Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Change to ‘Photo of the Day’
In an attempt to keep things fresh and the creative juices flowing, the ‘Photo of the Day’ portion of Scuttle butt will now be ‘Diorama Idea of the Day’. The world’s navies provide us with a great resource in the daily photos taken aboard ship, especially the US Navy. This new feature will hopefully serve as inspiration to our community of ship modelers.
Defender Successfully Completes Board of Inspection and Survey
Source: Naval Sea Systems Command
SAN DIEGO (NNS) --- USS Defender (MCM 2), a mine-counter measure ship, completed an important milestone by passing a three-day assessment of the ship's condition and capabilities Jan. 14 in Sasebo, Japan.
The Board of Inspection and Survey conducted the congressionally-mandated inspection intended to ensure ships are properly equipped and ready for sustained combat operations at sea.
"We are very pleased with Defender's results," said Capt. David Chase, Commander Mine Counter Measures Squadron 2. "Navy commitment to the Avenger-class minesweepers, combined with adherence to high standards, ownership and self-assessment by the crews continue to pay dividends."
During the assessment, Defender's crew demonstrated the ship's material condition and the ability to perform across a wide range of shipboard tasks and combat-related missions. Defender attained an overall grade of 100, the highest grade possible in mine-sweeping operations.
"Defender's results demonstrate that the initiatives we have put in place are gaining traction and are moving the needles in the right direction," said Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. "MCM readiness remains as one of my top priorities and with continued support from the Surface Warfare Enterprise, specifically, NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) 21, PMS 495 and OPNAV N852, we will continue to aggressively develop plans that target the main propulsion, auxiliaries and mine hunting/neutralization readiness of the ships."
"All of these efforts will ensure these ships reach and exceed their expected service life and keep MCM warfighting capacity where it is needed," said Curtis.
Defender is one of two ships of the class that was heavy-lifted from Ingleside, Texas, in early 2009 and has been operating in 7th Fleet area of operations.
MCMs are forward deployed to meet the requirements of Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet from Bahrain and Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet from Sasebo, Japan. MCMs in San Diego support fleet exercises and homeland defense missions, as well as provide training platforms for the forward deploying rotational crews.
Cheonan Sinking Stirs New Interest in Coastal Submarines
Source: Forecast International
NEWTOWN, Conn. --- According to Forecast International’s “The Market for Submarines” analysis, the torpedoing and sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March 2010 by a North Korean coastal submarine will prompt a surge of interest in small, low-cost submarines.
The corvette was specifically designed for operations in littoral waters and built with full knowledge of the threat spectrum she would face. Yet, she was blown in half by a torpedo she never saw coming. The force multiplier effect was clearly evident here.
“The Cheonan was designed to provide an economical asset for patrolling coastal waters, but the submarine used to sink her cost an order of magnitude less – and that submarine got away with her attack cold,” said warships analyst Stuart Slade, author of the report. “It is quite clear which was the most cost-effective asset in this particular scenario.”
It is likely that the sinking of the Cheonan will cause a surge in the market for small, coastal submarines. These low-cost, quick-to-build and economical-to-operate submarines offer small navies with the means to threaten those who intrude upon their territorial waters. Until recently, the capabilities of such submarines were neglected as attention focused on their ocean-going sisters. With the destruction of the Cheonan, this is likely to change. The question is whether the shipbuilding companies will be able to exploit this altered perception.
Western submarine builders have attempted to produce small coastal submarines but, with few exceptions, these have never enjoyed any significant success. Russian offerings of small derivatives of their Project 877 and 677 class diesel-electric boats have also met with scant success. The reason is that these boats have tried to package the capability of the larger submarines into a small hull. This is a technological challenge of daunting dimensions and, in solving it, the defining characteristic of the small coastal – its low cost – is lost.
“If the changed perception of the coastal submarine is to be exploited, the requirement is to build a low-cost submarine that makes no pretext of challenging its larger cousins in quality terms but instead requires a minimum investment in resources and personnel to operate,” said Slade. He added that such submarines would exploit a gap in the market but require existing Western submarine teams to break decades of acquired design habits. If they do not do so, Slade said, the coastal submarine market will go to Chinese and possibly Russian producers.
USS Albany Association
Today’s website is the USS Albany Association. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1801 - The U.S. Senate approves a peace treaty with France, ending an undeclared naval war which began in 1798.
1917 - The United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany.
1991 - Battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) fires eight 2,000-pound shells from her 16-inch guns, destroying prefabricated enemy concrete command and control bunkers Iraq is moving into Kuwait.
Diorama Idea of the Day
Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) prepare to receive supplies from the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7).
Gator
