History.

Formation and early years (1990–1993).

The band that would become Travis was formed by brothers Chris Martyn (bass) and Geoff Martyn (keyboards) along with Simon Jarvis (drums). Andy Dunlop, a school friend at Lenzie Academy, was drafted in on guitar. The line-up was completed by a female vocalist, Catherine Maxwell, and the band's name became "Glass Onion", after the Beatles song of the same name. Neil Primrose joined to replace Jarvis. Parting company with their singer in the spring of 1991, they auditioned for a new vocalist. Having met each other through Primrose pouring him a pint, an untrained art student, Fran Healy, then joined after being invited to audition by Primrose. Healy joined the band on the day he enrolled at The Glasgow School of Art, in the autumn of 1991. Two years later, with the option of music holding more appeal, Healy dropped out of art school, and inspired by songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, assumed songwriting responsibilities. With brothers Chris and Geoff Martyn on bass and keyboards, in 1993, the fivesome released a privately made CD, "The Glass Onion EP", featuring the tracks "Dream On", "The Day Before", "Free Soul" and "Whenever She Comes Round". 500 copies of the EP were made and were recently valued at £1000 each. Other songs they recorded but were left off are "She's So Strange" and "Not About to Change".  The band won a talent contest organised by the Music in Scotland Trust, who promised £2,000 so that Travis could deal-hunt at a new music seminar in New York. Two weeks before they were due to leave, however, the prize was instead given to the Music in Scotland Trust Directory. When sent a copy of the directory, the band noticed that it seemed to feature every single band in Scotland—except for them.  The band showed promise but had yet to evolve into a decent line-up capable of fulfilling it and spent several years treading water. According to their publisher Charlie Pinder: "They were a band that everyone in the A&R community knew about and would go and see every now and then. But they weren’t very good. They had quite good songs; Fran always did write good songs." While on a visit to Scotland, American engineer and producer Niko Bolas, a long-time Neil Young and Rolling Stones associate, tuned into a Travis session on Radio Scotland, and heard something in the band's music which instantly made him travel to Perth to see them. Healy: "He told us we were shit, took us in the studio for four days, and taught us how to play properly, like a band. He was ballsy, rude, and New York pushy. He didn't believe my lyrics and told me to write what I believed in and not tell lies. He was Mary Poppins, he sorted us out." The band recorded a five-song demo, which included the song "All I Want to Do Is Rock".

Changes and debut album (1994–1997).

With the sudden death of his grandfather, a grief-stricken Healy shut himself away, refusing to talk to anyone. Emerging a week later, and with a clear vision of where he now wanted Travis and their music to go, Healy dispensed with the band's management and publicity agent. Having been repeatedly knocked back by the British record industry, the band couldn't afford to stay around the country for another few years and so decided to move to New York, feeling that the U.S. might be more suited to their style of music. However, before leaving Healy told the band that they should send the demo to Charlie Pinder of Sony Music Publishing, who they had known for a few years and regularly sent songs to, saying: "If he's not into it, then we'll go." Pinder was immediately impressed by the song "All I Want to Do is Rock", which he felt was a dramatic change for the band: "It was harder, more exciting, sexy; all things that they never really were. They turned a corner." After performing a secret gig for Pinder and his boss at Sony, Blair McDonald, they were signed to Sony Music Publishing. The immediate impact of what was a very secret deal was that the line-up was changed—keyboard player Geoff Martyn was removed, and the bassist, Geoff's brother Chris, was replaced with Healy's best friend Dougie Payne—and the band was moved to London, where they were given a rehearsal room and a house.  Payne, a fellow art student who worked as a Levi's shop assistant, had not played bass guitar previously and initially proved reluctant to take up the new instrument. After having completed a crash course of a couple of weeks, Payne played with the new line-up for the first time in a free space above the Horse Shoe Bar in Glasgow.  Once set up in London the band spent between nine months and a year recording new songs. The band played their first London show at the Dublin Castle in Camden. With around twenty good songs ready they then approached managers Colin Lester and Ian McAndrew of Wildlife Entertainment who then introduced the band to Andy MacDonald, owner of Go! Discs Records and founder of Independiente Records. Sensing greatness, he negotiated with Wildlife Entertainment and signed Travis for a reputed £100,000 of his own money. The band is signed to MacDonald personally, not to the label—if MacDonald ever leaves the Sony-financed label Independiente Records, the band goes with him (commonly referred to in the industry as a "golden handcuffs" clause).  Produced by Steve Lillywhite of U2 fame, Travis' first studio album, 1997's "Good Feeling", is a rockier, more upbeat record than the band's others to date. Recorded at the legendary Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, the place where Travis favourite The Band recorded, the album contained singles such as "All I Want to Do Is Rock", "U16 Girls", the Beatle'esque "Tied to the 90s", "Happy" and "More Than Us". Guest musicians include Page McConnell of Phish playing keyboards on the title track "Good Feeling". The album reached No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, but with little radio play, it slipped from the chart relatively quickly. Although it heralded Travis' arrival on the British music scene, received extremely positive reviews, and substantially broadened Travis' fan base, it sold just 40,000 copies. Following the release, Travis toured extensively, their live performances further enhancing their reputation. This included support slots in the UK for Oasis, after Noel Gallagher became an outspoken fan.

Mainstream success (1998–2001).

Travis' second album, 1999's "The Man Who", was produced by Nigel Godrich and recorded at producer Mike Hedges' chateau in France. The band continued recording at, among other studios, Abbey Road Studios in London. Shortly after release, "The Man Who" initially looked as though it would mirror the release of "Good Feeling". Although it entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 7, with little radio play of its singles, it quickly slipped down. Worse, many critics who had raved about the rocky "Good Feeling" rubbished the album for the band's move into more melodic, melancholic material (for example, "Travis will be best when they stop trying to make sad, classic records"—"NME"). However, when the album slipped as far as No. 19, it stopped. Word of mouth and increasing radio play of the single "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" increased awareness of the band and the album began to rise back up the chart. Then, when Travis took the stage to perform this song at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, after being dry for several hours, it began to rain as soon as the first line was sung. The following day the story was all over the papers and television, and with word of mouth and increased radio play of this and the album's other singles, "The Man Who" rose to No. 1 on the UK chart. It also eventually took Best Album at the 2000 BRIT Awards, with Travis being named Best Band. Music industry magazine "Music Week" awarded them the same honours, while at the Ivor Novello Awards, Travis took the Best Songwriter(s) and Best Contemporary Song Awards.  Travis followed the release of "The Man Who" with an extensive 237-gig world tour, including headlining the 2000 Glastonbury, T in the Park and V Festivals, and a US tour leg with Oasis. In Los Angeles, an appearance of the band at an in-store signing forced police to close Sunset Strip. The gentle, melodic approach of "The Man Who" became a hallmark of the latter-day Britpop sound, and inspired a new wave of UK-based rock bands, with acts such as Coldplay and Starsailor soon joining Travis in challenging the chart dominance of urban and dance acts. The title "The Man Who" comes from the book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by neurologist Oliver Sacks. The majority of songs for this album were written before "Good Feeling" was even released. "Writing to Reach You", "The Fear" and "Luv" being penned around 1995/96, with "As You Are", "Turn" and "She's So Strange" dating back as far as 1993 and the early "Glass Onion" EP.  The title of Travis' following album, 2001's "The Invisible Band", again produced by Nigel Godrich, reflects the band's genuine belief that their music is more important than the group behind it. Featuring such songs as "Sing" (the most played song on British radio that summer), "Side", the McCartneyesque "Flowers in the Window", "Indefinitely", "Pipe Dream" and "The Cage", and recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, the album again made No. 1 on the UK chart, generally received widespread critical acclaim, with the band again taking Best British Band at the annual BRIT Awards. It also received "Top of the Pops" Album of the Year. The album also had an impact across the Atlantic, the popularity in the US of the single "Coming Around", a non-album track with Byrdsesque harmonies and 12-string guitar, enhancing this. Travis again followed the release of "The Invisible Band" with an extensive world tour.

Primrose's accident and change in direction (2002–2006).

In 2002, however, things came to a halt for Travis, with the band almost calling it quits, after drummer Neil Primrose went head-first into a shallow swimming pool while on tour in France, just after a concert at Eurockéennes festival. Breaking his neck, he almost died due to spinal damage. If not for his road crew, he also would have drowned. Despite the severity of the accident, Primrose has since made a full recovery.  With Primrose having recovered, Travis regrouped and re-evaluated. Moving into a cottage in Crear, Argyll and Bute, they set up a small studio, and over two weeks, came up with nine new songs that would form the basis of their fourth studio album, 2003's "12 Memories". Produced by Travis themselves, Tchad Blake, and Steve Orchard, the album marked a move into more organic, moody and political territory for the band. Although this seems to have alienated some fans, the album generally received very positive reviews (for example, "Then, of course, there's Travis and their album "12 Memories" [Epic]. You just have to sit there and listen to it all the way through, and it will take you on a real journey. It's like an old album. It's like the Beatles' "Revolver" [1966]. Fran Healy's voice and lyrics are mesmerizing and beautiful"—Elton John), singles such as "Re-Offender" did very well on the UK chart, and the album itself reached No. 3. Yet it also saw them lose ground in the U.S., where Coldplay had usurped Travis during their 2002 absence. Much later, Fran Healy spoke about the album as a whole being about him working through his own clinical depression, and the 12 memories being 12 reasons for him reaching his depressed state. At the time this wasn't mentioned, but the revelation that Healy was depressed ties in with the band's decision to take longer writing and releasing their next work.  In 2004, Travis embarked on a highly successful tour of Canada, the US, and Europe (supported by Keane in the UK), and on November 2004, the band released a successful compilation of their singles, "Singles", as well as the new tracks, "Walking in the Sun" and "The Distance" (written by Dougie Payne). This was followed by a series of small, intimate gigs at UK venues such as Liverpool's Cavern Club, London's Mean Fiddler, and Glasgow's Barrowlands. While on tour, the band also made a series of impromptu acoustic "busks", raising money for the charity The Big Issue. In addition to other performances, they also headlined the 2005 Isle of Wight Festival and T in the Park.  On 2 July 2005, Travis performed at Live 8's London concert, and four days later, at the Edinburgh 50,000 – The Final Push concert. Travis also participated in Band Aid 20's re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"—Healy and friend Nigel Godrich playing leading roles in its organisation. Healy is a part of the Make Poverty History movement, having recently made two trips to Sudan with the Save the Children organisation. On 13 July 2006, the members of Travis stuck a giant post-it sticker on the front door of the Downing Street home of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. It read: "Tony Blair—Some steps forward, much to do at the G8, make poverty history."

