Destroyers are the backbone of the fleet

SECNAV Mabus says destroyers are the backbone of the US Navy’s fleet. Amen to that. So now here’s a thought… the Arleigh Burke class is back in production (Flight III) and they’re a no-nonsense workhorse… exactly the kind of thing that other navies should want… and if, after this so-called forgone conclusion of Scots independence (an’ good luck to ’em with that) then there’s no obligation for the Royal Navy to purchase ships from foreign Scottish yards… so why not by Arleigh Burke DDGs? Six, right off the bat. Scotland can have its independence cake and eat it.

Secretary of the Navy Visits Sailors in Souda Bay

Souda Bay, Greece (NNS) — Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) while the ship was moored in Souda Bay, Greece, Nov. 15.

While aboard, he promoted six Ramage Sailors, presented Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pins to seven others, reenlisted one additional Sailor and briefly toured the ship.

110624-N-UH963-146 ATHENS, Greece (June 24, 2011) Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Ray Mabus addresses Sailors during an all-hands call aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kevin S. O’Brien/Released

He also held an all-hands call, emphasizing the importance of having the right platforms in the Fleet, the people who serve aboard those platforms and the value of building lasting partnerships.

Mabus then answered questions from the audience and thanked them for their efforts in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility.

“I cannot tell you how vital the work that you are doing is,” said Mabus, “not only to our country, but to our partners in the region.”

Mabus also said there is a tremendous demand for Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, like USS Ramage, due to its adaptability to a wide range of missions.

“These DDGs are the backbone of our fleet,” said Mabus. “They provide us with one of the most flexible, one of the most lethal, platforms our Navy has ever had.”

“What these platforms give us, and more importantly what the people aboard these platforms give us, is presence. That’s what the Navy can uniquely provide,” he said. “We’re not just in the right place at the right time, we’re in the right place all the time.”

USS Ramage, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

Mabus’ visit to the ship is part of a multi-nation visit to the U.S. European, Africa and Central Command areas of responsibility focused on reinforcing existing partnerships and visiting Sailors and Marines providing forward presence.

Political deals & management apathy sound death knell for Portsmouth shipbuilding

Criminal. Bloody criminal.

High politics ends Navy shipbuilding in Portsmouth

What would Nelson have made of it? Before Trafalgar he signalled “England Expects.” But it is the argument over Scotland’s independence that has left ship-building holed below the waterline in the Royal Navy’s headquarter port.

Most people who’ve lobbied hard for Portsmouth now believe the writing is on the wall.

I am told that the announcement has been brought forward to this morning due to leaks in the media.

Everyone expects it to be curtains for shipbuilding. Some wonder whether BAE may also lose some of the maintenance contract for the surface fleet, perhaps to Babcock.

It has become clear that while BAE is keen to work on low-risk ventures like the Type 26 it sees ship services, not ship building, as its future and so it is natural for them to rationalise facilities.

The only good news could be an impending city deal worth at least £100m to help widen the marine industry in Portsmouth, with Rolls Royce Marine, Qinetiq maybe involved. Perhaps private refit work could provide some income at Basin 3.

There have been radical ideas in the past. The Conservative MP for Portsmouth North, Penny Mordaunt, is Phillip Hammond’s PPS, a navy reservist and named after a warship, HMS Penelope!

Her ideas outlined in a letter to the Prime Minister included putting Royal Navy crews on commission, “sell what you sail and get a bonus”.

Considerations of the vote on Scottish independence seem to have trumped the hi-tech yard run by BAE in Portsmouth. The move of Vosper Thornycroft from Southampton to Portsmouth meant the kit was amongst the best in the world. But the Clyde carries more weight at the moment.

Nevertheless, the Royal Navy could still do well from new deals with Babcock. Perhaps the two ocean patrol vessels as well as 13 Type 26s – perhaps a permanent replacement for HMS protector or HMS Ocean’s successor.

Even Nelson could not have turned a blind eye to Alex Salmond. But there could still be plenty for Pompey to be proud of.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-24828616

South Korean Navy takes delivery of 12th Gumdoksuri-class patrol boat

Maybe the translation from Korean to English isn’t up to snuff, or maybe the Koreans have delusions of grandeur, but these Gumdoksuri/PKG hulls rate as a corvette at best. A up-gunned OPV if nothing else. Jeez! This pup only displaces 500 tons. A true destroyer like the Type 45 displaces 8,500 and an Arleigh Burke displaces 9,200. Still… nice to have domestic yards producing a steady stream of vessels for a government that sees the importance of naval power (British govt take note!).

S. Korean Navy receives its 12th guided-missile destroyer

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) — The South Korean Navy has taken delivery of its 12th domestically built guided-missile destroyer, which will join patrol missions to defend the nation’s shoreline and harbor waters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday.

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. delivered the newest PKG-class (Patrol Killer, Guided Missile) patrol ship to the Navy command, located in Jinhae, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul.

