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




U-166

Today’s website is U-166 - The Gulf of Mexico's Lost U-Boat. For those of you who don’t know the history of this mysterious hunter, this site is well worth the visit. Also, this site links to another site which covers the u-boat war in the Gulf of Mexico.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1912 - Lt. Theodore Ellyson makes first successful launching of an airplane (A-3) by catapult at the Washington Navy Yard.
1940 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Harold R. Stark submits memorandum to Secretary of the Navy on four plans if U.S. enters war. He favors the fourth one, Plan Dog, calling for strong offensive in the Atlantic and defense in the Pacific.
1942 - First day of the three days of fighting in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt embarks on USS Iowa (BB 61) to go to the Allied conferences at Teheran, Iran, and Cairo, Egypt.


Serving and providing in the South China Sea
Source: Royal Australian Navy press release

HMAS Sirius' motto is "To Serve and Provide." She has accomplished this and so much more during Exercise Bersama Lima 2008. All the methods of replenishment central to her concept of operations have been put to the test and proven to be rock solid.

Between 8 and 24 October soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and frogmen of the Five Power Defence Agreement (FPDA) nations came together once again to sharpen the tip of the sword in Anti Air, Anti Submarine, Anti Surface and Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving. HMA Ships Sirius, Anzac, Norman and Yarra along with ships and aircraft from the United Kingdom, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore participated. This multinational exercise is aimed at enhancing FPDA interoperability whilst cultivating professional ties at all levels with our regional neighbours.



Operations conducted by Sirius included underway replenishment, vertical replenishment, raft-up refuelling, surface and anti-air gunnery, explosive ordnance disposal, casualty control drills, damage control and tactical manoeuvres. The ability to conduct replenishment alone allowed the Australian, New Zealand and British units to stay on task longer and undertake operations of a greater diversity. Over one million litres of fuel and fifteen tonnes of stores were provided by Sirius to three of the participating nations during the eight days of the sea phase. In a first for the FPDA, the underway "hook-up" of both the Singaporean frigate RSS Intrepid and the Malaysian frigate KD Lekir made a clean sweep for Sirius – five out of five participating Navies.

Sirius made the most of the opportunity for inter-Navy learning by participating in a well-organised personnel exchange program. This program saw officers and sailors from each ship spending a day at a time across on one of their counterparts to see how the other side lives. This event was a great opportunity to foster friendship and co-operation between the participating Navies.

Bersama Lima has been a very successful exercise for all involved. The Men and Women of Sirius have lived up to our motto. It's what we do and it's who we are!



Halsey Crew Pilots New Fuel Conservation Program During Deployment
Source: US Navy press release

When USS Halsey (DDG 97) returned to homeport Nov. 3 following a six-month deployment and friends and family waved the familiar red, white and blue of the American flag, the crew knew they had done more than just supporting maritime security operations and the war on terrorism. They had actually played a major role in "going green" and saving thousands of gallons of fuel through a pilot fuel conservation program.



Late-model Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like Halsey are equipped with three diesel fuel-marine Gas Turbine Generators (GTGs) capable of producing 3,000 kilowatts of electricity each. Standard engineering plant operations include two GTGs on-line at all times in order to provide power to shipboard systems.

By assessing periods of reduced power requirements during their deployment, Halsey's engineers initially tested a pilot program running only one GTG at night, conserving between 600-900 gallons of fuel daily.

Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 1st Class (SW) Ganeshwar Rao, the leading fuels petty officer aboard Halsey, said the ship analyzed its power consumption and determined energy usage during the late evening hours and found that two on-line generators were producing nearly three times the average electrical demand.

"This is due to several factors including cooler nighttime temperatures that reduce air conditioner load, less starting and stopping of equipment due to maintenance, and lights turned off in crew berthing areas and unoccupied spaces," said Rao. "As a result, even one generator's output capacity exceeds the average nighttime electrical load by 30 percent or more."

According to Lt. Rich Robbins, Halsey's chief engineer, the engineering team also took a total-ship approach to weigh potential operational impacts of single generator operations before going forward with the program.

"We didn't want to compromise our ability to fight the ship or defend against an emergent threat," said Robbins.

Robbins said the ship ran numerous trials, energizing various elements of its combat system to measure the impact of any spikes in electrical demand, and drilling watch standers in re-aligning the propulsion plant from single generator configuration to its maximum readiness condition. The results proved one generator sufficient to support a full array of defensive and offensive responses.

"We evaluated the costs versus the benefits of single generator operations," said Robbins. "We determined we could achieve significant cost savings without introducing unacceptable risk."

As the idea for the program evolved, Halsey's Senior Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician (SW) Odelon Malig initiated discussions with the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) gas turbine experts regarding the technical feasibility of the pilot.

"They were excited about the idea," said Malig. "Both SWRMC and NAVSSES [Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station] Philadelphia provided positive feedback and data collection guidance and felt there was no technical reason to not move forward with the pilot program. They are awaiting our feedback and lessons learned."

Cmdr. Robert E. Beauchamp, who assumed command of Halsey during the deployment and after the pilot program began, said he is impressed with the fuel-saving measures.

"Everyone in America is feeling the effects of higher energy costs," said Beauchamp. "We have been entrusted with these magnificent ships, it is our responsibility to act as true stewards of the public's trust and efficiently manage the resources."

Beauchamp said he is proud of the efforts of the Halsey engineers who helped develop and implement the pilot program.

"We've benefited from great technical assistance provided by the SWRMC gas turbines shop both before deployment and as we have proceeded with this pilot project," said Beauchamp. "The results have been remarkable, saving over 21,000 barrels of fuel this quarter alone."

The PELESG, which deployed May 4, is led by Commander, Amphibious Squadron 3 and includes the flag ship, USS Peleliu (LHA 5), the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the amphibious ships USS Dubuque (LPD and USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), the guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) and the guided-missile destroyers Halsey and USS Benfold (DDG 65).


Photo of the Day



The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) arrives in New York City for a week of community outreach events, public tours, and support for the grand reopening of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

Gator