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



Mahan’s Influence of sea power upon history – 1660-1783

Today’s website is the Mahan’s Influence of sea power upon history. For you literary types, Alfred Thayer Mahan’s “Influence of sea power upon history” shaped the ideals of many foreign navies including that of Imperial Germany leading up to World War I. Enjoy.
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This Day in U.S. Naval History

1925 - Ships and men from 11th and 12th Naval Districts assist in relief after earthquake at Santa Barbara , Calif.
1950 - President Harry S. Truman authorizes sea blockade of the Korean coast.
1950 - USS Juneau (CLA 119) fires first naval shore bombardment of Korean Conflict.


Libya's Qaddafi says he has plan to tackle Somali piracy issue
Source: APCom

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, currently on an official visit to Italy, said on Wednesday he would present a proposal on the resolution of the Somali pirates issue, Italy's APCom news agency reported.

Speaking about his draft plan, he said it is "necessary to respect the Somali economic zone" and to do this "pirate activity must be stopped."

Qaddafi said the main issue in resolving the piracy problem is to address the reasons, which lead to this activity.

"The main question that must be answered is why Somalis became pirates," he said.

Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.

The United Nations said Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008, collecting $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners. Total losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.

Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia.


NATO drill in Botnia Bay
Source: Barents Observer

A British aircraft carrier will take part along with more than 50 fighter jets in what will be the biggest air force drill ever in the Finnish-Swedish Botnia Bay.

Sweden will host the NATO drill Loyal Arrow, which is to take place in the Botnia Bay in the period 8-16 June this year. The F21 base outside Luleå, northern Sweden, will serve as centre for the rehearsal which will include the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Ten countries will participate and the main training ground will be northern Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The military airports of Bodø (Norway) and Rovaniemi (Finland) will also also be used as bases, newspaper Vk.se reports. More than 2000 soldiers will take part in the drill, 1000 of them serving onboard the HMS Illustrious.

- Our objective is to train units and staff in air operations and prepare NATO’s Response Force (NRF), spokeswoman for the Swedish F21 base, Sara Burulage says to vk.se.




Former Presidential Helicopter Redelivered to the Egyptian Government
Source: US Naval Air Systems Command

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. --- The Presidential helicopter presented by former President Richard Nixon to Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat in 1974 has been redelivered to the Egyptian government in a ceremony held May 14 at Clayton International in Peachtree, Ga.

The VH-3A Sea King was completely rebuilt and outfitted with new engines, a heavier-duty transmission, a new, non-folding aft fuselage, a new, non-folding main rotor head and a new, executive-level interior.

“The Sea King arrived a little more than a year ago at Clayton International as a stripped shell, with most of the parts in boxes,” said Capt. James “Walleye” Wallace, Support and Commercial Derivative Aircraft Program Manager, PMA-207. “What you see before you is a testament to the craftsman here turning a stripped shell into a state-of-the-art executive helicopter and delivering it on time and on budget.”

“I also want to thank my Egyptian H-3 team, which was lead by John Gernand, for their dedicated work making this program a success story for everyone involved,” said Wallace.

This VH-3A Sea King was one of eight built for VIP transport and flew Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon before being presented to Egypt’s President Sadat in 1974.

PMA-207 is naval aviation’s expert at acquiring, fielding, and supporting special mission and commercial derivative aircraft using the best commercial concepts benefiting the Department of Defense.


Photo of the Day



Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Michael Valentine sands paint on the vertical stabilizer on an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Royal Maces of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).

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