Artistic re-evaluation (2007–2009).

Travis released a fifth studio album, "The Boy with No Name", on 7 May 2007. Nigel Godrich was the album's executive producer, while Mike Hedges and Brian Eno were also involved. The album is named after Healy's son, Clay, whom Healy and his partner Nora were unable to name until four weeks after his birth. Healy has described the process of making the album as "like coming out of the forest", and that the band is now "in a good place", contrasting with the dark mood surrounding "12 Memories". Travis played at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on 28 April 2007. At the Virgin Megastore tent in the festival, "The Boy With No Name" was available to purchase over a week early. Reviews of the album were mixed. The album's first single, "Closer", was released on 23 April 2007 and peaked at No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The music video for the single features a cameo role from actor and friend of the band, Ben Stiller. Stiller plays the role of a supermarket manager. The follow-up singles to "Closer" were "Selfish Jean" and "My Eyes".  For the promotional tour for the album (which started just before its release), Travis included a new touring pianist, Claes Björklund from Sweden. Björklund's first appearance with the band was when they played at the Oxford Brookes Union on 19 March 2007, prior to the album's release. The band dedicated their performance at the Vic Theater in Chicago to their producer Nigel Godrich. The album's tour lasted until December 2007 ending in a home-coming gig in Glasgow. The band visited for the first time places including Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile (playing as part of a festival co-headlined with The Killers and Starsailor) during this tour.  Following a short UK tour, where the band tested some new material, Travis recorded their sixth album in two weeks in February/March 2008, having been inspired by the speed and simplicity of their recent recording session with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick while participating in a BBC programme celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. It was announced around this time that the band and long term record label Independiente had split amicably.  In early June 2008, a vinyl EP of the song "J. Smith" was announced online as the first release from "Ode to J. Smith" for 30 June. It was an EP limited to 1000 copies and not an 'official' single, instead more of a taster of the album for fans.  Fran Healy said, "The album is called "Ode to J. Smith" partly giving a heads up to the key song and partly because all the songs are written about nameless characters or to nameless characters." He has also described the album as a novel with 12 chapters, with each chapter being a song. In live shows promoting the album in spring 2009, Healy said the song Friends was written from the perspective of the girlfriend of the book's protagonist (J.Smith), about friends who are only there to ask for favours. The album would be released through their own record label Red Telephone Box, with the lead single "Something Anything" being released on 15 September. Two weeks later on 29 September, "Ode to J. Smith" was released. The band also headlined a 12-gig UK tour to coincide with the releases between 22 September and 8 October. Early reviews were very positive, with some calling it Travis' best record ever.

Hiatus, return and "Where You Stand" (2010–2013).

A live acoustic album featuring Healy and Dunlop was released on 19 January 2010.  In 2011 Travis returned to live performances. They played at the Maxidrom Festival in Moscow, in May; at G! festival, Faroe Island and the Rock’n Coke Festival in Istanbul, Turkey in July. On 31 October, Fran Healy performed a concert in Berlin along with Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley. They performed several Keane songs. Travis recorded some songs for their next album at the end of September 2011 and they continued writing new songs on February 2012 with Keane. Fran Healy confirmed on his Twitter account that the new Travis album will be released in the first half of 2013. Travis played together on 4 May 2012 at the Sandance Festival in Dubai. They also played at the Porto Student Festival in Portugal on 9 May. The band performed in the Norwegian Festival on July 2012 and Belladrum Festival on August 2012.  A pre single teaser track called "Another Guy" from the band's forthcoming seventh album was released as a free download from the band's official website on 20 March 2013. On 25 April 2013, they revealed that the new album "Where You Stand" would be released on 19 August 2013 via Kobalt Label Services, and that the first eponymous single "Where You Stand" was released on 30 April.

"Everything at Once", outstanding music contribution and "Almost Fashionable" (2013–2016).

A post from Travis on their Instagram page confirmed that recording had commenced on the band's eighth album at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin in January 2015. On 25 November 2015, Travis shared a free download single 'Everything at Once' and announced two UK live shows in January 2016. A new album, also titled "Everything at Once", was released on 29 April 2016.  In 2016 at the 18th annual Scottish Music Awards, Travis were presented with the award for their outstanding contribution to music.  Travis’ June 2016 tour of Mexico formed the backdrop for "Almost Fashionable: A Film About Travis", a documentary directed by Healy. The film stars Wyndham Wallace, a music journalist and acquaintance of Healy’s in Berlin who was invited to travel with Travis to Mexico because he had previously expressed his distaste for the band. The film had its premiere in 2018 at the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

"The Man Who" anniversary and "10 Songs" (2017-present).

In 2017, Travis decided to celebrate the 18th anniversary of their seminal 1999 album "The Man Who" as they were currently writing songs and figured that they would be busy promoting a new album on what would have been "The Man Who"’s 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the band re-released the album as a limited edition box set.  In September 2017, the band also performed the album in full at two shows in Manchester and London, followed by more full album UK shows in June and December of the following year.  Finally, on the actual 20th anniversary year of "The Man Who", the band re-released the album reissue box set, along with the live album "Live at Glastonbury ‘99", a recording of the set which turned out to be a pivotal moment in kickstarting Travis’ commercial success despite the band members feeling that they had performed poorly.  On 10 December 2019, Travis released “Kissing in the Wind”, a song from their upcoming new album which had previously been included in their 2018 documentary "Almost Fashionable: A Film About Travis." Another single, “A Ghost”, was released on 3 June 2020, along with details of the band’s new album "10 Songs", which was due for release on 9 October of the same year.

Collaborations and solo work.

The band have also played with a number of other artists, including Paul McCartney, Graham Nash, Noel Gallagher, and Jason Falkner. Travis also guest starred on Feeder's "Tumble and Fall", performing backing vocals at the end of the song. This was because at the time that Feeder were recording their album "Pushing the Senses", Travis were in the next studio and they ended up recording together.  An adaptation of the Oasis song "Half the World Away", as performed by Healy, was used as the intro music for a sketch in "The Adam and Joe Show" entitled "The Imperial Family", which itself was a parody of "The Royle Family" (to which the Oasis song lends itself as the theme music).  In June 2007, Travis participated in BBC Radio 2's project to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". All the album's tracks were re-recorded by contemporary artists, supervised by the original engineer, Geoff Emerick, using the same 4-track studio equipment. Travis contributed a rendition of "Lovely Rita". The band wanted to be as faithful to the original as possible, even to the extent of recording the guitars in the stairwell of Abbey Road Studios to recreate the acoustics.  In 2010, Travis contributed a live version of their song "Before You Were Young" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.  Healy released his first solo album entitled "Wreckorder" in October 2010. Recorded in Berlin, New York and Vermont, and produced by Emery Dobyns (Patti Smith, Noah and the Whale) the album features Paul McCartney, Neko Case and Noah and the Whale's Tom Hobden.  Live albums Compilation albums  The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards.  The Q Awards are the United Kingdom's annual music awards run by the music magazine "Q".

Travis are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1990, composed of Fran Healy (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dougie Payne (bass guitar, backing vocals), Andy Dunlop (lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals) and Neil Primrose (drums, percussion). The band's name comes from the Harry Dean Stanton character Travis Henderson from the film "Paris, Texas".

Travis est un groupe de pop rock britannique, originaire de Glasgow, en Écosse. Formé en 1990, il est composé de Francis Healy (chant, guitare, piano, banjo et compositeur principal), Dougie Payne (basse, chœurs), Andy Dunlop (guitare lead, chœurs) et Neil Primrose (batteur).


Geography.

Bayons is located in the Massif des Monges some 20 km south by south-east of Gap and 15 km north-east of Sisteron. Access to the commune is by the D1 road from Clamensane in the west which passes through the commune and the village before continuing north to Turriers.  Bayons is situated in a vast Cirque surrounded by high mountains, through which the "Sasse" flows - exiting through a narrow clue. The commune was formed from the merger of four communes in 1973: Astoin, Bayons, Esparron-la-Bâtie and Reynier. Except for Astoin, the communes joined to Bayons in 1973 are located in parallel valleys perpendicular to the Sasse and downstream from Bayons. The commune is located in a region of mountainous relief and has a Mediterranean climate with challenging features (drought, irregular and heavy rains) as well as a mountain climate (cold with snow in winter). It is traversed by some tumultuous rivers. Agriculture in the area has always been difficult. The population of the four communes peaked in 1836 with 1625 inhabitants but a century and a half later, 90% of this population had been lost due to the rural exodus that began early and had more breadth in these four communes than in the rest of the department. This persuaded the government to propose the merger of the communes which took place on 1 April 1973. Since then the population has almost doubled: farms have been retained sometimes using regional quality labels. The communal economy is based on tourism but the majority of people in the commune work outside.

Geology.

The commune is located in the middle of three major geological Alpine formations:  During the last two major glaciations: the Riss glaciation and the Würm glaciation, there were many small glaciers in the commune. A glacier occupied the northern slope of the "Tête des Monges". During the Riss glaciation, a diffluence from the Durance glacier crossed the "Col des Sagnes" and went down to the Sasse valley. The Würm glaciation was less extensive and only reached "Les Tourniquets". It was during this glacial period that the Triassic gypsum and moraines were created that make the terrain unstable in this part of the valley. Another Riss glaciation diffluence reached the top of the Trente Pas torrent but this did not recur during the Würm glaciation.

Relief.

