Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - IJN Kitakami, 1945
MSW crew-member Anthony Kochevar [ajkochev] shows off his handy work at scratch building the IJN Kitakami in this "On Display" feature.
On Display - "Troubled Anchorage"
MSW crew-mate David J. Salvin (djandj) sends us his first submission, a fine build story, "Troubled Anchorage" in this "Build Story" feature.
HMS Illustrious Arrives in Scotland for Maintenance Work
Source: U.K Ministry of Defense
The Royal Navy flagship HMS Illustrious arrived in Scotland this week for a £40m maintenance and upgrade program which will be carried out at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, accompanied by Commodore Charles Stevenson, Naval Regional Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, sailed out to welcome the massive aircraft carrier as she passed under the Forth Bridges on her way to the jetty at Crombie, where all ammunition and stores will be unloaded before work starts in March.
The Ministry of Defense contract with Babcock will provide employment for about 300 people for eighteen months - until August 2011. More importantly it is part of a continuous work program at the dockyard before the assembly of the new Navy super carriers starts.
Well over 400 staff at Rosyth are already working on the project to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, and large parts have been arriving since the end of last year.
HMS Illustrious - affectionately known as 'Lusty' in the Royal Navy - underwent a major refit at Rosyth back in 2003/04, enabling her to carry out 21st century carrier strike operations and deploy Joint Force Harriers.
This was part of a hat-trick of carrier refits totaling £360m which built a third mast on the ship and overhauled the computer systems, flight deck, living quarters and communication networks.
Since then she has been deployed to the Indian Ocean, with both helicopters and fast jets, was involved in the evacuation of Lebanon, and for the past 12 months has been the Royal Navy's flagship and strike carrier, leading the multi-national Joint Warrior exercises off Scotland's west coast.
This time she will not be having a refit, but will undergo essential maintenance to ensure the carrier can continue in service until the second new carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is in service, and to make her more fuel efficient, improving her green credentials.
The work includes:
-- replacing 500 meters of pipework, 650 valves and all eight exhausts;
-- painting the ship with 540,000 liters of paint which improves fuel efficiency;
-- a comprehensive structural survey;
-- renewal of essential safety certification; and
-- various improvements to make the ship and its crew more environmentally efficient.
Jim Murphy also met new apprentices at the dockside during the visit. He said:
"UK defense contracts provide vital skilled work to companies in Scotland and have generated a welcome resurgence in our Scottish shipbuilding industry. It's heartening to see businesses - some of them small family-owned firms - with full order books, able to take on young apprentices and give them a real future.
"And it's amazing to think that in just a decade, eight Navy ships have been launched on the Clyde, and an incredible 45 ships have undergone maintenance and refit at Rosyth, all work worth billions of pounds for Scotland's economy and employment prospects.
"Aircraft carriers have a crucial role within the Armed Forces and on operations worldwide, so these upgrades are part of the Government's strategy to ensure we have the best people, the best equipment and capabilities to meet modern day defense challenges."
Mike Pettigrew, Babcock's Managing Director Warships, said:
"We warmly welcome back HMS Illustrious under this new contract which has been awarded as part of the developing 'Surface Ship Support Alliance', a partnership between the MOD, Babcock and BAE Systems Surface Ships. The work will be challenging, but as always I have every faith that the team will deliver a highly capable warship back to the fleet."
Commodore Charles Stevenson added:
"This work will allow HMS Illustrious to continue as a highly flexible strategic defense asset for a number of years, capable of taking part in military operations across the globe, whether it's delivering troops, launching aircraft which can provide close air support to troops on the ground, disaster relief and humanitarian aid."
During the upgrade HMS Ark Royal will become flagship of the Royal Navy fleet.
Guided Missile Frigates Upgrade Project Delivers Results
Source: Australian Department of Defense
Minister for Defense, Senator John Faulkner, today announced the Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) had received the Chief of Navy’s agreement to take the upgraded Guided Missile Frigates (FFGs) into a formal program of Naval Operational Test and Evaluation.
Senator Faulkner made the announcement at the opening of the Pacific 2010 International Maritime Congress in Sydney.
“On the basis of the significant progress that has been achieved, Project SEA1390 Phase 2.1, the FFG Upgrade Project, has now been removed from the list of Projects of Concern,” Senator Faulkner said.
“This brings the FFG Upgrade contract closer to completion. There is now a defined pathway to the completion of the Project, with the issues surrounding Project of Concern classification sufficiently remediated to remove it from the list.
“There is still work to be done to tune and tailor the delivered systems to Navy’s contemporary requirements. There is also an ever-present need to configure and augment the systems in ships deploying into operational areas to ensure that they have the best available capability to meet the threats in those areas.
“We have learned valuable lessons from the FFG Upgrade experience and, despite its problems, we are delivering a much improved capability,” Senator Faulkner said.
The Navy’s operational testing, evaluation, and tailoring process will support wide operational employment of these very capable ships.
“The upgraded FFG capability sets an international benchmark for what can be achieved with this class of ship.
“I congratulate all involved on the outcomes achieved from this very challenging upgrade project,” Senator Faulkner said.
UK Carrier Build Gains Momentum
Source: BAE Systems Surface Ships
The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) is forging ahead on the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class, having recently made contract awards worth £325 million that will drive momentum into the ongoing build of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
On 14 January, Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy MP visited Govan to welcome the contracts which have been placed in Scotland. Following the visit, he said:
"These contract awards are great news for Glasgow, the Scottish economy and Scottish jobs. There has never been any doubt how important the aircraft carriers are to Scotland as a multibillion pound project securing thousands of jobs."
The contracts have been awarded to five new suppliers to the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class Aircraft Carrier Programme and will provide a number of vital services and parts for the ships, including fire-fighting equipment and the transportation for the massive super blocks from the build yards across the UK to Rosyth for final assembly.
The award of these contracts by the Alliance is a clear indication of the progress that is being made on the QE Class program and the momentum achieved in 2009. In total, the Alliance is expected to award around £1.5 billion of contracts across the program.
Minister for Defense Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said:
"This news should reassure those who doubt this Government's commitment to the program. These sub-contracts will contribute thousands of jobs throughout the supply chain in addition to the thousands of jobs at the main shipyards which are building the ships.
"The build phase of the Carrier program is now well under way. The first units have already been delivered to Rosyth where these ships - the cornerstone of the Royal Navy of the future - will be assembled."
The innovative ACA is a single integrated team formed from Babcock, BAE Systems, Thales UK and the MOD (which acts as both partner and client). It is responsible for delivering the Queen Elizabeth Class ships to time and cost.
The contract to build the two new Aircraft Carriers for the Royal Navy was signed on 3rd July 2008. The carriers will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed for the UK and represent a step change in Joint Capability. They will enable the delivery of increased strategic effect and influence around the world, at a time and place of the UK's choosing, and will be a key component of the improved expeditionary capabilities needed to confront the diverse range of threats in today's security environment.
Battleship New Jersey
Today’s website is the biography of Battleship New Jersey. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1862 - A Union joint amphibious force captures Roanoke Island, N.C., opening the entire North Carolina coast to the Federals.
1890 - USS Omaha Sailors and Marines assist the city of Hodogary, Japan, in subduing a large fire.
1974 - Three Skylab III astronauts are recovered by USS New Orleans (LPH 11) in the Pacific Ocean about 150 miles west of San Diego.
1991 - Battleship USS New Jersey (BB 62) is decommissioned at Long Beach, Calif.
Photo of the Day
The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) performs high-speed maneuvers during open-sea operations.
Gator
