Ahoy mates and welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Let’s see what going on today.
MSW Naval Trivia Contest
Think you know a lot about the world’s navies? See if you can stump your crewmates or be stumped by them. Check it out.
MSW Naval Trivia Contest
ORP Orzel (Kilo Class) Polish Navy
New MSW Crew-mate Somboon Vongveeranonchai (eddiev200) sends us his first submission, an impressive duo build in multi-scale in this MSW "On Display" Feature!
ORP Orzel
Community Build Contest
Attention all entrants! Please, do not forget to post your photos! You only have five days to the end of the first session.
Official Announcement
Imperial Hobby Productions News
Imperial Hobby Productions offers a replacement hull for the Trumpeter 1:700 Jean Bart battleship plastic kit. Their replacement hull has the correct hull form and porthole pattern, and is designed to use the Trumpeter kit's superstructure, gun turrets and most of the deck details. The hull is available now for a cost f $20.00
IHP will be discontinuing our Apprentice Series Montana in favor of a new, complete Standard Series 1/700 scale Montana kit. IHP will also be reissuing some of their older kits as they can remold them. These kits will be all-resin where possible. Among the first will be the sloop HMS Wild Goose, which they are planning to reissue this fall. It will be offered at a new lower price, too. Another 1/700 kit IHP is considering reissuing is the Italian battleship Littorio. IHP knows there are several excellent 1:700 Littorio kits available, but they want to produce a nice Littorio kit that costs under $100, is readily available, and is less complicated for novice/intermediate builders. Some other new kits are under considerstion, too.
STANDARD SERIES: USS Connecticut BB18 predreadnought, as built in 1908 fit. A perfect addition to your Great White fleet. Kit will be complete with all parts to build the ship as fitted. Expected MSRP $45.00.
Royal Marines conduct exercises with Russian Naval Infantry
The Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS BULWARK is no stranger to landing the RM on the shores of a far away land, assisting with an evacuation of displaced personnel and then recovering its Marines to the ship. In this instance, however, the RM stands for Russian Marines as much as Royal Marines.
In the fictitious world of Exercise BALTOPS 08, unrest in North West Zealand led to the UN ordering the evacuation of citizens threatened by the crisis to a place of safety. As a result, BULWARK embarked a combined Russian-UK Marine Landing Force to conduct the Evacuation Operation. The Anglo-Russian landing force, under the command of Colonel Yurig Boishenko (CO 336 Russian Naval Infantry Brigade), departed BULWARK early on a blustery Baltic morning in the assault ship’s landing craft to take charge of the chaotic scenes ashore. Within hours the 100 Russian Marines had secured the area and brigaded the citizens (played by 65 Danish civilians) into a safe area where they were processed and fed by BULWARK’s Logistics team and transported to the safety of the Fleet Amphibious Flagship by 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Bentham-Green, OC 4 ASRM said of the evacuation ‘The Amphibious Task Group’s mandate is to provide safe passage and ensure the safety of all inhabitants irrespective of their nationality; this, with the Royal Marines, Russian Naval Infantry, HMS BULWARK and the Russian amphibious ship RFS KALININGRAD, we have done’. Colonel Bentham-Green was impressed with the skills and ability of his Russian counterparts, ‘The Russians picked up on our drills and routines very quickly; they were a pleasure to work with’. Colonel Boishenko was equally impressed and was extremely taken with the warmth of the reception his team received onboard. He said, ‘We have enjoyed the 3 days we have spent onboard BULWARK and are very happy with the quality of the training we have received’. As well as working with the Russian Marines BULWARK also worked closely with the Russian Frigate RFS NEUSTRASHIMY for 5 days including manoeuvring, weapon drills, helicopter cross deck operations and personnel exchanges.
The BALTOPS exercise takes place annually in June in the southern Baltic and this year included forces from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The emphasis of the 2008 exercise was the role played by expeditionary forces in maintaining regional stability. Captain Jeremy Blunden, Commanding Officer of HMS BULWARK, is in no doubt about the importance of BALTOPS. ‘BALTOPS is one of the primary examples in the world today of how we can bring forces together from different nations to tackle a ficticious international crisis. By doing so we develop our ability to operate closely together such that when a real crisis develops we know that we can quickly form up and do whatever task is required. The evacuation of civilians from a crisis zone, such as that exercised this year, could occur at any time; BULWARK was herself involved in the evacuation of civilians from Beirut in 2006. What made this year’s exercise special was that we did the evacuation using Russian Marines who lived onboard and then operated from a British warship. I have no doubt that the close working relationship we established with the Russian Marines and with the Russian Frigate NEUSTRASHIMY has done much to further promote the already warm cooperation between our two navies. In a future real world crisis I would be very happy to operate with Russian ships and their Marines.
Help Save the USS Ticonderoga
The Mississippi Maritime and Warship Museum mission is to preserve and promote naval and maritime history for the benefit of business, community and government by providing a museum and attraction that will draw individuals and groups to the City of Pascagoula, Jackson County and the State of Mississippi for events and tours. This non-profit corporation’s goal is to save the USS TICONDEROGA as a naval and maritime museum, learning center and attraction for future generations.
Mississippi Maritime and Warship Museum
