Ahoy mates and welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Let’s see what going on today.
Japanese Antarctica Observation Ship, SOYA
Mike Taylor (Modelguy2) stops by to share photos of his latest 1/350 diorama, focusing on Hasegawa Models Japanese Antarctica Observation Ship Soya. If you look real close, you can see the penguins peeking in, too.
Soya
Community Build Contest
Attention all entrants! Please, do not forget to post your photos! You have until tonight at midnight Eastern Standard Time.
Official Announcement
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
Gator’s Grip Hobby Glue Precision Tip Applicator
Building on the success of Gator’s Grip Hobby Glue, ol’ Gator has come out with a precision glue applicator for his glue. Check it out.
Precision Glue Applicator
News from LionRoar
LionRoar has released a list of their up coming releases. There is something here for all you 1/350 fans.
1.1/350 Pom-Poms separately from your Hood superset will be promoted in July, 2008
2.1/350 Soviet Navy Radar set with the missing Headlights antenna We have added the missing parts
3.1/350 super set for USS Missouri/New Jersey will be promoted in 2 or 3 months
4.1/350 Super set for Revell Bismarck/Tirpitz will be promoted in 2 or 3 months
5.1/350 WWII IJN Seperate parts. We begin to promote the seperat parts now, you can find them in succession in future several months
6.1/350 WWII USN Seperate parts. We begin to promote the seperat parts now, you can find them in succession in future several months
Look for a detailed story from our news staff.
HMS Exeter returns home after 30 years at sea
Three decades after champagne trickled down her bow, HMS Exeter sailed past her birthplace to celebrate her 30th birthday.
The veteran destroyer – Britain’s oldest surface ship and last survivor of Falklands task force – headed up the Tyne for a weekend in Newcastle, the latest stop on her UK ‘summer tour’.
Her birthplace, the Swan Hunter yard at Wallsend, is little more than a shell these days, sadly. It no longer builds ships after failing to finish RFA Lyme Bay and most of the heavy machinery, including its iconic cranes, are being shipped to a yard in south-west India.
Despite Swan’s demise, the Tyne has lost none of its appetite for the RN with nearly 100 movers and shakers crossing the gangway for a VIP reception.
They were followed by schoolchildren and cadets who were given a tour of the destroyer, now in the final year of her illustrious career (she pays off next year to coincide with HMS Daring joining the Fleet).
Exeter reached the Tyne ‘the long way round’ sailing not via the Strait of Dover but via Cape Wrath and the northern coast of Scotland.
Her ‘summer tour’ has been a mix of public visits and training exercises, beginning with Barrow’s Festival of the Sea.
New Russian frigate may be fitted with BrahMos cruise missiles
A Russian frigate being built at a shipyard in St. Petersburg may be equipped with sea-based Russian-Indian BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, a Russian defense industry official said on Friday.
"The only [Russian combat] ship that could feature these [the BrahMos] missiles is the Project 22350 frigate Admiral Sergei Gorshkov being built at the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg," the source said.
In 1998, Russia and India established the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture to design, develop, produce and market a supersonic cruise missile.
The BrahMos missile, named after India's Brahmaputra River and Russia's Moskva River, has a range of 180 miles (290 km) and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 660 pounds. It can hit ground and sea targets while flying at an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and at a speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.
Its sea-based and land-based versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy.
The three additional Project 11356 Krivak IV-class guided missile frigates built in Russia for the Indian Navy will feature the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile system.
Experts estimate that India might purchase up to 1,000 BrahMos missiles for its Armed Forces in the next decade, and export 2,000 to third countries during the same period.
Russia apparently had no plans to for the missile to enter service with its Armed Forces, but under pressure from the Indian side may consider equipping at least one surface ship with BrahMos missiles.
"Considering that we have only one platform [suitable for BrahMos missiles] we may deploy six of them on the ship [the Admiral Gorshkov frigate]," the Russian official said.
The Admiral Sergei Gorshkov is scheduled for launch in 2009. According to some military sources Russia's Navy intends to procure up to 20 such vessels.
The frigate has a displacement of about 4,500 tons, a length of over 130 meters (430 feet), a maximum width of 16 meters (51 feet), and a range of over 4,000 miles.
The defense ministry official also said on Friday that neither Russia's newest Steregushchy class corvettes nor submarines currently in service with the Russian Navy could carry BrahMos missiles due to their hull and capacity specifications.
1,400 School children visit naval base at Wilhelmshaven
The German Navy opened up their doors at the naval base in Wilhelmshaven last week to give the students a look at the daily operations of the German Navy. Students were also given information about the possibility of a career in the navy. Activities included meeting divers and getting to try on the 15kg diver helmet, helicopter and frigate simulators and a tour of the frigate SAXONIA.
