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



TiVo/DVR Alert - Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition

Tonight on the National Geographic Channel Dr. Bob Ballard dives to the ocean depths searching for British and French warships that sank during the Battle at Gallipoli Battle at Gallipoli, one of the bloodiest and most controversial campaigns of World War I.




Pirates again attack US-flagged Maersk Alabama
Source: Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months on Wednesday, but guards on board the U.S.-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt, the EU's naval force said.

Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack.
Somali pirates attacked the ship with automatic weapons early Wednesday about 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, but guards on board the craft fired back and thwarted the attempted hijacking.

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force, called it "pure chance" that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted a second time.

"It's not the first vessel to have been attacked twice, and it's a chance that every single ship takes as it passes through the area," Harbour said. "At least this time they had a vessel protection detachment on board who were able to repel the attack."

An EU patrol aircraft from the Horn of Africa nation Djibouti was called in to investigate, and the closest EU Naval Force vessel was tasked with searching for the pirate attack group, the EU Naval Force said in a statement.

Phillips' ordeal last spring galvanized the attention of the U.S. public to the dangers of operating merchant ships in the Horn of Africa, one of the busiest and most precarious sea lanes in the world.

Pirates have greatly increased their attacks in recent weeks after seasonal rains subsided. On Monday, a self-proclaimed pirate said that Somali hijackers had been paid $3.3 million for the release of 36 crew members from a Spanish vessel held for more than six weeks — a clear demonstration of how lucrative the trade can be for impoverished Somalis.

Phillips told The Associated Press last month from his farmhouse in Vermont that he was contemplating retiring from sea life after his ordeal. He's been given a book deal and a movie could be in the works.

Phillips was hailed as a hero for helping his crew thwart April's hijacking before he was taken hostage, but he says he never volunteered, as crew members and his family reported at the time.


Submarine Maintenance Recovery
Source: ASC

Australian submarine and shipbuilding company, ASC, confirmed today that it is on track to meet the Government’s requirements for the Collins Class submarines.

Under a shake-up commenced in May with the departure of the previous CEO, ASC has responded to the need to improve submarine availability and reduce the cost of maintenance.

Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Graeme Bulmer acknowledged the Government’s concerns and said that the company was acting decisively to address the issues.

“ASC has made a number of substantial changes to the submarine business to improve the level of submarine availability and reduce the cost of maintenance,” he said.

“We are working closely with the Government to implement world’s best maintenance and efficiency practices to ensure that the warfighter’s needs are being met.

“Our expectation, and that of our customer, is that we will meet the Government’s requirements and we are certainly doing everything possible within a resource-constrained environment to achieve this.”

The unique Collins Class submarines, which were designed in the 1980s and much of the equipment purchased over 20 years ago, are Australia’s most complex weapons system with over 1.5 million parts. The submarines are now entering the second half of their service lives with the oldest submarine now more than 15 years old.

The company is negotiating a new long-term performance-based submarine maintenance contract with the Government which will focus on submarine safety, availability, reliability and reducing the cost of maintenance.

Mr Bulmer said that comments about ASC’s performance did not reflect the current situation as 2009 has been a year of significant change and refocus for the company in addressing performance concerns.

“Our staff have responded to the challenge and are now making great strides to address the Government’s needs.”

ASC will complete its A$120m purpose-built shipyard on schedule this year and commences construction on the three Air Warfare Destroyers as planned in 2009. The appointment of a permanent Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer is expected to be announced shortly.




Navy Demonstrates EMALS at Ribbon Cutting
Source: US Naval Air Systems Command

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. --- Congressional, Navy and industry leaders gathered Nov. 12 at a system functional demonstration site on Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, N.J. (JBMDL) to initiate a launch of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System’s (EMALS) armature.

“Today is a critical milestone; the launch of aircraft is now in sight,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment program manager.

The armature ceremonially cut through a ribbon at the test facility. The EMALS program recently completed installation of the full-scale carrier representative catapult exhibited at the day’s ceremony.

“Today is not about cutting a ribbon. It is about the Sailors who spend every day, regardless of the weather, on the three and a half acres of Navy flight deck. They deserve the delivery of EMALS,” said Mahr.

The functional demonstration of the system’s armature movement represents more than six years of construction, equipment installation and integration at Lakehurst, where industry and naval test engineers worked to build the shipboard representative future carrier system.

EMALS launch capability is centered on linear induction motors that run the length of the catapult. The motors propel the shuttle (or armature) with enough force to launch aircraft.

“We are demonstrating the functional capability of the EMALS system,” said George Sulich, EMALS integrated program team lead. “This carrier representative system contains the power and infrastructure necessary for load and aircraft testing.”

The shuttle is attached to rollers on the catapult and is propelled down the length of the track by the electromagnetic field produced by linear induction motor stators. The force moving down the catapult allows the attached aircraft to reach the necessary speed for take-off.

EMALS is designed to achieve increased sortie rates and reliability, while reducing operational and support costs, as well as wear and tear on carrier-based aircraft. The system will provide the capability for launching all current and future carrier air wing platforms – lightweight unmanned to heavy strike fighters.

Engineers at JBMDL will begin load testing this fall with the first aircraft launch scheduled for summer 2010 with an F/A-18 Hornet.




Ironclads and Blockade Runners Of the American Civil War

Today’s website is Ironclads and Blockade Runners Of the American Civil War. This is a very interesting sight with several period photograghs Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1890 - USS Maine, the first American battleship, is launched.
1922 - Cdmr. Kenneth Whiting in a PT seaplane, makes first catapult launching from aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1), at anchor in the York River.
1962 - USS Currituck (AV 7) rescues 13 Japanese fishermen from their disabled fishing boat Seiyu Maru, which was damaged in Typhoon Karen.


Photo of the Day



The recovered mast of the USS Maine is placed as an Arlington National Cemetery memorial to those who died during the 1898 sinking.

Gator