Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>By spring 1942, the British had blunted the Nazi advance but still faced a desperate situation.</li><li>British leaders feared the German navy, especially the battleship Tirpitz, wreaking havoc on Allied convoys.</li></ul><p>Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on March 28, 1942, a destroyer flying the German flag and 18 smaller boats entered the Loire River estuary and headed for the German-occupied port of <keyword id="13480707" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="st-nazaire" source="Orion">St. Nazaire</keyword> on <keyword id="11964539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="france" source="Orion">France</keyword>'s Atlantic coast.</p><p>The ships were not aggressive and responded correctly to German signals, but the Germans were suspicious.</p><p>Although the destroyer appeared to be of German design, the smaller boats looked different, and they all sailed in the middle of the estuary, the shallowest part, rather than in the deeper channel closer to the coast that vessels normally used.</p><p>The ships were in fact British. They carried teams of elite commandos with <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2017/april/sacrifice-saint-nazaire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a critical mission</a>: destroy St. Nazaire's massive dry dock to prevent the Germans from using it to repair the battleship Tirpitz.</p><p>As the British ships approached, their cover was blown, and German guns on both sides of the estuary opened fire. Shedding their disguise, the British sailed the destroyer at full speed toward the dry dock.</p><h2>The target</h2><div type="image" title="St Nazaire France port dock" height="1430" width="2000" msid="90482980" hostid="261"></div><p>By spring 1942, the British had survived the Battle of Britain and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-allied-defeat-at-kasserine-pass-taught-about-fighting-nazis-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened a second front in North Africa</a> but still faced a desperate situation.</p><p>The Battle of the Atlantic was raging, and German U-boats were wreaking havoc on Allied convoys. After Japan declared war on them in December 1941, Britain and the US had to divert warships to the Pacific.</p><p>The <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword> had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hunt-for-battleship-bismarck-proved-uboats-were-nazis-best-weapon-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sunk the Kriegsmarine's crown jewel</a>, the battleship Bismarck, in May 1941, but its sister ship, Tirpitz, was now active.</p><p>Tirpitz's deployment to Norway in January 1942 had unnerved the British, who worried it might attempt to enter the Atlantic, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hunt-for-battleship-bismarck-proved-uboats-were-nazis-best-weapon-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as Bismarck tried to do</a>.</p><p>To prevent that, the British decided to destroy the only place where Tirpitz could have major repairs done: the dry dock at St. Nazaire. Built <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/bold-strategy-british-raid-st-nazaire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the 1930s</a> for the massive French ocean liner SS Normandie, it was nearly 1,000 feet long, 164 feet wide, and more than 50 feet deep.</p><p>St. Nazaire had become an important base for the Kriegsmarine's U-boat fleet, and reaching the dry dock, which was about 6 miles from the mouth of the estuary, would not be easy.</p><div type="image" title="St Nazaire raid motor launch boat WWII" height="1448" width="2000" msid="90482982" hostid="261"></div><p>In addition to about 80 anti-aircraft guns and a 5,000-troop garrison, the dry dock was defended by anti-submarine and torpedo nets, coastal artillery, mines, and patrol vessels.</p><p>An air raid or a bombardment by warships were simply too risky and weren't guaranteed to destroy the dry dock. The British instead devised a <keyword id="12082700" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="commando" source="Orion">commando</keyword> raid using the destroyer HMS Campbeltown and <a href="http://www.ww2ships.com/britain/gb-sc-001-b.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 motor launches</a>.</p><p>Campbeltown — a US Navy destroyer given to the British in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement of 1940 — had two of its funnels removed and the other two cut at an angle in order to look like a German Möwe-class torpedo boat. It was also loaded with 4 tons of explosives on a time-delay fuse.</p><p>Campbeltown would ram the center of the dry dock's gate. The commandos aboard the destroyer and the motor launches would then disembark and destroy the dry dock's machinery and other harbor facilities before evacuating on the launches. The explosives on Campbeltown would then detonate, destroying the gate and flooding the dry dock.</p><p>It was an extremely risky plan that many high-ranking British military officials thought was impossible.</p><p>Vice Adm. Lord Louis Mountbatten — chief of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-plan-to-hunt-german-uboats-from-ice-aircraft-carrier-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Combined Operations Headquarters</a>, which had been set up to harass the Germans with raids — insisted it would work, arguing the presumed impossibility in fact made it possible.</p><p>"The Germans will never think we'll attempt it," Mountbatten <a href="http://www.nww2m.com/2012/03/operation-chariot-the-raid-on-st-nazaire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><h2>The raid</h2><div type="image" title="St. Nazaire HMS Campbeltown" height="778" width="1240" msid="90482984" hostid="261"></div><p>In all, 265 commandos and 346 Royal Navy personnel were assembled for the mission. Before they departed England, Mountbatten offered them a chance to opt out of the mission without any consequences. None did.</p><p>After being escorted to France by other Royal Navy destroyers, the force made its way into the Loire estuary, where they used a captured German codebook to deceive the port's defenders.</p><p>But 2,000 yards from the dry dock's gate, Germans on both sides of the estuary opened fire, killing scores of British commandos and sailors and sinking several motor launches.</p><p>Despite the heavy fire, Campbeltown broke through the gate at 1:34 a.m., with about 32 feet of the 314-foot warship protruding into the dock.</p><p>The surviving commandos swarmed the port and destroyed the dry dock's pumps and operating mechanisms. They then regrouped to evacuate, but the motor launches had either been destroyed or had already left.</p><div type="image" title="St Nazaire raid British captured prisoner WWII" height="1412" width="2000" msid="90482986" hostid="261"></div><p>Stranded, the remaining commandos attempted to fight their way out in small groups and escape to neutral Spain. Most were soon captured, though five eventually did make it to Spanish territory.</p><p>Several hours later, as German soldiers were inspecting Campbeltown and the damage to the dry dock, the destroyer exploded. The detonation was hours late, but it destroyed the gate, killing scores of Germans and two captured commandos.</p><p>The operation came with a steep price. Sixty-four commandos and 105 sailors were killed, while more than 200 other raiders were captured. About 400 Germans were killed.</p><p>Despite the losses, the mission was successful. The dry dock was so damaged that it wouldn't be repaired until after the war, and Tirpitz stayed in Norway until <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-british-hunted-sunk-nazi-german-battleships-bismarck-tirpitz-2021-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British aircraft sunk it</a> on November 12, 1944.</p><p>Months after attacking St. Nazaire, Mountbatten led another raid on France. The August 1942 attempt <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/allied-invasion-dieppe-france-fails-2-years-before-d-day-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to attack and briefly hold the port of Dieppe</a> was repulsed with disastrous losses, but it yielded lessons applied directly to the Normandy landings two years later.</p>

