Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - Breakout into the Atlantic!
MSW crew-mate Kostas Katseas shares a duo-build in 1/700 scale modeling prowess, showing the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen being discovered by the Royal Navy and brought to battle-line formation in the Denmark Strait, in this "On Display" feature.
img]http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/19672/aroundthefleet.jpg[/img]
Innovative Project Underway to Refurbish Trident Jetty
Source: UK Ministry of Defense
Defense Estates (DE) is overseeing a program of major refurbishment to the explosives handling jetty (EHJ) at the Royal Navy's Strategic Weapon Facility (SWF) in Coulport, Scotland.
The jetty is designed to allow loading and unloading of tactical and strategic weapons to the Vanguard class Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) submarines. The EHJ Continuous Availability Project (CAP) is designed to refresh the current facilities whilst keeping the jetty operational - in support of the Trident nuclear program.
DE's Regional Prime Contractor for Scotland (RPC(S)), Turner Estate Solutions, is carrying out the refurbishment work, which is expected to take approximately three years. Major aspects of the project to be addressed over the coming months include repairing the roof to make it wind and watertight and an inspection of the access bridge bearings to see if they need replacing.
The 125 and 35 tonne cranes inside the jetty will be overhauled and installed with new control systems. Only one crane will be worked on at any one time, to ensure that the facility remains available to support the Fleet as necessary.
"The success of the project will be judged not only on the normal criteria of delivering a quality product within a fixed budget to a immovable completion date, but also against an absolute minimum impact on a very busy Fleet program."
John McGuigan, DE Team Leader
A contractor compound has been set up immediately behind the canteen at SWF Coulport to accommodate contractor personnel managing the works. It includes a brand new building with meeting rooms and a large open plan office which will be retained by SWF Coulport once the project is completed.
John McGuigan, DE Team Leader said:
"The facility was originally intended to have a major refit, which would have meant taking it out of service completely for up to 18 months. The unique nature of the facility and the increasing demands of the Trident program meant that this was not an option.
"On the face of it the EHJ CAP is simply a large maintenance, refurbishment project. However, the combined constraints imposed on us by the Nuclear Approvals Process, maintaining a level of availability to Fleet at all times and complying with customer funding and the RPC(S) process make this a big challenge.
"The success of the project will be judged not only on the normal criteria of delivering a quality product within a fixed budget to a immovable completion date, but also against an absolute minimum impact on a very busy Fleet program.
"Proactive engagement with stakeholders has been - and will continue to be - pivotal to project success. We are most encouraged by the close working relationships developed so far with which have resulted in a significant reduction in unnecessary red tape thereby minimizing the risk of delay to delivery."
Morag Cook, the Customer Requirement Manager for Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S) said:
"This is a major project for the Base and a first in many respects. It is the first time we have undertaken a major refurbishment of a nuclear facility and the first time this will have been done whilst keeping the facility ready for operations. The facility operator and his team are bracing themselves for the increased workload and challenges that the project will bring."
Navy Takes Delivery of Offshore Patrol Vessel
Source: New Zealand Defense Force
Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Tony Parr and Ministry of Defense Project Director Gary Collier formally accepted the Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMNZS OTAGO, into the Royal New Zealand Navy at a ceremony in Melbourne today.
“OTAGO and her sister ship WELLINGTON will deliver the Navy substantial new capability to undertake Exclusive Economic Zone patrols, surveillance and military operations around New Zealand, the southern ocean and the Pacific,” said Admiral Parr.
“OTAGO and WELLINGTON have the capability to operate further offshore than our existing patrol vessels, stay at sea longer, and conduct more challenging operations – using their helicopter capability, sea-boats and embarked forces.”
Rear-Admiral Parr said it was no secret the Navy had waited longer than planned to get the ships.
“The Navy is now focused on getting these ships into service to do the jobs they were designed for. We’re confident the issues around the ships’ weight, which have contributed to delays in acceptance, can be managed so they can successfully carry out their missions. We wouldn’t have accepted the ships otherwise.”
HMNZS OTAGO is the sixth ship in the Project Protector fleet. Acceptance of OPV WELLINGTON into naval service is expected in April.
Admiral Parr said that with the delivery of OTAGO and WELLINGTON the Navy will be operating a fleet of 12 modern, hi-tech and highly capable ships.
“With the completion of Project Protector the Navy can deliver the full range of maritime military capability from combat and security missions to peacekeeping, border patrol and humanitarian and disaster relief,” said Admiral Parr.
