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HMS Trafalgar Sails Home for Last Time
Source: UK Ministry of Defence
The 27-year-old nuclear-powered submarine HMS Trafalgar sailed into her home, Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, for the final time Tuesday 10 November 2009.
The submarine is the first of the Trafalgar Class submarines and the first of the class to be decommissioned from the Royal Navy.
Arriving in Plymouth yesterday to an emotional welcome, HMS Trafalgar proudly flew the 120-foot (37m) decommissioning pennant from her fin (the highest point of the submarine), to mark her 26 years' lengthy and distinguished service.
She was given a high-profile escort as she entered the River Tamar and HM Naval Base Devonport from Plymouth Sound, which included a Royal Navy helicopter from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, Ministry of Defence police craft and a flotilla of sight-seeing pleasure-craft and tugs - the latter complete with water cannon firing high into the air.
The submarines and ships alongside in the naval base also saluted Trafalgar's final homecoming with personnel lined smartly on deck and the sounding of ship's pipes.
HMS Trafalgar's Commanding Officer, Commander Charlie Shepherd, said the final homecoming of any submarine is an especially poignant one for submariners who regarded them with affection. He added:
"The feeling of everyone, including me, as we came in today for the final time, was a mixture of pride and sorrow. Sadness, because this is the last time the submarine will be operational and some sailors who have been on board for up to seven years will miss their occupational home for so long, and because close-knit submarines are almost families and this community will be broken up.
"Also, pride because of the fantastic work the submarine has done over 26 years and the more recent work we have done in the last two-and-a-half years since I have been on board.
"We spent five months east of Suez working with a carrier task force and interacted with other navies. We also supported the training of would-be submarine commanders - called 'Perisher'."
He said many hundreds of different personnel had served on HMS Trafalgar over the years and among the achievements of them and the submarine was becoming the first nuclear-powered British submarine to fire a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile and the first British submarine to circumnavigate the globe:
"Although she is being decommissioned, she remains an extremely reliable vessel and has proved this over the years. Also, she still has cutting-edge hardware and software supporting her systems on board.
"Most of all I am very proud of my ship's company, they have been resilient, cheerful and hardworking right to the end. They, like the submarine, are a credit to the Royal Navy."
The submarine, affiliated to Morecambe, is due to decommission (leave service with the Royal Navy) in December. To mark this, a decommissioning ceremony will be held in HM Naval Base Devonport on 4 December. The proceedings will be overseen by Lady Fieldhouse, the ship's sponsor.
HMS Trafalgar was launched on 1 July 1981 at the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited shipyard. This year marks the 26th year since HMS Trafalgar was commissioned at Barrow-in-Furness by Lady Fieldhouse on 27 May 1983.
HMS Trafalgar is being prepared for disposal in Devonport; her ship's company will be assigned to new submarines including HMS Ambush and other Trafalgar Class submarines.
Lockheed Martin Program Helps Detect Deviations in Maritime Vessel Normal Behavior
Source: Lockheed Martin
CHERRY HILL, N.J. --- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Lockheed Martin a 12-month contract to continue development of a next-generation Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) technology that detects vessel deviations from normal at sea and near ports.
Current MDA systems require operators to wade through volumes of data to identify threat potential. In contrast, the Predictive Analysis for Naval Deployment Activities (PANDA) program uses sophisticated pattern-based learning technologies, historical data, and track monitoring to learn a ship's "normal" behavior.
By understanding normal behavior, PANDA automatically detects deviations that might otherwise go unnoticed or be assessed too late. In addition to providing faster and more meaningful threat assessment, PANDA also helps operators deal more effectively and efficiently with information.
"With tens of thousands of ships on the world's oceans every day, it is very difficult to identify behavior that may indicate a threat," said Rich Dickinson, ATL's PANDA program manager. "We believe PANDA provides a great improvement for MDA by automatically detecting deviations and alerting operators to them."
During Phases 1 and 2, PANDA successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using motion-based pattern learning and context filtering to detect and assess unusual vessel behavior. During Phase 3, PANDA will be expanded to monitor thousands of vessels, refine detection capabilities, and enhance operator usability by filtering information and creating a simplified user interface.
Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) serves as the Systems Engineering and Integration Lead for the PANDA program. As lead, Lockheed Martin is responsible for requirement definition, component integration, system performance, system testing, site installation, and deployment. During Phase 3, Lockheed Martin will work with DARPA, the other PANDA performers, and the Office of Naval Intelligence to transition PANDA to the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, MD
BAE Systems Welcomes F35 to Paxtuxent River as Vertical Flight Moves a Step Closer
Source: BAE Systems
A BAE Systems led test team has welcomed the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 Lightning II (also known as the Joint Strike Fighter) to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for flight testing.
The first F-35B aircraft, designated BF-1, arrived at Patuxent River on 15 November. The Integrated Test Force team at the station will now begin a carefully planned programme of flights that will see the aircraft begin steeper and slower descents before achieving the first true vertical landing by the F-35.
Mick Ord, BAE Systems F-35 Managing Director said: “BAE Systems brings key capabilities to the F-35 programme. These include a unique heritage in short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft gained through the design and development of the Harrier aircraft in the 1960s and early 1970s, which makes us ideally placed to lead these trials. Derivatives of the original Harrier are now flown by the U.K., India, Spain, Italy and the US Marine Corps. The Joint Strike Fighter continues to build on the short takeoff/vertical landing experience, and it’s great to be able to apply our expertise on this tremendous aircraft.”
The move to Patuxent River follows a series of successful hover pit trials conducted at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant, which demonstrated the STOVL capability of the aircraft. During these trials, BF-1 was anchored on top of a BAE Systems-designed metal grid about 15 feet off the floor of the pit enabling the aircraft to simulate free-air flight.
These tests measured the output of the aircraft’s STOVL propulsion system and demonstrated that the F-35B exceeded the vertical thrust required to carry out its missions. The tests conducted also validated the performance of aircraft software, controls, thermal management, STOVL-system hardware and many other systems.
A key enabler to the move to Patuxent River has been the completion of aerial refueling tests that have cleared the F-35B for extended-range flights. These flights, conducted by the second STOVL variant aircraft, BF-2, demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to refuel in flight using the probe-and-drogue approach favoured by the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
Whilst at Patuxent River the F-35B will also replicate operations aboard “ski jump” aircraft carriers, such as those operated by the Royal Navy using a specially designed ramp.
In March 2009, the U.K. Ministry of Defence announced its intention to order three instrumented STOVL F-35 Lightning II test aircraft and associated support equipment for Operational Test and Evaluation purposes.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Today’s website is Naval History and Heritage Command. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1775 - Continental Congress authorizes privateering.
1943 - In Battle of Cape St. George, five destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 23 (Capt. Arleigh Burke) intercept five Japanese destroyers and sink three and damage one without suffering any damage.
1961 - Commissioning of USS Enterprise [CVA(N)-65], the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, at Newport News, Va.
Photo of the Day
Sailors aboard SS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conduct the last launches of composite training unit exercise.
Gator
