsion system in IJN service, more than the "Yamato" class and the , respectively. During their sea trials, the sister ships achieved from . They carried of fuel oil which gave them a range of at . The boiler uptakes were trunked to the ships' starboard side amidships and exhausted just below flight deck level through two funnels that curved downward. The "Shōkaku" class was fitted with three turbo generators and two diesel generators, all operating at 225 volts.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The carriers' flight deck had a maximum width of 29 meters and overhung the superstructure at both ends, supported by pillars. Ten transverse arrestor wires were installed on the flight deck that could stop a aircraft. If the aircraft missed those, it could be stopped by one of three crash barricades. Although space and weight were allocated for two aircraft catapults, their development was not completed before the "Shōkaku"-class ships were sunk. The ships were designed with two superimposed hangars; the upper hangar was about long and had a width that varied between . It had a height of while the lower hangar was high and only usable by fighters. The lower hangar was about shorter than the upper one and its width ranged from . Together they had a total area of . Each hangar could be subdivided by five or six fire curtains and they were fitted with fire fighting foam dispensers on each side. The lower hangar was also fitted with a carbon dioxide fire suppression system. Each subdivision was provided with a pair of enclosed and armored stations to control the fire curtains and fire fighting equipment.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: Aircraft were transported between the hangars and the flight deck by three elevators that took 15 seconds to go from the lower hangar to the flight deck. The forward elevator was larger than the others to allow aircraft that had just landed to be moved below without folding their wings and measured . The other elevators were narrower, . The ships mounted a crane on the starboard side of the flight deck, abreast the rear elevator. When collapsed, it was flush with the flight deck.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The "Shōkaku"-class carriers were initially intended to have an air group of 96, including 24 aircraft in reserve. These were envisioned as 12 Mitsubishi A5M ("Claude") monoplane fighters, 24 Aichi D1A2 ("Susie") Type 96 dive bombers, 24 Mitsubishi B5M ("Mabel") Type 97 No. 2 torpedo bombers, and 12 Nakajima C3N Type 97 reconnaissance aircraft. All of these aircraft were either superseded by larger, more modern aircraft or cancelled while the ships were being built, so the air group was revised to consist of 18 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, 27 Aichi D3A ("Val") dive bombers, and 27 Nakajima B5N ("Kate") torpedo bombers. In addition, the ship carried 2 Zeros, 5 "Vals", and 5 "Kates" as spares for a total of 84 aircraft.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The carriers' heavy anti-aircraft (AA) armament consisted of eight twin-gun mounts equipped with 40-caliber 12.7-centimeter (5 in) Type 89 dual-purpose guns mounted on projecting sponsons, grouped into pairs fore and aft on each side of the hull. The guns had a range of , and a ceiling of at an elevation of +90 degrees. Their maximum rate of fire was fourteen rounds a minute, but their sustained rate of fire was around eight rounds per minute. The ship was equipped with four Type 94 fire-control directors to control the 12.7 cm guns, one for each pair of guns, although the director on the island could control all of the Type 89 guns.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: Their light AA armament consisted of a dozen triple-gun mounts for license-built Hotchkiss 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 AA guns, six mounts on each side of the flight deck. The gun was the standard Japanese light AA weapon during World War II, but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it largely ineffective. According to historian Mark Stille, the weapon had many faults including an inability to "handle high-speed targets because it could not be trained or elevated fast enough by either hand or power, its sights were inadequate for high-speed targets, it possessed excessive vibration and muzzle blast". These guns had an effective range of , and a ceiling of at an elevation of +85 degrees. The effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute because of the frequent need to change the 15-round magazines. The Type 96 guns were controlled by six Type 95 directors, one for every pair of mounts.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: In June 1942, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" had their anti-aircraft armament augmented with six more triple 25 mm mounts, two each at the bow and stern, and one each fore and aft of the island. The bow and stern groups each received a Type 95 director. In October another triple 25 mm mount was added at the bow and stern and 10 single mounts were added before the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. After the battle, "Zuikaku"s anti-aircraft armament was reinforced with 26 single mounts for the 25 mm Type 96 gun, bringing the total of 25 mm barrels to 96, 60 in 20 triple mounts and 36 single mounts. These guns were supplemented by eight 28-round AA rocket launchers. Each rocket weighed and had a maximum velocity of . Their maximum range was .