A daring but costly British raid kept the Nazis from repairing their biggest warship

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Celebrity Cruises crew member who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30 onboard the Celebrity Apex has filed suit against her employer.</li><li>Crew member Alexandra Nedeltcheva's lawsuit against Celebrity Cruises alleges the line "glaringly failed to follow even the most basic safety precautions" during the coronavirus pandemic.</li><li>Lawyer Michael Winkleman, who is representing Nedeltcheva, said in a statement to Business Insider that actions on the part of Celebrity Cruises have "already resulted in hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases and what is more likely thousands given that there is limited testing being done on its ships." </li><li>Are you a cruise ship crew member or cruise line employee? Email acain@businessinsider.com.</li></ul><p>Celebrity Cruises crew member who fell ill onboard the Celebrity Apex has filed suit against her employer, alleging the Royal Caribbean-owned line's actions "resulted in hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases."</p><p>Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Celebrity's parent company, told Business Insider that the company does not comment on pending litigation.</p><p>Bulgarian citizen Alexandra Nedeltcheva was working as a crew member onboard the Celebrity Apex on March 2, when around 1,400 crew members and independent contractors boarded the ship in France's St. Nazaire shipyard. The Apex was set to embark on its maiden voyage.</p><p>The suit alleges that on March 13, Celebrity Cruises "acquired reason to suspect the presence of COVID-19 aboard the Celebrity Apex." The lawsuit against the line alleged that the company did not "flat-out restrict" non-essential crew member movements, both onboard the ship and on and off the vessel. The following day, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first "no sail order" for the cruise industry.</p><p>Between March 17 and March 20, the lawsuit alleges that Celebrity Cruises permitted independent contractors onboard the Apex "to freely travel on and off the vessel."</p><p>On March 21, the lawsuit alleges that the cruise line conducted "mandatory crew drills" with all crew members onboard the ship, and then threw a party for crew members that featured "large buffet lines." Two days later, word spread around the ship that seven crew members had tested positive for COVID-19, according to the lawsuit. On March 24, Celebrity Cruises "ordered that all nonessential crew members aboard the Celebrity Apex be quarantined," and ship-wide testing of symptomatic crew members began the following day.</p><p>The lawsuit alleges that Celebrity Cruises failed to provide its crew members with masks or orders to "observe social distancing measures aboard the vessels."</p><p>Nedeltcheva tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30, according to the lawsuit. By April 6, around 350 other crew members had as well, with eight serious cases being transferred to a French hospital on shore. The lawsuit against Celebrity estimates that there are likely many more crew members currently at risk on Celebrity ships. </p><p>"The exact number of members of the class is unknown at this time given that many members are currently in voluntary or forced isolation aboard Defendant's vessels at this time; however, at this time it is estimated that there are in excess of 10,000 members," the lawsuit says.</p><p>Nedeltcheva's suit alleges that, as a result of Celebrity Cruises' actions, the cruise line "negligently exposed and is currently exposing thousands of its crew members to COVID-19," potentially resulting in lung injuries, permanently reduced lung capacity, or death.</p><p>Nedeltcheva is represented by the Florida law firm Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina and Winkleman. Attorney Michael Winkleman told Business Insider in a <a href="https://www.lipcon.com/work-in-progress/complaint-celebrity-coronavirus/">statement</a> that the lawsuit centers around the Celebrity Cruises' "careless and continuous failure to protect its crew members assigned to work aboard its cruise ships from COVID-19."</p><p>"Celebrity's egregious failure to protect its employees has already resulted in hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases and what is more likely thousands given that there is limited testing being done on its vessels," Winkleman said in a statement.</p><p><em>Are you a cruise ship crew member or cruise line employee? Email acain@businessinsider.com.</em></p><p class="tagline"><i>Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.</i></p><p><i>Get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus business &amp; economic impact analysis</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.</i></p>

