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



Modeler Profile - Louis Carabott

Join Managing editor Jim Adams for a talk with one of our members in this installment of Meet the Ship Modeler. In this issue we talk to Louis Carabott.




Start of Production for the First 125 Class Frigate for the Germany Navy at Blohm + Voss
Source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems

HAMBURG --- On May 9, a large number of guests and representatives from politics, defense and industry gathered at the Blohm + Voss in Hamburg to mark the start of production for the first 125 Class Frigate (F125) for the German Navy. The invitation had been extended by the F125 Work Group (ARGE F125) consisting of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG – the client who has entrusted Blohm + Voss Naval GmbH with order completion – and Friedrich Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co.

At the touch of a button, Reinhard Schütte, Vice-President of the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement, started the ultra-modern laser welding and cutting plant in Shipbuilding Hall 3. This machine will cut the individual plates. This punctual start of production marks the first milestone following the signing of the contract in June 2007. Keel-laying will take place as early as November 2011 and delivery of the first vessel is planned for 2016.

The F125 is a very special kind of vessel, since it has been carefully configured to meet both the new conditions found at an international level and the needs of the German Navy. The requirements profile ranges from national and allied defense, peace-keeping initiatives and humanitarian rescue missions to combating terrorism and the repulsion of asymmetric threats.

As well as this unique mission versatility, the F125 is the first vessel in the history of the German Navy to introduce the two-complement concept, permitting intensive use in the form of a maximum mission duration of up to 24 months. In this way, the F125 is capable of delivering active crisis prevention via long-term stabilization missions. All in all, the ARGE F125 will construct four such frigates, with the last vessel scheduled for delivery in 2018.

The frigate program of the German Navy highlights the prominent position held by the German naval shipbuilding sector and its supplier industries worldwide. The sector contributes to securing core expertise in naval shipbuilding at a national level, while also safeguarding jobs throughout Germany.

Main characteristics:
-- Length: 149 m
-- Breadth: 18 m
-- Max. speed: >26 kn
-- Displacement: 7000 t
-- Complement: max. 190 (regular crew 120)


General Dynamics NASSCO Marks Keel Laying of Navy T-AKE Class Auxiliary Ship
Source: General Dynamics NASSCO

SAN DIEGO --- General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a keel laying ceremony for the Lewis and Clark class dry cargo-ammunition ship T-AKE 14 at the company's shipyard in San Diego. Mrs. Min Kaskin served as keel authenticator for the ceremony. She is the wife of Jonathan D. Kaskin, Director, Strategic Mobility/Combat Logistics Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Mrs. Kaskin authenticated T-AKE 14's keel by welding her initials on to a steel plate. The plate will be permanently affixed to the foundation of the ship, becoming a part of the ship's structure and will sail with the vessel throughout its time in service.

During the course of the decade-long T-AKE Program, General Dynamics NASSCO has implemented more than 20,000 ideas to drive down costs and improve quality as part of its continuing commitment to the efficient production of world-class ships for the U.S. Navy. These enhancements are the result of ongoing process improvement initiatives, Lean Six Sigma projects, facility investments of more than $300 million since 2000 and capturing and rigorously applying lessons learned. Included in these process improvements has been a comprehensive cost reduction effort that has cut the labor hours required to build a T-AKE ship by more than 60 percent.

"The efficiency and quality reputation of this program is well documented. In just five years, NASSCO has reduced the labor hours required to build a T-AKE by more than 60 percent, while completing construction in half the scheduled time required to build the first T-AKE ship," said Fred Harris, President of General Dynamics NASSCO. "This has been accomplished by freeing the intellectual horsepower of our people. The unleashed ideas and capabilities of our highly skilled trades workers are directly benefiting our customer in the product we are delivering to the U.S. fleet."

"The ability of our workforce has built a strong foundation for this program, and those yet to come. Their ideas are the currency of our next success," said Harris.

General Dynamics NASSCO began construction of T-AKE 14 in October 2010. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in the fourth quarter of 2012. When T-AKE 14 enters the fleet, the 689-foot long ship will join other Military Sealift Command vessels built by NASSCO to deliver as much as 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions at one time to combat ships at sea supporting military or humanitarian duties in places like Japan, south Asia and the Mediterranean.

The keel of a ship is a large beam around which the hull of a ship is built. The keel runs in the middle of the ship, from the bow to the stern, and serves as the foundation or spine of the structure, providing the major source of structural strength of the hull. The keel is generally the first part of a ship's hull to be constructed, and laying the keel, or placing the keel in the cradle in which the ship will be built, is a momentous event in the ship's construction.




Rescue and recovery the of the submarine USS Squalus

Today’s website is the news footage of the rescue and recovery the of the submarine USS Squalus. Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1850 - Navy sends USS Advance and USS Rescue to attempt rescue of Sir John Franklin's expedition, lost in Arctic.
1939 - USS Squalus (SS 92) sinks off Postsmouth, N.H., with loss of 26 lives.
1962 - Launch of Aurora 7 (Mercury 7), piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Malcolm Scott Carpenter who completed three orbits in four hours, 56 minutes, at an altitude up to 166.8 statute miles at 17,549 mph.
1962 - USS Va


Diorama Idea of the Day



The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33), the Spanish navy air defense frigate Amirante Juan de Borbon (F-102), and the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) are underway in formation during the British navy-sponsored joint exercise Saxon Warrior 11. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.

Gator