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



USS Ashland Captures Pirates
Source: US Navy

USS ASHLAND, Gulf of Aden (NNS) -- At approximately 5:00 a.m. local time, the USS Ashland (LSD 48), was fired upon by a skiff manned by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti.

During the attack, the Ashland received small arms fire on the port side from the six man crew of suspected pirates aboard the skiff. The Ashland, in accordance with her rules of engagement, returned fire.

USS Ashland fired two rounds at the skiff from her MK-38 Mod 2, 25mm gun. The skiff caught fire and the suspected pirates abandoned the skiff. The Ashland deployed her rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to assist the pirates who were in the water near their skiff.

Once it was verified that the suspected pirates no longer had weapons on their person, all six were brought on board the Ashland where they received medical care. There is no apparent damage to the USS Ashland and there were no injuries to any members of her crew.

Captain John Bruening, commanding officer, Nassau Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), expressed the commitment of the ships in the Nassau ARG to ensuring the success of creating a stable and secure maritime environment.

"This is why we are here," said Bruening. "It is so much more than just putting a stop to the illegal activities of only one pirate skiff. It is about fostering an environment that will give every nation the freedom to navigate the seas without fear of attack."

Three events over the past ten days have allowed the U.S. Navy to capture a total of 21 suspected pirates. Two of these events were precipitated by attacks on the U.S. vessels, while the third was in response to a fellow mariner's call for help. USS Nicholas (FFG 47) was attacked late in the evening by pirates on March 31, resulting in the capture of five, while today's attack on USS Ashland netted an additional six. The third event, USS McFaul (DDG 74) responded to the distress call from M/V Rising Sun on April 5, helping thwart the attack and capture an additional ten suspected pirates. The U.S. Navy is now reviewing multiple options regarding these suspected pirates' legal dispositions.

Ashland was conducting routine Maritime Security Operations in the Gulf of Aden, when the ship was attacked. Currently, Ashland is supporting 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit sustainment operations in Djibouti.

The Nassau ARG is comprised of ships from Amphibious Squadron Eight (PHIBRON including the Tarawa-class multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4), the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) and the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24 MEU) complete the group.


Russia's Warships Won't Last to 2015
Source: Naval Technology

The Russian Black Sea Fleet may not be fit for sea missions by 2015 because most of its warships have been in service for over 30 years, according to a Russian newspaper.

Gazeta said the crews will try to keep their ships in decent condition until the last moment, but the iron used on the vessels had reached the end of its service life.

The Black Sea Fleet is to decommission the Ochakov destroyer and a diesel submarine built in 1982, which will then be followed by the Kerch destroyer and several large support ships.

A Navy official said the only solution for the looming crisis would be the construction of at least a dozen of Project 20380 corvettes that were designed to protect Russia's coastal waters and oil and gas sea transportation routes, especially in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.

In October 2008, the first Project 20380 corvette, the Steregushchy, was inducted into the Russian Baltic Fleet and the second, the Soobrazitelny, was floated out on 31 March while two other ships - the Boyky and the Stoyky - of the same series are currently under construction.




Fire Scout Scores First-Ever Drug Bust with McInerney
Source: US Navy

EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN --- During a routine test flight, a MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Take-off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) supported its first drug interdiction with USS McInerney (FFG and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (USCG LEDET) Apr. 3.

McInerney launched one of its two embarked Fire Scout's to test different functions and settings when it acquired a suspected narcotics "go-fast" on radar. The Mission Payload Operator completed testing and received permission to pursue.

Over the course of three hours, Fire Scout monitored the go-fast with McInerney. With its state-of-the-art optics and extremely small profile, Fire Scout was able to maintain an unprecedented covert posture while feeding real-time video back to McInerney.

Fire Scout proceeded to capture video of the "go-fast" meeting with a fishing vessel for what appeared to be a refueling/logistics transfer. McInerney and its embarked USCG LEDET moved in and seized approximately 60 kilos of cocaine and caused the suspected traffickers to jettison another approximately 200 kilos of narcotics.

Fire Scout has been deployed onboard McInerney in the Eastern Pacific since October 2009. McInerney, with embarked Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (Light) 42 Detachment 7 (HSL Det 7), is deployed for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO)in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility conducting counter illicit trafficking (CIT) operations in support of Joint Interagency Task Force-South. The embarked Fire Scout VTUAVs are operated and maintained by a team from HSL 42 Det 7, the Navy Fire Scout Program Office, and Northrop Grumman Corporation.

NAVSO is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all Naval personnel and assets in the area of responsibility. NAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the Maritime Strategy, including Theater Security Cooperation, relationship building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations, and CIT operations.




Ironclads and Blockade Runners

Today’s website is Ironclads and Blockade Runners. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1861 - The Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumter, S.C.
1911 - Lt. Theodore Ellyson qualifies as the first naval aviator.
1962 - The Navy demonstrates a new landing craft, LCVP (H), with retractable hydrofoils.
1975 - Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation from Cambodia, takes place.
1981 - First launching of reusable Space Shuttle Columbia (STS 1) with an all-Navy crew. Capt. John W. Young commanded, while Lt. Cmdr. Robert L. Crippen was the pilot. Mission duration was two days, six hours and 20 minutes. Sixteen of the shuttle's heat-shielding silicon tiles were lost and 148 damaged during reentry.
1993 - Aircraft from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and NATO forces begin enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia in Operation Deny Flight.


Photo of the Day



The burned out hull of a suspected pirate skiff drifts near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48).

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