Celebrity Cruises gets slammed with a lawsuit claiming the cruise line put crew members at risk of coronavirus, flouted advice from CDC

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Reuben_James_(DD-245)#/media/File:USS_Reuben_James_(DD-245)_on_29_April_1939.jpg">US Navy/Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">US Navy destroyer USS Reuben James on the Hudson River in New York, April 29, 1943.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>After the start of World War II in Europe in September 1939, the US, which hadn't declared war, provided some aid to Allied countries.</strong></li><li><strong>That included help escorting convoys across the Atlantic, which put US ships in the line of fire.</strong></li><li><strong>On October 31, 1941, a Nazi U-boat claimed the first US warship sunk by the enemy in World War II.</strong></li></ul><p>On October 23, 1941, US Navy destroyer USS Reuben James left Newfoundland to escort a convoy bound for Britain. Two days later, the German U-boat U-552 left the French port of St. Nazaire to prowl the North Atlantic on its sixth patrol.</p><p>The US was not a belligerant in the war in Europe at the time, but Washington <a href="http://www.uboataces.com/boa-america.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had set up</a> neutrality zones in the Atlantic in which its ships would guard British and neutral merchant ships. US ships would also notify convoys of U-boats' locations.</p><p>The James and the U-552 sailed a few weeks after a U-boat fired on the Navy destroyer USS Greer without hitting it. After that incident, President Franklin Roosevelt <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/7-2-188/188-29.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the public that "if German or Italian vessels of war enter the waters, the protection of which is necessary for American <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword>, they do so at their own peril."</p><p>In the early-morning hours of October 31, when the Reuben James and the U-552 crossed paths near Iceland, the de facto state of war between the US and Germany in the Atlantic intensified.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101II-MW-3676-28,_St._Nazaire,_Uboot_U_552.jpg">German Federal Archives/Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">German Capt. Lt. Erich Topp and other crew members aboard the U-552 in St. Nazaire, France, October 6, 1942.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The James and four other US destroyers were escorting the more than 40 ships that made up HX-156, a convoy of merchant ships sailing from Halifax in Canada to Europe. At that time, US warships would escort convoys to Iceland, where British ships took over.</p><p>As day broke on October 31, the Reuben James was sailing at about 10 mph on the left rear side of the convoy. Just after 5:30 a.m., the U-552 fired on the James, its torpedoes ripping into the left side of the destroyer.</p><p><span>"One or more explosions" occurred near the forward fire room, "accompanied by a lurid orange flame and a high column of black smoke visible for several minutes at some miles," <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/reuben-james-i.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Navy's Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.</span></p><p><span>The ship's forward section was blown off, and it sank rapidly. Only two sailors on that part of the ship <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/reuben-james-i.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survived</a> the blast. Others who made it out were sailors "berthed, or on watch, [aft of] the forward fireroom."</span></p><p><span>No official order came to abandon ship, but crew members launched three rafts and started to leap overboard as the sea swallowed the ship. The captain <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/reuben-james-i.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had issued</a> life jackets to the crew and told them to have them on hand at all times, which meant many sailors were able to get to them as they fled the ship.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Bundesarchiv</span></p><p class="caption">A German U-boat.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>While many men made it off, a number of those in the water around the ship were killed or later drowned after at least two depth charges on the ship detonated as it sank.</span></p><p><span>The escort commander sent two destroyers to investigate. With a smooth sea and little wind, they were able to spot the James' sailors just before 6 a.m. and began rescuing them minutes later. The destroyers' crews <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/reuben-james-i.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> cargo nets, Jacob's Ladders, life rings, and lines to pull survivors, many covered in oil, out of the water.