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



On Display - IJN KIRISHIMA

MSW crew-mate Kostas Katseas (angeleyes) sends us a fine gallery of images of his IJN Kirishima, in this "On Display" feature!
On Display


Naval Word of the Day

Continuing on with your Naval education we bring you another installment of MSW’s Navy Word of the Day.
WOD




PT Boat World

Today’s website is PT Boat World. This site, by our own T. Garth Connelly, will endeavor to provide up-to-date research on things like camouflage schemes and armament packages and the like. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1960 - The first fully-guided Polaris missile is launched at Cape Canaveral, Fla. It flew 900 miles.
1967 - The Mobile Riverine Force begins arriving at Vung Tau, Vietnam.
1991 - Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney gives the coup de grace to the Navy's behind-schedule, over-budget A-12 Avenger stealth aircraft. At more than $52 billion, is the largest defense contract ever canceled.


Four Additional Years of Operational Service for HMS Liverpool
Source: UK Ministry of Defence

A further four years of operational service are ahead for HMS LIVERPOOL after a £6M contract for her upkeep was awarded to BVT Surface Fleet.

The Type 42 destroyer has docked in Portsmouth for a maintenance programme of up to 10 months which will ensure that she is able to continue to deliver her operational role as one of the Royal Navy's Air Defence Destroyers.

Defence Equipment and Support's Director of Capital Ships, Tony Graham said:

"This upkeep will add two years to the life of HMS Liverpool, enabling her to continue providing crucial capabilities to the Front Line. We have worked closely with BVT to agree the scope of this work package under the Surface Ship Support programme, helping us to deliver the capabilities the Front Line needs."

As well as routine maintenance, the ship will be fitted with a new Transom Flap for greater fuel efficiency and work to the Reverse Osmosis plant will improve fresh water production. Safety and certification work meanwhile will ensure compliance with the latest legislation and enable her continued service until 2012.

HMS Liverpool has seen plenty of action in her 26 years and has recently returned from a seven month long deployment in the South Atlantic. The overhauled ship will be returned to the fleet in winter 2009 to resume her duties, ready for tasking across the full spectrum of operations from air defence to humanitarian assistance.


Reactivation of Ex-RFA Sir Bedivere Prior to Government-to-Government Sale
Source: UK Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence is offering for sale on a Government-to-Government basis the Landing Ship Logistic Ex-RFA Sir Bedivere, which has been decommissioned from Royal Fleet Auxiliary service.

A potential customer has been identified and negotiations are currently ongoing. The DSA is confident of securing a sale.

However, a contract for any work package is dependent on signing an agreement with the end user.

The package is to include reactivation work which will restore the ship to Lloyds Register Class 1 certification. This will include a comprehensive hull survey and preservation package that will obviate the need for the ship to re-dock for four years and the embodiment of the potential customer's requirements to include an updated radar and communication fit and accommodation modifications.

This work will be undertaken with the benefit of a ship's crew.

The reactivation contractor is expected to design and deliver through OEM or other training organisation appropriate equipment, operating and safety training. The reactivation contractor is also expected to be responsible for all project management and commissioning activities.




P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Home basing Announced
Source: US Department of Defense

The Department of the Navy announced today its decision to provide facilities and functions to base five fleet squadrons of the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) with a fleet replacement squadron (FRS) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla., four fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., and three fleet squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with periodic squadron detachment operations at NAS North Island.

This decision implements the preferred homebasing alternative 5 identified in the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the Introduction of the P-8A Multi-Mission Aircraft into the U.S. Navy Fleet (published November 2008). Introduction of the P-8A MMA squadrons is projected to begin no later than 2012 and be completed by 2019.

The notice of availability of the Navy’s record of decision (ROD) was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 31, 2008 and the ROD is available for public viewing on the project Web site at http://www.mmaeis.com along with copies of the FEIS and supporting documents.

This action is needed to transition from existing P-3C aircraft to the P-8A MMA while maintaining the Navy’s overall maritime patrol capability supporting national defense objectives and policies without interruption or impediment to operations or combat readiness. Ultimately, this action will include a total of 84 fleet and FRS aircraft.


Photo of the Day



Sailors and Navy officers standing beneath the 16-inch forward guns of the battleship BB-55 USS North Carolina, on the East river after she left the Brooklyn Nay Yard upon completion.

Gator