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



European Subs 'No Match for Local'
Source: Australian Strategic Policy Institute

The navy has fired back at critics of its push to have 12 new submarines built in Australia.

It says an "off-the-shelf" European boat would not have the range or capability to hit targets far away in wartime.

Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Russ Crane suggested the answer could be a bigger version of the Australian-built Collins-class submarine.

It would also have a state-of-the-art propulsion system to allow it to cruise deep underwater for long periods.

A big advantage of a nuclear submarine is that it does not need to surface to run its diesel engines and recharge the batteries.

Andrew Davies, of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, has calculated that to build the boats in Australia, as the government plans to do, would cost about $35 billion -- three times the cost of a fleet of French or German submarines.

Vice-Admiral Crane said that estimate was fairly crude but not entirely unreasonable.

"Until we do the assessment of cost versus capability, I don't think we really know yet what the detailed figure might be."

But he said the idea of buying a submarine "off the shelf" in Europe did not accord with the philosophy of having a national submarine capability.

"It isn't as simple as saying a couple of Scorpene submarines from France can replace our Collins-class submarines because they cannot. They cannot go anywhere near the capability of our Collins-class submarines."


Lead frigate of Project 22350 is prepared for launching
Source: RusNavy.com

Severnaya Verf shipyard (St. Petersburg) has completed a slipway construction period of Project 22350 lead frigate, reported a source in defense industry to the Central Navy Portal. The ship is being prepared for launching which is to be held in the current month.



Project 22350 frigate is developed by Severnoye Design Bureau and designed for distant naval operations. The ship's displacement is about 4,500 tons, length is somewhat 130 meters. Fuel range is over 4,000 nautical miles. The armament will include 130-mm gun mount, antiship, antisubmarine, and antiaircraft weapons. An onboard helicopter will be also based.

At present, Severnaya Verf shipyard builds two Project 22350 frigates. The lead ship – frigate Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov – was laid down in 2006; she will be launched late Oct and commissioned in 2011. The first serial ship – Admiral Flota Kasatonov – was laid down in 2009 and will be commissioned in 2012.




Force Z Survivors Association

Today’s website is Force Z Survivors Association. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1843 - Capt. Robert Stockton on Princeton, the first screw-propelled naval steamer, challenges British merchant ship Great Western to a race off New York, which Princeton won easily.
1915 - Submarine Base at New London, Conn is established.
1944 - Secretary of the Navy orders African-American women accepted into the Naval Reserve.
1987 - Iranian oil-drilling platform used for military purposes is destroyed.


Photo of the Day



Aurora a Russian protected cruiser, currently preserved as a museum ship in St. Petersburg. She battled the Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War. One of the first incidents of the Communist Revolution in Russia happened on the cruiser Aurora.

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