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



Navy Opens High-Tech Warship Simulator
Source: Australian Department of Defense

Junior officers in the Royal Australian Navy will learn to pilot the next generation of warships, in an upgraded $10m training facility at HMAS Watson, Sydney, which will be officially opened tomorrow.

The new high-tech simulator uses computerised virtual-reality software to simulate a working warship's bridge, complete with a 240-degree view of a computer generated 2D scene through the bridge windows.

The bridge training faculty, one of the most advanced simulators in the world, will be opened by Commander Australian Fleet Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore.

“This facility is at the cutting edge of simulator technology and provides junior Seaman Officers with very realistic training so they will be capable of carrying out the duties of the Officer-of-the-Watch before heading out to sea,” Rear Admiral Gilmore said.

“Our Navy is the first in the world to use multi flex touch screens in a warship bridge simulator, which increases functionality without cumbersome hardware,” Rear Admiral Gilmore said.

The simulators replicate the full range of maritime operations likely to be experienced while on the bridge of a warship and can be reconfigured to match most classes of ship in the RAN’s current fleet. New functionality includes boat operations, interdiction, and docking and beaching evolutions pertinent to the new Landing Helicopter Dock ships, the first of which is due to enter service in 2014.

“An example of a complex scenario is manoeuvering a 3500-tonne warship within 2000 yards of a number of other ships while under air attack, or ships within 50m of each other conducting replenishment-at-sea approaches” Rear Admiral Gilmore said.

With two full-mission simulators and four part-task simulators, the facility allows up to six warship bridge teams to train for specific scenarios in a joint exercise environment or, conversely, run six independent scenarios.

The graphics system can replicate different environmental conditions, from a clear day through to a raging storm, detailed land-and sea-scape features as well as dynamic models of aircraft, tugs and other ships, including the Canberra Class LHDs and Hobart Class AWDs.

A dedication ceremony will also be held for the combined navigation and bridge training faculties, which was renamed the Taylor Building, after former Chief of Navy (1994-97), the late Vice Admiral Rod Taylor AO, a specialist navigation and operations officer.

The ship bridge simulation system was delivered to the Navy by the Defence Materiel Organisation on time and under budget. The system was provided by Kongsberg Maritime Simulation & Training, Norway.


Navy Names Littoral Combat Ships Jackson and Montgomery
Source: Department of Defense

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next two Freedom-class littoral combat ships (LCS) to be built in Alabama will be named the USS Jackson and the USS Montgomery.

These two ships are part of a dual block buy of LCS class ships announced by Mabus in December 2010. By procuring both versions of the LCS -- Lockheed Martin's semiplaning monohull and General Dynamic's aluminum trimaran -- the Navy can stabilize the LCS program and the industrial base with an award of 20 ships; increase ship procurement rate to support operational requirements; sustain competition through the program; and enhance foreign military sales opportunities. Both designs meet the Navy's LCS requirement. However, the diversity provided by two designs provides operational flexibility.

The selection of Jackson, designated LCS 6, honors the great state capitol Jackson, Miss. This is the first ship to bear the city's name.

The selection of Montgomery, the capitol of Alabama, designated LCS 8, honors Montgomery, Ala. This is the second ship to bear the city's name.

Jackson and Montgomery will be designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in the coastal waters. A fast, agile surface combatant, the LCS provides the required war fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute focused missions close to the shore such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.

Jackson and Montgomery will be 419 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and will make speed in excess of 40 knots.

Construction of Jackson and Montgomery will be by Austal Shipbuilding in Mobile, Ala.




HMS Phoebe and Cherub capture USS Essex

Today marks the anniversary of the HMS Phoebe and Cherub capturing USS Essex.




USS Essex

Today’s website is the biography USS Essex. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1800 - Essex becomes the first U.S. Navy vessel to pass the Cape of Good Hope.
1814 - HMS Phoebe and Cherub capture USS Essex off Valparaiso, Chile. Before capture, Essex had captured 24 British prizes during the War of 1812.
1848 - USS Supply reaches the Bay of Acre, anchoring under Mount Carmel near the village of Haifa, during its expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan.


Diorama Idea of the Day



While not a really good diorama idea, this is just a cool photo. The guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is underway in the Arabian Gulf. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.

Gator