The relief of the commune is mountainous, low, but very compartmentalized making communication difficult. It has partly been shaped by glaciers. The main structural element is the Sasse valley, which drains several basins separated by Water gaps.  The southernmost of these basins is the former commune of Reynier, semi-circular in shape with the diameter towards the north-east. This diameter is a ridge of mountains rising between 1200 m and 1700 m separating the Reynier basin from the Esparron-la-Bâtie valley. From north to south:  Several mountains then define a wide semicircle. On the north side (the side facing Reynier) they slope gently and form green mountain meadows. On the south and west side they form a line of steeper slopes. From east to west and from south to north they are:  North of Reynier basin, the Bayons gorge provides access to the upper valley of the Sasse and the Bayons basin. This basin is bounded on the north by a small massif dominated by Pointe d'Eyrolle (1754m) and Grande Gautière (1825m) which opens to several valleys in the east and south:  Facing Bayons, is l'Oratoire summit (2072 m).Tête Grosse  Finally, wedged between the Bayons basin and that of Reynier, is the long valley of Esparron-la-Bâtie Sasse closed off from the Sasse by the "Rochers de la Lause". The ridges north of this valley are led to the top of l'Oratoire and are marked by the "Rocher de l'Aigle" (1499m) and the "Rocher du Midi" (1461m). This valley widens and is closed to the east by the Summit of "Clot Ginoux" (also called the "Cimettes") (2112m), the summit of Laupie (or Tourtoureau) (2025m), and the summit of Les Monges (2115m).

Hydrography.

The commune is traversed by the "Sasse" (sometimes called "La Sasse"), which is formed from many streams and has many tributaries draining the adjacent valleys. On the right bank the Sasse receives:  The left bank tributaries of the Sasse are:  In the upper part of the Esparron-la-Bâtie valley is a small lake, Lake Esparron at 1544m, to the east of the Maladrech ridge.

Environment.

The town has 5500 hectares of woods and forests or 44% of its area.  Chamois are endemic in the Massif of Monges but had nearly disappeared from the area in the 1970s as victims of intensive hunting. The National Forests Office (ONF) has created a game reserve in the Haute Combe which includes the reserves of Monges, Hautes-Graves-Ruinon, and Montsérieux. Since the 1980s the species is still hunted but with quotas.  The Mouflon had been exterminated and its presence is due to its reintroduction in early 1990. Two population nuclei are in the commune: in the hunting reserve of the Hautes-Graves-Ruinon and in the Massif des Monges. Roe Deer had also disappeared since the beginning of the 19th century together with its natural environment the forest. It has returned to the commune from a core reintroduced into the Vançon valley in the 1970s. The presence of the Alpine marmot is also mainly due to reintroductions. The otter, which was once present, has disappeared but has not been reintroduced.

Natural and technological risks.

None of the 200 communes in the department is in a no seismic risk zone. The Canton of Turriers to which Bayons belongs is in area 1b (low risk) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 and based on its seismic history and in zone 4 (medium risk) according to the probabilistic classification EC8 of 2011. Bayons also faces four other natural hazards:  Bayons is not exposed to any risk of technological origin identified by the prefecture.  There is no plan for prevention of foreseeable natural risks (PPR) for the commune and there is no DICRIM.  The commune has been the subject of orders for natural disasters in 1994 for floods, landslides and mudslides. The worst flooding occurred in 1492 when rains caused the formation of debris flows that destroyed several hamlets and part of the village. This monstrous flood has remained in the annals of the commune. See the History section for details.

Localities and hamlets.

In addition to the village, the town includes several hamlets:

History.

Prehistory and Ancient times.

Although "Homo heidelbergensis" probably inhabited the Monges massif several hundreds of thousands of years ago there is no evidence that they specifically occupied the area of Bayons. The Vitrolles site, 30 km to the west, shows that 11,000 years ago the area was frequented by hunters and gatherers who came in summer then went away to the south.  Most of the Durance valleys and the Massif des Monges experienced the Neolithic Revolution when Mesolithic societies disappeared and were replaced by Cardium pottery (6000 BC.) and then by the Chasséen culture (4700-3500 BC). The Lithic core found at Thèze was an example of the technical progress in the era: stone tools are no longer cut by impact but by pressure applied on the chosen part.  A treasure of Massaliatic obols dating from the Gallic period (3rd and 2nd century BC.) was discovered in the commune in 1850. The romanization of Bayons in the following centuries is manifested by constructions at altitude.

Middle Ages.

Astoin.

The castrum of Astoin was near the mule track connecting Bayons to Turriers.  The Counts of Provence were lords of Astoin during the 14th and 15th century through the Ayroles and Ancelle families (co-lord of Dromon in 1385). During the crisis caused by the death of Queen Joanna I of Naples, Raoux Ancelle, Lord of Astoin, fought with Charles, Duke of Durazzo, against Louis I of Anjou. The rallying of Sisteron to the Angevin cause in November 1385 brought about his change of commitment and he paid homage to Louis from 30 November 1385.  Astoin had 28 fires in 1315 but only 6 in 1471. It was at that time that the old site, located on a hill 500 m from the current site and named Vière (Old Provençal meaning "village"), was abandoned in favour of the current site. By 1765 there were 264 inhabitants.

Bayons.

Bayons is cited around 1200 in the form "Baions". The community had a "consulate" in 1233 and was the largest community in the viguerie of Sisteron. The two churches and their income belonged to the Abbey of l'Ile-Barbe in Lyon. The oldest church was the Church of Our Lady of Nazareth which was located in the Clastre valley, probably on the medieval site of the village. The community owned the lands called "gastes" which also belonged to the lord. These lands were farmed by the community often as pasture. At Bayons, they were traditionally granted against a "tasque" equivalent to one eighth of the harvest. The income of the community allowed it to gradually redeem all manorial rights before 1789 including the privilege granted by the counts of Provence banning the grazing of foreign herds (from outside the commune) in Bayons lands. The Counts of Provence also levied a toll on cattle migrations passing through Bayons.  In 1300 a small Jewish community was established in Bayons which is an indication of its position as a tiny relatively unknown rural hamlet. In 1348 Queen Joanna I of Naples, driven from her Kingdom of Naples, had to take refuge in Provence. To regain her Neapolitan States she sold Avignon to the Pope for 80,000 florins and at the same time obtained papal absolution to wash away suspicion in the murder of her first husband Andrew, Duke of Calabria. Grateful, she offered the fief of Valernes to William II Roger, brother of the pope. This was made a viscounty by letters patent in 1350. The new viscounty included the communities of Bayons, Vaumeilh, La Motte-du-Caire, Bellaffaire, Gigors, Lauzet, Les Mées, Mézel, Entrevennes, and Castellet, with their jurisdictions and dependencies.  In 1359 the residents of Bayons sued those of Seyne, claiming the privilege of not paying the toll to come to the fair at Saint-Michel de Seyne. They obtained satisfaction but the people of Seyne won on appeal. Fortifications were built in the 14th century which were inspected in 1403 by the provost of the Viscount of Valernes. Another fortification was built above Bédoin on the mountain called the Chateau: it allowed the monitoring of the road from Sisteron to Seyne.  On 26 July 1492 heavy rains cause a devastating flood of the Sasse. Le Mardaric, the torrent passing Bayons, had a debris flow that destroyed the village. The hamlets of "la Montahne" (identified with that of Combes) and Rouinon were also affected Rouinon. The Fontainier torrent also caused damage to cultivated land. Four people were killed. Livestock was also affected with hundreds of animals washed away. Finally loosened soils were washed away by rain together with ripe wheat and vines in the following days. According to residents rocks of 5 tons were displaced by the floods.

Esparron-la-Bâtie.

The village of Esparron was cited in 1200 under the name of "castrum Sparronis et bastita". There were two village communities, and one fief held by a lord. Esparron-la-Bâtie was hardest hit by the crises of the 14th century (the Black Death and the Hundred Years War) than its neighbours, as it had 74 fires in 1315 but only 12 in 1471. By 1765 it had a population of 205. The Counts of Provence levied a toll on cattle migrations passing through Esparron-la-Bâtie and lords were the Morier or Mourier family from the 13th to the 17th Century. The parish church was heavily damaged by the end of the religious wars. In 1641 repairs had still not been done and the lord of Esparron was ordered to pay for two thirds of the work with the remaining third by the priory.

Reynier.

Reynier is reported for the first time in charters of 1232 as "castrum Rainieri". The community had 25 fires in 1471 and 218 inhabitants by 1765. This former fief of the Bishops of Gap was owned by the Abon family from the 15th to the 17th century then by the Boniface family until the French Revolution.

Modern times.

From the 16th century the lordship of Astoin belonged successively to Turriers, Castellane, Boniface, then to Hugues. At Esparron the Pélissier family succeeded Mourier in the 17th century.  In the 16th century Louis de Barras, Lord of Melan, allowed the grazing of sheep flocks in Bayons from Estiver (against payment of a fee), while herds from Reynier and Esparron-la-Bâtie wintered at La Roque and Corbières.

French Revolution.

At the beginning of the French Revolution, the news of the storming of the Bastille was welcomed but caused a phenomenon of collective fear in the population of a possible aristocratic reaction. Locally, the Great Fear came from Tallard and belonging to the contemporary "fear of the Mâconnais" reached the area of La Motte-du-Caire on the evening of 31 July 1789. The consuls of the village community were warned that a troop of five or six thousand brigands were coming towards Haute-Provence after pillaging the Dauphiné. The communities of La Motte, Clamensane, Saint-Geniez, Authon, Curbans, Bayons, and Claret together created a troop of 700 armed men. They put the Marquis of Hugues de Beaujeu at its head. He decided to stand in front of the danger by going towards the danger and to monitor the boats on the Durance.  After 2 August the panic subsided and the original rumours clarified. An important change took place: the communities were armed and organized to defend themselves and their neighbours. A sense of solidarity was born within the communities and between neighbouring communities and consuls decide to maintain the national guards. Immediately after the fear subsided, however, the authorities recommended disarming the workers and the landless and keep only landowners in the National Guard.

