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



On Display - IJN RO-35 submarine

Again, MSW crew-mate Serhan Oflas (DMcGillavry) show us that simple can be beautiful. This time with Pitroad/Skywave's 1/700 IJN RO-35 submarine.
On Display


On Display - USN S Class Submarine

MSW crew-mate Jim McIntosh (JimMrr) send us a fine gallery of images of his latest build, Yankee Modelworks S class submarine, in this "On Display" Feature!
On Display




FleetSubmarine.com

Today’s website is FleetSubmarine.com which chronicles the US submarine force in World War II. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1815 - USS Constitution captures the British vessel Susannah.
1945 - Carrier aircraft from Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher's Task Force 58 strike Japanese installations around Tokyo.
1967 - Operation River Raider begins in the Mekong Delta, South Vietnam.


Russian and U.S. navies fights pirates in the Gulf of Aden
Source: Russian Navy

The Russian and U.S. navies joined forces today in the Gulf of Aden in an extraordinary display of counter-piracy cooperation and high-seas diplomacy. The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov and the U.S.-guided missile cruiser Vella Gulf launched a coordinated military response to a distress call from a Panamanian cargo ship, which reported it was about to be attacked by pirates.

The U.S.-guided missile cruiser Vella Gulf was on pirate patrol in the northern gulf when it first encountered the Admiral Vinogradov.

The Admiral Vinogradov was providing armed escort for four civilian cargo ships through the notorious “Pirate Alley.” As the commander of the American task force, Rear Admiral Terry McKnight engaged in a “bridge-to-bridge” radio exchange of information and courtesies with the captain of the Russian warship, the crew on the Vella Gulf suddenly launched into action when the Panamanian ship called for help. Within minutes, captain Mark Genung, Vella Gulf's commanding officer called back to the Russians and asked for helicopter support to counter what sounded like a pirate attack.

“The Russians responded immediately,” said Mark Genung. From the Admiral Vinogradov a Helix combat helicopter was immediately launched. For about an hour, the two former cold war adversaries closely coordinated their every move on the water and in the air.

In the end, both the Russians and Americans ascertained that the small boat the Panamanians thought was manned by pirates was no threat. As the heavily armed Russian helicopter did a close “fly-around” of the Vella Gulf on its way back to the Admiral Vinogradov, both the Americans and Russians waved.

“This is extraordinary,” said Mark Genung. “In my 27 years in the Navy, including serious tensions between the two [U.S. and Russian navies], I’ve never seen anything like it.”

U.S. Admiral McKnight and the crew of the Vella Cruz will host the commanders of the Admiral Vinogradov for lunch tomorrow.

The Admiral Vinogradov is currently escorting a convoy of four civilian cargo ships through the Gulf of Aden. This is the fifth convoy since January during the escort of which the Russian ship had to engage in actions to ensure safe seafaring in the Horn of Africa.


The Frigate F-314 “Thor Heyerdahl” is the Fifth and Last of the Series that Navantia has Built for the Royal Norwegian Navy
Source: Navantia

Navantia has launched on 11st. February, at 17:12 p.m., in the Fene-Ferrol shipyard, the fifth frigate for the Royal Norwegian Navy, the F-314 frigate “Thor Heyerdahl”, named after this famous XX centuryNorwegian explorer.



The launching has taken place as an internal work milestone, after the cancellation of the official ceremony, scheduled for 9th. February, due to the worst weather conditions. The Godmother has been Miss Elisabeth Heyerdahl Lampe, great grandaughter of the explorer, and has been attended by NDLO General Director, General Trond Karlsen, as most relevant participant from the Royal Norwegian Navy. As an internal event, Navantia has been represented by the Fene-Ferrol shipyard, Angel Recamán Rivas.

The keel of this frigate was laid last March and the ship is expected to be delivered in September 2010, finalising the programme for the construction of 5 F-310 class frigates. The contract was signed in June 2000, after an international tender, in which Navantia competed with the most important european shipyards, and was until the contract with Australia, the biggest exportation contract in the history of naval construction in Spain.

Main characteristics:
-- Length overall: 123.25 m.
-- Maximum beam: 16.80 m.
-- Depth to main deck: 9.50 m.
--Full load displacement: 5,130 t.
-- Design draught: 4.90 m.
-- Crew: 146 people



380th AEW Mission Expands with Navy Global Hawk Program
Source: US Air Force

SOUTHWEST ASIA --- The joint mission of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing expanded with the recent addition of the first operational Navy Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system, part of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program.

"It's a good feeling to finally get the aircraft here," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. John McLellan, the BAMS maintenance detachment officer-in-charge. "Now that we have the launch and recovery element and mission asset, we can finally bring this capability to the fight."

The BAMS is launched and recovered locally but controlled from the mission control element, or MCE, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., much like the Air Force Global Hawk, which is controlled from Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

In an Air Force-developed concept of operations called remote-split operations, the BAMS' arrival marks the culmination of more than five months of joint effort to stand up a maritime surveillance presence in the region.

Navy officials answered a Department of Defense call for increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in Southwest Asia, by sending a site survey team here in August to see if the facilities of the 380th AEW could support an added mission and to discuss joint interoperability.

After the evaluation by 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Group personnel, it was determined they could support adding the BAMS with shared use of maintenance equipment and facilities, according to Lt. Col. Matt Venzke, 380th EMXG deputy commander. This allows Navy officials to cut down their overall footprint, resulting in lower operating costs and fewer people needed, he said.

"The cooperation has really been there," Colonel Venske said. "We've worked very well together to identify potential problems and de-conflict our work spaces to make sure everything is happening efficiently for both maintenance teams."

The sentiment is echoed by Navy personnel who arrived on station approximately one month ago and began integrating into the 380th.

"The support has been outstanding," said Commander McLellan. "We have really been made to feel at home and a part of the team."

The Navy and the Air Force benefit from co-locating Global Hawk operations.

"The similarities between the Air Force and Navy Global Hawk (launch and recovery elements) provide enhanced mission capability by allowing each service to use the other's LRE as a back-up in the event of a malfunction", said Col. Kyle Garland, 380th Expeditionary Operations Group commander.

Navy personnel leverage Air Force expertise and proficiency with the Global Hawk platform to step into a program that has been proven in an operational environment, virtually eliminating the learning curve that usually comes with a new program, said Maj. Ronald Shivers, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron director of operations and safety observer for the arrival of the BAMS.

Operators during the BAMS development phase consisted of contractors and pilots from both the Air Force and Navy. In addition to controlling the aircraft at the forward operating location, Air Force instructors will train naval aviators. The first two scheduled are to take flight control at the MCE sometime in March, said Major Shivers.

Experts in the two services have been able to come together to develop a process that will ensure differences in operational and maintenance rules and standards are identified and resolved quickly.

"In areas (of maintenance) where we overlap, the BAMS maintenance personnel will adhere to the more stringent standard required by either service," said Colonel Venzke.

Though it is the first operational mission for the BAMS, the aircraft has been in service for non-wartime missions during its test and development phase.

"Our Global Hawk has been used to view damaged areas during the California wildfires as well as providing live feedback of the destruction on the Gulf Coast immediately after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike," said Commander McLellan.

The speed at which the Air Force and Navy were able to stand up the new operational capability with minimal difficulties is an example of joint operations at their best, officials said.


Photo of the Day



The Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) takes a starboard list as the USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) tries to free the ship after it ran aground Feb. 5 about a half-mile south of the Honolulu airport while off-loading personnel into a small boat.

Gator