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



Review - Minicraft USCGC Eagle
MSW crewmember D.T. [ DR_WHO2 ]shares with us his thoughts on Minicraft Model Kits Tall Ships Series, US Coast Guard Training Ship Eagle 1/350 scale in this in-box review.
Review




CSS Neuse State Historic Site

Today’s website is CSS Neuse State Historic Site. At the CSS Neuse State Historic Site in Kinston, North Carolina, the remnants of the ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse, a product of the Confederate navy's ill-fated attempt to regain control of the lower Neuse River and retake the city of New Bern during the Civil War. The site also provides information on the celebrated life of Richard Caswell, the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1861 - Second relief convoy for Fort Sumter left New York.
1941 - Commissioning of USS North Carolina (BB 55), which carried nine 16-inch guns.
1943 - Re-establishment of Commodore rank.
1959 - Selection of first seven Mercury astronauts, include four naval aviators.


Somali pirates seize ship; 21 Americans aboard
Source: Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates on Wednesday hijacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship with 21 crew members aboard, a diplomat and a U.S. Navy spokesman said.
The Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama and said all the crew members are American. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The U.S. Navy confirmed that a U.S. flagged ship with 21 members of crew was hijacked early Wednesday off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the attacked happened in the early hours of the morning hours, about 280 miles (450 kilometers) northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia.
Christensen said there were U.S. citizens aboard the ship, but he did not say how many. He declined to release the name of the ship until the family members of the crew are notified.

He said the ship was operated by the Danish company Maersk, which deals with the U.S. Department of Defense. Christensen said the vessel was not working under a Pentagon contract when hijacked.
Maersk Kenya Managing Director Rolf Nielsen said the company was still verifying reports of the hijacking. An U.S. embassy spokeswoman was not immediately able to confirm the incident.
Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said the ship was taken about 400 miles (640 kilometers) from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The vessel is the sixth to be seized within a week and the first with an all-American crew.


Navy Completes Air and Ballistic Missile Exercise
Source: Missile Defense Agency

SAN DIEGO --- Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Samuel J. Locklear announced the completion of the fleet operational exercise, Stellar Daggers, March 26.

The scheduled event took place March 24 and 26. Command and control of the participants in Stellar Daggers resided with U.S. 3rd Fleet based in San Diego.

San Diego-based Aegis destroyer, USS Benfold (DDG 65) engaged multiple targets during this multi-event exercise with Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IIIA and modified SM-2 BLK IV missiles. The overall objective of Stellar Daggers was to test the Aegis system's sea-based ability to simultaneously detect, track, engage and destroy multiple incoming air and ballistic missile threats during terminal or final phase of flight.

During the event, Benfold's Aegis Weapons System successfully detected and intercepted a cruise missile target with a SM-2 BLK IIIA, while simultaneously detecting and intercepting an incoming short range ballistic missile (SRBM) target with a modified SM-2 BLK IV. This is the first time the fleet has successfully tested the Aegis system's ability to intercept both an SRBM in terminal phase and a low-altitude cruise missile target at the same time.

Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), which includes Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), is a Navy core competency and a key warfighting capability for the U.S. maritime strategy, which calls for credible combat power to be continuously postured to protect America's vital interests.




Bataan Set to Deploy With MV-22 Ospreys
Source: US Navy

USS BATAAN, At Sea --- Sailors and Marines aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) will have their chance to make history later this spring as the first ship to deploy with the MV-22B Osprey in an amphibious environment.

Bataan will embark Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 with a complement of 10 Ospreys, providing increased flexibility over the CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-46D Sea Stallion in their ability to transfer equipment and troops from ship to shore.

The Sea Knight and Sea Stallion have been in service for more than 40 years, and they continue to provide support to the fleet. However, the Osprey brings greater range, lift capacity, speeds and the ability conduct aerial refueling.

The Osprey is a tilt rotor vertical short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. The aircraft has two large three-blade propellers, allowing it to take-off vertically, much like the helicopters it will replace. It then has the ability to transform in mid-air and use its large turboprop engine and transmission to fly like a plane.

In early 2005, Bataan started training and testing the MV-22. During the past four years, a full team came together to prepare the ship and her crew for this historical deployment. The crew has trained in several technical areas, such as airframes, hydraulics and avionics, electrical systems, maintenance control and most importantly training the flight crew attached to VMM-263.

"I'm eager to get to work after completing my training, and I'm looking forward to becoming completely operational. We all are striving to overcome all our challenges on board in order to become experts and execute our missions," said Staff Sgt. Michael E. Aguilar, VMM-263 crew chief, from San Antonio.

Still a fairly new aircraft in terms of operating on board Navy ships, Bataan used civilian contractors to assist with unpredictable repair challenges as well as training to help the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit gain more knowledge of the unconventional Osprey.

"Even though we are here to assist and train the Marines on the technical difficulties they might face, their ability to respond and repair shows their high level of knowledge on the craft," said Butch Smith, MV-22B Engine technical representative from Rolls-Royce.

Ospreys from VMM-263 previously performed more than 3,000 sorties and logged more than 5,000 flight hours in 2007, completing missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom while operating from Al Asad Airbase in Iraq.

"The MV-22 is a valuable asset for the Marines, and I love seeing it in action," said Staff Sgt. Eric Woody, an avionics mechanic for the MEU. "I know that the job I do assists in putting the Osprey in the air."

Bataan Amphibious Ready Group/22D Marine Expeditionary Unit (BATARG/22 MEU) is currently participating in its certification exercise (CERTEX) and recently wrapped up a composite unit training exercise (COMPTUEX). The exercises tested the Osprey in full combat-training evolutions, air-to-ground support, as well as non-combat missions, such as mass causality evacuation exercises.

Bataan is the fifth ship of the Navy's Wasp-class ships. She was commissioned Sept. 20, 1997, and is the second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name. CVL-29 was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier that was commissioned in November 1943. After serving in both World War II and the Korean conflict, CVL-29 was decommissioned in 1954.


Photo of the Day



USS North Carolina on her shakedown cruise.

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