</span></p><p><span>Rescue operations were over by 8 a.m.; 44 of the crew were recovered, but 93 enlisted men and all the ship's seven officers were killed.</span></p><p><span>US merchant ships had already been sunk in the Atlantic, and in mid-October, another US destroyer <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=6KZSJrVM9pUC&amp;pg=PA161#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was hit</a> by a torpedo but made it to Iceland. But the James became the first US warship sunk by the enemy in World War II.</span></p><p><span>"The news of the torpedoing of one of our destroyers off Iceland was the first thing that the President spoke of this morning, and that has cast a shadow over the whole day," Eleanor Roosevelt <a href="http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/daybyday/event/november-1941/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on November 1. "I cannot help but think of every one of the 120 men and their families, who are anxiously awaiting news."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>(AP Photo)</span></p><p class="caption">US Coast Guard cutter Spencer crew members watch a depth charge blast a German submarine attempting to break into a large US convoy, April 17, 1943. The U-boat was critically damaged and sunk off the coast of Ireland.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Germany was <a href="https://books.google.de/books?id=fwmSAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA216&amp;dq=David+H.+Atwater#v=onepage&amp;q=ERich%20Topp&amp;f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unapologetic</a>, saying US ships were escorting British ships in a war zone and had fired on German vessels before. The US didn't declare war, but the sinking drew the US further into the conflict in Europe, which was already more than two years old. </span></p><p><span>On November 1, Roosevelt <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2016-10/coast-guards-world-war-ii-crucible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order reassigning <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-and-coast-guard-q-ships-like-venus-fly-traps-for-nazi-submarines-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US Coast Guard</a> from the Treasury Department to the Navy. About two weeks later, under pressure from the president, Congress further amended the Neutrality Acts passed in the 1930s, revising them to allow US merchant ships to be armed and to sail into war zones.</span></p><p><span>On December 8, the US declared war on Japan after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/footage-of-pearl-harbor-japanese-attack-aftermath-2016-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the attack on Pearl Harbor</a>. Three days later, Germany declared war on the US.</span></p><p><span>The James was stricken from the Navy's official register on March 25, 1942. The U-552 continued the fight. It joined U-boats <a href="http://www.uboataces.com/boa-america.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that preyed</a> on US ships along the East Coast in 1942 but was later transferred to waters closer to Europe.</span></p><p><span>The U-552's success waned, as did that of the rest of the U-boat force, as the Allies improved their convoy and anti-submarine tactics and invaded Europe, recapturing ports. In early May 1945 - days before <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-germany-surrender-victory-in-europe-ve-day-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the surviving Nazi leadership surrendered</a> in Berlin - the U-552 was scuttled in waters off the North Sea.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life-us-navy-submarine-military-training-armed-forces-2016-9">Everything you've ever wanted to know about life on a US Navy submarine</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

77 years ago on Halloween, the first US warship sunk by the enemy in World War II was attacked by a Nazi U-boat

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container no-rightrail"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Stephane Mahe</span></p></div><p></p></div></p><p>Royal Caribbean took delivery of its newest ship on Sunday. <em>Harmony of the Seas</em> is the third ship in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class - <em>Oasis of the Seas</em> and <em>Allure of the Seas</em> entered service in 2009 and 2010, respectively. At 1,188 feet long and with a gross tonnage of 226,963 , the billion-dollar <em>Harmony of the Seas</em> is the largest cruise ship ever built. </p><p><em>Harmony</em> took the title of world's largest cruise ship from its sister vessel, <em>Allure of the Seas</em>. </p><p>Thousands gathered to watch <em>Harmony of the Seas</em> sail out of STX Europe's shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for the first time on its way to Southampton, England. </p>

