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



Review - AMP's NEW Ty II Upgrade set
Take a long hard look at MSW crewmate Jan Klarbæk's (MRMOX) in-depth, "inbox" review of Accurate Model Part's new full upgrade set designed for Special Navy's 1/72 scale Type II Uboat kit!
Review




New Norwegian coastguard vessel
Source: www.barentsobserver.com

The first of three coastguard vessels of the Barents Sea class was taken into operation this weekend. The vessel is an ice strengthened multi-purpose vessel which can be used both as a tugboat to assist bigger boats in addition to fish-inspection in Norway's Arctic waters.

The vessel will get a main role within fishery inspections, oil spill prevention, tug boat capacity and for search- and rescue operations, says Chief of the Norwegian Coast Guard, rear Admiral Arild-Inge Skram quoted by the Norwegian military's website.

KV Barentshav will also be a part of the rescue capacity in case of submarine accidents.

The hull of the vessel is built in Romania, while the assembling of the vessel was done by the Myklebust yard in western Norway. KV Barentshav is the first coastguard vessel to run on natural gas instead of diesel oil.

The new coastguard vessel is currently on its way from the naval yard to its new homeport, the Norwegian Coast Guards base at Sortland, Northern Norway. You can follow the vessel by checking its sailing route at MarineTraffic.com.

KV Barentshav is 92 meters long, 16 meters breadth and has a crew of 20 sailors.

Two similar vessels, KV Bergen and KV Sortland will be delivered to the coast guard later.


USS Theodore Roosevelt Contract Awarded
Source: US Navy

WASHINGTON --- Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) awarded a $2.4 billion contract on Aug. 26 to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding - Newport News for the Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

The Navy's Program Executive Office, Aircraft Carriers, heads the planning and execution of aircraft carrier RCOHs in collaboration with NAVSEA, the Fleet and the shipbuilder. NAVSEA is committed to fiscal responsibility and streamlining our maintenance and modernization processes to maintain current readiness at a lower cost.

"USS Theodore Roosevelt will benefit from the experience gained by the Navy and the shipyard from three previous RCOHs," said Capt. Frank Simei, program manager for In-Service Aircraft Carriers. "Refueling, repairing, and modernizing a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier gives the Navy a fully mission-ready aircraft carrier, ready for two and a half more decades of service on the front line."

During a RCOH, the ship is recapitalized for the second-half of its nominal 50-year service life. This includes refueling the reactors, repairing and upgrading ship infrastructure and systems, and modernizing the ship and its combat and communication systems. Theodore Roosevelt is the fourth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to undergo an RCOH in Newport News, Va., the only shipyard capable of conducting a Nimitz-class RCOH.

Additionally, Theodore Roosevelt will be the first aircraft carrier to not include a follow-on Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) maintenance period. The work typically conducted in the SRA will be incorporated into the RCOH.

Theodore Roosevelt's RCOH is scheduled to be completed in February 2013.

Aircraft carriers enable the Navy to execute all six core capabilities of the maritime strategy - forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster response.




L-3 Completes First Phase of F/A-18C/D Roadmap Procurement Program
Source: L-3 Communications

ARLINGTON, Texas --- L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) announced today it has successfully completed the first phase of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18C/D Roadmap Procurement Program (RPP).

L-3 Link received this two-phase, five-year program in 2006. Under the first phase of the program L-3 Link has delivered six new F/A-18C/D Tactical Operational Flights Trainers (TOFTs). In addition, 16 existing U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 simulators have been upgraded to the new F/A-18C/D TOFT configuration.

The new F/A-18C/D TOFTs and upgraded simulators have been integrated with new photo texture databases to increase visual acuity, additional audio capabilities, increased malfunctions and enhanced instructor operator station functionality. Numerous aircraft concurrency upgrades have been integrated on the F/A-18C/D TOFTs to provide each simulator with the platform’s latest aircraft capabilities.

“Our dedicated U.S. Navy and L-3 Link team has worked to ensure training device concurrency with the fleet aircraft,” said Frank Casano, director of Maritime Programs for L-3 Link. “This high level of cooperation is benefiting U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps pilots today by enabling them to practice essential training and readiness tasks in the simulator before undertaking a mission in an aircraft.”

L-3 Link has begun work on phase two of the program, which calls for delivery of one additional F/A-18C/D TOFT each to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan; MCAS Miramar, Calif.; and the Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas. Phase two also will focus on ensuring the training devices remain concurrent with the aircraft, developing additional visual system databases, inserting new training technologies and making improvements in aerodynamic fidelity. These updates will be deployed to all F/A-18C/D training devices in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps fleet.


L-3 Link Simulation and Training has major operations in Arlington, Texas, and other key bases of operation in Binghamton, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Phoenix, Ariz. Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications employs approximately 65,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in aircraft modernization and maintenance, C3ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems and government services. L-3 is also a leading provider of high technology products, subsystems and systems. The company reported 2008 sales of $14.9 billion.




Battleship Texas Photo Tour

Today’s website is the Battleship Texas Photo Tour. Take a look at the world’s last surviving dreadnaught. Enjoy.
Website


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1782 - As a token of gratitude for French aid during the American Revolution, the United States gives America (first ship-of-the-line built by U.S.) to France to replace a French ship lost in Boston.
1783 - Signing of the Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution.
1885 - First classes at U.S. Naval War College begin.
1925 - Crash of rigid airship Shenandoah near Byesville, Ohio.
1943 - American landings on Lae and Salamaua.
1944 - First combat employment of a missile guided by radio and television takes place when Navy drone, Liberator, controlled by Ensign James M. Simpson, flew to attack German submarine pens on Helgoland Island.
1945 - Japanese surrender Wake Island in ceremony aboard USS Levy (DE 162).


Photo of the Day



The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) navigates between thunderstorms during a transit of the western Pacific Ocean.

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