Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - S-304
MSW Crew member Erick Navas sends us photos of his build, the 1/72 Revell S-Boot S-304.
On Display - SS Pearl
MSW Crew member Bob Cicconi sends us photos of his build, theSS Pearl.
Navy to Operate Mistral Missiles for First Time
Source: Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense
The South Korean Navy is planning to load man-portable Surface to Air Missiles (SAM), so-called Mistral, to all patrol boats in operation in due order to use them in antiaircraft and antiship defense purpose.
“The Navy will load Mistrals onto patrol boats that are deployed in the Yellow Sea [near the Northern Limit Line] starting the end of this month,” said an official under the Naval Operations Command. “Eventually, all patrol boats will be equipped with such weapon and we expect strong defense capabilities in the waters [near the inter-Korean maritime border] and firepower of warships.”
The official also said that it is the first time for South Korean Navy to install portable SAMs. The Navy and the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) jointly conducted performance test and evaluation on the Mistrals for six months since January this year. At the end, the mistrals received “suitability” judgment in the assessment.
The Naval Operations Command came up with an idea of loading Mistrals on patrol boats while seeking for ways to reinforce firepower of patrol boats.
In regards to performance of Mistrals, ADD confirmed that such missiles show outstanding performance during a live-fire drill last month in dealing with not only aircraft but also short-distance floating objects or warships.
Developed by France-based company MATRA, Mistral is a man-portable Surface to Air Missile - guided with a hand-operated infrared rays tracking method - has an effective range of 5.3 kilometers (3.2 miles) and can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 2.4.
Australian-Made Radar Latest Weapon In Navy’s Arsenal
Source: Australian Department of Defence
Navy’s new anti-ship missile defence radar system has been released for initial operational use after achieving outstanding results from the trial of the system off the coast of Australia and Hawaii.
The new multi-phased array radar system has been installed on the Anzac-class frigate HMAS Perth. The radar identifies, tracks and guides missiles to multiple targets at the same time.
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare inspected the radar at work on-board HMAS Perth while it was conducting training exercises off the coast of Western Australia.
“This is the latest weapon in Navy’s arsenal. It means our Anzac frigates will be a lot more capable,” Mr Clare said.
“At the moment our Anzac frigates can track and destroy one target at a time. This new radar means they will now be able to track and destroy multiple targets at the same time.
“This is also a great Australian success story. It’s cutting-edge technology developed right here in Australia by CEA Technologies.”
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said HMAS Perth had just returned from testing the system on the United States Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii with tremendous results.
“The tests proved that the new system can defend the ship from modern cruise missile attack. This is a significant enhancement for the Anzac-class frigates.”
HMAS Perth is the lead ship in this project. Following the successful testing of the system on this ship, the Government will soon make a decision about upgrading the other seven Anzac-class frigates.
Bushnell’s attack on the HMS Eagle
Today is the anniversary of the Bushnell’s attack on the HMS Eagle.
The Re-Invention of Bushnell's Turtle
Today’s website is The Re-Invention of Bushnell's Turtle. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1776 - David Bushnell attempts to destroy a British ship-of-the-line, HMS Asia, in New York Harbor with his submarine Turtle.
1814 - USS Wasp captures HMS Avon.
1864 - USS Wachusett captures CSS Florida at Bahia, Brazil.
1942 - First air evacuation of casualties to hospital ships off shore occurs at Guadalcanal.
Diorama Idea of the Day
Murmansk (built 1955) - one of the last all gun cruisers. Lost in 1994 while in tow to India, and is now aground on Sørøya, Norway. It still remains intact, complete with all guns, 5 decks above, water 5 below. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.
Gator
