Alexander the Great in the Quran called them the Caspian Gates. Twenty and two Kings did I shut up therein. These pseudepigraphic letters from Alexander to his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle, describing his marvellous adventures at the end of the World, date back to the original Greek recension α written in the 4th century in Alexandria. The letters are "the literary expression of a living popular tradition" that had been evolving for at least three centuries before the Quran was written. Several historical figures, both Muslim and Christian, searched for Alexander's Gate and several different identifications were made with actual walls. During the Middle
USS Sprig (AM-384) USS Sprig (AM-384) USS "Sprig" (AM-384) was an acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. "Sprig" was named after the "sprig", an inland duck, common to the entire Northern Hemisphere; also known as sprigtail or pintail. It is a very distinct species and derives its name from the great prolongation and narrowness of the middle pair of tail-feathers, which is particularly noticeable in the male. "Sprig" was laid down on 15 February 1944 by the American Ship Building Company at Lorain, Ohio; launched