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

Feature - Building the "Perfect Storm"

MSW Crew member Guido Hopp shares this highly interesting, unique, and most excellent build story with us, Building the "Perfect Storm".




Jutland warship may berth with Britannia
Source: scotsman.com

THE last remaining British warship of the biggest naval battle of the First World War could be berthed in Scotland as a new tourist attraction.
HMS Caroline, a C Class cruiser launched in 1914, has recently been decommissioned from its role as a training ship in Belfast harbour.

The ship has 80 per cent of its original fittings and has been described by experts as one of the ten most important surviving warships in the world.

Maritime historians are now laying plans to bring HMS Caroline to Edinburgh to be berthed near the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith.

Steven Raeside, director of the Scottish Industrial Preservation Trust, described the chance to take on the vessel which took part in the Battle of Jutland between the British and German fleets in 1916 as a "once in a lifetime opportunity": "HMS Caroline is unique. "What a sight it would be to see Britannia and Caroline next to each other, 50 years separating them, one of which fought in the Battle of Jutland, the other world famous. The combination would pull in thousands of tourists."

Raeside added that there were very few examples of 20th century Navy war vessels in Scotland, the majority of which are berthed in other parts of the UK, and that bringing Caroline to Edinburgh would go some way to redressing the imbalance.

Having seen active service in the First World War, on occasion sailing out of Rosyth docks in Fife, Caroline was then stationed in reserve at Plymouth before being berthed in Belfast where she acted as the Admiral's headquarters during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War.

Capt John Rees, of the Museum of the Royal Navy, who has the responsibility of finding a permanent home for Caroline, said that they would be "very grateful" to receive an approach from Edinburgh.

He said that beyond its rich history, the ship had a number of special features: "She is also unique because she comes with her own collection. Typically, in ships such as Victory or Belfast their collections were in part or wholly dissipated before the ship itself became a historic attraction. Caroline's is unique is that her collection documents not far short of 97 years of naval life.

Edinburgh council leader Jenny Dawe said: "Discussions about the future home of HMS Caroline are still at a very early stage."

Since its arrival in Edinburgh in 1998, the Britannia has become one of top attractions in Scotland, receiving on average 250,000 visitors every year.


Effort seeks to move USS Arizona guns to state museum
Source:Tucson Sentinal

Guns from the USS Arizona and USS Missouri now rusting on the East Coast would become part of the state’s monument to its namesake battleship if proponents can raise $500,000 to move them.

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who is leading the fundraising effort, said it would be fitting to display guns from the USS Arizona, whose demise began America’s involvement in World War II, and the USS Missouri, where Japan’s surrender ended it.

Even more fitting, Bennett said, would be to have the guns displayed alongside the USS Arizona’s anchor by Dec. 7, the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

“I thought it would be neat if tens of thousands of Arizonans felt like they had participated in helping bringing these guns out and getting them on display to honor our veterans both past and present,” Bennett said.

The $500,000 fundraising goal is the estimated cost to transport, clean and display a 14–inch USS Arizona gun barrel weighing 70 tons and a 16–inch USS Missouri gun barrel weighing 140 tons. The guns are at U.S. Navy storage facilities in Virgina and Maryland, respectively.

They would become part of the Arizona Capitol Museum, which oversees monuments in Phoenix's Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza.

The USS Arizona gun wasn’t on the battleship when it was destroyed. It was removed two years prior to the attack for relining and was scheduled to be reinstalled when the attack occurred.

More than a decade ago, John Thomas, who was chief counsel for the Arizona House of Representatives when Bennett was in the state Senate, read an article saying the gun was sitting outside at the Navy base.

“It didn’t seem to be right,” Thomas said in an interview. “It seemed to be something we should have in Arizona.”

But nothing came of the idea until Bennett took up the charge.
He reached out to the Navy, which he said balked because the gun was the last from the Arizona and instead offered one of the USS Missouri’s guns. Promoting the state’s ties to the USS Arizona, Bennett said he eventually reached an agreement for Arizona to take ownership of both guns by explaining that they would represent the beginning and end of the war.

Bennett said he is seeking private contributions, corporate sponsorships and individual donations, which can be made atwww.GunstoSalutetheFallen.com.

If 100,000 of Arizona’s 600,000 veterans contributed $5 apiece, for example, the guns could be on their way, Bennett said.

“Veterans have a direct and emotional connection to it, having served,” he said.




Captain John Paul Johns

Today’s website is the biography of Captain John Paul Johns. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1776 - John Paul Jones sails into Canso Bay, Nova Scotia, and attacks British fishing fleet.
1943 - U.S. destroyers and landing craft land Australian troops at Finschhafen, New Guinea.
1989 - After Hurricane Hugo, Sailors and Marines provide assistance to Charleston, S.C., through October 10.


Diorama Idea of the Day



Aviation ordnancemen stack ammunition containers in the bomb farm aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). To see the original high resolution photo, click here.

Gator