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



On Display – 1/700 IJN Chikuma

Enjoy some photos of another ship that attended ModelTroia 2009 Contest, Daniel Figueiredo''s (Carteir0) 1/700 IJN Chikuma (heavy cruiser).
On Display




Houston Maritime Museum

Today’s website is the Houston Maritime Museum. The museum houses historic ship models and nautical items that are on display along with numerous sea treasures which offer concrete examples of how parts of our world were discovered. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1942 - Adm. Ernest King becomes both Chief of Naval Operations and Commander, U.S. Fleet.
1943 - The Battle of Komandorski Islands prevents Japanese reinforcements from reaching Attu.
1966 - Operation Jackstay is the Navy's first amphibious assault in Vietnam's inland waters.
1968 - Operation Bold Dragon III begins in the Mekong Delta.


Lockheed Martin Team Awarded Contract For Construction of U.S. Navy's Next Littoral Combat Ship
Source: Lockheed Martin

WASHINGTON --- The U.S. Navy has awarded a Lockheed Martin -led industry team a fixed-price, incentive fee contract to construct the Navy's third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, WI, will construct the ship.

"The Freedom class LCS is the most affordable surface combatant in the current shipbuilding plan in the last four decades - only six years from concept to the fleet, half the time," said Dan Schultz, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Integrated Defense Technologies business. "The Lockheed Martin team is committed to the U.S. Navy's LCS program and we are ready to begin work on the next ship. LCS fills a critical need in the Navy's vision for building its transformational fleet and we are pleased to continue our partnership with the Navy on this revolutionary program."

The nation's first LCS, USS Freedom, was also built at Marinette Marine. USS Freedom was commissioned by the Navy on November 8, 2008, following successful sea trials in August and delivery in September.

"I am very proud of the Lockheed Martin team's delivery of USS Freedom to the Navy and LCS 1's performance since delivery," added Schultz. "This ship provides unmatched capability expanding the dominance of the U.S. fleet now and in the years to come."

The Lockheed Martin team design for LCS is a survivable, semi-planing steel monohull that provides outstanding maneuverability with proven sea-keeping characteristics and innovative design features to support launch and recovery operations of manned and unmanned vehicles. Reaching speeds well over 40 knots, the ship is a networked surface combatant with operational flexibility to execute focused missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and the potential for a wide range of additional missions, including maritime interdiction and humanitarian/disaster relief.

The Lockheed Martin-led team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine, a subsidiary of The Manitowoc Company, Inc., and Bollinger Shipyards, as well as best-of-industry domestic and international teammates to provide a flexible, low-risk warfighting solution.


An Audacious Beginning
Source: UK Ministry of Defence

UK Ministry of Defence




Teledyne Wins $6.2M ($52.6M with Options) U.S. Navy Glider Contract
Source: Teledyne Technologies

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. --- Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announced today that its subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE), of Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a contract to design, engineer, build, test and deliver ocean Littoral Battlespace Sensing-Gliders (LBS-G), as well as associated support equipment. The contract was awarded by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command on behalf of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for C4I.

The initial cost plus incentive fee contract is valued at $6.2 million. If all options are exercised, the contract would be valued at an estimated $52.6 million. The initial contract is expected to be completed by July 2010 (November 2014 with options exercised).

The Navy plans to use fleets of gliders with their relative low cost, minimal power usage and longevity at sea to acquire critical oceanographic data to improve positioning of fleets during naval maneuvers.

“This contract is a result of combining the strengths of multiple Teledyne businesses, including the leading commercial glider available, to support the Navy’s littoral and deep water missions,” said Robert Mehrabian, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Teledyne Technologies.

Teledyne Brown will lead this effort using the Teledyne Webb Research Slocum Glider as the cornerstone of the LBS-G program. Gliders were first conceived by Douglas Webb, the founder of Webb Research and a former researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The Slocum Glider is a torpedo-shaped autonomous underwater winged vehicle that measures 1.5 meters and uses changes in buoyancy along with its wings and tail-fin steering to move through the water.

The Teledyne Brown team is comprised of Teledyne Marine businesses; Teledyne Scientific and Imaging; Rutgers University; Scripps Institute of Oceanography; Hydroid, Inc; and Analytical Services, Inc.


Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated electronic components, instrumentation and communication products, engineered systems, aerospace engines, and energy and power generation systems. Teledyne Technologies’ operations are primarily located in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico.


Photo of the Day



Personnel from the Applied Physics Lab Ice Station watch the aurora borealis light up the night sky over the camp in the Arctic Ocean. Two Los Angeles-class submarines, USS Helena (SSN 725) and USS Annapolis (SSN 760), will participate in the exercise with researchers from the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory and personnel from the Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory.

Gator