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



Review - IJN Takao 1942 Detail Set
MSW Crewmember D.T. (DR_WHO2), as promised, brings us an in-box review of LionRoar’s 1/350 IJN Takao 1942 Detail Set.
Review




U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial

Today’s website is the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial. 30 miles up the Cape Fear River at Wilmington, North Carolina, rests the USS North Carolina in alligator-infested waters. A visit in this grandly restored WWII battleship shows how the thousands of sailors lived and fought on this dreadnought. Enjoy.
Website




This Day in U.S. Naval History

1862 - Congress creates rank of Rear Admiral. David G. Farragut is named the first Rear Admiral.
1912 - Rear Adm. Bradley Fiske receives patent for torpedo plane, or airborne torpedo.
1915 - First Navy ships, battleships USS Ohio (BB 12), USS Missouri (BB 11), and USS Wisconsin (BB 9) transit Panama Canal.
1945 - First atomic bomb test at Alamogordo, N.M.


"Excellent Relationship" Sees Rapid Patrol Boat Construction
Source: Austal

The unprecedented speed at which Austal’s Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) inshore patrol craft contract is being completed was revealed during an official visit from the AFM’s project team-leader this week.

Lieutenant Colonel Martin Sammut visited Austal’s Western Australian facilities to inspect the progress of the four vessels, which are on track for delivery in November – just nine months after the contract was signed.

Lt Col Sammut said the AFM was very pleased what they witnessed during the visit.

“Less than five months after receiving the order, Austal has already completed the aluminium fabrication of all vessels’ wheelhouse, fly-bridge and masts, with shell plating on all hulls near completion and painting of the first three vessels well advanced. The speed of construction is quite simply astounding,” Lt Col Sammut said.

Austal’s progress illustrates that it is able to deliver quality customised solutions within timeframes that would be beyond most shipbuilders, including those offering standardised production designs.

Sea trials of the first vessel will commence in September.

With a maximum speed of more than 26 knots and the capability to support 7.62mm and 12.7mm guns, the 21.2 metre vessels are designed to assist the AFM with surveillance and border protection throughout Malta’s coastal waters. Each vessel will be equipped with a 3.4 metre rigid hull inflatable boat, stowed and launched off a stern ramp recessed into the main deck.

Lt Col Sammut said the excellent relationship established with Austal promised the delivery of the best product in line with the agreed requirements.

“Excellent lines of communication have been established with the Austal project team. Our relationship is underpinned by strong people-to-people links,” Lt Col Sammut said.

“Communications with Austal’s project manager are continuous and this augurs well that the AFM will get the best product in line with agreed requirements,” he said.

Austal was awarded the contract in February following a competitive international tender process, which called for a proven design that addressed specific AFM requirements, as well as meeting a demanding delivery schedule. The project is being co-financed by the European Union’s External Border Fund 2008.

The speed at which Austal is building the vessels saw more than 50 per cent of the aluminium plate cutting completed less than a month from contract signing, along with 25 per cent of the vessels’ aluminium construction.

Austal Global Defence Manager, Jamie Robinson, said the project not only demonstrated Austal’s ability to meet aggressive delivery schedules but also the company’s emphasis on strong customer relationships.

“We are very pleased to see the rapid progression of these important vessels and look forward to seeing them in operation with the AFM by the end of the year,” Mr Robinson said.

“Throughout this entire project Austal has been determined to deliver the best solution for the AFM’s requirements - that being a quality, cost-effective aluminium patrol boat fleet delivered on time,” he said.

Mr Robinson said the four vessel fleet, which marked Austal’s debut in the European defence market, had already attracted attention from other European nations interested in Austal’s range of high speed aluminium defence platforms.

“Having traditionally shown preference towards domestic builds, the European defence market is now taking notice of Austal’s brand of advanced aluminium defence platforms, typified by their speed, shallow drafts, flexibility and reduced maintenance costs,” he said.

AFM responsibilities include maintaining Malta’s territorial waters through combating terrorism and illicit drug trafficking, conducting anti-illegal fishing operations, operating Search and Rescue (SAR) services, and physical/electronic security/surveillance of sensitive locations.

AFM Maritime Squadron Chief Engineering Officer, Captain Brian Pace, commented, “Besides enhancing our border surveillance capabilities, these vessels have much-sought-after and better sea-keeping characteristics. We’re looking forward to their better endurance, which is complemented by major crew comfort and safety improvements. The superior crew accommodation and enhanced catering and messing facilities for the eight-man crew will certainly be a plus-factor on these vessels.”


Atlas Wins Comprehensive Service Contract for Mine Warfare Systems of the Netherlands and Belgian Navies
Source: Atlas Elektronik

BREMEN, Germany --- The Services Department of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK has reported an achievement of strategic importance: in future, ATLAS will provide wide-ranging support to ensure the operational readiness of 16 ultramodern mine warfare systems of the type IMCMS (Integrated Mine Countermeasure System) for the Belgian Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy. The corresponding agreement with ATLAS has been signed by Belgium’s Minister of Defence.

The contract includes a large share of services to be rendered continuously, primarily involving a technical hotline with obsolescence and configuration management – a novel concept in this field. Both for the participating navies and for ATLAS, this yields the possibility of using active technical-logistic management to steer the future development of IMCMS, in order that the customers’ objectives are optimally achieved in respect of performance, availability and cost-effectiveness.

The structure of the agreement includes the possibility of carrying out major modernization measures.

--IMCMS Double Display Multifunction Console (MFC)

With a term of fifteen years, the contract covers the entire life-cycle of the Belgian and Netherlands mine countermeasure vessels; these comprise ten units of the Netherlands ALKMAAR class and six of the Belgian FLOWER class. ATLAS is the system leader and responsible for integration of the IMCMS on the vessels.

The signing of the contract represents the successful end to a phase of complex, systematic work and, at the same time, may herald the start of another success story: other European navies using ATLAS minehunting systems of the type IMCMS are also interested in the support concept arranged with Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Managing Directors of ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, Dieter Rottsieper and Kai Horten, were delighted: “This is a significant success for ATLAS in the new business segment of in-service support. Encouraged by the cooperation with these two key customers, we are expanding the services of ATLAS with a view to offering our clientele the benefits of a partnership based on trust and teamwork in this field.”


Photo of the Day



The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) leads a formation of Royal Thai Navy ships including HTMS Chakri Naruebet (CVH 911), HTMS Khirrirat (FS 432) and HTMS Naresuan (FFG 421) during the at-sea phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2009.

Gator