Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Feature - IJN Myōkō
MSW Crewmember Erick Navas (ericknavas) breaks out the IJN Myōkō from his harbor scene so we can have a closer look.
Feature
American Merchant Marine Museum
Today’s website is the American Merchant Marine Museum. The American Merchant Marine Museum (established in 1979), a national repository and exhibition center for the artifacts, artwork, ship models, and nautical memorabilia depicting America's maritime past. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1785 - Order received to sell last ship remaining in Continental Navy, frigate Alliance. No other Navy were ships authorized until 1794.
1898 - Collier Merrimac sunk in channel leading to Santiago, Cuba in unsuccessful attempt to trap Spanish fleet. The crew was captured and later received the Medal of Honor.
1949 - Wesley A. Brown becomes the first African-American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy.
1966 - Launch of Gemini 9, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Eugene A. Cernan. The mission included 45 orbits over three days. Recovery was by USS Wasp (CVS 18).
Russia's newest frigate starts final sea trials in Baltic Sea
Source: en.rian.ru
Russia's newest frigate, the Yaroslav Mudry, has started state-commissioned sea trials in the Baltic Sea, a spokesman for the Yantar shipyard said on Wednesday.
The frigate is the second vessel in the 11540 Yastreb series after the Neustrashimy, which recently took part in an anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.
"After the trials, the ship will undergo a final inventory check, and will be handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry in mid-June," the official said.
Earlier reports said the frigate was due to enter service in April. The construction of the Yaroslav Mudry has taken almost 19 years, due to financing shortages.
The frigate has a displacement of 4,250 metric tons and a maximum speed of 30 knots. It is armed with anti-ship missiles, air defense systems, a 100-mm artillery mount, depth charges, and a Ka-27 helicopter.
The frigate suffered minor damage on May 4 during preliminary sea trials when a Ka-27 helicopter crash-landed on the deck and fell into the sea.
"The crash of the Baltic Fleet's Ka-27 helicopter, whose rotor blades damaged the ship's bulkhead, had practically no effect on the schedule of the state-commissioned trials and the deadline for the ship's handover [to the Defense Ministry]," the spokesman said.
Northern Trident 2009
Source: Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Sydney and HMAS Ballarat will set sail on 20 April 2009 on Operation Northern Trident 2009, an exciting six month international deployment, visiting ports in selected Western European, North American and West and North Asian countries.
This ‘trip of a lifetime’ will give both ships an excellent opportunity to enhance their core mariner and warfare skills when they exercise with foreign Navies such as India, Italy, France, Spain, UK, Canada, United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Panama and Mexico.
Deployment highlights will include a visit to New York, Baltimore and Norfolk in reciprocation of the 2008 United States Navy (USN) Great White Fleet celebrations in Australia. Both ships will also pay a special visit to Ferrol, Spain (the home of Navantia Shipbuilding) to see first hand the development of the Royal Australian Navy’s highly anticipated new Landing Helicopter Dock ships.
Navy Terminates Contract for VH-71 Presidential Helicopter
Source: US Department of Defense
The Navy today announced that it will terminate the VH-71 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) program contract. The announcement follows a Department of Defense (DoD) decision to cancel the existing presidential helicopter replacement program.
The VH-71 was intended to replace both the VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft currently used to conduct presidential support missions.
Navy contract N00019-05-C-0030 and associated work with Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego (LMSI-O), Owego, N.Y., awarded Jan. 28, 2005, for the SDD of the VH-71 program, has been terminated for the convenience of the government.
The under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics issued a VH-71 program acquisition decision memorandum on May 15, 2009, which directed the program be cancelled, to include both Increment 1 and Increment 2.
Photo of the Day
Type 22 frigate HMS Cumberland deployed from Plymouth on 25 May 2009 on its second visit to the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa where she will contribute to a range of maritime security operations including counter-smuggling (arms and drugs), counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.
Gator