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: "Shōkaku" was the first carrier in the IJN to be fitted with radar, a Type 21 early-warning radar, mounted on the top of the island around September 1942. The date of "Zuikaku"s installation is unknown, but both ships received a second Type 21 radar in a retractable installation adjacent to the flight deck after October. Before June 1944, a Type 13 air-search radar was installed on the light tripod mast abaft the island. The "Shōkaku"-class carriers were also fitted with a Type 91 hydrophone in the bow that was only useful when anchored or moving very slowly.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The "Shōkaku" class had a waterline belt that consisted of of Copper-alloy Non-Cemented armor (CNC) that covered most of the length of the ship. The belt was high, of which was below the waterline. The lower strake of the armor was backed by of Ducol steel. The magazines were protected by of New Vickers Non-Cemented (NVNC) armor, sloped at an inclination up to 25° and tapered to thicknesses of . The flight and both hangar decks were unprotected and the ships' propulsion machinery was protected by a deck of CNC armor. The NVNC armor over the magazines was thick and thick over the aviation gasoline storage tanks. All of the deck armor was overlaid on a 25-millimeter deck of Ducol steel.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The "Shōkaku"s were the first Japanese carriers to incorporate a torpedo belt system. Based on model experiments that began in 1935, it consisted of a liquid-loaded "sandwich" of compartments outboard of the torpedo bulkhead. The experiments showed that a narrow liquid-loaded compartment was necessary to distribute the force of a torpedo or mine's detonation along the torpedo bulkhead by spreading it across the full width of the bulkhead and to stop the splinters created by the detonation. Outboard of this were two compartments intended to dissipate the force of the gases of the detonation, including the watertight compartment of the double bottom. The two innermost compartments were intended to be filled with fuel oil that would be replaced by water as it was consumed. The torpedo bulkhead itself consisted of an outer Ducol plate thick that was riveted to a plate. The IJN expected the torpedo bulkhead to be damaged in an attack and placed a thin holding bulkhead slightly inboard to prevent any leaks from reaching the ships' vitals.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: Shortly after completion in 1941, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" were assigned to the newly formed Fifth Carrier Division, which was itself assigned to the 1st Air Fleet ("Kidō Butai"), and began working up to prepare for the Pearl Harbor attack. Due to their inexperience, their air groups were tasked with the less demanding airfield attack role rather than the anti-ship mission allocated to the veteran air groups of the older carriers. Each carrier's aircraft complement consisted of 18 Zero fighters, 27 D3A dive bombers, and 27 B5N torpedo bombers. The two carriers contributed a total of 12 Zeros and 54 D3As to the first wave on the morning of 8 December (Japan time); these latter aircraft struck Wheeler Army Airfield, Hickam Field, and Naval Air Station Ford Island while the fighters strafed Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. Only the 54 B5Ns participated in the second wave, striking Ford Island, Hickam Field and Kaneohe Bay again. The Fifth Carrier Division's aircraft conducted the majority of the attack against the airfields, supplemented only by fighters from the other four carriers. Only one of "Shōkaku"s dive bombers was lost during the attack; in exchange 314 American aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Historian Alan Zimm said the young aviators delivered "a sterling performance, greatly exceeding expectations and outshining the dive bombers from the more experienced carriers."


