Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Navy Word of the Day
Continuing on with your Naval education we bring you another installment of MSW’s Navy Word of the Day.
Navy Word of the Day
Snow at the News Desk
Yes, it is snowing this morning! A sight to behold indeed! An upper level low has moved right over us with just the right conditions for wintry mix. We are seeing some accumulation on above ground surfaces most of it being wet snow. The temperature is hovering just around the freezing mark so we have not seen any ice just yet.
Valor at Sea
Today’s website is CV6.ORG. This site chronicles the actions of the USS Enterprise in the Pacific during World War II. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1941 - A contract establishes the Naval Salvage Service.
1941 - The Wake Island Garrison, under the command of Cmdr. Winfield Cunningham, turns away a Japanese invasion force.
1954 - The first supercarrier, USS Forrestal (CVA-59), launched at Newport News, Va., weighing more than 59,630 tons.
Russian warship crosses Panama Canal for first time since WWII
Source: Russian Navy
Russia's Admiral Chabanenko destroyer crossed the Panama Canal overnight, becoming the first Russian or Soviet warship to enter the waterway since World War II.
The Russian embassy in Panama said on Friday night that the ship would "pass through the Panama canal during the night from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and back again." The Panama Canal Authority said the ship entered the canal at 9:00 p.m. local time on Friday (02:00 GMT on Saturday).
The embassy said the trip through the 50-mile (80-km) canal, which was shut to Soviet vessels during the Cold War, "raises the international standing of Panama as a maritime power, and demonstrates to the whole world that the Panama Canal really is a neutral waterway." Panamanian Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis told reporters: "Here there is no other message than that the canal is open to all of the world's ships."
Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Russian Navy commander, told RIA Novosti on Friday that the Admiral Chabanenko would be docked at the Rodman Naval Station from December 6 to 11. Rodman was previously the main naval base for U.S. operations in South America.
The U.S. has not voiced any objections to the ship's presence in the Panama Canal.
On Friday, Dygalo also announced that a Russian task force from the Northern Fleet led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier had begun a tour of duty in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Russia announced last year that its Navy had resumed and would build up a constant presence throughout the world's oceans.
A task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet will leave its main base in Vladivostok on December 9 to take part in joint naval drills with the Indian navy in the Indian Ocean.
Iran Tests Sea-Launched Missile
Source: Voice of America news
Iran says it has test-fired a new missile during a six-day naval maneuver in the Sea of Oman.
Iran's state radio said Sunday that military officials launched a mid-range missile from a battleship late Saturday in the waters near the Iran-Pakistan border.
Iran announced the beginning of naval exercises last week.
The United States and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons and testing new missiles as part of a nuclear program.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and says it will not abandon its effort to develop nuclear technology.
On Saturday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed El Baradei told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that the world has not "moved one inch" toward addressing Tehran's nuclear issues.
El Baradei said the use of sanctions has helped to harden Iran's position. He also says Iranians who dislike the current leadership are supporting the regime because they feel their country is "under siege."
Sailors Get Green Bay Underway for Maiden Voyage
Source: US Navy
WASHINGTON --- The future USS Green Bay "sailed away" from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Avondale Operations Dec. 1 on its maiden voyage, manned for the first time by the ship's crew.
This milestone marks the government-industry team's production completion of LPD 20, which is the fourth of LPD 17-class of amphibious transport dock ships to progress from keel laying to delivery at the Northrop Grumman shipyards along the Gulf Coast.
Green Bay will first sail to its homeport of San Diego before sailing to Long Beach, Calif., for commissioning in January.
Once commissioned, Green Bay and its crew will begin a succession of sea trials to thoroughly test the ship's systems and to complete crucial certifications. USS Green Bay will conduct missile and gun combat systems ship qualification trials (CSSQT), during which the crew will fire the ship's rolling air frame missiles and MK 46 Mod 2 30mm guns as well as exercising the ship's comprehensive detect-to-engage capability. Well-deck certification and underway replenishment qualification will also be part of the steady progression toward mission readiness.
Green Bay will join three sister ships of the same class already in the fleet. USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and USS New Orleans (LPD 18) are currently operating with the fleet. Meanwhile, USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) is completing its post shakedown availability in its homeport of Norfolk, Va.
Photo of the Day
Squadron of US Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers in flight, patrolling coral reefs off Midway Island searching for Japanese troops prior to the famous naval engagement.
Gator
