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



On Display - 1/72 USS Barb

MSW crew-mate Jan Klarbæk (MrMox) shares a fine gallery of images of his 1/72 scale, Gato Class submarine in this "On Display" Feature!
On Display


Artist Profile - T. Garth Connelly

Join Managing Editor Mark Smith in a one-on-one conversation with Author/Naval Historian, and model collector (and MSW member!) T. Garth Connelly (TGarthConnelly) in this installment of our "MSW Artist Profile" series.
Artist Profile




Bismarck & Tirpitz

Today’s website is the Bismarck & Tirpitz. This website chronicles the careers of the Bismarck and Tirpitz. Along with some valuable reference information, you will also find a selection of photos of well crafted models and information on other classes of German warships. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1775 - Congress commissions the first Naval officers: Esek Hopkins, commander in chief of the fleet, Capts. Dudley Saltonstall, Abraham Whipple, Nicolas Biddle and John Hopkins. Lieutenants appointed included John Paul Jones.
1841 - USS Mississippi, the first U.S. ocean-going side-wheel steam warship, is commissioned in Philadelphia.
1942 - Pharmacist's Mate 1st Class Thomas A. Moore performs an appendectomy on Fireman 2nd Class George M. Platter aboard USS Silversides (SS 236). This feat was reproduced in the movie “Destination Tokyo.”
1942 - Sue Dauser takes the oath of office as Superintendant of the Navy Nurse Corps, becoming the first woman with the relative rank of captain in U.S. Navy. She was promoted to the rank of captain on Feb. 26, 1944.
1944 - The first two African-American Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service officers, Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances F. Wills, are commissioned.
1960 - USS Valley Forge (CV 45) helicopters rescue 27 men from oiler SS Pine Ridge. Pine Ridge was breaking up in heavy seas off of Cape Hatteras.


Indra in Cooperation with Navantia to Develop Simulator for State-Of-The-Art S-80 Submarine
Source: Indra

Indra will cooperate with Navantia in the development of the simulator to train the crew of the S-80 submarine whose construction was commissioned to Navantia by the Armada Española. It is the first time Indra cooperates in the design of a training system for a submarine and it completes its offer in this type of solutions.

The simulator is to be implemented in Cartagena's Submarine School, in a specific building, and it is expected to startup in 2011. The contract, awarded by the S-80's main contractor to Indra, exceeds euros 9 M.

Operating a submarine requires special training thus a part of the preparation with this simulator is compulsory.

The systems reproduce the submarine’s behaviour most accurately and will put officers to the test by reproducing incidents, breakdowns and emergency situations that are likely to occur during a mission. This way, officers learn how to react in the event of extreme situations which are impossible to recreate in the sea without risking their lives as well as the submarine’s integrity.

The students of Cartagena’s submarine school will train with an exact and natural-sized replica of the control room’s portside. The equipment and parts, including the centralised remote control system and the steering system are identical to that of the submarine so that students can get familiar with them.

The development of the S-80 is one of the key programmes within the Strategic Defence Review which aims at providing the Spanish Armed Forces with state-of-the art equipment to accomplish their missions. The S-80 is a 71 meter long submersible whose main features are its high level of autonomy underwater and noiselessness. Cutting-edge equipment and systems make it the most advanced conventional submarine.

Besides cooperating in the development of the simulator, Indra will also implement the radar system, the electronic defence system and the friend/foe identification system for more than EUR 24 million.

World leader in simulation

Indra holds an outstanding position among simulator manufacturers worldwide. The company is participating in the development of a training system for the Eurofighter and has developed the US Navy’ 8B Harrier simulators regarded as “world’s best” by its pilots. Besides this, it is the only company outside USA to participate in the Training Systems Contract II (TSCII) of this agency.

The company has also supplied its simulation systems to Portugal’s Air Forces, the Italian Navy or Chile’s Air Forces and regarding the civil sector it has developed projects in Indonesia, Malaysia and China, among other countries. The simulation systems also offer solutions for the operation of the underground, trains, buses, harbour cranes, heavy machinery, lorry driving or fire engines.


Indra is the premier Information Technology company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America. It is ranked as the second European company in its sector according to stock market capitalisation, and also the second Spanish company with the most investment in R&D. In 2007, revenues reached EUR 2,167 M, of which a third came from the international market. The company employs more than 24,000 professionals and has clients in more than 90 countries.


