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



Alert - Community Build Session 6
Muster up, all Community Build participants!
It's that time again, yes, time for me to start poking, prodding and reminding to you you all that the close of Session 6 of our Community Build is gaining fast!
As per contest rule, all image updates have to be uploaded and in your personal BLOG by the first of December, EST, so mark your calendars, my friends, and take heed!


Review - Special Navy German Ty XXIII Sub(1986)
MSW crew-mate Jan Klarbæk (MrMox) shares his thought and opinions of Special Navy's 1:72 scale German Type XXIII Submarine kit, in this "inbox" style review!
Review




Nihon Kaigun

Today’s website is Nihon Kaigun. This reference site encompasses all things Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. One of the things that makes this site so special is that included in the information about the different ships is the tabular movement records of each individual ship. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1847 - Lt. William Lynch aboard Supply sails from New York to Haifa for an expedition to the River Jordan and the Dead Sea. His group charted the Jordan River from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and compiled reports of the flora and fauna of the area.
1940 - Sixth and last group of ships involved in Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement transferred to British at Nova Scotia.


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

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!


Mark 7 Receives ARC Upgrade
Source: US Naval Air Systems Command

A little upgrade in technology is going a long way for Sailors and aircraft, and gathering some significant words of encouragement along the way.

The Advanced Recovery Control (ARC) is a digital arresting-gear control system modification for the Mark 7 arresting gear found on Fleet carriers.

ARC replaces the older, mechanical system which utilized levers and mechanical actuators to control landing aircraft. The upgrade to a digitally controlled system allows for easier maintenance and use. Because of its ability to digitally monitor and automate the control system, ARC removes the “human error” factor, making it a more accurate and reliable system, lessening the damage to aircraft and potential injuries to Sailors.

“The Mark 7 Arresting Gear remains the same, “said Wayne Kovas, ARC team lead. “However, instead of being controlled by levers and [mechanical] actuators to set the engine and to stop the aircraft as was the case previously, all of that work is done by an electronic system. These electronic upgrades feature less moving parts to replace or repair and offer better reliability.”

ARC is installed at the Naval Air Systems Command Lakehurst, N.J., test sites. Before it was sent to the Fleet, ARC underwent simulated arrestment testing at the Lakehurst Jet Car Track, assuring system’s function during deployment.

ARCs initial installation was on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Nov. 24, 2007. Since its installation, the ship has accomplished more than10,000 arrested landings. ARC was recently installed on the USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) and will be begin use on a three month deployment in Winter 2009.

This electronic upgrade is garnering positive feedback from those who use ARC on daily basis.

The system has performed with “absolutely superb results during three in-flight engagements resulting in no damage to aircraft or arresting gear. Our fleet and engineering support has been outstanding and responsive since installation. The ARC should be considered a huge success and giant step forward for carrier aviation,” said Capt. John Breast, air boss on the USS Reagan.

Another benefit of the ARC is its ability to electronically collect the data from the aircraft arrestment log, a data repository which collects information from the aircraft’s carrier landing and store it on the system. Carriers which do not have ARC installed require Sailors to manually record the data.

“What it’s doing now is collecting parameters from the arrestment, so if there are issues, we can pinpoint the problems,” said Kovas. “One of the benefits is that ARC can read that data and recognize system fault, such as low pressure or overheating oil.”
With the addition of advanced technology such as ARC to the fleet, the Navy can reap the benefits of its use with today’s increasingly tech-savvy Sailors.

“In the hands of the modern Sailor, who has grown up with digital technologies, advanced systems such as ARC give us an incomparable advantage in the battlefield,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, NAVAIR’s Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (PMA-251) program manager. “I think it goes without saying that ARC is one of those systems that automatically improves our Fleet and will collect invaluable data for Fleet maintenance and safety professionals.”

The system is scheduled to be installed on all commissioned Fleet carriers, except for USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), which will receive the Advanced Arresting Gear, the next-generation replacement of the Mark 7 arresting gear. ARC’s next installation is slated for spring 2009 on board the George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).

The PMA-251 ALRE program is committed to managing the development, demonstration and acquisition of operational advances in aviation data management and control systems, expeditionary air fields and all launch and recovery related products. PMA-251’s mission is to consistently deliver adaptable and reliable technology to the Fleet.


Photo of the Day



Countermeasure wash down sprinklers are activated after a flight deck scrub exercise as the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) transits the Pacific Ocean.

Gator