Ahoy mates and welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Let’s see what going on today.
On Display - Hasegawa Models Yukikaze, 1940 fit
MSW Crew-mate Dade W. Bell (Karybdis) shares a batch of images of his fine build of Hasegawa Models, 1/350 scale Yukikaze, 1940 fit, in this "On Display" feature!
On Display
Possible Virus Alert
Please take caution while visiting the LionRoar Model Arts and Hobby Boss websites. My anti-virus program detected “trojan horse” viruses on both sites last night. I hope that this is just a glich in their respective sites, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Take time to make sure that your anti-virus software is up to date.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1825 - USS Brandywine sails for France to carry the Marquis de Lafayette home after his year long visit to America. 1841 - First iron ship authorized by Congress.
1940 - Navy awards contracts for 210 ships, including 12 carriers and seven battleships.
1943 - Operation Avalanche, Western Naval Task Force under Vice Adm. Hewitt, lands Allied forces at Salerno, Italy.
1944 - 5th Fleet carrier aircraft begin air strikes on Japanese shipping and facilities at Mindanao, Philippines.
1945 - A "computer bug" is first identified and named by Lt. Grace Murray Hopper while she was on active duty. It was found in the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator at Harvard University. The operators affixed the moth to the computer log, where it still resides, with the entry: "First actual case of bug being found." They "debugged" the computer, first introducing the term.
Tomahawks Launched from Virginia Subs
USS Virginia (SSN 774) conducted the strike portion of its class’ Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) by launching three Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. Virginia fired two Block III Tomahawks – one from a vertical launch tube and another from a torpedo tube – and one Block IV Tomahawk from a vertical tube between August 28 and 29 in the Gulf of Mexico.
These launches mark the first time that a Virginia Class submarine has launched Tomahawk missiles. The Commander, Test and Evaluation Force, which oversaw this testing, will release findings this fall.
“Completing the strike portion of OPEVAL is an important step in proving the class’ design,” said Rear Adm. (sel) David Johnson, Virginia Class Program Manager. “We have been touting the Virginia Class as a multi-purpose warship and now we are demonstrating its capabilities,” Johnson continued.
Capt. Rick McQueen, NAVAIR’s Tomahawk Program Manager, noted that the three missile launches were, "the culmination of years of joint effort between NAVAIR and NAVSEA developers and engineers.”
McQueen also said that, “Virginia Class submarines provide a brand new flexible, stealthy platform for employment of the Tomahawk Weapons System while the Tomahawk provides the platform with a long range, accurate, and flexible strike capability to support the Navy's warfighting roles."
The Tomahawk Weapons System Test Team conducts the program’s missile tests.
“The team has completed an extremely challenging and successful year. Our team has dealt with the detailed planning, execution, and reporting on eleven of these test events over the last six months, culminating in these flights from the brand new Virginia class submarine,” said Mark Lower, PMA-2805/Tomahawk System Test Lead. “This feat is even more impressive in light of the additional capabilities we are testing with each Tactical Tomahawk mission.”
Lower said the team has demonstrated the ability to flex to alternate pre-planned targets, has transmitted re-target routes to missiles in flight, and sent real-time update coordinates for direct attack of new aim points.
“We are extremely proud of the contribution we have made to the development of this weapons system and the capabilities it provides to our country in these difficult times,” he said.
The Submarine Force has experienced an influx of capability in the past 15 months, according to Rear Adm. William Hilarides, Program Executive Officer, Submarines. “We will keep pushing the boundaries to deliver the capability to the hands of the warfighter,” Hilarides concluded.
The Virginia Class is currently executing OPEVAL testing that is designed to evaluate the submarine's war fighting capabilities in operationally realistic and demanding scenarios across its seven mission areas – Anti-Submarine; Anti-Surface Ship; Strike; Naval Special Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; Battle Group Support; and Mine Warfare. The OPEVAL testing, conducted by the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, continues through the fall of 2008.
3 ships thwart attacks by pirates off Somalia
Pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked three vessels off Somalia's coast but failed to hijack them because of quick action by crew members, a maritime official said Monday.
A Chinese cargo ship, a Singaporean liquefied gas carrier and a Thai bulk carrier managed to thwart the pirates in the Gulf of Aden by increasing speed and taking evasive maneuvers, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau.
Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991, is the world's top piracy hotspot. The latest incidents bring to 44 the number of attacks off its coast this year. Most occurred in the Gulf of Aden, Choong said.
"Early detection allowed all three ships to report to IMB and take quick action to escape," said Choong, who heads the IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. He said the situation was still grave despite increased patrols by warships from a multinational coalition in the area.
The Chinese-owned ship, sailing under the flag of the Caribbean island state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was passing through the gulf Friday when crew noticed a blue tug identified by the IMB as a suspected pirate vessel, Choong said.
The crew raised the alarm after a speed boat from the tug headed toward the ship, he said. Four pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons started firing, but the ship escaped after it increased speed and the crew threw objects at the pirates during the chase, he said.
On Saturday, six pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attempted to ambush a Singaporean tanker in the gulf, Choong said. The tanker increased speed and changed course, leaving the attacking boat rolling heavily and four pirates fell into the sea, he said.
The pirates later resumed chase and the ship captain contacted the IMB, which sought help from the coalition naval force, he said. The pirates gave up their chase before a coalition warship could reach the scene, he said.
The next day, pirates in two speed boats chased a Thai bulk carrier but it also managed to evade the pirates and headed toward Yemen's coast, Choong said.
Nobody on board the ships was injured in the incidents.
The attacks came after pirates hijacked an Egyptian cargo ship and a French sailboat last Wednesday. Ten vessels have been seized in the region since July 20.
The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year. The surge in pirate attacks has prompted the U.S. Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor in the gulf patrolled by the international coalition of warships.
Navy Accepts Delivery of Green Bay
In an unprecedented move, the US Navy has take possession of Green Bay from Mayor James Schmitt. This move was made to provide a naval base to extend the US’s military might into the Great Lakes…
What? Oh, the other Green Bay.
The Navy accepted delivery of Green Bay (LPD 20) from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) in New Orleans, La., Aug. 29. This is the fourth ship of the San Antonio class of amphibious transport dock ships NGSB has delivered.
Capt. Beth Dexter, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Gulf Coast and Green Bay's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Joe Olson accepted the ship on behalf of the Navy during a simple on board ceremony. Following the delivery ceremony, the crew of Green Bay boarded its ship. The ship's sponsor, Mrs. Rose Magnus, and her husband, retired Marine Corps Gen. Robert Magnus, joined the crew for their first onboard meal in the "Lambeau Lounge." With the move aboard the ship, the crew started their regular duties of standing watches, preparing meals, training and conducting post-delivery testing.
During the next two-and-a-half months, as Northrop Grumman Avondale Operations puts the finishing touches on the ship, the crew will participate in various inspections and crew certification events, including a light-off assessment before they depart New Orleans.
In late November, Green Bay will transit through the Panama Canal en route to its homeport of San Diego where it will join sister ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). In late January 2009, Green Bay will be commissioned in a formal ceremony in Long Beach, Calif.
Interesting Argentine Armada Website
Here is an interesting link with photos of the classic ships of the Argentine Armada.
Argentine Armada
b]Photo of the Day[/b]
Ens. Adam Berry and Lt.j.g. Douglas Nelson stand watch on the bridge of the guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) during a general quarters drill. The Simpson crew is conducting a total ship survivability exercise to simulate numerous simultaneous missile attacks, including eight small boat attacks and a torpedo attack.
Gator