Daring Handed Over to MoD
Source: UK Ministry of Defence

The British MoD has accepted HMS Daring, the lead Type 45 anti-air destroyer, from its builder. She is to sail to Portsmouth, her home port, in January. (MoD photo)
Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's new powerful Type 45 class destroyers, was formally handed over to the MOD in a ceremony at the Scotstoun shipyard on the Clyde today, Wednesday 10 December 2008.

The 7,500-tonne ship has now completed a range of stringent trials and tests and is due to sail to her home port of Portsmouth in January 2009 to undertake several months more of exhaustive trials and training before she is declared ready for operational service.

The construction of Daring has involved thousands of people at shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland and at Portsmouth, using factories and businesses across the UK.

Accepting the first-of-class from Prime Contractor, BVT Surface Fleet Ltd, MOD's Defence Equipment and Support Type 45 programme director, Dave Twitchin, said:

"The Acceptance-off-Contract today of HMS Daring is by far the most exciting and formative milestone of the year. It is the culmination of an incredible amount of hard work by all those who have been involved in the programme, particularly in the past two years. HMS Daring has proved herself to be a highly capable ship and has delivered on all of her promises and more. The final phase of her sea trials under MOD control will test her even further.

"I have no doubt that she will come through with flying colours, and will become the hallmark of the modern Royal Navy and will go on to provide great service for many years to come."

Since being launched by the Countess of Wessex in 2006, Daring has been fitted with the world-beating Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), designed to deal with multiple attacks by anti-ship missiles, and her long range and multi-function radars. The ship is extremely versatile and a number of helicopters, including the Chinook, will be able to operate from her deck.

As part of today's handover ceremony, Daring's Commanding Officer, Captain Paul Bennett OBE Royal Navy, raised the White Ensign as the ship's company marched on board.

Captain Bennett said: "Anyone who has sailed on HMS Daring will tell you that she is a truly magnificent ship.

"The Type 45 is an incredibly complex warship using cutting-edge technology throughout; around 80 per cent of the equipments used are new to service. It will provide a positive step-change in the UK's air defence capability and will be a vital part of the Royal Navy's future armoury."

Daring will be capable of undertaking a wide range of missions from combat to humanitarian and will be able to carry a significant number of extra people such as troops or evacuated personnel on board.

Top quality accommodation has been fitted so the crew can live and work in comfort. The ship also has her own hospital facilities complete with operating table.

The ship is powered by the WR21 Gas Turbine, enabling her to reach speeds of up to 29 knots (54 kilometres per hour). She has already successfully completed an extensive programme of rigorous sea trials demonstrating her capability as a world class air defence destroyer.

Daring will leave her home on the Clyde with a fully-trained crew, arriving into Portsmouth for the first time in January 2009.

BACKGROUND NOTES:
Milestones for the Type 45 programme this year (2008) include:
1. In March the steel was cut on the sixth and final ship Duncan;
2. In June the first test-firing of the PAAMS successfully took place;
3. In November the fourth ship Dragon was launched on the Clyde;
4. The second ship, Dauntless, is currently at sea undergoing her first set of sea trials - her performance is promising to exceed that of her sister ship Daring.

-- Other milestones in the Type 45 programme planned for 2009 are:
5. Daring's formal commissioning is planned for summer 2009;
6. Further sea trials for Dauntless;
7. Inaugural sea trials for the third Type 45, Diamond;
8. Final test-firings of PAAMS;
9. Launch of the fifth Type 45, Defender.

Interesting facts:
* Daring is affiliated with Birmingham and Guernsey.
* Two-and-a-quarter-million man-hours have been spent fitting out Daring.
* The hull structure is made of 2,800 tonnes of steel which is more than the weight of the Blackpool Tower. Approximately 40 tonnes of paint will have to be applied to cover an area of 100,000 square metres of steel.
* The PAAMS air defence missile is the size of a public telephone box, weighs two thirds as much as a small car, and from launch accelerates to a speed twice that of Concorde in under ten seconds. The missile's flight manoeuvres as it closes in on a target are ten times more severe than a human could withstand.
* Her 152-metre length is equivalent to more than 16 double decker buses and she is as high as an electricity pylon.
* Her onboard power plant can supply enough electricity to light a town of 80,000 people.
Her fuel tanks have a volume equivalent to approximately half that of an olympic swimming pool.
* She contains 220 beds, 26 sofa beds, 22 single beds and has her own hospital facilities complete with operating table. She is fitted with one bath, 44 showers, 54 toilets and 100 wash basins.
* She is fitted with enough carpet to cover nearly two five-a-side football pitches.
* She has 404 phones (mainly internal) and is fitted with enough electrical cable to circle the M25 three times.


