Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
The Ship Camouflage Website
Today’s website is The Ship Camouflage Website. This site is a great website to research what US ship wore what camouflage at what time. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1862 - A Confederate torpedo (mine) sinks USS Cairo in the Yazoo River.
1937 - Japanese aircraft sink USS Panay (PR 5) in the Yangtze River near Nanking, China.
1941 - The Naval Air Transport Service is established.
1951 - The first flight of helicopter with a gas-turbine engine at Windsor Locks, Conn., demonstrates the adaptability of this engine to helicopters.
1972- Capt. Eugene A. Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, walks on the Moon. Cmdr. Ronald E. Evans was the command module pilot. The mission lasted 12 days, 13 hours and 52 minutes. HC-1 helicopters from USS Ticonderoga (CV 14) led the recovery.
Atlas Elektronik Symbolically Presents the First Series Torpedo DM2A4 to the German Navy
Source: Atlas Elektronik
Atlas Elektronik sets a new standard in torpedo technology: the first series-manufactured unit of the German heavyweight torpedo DM2A4 left the production facility in Wedel near Hamburg on Wednesday, 3 December 2008, and was symbolically handed over to the German Navy.
At the ceremonial rollout of the first series torpedo, the Chairman of the ATLAS Management Board, Dr. Ralf Kube, spoke to about 100 representatives of the German Navy, the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) and other authorities as well as ATLAS personnel:
“ATLAS is setting a new standard in torpedo technology. With the DM2A4 for the German Navy, the world’s most modern and effective torpedo is now going into series production. Once more, ATLAS has shown that it is one of the internationally leading systems suppliers for naval electronics and naval weapons. The staff members of ATLAS have every right to be proud of this achievement in again proving to be a valuable partner for the German Navy.”
On behalf of the Federal Minister of Defence, Ministerialdirigent Christian Fischer, Head of German Naval Armaments, thanked all those who had participated in the development and testing of the DM2A4. In his address, he mentioned the extreme technical challenges ATLAS ELEKTRONIK had faced in the development of the DM2A4, emphasizing that, despite the difficulties that were encountered, the German authorities had never lost [their] confidence in either the company or the product. With the words “The German Navy now commands the world’s most modern torpedo for the world’s most modern non-nuclear submarines, namely the class 212A,”
Mr. Fischer formally handed over the first series torpedo to the Director of Naval Armaments and Logistics, Rear Admiral Hoops.
Rear Admiral Henning Hoops of the Naval Office in Rostock declared the U 212A weapon system to be complete and ready for action: “With the torpedo DM2A4 SEAHAKE, the most modern conventional submarine of the class 212A with its great detection range will also carry the most powerful heavyweight torpedo.”
Rear Admiral Henning Hoops (Director of Naval Armaments, Rostock), Ministerialdirigent Christian Fischer (Head of Division Naval Armaments, Federal Ministry of Defence), Dr. Ralf Kube (Chairman of the Management Board, ATLAS ELEKTRONIK) at the symbolic handover of the heavyweight torpedo DM2A4 to the German Navy (from left)
The DM2A4 is the new high-performance torpedo for German submarines of the 212A class; it differs to an appreciable degree from the predecessor model, the DM2A3. The innovations include the extremely powerful electrical propulsion system, the control and data transmission via fibre-optic instead of copper cable, the replacement of the mechanical gyro by a strap-down system using fibre-optic gyros, and the wake homing sensors.
Ralf Kube went on to say: “With the DM2A4, ATLAS has achieved a quantum leap in torpedo technology. The possible battle range, the speed, the considerably increased resistance against torpedo countermeasures and the decisive enhancement in agility are unmatched worldwide. This success was only possible through the close and constant teamwork between ATLAS and its partners at the German Navy, the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement, and the Bundeswehr Technical Centre for Ships and Naval Weapons.”
All torpedoes for the German Navy are scheduled to be delivered by October 2010. The Turkish Navy has also procured DM2A4 torpedoes and has already introduced them on its submarines.
BACKGROUND NOTES:
The new torpedo type replaces the DM2A3, which was introduced into service in the early nineties. Approval for deployment in the German Navy was granted in 2007, following successful test firings in the Mediterranean in cooperation with the Italian Navy. Development had commenced in 1997.
Besides specific performance requirements for speed and range, the new torpedo must have a service lifetime of at least 30 years and its technology must be available or replaceable over the entire period.
In addition to the high reliability (to keep the life cycle costs as low as possible), it had to be designed for possible adaptation to meet new requirements, e.g. in order to react to new anti-torpedo methods. For this reason, ATLAS decided to implement a modular structure.
With a view to economical procurement and operation, ATLAS developed a family of torpedoes with scalable capabilities. Here the objective was to tailor the costs for the procurement and use of the DM2A4 to the requirements of the corresponding navy in an optimum way and, at the same time, to allow for performance upgrades with economical retrofits.
This goal was achieved through a modular battery concept in conjunction with propellers optimized for the relevant configuration. Not only can the torpedoes be fitted with two to four batteries, the navies can configure the torpedoes themselves.
Even with only one battery, the DM2A4 already attains the performance level that is usual today for electrical heavyweight torpedoes in respect of speed and range.
The whole DM2A4 torpedo family distinguishes itself by being future-proof for several decades to come. This feature was achieved by the consistent software implementation on modern processors of all the major functions in the torpedo. In particular, this includes the essential procedures for guidance, search and attack.
New Navy Uniform Unveiled in Darwin
Source: Royal Australian Navy
A new and improved operational uniform for Navy personnel has been introduced into service and distributed for the first time in Darwin.
Officers and sailors in Patrol Boats protecting Australia’s northern waters on Operation RESOLUTE have been the first to be issued the Disruptive Pattern Navy Uniform (DPNU), which will now be rolled out to all 16,000 Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel nationwide.
The two piece outfit with its distinctive disruptive grey, green and black pattern is a significant change from the one piece grey overalls which are presently worn across Navy. The DPNU is designed to be more comfortable and practical for Navy personnel, especially in warmer climates.
The uniform will also clearly identify Navy personnel as Australian as it is comprised of the traditional AUSCAM pattern. It is not, however, intended to be used in a camouflage role.
Commanding Officer of the Attack 4 crew, LCDR Viktor Pilicic said his crew were flattered to be the first to wear the new uniform.
“It’s not often that you get to be part of such a first. We have been trialling a prototype of the uniform since this time last year so the crew knows how good this uniform is for the type of work we do,” LCDR Pilicic said.
The DPNU will soon become a common sight outside Navy bases with personnel permitted to wear their new outfits on the way to and from work.
RAN personnel will still wear traditional ‘dress of the day’ (for example the white uniform is summer) when in an office environment and on ceremonial occasions.
Photo of the Day
A shooter launches a T-45 Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Carrier Training Wing (CTW) from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
Gator
