Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
On Display - USS Dace SS247
MSW Crew member Kostas Katseas cruises through the South Pacific with the Gato class sub in the 1943 configuration by AFV Club built as the USS Dace SS247.
On Display - HMS Invincible
MSW Crew member from Malta Louis Carabott shares a fantastic conversion of the Airfix HMS Illustrious into the 1982 HMS Invincible.
Pearl Harbor Remembers Battle of Midway at USS Arizona Memorial
Source: US Navy
PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Representatives of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam marked the 69th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Midway with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial June 3.
Capt. Lawrence Hill, deputy commander, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, served as master of ceremonies, while Gary Jackson of the National Park Service also assisted with narration during the historical boat tour.
"As a representative of the hundreds of shipyard workers in 1942 who helped make USS Yorktown 'fit to fight' and win at Midway — and representing the many thousands of men and women who have served at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in the years since, I am honored to serve as your emcee for today's ceremony as we commemorate the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Midway," Hill said.
In memory of the historic naval victory at Midway, Capt. Nicholas Mongillo, commanding officer, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, and Col. Dann Carlson, Deputy Joint Base Commander, Pearl Harbor-Hickam, 647th Air Base Group, presented wreaths.
As Mongillo and Carlson walked to offer the wreaths aboard the Arizona Memorial, Hill said, "These wreaths — and wreaths being presented around the world — are in honor of our Midway veterans. We pause to remember and honor the spirit of the Midway victory in our Navy and our nation. We also pause to honor all those who have served and are serving with honor, courage and commitment."
Navy bugler Musician 2nd Class Bryan Parmann played taps in memory of the veterans at the Arizona Memorial.
Rear Adm. Dixon R. Smith, commander, Navy Region Hawaii emphasized in his remarks that the Battle of Midway served as a turning point, perhaps the major one, in World War II.
"What makes this commemoration so special, compared with the dozens of related ceremonies held across the nation this week, is that we are here at Pearl Harbor, where the war in the Pacific started," Smith explained.
Cmdr. Joe Rochefort and his team at Pacific Fleet's Combat Intelligence Unit, Station Hypo, cracked the code, identified Midway as the target, and fooled the enemy.
Adm. Chester Nimitz had unimpeachable intelligence, exceptional ships and aviators, United States Marines and Army bombers, and superior leadership, Smith noted.
This year's ceremony also significantly coincides with the Centennial of Naval aviation.
"In this centennial year of naval aviation, we remember that the Battle of Midway demonstrates our Navy's flexibility and forward presence in a decisive victory," Smith said. "We salute the warriors of the Battle of Midway of 1942. They helped us win the peace we preserve in 2011."
Mongillo said the Battle of Midway not only changed the outcome of World War II, but also the nature of war itself.
"On Dec. 7 our big battleships were destroyed by Imperial Japan," he said. "Six months later at Midway, it was clear that aircraft carriers and aviation were the future, and would be key to our Navy's maritime strategy."
Mongillo continued, "Today, we remember a lesson of Midway — to embrace change and innovation. That's especially important in this Centennial of Naval Aviation and as we face challenges, work to prevent war, and respond to threats. We must be flexible, adaptable and willing to innovate."
A Pearl Harbor survivor, Army veteran Allen Bodenlos, was also in attendance at the commemoration. He recalled that, after the war, he met a Japanese woman who wanted to hug him and expressed sorrow, asking him to forgive her country. Bodenlos said he told her "I had forgiven her country many years ago, and now we are friends."
Ingalls Shipbuilding Starts Fabrication on U.S. Navy's 10th USS San Antonio-Class Ship
Source: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. --- Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, announced today that it has begun construction on the U.S. Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, John P. Murtha (LPD 26). The company was recently awarded a $1.5 billion contract to build the USS San Antonio-class ship at the Pascagoula facility.
"This is a significant milestone for Ingalls Shipbuilding and for the U.S. Navy," said Doug Lounsberry, vice president, LPD program. "It is the first ship we've started with the Ingalls name, and it will become the 10th ship in the class. Our shipbuilders are highly motivated to begin construction on this ship, and we look forward to delivering the most efficiently built LPD to date. These versatile ships provide unique capabilities to our sailors and Marines and allow them to perform several different missions in defense of our freedom."
The start of fabrication shipbuilding milestone signifies that 100 tons of steel have been cut and fabricated. The steel is cut by a robotic plasma arc cutting machine at Ingalls' steel fabrication complex. The next milestone for LPD 26 will be the ship's keel laying, scheduled for the first quarter of 2012. LPD 26 is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter of 2014 and delivered to the Navy in the fourth quarter of 2015.
The 11 planned ships of the San Antonio class are a key element of the Navy's ability to project power ashore. Collectively, these ships functionally replace more than 41 ships (the LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113 and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships), providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked and survivable and built to operate with 21st century platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey.
Ingalls Shipbuilding has delivered the first five ships of the LPD 17 class, LPDs 17-21. San Diego (LPD 22) will undergo sea trials later this year; Anchorage is currently 82 percent complete and is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2012; Arlington (LPD 24) was christened on March 26, and Somerset (LPD 25) is more than 50 percent complete and will be launched in 2012.
The San Antonio-class ships are 684 feet long and 105 feet wide and displace approximately 25,000 tons. Their principal mission is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. The ships can carry up to 800 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing crafts, augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the MV-22. These ships will support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.
Operation Neptune – The Normandy Landings
Today is the anniversary of the Operation Neptune – The Normandy Landings.
The Sinking of the USS Corry (DD-463)
Today’s website is The Sinking of the USS Corry (DD-463). Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1944 - In Operation Overlord, Allied invasion fleet (more than 2,700 ships and craft) land troops on Normandy beaches, the largest amphibious landing in history.
Diorama Idea of the Day
Troops crouch inside a LCVP landing craft, just before landing on "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day", 6 June 1944. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.
Gator
