Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - Battle of Trafalgar
MSW crew-mate Rob Kernaghan (RKernaghan) shares a fine 1/700 scale diorama scene of the Battle of Trafalgar “On Display” feature.
Fincantieri and Boeing Strengthen their Team In Bid for US Navy Hovercraft
Source: Fincantieri
Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), Fincantieri’s US subsidiary, and Boeing have announced that Oceaneering International are to enter the team set up a year ago with a view to competing for the imminent tender for the “Ship-to-Shore Connector” (SSC) program which provides for the construction of 80 new generation hovercraft for the US Navy.
The announcement came today on the eve of the opening of the “Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition” in Washington, the most important fair in the air-sea defense sector where Fincantieri has a stand as Fincantieri Marine Group, which is responsible for the Company’s activities in the USA.
Prime contractor for the team is Marinette Marine which will build the hulls while Boeing will build the propulsion, communication and control systems and the new partner, Oceaneering International, will bring its consolidated experience in the maintenance and assistance of vessels now in service and scheduled for replacement.
By integrating their expertise in their specific fields, the three companies are in a position to offer the US Navy latest generation vessels which guarantee high technical reliability at relatively contained costs.
The 10-year SSC program provides for the construction of 80 hovercraft, for a total value of approximately 4 billion dollars, which will replace the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) currently in service with the US Navy and purchased between 1984 and 2001. Constructed as hybrid platforms similar to an aeronautical product, the vessels are supported by an air cushion and have one or more propellers. Able to move over a range of different surfaces - for example sand, ice, mud and marsh – at high speeds of over 40 knots the boats can be deployed for military purposes such as landing craft for transporting up to 70 tons of vehicles, troops and equipment from ships off shore.
Giuseppe Bono, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, commented: “This tender is highly important to us and participating together with a world leading company as Boeing, in addition to having strengthened the team with Oceaneering International, has upped our confidence. Fincantieri’s decision to purchase shipyards in the USA has turned out to be a successful strategy as it enables us to bid for tenders of enormous scope and value - unrivalled in the world - which under US law must be executed in loco.”
Marinette shipyard is highly engaged in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program for the US Navy, providing leading-edge technology ships for coastal patrols, in addition to building an oceanographic research vessel for Fairbanks University in Alaska for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and vessels for the US Coast Guard.
Nuclear Submarines Went to Sea with Potentially Disastrous Defect
Source: The Guardian
Two British nuclear submarines went to sea with a potentially disastrous safety problem that left both vessels at risk of a catastrophic accident, the Guardian can reveal.
Safety valves designed to release pressure from steam generators in an emergency were completely sealed off when the nuclear hunter killers Turbulent and Tireless left port, a leaked memo discloses.
The problem went undetected on HMS Turbulent for more than two years, during which time the vessel was on operations around the Atlantic, and visited Bergen in Norway, the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and Faslane naval base near Glasgow.
It was not noticed on HMS Tireless for more than a year, and was finally detected last month, two months after Tireless started sea trials from its home port at Devonport naval base in Plymouth.
Tireless was involved in another serious incident in 2007, when two submariners were killed in an onboard explosion in air purification equipment. In 2000, it was stranded in Gibraltar for nearly a year after a leak from pipework leading from its reactor, putting immense strain on British relations with Spain.
The Ministry of Defence memo, which was written last week, admits that both cases involving the sealed-off valves were "a serious incident" that raised major questions about "weak and ambiguous" safety procedures at Devonport dockyard and within the Royal Navy.
The blocked valves, on the hull of the submarines, meant that steam from nuclear-powered boilers could not have been released in an emergency, leading to a potentially disastrous build-up of pressure.
John Large, a consultant on nuclear safety who advises governments on submarine safety, said: "It was a very significant failure. These two submarines were unfit for service. It was a perilous situation."
He said sealing these valves was like blocking the valve on a domestic pressure cooker. If pressure had built up to dangerous levels, the submarine's steam circuit could have burst, leaking radioactivity into the submarine and shutting down the reactor. "There would be a risk of fatalities," Large said. "This was such a glaring and fundamental omission. It's jaw-dropping."
Vietnam Navy Selects Viking Series 400 Twin Otter for First Air Wing
Source: Viking Air
GENEVA, Switzerland --- Viking Air of Victoria, BC, Canada and the Vietnam Navy have finalized a purchase agreement for six DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft. With this historic purchase the Vietnam Ministry of Defense has acquired its first-ever western built-aircraft, and the formation of the Navy's initial fixed-wing-aircraft Air Wing.
The Series 400 Twin Otters are scheduled for delivery between 2012 through 2014, and will be equipped for amphibious operations. The six aircraft will be configured with convertible interiors covering VIP, commuter, and utility layouts, with three of the six designated "Guardian 400" maritime patrol variants. Ideally suited for the Navy's operations, the Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft will be used for transport, resupply, maritime surveillance and search and rescue throughout Vietnamese coastal regions.
Included in the agreement are sensor package options, air conditioning, galley and lavatory installations, and a comprehensive spares support package. All technical and flight training from ab initio through commercial multi-engine, and including Twin Otter Series 400 amphibious float operating experience will be provided by Viking's sister organization Pacific Sky Aviation, a flight training unit located in Victoria International Airport, Canada.
Representatives of the Vietnamese Navy, in collaboration with the GAET Company from the Ministry of Defense, have been working with Viking and its local representative, Canam Active Enterprises Inc., over the past several years to develop the contract. Following an extensive evaluation and configuration phase, the DHC-6 Series 400 was selected as best suited to meet the operational requirements of the Vietnam Navy.
David Curtis, Viking president and CEO, commented, "After a long and thorough procurement process, Viking is proud to have been selected by the Vietnamese Navy to supply new DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, perfectly suited for use over Vietnam's extensive 3400 km coastline. It is also significant to note that the Series 400 is the first western built, fixed-wing aircraft to be selected by the Vietnam Department of National Defense, another highlight to add to the long list of Twin Otter program milestones."
Discoverer Enterprise - Drillship
Today’s website is history of the Lark missile. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1775 - Force under Ethan Allan and Benedict Arnold cross Lake Champlain and capture British fort at Ticonderoga, New York.
1800 - USS Constitution captures Letter of Marque Sandwich.
1862 - Confederates destroy Norfolk and Pensacola Navy Yards.
1949 - First shipboard launching of LARK, guided missile by USS Norton Sound.
1960 - USS Triton (SSRN 586) completes submerged circumnavigation of world in 84 days following many of the routes taken by Magellan and cruising 46,000 miles.
Photo of the Day
Sailors man the rails as the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrives in Vladivostok.
Gator