Contemporary period.

The French coup d'état of 1851 committed by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte against the French Second Republic provoked an armed uprising in the Lower Alps in defense of the Constitution. After the failure of the uprising there was a severe crackdown on those who stood up to defend the Republic with one inhabitant of Bayons.  Like many communes in the department, Bayons adopted schools well before the Jules Ferry laws: in 1863 there were already two schools providing primary education for boys located in the main village and at Combe. Although the Falloux Laws (1851) did not require the opening of a school for girls in communes with less than 800 inhabitants, Bayons, with less than 700 inhabitants in 1861, also had a school for girls. The second Duruy Act (1877) allowed it, thanks to government subsidies, to build new village school.  Astoin, Esparron-la-Bâtie, and Reynier communes each had a boys' school in 1863 but no school for girls. In these communes it was not the Ferry laws that allowed girls into school.  The very isolated hamlet of Rouinon had 46 inhabitants in 1886 as well as a school (until 1911) and a mailbox (until 1929). This small community also had its own Chapel of Saint Joseph. Near Rouinon, the chapel for the hamlet of Forest-Lacour was destroyed at the end of the 19th century to allow the passage of the road: the Church had noted its declining attendance for several years.  The commune sheltered a maquis unit during World War II in the Tramalou district. It consisted of "Francs-tireurs partisans" (Maverick Partisans) or FTP. On 21 July 1944, taking advantage of a shift in the German garrison of Sisteron, the Bayons FTP raided the citadel of Sisteron to rescue fifty resistance fighter detainees. On 26 July 1944, the same FTP unit was surprised by the German reaction using mortars which resulted in 21 dead. Three teenagers in a farm were also killed. A monument was erected in their memory located on an abandoned road to Turriers.

Since World War II.

Vines were cultivated in the communes of Astoin, Bayons, Esparron-la-Bâtie and Reynier until the middle of the 20th century. The wine was mediocre and intended only for home consumption. This culture has since been abandoned.  The commune of Bayons merged with the communes of Esparron-la-Bâtie, Astoin, and Reynier in 1973.

Politics and administration.

Municipal Administration.

The Municipal Council is composed of 9 members including the Mayor.  List of Successive Mayors

Judicial and administrative proceedings.

Bayons falls within the area of the "Tribunal d'instance" (District court) of Digne-les-Bains, the "Tribunal de grande instance" (High Court) of Digne-les-Bains, the "Cour d'appel" (Appeal court) of Aix-en-Provence, the "Tribunal pour enfants" (Juvenile court) of Digne-les-Bains, the "Conseil de prud'hommes" (Labour Court) of Digne-les-Bains, the "Tribunal de commerce" (Commercial Court) of Manosque, the "Tribunal administratif" (Administrative tribunal) of Marseille, and the "Cour administrative d'appel" (Administrative Court of Appeal) of Marseille

Demography.

In 2012 the commune had 232 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.

Economy.

Overview.

In 2012 the workforce was 83 people, including 11 unemployed. These people are mostly employees (88%) and many work outside the commune (33%). On 1 January 2014 there were a total of 28 business enterprises in the commune: 7 in Agriculture, 4 in Industry, 1 in construction, 12 in Trade, transport, and services, and 4 in Administration, education, health, or social services. Only the tertiary sector employed staff with 6 employees.

Agriculture.

According to the Agreste survey by the Ministry of Agriculture the number of farms dropped sharply in the 2000s from 17 to 10. Sheep farms represented half of these farms. From 1988 to 2000 the agricultural land area (SAU) increased from 1100 hectares to 1216 while the number of farms fell from 20 to 17. The SAU has continued to increase during the last decade reaching 1352 hectares including 720 dedicated to sheep farming.  Farms practicing polyculture disappeared in the 2000s.

Labels.

Bayons commune has an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for Lavender oil of Haute-Provence and 30 Geographical Protected Indications (IGP) including: Apples of Alpes de Haute-Durance, Honey of Provence, Lamb of Sisteron, and many Méditérranée wine labels.

Industry.

A Small hydro electric power station was installed in the late 1980s on "Ruisseau des Tines" (old town of Esparron-la-Bâtie).

Service activities.

According to the Departmental Observatory of Tourism, tourism is important for the commune with between 1 and 5 tourists accommodated per capita but most of the accommodation capacity is non-market. Several tourist accommodation facilities exist in the commune:  It is nevertheless second homes that have the greatest capacity with 160 second homes and a total of 798 beds.

Culture and heritage.

Cultural festivals.

On the first Rogation day there is a procession from Bayons to Forest and return.

Religious heritage.

The vaults were rebuilt several times: the choir in the 14th century and the nave in 1664. Other comprehensive repairs took place from 1664 to 1689 and the tower is repaired in 1724. A clock was added to it in 1742. Many other repairs took place throughout the 20th century and roofs were restored to their original angles in 1995.  The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:

Bayons () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as "Bayonnais" or "Bayonnaises".

Bayons est une commune française, située dans le département des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Commune de moyenne montagne située dans le massif des Monges, Bayons est formée de la réunion des quatre communes d’Astoin, Bayons, Esparron-la-Bâtie et Reynier en 1973. Elle est située dans une région au relief tourmenté, dont le climat possède des caractéristiques difficiles tenant du climat méditerranéen (sécheresse, pluies irrégulières et violentes) et du climat montagnard (froid et neige l’hiver), et parcourue de torrents violents. L’agriculture y a de tous temps été difficile. La population des quatre communes atteint son maximum en 1836, avec ; un siècle et demi plus tard, la perte de 90 % de cette population, due à l’exode rural qui commence plus tôt et a plus d’ampleur dans ces quatre communes que dans le reste du département, pousse le gouvernement à proposer la fusion, qui a lieu le avril 1973. Depuis, la population a presque doublé : aux exploitations agricoles qui ont pu se maintenir, utilisant parfois des labels de qualité régionaux, l’économie communale a associé le tourisme, mais la majorité des habitants de la commune travaillent à l’extérieur.


Structure.

Lateral or orbital surface.

The lateral or orbital surface is divided by a vertical ridge, the posterior lacrimal crest, into two parts.  In "front" of this crest is a longitudinal groove, the lacrimal sulcus ("sulcus lacrimalis"), the inner margin of which unites with the frontal process of the maxilla, and the lacrimal fossa is thus completed. The upper part of this fossa lodges the lacrimal sac, the lower part, the nasolacrimal duct.  The portion "behind" the crest is smooth, and forms part of the medial wall of the orbit.  The crest, with a part of the orbital surface immediately behind it, gives origin to the lacrimal part of the orbicularis oculi and ends below in a small, hook-like projection, the lacrimal hamulus, which articulates with the lacrimal tubercle of the maxilla, and completes the upper orifice of the nasolacrimal canal; the hamulus sometimes exists as a separate piece, and is then called the lesser lacrimal bone.

Medial or nasal surface.

The medial or nasal surface presents a longitudinal furrow, corresponding to the crest on the lateral surface.  The area in front of this furrow forms part of the middle meatus of the nose. The area behind it articulates with the ethmoid, and completes some of the anterior ethmoidal cells.

Borders.

Of the four borders:

Development.

The lacrimal is ossified from a single center, which appears about the twelfth week in the membrane covering the cartilaginous nasal capsule.

Articulations.

The lacrimal articulates with four bones: two of the cranium, the frontal and ethmoid, and two of the face, the maxilla and the inferior nasal concha.

Other animals.

In early lobe-finned fishes and ancestral tetrapods, the lacrimal bone is a relatively large and robust bone, running from the orbit to the nostrils. It forms part of the side of the face, between the nasal bones and the maxilla. In primitive forms, it is often accompanied by a much smaller septomaxilla bone, lying immediately behind the nasal opening, but this is lost in most modern species. The lacrimal bone is often smaller in living vertebrates, and is no longer always directly associated with the nasal opening, although it retains its connection with the orbit. The bone is entirely absent in living amphibians, as well as some reptilian species.

Dinosaurs.

In dinosaurs, the lacrimal bone usually defines the anterior rim of the orbit (eye socket), and the posterior rim of the antorbital fenestra. In some theropods (e.g. "Allosaurus", "Ceratosaurus", "Albertosaurus") the upper part of the lacrimal bone grew in such a manner as to form a horn on the top of the dinosaur's head, usually situated above, and anterior to the eye. In many dinosaurs, the lacrimal bone comes into contact with the nasal bone, the jugal bone, the prefrontal bone, and the maxillary and premaxillary bones. The boundaries where some of these bones meet with the others are called sutures. Rarely, the lacrimal bones fused with the nasal bones to form a pair of "nasolacrimal" crests, which are present in dinosaurs such as "Dilophosaurus", "Megapnosaurus" and "Sinosaurus".

The lacrimal bone is a small and fragile bone of the facial skeleton; it is roughly the size of the little fingernail. It is situated at the front part of the medial wall of the orbit. It has two surfaces and four borders. Several bony landmarks of the lacrimal bone function in the process of lacrimation or crying. Specifically, the lacrimal bone helps form the nasolacrimal canal necessary for tear translocation. A depression on the anterior inferior portion of the bone, the lacrimal fossa, houses the membranous lacrimal sac. Tears or lacrimal fluid, from the lacrimal glands, collect in this sac during excessive lacrimation. The fluid then flows through the nasolacrimal duct and into the nasopharynx. This drainage results in what is commonly referred to a runny nose during excessive crying or tear production. Injury or fracture of the lacrimal bone can result in posttraumatic obstruction of the lacrimal pathways.

L'os lacrymal, ou unguis en ancienne nomenclature, est un os pair de petite taille, en forme de quadrilatère, participant à la paroi médiale de l'orbite et latérale de la cavité nasale. On lui décrit deux faces et quatre bords.


Names.