The largest cruise ship ever built cost $1 billion - and it just set sail

Here's the full list of every Walmart in 22 states offering the COVID-19 vaccine

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images" title_caption="Clarkson (right), May (center), and Hammond atop an armored vehicle." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55009196ecad047662e80f77-960/top-gear-jeremy-clarkson.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Clarkson (right), May (center), and Hammond atop an armored vehicle.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"Top Gear "host Jeremy Clarkson may have been suspended by the BBC, but that doesn't mean he's abandoned his old antics.&#xa0;<p>The gregarious television personality seemed to be taking his time on the sidelines in stride.&#xa0;</p><p>In fact, fellow hosts James May and Richard Hammond seem to be equally nonchalant about the situation.&#xa0;</p><p>With the BBC set to scrap the remaining three episodes of the show's 22nd, "Top Gear's" trio of charismatic hosts took to Twitter to brainstorm ideas of the many shows that could take its Sunday night time slot - effectively trolling the employer that has suspended him.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">James May started off the conversation by suggesting a 1964 film about a fictional British World War II fighter-bomber squadron called "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057811/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">633 Squadron</a>" be shown instead.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Clarkson then insists that the 1968 Richard Burton-Clint Eastwood WWII classic, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065207/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Where Eagles Dare</a>," is a better option.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Richard Hammond finally made an appearance, suggesting the BBC show an episode of "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069602/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank">Last of the Summer Wine</a>" - a British sitcom that ran for 31 seasons, exploring the youthful antics of a group of elderly men. Hammond was referencing to a joke the hosts recently made at a press event about "Top Gear" becoming a show about the antics of three old men.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Clarkson has the final word. He'd like the network to show one his war documentaries. Outside of "Top Gear," Clarkson has also presented a series of war documentaries addressing topics such as the history of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407290/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_13" target="_blank">Victoria Cross</a>, the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0996628/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_8" target="_blank">1942 raid of St. Nazaire</a>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3415772/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1" target="_blank">WWII allied supply convoys</a> in the Arctic.</p><p class="embed-spacer">Although, the bombastic host may be in a cheerful mood, his daughter has jokingly taken to Twitter to announced it was time for her father to return to work.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Since news of Clarkson's suspension and the show's removal from the airwaves broke, support from fans has been swift.</p><p class="embed-spacer">Within a day, more than half a million of the show's fans have signed an <a href="https://www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-jeremy-clarkson" target="_blank">online petition</a> seeking Clarkson's reinstatement.&#xa0;</p><p class="embed-spacer">Finally, fellow host James May offered words of support for his colleague when approached for comment by ITV.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&#xa0;</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Jeremy Clarkson is trolling the BBC on Twitter