The delivery crew of HMNZS OTAGO will now undertake safety and operational preparations for her voyage to New Zealand. We expect OTAGO to arrive at Devonport Naval Base toward the end of March where she will be welcomed with appropriate ceremony.”
Coast Guard Stands Ready For Challenges, Commandant Says
Source: US Department of Defense
WASHINGTON --- The U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to confront current and future challenges, said Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the service.
Today’s Coast Guard is a strong, resilient force, Allen said during a DoDLive blogger’s roundtable Feb. 16. The Coast Guard, he said, plans to restore and refurbish some of its aging fleet with the $1.4 billion contained in this year’s proposed federal budget.
Yet a tight budgeting process brought about by a down economy poses potential challenges for the Coast Guard, the admiral said.
“When you're operating in a constrained budget environment, it's very, very difficult to make tradeoffs. But in this case, we have to focus on recapitalizing and rebuilding new ships,” Allen said. “Otherwise you create what they would call a hollow force.”
The problem in explaining the Coast Guard’s funding requirements Allen said, comes, in part, from its national presence across maritime domains and many agencies’ jurisdictions. While the service falls under Homeland Security, the Coast Guard also partners in operations involving the Defense Department and performs tasks across every branch of the government.
The Coast Guard, Allen said, is a multi-mission organization that performs both military and law enforcement duties.
“I think we’re the exact type of agency the government needs right now, but in a constrained budget environment we’re the hardest to explain,” he said. “We have cutters that can do a number of missions. But they can't do them all at once.”
Consequently, Allen said, there's “an inherent risk-management process that takes place, in how we allocate our resources now.”
Allen thanked President Barack Obama for his support and also thanked First Lady Michelle Obama for her work on behalf of military families. The Coast Guard, the admiral noted, has received $14 million to build new family housing for its service members. The proposed budget, he added, also would support acquisition of additional cutters, aircraft, fast-response cutters and funding to begin the design process for the new medium-endurance cutters.
Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr. has been nominated to succeed Allen as the new Coast Guard commandant. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Papp would relieve Allen in May 2010.
“The challenges I see that are going to kind of transcend across my tenure and Adm. Papp's tenure; pending his confirmation are going to have to do with really clearly defining what we do within the Department of Homeland Security,” Allen said.
Third Lockheed Martin F-35B Lands at NAS Patuxent River
Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. --- Piloted by Lockheed Martin F-35 Test Pilot Jeff Knowles, the third F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., today.
"Today, the third of our five STOVL test jets joined the F-35 fleet at the Test Center as our flight test program initiates the expansion of the F-35's flight-sciences envelope," said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration. "Our focus remains on fielding the F-35's tremendous capabilities to our warfighters, recapitalizing our nation's aging fighter fleet, and meeting our commitments to the F-35 partner nations."
The jet, known as BF-3, took off near Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant at 9:51 a.m. CST and arrived at NAS Patuxent River three hours and 10 minutes later. BF-3 joins two other F-35Bs at the Navy test site, and will be used mainly to evaluate vehicle systems and expand the aircraft's aerodynamic and structural-loads envelope. The airplane will also focus on weapons testing, and will carry and release most of the weapons the F-35B will use in combat. Two more F-35Bs will join the test operation in the near future. The latter airplanes will be the primary test assets for the F-35's integrated mission systems.
In addition to flight testing, the F-35 Program is using the Autonomic Logistic Information System (ALIS) for maintenance actions, spares tracking and technical data support. ALIS is part of the F-35's innovative sustainment architecture monitored by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS) Operations Center in Fort Worth. The early deployment of the F-35 net-enabled logistics system to be used by all nine partner countries helps ensure the F-35's smooth transition to operational status, and is a key enabler for lower life cycle costs.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
WWII Campaigns of the Italian Navy
Today’s website is the history of the USS Osmond Ingram from the Tin Can Sailors website. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1795 - The U.S. Navy Office of Purveyor of Supplies is established. This is officially recognized as the Navy Supply Corps Birthday.
1919 - USS Osmond Ingram (DD 255), the first Navy ship named for an enlisted man, is commissioned.
1944 - Carrier groups under Adm. Raymond Spruance attack Saipan, Tinian and Rota in the Marianas.
1945 - U.S. Marines and a Navy corpsman raise the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. The scene has been forever remembered on the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Photo of the Day
The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) takes on fuel from the Nimitz-class carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during an underway replenishment near South America.
Gator
