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



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MSW crew-mate Kostas Katseas (angeleyes) shares a gallery of images of his latest, German Battleship Scharnhorst in 1/700 scale, in this "On Display" feature.

MSW crew-mate Karl Zingheim (CaptSonghouse) shares another of his fine historical dioramas, Retribution; Repulse off Kuantan in this "On Display" feature.

MSW crew-mate John Donnelly (johndon) shares a fine gallery of images of his IJN Yukikaze in a dockside dio, in this "On Display" feature.




Laser Demonstrator Ready for Shipboard Ops
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.

PORT HUENEME, Calif. --- Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed a series of tests of the Maritime Laser Demonstration (MLD) system, moving high-energy lasers a step closer to deployment aboard U.S. Navy ships.

Recent shore-based tests at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Port Hueneme proved the MLD system's ability to track small boats at long ranges and in a marine environment.

"Tracking tests were part of a larger program designed to demonstrate laser weapon system capability for fleet defense," according to Steve Hixson, vice president of Space and Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Such lasers would complement other defensive systems to address certain threats more effectively and at lower cost than traditional weapons."

Managed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the MLD program has a goal of demonstrating how high-energy laser weapons can be adapted for naval operations, specifically to engage targets such as swarms of enemy fast patrol boats.

"The program places a high value on experiences gained through technologies recently matured through other Defense Department development efforts," said Dan Wildt, vice president of Directed Energy Systems for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "For MLD, lessons learned were taken from the success of the Northrop Grumman-developed Joint High Power Solid State Laser, a compact, high-brightness laser. We also applied precision tracking experience gained from the Tactical High Energy Laser test bed at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., which has destroyed 46 rockets, artillery and mortar rounds in flight."

The Port Hueneme tests, conducted by ONR, demonstrated the ability of a Northrop Grumman laser system to acquire and track the threat representative small boats, he noted.

"This and previous tests are critical steps leading to the first-ever demonstration of a laser weapon at-sea. The bar for performance and safety is very high for a system that will be going onto a ship. Our approach has been to carefully plan, test and verify the system at every step, which separates MLD from just another technology demonstration. MLD will give the Navy the fundamental data that is needed to decide whether to go forward and deploy this capability in the near term," according to Wildt.

Last fall, Northrop Grumman tested the MLD system at the company's San Juan Capistrano, Calif., test site. In these tests, a high-energy laser was generated through the system to a target board. Atmospheric and system models were used to demonstrate the ability to transport, rapidly setup and operate the system.


Offshore Patrol Cutter: A Solution for Coast Guard Duties
Source: DCNS

DCNS is a world leader in naval defence and Europe’s key global player providing high added-value naval systems. We design, build and support surface combatants, submarines and innovative systems, and provides high-tech solutions developed for coast guard duties.

Coastal situation awareness and adapted reaction capabilities are vital to secure countries’ territories and national interests. To protect offshore infrastructures and resources, we design and build naval ships that boast a wealth of innovations, capable of securing waterways, detecting intruders from land, sea and air.

In order to meet the next USCG OPC program challenges, we have designed an Offshore Patrol Cutter as the major asset for fulfilling homeland security key objectives. With the DCNS Offshore Patrol Cutter, the company proposes a modern, flexible and affordable design, to perform long range law enforcement and SAR missions, fulfilling historical and new Coast Guard requirements. DCNS Offshore Patrol Cutter benefits from a sea proven hull design and the insertion of innovations developed for most recent DCNS surface combatant ships

Designed for partnership: DCNS proven experience acquired in major overseas programmes has shown the vital importance of building up a strong partnership with local industry and shipyard(s). Based on this successful experience, DCNS Offhore Patrol Cuter has been designed to enable an easy shipbuilding in local partner shipyard.

DCNS Offshore Patrol Cutter key design features:
--Excellent seaworthiness
-- Long range and autonomy
-- Reduced and easy maintenance
--Fulfillment of the most recent environmental regulations


Note: The term “coast guard” implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with SAR functions and limited law enforcement powers.




Tonkin Gulf Crisis

Today’s website is the Tonkin Gulf Crisis. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1943 - PT-109, under command of Lt. j.g. John F. Kennedy, cut in half by Japanese cruiser Amagiri.
1943 - Naval task groups bombard Japanese forces on Kiska, Alaska.
1950 - Amphibious force ships land Marine First Provisional Brigade at Pusan, Korea, helping to save this last area of South Korea from capture.
1964 - Three North Vietnamese PT boats attack USS Maddox (DD 731) in international waters in Gulf of Tonkin. Maddox sinks one.


Photo of the Day



Ships from participating nations are underway in formation during exercise Sea Breeze 2010. Sea Breeze is the largest exercise this year in the Black Sea.

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