Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Uboat Aces - Installment 5
Sean Ford shares with us his fifth installment of U-boat Aces. This ace’s boat was the focus of a book and movie.
Uboat Ace.
Recruiting - Reviewers Wanted
Model Shipwrights is looking for kit reviewers. If you think you can write a review, click on the link below to see what the task entails and then contact Mark Smith (Gunny)
Reviewers
NavSource
NavSource is a great reference for all US Navy ships. A one-stop shopping site if you like. If you don’t have this one bookmarked, take time to do it now.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1775 - Congress votes to raise two battalions of Continental Marines, establishing the Marine Corps.
1941 - U.S.-escorted convoy WS-12, carrying 20,000 British troops to Singapore, sails from Halifax.
1975 – The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks suddenly in a Lake Superior gale approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay. All 29 hands in the crew perished, presumably by drowning. The incident is the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and is the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's hit song, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald."
Accident on Russian nuclear sub suffocates 20
Source: Russian Navy press release
The fire safety system on a brand-new Russian nuclear submarine accidentally turned on as the sub was being tested in the Sea of Japan, spewing a gas that suffocated 20 people and sent 21 others to the hospital, officials said Sunday.
The Russian Navy said the submarine itself was not damaged in Saturday's accident and returned to its base on Russia's Pacific coast under its own power Sunday. The accident also did not pose any radiation danger, the navy said.
Yet it was Russia's worst naval accident since torpedo explosions sank another nuclear-powered submarine, the Kursk, in the Barents Sea in 2000, killing all 118 seamen aboard.
Overcrowding may have been a significant factor on Saturday.
The submarine being tested had 208 people aboard, including 81 seamen, according to Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo. Yet Russian news agencies said a sub of this type normally carries only a crew of 73.
"A submarine is the most vulnerable during trials. With both navy and civilian personnel on board, it's very dificult to keep such a large number of people organized," Gennady Illarionov, a retired submarine officer, told the RIA Novosti news agency.
The victims suffocated after the submarine's fire-extinguishing system released Freon gas, said Vladimir Markin, an official with Russia's top investigative agency. He said forensic tests found Freon in the victims' lungs.
Seventeen civilians and three seamen died in the accident and 21 others were hospitalized after being evacuated to shore, Dygalo said, adding that none of the injuries were life-threatening.
"The submarine's nuclear reactor was operating normally and radiation levels were normal," Dygalo said, explaining that the accident affected two sections of the submarine closest to the bow.
Markin's agency, the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor General's office, has launched a probe into the accident, which he said will focus on what activated the firefighting system and possible violations of submarine operating rules.
Lev Fyodorov, a top Russian chemical expert, agreed that the Freon pushed oxygen out, causing those inside to die of suffocation. But he wondered why the individual breathing kits that everyone on board is supposed to have did not keep people from dying.
"People on board the sub may have failed to use their breathing equipment when they found themselves in an emergency," he told the AP.
Igor Kurdin, a retired navy officer who heads an association of former submariners, told Ekho Moskvy radio that the high death toll probably resulted from shipyard workers who lacked experience in dealing with the breathing kits.
A siren warning the crew that the firefighting system was turning on also may have failed, RIA Novosti quoted an unidentified navy official as saying, so those on board might not have realized that Freon was being released until it was too late.
The submarine returned Sunday to Bolshoi Kamen, a military shipyard and a navy base near Vladivostok. Officials at the Amur Shipbuilding Factory said they built the submarine and it is called the Nerpa. Dygalo said it was to be commissioned by the navy later this year.
Construction of the Nerpa, an Akula II class attack submarine, started in 1991 but was suspended for years because of a shortage of funding, they said. Testing on the submarine began last month and it submerged for the first time last week.
The U.S.-based intelligence risk assessment agency Stratfor said the Akula is an established design, with the Nerpa being the 11th ship of the class.
"Such a catastrophic accident calls into question the way the Russian navy has sustained its institutional knowledge in terms of design expertise, not to mention issues of quality control, both in fabrication and inspection," Stratfor said.
Saturday's accident came as the Kremlin is seeking to restore Russia's naval reach, part of a drive to show off the nuclear-armed country's clout amid strained ties with the West. A naval squadron is heading to Venezuela for joint exercises this month in a show of force near U.S. waters.
Despite a major boost in military spending during Vladimir Putin's eight years as president, Russia's military is still hampered by decrepit infrastructure, aging weapons and problems with corruption and incompetence.
Illarionov said the accident appeared to reflect the loss of crucial skills in conducting sea trials.
"During the Soviet times, we commissioned three to five submarines a year, and now we get just one in five years," Illarionov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. "People forgot caution and lost their skills."
The Kremlin said President Dmitry Medvedev was told about the accident immediately and ordered a thorough investigation. Putin, now prime minister, was criticized for his slow response to the Kursk disaster.
In 2003, 11 people also died when a Russian submarine that was being taken out of service sank in the Barents Sea.
Fleet Flagship Commemorates Proud History of HMS Ark Royal III
Source: Royal Navy press release
The Fleet Flagship, HMS Ark Royal, is currently operating in the vicinity of Gibraltar with the Merlin helicopters of 820 Naval Air Squadron. As the Royal Navy Ship passed over the site where the third HMS Ark Royal was sunk on 14 November 1941, the hectic routine came to a halt and the Ship’s Company gathered on the Flight Deck to pay their respects and lay a wreath to commemorate her proud and distinguished service during World War II.
This act of remembrance commemorated not just those who fought in the third HMS Ark Royal but also, with the proximity to Remembrance Day, all those who lost their lives at sea and are still serving in areas of hostilities.