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Jeremy Clarkson and his Emmy Award-winning car show "Top Gear" are a ratings and financial juggernaut. </p><p>With a broadcast show seen in 212 territories by 350 million viewers, a live stadium tour, 3 million YouTube subscribers, and a magazine with 1.7 million readers, "Top Gear" and its bombastic host reach fans seemingly everywhere. </p><p>In fact, "Top Gear" entered the <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/9/top-gear-drives-its-way-into-into-guinness-world-records-2013-edition-44693/" target="_blank">Guinness Book of World Records</a> in 2012 as the world's most watched factual television program. </p><p>However, after the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jeremy-clarkson-has-been-suspended-by-the-bbc-top-gear-has-been-pulled-from-the-air-2015-3" target="_blank">BBC suspended Clarkson</a> for alleged throwing a punch at a producer due to inadequate catering, leading to the cancellation of the show's 22nd season, the gregarious TV personality and his show are more visible than ever.</p><p>In the days since his suspension, those who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/britain-hates-jeremy-clarkson-unchecked-wealth-and-privilege-2015-3" target="_blank">despise him have been loud and determined</a>, while his supporters have been equally vocal. More than three quarters of a million people have signed a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-jeremy-clarkson" target="_blank">online petition </a>asking the BBC to reinstate Clarkson. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>But if you aren't familiar with Clarkson, then you must asking yourself "who is this guy with the weird hair and bad teeth?" or "Why is his face on CNN?" or "Why is he on my news feed!?" or most importantly "Why the heck are people talking about him?"</p><p>So here's a brief take on why Jeremy Clarkson is as beloved as he is loathed. </p><h3>Clarkson is loud, brash, and doesn't take himself too seriously</h3><p>Part of what drives Clarkson and "Top Gear's" popularity is the his disregard for "political correctness." His biting humor has certainly ruffled more that a few feathers over the years. Everyone from truck drivers to the German government have logged complaints over jokes that aired on "Top Gear."</p><p>But, perhaps the most common subject of his sharp humor is Clarkson himself. He frequently makes fun of everything from his own beer belly to his thinning hair, from his laziness to his lack of male endowment. The guy simply doesn't take himself to seriously. </p><p>Over the years, his look has been frequently ridiculed:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>There's the goofy outfit in his Top Gear debut in 1988 ...</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>... and this monstrosity from 1991. Obviously, he's playing a character for the camera.</p><p>On the current incarnation of "Top Gear," Clarkson generally plays the role of the neighborhood buffoon - the less competent, simpleminded foil to his more thoughtful co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>This often leads to strife among the hosts - and for the audience, comedy gold. In one episode Clarkson built a speedboat out of a pickup truck. Not only did he set it on fire during the construction, but he also managed to capsize the vessel, with the shoreline in sight. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Another time, Clarkson ran into the back of May's SUV while driving down a treacherous mountain road in Bolivia. May responded by confronting Clarkson with a machete. </p><h3>Clarkson and "Top Gear" do have actual achievements</h3><p>In 2007, Clarkson and May became the first people to drive to the North Pole, making the journey in a modified Toyota truck for "Top Gear: Polar Special."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>However, even this achievement came with its requisite controversy. During the episode, Clarkson and May can be seen partaking in a gin and tonic while behind the wheel. The hosts' explanation for all of this? Since they were over a frozen ocean, they considered the behavior to be drinking while sailing. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>And in another episode, the trio of hosts sailed across the English Channel in Nissan pickup truck that had been converted into a powerboat. That's right - an actual Channel crossing!</p><h3>Clarkson is a good writer</h3><p>For all of his buffoonery, Clarkson's is actually a skillful writer whose skills were honed by decades of practice as a newspaper reporter, automotive journalist, and syndicated columnist. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Some of Clarkson's columns serve as explainers for his controversial comments, while others fuel his feuds with people like Piers Morgan. But then there are some, <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/comment/columns/jeremyclarkson/article1419805.ece" target="_blank">such as this one from last June</a> about the death of his mother, that offer a glimpse behind his public facade.</p><p>In fact, compilations of Clarkson's weekly Sunday Times column have been turned into a series of books titled "The World According to Clarkson."</p><h3>Clarkson is a history buff</h3><p>In addition to "Top Gear," Clarkson has also produced a series of well-received documentaries on inventor Isambard Kingdon Brunel, the story of the Victoria Cross, the 1942 raid on St. Nazaire, and the WWII allied convoys in the Arctic. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Here, there's no buffoonery or culturally insensitive jokes. Just elegantly shot footage along with effective and eloquent storytelling.</p><p>All in all, there's no telling what the future will hold for "Top Gear" and Jeremy Clarkson at the BBC. But his legions of supports will remain as vocal as his detractors. Love him or hate him, he's likely to be around for ages.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mercedes-new-self-driving-car-f-015-2015-1">The New Mercedes Driverless Car Even Has The Driver's Seat Facing Away From The Road</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="40aWdvcjoR9T2xUmJv8EAZuhFll_rz6y" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "st nazaire" and got 7 results

A daring but costly British raid kept the Nazis from repairing their biggest warship

Benjamin Brimelow

Celebrity Cruises gets slammed with a lawsuit claiming the cruise line put crew members at risk of coronavirus, flouted advice from CDC

Áine Cain

77 years ago on Halloween, the first US warship sunk by the enemy in World War II was attacked by a Nazi U-boat

Christopher Woody

The largest cruise ship ever built cost $1 billion - and it just set sail

Benjamin Zhang

Here's the full list of every Walmart in 22 states offering the COVID-19 vaccine

Mary Meisenzahl

Jeremy Clarkson is trolling the BBC on Twitter

Benjamin Zhang

Here's why 350 million people love Jeremy Clarkson

Benjamin Zhang

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides