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



On Display Feature - HMS Tartar 1944

Crew-mate Bob Cicconi (BOBCICCONI) shares with us another great project. He has taken the Trumpeter HMCS Huron and converted her to the HMS Tartar 1944 in this MSW Feature.



Northrop Grumman Completes Assembly of DDG 1000 Engineering Control System Units Six Months Ahead of Schedule
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. --- Northrop Grumman Corporation finished assembly of Engineering Control System (ECS) Distributed Control Units (DCUs) and Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) for the first two ship sets for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class Destroyer Program nearly six months ahead of schedule and under budget.

The ECS takes in all of the destroyer's hull, mechanical and electrical (HME) signals, which come from a wide variety of systems such as the fire detection systems and the integrated power plant. The RTU then distributes the signals to the DCU for analysis and control.

The company produced and assembled two shipsets of 16 DCUs and 180 RTUs each, for a total of 392 units. The shipsets will be installed in the first two destroyers, the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) and the USS Monsoor (DDG 1001). The systems were delivered to prime contractor Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems , which is the Navy's systems integrator for the program. As the Navy's next-generation destroyer, the Zumwalt-class destroyer program is managed by PMS 500, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

The cost-plus-incentive-fee contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in July 2008 with a scheduled completion date of May 31, 2011. Production and assembly of the units were completed 23 weeks ahead of schedule. Inspection and sell-off tasks will be completed in the weeks to come. Through a different contract, Northrop Grumman is also developing ensemble software for the DCUs.

"These Engineering Control System units will reduce the onboard manpower required, which serves one of the Navy's key Zumwalt-class goals," said William B. Hannon, vice president of Northrop Grumman Maritime Systems. "By collecting and distributing thousands of electronic signals, the ECS will monitor and control perhaps the most comprehensive automation system in the Navy fleet."

"This extensive automation will save the Navy money not only through reduced manpower, but also through lower life-cycle costs," Hannon added.

The early completion was celebrated at Northrop Grumman's Maritime Systems facility in Charlottesville on November 17. Executives from Northrop Grumman and Raytheon were joined by program officials from the Navy at the event.


Hue City Begins Cruiser Modification
Source: Naval Air Systems Command

JACKSONVILLE, Fla --- The Ticonderoga Class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) began the process of cruiser modification Sept. 29, to extend the ship's life and enhance combat capability.

Hue City is the second ship at Naval Station Mayport to go through the modification process.

In 2003, the Navy decided to upgrade 22 of the 27 Ticonderoga Class guided-missile cruisers (CG 52 - CG 73), in an effort to keep these ships combat-relevant until a new generation of surface warships can be designed and built. This conversion will extend each ships service life to 35 years. The conversion will also allow the ships to participate in land attack, littoral undersea warfare, force protection and anti-air defense missions; including ballistic missile defense.

Part of the many modifications happening aboard Hue City is an all-electric conversion. This is when the steam-operated equipment is replaced with electric equipment.

"The core of the modification package is to upgrade the engineering plant to an all-electrical configuration by removing the waste heat boiler systems," said Don Doyle, port engineer. "This is a tremendous undertaking for these systems and it extends throughout the ship. The waste heat boilers are very maintenance intensive and a major contributor to just about all the ships internal corrosion issues."

Other equipment affected includes washers and dryers, cooking kettles, dishwashers, fuel oil heaters and potable water heaters.

"The Navy spends millions of dollars of repair money every year fixing problems with our evaporators and other portions of the steam system. Not only does it cost a lot, but the unseen cost is the many man hours the crew uses fixing these steam-related problems," said Lt. Peter Furman, the ship's systems test officer.

Additionally, there are some other improvements being made to Hue City as part of this modification.

"There will be a significant weight reduction to improve ship's stability and to enable growth for the ship's extended service life," said Furman. "In all, the cruiser modification program is critical to sustain surface combatant force structure and will provide a cost effective bridge to the introduction of our future family of ships."

Other alterations include superstructure strengthening and improved main space firefighting capabilities.

This $24 million dollar project will give Hue City critical new war fighting capabilities as combat systems are upgraded, while crew size and maintenance requirements are reduced. The ship will receive the combat systems portion of the cruiser modification in its 2014 availability.

"It's a privilege to be associated with a project of this magnitude," said Furman. "This is a significant period in the ship's life. Ultimately, it will improve the quality of life for Hue City's Sailors."

Capt. Paul Stader, USS Hue City commanding officer, said the crew is ready for the challenges ahead.

"The process of the shipyard environment is very testing and because the ship is out of its element, it can be a challenging period for the crew and leadership," said Stader. "It's been a very productive yard period, but we look forward doing to what we do best, and that's being underway at sea. It has been a great effort between us, Southeast Regional Maintenance Center and the many government contractors. We are ready to wrap this up and get operational."

The mission of USS Hue City is to conduct prompt, sustained combat operations at sea in support of a carrier battle group or amphibious assault group and is designed to defend against coordinated saturation attacks involving enemy surface ships, submarines, aircraft and missiles.




Battle of the Paracel Islands South Vietnam

Today’s is the anniversary of the Battle of the Paracel Islands South Vietnam.




USS Vincennes

Today’s website is USS Vincennes. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1840 - Lt. Charles Wilkes, aboard the sloop Vincennes, is the first American to discover the Antarctic coast.
1929 - The 3rd Marine Corps Brigade is disbanded at Tientsin, China, and all units, except the 4th Marines and the Peking legation guard, are withdrawn from the country.
1972 - A Navy F-4 Phantom from USS Constellation (CVA 64) downs a Vietnamese MiG-21. This is the first aerial victory since March 1970.


Photo of the Day



The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) are underway with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group.

Gator