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



On Display Feature - Russian Boomer Delta IV

MSW crew-mate Oleg Dantchenko (silentbuilder) sends in his first submission, a fine gallery of images of his build of Alanger Models Russian Boomer Delta IV in this "On Display" Feature.


On Display Feature - Haifa Naval Museum, Israel

KitMaker member Jesper (SGTJKJ) sends in a photo report of his trip to Haifa Naval Museum, Israel in this "On Display" Feature.


Walkaround Feature - HMS Stickleback

MSW crew-mate Alan McNeilly (Alanl) brings us a walkaround of HMS Stickleback currently on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.




LCS Mine Countermeasure Mission Package Completes Phase III Testing
Source: Naval Sea Systems Command

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --- The Navy completed Phase III end-to-end testing of the littoral combat ship (LCS) mine countermeasure mission package off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 2, fully assessing unmanned vehicle operations and verifying vehicle speeds, turns and sensor deployment and retrieval capabilities.

The tests, conducted at the South Florida Open Measurement Facility, were conducted by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Panama City for the Navy's Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare (PEO LMW).

"Phase III is the culmination of the end-to-end testing. It gives us confidence that we will be ready for development testing on board USS Independence (LCS 2) in 2011," said Capt. John W. Ailes, PEO LMW's program manager for LCS mission modules.

For testing purposes and due to the operational schedule of the two delivered LCSs, the mission package was embarked aboard the Office of Naval Research vessel Seafighter, which acted as a surrogate for the LCS platform. Using Seafighter, mine countermeasure detachment Sailors were able to operate and test the mission module equipment systems at sea.

The test included full detect-to-engage scenarios, off-board vehicle tactics development, evaluation of tactical operation and maintenance procedures and evaluation of progress toward meeting key performance parameters.

The LCS Mission Modules Program successfully executed the first two phases of end-to-end testing in September 2008 and September 2009, respectively. Phase I focused on constructing mock-ups of USS Freedom (LCS 1) and LCS 2 mission bay areas to conduct system interface checks, handling, and load-out of support containers and mine countermeasure systems. Phase II testing focused on validating the ability of the Mission Package Computing Environment to establish connectivity through the Multi-Vehicle Communications System and enable operations of surface and sub-surface off-board vehicles.


Navy Announces First Sub Officer Assignments for Women
Source: U.S Department of Defense

WASHINGTON --- Two dozen women will begin reporting to four submarines by the end of next year, marking a new milestone in the 110-year history of the submarine force, Navy officials announced today.

Six female officers each will join the crews of the USS Wyoming, USS Georgia, USS Maine and USS Ohio, Navy Submarine Group 10 officials announced in a news release.

Three female officers will be assigned to each of the subs’ two crews.

The Wyoming and the Maine are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, and the Georgia and Ohio are nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines. Submarines of these two classes are assigned two full crews, known as blue and gold crews, which rotate between sea and shore duty to maximize the time a submarine can spend in its assigned area.

Two of the women in each crew will be submarine officers, and the third female officer will be a warfare-qualified supply officer. They will be assigned to their first submarine duty station after nuclear power school, prototype training and the Submarine Officer Basic Course. They are expected to report to their assigned submarines beginning in December 2011.

Navy Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, the submarine group’s public affairs officer, said today the new submarine officers were commissioned through the U.S. Naval Academy, ROTC programs and Officer Candidate School. All 24 women have been identified and will join their new crews at about the same time, but the Navy is not releasing their names while they undergo training.

“We want them to be able to focus on what they’re doing while they’re in training,” Rebarich explained. “Today’s announcement is part of the process of integrating women into submarine crews. This is just another step.”

Submarine Group 10 is commanded by Rear Adm. Barry Bruner, who leads the Navy’s Women on Submarines Task Force.

The Navy’s integration of women into submarine crews has been under way since Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates notified Congress in February the service wanted to add women to its submarine crews. Following a congressional review, Navy officials announced April 29 they would begin accepting women’s applications for submarine officer training.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, a former Navy surface warfare officer, declared his goal of integrating women into the submarine forces soon after taking office in May 2009. Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, seconded Mabus’s initiative. The admiral said in a statement released in September 2009 that his experience commanding a mixed-gender surface-combatant ship makes him very comfortable integrating women into the submarine force.

The Navy first allowed women to serve on surface noncombatant ships in 1973 and on surface combatant ships in 1993.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1864 - Steamer General Thomas and gunboat Stone River destroy Confederate batteries on Tennessee River near Decatur, Ala.
1882 - Orders issued for first naval attache (Lt. Cmdr. French Chadwick sent to London).
1933 - The development of the PBY Catalina flying boat is begun by awarding the contract to the Consolidated Aircraft Company.


Photo of the Day



Dry Dock 1 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is flooded during the undocking of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705).

Gator