The name "Kra–Dai" was proposed by Weera Ostapirat (2000), as Kra and Dai are the reconstructed autonyms of the Kra and Tai branches respectively. "Kra–Dai" has since been used by the majority of specialists working on Southeast Asian linguistics, including Norquest (2007), Pittayaporn (2009), Baxter & Sagart (2014), and Enfield & Comrie (2015).  The name "Tai–Kadai" is used in many references, as well as "Ethnologue" and "Glottolog", but Ostapirat (2000) and others suggest that it is problematic and confusing, preferring the name "Kra–Dai" instead. "Tai–Kadai" comes from an obsolete bifurcation of the family into two branches, Tai and Kadai, which had first been proposed by Paul K. Benedict (1942). In 1942, Benedict placed three Kra languages (Gelao, Laqua (Qabiao) and Lachi) together with Hlai in a group that he called "Kadai", from "ka", meaning "person" in Gelao and Laqua (Qabiao), and "Dai", a form of a Hlai autonym. Benedict's (1942) "Kadai" group was based on his observation that Kra and Hlai languages have Austronesian-like numerals. However, this classification is now universally rejected as obsolete after Ostapirat (2000) demonstrated the coherence of the Kra branch, which does not subgroup with the Hlai branch as Benedict (1942) had proposed. "Kadai" is sometimes used to refer to the entire Kra–Dai family, including by Solnit (1988). Adding to the confusion, some other references restrict the usage of "Kadai" to only the Kra branch of the family.  The name "Daic" is used by Roger Blench (2008).

Internal classification.

Kra–Dai consists of at least five well established branches, namely Kra, Kam–Sui, Tai, Be and Hlai (Ostapirat 2005:109).  Chinese linguists have also proposed a Kam–Tai group that includes Kam–Sui, Tai and Be.  Kra–Dai languages that are not securely classified, and may constitute independent Kra–Dai branches, include the following.  Kra–Dai languages of mixed origins are:

Edmondson and Solnit (1988).

An early but influential classification, with the traditional Kam–Tai clade, was Edmondson and Solnit's classification from 1988: This classification is used by "Ethnologue", though by 2009 Lakkia was made a third branch of Kam–Tai and Biao was moved into Kam–Sui.

Ostapirat (2005); Norquest (2007).

Weera Ostapirat (2005:108) suggests the possibility of Kra and Kam–Sui being grouped together as Northern Kra–Dai, and Hlai with Tai as Southern Kra–Dai. Norquest (2007) has further updated this classification to include Lakkia and Be. Norquest notes that Lakkia shares some similarities with Kam–Sui, while Be shares some similarities with Tai. Norquest (2007:15) notes that Be shares various similarities with Northern Tai languages in particular. Following Ostapirat, Norquest adopts the name Kra–Dai for the family as a whole. The following tree of Kra–Dai is from Norquest (2007:16).  Additionally, Norquest (2007) also proposes a reconstruction for Proto-Southern Kra–Dai.

External relationships.

Sino-Tai.

The Kra–Dai languages were formerly considered to be part of the Sino-Tibetan family, partly because they contain large numbers of words that are similar to Sino-Tibetan languages. However, these words are seldom found in all branches of the family and do not include basic vocabulary, indicating that they are old loan words. Outside China, the Kra–Dai languages are now classified as an independent family. In China, they are called Zhuang–Dong languages and are generally included, along with the Hmong–Mien languages, in the Sino-Tibetan family. It is still a matter of discussion among Chinese scholars whether Kra languages such as Gelao, Qabiao and Lachi can be included in Zhuang–Dong, since they lack the Sino-Tibetan similarities that are used to include other Zhuang–Dong languages in Sino-Tibetan.

Austro-Tai.

Several scholars have presented suggestive evidence that Kra–Dai is related to or a branch of the Austronesian language family. There are a number of possible cognates in the core vocabulary displaying regular sound correspondences. Among proponents, there is yet no agreement as to whether they are a sister group to Austronesian in a family called Austro-Tai, a back-migration from Taiwan to the mainland, or a later migration from the Philippines to Hainan during the Austronesian expansion.  The inclusion of Japanese in the Austro-Tai family, as proposed by Paul K. Benedict in the late 20th century, is not supported by the current proponents of the Austro-Tai hypothesis.

Hmong-Mien.

Kosaka (2002) argued specifically for a Miao–Dai family. He argues that there is much evidence for a genetic relation between Hmong-Mien and Kra–Dai languages. He further suggests that similarities between Kra–Dai and Austronesian are because of later areal contact in coastal areas of eastern and southeastern China or an older ancestral relation (Proto-Eastasian).

Japonic languages.

Vovin (2014) proposed that the location of the Japonic Urheimat (linguistic homeland) is in Southern China. Vovin argues for typological evidence that Proto-Japanese may have been a monosyllabic, SVO syntax and isolating language, which are also characteristic of Tai–Kadai languages. According to him, these common features are however not due to a genetic relationship, but rather the result of intense contact.

Reconstruction.

No full reconstruction of Proto-Kra–Dai has been published to date, although tentative reconstructions of many Proto-Kra–Dai roots have been attempted from time to time. Some Proto-Kra–Dai forms have been reconstructed by Benedict (1975) and Wu (2002). A reconstruction of Proto-Kam–Tai (i.e., a proposed grouping that contains all of Kra–Dai without Kra, Hlai, and Jiamao) has also been undertaken by Liang & Zhang (1996).  Weera Ostapirat (2018a) reconstructs disyllabic forms for Proto-Kra–Dai, rather than sesquisyllabic or purely monosyllabic forms. His Proto-Kra–Dai reconstructions also contains the finals and. Ostapirat (2018b:113) lists the following of his own Proto-Kra–Dai reconstructions.  "Notes":

The Kra–Dai languages (also known as Tai–Kadai, Daic and Kadai) are a language family of tonal languages found in Mainland Southeast Asia, southern China, and Northeast India. They include Thai and Lao, the national languages of Thailand and Laos respectively. Around 93 million people speak Kra–Dai languages, 60% of whom speak Thai. "Ethnologue" lists 95 languages in the family, with 62 of these being in the Tai branch.

Les langues taï-kadaï (ou "tai-kadai" en orthographe anglophone) anciennement appelées langues daïques, sont une famille d'une centaine de langues parlées dans la péninsule indochinoise et en Chine du Sud par environ 100 millions de locuteurs.


Uses.

Sailing.

The guys supporting a sailboat mast are called "standing rigging" and in modern boats are stainless steel wire rope. Guys are rigged to the bow and stern, usually as a single guy. Lateral guys attach to "chain plates" port and starboard attached to the hull. Multiple guys are usually installed with spreaders to help keep the mast straight ("in column"). Temporary guys are also used on a sailboat, a fore-guy is a term for a line (rope) attached to and intended to control the free end of a spar. On a modern sloop-rigged sailboat with a symmetric spinnaker, the spinnaker pole is the spar most commonly controlled by one or more guys.

Utility pole guy-wires.

Utility poles are buried in the ground and have sufficient strength to stand on their own; guys are only needed on some poles to support unbalanced lateral loads due to the utility wires attached to them or to resist ground movement. Guys are particularly needed on "dead-end" ("anchor") poles, where a long straight section of wire line ends, or angles off in another direction. To protect the public against faults that might allow the cable to become electrified, utility guy cables usually either have a ceramic strain insulator ("Johnny ball"), or a fiberglass guy strain insulator inserted near the top, to ensure that any dangerous voltages do not reach the lower end of the wire accessible to the public. The lower end where the cable enters the ground is often encased in a length of yellow plastic reflector to make it more visible, so that people or vehicles do not run into it.  In urban areas where the ground area around the pole is restricted, a variation called a "sidewalk guy" is often used. In this type the guy line extends diagonally from the top of the pole to a horizontal spar brace extending out from the middle of the pole, and from this it continues vertically to the ground. Thus the bottom part of the guy is vertical and does not obstruct headroom, so a sidewalk can pass between the pole and the guy.  An alternative to guy-wires sometimes used on dead-end poles is a "push-brace pole", a second pole set at an angle in the ground which butts diagonally against the side of the vertical pole.

Antenna mast guy-wires.

Electromagnetic fields from the antennas complicate the design of guys that support mast antennas. Conductive metal guy-wires whose lengths are near to quarter wavelength multiples of the transmitted frequency can distort the radiation pattern of the antenna. This also applies to guy wires of neighboring masts or metal structures situated nearby. To prevent this, each guy wire is divided by strain insulators into multiple sections, each segment non-resonant at the transmitted wavelength. Cylindrical or egg-shaped porcelain "Johnny ball" insulators (also called "egg insulators") are usually used. Non-conductive guys of Kevlar fiber (Phillystran) or extruded fiberglass rod are frequently used to not disturb the radiation pattern of the antennas. The strength and low stretch properties of Kevlar fiber approaches that of steel. However, Kevlar is very susceptible to ultraviolet degradation so it is enclosed in a UV resistant plastic sheath.  The individual sections of conductive guys can develop large charges of static electricity, especially on very tall masts. The voltage caused by this static electricity can be several times larger than that generated by the transmitter. In order to avoid dangerous and unpredictable discharges, the insulators must be designed to withstand this high voltage, which results at tall masts in over-dimensioned backstage insulators. At each backstage insulator, a lightning arrestor in the form of an arc gap is required for the purpose of over-voltage protection in case of lightning strikes. The insulators and arrestors must be maintained carefully, because an insulator failure can result in a mast collapse. Egg insulators have the porcelain in compression and if it fails, the end loops of the guy wires are still intertwined.  AM radio broadcast towers are often fitted with insulators at the mast base and the RF energy is fed at that point. Some are also insulated at the center for feeding the RF energy at that point. Wire rope guys are frequently used and segmented with insulators at several points. Extensive lightning protection is required for insulated towers.  On antennas for long-wave and VLF, the guys may serve an electrical function, either for capacitive lengthing of the mast or for feeding the mast with the radiation power. In these cases, the guys are fixed without an insulator on the mast, but there is at least one insulator in the guy if necessary. If guys are used for feeding the mast with high frequency power it is often possible to use a grounded mast. The power to the guys is fed via wires running from a tuning unit to the feed point on the guys.

