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



Victory at Sea - Battle of Dakar
In the latest installment of Victory at Sea, we look at the WWII naval battle of Dakar.
Victory at Sea

On display - U-boot Type XXIII, 1:72 Scale
MSW Crew-mate Jan Klarbæk (MrMox) sends us a fine batch of images of his latest build, U-boot, Type XXIII, in 1:72 scale.
On display

MSW Artist Profile ~ Guido Hopp
Join Mark Smith in a one-on-on conversation with MSW crew-mate Guido Hopp (Tailor) in this next installment of our "MSW Artist Profile" series! Artist Profile

Community Build, Session 4
We have a very busy time at MSW of late, be careful not to forget that the end of Build Session Four of our "MSW Community Build" is coming up fast!
September hath 30 days, and this next session will officially close on the start of Oct. 1, 2008, EST, so to qualify for this months score, be sure that you have your latest and greatest progress images uploaded and posted into your individual BLOG threads...Keep modeling!
Community Build, Session 4

Poll - Are YOU happy with the subjects...?
Our latest MSW Opinion Poll asks quite simply, "Are YOU happy with the subjects that ship model manufacturers are releasing?"
Voice your opinion in the vote, and leave your comments and details in this thread!
Poll




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1779 - Captain John Paul Jones, in Continental Navy frigate Bonhomme Richard, captures HMS Serapis.
1931 - Lt. Alfred Pride pilots Navy's first rotary wing aircraft, XOP-1 autogiro, in landings and takeoffs aboard USS Langley (CV 1) while underway.
1944 - Naval Task Group lands Army troops on Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands.
1944 - USS West Virginia (BB 48) reaches Pearl Harbor and rejoins the Pacific Fleet, marking the end of the salvage and reconstruction of 18 ships damaged Dec. 7, 1941.
1947 - James Forrestal, former Secretary of the Navy, takes office as the first Secretary of Defense.
1990 - Two hospital ships -- USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) -- steam together for the first time in the Arabian Gulf.

HMS Kent in Hong Kong

Following a busy week at sea, where the Ship had a chance to practice emergency routines and continue to develop their training, HMS Kent has just visited Hong Kong for a logistics stop and to support local engagements.

Many of the Ship’s Company took the opportunity to take some leave in Hong Kong, flying families out to join them and enjoy the modern and diverse region that has close historical links to the Royal Navy. Not only does this allow sailors to see their loved-ones for the first time in several months, but it also means that many families will be able to enjoy their own visit to one of our ports of call for themselves. During the visit, the Ship held a number of official engagements, ship tours and sporting events; for many of the crew, this was their first visit to Hong Kong.

A team of volunteers also spent the day with the Cross Roads Charity at Tuen Men, where they helped install audio-visual equipment into a ‘life experience’ room designed to educate people and businesses on the true effects of poverty and the impact of living with diseases and disabilities. In particular, the team worked in setting up a new room designed to highlight the impact of blindness, such as that caused by River Blindness in Africa. Lieutenant Adrian Botham found the visit to be truly rewarding, “It was a fascinating and sobering opportunity to see the efforts of Cross Roads and the effectiveness of the life experience rooms in educating others.”

HMS Kent is now just over half-way through her six month deployment to South Asia and the Far East, but she still has a busy time ahead of her with multi-national exercises to take part in and continuing her role of conducting maritime security patrols in the area before her planned return to the UK at the end of year.


USS Mesa Verde Completes Shock Trials

USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) completed its third and final shock trial event off the coast of Mayport, Fla., Sept. 13. The ship performed well and is currently returning to Norfolk for post-trial inspection.

Mesa Verde's shock trials are part of the congressionally mandated Live Fire Test and Evaluation Program that requires realistic survivability testing on each new class of Navy ships. Mesa Verde is the third of the new San Antonio-class of amphibious transport dock ships.

The test results from a shock trial provide important information that is applied to follow-on ships and is used to improve the initial ship design and enhance the effectiveness and overall survivability of the ship and crew.

"I am truly excited about the performance of this crew and this ship to bring these shock trials to successful completion," said Capt. Shawn Lobree, Mesa Verde's commanding officer. "We were faced with some challenges, but the diligent efforts of Mesa Verde's crew and the test community, along with a little break in this season's very active hurricane season, allowed us to complete this important testing for this new class."

The first shot of Mesa Verde's shock trial was successfully conducted Aug.16. The second shot was delayed due to Tropical Storm Fay but was successfully executed Aug. 26. Concerns with other hurricane threats and sea conditions delayed the third shot until Sept. 13.

During shock trials, ships experience the effects of 10,000-pound explosive charge detonations which occur successively closer to the ship. These trials are critical to the ship and crew's survivability and provide the best means to assess the shock response of a manned ship and the interaction of the ship's systems and components.

Prior to conducting the shock trials, an environmental impact statement was issued to address the proposed event, the impact on air and water quality, marine life (including marine mammals and endangered and threatened species), commercial fishing and shipping, recreation, and economic and commercial resources.

The Navy identified a preferred location offshore Mayport for the shock trials that met the project's purpose and need, satisfied operational requirements and minimized environmental impacts. The Navy incorporated protective measures to minimize potential adverse effects to the environment during and after the shock trials.




For all you fans of college football, here’s this week’s AP Top 5
1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. LSU

Scores from around the country…
No 1. USC and No. 2 Oklahoma were off Saturday.
Moreno, Green lead No. 3 Georgia past Arizona St., 27 - 10.
Tebow, No. 4 Gators again handle Vols with ease, 30 – 6.
Daniel throws for 439 yards, sets Big 12 mark as No. 5 Mizzou rolls over Buffalo 42 – 21.

Scores of interest
LaFell's touchdown catch lifts LSU past Auburn in thriller, 26 – 21.
VMI rolls over Chowan, 69 - 20.

Military Academy Scores
Navy squeaks by Rutgers 23 - 21.
Army falls to Akron 22 - 3.
Utah rallies past Air Force 30 – 23.

Photo of the Day



An AV-8B Harrier launches off the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) during flight operations.

Gator