Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - IJN Battleship, Haruna
MSW crew-mate Erick Navas (ericknavas) sends us a gallery of his IJN Battleship, Haruna, 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
Ship Modeler's Desktop
Today’s website is the Colorized Photos of the IJN. This size offers colorized photos of WW2 IJN ships. While the colorized version may not be accurate, there are several interesting photos in this collection. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1813 - U.S. frigate Chesapeake captures the British warship Volunteer.
1848 - Sloop Lexington attacked in San Blas, Mexico.
1953 - Aircraft landings are tested aboard USS Antietam (CVS 36), the first angled-deck carrier.
Fincantieri Marine Group Established to Operate in the U.S. Market. Fincantieri Completes Acquisition of Manitowoc Marine Group
Source: Fincantieri
Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. announced today it has successfully completed the acquisition of Manitowoc Marine Group from its parent company The Manitowoc Company, Inc., following all the required regulatory approvals.
Announced in August 2008, the transaction includes the participation of Lockheed Martin Corporation as a minority investor. The entire transaction is valued at approx. USD 120 Million.
Manitowoc Marine Group – as of today Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG) – will operate as a subsidiary of Fincantieri.
FMG – comprising two shipyards in Wisconsin, a topside repair yard in Ohio and one production plant in Wisconsin – is one of the leading mid-sized shipbuilders in the United States for commercial and government customers, including the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. In joining Fincantieri they are now part of one of the foremost shipbuilding groups in the world.
By entering the U.S. defense market, the world’s largest in terms of order value, Fincantieri will bring to the United States its extensive expertise in modern ship design and construction methods, thus greatly enhancing the technological capability and production processes at the yards of FMG. Furthermore Fincantieri plans to invest in modernising facilities and in workforce training, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity.
Commenting on the acquisition, Giuseppe Bono, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri said: “This acquisition further projects the company towards international markets enabling us, in a difficult moment for the world economy, to face increasingly fierce competition with greater critical mass. Through this transaction, which is included in our strategic business plan, we have reached an important milestone and we aim to grow in the longer–term, confident we will be rewarded by important business opportunities”.
“This action will improve the Littoral Combat Ship team’s ability to deliver high quality, high value, cost-effective ships to the U.S. Navy,” said Fred Moosally, President of Lockheed Martin’s Maritime Systems & Sensors business.
Marine Pilot Missing In Action From WWII Is Identified
Source: Department of Defense
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Maj. Marion R. McCown Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, of Charleston, S.C. He will be buried on Jan. 18 in Charleston.
Representatives from the Marine Corps Mortuary Office met with McCown’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Navy.
On Jan. 20, 1944 McCown was the pilot of an F-4U Corsair aircraft that failed to return from a combat mission over Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
In 1991, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated an F-4U crash site in Rabaul and recovered human remains and McCown’s identification tag. However, forensic science at that time precluded an identification.
In 2006, a JPAC team surveyed the crash site in preparation for a recovery. While at the site, a villager living in the area turned over to the team human remains that he claimed to have recovered from the site. In 2008, another JPAC team excavated the site and recovered additional human remains.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC used dental comparisons in the identification of McCown’s remains.
Photo of the Day
1929-30: Colorized Ise Class Battleship "Hyuga" at Kure.
Gator