Crane tag lines.

When operating a crane, guy wires, known as tag lines, may be connected to unwieldy payloads, allowing ground crew to control rotation and swaying while maintaining a safe distance.

Anchors.

In ground-anchored guys, the structure which attaches the guy-wire to the ground is called an "anchor". The anchor must be adequate to resist the maximum tensile load of the guy wires; both the dead load of the tension of the wire and the maximum possible live load due to wind. Since the guy wire exerts its force at an angle, the anchor has both vertical and lateral (horizontal) forces on it. The anchor relies on the lateral shear strength of the soil to resist the forces from all of the guys attached to it. Several types of anchor are used:

Dead man anchors.

In this type, a hole is excavated and an object with a large surface area is placed in it with the guy wire attached, and the hole is backfilled with earth or concrete. In the historical form of dead man anchor, a log is buried horizontally in a trench with the guy attached perpendicularly to its center. Modern forms are the plate anchor, in which the guy is attached to a rod with an eyelet extending from the center of a steel plate buried diagonally, perpendicular to the angle of the guy. In the concrete anchor, a diagonal rod with an eyelet extending in the guy direction is cemented into a hole filled with steel reinforced concrete. A sufficiently massive concrete block on the surface of the ground can also be used as a dead man.

Screw anchors.

This type consists of a rod with wide screw blades on the end and an eyelet on the other for the guy wire. It is screwed deep into the ground, at the same angle as the guy, by a truck-mounted drill machine. These are commonly used as guy anchors for utility poles since they are quick to install with a truck mounted hydraulic powered auger drive.

Expanding anchors.

A rod with a pivoted blade on the end is driven into the earth. When the guy wire is attached and tensioned, its force pulls the blade open, "setting" it into the soil. These are often used by the military for rapid mast installations.

Grouted anchors.

These are used in both soil and rock. A hole is drilled at the angle of the guy. A steel anchor rod with an eye is inserted, and the hole around it is filled with a liquid grout consisting of concrete and an expansion agent or a structural epoxy. When the grout hardens or expands, the anchor is secure.

Guyed structures.

Historically, guyed structures have been some of the tallest man-made structures in the world. There are also many structures which consist of a free standing bottom and a guyed top. These are either partially guyed towers or additionally guyed towers, the latter of which may be used temporarily to support tall buildings during their construction.

A guy-wire, guy-line, or guy-rope, also known as simply a guy, is a tensioned cable designed to add stability to a free-standing structure. They are used commonly in ship masts, radio masts, wind turbines, utility poles, fire service extension ladders used in church raises and tents. A thin vertical mast supported by guy wires is called a guyed mast. Structures that support antennas are frequently of a lattice construction and are called "towers". One end of the guy is attached to the structure, and the other is anchored to the ground at some distance from the mast or tower base. The tension in the diagonal guy-wire, combined with the compression and buckling strength of the structure, allows the structure to withstand lateral loads such as wind or the weight of cantilevered structures. They are installed radially, usually at equal angles about the structure, in trios and quads. As the tower leans a bit due to the wind force, the increased guy tension is resolved into a compression force in the tower or mast and a lateral force that resists the wind load. For example, antenna masts are often held up by three guy-wires at 120° angles. Structures with predictable lateral loads, such as electrical utility poles, may require only a single guy-wire to offset the lateral pull of the electrical wires, at a spot where the wires change direction.

Le hauban est une barre ou un câble en traction pure servant à maintenir la forme ou la position d'une poutre.


History.

Early years (1994–96).

Before David Draiman joined Disturbed, guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak were in a band called Brawl with vocalist Erich Awalt. Before changing their name to "Brawl", however, Donegan mentioned in the band's DVD, "Decade of Disturbed", that the name was originally going to be "Crawl"; they switched it to "Brawl", due to the name already being used by another band. Awalt left the band shortly after the recording of a demo tape; the other three members advertised for a singer. They posted an advertisement in the local music publication in Chicago, Illinois, called the "Illinois Entertainer". Draiman answered the advertisement after going to twenty other auditions that month. Guitarist Dan Donegan commented on Draiman: "You know, out of all the singers that we had talked to or auditioned, he [Draiman] was the only singer who was ready to go with originals. And that impressed me, just to attempt that".  With regard to Draiman being the singer for the band, Donegan said, "After a minute or two, he just starts banging out these melodies that were huge...I'm playing my guitar and I'm grinning from ear to ear, trying not to give it away that I like this guy, you know, because I don't want to, you know...[say] 'Yeah, we'll give you a call back. We'll, you know, discuss it.' But I was so psyched. Chill up my spine. I'm like, 'There is something here.'" As drummer Mike Wengren commented, "We clicked right off the bat." Draiman then joined the band in 1996 and the band was renamed Disturbed. When asked in an interview why he suggested to name the band "Disturbed", Draiman said, "It had been a name I have been contemplating for a band for years. It just seems to symbolize everything we were feeling at the time. The level of conformity that people are forced into was disturbing to us and we were just trying to push the envelope and the name just sorta made sense."

"The Sickness" (1997–2000).

After renaming the band, Disturbed went on to record two 3-track demo tapes, the first having the demos for "The Game", "Down with the Sickness", and "Meaning of Life", with the second having the demos for "Want", "Stupify", and "Droppin' Plates." The artwork was composed of the band's recently created mascot, The Guy. The band eventually signed with Giant Records. In 2000, the band released its debut album, titled "The Sickness", which launched the band into stardom. The album peaked at number twenty on "Billboard" 200, and it has sold over four million copies in the United States since its release. Before joining Marilyn Manson's 2001 European tour, bassist Steve Kmak was unable to play with the band due to a shattered ankle, caused by falling out of a fire escape outside Disturbed's rehearsal hall in Chicago. He took the fire escape to exit the building while the elevator was being used to move their equipment downstairs. Kmak skipped the European trek of the tour, but he did perform with the band on January 11 and 12, 2001 at Disturbed's show in Chicago. During the European tour, Marty O'Brien replaced Kmak until he was able to tour again.

"Believe" (2001–03).

Disturbed covered the song "Midlife Crisis" for a Faith No More tribute album that was eventually released in 2002. However, Disturbed's cover was not used, and a rerecorded version would later make an appearance on the compilation album, "The Lost Children". In September 2001, production of their second studio album began. On June 4, 2002, Disturbed released a documentary DVD about the band, titled "M.O.L.", which showed some of the band's more personal moments in the studio and during tours, as well as featuring several music videos and live performances. On September 17, 2002, Disturbed released their second studio album, titled "Believe", which debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200. The music video for the first single from the album, titled "Prayer", was pulled from most television stations, due to perceived similarities with the September 11, 2001 attacks. David Draiman recorded vocals for a song titled "Forsaken", a song written and produced by Jonathan Davis of the band Korn, released on "".  In 2003, the band once again participated in the Ozzfest tour and started another one of their own tours, titled "Music as a Weapon II". The bands Chevelle, Taproot, and Ünloco toured with them. During the tour, Disturbed debuted an unreleased song, titled "Dehumanized". After Disturbed finished the Music as a Weapon II tour, Steve Kmak was fired by the band because of "personality differences". He was replaced by John Moyer, who is the current bass player. On the night Moyer became the band's new bass player, Disturbed played live at the House of Blues and performed two new songs, "Hell" and "Monster", both of which are B-side tracks on the band's third studio album, "Ten Thousand Fists".

"Ten Thousand Fists" (2004–06).

Disturbed's third studio album, "Ten Thousand Fists", was released on September 20, 2005. The album debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, while also selling around 238,000 copies in the week following its release. The album was certified platinum, shipping 1,000,000 units, in the United States on January 5, 2006. The band toured with 10 Years and Ill Niño in support of the album. Disturbed headlined Ozzfest 2006 along with System of a Down, Lacuna Coil, DragonForce, Avenged Sevenfold, and Hatebreed.  In an interview with Launch Radio Networks, Disturbed vocalist David Draiman stated that twenty songs were recorded for the album, but only fourteen made it to the final track listing. The remaining songs included "Hell", which was included in one of the two "Stricken" singles; "Monster", which was included as an iTunes pre-order bonus for "Ten Thousand Fists", then later included on the "Ten Thousand Fists" Tour Edition; "Two Worlds", which was also included on the Tour Edition of "Ten Thousand Fists"; and "Sickened", which was included in the "Land of Confusion" single. "Ten Thousand Fists" is the first album released by Disturbed to feature guitar solos. The band stated that they felt that guitar solos are a part of music that is absent in a lot of modern music, and they wanted to bring some of that back. Songs like "Stricken", "Overburdened", and "Land of Confusion" all feature guitar solos, as well as many others.  In 2006, a European tour was scheduled but had been moved twice due to Draiman having troubles with severe acid reflux, which affected his voice, as related by Draiman himself. Later that year, Draiman underwent surgery for a deviated septum which affected his voice. It was successful, and ever since then, Draiman has limited his drinking on the road. In late 2006, Disturbed headlined another one of their own tours named Music as a Weapon III; the bands Flyleaf, Stone Sour, and Nonpoint toured with them. Disturbed completed the first leg of their Music as a Weapon III tour in late 2006. Soon after, Draiman stated that there was not going to be a second leg to the tour and that instead the band was going off the road to start working on their fourth studio album.

"Indestructible" (2007–09).

