Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Happy New Year
Ahoy mates! May this new year bring you happiness and prosperity in all that you do. 2008 was a wonderful year for the ship modeler. Here’s hoping that 2009 builds on that success.
Free Paper Model from Digital Navy
Crew-mate Jay Massey (treadhead1952) shares the latest free ship model from Digital Model
Freebie
C.S.S. Hunley
Today’s website is the C.S.S. Hunley. This site chronicles the history of the American Civil War Confederate submarine Hunley. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1950 - Mary T. Sproul is commissioned as the first female doctor in the Navy.
1959 - The U.S. Naval Observatory introduces the system of uniform atomic time using cesium beam atomic oscillators. This measurement has since been adopted as standard by the International Committee on Weights and Measures.
1962 - Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) teams established.
Russian Navy missile cruiser to visit South Africa Jan. 9-12
Source: Russian Navy
The Northern Fleet's Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser will become the first Russian warship to dock in Cape Town when it visits South Africa on January 9-12, Russia's Navy said.
The Navy said in a press release that the Pyotr Veliky will sail down Africa's west coast and pass the southern tip of the continent to join up with warships from the Pacific Fleet for the INDRA-2009 joint exercises with the Indian Navy. The Admiral Vinogradov, an Udaloy class destroyer, a tugboat and two fuel tankers have almost reached the Indian Ocean, having left Russia's Far East two weeks ago.
Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo, a spokesman for the Russian Navy, said earlier that Russia currently has three naval task groups on tours of duty in the world's oceans.
Another naval task force from the Northern Fleet, led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and including the Admiral Levchenko destroyer, recently left the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and is heading to the Strait of Gibraltar.
Russia announced last year that its Navy had resumed and would build up a constant presence in different regions of the world's oceans.
Brazilian Navy Signs Contract for Submarines
Source: Brazilian Navy
As part of a strategic partnership between Brazil and France, contracts were signed today covering, on the one hand, the acquisition and construction in Brazil of four Scorpene conventionally-powered submarines and, on the other hand, the development and the construction of a single nuclear-powered submarine.
All of the nuclear power plant will be developed exclusively by Brazil.
For the implementation of these two projects, it is contractually foreseen that all necessary technology transfer, not only to the naval architects and designers, but also various Brazilian companies who will take part in the process as a high degree of national content is planned for the submarines.
More than 30 Brazilian companies are already involved, and will supply over 36,000 items, including complex
The design and construction of a dedicated shipyard for the nuclear submarines, meeting all accepted technological, environmental and quality control standards, is also covered by the agreements. The shipyard will also be able to produce conventional submarines.
A new naval base to support these submarines will be built next to the shipyard.
The Brazilian Navy considers that the biggest benefits for the nation will be, beyond the goods and know-how generated by this contract, the high degree of technology transfer, the increased level of national content, and the considerable number f qualified jobs that will be created. When added to the number of civil engineering jobs for the construction of the shipyard and the submarine base, the submarine project will generated over 2,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs.
Photo of the Day
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Logan Judd mans the hot tractor station as an F/A-18 Hornet assigned to the "Valions" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 15 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).
Gator
