Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Feature - Russian Cruiser RFS Movoska
Prolific builder MSW Crewmember Kostas Kateas [angeleyes] shows us his Russian Cruiser RFS Movoska.
Feature
Latest Pacific Patrol Boat Upgrade for Tonga
Source: Australian Department of Defence
The latest in a series of Australian-sponsored Pacific Patrol Boat refits has been completed and the refurbished vessel handed-back to the Kingdom of Tonga at a ceremony at the Rosshaven Marine Shipyard in Townsville QLD today.
Representing the Department of Defence, Air Commodore Tony Jones handed over the newly refitted Pacific Patrol Boat VOEA NEIAFU to the High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka.
The handover ceremony included an opening prayer and blessing of the ship, a parade by the Ship’s crew and the signing of an official Certificate of Completion by the General Manager of Rosshaven Marine Mr Christopher Helps, Air Commodore Jones and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Under Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program - sponsored and funded by Defence’s International Policy Division - 22 Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB) were built and gifted to 12 Pacific nations between 1987 and 1997. The 31.5 metre PPBs are built to a commercial standard and are used by Pacific nations for maritime surveillance and response, in particular fisheries patrols.
Each PPB will undergo a six-month life extension refit that will see the repair and refurbishment of key systems to allow a further 15 years operation, bringing the total operational life of the boats to 30 years.
The refit program includes repairs to ageing hulls and superstructures, structural modifications to improve and strengthen the hull, improvements in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, engine, generator and gearbox overhauls and installation of advanced navigation systems.
Since 2003, twelve PPBs have completed life extension refits in North Queensland. All refits for the remaining PPBs are scheduled for completion by the end 2012.
Tonga has three PPBs – VOEA NEIAFU, VOEA SAVEA and VOEA PANGAI. Patrol Boat VOEA PANGAI will commence its refit in mid-September 2009.
HMS Daring Undertakes Ammunition Trials
Source: U.K Ministry of Defence
HMS Daring, the Royal Navy's newest and most powerful warship, made her first visit to Marchwood military port in Southampton this week for ammunition handling and loading trials.
The Type 45 destroyer arrived at the port, known as the Sea Mounting Centre, for a 24-hour visit as part of ongoing trials designed to test all parts of the ship's capabilities before she is formally accepted into the Royal Navy fleet - and able to be deployed anywhere in the world - early next year.
HMS Daring's Commanding Officer, Captain Paddy McAlpine, said:
"The visit to Marchwood is an important part of the ship's trials programme and we will be working hard to make sure we come through it successfully."
HMS Daring - the first of the Royal Navy's six Type 45 destroyers - was built and launched in Glasgow and made her first entry into her home port of Portsmouth Naval Base in January. The second, Dauntless, is undergoing sea trials and will arrive at Portsmouth Naval Base for the first time early next year.
The main weapon of the Type 45 is the sophisticated and lethal Principal Anti-Air Missile System, comprising a multi-function radar (MFR), automatic command and control system, and surface-to-air missiles operating in conjunction with long-range and early warning radar.
The MFR can detect all types of targets out to a distance of 400km and is capable of tracking hundreds of targets simultaneously. Her long-range radar provides a 3D search capability and can track up to 1,000 targets.
The Type 45 also has a comprehensive suite of other weapons and equipment, including a 4.5-inch (114mm) main gun for shore bombardment, and is equipped with a surface ship torpedo defence system, protecting it against the most advanced torpedoes.
Daring's on-board power plant can supply enough electricity to light a town of 80,000 people, and she is fitted with enough electrical cable to circle the M25 motorway three times.
First Helicopter 15 Has Landed on the Visby
Source: Swedish Armed Forces
Helicopter 15 and the Visby-class corvette belong to the most modern equipment of each navy branch. The first landing on the Visby corvette has now completed with good results, and both projects are physically interconnected.
The Swedish Armed Forces have started preparations for a continued involvement in the EU's maritime operation off the Somali coast, Operation Atalanta. One aspect under investigation is the possible deployment of Swedish helicopter, as a ship with helicopters can monitor a larger area by making use of the helicopter’s sensors and high speed.
Helicopters also provide a better opportunity to quickly identify and evaluate suspicious vessels. One condition, however, is that the helicopter can land on ships and use them as a temporary base between missions.
Land on a ship is not a new capability within the Armed Forces, is utilized frequently, especially during the submarine-hunting operations in the 1980s.
First Successful Landing
Friday, 28 August was the first time a Helicopter 15 [Swedish designation for the AgustaWestland A109 LUH – Ed.] landed on a ship. This landing is part of the process by which the helicopter’s manufacturer, Agusta Westland, must demonstrate and qualify its suitability for ship-board operations. These trials, carried out with FMV, the Defence Matériel Administration, are due to be completed in late September or October. Thereafter, the Armed Forces will be able to take on helicopters and further develop the capacity for a possible operation. Embarking a helicopter, and landing it on a ship at sea, requires careful preparation and a highly-trained crew.
Mats Agneús, the Master of the corvette Visby, says “The helicopter is a natural and integral part of all marine operations. It can be used as a reconnaissance platform, for transport of supplies and personnel, for medical transport and much more. It is a resource that we in the Navy lacked for a number of years, so these tests seem particularly important.”
The tests will continue in the coming weeks will continue the tests, including landings and takeoffs at sea.
The Helicopter 15 project continues as planned. The first two Visby corvettes are to be delivered to the Armed Forces in December 2009.
USS Batfish (SS310)
Today’s website is the USS Batfish (SS310). Muskogee War Memorial Park and Military Museum, founded in 1972, exhibits artifacts from all branches of the service — Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force — particularly the USS Batfish. Enjoy.
Website
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1854 - Cmdr. David G. Farragut takes possession of Mare Island, the first U.S. Navy Yard on the Pacific.
1917 - Navy Department authorizes establishment of 16 Naval air stations abroad.
1922 - Cmdr. Halsey Powell abaord USS Edsall (DD 219) became the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey.
1940 - President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft.
1958 - USS Grayback (SS 208) fires first operational launch of Regulus II surface-to-surface guided missile off California coast; Missile carries first U.S. mail sent by guided missile.
1966 - USS Oriskany (CVA 34) helicopters rescue 44-man crew of British merchant ship August Moon near Hong Kong.
Photo of the Day
Men working on the Liberty ship in the Kaiser shipyard.
Gator