In July 2007, a new track titled "This Moment" was released on the to the film "Transformers". Disturbed mixed their fourth studio album, titled "Indestructible", in Los Angeles in late 2007. In an earlier interview, David Draiman said that they were going to record fifteen songs, but only twelve would be on the album.  "Indestructible"'s first single, "Inside the Fire" was made available on digital distribution services for purchase on March 25, 2008. The band also toured in the United States in April and May 2008 with the bands Five Finger Death Punch and Art of Dying. The music video for "Inside the Fire" was released on May 2, 2008 on the band's official website. Disturbed released their previously free song "Perfect Insanity" on iTunes Store as a second single on May 6, 2008, and the album "Indestructible" become available for pre-order for the release date on June 3, 2008. "Indestructible" was released in the United States on June 3, 2008 and in Australia on June 7, 2008 and became the band's third consecutive number one debut on the "Billboard" 200. A special "Internet Only" limited edition of the album that includes the B-side track "Run", a making-of DVD with instructional videos, wrap-around poster, VIP laminate, access to special Disturbed events, and a special website with an exclusive video, rare audio and more was also released. Disturbed played their first live online concert on May 29, 2008. The concert was sponsored by Pepsi and Deep Rock Drive. They performed in Las Vegas. The band toured in support of the "Mayhem Festival" alongside Slipknot, DragonForce and Mastodon during summer of 2008. Disturbed also completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand through August and September 2008.  In May 2008, Harmonix, the developers of the video game "Rock Band" announced they had reached a deal with Disturbed and Best Buy to offer two tracks from "Indestructible" for play in "Rock Band" to those who pre-ordered the album from Best Buy's website. On June 3, 2008, Harmonix released three tracks from "Indestructible"; "Indestructible", "Inside the Fire", and "Perfect Insanity". On May 12, 2009, Harmonix released Stricken and Stupify to the Rock Band music store.  On September 30, 2008, the band released an iTunes-exclusive live album entitled "Live & Indestructible", made up of songs from Deep Rock Drive, as well as the music video for "Indestructible". The band started a tour of Europe, starting in London during October 2008 and finishing during November 2008 in Helsinki. In November and December 2008, Disturbed toured in the United States. The song "Inside the Fire" was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the "Best Hard Rock Performance" category. In March 2009, Disturbed released a music video for the single "The Night". The band began their Music as a Weapon IV tour in March 2009 and it ended in late May. The tour, also dubbed a "festival", featured the bands Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil, and Chimaira on the main stage. The band released a second cover version of Faith No More's song "Midlife Crisis" on the album "Covered, A Revolution in Sound", which also included bands such as Mastodon, The Used, and Avenged Sevenfold. This cover of "Midlife Crisis" was originally recorded for "Indestructible", but the band decided not to include it on the album.

"Asylum" and "The Lost Children" (2010–11).

In an interview in July 2009, with FaceCulture, Draiman stated that the DVD would be "chronicling the past decade of Disturbed's existence. It's meant to show our growth over the course of the decade." He also talked more about the fifth album: "A couple of [song riffs] that Danny has come up with are really amazing. But they're just little pieces...it's not even in two-three part progression [yet]." A few months later on March 23, 2010, the band released a reissue of their debut album, "The Sickness", with the B-side tracks "God of the Mind" and "A Welcome Burden", updated artwork, as well as remastering and remixing the track list. It was also available for the first time in vinyl format. On February 26, 2010, Harmonix announced a second Disturbed pack for download on the Rock Band music store, containing the 2010 remastered versions of "Voices", "The Game", and "Meaning of Life".  The band entered the studio in Chicago in early 2010 to begin recording their fifth album, planning on a release that summer. Guitarist Dan Donegan stated that the band had written around 15–18 songs. It was later confirmed that the title of the album would be "Asylum". The band released a cover of heavy metal band Judas Priest's song "Living After Midnight" for the "Metal Hammer Presents... Tribute to British Steel" album. On April 20, 2010, roughly two months after they entered the studio, Disturbed announced that they had finished recording the album, and were ready to begin mixing it in Los Angeles, California. As they did with their last album "Indestructible", Disturbed stated that they self-produced "Asylum". The band announced that "Asylum" would be released on August 31, 2010. On July 9, 2010, the track listing was revealed on the band's official website. "Asylum" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200. "Asylum" was Disturbed's fourth consecutive studio album to debut on top of the charts, an achievement only earned by two other bands: Metallica and Dave Matthews Band.  Disturbed headlined the first annual "Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar" tour with Avenged Sevenfold, as well as Stone Sour, Hellyeah and Halestorm, among others in late summer 2010. Then, in October 2010, it was reported that David Draiman was diagnosed with a "serious throat condition", and the band's U.S. tour had been canceled, as Draiman's healing process could have taken up to four weeks. Around the end of that year, Disturbed announced that they would be commencing the Music as a Weapon V tour in 2011, co-headlining with Korn and guests Sevendust, In This Moment and Stillwell. In January 2011, the Mayhem Festival announced that Disturbed would be headlining the festival along with Godsmack and Megadeth that summer. In February 2011, Disturbed was added to that summer's Download Festival. Disturbed announced that in May 2011, they would be co-headlining the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio.  On Thursday, April 28, Disturbed announced that their previously unreleased bonus track from "Asylum", titled "3", would be available for download on their website. They said that all proceeds made from the download of the song would go towards the Damien Echols Defense Fund, a benefit foundation supporting the release of the West Memphis Three.  In July 2011, the band confirmed it would go on hiatus after finishing their US tour that year, and in an interview that same month, Draiman dismissed concerns that the hiatus was a result of conflict between the band members. Disturbed went into hiatus in October 2011. Disturbed released a b-side compilation album, titled "The Lost Children", on November 8, 2011. The song "Hell" was made available for digital download on October 11, 2011, but Draiman stated on his Twitter page that there would not be a music video for it. A previously unreleased track, titled "Mine", also appears on the album. The track listing and release date were revealed on Draiman's Twitter page on September 20. On April 21, 2012, to commemorate Record Store Day, Disturbed released "The Collection". It is a box set featuring the band's five full-length studio albums in 140 gram vinyl LPs.

"Immortalized" (2015–17).

On June 20, 2015, on Disturbed's Facebook page and website, there was material posted hinting at a possible return of the band. The website shows a new Disturbed logo, plus a video of the band's mascot "The Guy" appearing to be on life support, still breathing. The new Disturbed logo was also posted to their official Facebook page, along with the video of their mascot, and their profile picture changed to solid black, indicating new activity within the band. On June 22, 2015, Disturbed posted another video on Facebook, this time showing The Guy awakening from life support, as well as an 18-hour countdown on their official website, giving speculation to a definite reunion. On June 23, 2015, Disturbed officially announced the end of their hiatus and the coming of their new album entitled "Immortalized". On the same day, the official music video for the new single "The Vengeful One" was released on their YouTube channel. "Immortalized" was released on August 21, 2015. John Moyer did not perform on the album due to working on other projects, with all bass tracks being performed by Dan Donegan. Moyer is not in the band's video for "The Sound of Silence" released in December 2015. Moyer remains a band member, however, having appeared in promotional photography for the album as well as continuing to perform live with the band.  On the album's release day, the band played their first show in four years at the House of Blues in Chicago. The show featured the live debuts of four new songs ("The Vengeful One", "What Are You Waiting For", "The Light" and the title track) and the song "Hell", a b-side from "Ten Thousand Fists", in its entirety for the first time.  Disturbed recently released a virtual reality experience for the band's cover of "The Sound of Silence" via Littlstar. The band released a live album titled "Live at Red Rocks" on November 18, 2016. The band performed "The Sound of Silence" live on an episode of Australia's "The X Factor". Disturbed was announced as a direct support to Avenged Sevenfold on their UK & European tour throughout January and March 2017, alongside In Flames and Chevelle.

"Evolution" (2018–present).

Disturbed headlined the 2018 Rock Fest, along with Godsmack and Incubus. The band announced via social media in early January 2018 that they had entered the studio to begin recording their next studio album. In June 2018, lead guitarist Dan Donegan and bassist John Moyer confirmed with sources that the new album had been completed, with 100% of the songs finished, leaving only mixing and mastering to be done. Band members also posted a picture via Instagram together at a dinner party in celebration of completion of the recording process, the band's first album in over 3 years and the band's first album in over 8 years to have bassist John Moyer being involved in.  The album, "Evolution" was released on October 19, 2018. On August 16, 2018, the lead single, titled "Are You Ready" was released. On September 21, 2018, the album's second single, titled "A Reason to Fight" was released. In support of the album, the band announced the 'Evolution World Tour', which took place in early 2019. The initial dates announced included shows across North America with select Canadian dates, as well as a European leg of the tour. On March 25, 2019, Disturbed announced a massive summer tour with Pop Evil and In This Moment. Pop Evil opened the first half of dates and In This Moment opened the second. On January 27, 2020, the band announced a 31-date tour with Staind and Bad Wolves celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Sickness.

Other projects.

On February 8, 2012, it was announced that John Moyer was supergroup Adrenaline Mob's new bass player. John made his onstage debut with the group on March 12, at New York City's Hiro Ballroom, a day before the release of the band's debut full-length album, "Omertá". On February 14, 2012, on his Twitter account David Draiman confirmed that he would make an appearance on VH1's "That Metal Show" 10th Season airing sometime that year. That episode was later moved to the 11th season and premiered on August 11, 2012.  In May 2012, Draiman announced his new project, an industrial metal band called Device. Draiman later released information regarding the future of Disturbed and his new project Device, stating that Device would release their self-titled debut album on April 9, 2013. The album features several guest musicians from various metal bands. On April 25, 2013, it was announced that guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren had begun a new project with Evans Blue singer Dan Chandler, Fight or Flight. Their debut album, "Life by Design?" was released on July 23, 2013.  In December 2014, Moyer formed a new band with Scott Weiland, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, twins Jon and Vince Votta entitled Art of Anarchy, with a "self-titled album" released in June 2015. After the death of Weiland, the band recruited retired Creed singer Scott Stapp and recorded their second album "The Madness", released in March 2017. In February 2018, Art of Anarchy members filed a lawsuit to the New York Supreme Court against Stapp for alleged failure to promote "The Madness".

Mascot.

Disturbed's mascot, named "The Guy", was originally just a drawing of a face with a large grin, as seen on the back of the album "The Sickness". The original drawing of The Guy was then edited using a digital distorting program. After the original image had been distorted three times The Guy became the official mascot for the band. Later, he would be drawn as a full figure by artist David Finch.

Musical style, influences, and lyrical themes.

