Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Feature - IJN Harbor Scene
MSW Crewmember Christer Johansson [roy] brings us a nice little harbor scene giving us a glimpse of some down time in the South Pacific.
Feature
Annapolis Maritime Museum
Today’s website is the Annapolis Maritime Museum. The Annapolis Maritime Museum will present the many facets of this nearly 300-year story: the history of men and women living and working in and around the port city, dependent upon and multiplying the benefits of life near and on the water. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1846 - Sailors and Marines from U.S. sloop Cyane capture San Diego.
1918 - Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, visits Queenstown, Ireland.
1945 - U.S. warships bombard Hamamatsu, Japan.
C-Day for Navy’s Most Powerful Warship
Source: UK Ministry of Defence
HMS Daring – the Royal Navy’s newest and most advanced warship – has been formally commissioned into the fleet today (July 23) in front of a royal guest.
The ship’s sponsor, Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex who launched the Type 45 destroyer in Scotland in 2006, was principal guest at the colourful ‘Christening’ ceremony at Victory Jetty, Portsmouth Naval Base.
Hundreds of guests including Commander-In-Chief, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, and families of the 190 ship’s company attended the ceremony which is conducted by Chaplain of the Fleet The Venerable John Green.
Her Royal Highness inspected the front rank of a Guard of Honour - comprising 24 members of the ship’s company – and the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Portsmouth.
HMS Daring’s Commanding Officer, Captain Paddy McAlpine, read the Commissioning Warrant and the National Anthem was played as the ship’s Jack and White Ensign are raised and the commissioning pennant was unfurled.
The ceremony also included a flypast by two Typhoon aircraft from 11 Squadron RAF which is affiliated to the ship. On completion The Venerable Green blessed the ship and the Countess and Capt McAlpine made speeches.
Capt McAlpine said the ceremony was an extremely important day for both the ship and the ship’s company: “It gives me immense pride to be here at this momentous occasion as the ship’s Commanding Officer. HMS Daring opens a new chapter in the illustrious history of the Royal Navy.
“I am fortunate to have an excellent ship’s company who are all working extremely hard to bring HMS Daring, the first of class, into service so that she may continue to contribute to the Navy’s global commitments and provide air defence at a level previously unseen.
“It is difficult to imagine how much effort and ‘behind the scenes’ work has gone into preparing this day and we are honoured to have Her Royal Highness here to celebrate our commissioning.”
The ceremony was rounded off in traditional Royal Navy fashion with the cutting of a commissioning cake. Performing the honour was the CO’s wife, Janette, and Able Seaman Daniel Small who celebrates his 17th birthday today and is the youngest member of the ship’s company.
Her Royal Highness then went on board HMS Daring for a short time before joining a reception for guests on the quayside.
HMS Daring is the first of six Type 45 destroyers and all will be based in Portsmouth. The second, HMS Dauntless, is due to make her first entry in to Portsmouth early next year.
Northrop Grumman High-Energy Laser Could Protect U.S. Navy Ships At Sea From Small Attack Boats
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. --- The ultra-precision of high-energy lasers soon may be the pinpoint, measured response that will keep threats a safe distance from U.S. Navy ships.
Under a new Navy initiative called the Maritime Laser Demonstration, Northrop Grumman Corporation will apply its solid-state laser systems expertise and successes to demonstrate a laser weapon system to defeat a wide range of current threats.
"Naval forces face a wide range of challenges from small surface craft to advanced aerial threats. New solutions are required to meet these challenges within cost and force structure constraints," said Steve Hixson, vice president of Advanced Concepts - Space and Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "Northrop Grumman uniquely has proven its expertise in addressing key issues for laser power scaling so that the response meets the level of the threat. We will apply company-wide capabilities, from shipbuilding to systems integration, to meet the Navy's objectives for this program."
The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Va., has awarded the company an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for MLD with a ceiling value of $98 million, which has an expected completion date of June 2014. The Navy committed an initial amount of $499,999 through the end of the current government fiscal year that will enable Northrop Grumman to complete the critical design review for this demonstration.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will demonstrate an innovative laser weapon system suitable for operation in a marine environment and able to defeat small boat threats before the end of 2010.
Photo of the Day
A Brazilian Sailor climbs down the pilot ladder aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) to a ridged hull inflatable boat.
Gator