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: In January 1942, together with "Akagi" and "Kaga" of the First Carrier Division, the sisters supported the invasion of Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago, as the Japanese moved to secure their southern defensive perimeter against attacks from Australia. Aircraft from all four carriers attacked the Australian base at Rabaul on 20 January; the First Carrier Division continued to attack the town while the Fifth Carrier Division moved westwards and attacked Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea. They covered the landings at Rabaul and Kavieng on 23 January before returning to Truk before the end of the month. After the Marshalls–Gilberts raids on 1 February, the Fifth Carrier Division was retained in home waters until mid-March to defend against any American carrier raids on the Home Islands.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The sister ships then rejoined the "Kido Butai" at Staring Bay on Celebes Island in preparation for the Indian Ocean Raid. By this time the air groups had been reorganized to consist of 21 each of the A6Ms, D3As and B5Ns. The Japanese intent was to defeat the British Eastern Fleet and destroy British airpower in the region in order to secure the flank of their operations in Burma. "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" contributed aircraft to the 5 April Easter Sunday Raid on Colombo, Ceylon. Although the civilian shipping had been evacuated from Colombo harbor, the Japanese sank an armed merchant cruiser, a destroyer, and severely damaged some of the support facilities. The "Kido Butai" returned to Ceylon four days later and attacked Trincomalee; the sisters' aircraft sank a large cargo ship and damaged the monitor . In the meantime, the Japanese spotted the light carrier , escorted by the destroyer , and every available D3A was launched to attack the ships. Aircraft from "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" were the first to attack the Allied ships, both of which were sunk.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: En route to Japan, the Fifth Carrier Division was diverted to Truk to support Operation Mo (the planned capture of Port Moresby in New Guinea). While they were preparing for the mission, the Americans intercepted and decrypted Japanese naval messages discussing the operation and dispatched the carriers and to stop the invasion. The Japanese opened Operation Mo by occupying Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands, on 3 May. American land-based aircraft had spotted the light carrier escorting the transports of the main invasion force on 6 May, and the American carriers moved west to place themselves in a position to attack it the following morning.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: "Shōhō" was quickly located again that morning and sunk. In turn, the Japanese spotted the oiler, , and her escorting destroyer, which were misidentified as a carrier and a light cruiser. A single dive bomber was lost during the consequent airstrike that sank the destroyer and damaged "Neosho" badly enough that she had to be scuttled a few days later. Late in the afternoon, the Japanese launched a small airstrike, without any escorting fighters, based on an erroneous spot report. The American carriers were far closer to the Japanese than they realized and roughly in line with their intended target. Alerted by radar, some of the American Combat Air Patrol (CAP) was vectored to intercept the Japanese aircraft, the rest being retained near the carriers because of bad weather and fading daylight. The American fighters mauled the Japanese attackers who were forced to call off the attack, but some of the surviving Japanese pilots became confused in the darkness and attempted to verify if the American carriers were their own before being driven off.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: On the morning of 8 May, both sides located each other at about the same time and began launching their aircraft about 09:00. The American dive bombers disabled "Shōkaku"s flight deck with three hits, but the carrier was able to evade all of the torpedoes. Hidden by a rain squall, "Zuikaku" escaped detection and was not attacked. In return, the Japanese aircraft badly damaged "Lexington" with two torpedo and two bomb hits and scored a single bomb hit on "Yorktown". The torpedo hits on "Lexington" cracked one of her avgas tanks, and leaking vapor caused a series of large explosions that caused her to be scuttled.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The air groups of the sisters were decimated in the battle, which forced "Zuikaku" to return to Japan with "Shōkaku" for resupply and aircrew training, and neither carrier was able to take part in the Battle of Midway in June. En route to Japan, "Shōkaku" was caught in a severe storm and nearly capsized as the weight of the water used to put out the fires had compromised her stability. Repairs took three months and she was not ready for action until late August.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The American landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi on 7 August 1942 caught the Japanese by surprise. The next day, the light carrier joined the sister ships in the First Carrier Division, which departed for Truk on 16 August. Having learned the lesson taught at Midway, the IJN strengthened the fighter contingent at the expense of the torpedo bombers assigned to its carriers; the "Shōkaku"-class carriers mustered 53 Zeros, 51 D3As, 36 B5Ns and 2 Yokosuka D4Y1-C "Judy" reconnaissance aircraft between them. After an American carrier was spotted near the Solomon Islands on 21 August, the division was ordered to bypass Truk and continue to the south. "Ryūjō" was detached early on 24 August to move in advance of the troop convoy bound for Guadalcanal and to attack the American air base at Henderson Field if no carriers were located. The two fleet carriers were to stand off, prepared to attack the Americans if found.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: "Ryūjō" and her escorts were the first Japanese ships spotted and sunk by the Americans later that morning, but "Zuikaku" and "Shōkaku" were not spotted until the afternoon. Shortly before an unsuccessful attack by the pair of Douglas SBD Dauntlesses conducting the search, the sisters launched half of their dive bombers to attack the American carriers and . Most of the American carrier aircraft were already airborne by this time, either on CAP, returning from search missions, or from sinking "Ryūjō", so only a small airstrike was launched in response to the spot report. About an hour after the first Japanese airstrike took off, a second airstrike that included the rest of the dive bombers was launched, but their target location was mistaken and they failed to find the Americans. The first airstrike attacked the two American carriers, scoring one hit on the battleship and three hits on "Enterprise", but they were mauled by the large number of airborne American aircraft and heavy anti-aircraft fire. Uncertain of the damage inflicted on each other, both sides disengaged later that evening.