Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.



On Display - Dockyard Diorama

MSW Crew member Alec Cap shares his Dockyard Diorama with us in this unique feature.




An Upgraded HMS Illustrious Begins Sea Trials
Source: U.K Ministry of Defence

HMS Illustrious has begun sea trials following the completion of a £40m maintenance and upgrade programme.

The 22,000-tonne ship, affectionately known as 'Lusty', left Rosyth in Fife over the weekend after 16 months in the dockyard where she underwent modifications to turn her into a helicopter and commando carrier, capable of carrying a force of up to 20 helicopters and 600 fully kitted-out personnel.

Her Commanding Officer, Captain Jerry Kyd, said:

"This is a historic weekend for us as we sail from Rosyth for the last time and begin our preparation for our future role as a helicopter platform. We are in top condition for the challenges ahead thanks to the hard work of my sailors and the successful partnership that we have had with industry.

"We are now raring to go, ready to take this great ship to sea for trials, and then home to Portsmouth, where we will prepare for her exciting future role."

The work was carried out by a partnership of Babcock Marine, the ship's company, MOD and BAE Systems. Other work on HMS Illustrious included:

applying 540,000 litres of paint to the ship, including a fuel-efficient outer hull coating that will save tonnes of fuel and CO2 emissions over her remaining life;
other improvements that lower the ship's environmental impact, including reverse osmosis fresh water-making systems;
installation of a new computer and communications system and a defensive anti-torpedo system;
improvements to the living conditions for the crew and any embarked troops.

Captain Graeme Little, from the Capital Ships team in MOD's Defence Equipment and Support organisation, said:

"This has been a challenging project delivered to a very high standard by the joint project team and both on time and on budget. We approach her return to the Navy with confidence in the significant improvements that have been made."

Having already completed one week of initial sea safety training and preliminary sea trials, the Portsmouth-based ship will now undergo a further five weeks of sea trials before returning to the fleet at the end of July 2011.

HMS Illustrious will then assume a helicopter and commando carrier role while HMS Ocean undergoes a planned refit, which is due for completion by 2014.

This will ensure that the UK retains the ability to deliver an amphibious intervention force from the sea and maintain an experienced crew to support the later introduction into service of the new Queen Elizabeth Class carriers. Illustrious will then be withdrawn from service.


U.S. Navy Welcomes Partners, Kicks off FRUKUS 2011
Source: US Navy

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Ships from Russia, France and the United Kingdom arrived at Naval Station Norfolk to participate in FRUKUS 2011 with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Virginia, June 20.

FRUKUS stands for the participating countries – France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - and is a two-week interoperability exercise aimed to improve maritime security through open dialogue and increased training between the participating navies.

"FRUKUS 2011 provides the opportunity for personnel of all participating nations to engage in realistic and challenging maritime training to build experience, cooperation and teamwork," said U.S. Navy Capt. Peter Demane, commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26.

FRUKUS consists of two phases: ashore and at-sea. While ashore, Sailors from each ship will participate in training areas including damage control, fire fighting and ship handling. The at-sea portion, which begins next week, will provide critical training in maritime domain awareness, anti-piracy and maritime interdiction operations. A shore-based multinational combined task group staff will provide command and control for the ships during the at-sea phase.

Plenary sessions are scheduled to be conducted in parallel with the at-sea phase, where flag and senior officers from each country will attend daily discussions about maritime topics of interest to participants.

Planning for FRUKUS 2011 began in 2010 and included close coordination from representatives from each nation's navies and several defense agencies.

"We started planning for FRUKUS 2011 in December," said Lt. Jay Davis, staff planning officer for DESRON 26. "We worked closely with our partner nations to ensure the exercise is safe and successful."

Participating forces from the U.S. Navy include Commander Carrier Strike Group 10, Destroyer Squadron 26, and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95). International participants include the FS Ventose (F 733) from France, RFS Admiral Chabanenko (DD 650) from Russia, and HMS Dauntless (D 33) from the United Kingdom.





USS Macon

Today’s website is USS Macon. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1933 - Commissioning of USS Macon, Navy's last dirigible.
1961 - Navy's first major low frequency radio station commissioned at Cutler, Maine.
1972 - Navy helicopter squadron aids flood-stricken residents in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Pittstown area of Pennsylvania.


Diorama Idea of the Day



USS Miami steaming in heavy seas during her shakedown cruise. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.

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