Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
NEWS! - First Images from Plamodel
Cyber-Hobby.com has scooped the show with the first "live" images of Hasegawa Models newbies at the "All Japan Plamodel Radicon Show"!
News
On Display - SSGN K-186 “Omsk”
Rui Matos has done a beautiful job with his 1/700 Russian SSGN K-186 “Omsk” diorama. Take a look and don’t forget to leave a comment.
On Display
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This Day in U.S. Naval History
1885 - Navy Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan becomes superintendent of the Naval War College.
1891 - A brawl between American Sailors and Chilean nationals outside the True Blue Saloon in Valparaiso, Chile, resulted in two American Sailors killed, 17 wounded (five seriously) and many arrested. The incident sparked a diplomatic crisis that lasted for months, occasionally threatening war between the two countries, until a settlement was reached.
1940 - Fifth group of 10 destroyers from the Destroyers for Bases Deal are turned over to the British in Halifax, Canada.
1942 - Carrier aircraft from USS Hornet (CV
conduct attacks on Japanese troops on Guadalcanal.1943 - The Navy accepts its first helicopter, a Sikorsky YR-4B (HNS-1), at Bridgeport, Conn.
Patria Delivered Missile Boats to Croatia
Patria has delivered two Helsinki-class missile boats to the Croatian Navy on October 13, 2008. The boats have been used by the Finnish Navy. The boat class was removed from service as it reached the end of its lifespan and the renovation was not considered expedient.
The missile boats called Kotka and Oulu will be loaded in Turku onboard a ship transporting them to Croatia.
According to the contract signed in July 2008 Patria also trains the Croatian crew. Additionally Patria pursues maintenance of the boats.
Patria is a strategic partner for the Finnish Navy and has maintained their diesel engines since 1964.
”Patria is a versatile and flexible partner supporting the Finnish Defence Forces’ equipment in the different stages of their lifespan. Our operations cover the introduction, maintenance, training, modifications and upgrades as well as decommission in the most effective manner”, states Executive Vice President Jukka Holkeri from Patria.
”Helsinki-class boats have served the Finnish Navy almost 30 years. With its successful structure it was well-suited for the harsh circumstances in the Baltic Sea and its archipelago. With these boats the Finnish Navy became a modern Navy. We are happy to see that these still seaworthy boats can continue in service thanks to Patria”, says the Commander of the Finnish Navy, Vice Admiral Hans Holmström.
Upgrades Test Positive On Navy's Largest Warship
Following a major upgrade the Royal Navy's largest warship HMS Ocean has successfully conducted two weeks of sea trials.
A £30 million investment in the ship and 14 months in the hands of Babcock Marine in HM Naval Base Devonport has maintained the commando carrier at the sharp end of the Royal Navy's capability after ten years' service.
The trials in south west waters are designed to test that the ship's systems and weapons work perfectly after improvements and upgrades.
First the crew had to be tested in their ability to keep the ship safe from the potential hazards of being at sea, such as fire, floods and navigational risks. This involved a team of experts from the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) organisation joining the ship to put the crew through their paces. The crew passed with flying colours and impressed the sea training staff with their enthusiasm and commitment.
The ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Simon Kings Royal Navy, said:
"HMS Ocean has come a very long way in the last two months. When we moved back onboard in July the size and scope of the work yet to be completed was daunting. The crew and Babcock Marine have made tremendous progress, often working through the night with grit and determination to get the ship operational again on time. I am looking forward to the next stage when the sea training staff will come onboard again and this time help us to train not just to operate but how to work as a fighting unit - to 'fight the ship'.
"This has been an intense period of training that has seen the culmination of much hard work by all on board, including Babcock Marine and civilian contractors who came to sea to put last minute finishing touches to the ship."
Following the assessment of the safety aspects, the ship then concentrated on material issues, ensuring the engines and diesel generators worked under various conditions. Radar systems were tested for accuracy and all guns test-fired, including the 'Phalanx' radar-controlled, multi-barrelled cannon which successfully obliterated a target towed by an aircraft with its 3,000 rounds-per-minute rate of fire.
After only a brief respite, HMS Ocean will return to sea again to resume her programme of sea trials before embarking on operational sea training in November 2008 - the next step up from basic sea training under FOST.
World First: DCNS Achieves Automatic UAV Landing On Frigate
On 9 and 10 October 2008, DCNS successfully landed a rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in automatic mode on French Navy frigate Montcalm while the ship was under way in the Mediterranean.
Until now, unresolved challenges involving UAV recovery by ships at sea have limited their deployment for safety reasons. The experimental solutions available to date have only worked reliably during daylight and in calm seas; two severe limitations for systems that are required to operate round the clock and in poor weather.
To overcome these shortcomings, DCNS developed the SADA automatic deck landing and take-off system. SADA takes less than 2 minutes to land a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV on a moving flight deck up to sea state 5. SADA uses an infrared sensor to accurately track the UAV while generating flight commands to adjust the trajectory until the UAV is positioned to ensure that its harpoon engages the centre of the landing grid. Tracking accuracy is 30 cm which is far better than that achieved by GPS-only systems. Overall safety and reliability are thus assured.
SADA features an open architecture and can be readily and unobtrusively integrated with any VTOL UAV and any type of ship.
This success is the result of close cooperation between DCNS and Austrian company Schiebel, manufacturer of the Camcopter S-100 UAV that performed the demonstration.
Thanks to this innovation, DCNS can now offer client navies an integrated solution for UAV deployment from mission planning to launch, execution and recovery. The components are thus available for the operational integration of VTOL UAVs with naval vessels.
UAVs promise to improve the air/sea surveillance capabilities of naval vessels. Key benefits include excellent endurance and loitering, danger-free for crews, low cost per flight hour, stealth and flexibility.
Photo of the Day
The guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) maneuvers in front of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50).
Gator