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The First Carrier Division, now including the light carrier , departed Truk on 11 October to support the Japanese Army operation to capture Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. At this time, the sisters mustered 54 A6Ms, 45 D3As, and 36 B5Ns between them. Four days later, the Japanese spotted a small American convoy that consisted of a fleet tug towing a gasoline barge and escorted by the destroyer . Aircraft from "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" sank the latter, but did not attack the tug.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The Japanese and American carrier forces discovered each other in the early morning of 26 October and each side launched air strikes. "Shōkaku" was badly damaged by six hits from 's dive bombers; "Zuikaku" was not spotted or attacked as she was hidden by the overcast conditions, just like at the Battle of the Coral Sea. In exchange, the Japanese crippled "Hornet" with two torpedoes and three bombs. In addition, two aircraft crashed into the American carrier and inflicted serious damage. "Enterprise" was also damaged by two bomb hits and a near miss and a destroyer was damaged when it was struck by a B5N. Attacks later in the day further damaged "Hornet", which was abandoned and later sunk by Japanese destroyers and . The Japanese lost nearly half their aircraft that participated in the battle, together with their irreplaceable experienced aircrew. On 2 November, the First Carrier Division was ordered home for repairs and training.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: "Shōkaku"s repairs continued until March 1943 and "Zuikaku", together with the recently repaired "Zuihō", sailed for Truk on 17 January to support the impending evacuation of Japanese ground forces from Guadalcanal (Operation Ke). On 29 January, the two carriers flew off 47 Zeros to Rabaul and Kahili Airfield, contributing some of their own aircraft and pilots. "Zuihō" was then used to cover the evacuation, while "Zuikaku" remained at Truk, together with the two "Yamato"-class battleships, acting as a fleet in being threatening to sortie at any time.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: In May, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" were assigned to a mission to counterattack the American offensive in the Aleutian Islands, but this operation was cancelled after the Allied victory on Attu on 29 May. The sisters were transferred to Truk in July. In response to the carrier raid on Tarawa on 18 September, the carriers and much of the fleet sortied for Eniwetok to search for the American forces before they returned to Truk on 23 September, having failed to locate them. The Japanese had intercepted some American radio traffic that suggested another attack on Wake Island, and on 17 October, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" and the bulk of the 1st Fleet sailed for Eniwetok to be in a position to intercept any such attack, but no attack occurred and the fleet returned to Truk. At the beginning of November, the bulk of their air groups were transferred to Rabaul to bolster the defenses there, just in time to help defend the port against the Allied attack a few days later. They accomplished little there, for the loss of over half their number, before returning to Truk on the 13th. The sisters returned to Japan in December.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: In February 1944, "Shōkaku" and "Zuikaku" were transferred to Singapore. On 1 March the carrier divisions were reorganized with the new fleet carrier replacing "Zuihō" in the division. The First Carrier Division sailed in mid-May for Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines. The new base was closer to the oil wells in Borneo on which the IJN relied and also to the Palau and western Caroline Islands where the Japanese expected the next American attack; the location lacked an airfield on which to train the inexperienced pilots and American submarine activity restricted the ships to the anchorage.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The 1st Mobile Fleet was en route to Guimaras Island in the central Philippines on 13 June, where they intended to practice carrier operations in an area better protected from submarines, when Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa learned of the American attack on the Mariana Islands the previous day. Upon reaching Guimares, the fleet refueled and sortied into the Philippine Sea where they spotted Task Force 58 on 18 June. At this time, the sister ships mustered 54 Zeros, 60 D4Ys and 36 Nakajima B6N "Jill" torpedo bombers. As the carriers were launching their first airstrike the following morning, "Taihō" was torpedoed by an American submarine and later sank. Later that morning, "Shōkaku" was torpedoed by a different submarine, . The three or four torpedoes started multiple fires in the hangar, which ignited fueling aircraft, in addition to causing heavy flooding. As the bow continued to sink, aircraft and munitions began to slide forward and a bomb in the hangar detonated. This ignited gas and oil fumes which caused a series of four explosions that gutted the ship. "Shōkaku" sank several minutes later with the loss of 1,263 of her crew. 570 men were rescued by a light cruiser and a destroyer.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The loss of "Taihō" and "Shōkaku" left "Zuikaku" to recover the Division's few remaining aircraft after their heavy losses (only 102 aircraft remained aboard the seven surviving carriers by the evening) and the 1st Mobile Fleet continued its withdrawal towards Okinawa. The Americans did not spot the Japanese carriers until the afternoon of the following day and launched a large airstrike that only succeeded in hitting "Zuikaku" with a single bomb that started a fire in the hangar.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: In October 1944, "Zuikaku" was the flagship of Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's decoy Northern Force in Operation Shō-Gō 1, the Japanese counterattack against the Allied landings on Leyte. At this time, the ship had 28 A6M5 Zero fighters, 16 A6M2 Zero fighter-bombers, 7 D4Y reconnaissance aircraft and 15 B6Ns. On the morning of 24 October, she launched 10 fighters, 11 fighter-bombers, 6 torpedo bombers, and 2 reconnaissance aircraft as her contribution to the airstrike intended to attract the attention of the American carriers away from the other task groups that were to destroy the landing forces. This accomplished little else as the Japanese aircraft failed to penetrate past the defending fighters; the survivors landed at airfields on Luzon. The Americans were preoccupied dealing with the other Japanese naval forces and defending themselves from air attacks and finally found the Northern Force late that afternoon, but Admiral William Halsey, Jr., commander of Task Force 38, decided that it was too late in the day to mount an effective strike. He turned all of his ships north to position himself for an attack.