New Communication Balloon Capabilites Tested Aboard USS Boxer
Source: US Navy

USS BOXER, At Sea --- Members of the Arizona Air National Guard embarked aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4) demonstrated an advanced communication platform, the Combat SkySat balloon Dec. 5.

The most modern communication balloon platform available, the Combat SkySat is larger than a weather balloon, and has the potential to provide communications between ship and helicopter, ship to shore, and between those on shore.

"There are some places between leaving ships and during insertions or raids where communication can be problematic," said Arizona Air National Guard Master Sgt. Kris Errett.

"Attached to the SkySat balloon is a communications payload containing global positioning systems, radios, and a hanging antenna. There are separate radios, one to control the payload and another, a communications repeater, for personnel to communicate with each other."

Boxer is the first ship in the fleet to have the new communication balloon platform aboard. It has been developed over the past three years, and this is the first operational underway test to determine future utility for embarked Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU).

With a suspended ballast system, the latex balloon can be controlled to maintain an altitude between 60,000 – 85,000 feet above sea level. On its way up, the instrument cluster gathers information on wind direction and speed.

"Helium or hydrogen can be used to enable the balloon to fly" said Tech. Sgt. Craig Armstrong, Arizona Air National Guard. "We use helium due to its stability and accessibility."

In the base of the balloon is a venting system to release gas in order to reach a lower altitude. Hanging below the antennae is a five-pound box of sand, and by releasing sand the balloon climbs to a higher altitude.

"Once we're done with the mission we release the payload from the balloon," said Errett. "The payload has a parachute attached that opens after being released from the balloon. The balloon then climbs up to 120,000 feet, freezes, and bursts into many tiny pieces"

The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) is currently underway in support of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Certification Exercise to prepare for an upcoming deployment.

BOXESG is comprised of Amphibious Squadron 5, the 13th MEU, Boxer, USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Comstock (LSD 45), USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93), USCGC Boutwell (WHEC 719), USS Milius (DDG 69), USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), Naval Beach Group 1, Assault Craft Unit 5, Assault Craft Unit 1, Beach Master Unit 1, Fleet Surgical Team 5, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (Rein), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, Combat Logistics Battalion 13, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, and Fixed Wing Marine Attack Squadron 214.




Northrop Grumman Reveals First Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp

PALMDALE, Calif. --- Northrop Grumman today unveiled the first of the U.S. Navy's new unmanned combat aircraft at a ceremony here attended by Navy officials, state and local government representatives, suppliers and Northrop Grumman employees. The new aircraft, designated the X-47B Navy Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), is the first of two aircraft Northrop Grumman will produce for the Navy to demonstrate unmanned combat aircraft operations from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

“Unveiling the first X-47B UCAS aircraft signals a sea change in military aviation, made possible through the Navy's vision and leadership,'' said Scott Winship, Northrop Grumman vice president and Navy UCAS program manager. “I'm extremely proud of the Northrop Grumman-led industry team for its tireless dedication and hard work accomplishing this important milestone.''

The Navy awarded the demonstration contract to Northrop Grumman in 2007 and aircraft assembly was completed in just over a year.

“The X-47B will demonstrate how unmanned combat aircraft can operate from aircraft carriers and is a necessary first step toward extending the aircraft carrier's reach and power projection from anywhere in the world,'' said Capt. Martin Deppe, the U.S. Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft System Program Manager. “We look forward to a time when we can introduce a new long range, persistent, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) -- strike capability to the carrier decks of tomorrow.''

The aircraft will now undergo subsystem and structural testing in preparation for first flight in fall 2009. UCAS CV Demonstration sea trials are planned to begin in late 2011.

“We have seen unimaginable technology emerge from California's Antelope Valley and Northrop Grumman,'' said U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck'' McKeon of California's 25th Congressional District. “The X-47B UCAS joins a respected legion of exciting military aircraft produced here in the district. While this X-47B is the first of its kind, I believe it is the first in a long line of unmanned combat aircraft that will be produced by the talented men and women of Northrop Grumman's Palmdale manufacturing center.''
The second X-47B aircraft is in initial assembly at the Palmdale, Calif., facility and is expected to be completed in 2009.

The X-47B UCAS is produced by Northrop Grumman and industry teammates including Dell, Eaton Aerospace, GE Aviation, GKN Aerospace, Goodrich, Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Moog, Parker Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell Collins and Wind River.


Photo of the Day



The guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) displays a spectacle of holiday lights during the 2008 Afloat Holiday Lighting Contest on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor Dec. 18, 2008. Hawaii area commanders toured the harbor and judged ships based on best lighting scheme, most creative display and energy conservation.

Gator