Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Review - Visby Stealth Class Corvette
MSW Senior Editor Rui Matos shares his thought sand opinions on this kit from L''Arsenal Models in this Inbox review!
Review
Valor at Sea
Today’s website is Valor at Sea. This site chronicles the US submarine war in the Pacific during World War II. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1941 - Guam surrenders to Japanese forces.
1941 - Aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV 6) attack and sink Japanese Submarine I-70 north of the Hawaiian Islands. A participant in the Pearl Harbor Attack, I-70 is the first Japanese combatant ship sunk during World War II.
1941 - A patrol bomber from Patrol Squadron 101 shoots down a Japanese zero fighter in first Navy air-to-air kill during World War II.
1950 - Evacuation operations at Wonson, North Korea, are completed.
1979 - The first Poseidon-class submarine configured with Trident missiles, USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN 657), completes its initial deterrent patrol.
1982 - USS Ohio (SSBN 726), the first Trident-Class submarine, returns from first deterrent patrol.
HMS Ledbury's Final Splash before Returning Home
Source: Royal Navy
Last week, Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Ledbury concluded her deployment with a splash when the NATO group she was operating with were tasked to clear historic ordnance that still litters the seabed near the northern French port of Dieppe. Despite high winds and rough seas, Ledbury located numerous WW2 German mines and bombs, and was ordered to the blow up the two largest and most dangerous mines. The ship returns tomorrow on Wednesday 3 December following a four month deployment to the Mediterranean as part of NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Force 1. Since leaving home at the end of July, the ship has travelled as far afield as Greece and southern Morocco. Ledbury has been part of an integrated Mine Countermeasures Force of other mine hunters from Germany, Estonia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Italy, and Spain.
HMS Ledbury’s Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Chris Nelson RN, who joined the Ship at the beginning of her trip, said;
“Ledbury has had a cracking deployment to the Mediterranean. It has been fantastic to operate closely with our NATO allies and get to practise mine hunting – the Ship’s raison d’etre – in dynamic and intense environments that have really tested the Ship’s Company. Ledbury has achieved every task asked of her and it was brilliant to finish the deployment with a real ‘bang’ – when we destroyed two huge World War 2 mines off the French coast. Everyone is now looking forward to some well-earned time at home with our families and friends.”
Throughout her time away, HMS Ledbury exercised her capabilities as a mine hunter in conditions and environments that have challenged her team and their equipment. The ship has hunted exercise mines laid off the French, Italian and Greek coastlines using the remote controlled submersibles while her Mine Clearance Diving Team has been deployed and have found a variety of sea and air dropped mines. Ledbury even found the wreck of a WW2 German bomber aircraft off the Italian port of Taranto.
Ledbury has also been very busy with other exercises that have tested her ability to function as an all-round warship. Ledbury’s gunnery teams have continually proved themselves to be deadly accurate during many gunnery shoots. One highlight was when the Ship’s gunners sank all four targets laid for the whole group to shoot at. The Ship has carried out manoeuvres and replenishments with her counterpart units, transferred stores and personnel by helicopter winch. Numerous internal exercises have made sure that Ledbury’s ability to fight fires and repair damage remains top line.
Members of the Ship’s Company, many of whom have never been away from UK waters before, have savoured the opportunity to practise their professional skills and work with other navies. They have also enjoyed the numerous weekend visits the Ship has made around the Mediterranean – like sightseeing in Pisa, paint-balling in Cartagena, or scuba-diving near Toulon.
Other highlights have included leading the group through the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily at night, hands-to-bathe in the gin-clear waters of the Ionian Sea, and spotting hammer-head sharks in the Atlantic.
Canadian Navy to Escort World Food Program Ships
Source: Canadian Navy
The Government of Canada is deploying the frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec to the coastal region of Somalia for the next few weeks to conduct naval escorts of World Food Program ships carrying life-saving supplies to the area. The government is acting on a request from the UN World Food Program (WFP) and UN International Maritime Organization.
We are currently seeking to receive formal authorization from the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to escort World Food Program ships into their territorial waters. "Food supplies are urgently needed in Somalia but deteriorating security has made delivery difficult by land and sea," said the Honorable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "Canada is stepping up to the plate by tasking Ville de Quebec with the role of escorting World Food Programme ships to ensure their safe arrival at designated ports."
The WFP is responding to urgent humanitarian needs in Somalia. Over 2.4 million Somalis rely on food aid, of which, ninety percent arrives by sea. While pirates have launched 24 attacks (in 2008) on vessels off Somalia's eastern and northern coasts, to date no escorted WFP ships have been targeted. Naval escorts have been provided by France, Denmark and the Netherlands over the last eight months. A Dutch frigate escorted the last ship loaded with food for beneficiaries in Somalia at the end of June. Somalia has been beset by instability and insecurity for almost 20 years and is further affected by the regional drought and increasing world food prices.
"Canada calls on all actors to respect international humanitarian law and ensure full, safe and unhindered access to assist those in need," said the Honorable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"Canada is a dedicated supporter of the WFP, and the deployment of the HMCS Ville de Quebec to Somalia is yet another example of our commitment to those suffering from hunger and food insecurity," said Minister Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation. "We are the third largest contributor to the WFP this year, and it is vital that the contribution we've made produces real results on the ground for those who are in need. By providing this ship, Canada will ensure that millions of Somalians receive the food aid that they so desperately need."
"The Canadian Forces' contribution to this mission highlights our flexibility and determination in supporting international relief efforts," said General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff.
On July 17th, HMCS Ville de Quebec originally deployed on Operation SEXTANT, Canada's maritime contribution to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1). With this new task, which will facilitate humanitarian operations, HMCS Ville de Quebec will operate under Operation ALTAIR for about one month in direct support of WFP shipments to Somalia. Following this mission in September, she will return to her original tasking with SNMG1 scheduled to end in December.
Canada currently has three ships deployed with Operation ALTAIR (Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Iroquois, a destroyer acting as the command ship, Calgary, a frigate, and Protecteur, an auxiliary oil replenishment ship).
Royal Netherlands Navy Launches Harpoons from New Frigate
Source: Boeing Co.
Boeing today announced that the Royal Netherlands Navy has successfully test-launched two Boeing Harpoon missiles from air defense and command frigate (LCF) HMS De Zeven Provinciën. The exercise, which was the first LCF launch of a Harpoon, was held off the coast of Virginia on Nov. 8.
In the exercise scenario, a hostile ship attacked the Dutch frigate, which responded with a salvo of two Harpoon Block IC missiles, marking the first time the Dutch Navy has launched multiple Harpoons on a single target. Both Harpoons hit and destroyed the target. The Netherlands has been a Harpoon customer since 1975.
"We are extremely pleased with the performance of the Harpoon Weapon System during this test, and we congratulate the Royal Netherlands Navy on achieving this new milestone," said Jan Browne, Boeing director of Stand-Off Strike Weapons. "Harpoon is an extremely reliable weapon system in use by the United States and 27 allied countries. We are proud of Boeing Weapons Programs' 33-year relationship with the Netherlands."
Boeing has delivered more than 7,000 missiles to U.S. and allied navies. The Harpoon Block I missile is capable of flying in excess of 67 nautical miles and carries a 500-pound warhead. In 2001, Boeing delivered the first Harpoon Block II missile, which incorporates a Global Positioning System navigation system to provide autonomous, over-the-horizon capabilities, even in adverse weather. The Harpoon Block III missile, which includes a data link system for in-flight target updates, is currently in development.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.
Photo of the Day
The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) conducts high-speed turns during a torpedo evasion exercise.
Gator