The act of remembrance was lead by the Ship’s Chaplain, the Reverend Richard Ellingham, who said, “It is so important in this busy world that we take the time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Conducting a service of this kind over the site of the third HMS Ark Royal’s resting place is both very poignant and special to our Ship’s Company. The act of remembrance unifies us all. ”
The third HMS Ark Royal saw an intense period of hostilities in the first two years of the War. She became Britain’s best known warship, a talisman of good fortune for the British public and a target of German propaganda. She was deployed to the South Atlantic to assist in the search of the Graf Spee, was employed in the North Sea during the German invasion of Norway and took part in several convoy operations and air strikes in the Mediterranean. Her most famous action came in May 1941 when her Swordfish torpedo bombers from 820 Squadron (the same Squadron as is embarked today) crippled the German battleship Bismarck. The ARK was sunk on 14 November 1941, after being hit by a torpedo from the German U-81.
Set on the Flight Deck during the ceremony today was a magnificent silver bell, bought by the surviving Ship’s Company in 1941. Engraved on the bell is the quotation “May the sound of this bell remind us of the power of harmony in the lives of men" – a most moving memento.
HMS Ark Royal’s Commanding Officer, Captain John Clink OBE said, “It is very important that we mark the site where the third ARK was sunk. It was a moving ceremony, made more so by being so close to Remembrance Sunday and the anniversary of the sinking. The Ship’s Company of the third ARK were well known to have a fantastic attitude and will to win, known at the time as ‘the Spirit of the Ark’ – and this is still alive today in the amazing people that I am proud to command.”
Two days ago, the Ship laid another wreath above the location of the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy’s most famous victory, and on this Sunday Captain Clink will lead 50 of the Ship’s company in a Remembrance Parade at the Gibraltar war memorial.
EA-18G Moves to Operational Evaluation
Source: US Naval Air Systems Command
In a culmination of milestones over the past year and a half, the EA-18G Growler has moved to Operational Evaluation (OpEval).
The Growler, replacing the EA-6B Prowler, has conducted its sea trials, tested missiles and surpassed more than 1,000 flight hours in the past several months.
The Growler’s sea trials occurred July 31 through Aug. 5 on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The combined efforts of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) carrier suitability team, the F/A-18 and EA-18G program office, industry partners and crew members of the USS Eisenhower, resulted in 319 approaches, 62 catapult shots and 62 arrested landings.
Originally, the squadron planned to use one EA-18G for 10 days to conduct the sea trials, which would have allowed for greater flexibility in weather and deck conditions. However, due to operational requirements of the Eisenhower, the squadron was required to qualify the Growler for the carrier in just five days, half of the initial allotted time.
To achieve this, the squadron used one Growler and one F/A-18, configured as a Growler.
“Most of those who saw our plan didn’t think it was executable because we had to go out to the ship, spend five days getting over 300 approaches, which was in the original plan as well as 62 arrested landings and 62 catapult shots. The team and the Eisenhower really pulled it through for us,” said Cmdr. Jaime Engdahl, VX-23 EA-18G department head.
Engdahl described the integrated testing conducted throughout the sea trials as a combination of developmental testers and operational testers in the cockpit at the same time. The advantage being that the operational testers were given the ability to observe the aircraft all the way through the testing.
“In OpEval, the operational testers already have hundreds of hours of flight testing, they know what the systems are like, they have input into design changes and potential problems. The real benefit is the Fleet gets a better product earlier,” said Engdahl.
On Aug. 5, the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) test was conducted on the Growler at NAWCWD, China Lake. The air-to-surface tactical missile is designed to seek and destroy enemy radar-equipped air defense systems. The AGM-88 can detect, attack and destroy a target with minimum aircrew input. Guidance is provided through reception of signals emitted from ground-based threat radar.
“The successful HARM shot is another milestone accomplishment on the road to the EA-18G joining our carrier air wings. It demonstrates a key offensive capability of the Growler weapon system,” said Cmdr. Francis Morley, NAVAIR’s EA-18G program manager.
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9), both based at Naval Air Weapons Center, China Lake, tested the first AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) from the Growler July 23.
“This AMRAAM shot is significant in that one, it is a key event in the progression and development of the Growler, and two, it is the first air-to-air missile shot from a Navy electronic attack aircraft. It represents the significantly enhanced capability and multi-role ability the Growler will bring to the Fleet,” said Morley.
The Growler is now at VX-9, where its suitability and effectiveness as an airborne electronic weapon system is being assessed during OpEval. The first three aircraft built on the production line, G1, G2 and G3 are devoted to OpEval.
Following the successful completion of OpEval, the Growler is scheduled for Full Rate Production and delivery in Initial Early Delivery to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) in the spring of 2009. VAQ-129 is the Fleet Replacement Squadron charged with training all EA-18G aviators/aircrew and developing standard operating procedures for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft.
Initial Operational Capability is scheduled for the fall of 2009, with a complete transition of 88 Growlers to the fleet by 2013.
For all you fans of college football, here’s this week’s BCS top 5
1. Alabama
2. Texas Tech
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma
Scores from around the country…
No. 1 Alabama picks off No. 16 LSU in overtime 27-21.
No. 2 Texas Tech rides wave past Oklahoma St. 56-20.
Iowa boots No. 3 Penn St. with game-winning FG 24-23.
No. 4 Texas bounces back with big win over Baylor 45-21.
Tebow bowls No. 5 Florida over hapless Vandy 42-14.
Scores of interest
Liberty downs VMI 38-26.
Senior Newswriter Gator Loup’s alma mater McNeese outscores Stephen F. Austin 42-31.
Military Academy Scores
Navy was off this weekend.
Freshman duo key as Air Force blasts Colorado St. 38-17.
Rice rolls over Army 38-31.
Photo of the Day
The crew of the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) mans the rails during her commissioning ceremony at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wis.
Gator
