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



Community Build Session 5
LAST Call! Session 5 of our "MSW Community Build" is at the end, make sure that you have your monthly progress photos uploaded and posted in your "BLOG" by 11/1/08, which will then close this session of the event!


On Display - "HMS Repluse"
MSW crew mate An Chu (anchu1939) shares a fine gallery of images of his 1/700 build of Tamiya Models, HMS Repulse, in this "On Display" photo feature!
On Display




TCG Yavuz (Goeben) Website

While surfing the net, I recently discovered a website dedicated to the “ship that changed the world”, the German battle cruiser Goeben.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1941 - German submarine U-552 sinks USS Reuben James (DD 245), which was escorting Convoy HX 156, with a loss of 115 lives -- First U.S. ship lost to enemy action in World War II.
1943 - Lt. Hugh D. O'Neill of VF(N)-75 destroys a Japanese aircraft during night attack off Vella Lavella in first kill by a radar-equipped night fighter of the Pacific Fleet.
1956 - Navy men land in R4D Skytrain on the ice at the South Pole. Rear Adm. George Dufek, Capt. Douglas Cordiner, Capt. William Hawkes, Lt. Cmdr. Conrad Shinn, Lt. John Swadener, Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class J. P. Strider and Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class William Cumbie are the first men to stand on the South Pole since Capt. Robert F. Scott in 1912.
1956 - USS Burdo (APD 133) and USS Harlan R. Dickson (DD 708) evacuate 166 persons from Haifa, Israel, due to the fighting between Egypt and Israel.
1961 - End of Lighter than Air in U.S. Navy with disestablishment of Fleet Airship Wing 1 and ZP-1 and ZP-3, the last operating units in LTA branch of naval aviation, at Lakehurst, N.J.


Anglo-Italian Alliance to Pursue Major UK Naval Auxiliary Shipbuilding Contract

Fincantieri is forming a major European Alliance with the British shipyard, Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders Ltd (NSL) – based in the famous Cammell Laird Shipyard in Birkenhead UK. Cammell Laird has a long and distinguished history dating back to 1820 and has built some of the Royal Navy’s finest vessels including HMS Ark Royal along with the first guided missile destroyer and a number of nuclear submarines. Today NSL is a prime contractor to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Service.

This alliance will enhance support to Fincantieri in pursuit of the tender to build six fleet replenishment tankers for UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) programme known as the MARS project. When built, these vessels will join the existing RFA fleet.

The MARS project is an International competition being managed under European Union guidelines and Fincantieri was recently short-listed along with 3 other prominent international shipbuilders.

If successful in winning the MARS contract, this will maintain substantial employment in Italy and the UK.

Alberto Maestrini, Executive Senior Vice President of Fincantieri Naval vessel business unit, commenting on the Alliance said “this is part of a larger strategy of collaboration with NSL and if successful with the MARS tender, the companies will pursue other business opportunities in the naval auxiliary, naval export and offshore markets. The alliance provides Fincantieri with a strong professional ally strategically based in the UK”.

Mr Maestrini concluded, “this is a case of combining the talents of Europe’s largest shipbuilder with NSL who has an enviable track record of serving UK MOD in the support of the RFA fleet.”

NSL Managing Director John Syvret said “I am delighted to have the opportunity to reinforce Fincantieri’s MARS bid with expertise from a British Shipyard that has a proud history of delivering some of the Royal Navy’s finest vessels. I genuinely believe the alliance can provide an innovative European solution for MOD and ensure a significant amount of work would be undertaken in the UK, important in a time of economic downturn.”

Mr Syvret concluded “the alliance will massively strengthen NSL’s business, expanding its services to both the public and private sectors”.


Fincantieri is one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world with 8 shipyards in Italy and a workforce of 9,400 with a reputation for high quality, on-time delivery and excellent value for money. Fincantieri is a world leader in the build of cruise ships and has a business scope that also covers Naval, Naval Auxiliary, Merchant, Super Yachts, Ferries, offshore vessels, shiprepair, major conversions and the design and manufacture of marine systems and key equipment.

NSL was founded in 2001 and operates from the famous Cammell Laird Shipyard. The company employs over 1000 people directly and indirectly from its Birkenhead base on the River Mersey. In June 2008 the company was awarded its biggest contract when UK MOD awarded a £180 Million contract to maintain 11 of its 16 strong RFA Fleet. Subject to key performance indicators being met, the five-year rolling contract will run for up to 30 years.


Sagem Défense Sécurité Vampir NG Infrared Search & Track System Chosen for Australia’s New LHD Amphibious Assault Ships

Sagem Défense Sécurité (SAFRAN Group) has won a contract from BAE Systems Australia, in an international call for tenders, to supply VAMPIR NG (Veille Air-Mer Panoramique Infrarouge Nouvelle Génération – New Generation Infrared Panoramic Air-Sea Surveillance) infrared surveillance systems for the Royal Australian Navy’s future Canberra class LHD (Landing Helicopter Deck) amphibious assault ships.

Vampir NG is a new-generation infrared search and track (IRST) system. Designed to cope with both symmetrical and asymmetrical threats, at sea and along coastlines, it calls on state-of-the-art image processing technology, and deploys third-generation gyrostabilized infrared sensors for maximum efficiency.

Against a severe competition, the choice of the Australian Navy has been determined by the high level of preformances of VAMPIR NG, its detection and image processing capability along with its high level of integration.

Sagem Défense Sécurité’s VAMPIR NG is integrated in the ship’s own combat system. Offering a high-resolution panoramic image, it provides surveillance and warning functions to contribute to the ship’s self-defense capabilities. It can also be used as a helicopter landing aid, and to help control the movements of landing craft.

The system’s high performance and excellent cost efficiency ratio were decisive factors in the Australian Navy choice, in particular its long detection range and its quick acquisition capability for all types of threats, from sea sea-skimming missiles to small high-speed craft.

This latest contract follows an earlier Royal Australian Navy contract won by Sagem Défense Sécurité in 2005 to supply VAMPIR NG systems for Anzac class frigates.


Sagem Défense Sécurité is a high-tech company in the SAFRAN Group. It is a world or European leader in solutions and services in optronics, avionics and critical software for the civilian and military markets. Sagem Défense Sécurité is the European No. 1 and worldwide No.3 in INSs for aeronautic, naval and land applications. It is also the worldwide No.1 in helicopter flight controls and the European No.1 in optronic and tactical UAV systems. Present across the globe via the SAFRAN Group’s international network, Sagem Défense Sécurité and its subsidiaries employ 6,000 people in Europe and the US.


Photo of the Day



The amphibious transport dock ship USS Ponce (LPD 15) pulls away after a practice approach during a fueling at sea training evolution with the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5).

Gator