While often classified as a heavy metal or hard rock band, Disturbed is also regarded as nu metal and alternative metal. When asked about die-hard heavy metal fans not finding Disturbed heavy enough, Draiman at one time stated:  Allmusic reviewer Bradley Torreano described the album "Believe" as "taking the sort of jump that their heroes in Soundgarden and Pantera made after their respective breakthrough records". He also described the title track as moving "from a brutal chug to a sweeping chorus that suddenly stops in its tracks and turns into a winding riff that recalls the work of vintage James Hetfield". "Believe" is also considered by several critics to be a step away from the nu metal sound featured on "The Sickness", moving towards a more hard rock and heavy metal sound that was continued in their following albums.  According to frontman David Draiman on the band home documentary "M.O.L.", the lyrics that he writes are inspired by actual experiences of his own, and he stated that he likes to present his ideas with cryptic lyrics. These lyrical themes range from the Judeo-Christian concept of Heaven and Hell, domestic abuse, suicide, insanity, relationships, war, to more fantastical themes, such as vampirism, werewolves and demons.  They have often cited their influences as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Queensrÿche, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.  Guitarist Dan Donegan uses guitar tunings Drop C, Drop C# and Drop B (also occasionally Eb standard), which are lower tunings than regular E standard. These lower tunings allow for a heavier sound and quicker chord changes in Donegan's riffs. Donegan also uses subtle electronic effects, which the rest of the band refers to as "The Danny Donegan Orchestra".

Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, formed in 1994. The band includes vocalist David Draiman, guitarist/keyboardist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren. Draiman, Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Moyer replacing former bassist Steve Kmak, first as session performer in 2003, and then officially in 2005.

Disturbed est un groupe de Metal alternatif américain, originaire de Chicago, dans l'Illinois. Il est formé en 1994 par Dan Donegan, Steve « Fuzz » Kmak, Mike Wengren et David Draiman. À l'origine, Disturbed se consacre à un style orienté metal alternatif et nu metal, dans la veine de Korn, Faith No More, et Deftones, avant de se consacrer uniquement au metal alternatif. Le groupe publie son premier album studio, "The Sickness", qui atteint rapidement la popularité avec exemplaires vendus cinq mois après sa sortie, et est certifié, en 2008, quadruple-disque de platine aux États-Unis, avec quatre millions d'exemplaires vendus. Leur deuxième album, "Believe", est publié en 2002, et atteint la première place du "Billboard" 200.


Development.

The "Trafalgar" class were designed in the early 1970s during the Cold War as a refinement of the preceding "Swiftsure" class. Including, the "Trafalgar" class are the fifth class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines to enter service with the Royal Navy. The first of the class, HMS "Trafalgar", was ordered on 7 April 1977 and completed in 1983. The last, HMS "Triumph", was ordered on 3 January 1986 and completed in 1991. All seven boats of the class were built and completed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard.  In 1982, "Jane's Fighting Ships" recorded: "Estimated cost of fourth submarine £175 million including equipment and weapon system when fitted." In 1986, "Jane's Fighting Ships" recorded that the average cost for this class was £200 million at 1984–85 prices.

Potential export.

In 1987, the Canadian White Paper on Defence recommended the purchase of 10 to 12 - or "Trafalgar"-class submarines under technology transfer, with the choice of the type of submarine due to be confirmed before summer 1988. The goal was to build up a three-ocean navy and to assert Canadian sovereignty over Arctic waters. The purchase was finally abandoned in April 1989 due to the financial economy. In 1998 the Canadian government signed an agreement to acquire four of the Royal Navy's diesel-electric "Upholder"-class submarines.

Operational service.

The submarines of the class have seen service in a wide range of locations, most notably firing Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles in anger at targets during conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Three of the "Trafalgar"-class boats have been involved in such operations. In 2001 "Trafalgar" took part in Operation Veritas, the attack on Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces following the September 11 attacks in the United States, becoming the first Royal Navy submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles against Afghanistan. During April 2003, HMS "Turbulent" returned home flying the Jolly Roger after having launched thirty Tomahawk cruise missiles during the invasion of Iraq. As part of the 2011 military intervention in Libya, HMS "Triumph" fired her Tomahawk cruise missiles in anger on three occasions; first on 19 March, then again on 20 March, and finally on 24 March. Her primary targets were Libyan air-defence installations around the city of Sabha. "Triumph" returned to Devonport on 3 April 2011 flying a Jolly Roger adorned with six small Tomahawk axes to indicate the missiles fired by the submarine in the operation.  In 1993 "Triumph" sailed to Australia, covering a distance of whilst submerged and without any forward support. As of 2011, this still remained the longest solo deployment by any British nuclear submarine.

Service problems.

In 1998, "Trenchant" experienced a steam leak, forcing the crew to shut down the nuclear reactor. In 2000 a leak in the PWR1 reactor primary cooling circuit was discovered on "Tireless", forcing her to proceed to Gibraltar on diesel power. The fault was found to be due to thermal fatigue cracks, requiring the other "Trafalgar"-class boats, and some of the remaining "Swiftsure"-class boats, to be urgently inspected and if necessary modified.  In 2013 the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator reported that the reactor systems were suffering increasing technical problems due to ageing, requiring effective management. An example was that "Tireless" had had a small radioactive coolant leak for eight days in February 2013.

Characteristics.

As a refinement of the preceding Swiftsure-class, the design of the "Trafalgar"-class bears some similarity, including its internal layout and the Rolls-Royce PWR1 Core 3. However some improvements over the "Swiftsure" class include its reduced acoustic signature, thanks to the hull being covered in anechoic tiles which are designed to absorb sound rather than reflect it, making the boats quieter and more difficult to detect with active sonar. A pumpjet propulsion system is also used from boat 2 onward, rather than a conventional propeller. The "Trafalgar"-class are long, have a beam of, a draught of and a dived displacement of 5,300 tonnes. Each boat has a complement of 130. Like all Royal Navy submarines, the "Trafalgar" class have strengthened fins and retractable hydroplanes, allowing them to surface through thick ice.  Four boats of the class — "Torbay", "Trenchant", "Talent" and "Triumph" — have been fitted with the Sonar 2076 system, which Thales describes as having a ""reputation as the world’s most advanced, fully integrated, passive/active search and attack sonar suite"". Beginning in 2014, the last four boats of the class underwent a communications package upgrade.  The "Trafalgar" class is equipped with five torpedo tubes with accommodation for a mixture of up to 30 weapons:  The Tomahawk missiles are capable of hitting a target to within a few metres, to a range of.

Boats of the class.

Initially, the last five boats of the "Trafalgar" class were to be replaced by the 'Future Fleet Submarine' programme, however this was effectively cancelled in 2001. Due to cost overruns, delays and budget cuts, the will eventually replace the "Trafalgar" class as well as the now-retired "Swiftsure" class.  "Talent" is based at HMNB Clyde, at Faslane Scotland, whilst "Trenchant" and "Triumph" are the two remaining submarines based at HMNB Devonport.

In fiction.

In June 2019, ITV commissioned a six-part thriller based on board a fictional "Trafalgar"-class submarine, HMS "Tenacity".

The "Trafalgar" class is a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines (SSNs) in service with the Royal Navy, and the successor to the. Like the majority of Royal Navy nuclear submarines, all seven boats were constructed at Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, Cumbria. With three boats in commission and four retired, the class makes up half of the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered ‘hunter-killer’ submarine force. The "Trafalgar" class is being gradually replaced by the larger and more capable, of which three are complete. The name "Trafalgar" refers to the Battle of Trafalgar fought between the Royal Navy and the combined fleets of France and Spain in 1805.

Les sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque de la classe Trafalgar furent mis en service par la Royal Navy à partir de 1981.


Biography.

Early life.

Miguel Ángel Blanco was born on 13 May 1968 in Ermua (Biscay) into a humble family. He had a sister, María del Mar. His father, Miguel Blanco, was a construction worker and his mother, Consuelo Garrido, was a housewife. They were Galician immigrants from Xunqueira de Espadanedo (Ourense, Galicia)  Miguel Ángel Blanco graduated in Economics at the Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea in Sarriko. For a long time he worked with his father in construction, but he found work at "Eman Consulting", in Eibar, where he commuted to every day by train. He also played the drums in the bands Póker and Cañaveral. He was a sports fan and his dream was to walk to Madrid to protest against the possible closure of the Ermua' sports centre.  He joined the youth-wing of the PP, Nuevas Generaciones, in 1995 and, due to it being a relatively small party in the area where the national parties compete against the PNV, he was the third candidate for the municipal elections in that year; he became a member of the town's council.  He had a sister, Marimar.

Kidnapping.

On 10 July 1997, Blanco was kidnapped by ETA which threatened to assassinate him unless the Spanish Government started to transfer all ETA prisoners to prisons in the Basque Country within 48 hours. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in demonstrations all throughout Spain, demanding the release of Miguel Ángel. But 50 minutes after the deadline expired, at 16:50 of 12 July, he was shot in the back of the head. Shortly thereafter, he was found on the outskirts of San Sebastián, in the throes of death, with his hands tied. He died in the hospital at 4:30 a.m. on 13 July.

Repercussions.

His kidnapping and death were very important to Spanish society. It also had a deep impact upon Basque society, and, in an unprecedented move, even some of ETA's own supporters publicly condemned the killing. The "Spirit of Ermua" was born at this time as was the anti-terrorist organization Foro de Ermua and the Fundación Miguel Ángel Blanco.  2006 saw the beginning of the trial of his kidnappers and murderers, Francisco Javier García Gaztelu ("Txapote") and his girlfriend, Irantzu Gallastegi ("Amaia"). Another kidnapper, José Luis Geresta Mujika, committed suicide two years after Blanco's murder.

Miguel Ángel Blanco Garrido (13 May 1968 – 13 July 1997) was a local Spanish politician for the Popular Party-PP, who was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by the separatist group ETA.

Miguel Ángel Blanco, né le à Ermua en Espagne, et mort assassiné le, est un conseiller municipal du Parti populaire d'Ermua, en Biscaye dans le Pays basque. Il fut pris en otage puis exécuté par l'ETA.