Ahoy mates and welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Let’s see what going on today.
On Display - U84 VIIB Submarine
MSW crew-mate Bob Cicconi (bobcicconi) shares a gallery of images of a late conversion build of his, VII B Submarine, U 84, in this "On Display" feature. Another excellent build Bob.
On Display
Naval Word of the Day
Jim Adams is here with another installment of the Naval Word of the Day.
Word of the Day
Community Build Session 3
It's getting to be that time again, mates, we have 10 days left in Build Session 3 of our "Community Build Contest".
Don't forget to record your progress with your best images, and have them uploaded and posted into your individual blogs by 9/01/08, EST, to be eligible for this sessions points!
Community Build
New Photo Etch From WEM
White Ensign Models is proud to announce their upcoming 1/700 V & W Class Destroyers Photo Etch. John Snyder says that “Mad Pete crammed enough into this set to fit out 2 ships so you can expand your RN destroyer squadrons.” The fret will be available in about three weeks. Retail price will be $15.81
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1800 - U.S. Marine Corps Band gives its first concert in Washington, D.C.
1883 - Installation of the first electric lighting on a U.S. Navy Ship completed on USS Trenton.
1920 - Radio station built by U.S. Navy and French government transmits first wireless message heard around the world. At the time it was the most powerful radio station in the world.
1951 - First contract for nuclear-powered submarine awarded.
1965 - Launch of Gemini 5, piloted by Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Conrad Jr., who completed 120 orbits in almost eight days at an altitude of 349.8 km. Recovery was by helicopter from USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39).
1980 - USS Truxtun (CGN 35) rescues 42 Vietnamese refugees and USS Merrill (DD 976) rescues 62 Vietnamese refugees, over 200 miles southeast of Saigon.
Canadian warship makes historic visit to Pakistan
HMCS Iroquois, flagship to Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 and Canada’s Task Force Arabian Sea (TFAS), made a two-day stopover in Karachi, Pakistan from Aug. 6-8, 2008. This marked the first ever visit of a Canadian warship to this Middle Eastern country, known as the gateway to the Far East.
“During our visit, I had hoped to meet with government officials from both countries and my counterparts from the Pakistani Navy to continue building on existing relationships between Canada, the coalition and its partners,” said Commodore Bob Davidson, the Canadian officer in command of the multinational naval coalition. “Our stay here has allowed me to do that and much more, thanks to the amazing enthusiasm, generosity and professionalism of the crew in Iroquois.”
Iroquois’ commanding officer, Captain (Navy) Brendan Ryan, said his ship’s company was proud to have been the first Canadian warship to visit Pakistan and enter Karachi Harbour since the country’s creation in 1947. “From where I stand, nothing but mutual admiration and respect could be seen during the 48 hours we spent in port.”
Sailors in Iroquois also wanted to make a lasting impression on a few of the less fortunate people in the large and bustling city of Karachi. Iroquois’ padre, Captain Liam Thomas, sent a few e-mails that quickly paired the generous sailors onboard with a deserving charity organization in Pakistan: the Karachi SOS Children’s Village.
With faces of needy children in mind and in many cases the thought of their own children’s needs, a week-long fundraising drive in Iroquois collected $4,500 and many ideas to entertain children of all ages during an unforgettable afternoon filled with fun and games held throughout the ship on Aug. 7. This, coupled with a ship-wide hockey tournament played on the jetty, promoted fitness and provided Canadian style entertainment.
The desire to leave a lasting impression prompted further initiatives and at Iroquois’ proposal, and in line with Canada’s strong caring and educational values, the commander of TFAS authorized an additional $19,000 from his contingency fund to be used to purchase clothing and school supplies for the children and household items for the village residences.
Lieutenant (Navy) Jon Lee, Iroquois’ Deputy Combat Systems Engineer, like many others onboard, volunteered his time to plan and execute the charity event and he shared the impressions he was left with. “While observing the children, I noticed that one little girl who, particularly pleased with the prospects of eating her plate full of chicken nuggets, was looking for a place to sit. Passing by the ship's coxswain, she stops, looks up at him, speaks a few words, and then proceeds to offer him some chicken nuggets. The coxswain, with a smile of amusement, politely declines. In response, she offers him her drink instead, to which he kindly refuses as well. Satisfied that he did not want anything to eat or drink, she moved on to find a spot to dig into the food. The coxswain and I shared a laugh, charmed by this reverse act of kindness. The very children we were trying to help were offering what little they had to us. It was very moving and reaffirmed my belief that what we are doing is a good thing for good people.”
Photo of the Day
The guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) passes by the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) in San Diego Harbor as Tarawa departs to deploy for the Fuerzas Alidas PANAMAX 2008.
Gator