title: Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier

text: The American carriers launched an airstrike shortly after dawn; "Zuikaku" was struck by three bombs and one torpedo that started fires in both hangars, damaged one propeller shaft, and gave her a 29.5° list to port. Fifteen minutes later, the fires were extinguished and the list was reduced to 6° by counterflooding. She was mostly ignored by the second wave of attacking aircraft, but was a focus of the third wave that hit her with six more torpedoes and four bombs. The bombs started fires in the hangars, the torpedoes caused major flooding that increased her list, and the order to abandon ship was issued before "Zuikaku" sank by the stern. Lost with the ship were 49 officers and 794 crewmen, but 47 officers and 815 crewmen were rescued by her escorting destroyers.


title: Dan Dailey

text: Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American dancer and actor. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as "Mother Wore Tights" (1947).


title: Dan Dailey

text: Dailey was born on December 14, 1915, in New York City, to Daniel James Dailey Sr. and Helen Theresa (née Ryan) Dailey. His younger sister was actress Irene Dailey.


title: Dan Dailey

text: He appeared in a minstrel show in 1921 and later appeared in vaudeville. He worked as a golf caddy and shoe seller before his first big break, working for a South American cruise line in 1934.


title: Dan Dailey

text: He made his Broadway debut in 1937 in "Babes in Arms". He followed it with "Stars in Your Eyes" and "I Married an Angel".


title: Dan Dailey

text: In 1940, he was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make films and, although his past career had been in musicals, he was initially cast in the drama "Susan and God" (1940). He also played a Nazi in "The Mortal Storm" (1940).