The 450-ton high-speed ship can sail at a top speed of 40 knots and is equipped with anti-ship missiles that have a range of 140 kilometers.

It is also fitted with 76mm and 40mm guns, and can accommodate 40 crew members.

The ship will join Navy patrol missions after two months of deployment, the DAPA said.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/11/04/43/0301000000AEN20131104001100315F.html

(END)

Michigan brewery sends “commemorative beer” to aircraft carrier christening ceremony

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) floated out of dry dock on 11 October and will commission at Newport News on 9 November. Founders Brewery of Grand Rapids, MI (US Navy veteran Ford represented the Congressional district from 1949 to 1973) will be sending 40 cases of beer with special commemorative labels to the commissioning ceremony.

Founders creates special label beer for USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier christening

This special edition label was created by Founders Brewing Co. for the Nov. 9 christening of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in Newport News, Va. (Courtesy Photo | Founders Brewing)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — When the nation’s newest aircraft carrier is christened this weekend, Founders Brewing Co. will be there.

The Grand Rapids brewery is shipping about 40 cases of a special label edition beer to Newport News, Va., for private consumption at the ceremony for the christening of the USS Gerald R. Ford on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The beer, the same dry-hopped pale ale Founders has been brewing for years, has essentially received a packaging makeover for the christening ceremonies.

Dave Engbers, Founders vice president and co-founder, said it’s always been company policy not to do special contract brews, but this situation is unique.

“When the government calls and they have a contract like this honoring your hometown president… it wasn’t a long conversation at Founders,” he said. “We’re like, ‘absolutely, we’ll do it.’”

The aircraft carrier, (CVN-78), was named for Gerald R. Ford based on the 38th president’s service aboard the light carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater during World War II. A first-in-class carrier, it replaces the USS Enterprise.

On Saturday, Ford’s daughter, Susan Ford Bales, will break a bottle of sparkling wine over the ship’s bow. The hull then will be released from dry dock and set afloat.

Engbers said the brewery was contacted by the Newport News Shipbuilding team this summer about the special label beer. The beer will be served at a private party on Friday night, and Engbers said the ship building team wanted to make sure there were enough bottles for everyone to take home.

The pale ale will be served on draft with a commemorative postcard at several locations in Newport News this week.

The carrier team visited the brewery and asked specifically for the pale ale, he said.

“It’s an honor for us to be included,” said Engbers.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2013/11/founders_creates_special_label.html

India to lease 2nd nuclear submarine from Russia

Under the deal, India would provide funds to restart construction on the Akula I attack boat Iribis that was laid down at the Amur shipyard in 1994 and had its construction halted in 1996 at 42% completion due to lack of funds. (The “mighty Soviet navy” being neither mighty, nor Soviet, nor barely a navy in those days.)

India may finalize deal to lease second nuclear submarine from Russia during PM’s visit

NEW DELHI: Faced with a depleting fleet of submarines, India is expected to acquire on lease a nuclear submarine from Russia, a deal for which may be finalized during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit there starting on Sunday.

The move to acquire the second nuclear submarine from Russia comes two months after the Navy’s frontline Russian-origin Kilo Class INS Sindhurakshak submarine sank at the Mumbai harbour after an explosion suspected to have occurred in its torpedo section.

A proposal in this regard was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister in its recent meeting. The deal is expected to cost India more than Rs 6,000 crore, highly-placed government sources told PTI.

The Indian Navy is already operating one Akula II Class nuclear submarine — Nerpa. The over 8,000-tonne warship was inducted in April last year at the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command and renamed ‘INS Chakra’.

Under the project, India is planning to finance the construction of an old Akula Class submarine ‘Irbis’ in Russia, which could not be completed during the 1990s due to the lack of funds after the break up of the erstwhile USSR.

The two countries have been holding negotiations in this regard for quite some time and they were concluded recently. The construction of the submarine is expected to take at least three to four years.

India’s submarine fleet, which is getting old, suffered a huge blow after the sinking of the INS Sindhurakshak at the Mumbai harbour, killing all the 18 people on-board.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-20/india/43220501_1_akula-ii-class-ins-sindhurakshak-submarine

Pre-commissioning USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) at Newport News, Va.

131011-N-KK576-015 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 11, 2013) Newport News Shipbuilding begins flooding Dry Dock 12 to float the first in class aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua J. Wahl/Released)

131011-N-ZZ999-003 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 11, 2013) Susan Ford Bales, ship’s sponsor for the Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), observes the flooding of Dry Dock 12 at Newport News Shipbuilding, during floating operations for the first in class aircraft carrier. (U.S. Navy photo by Chis Oxley/Released)

131011-N-ZZ999-002 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 11, 2013) Susan Ford Bales, ship’s sponsor for the first in class Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), begins the initial flooding procedure to float the aircraft carrier in Newport News Shipbuilding Dry Dock 12. (U.S. Navy photo by Chirs Oxley/Released)

131011-N-KK576-013 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 11, 2013) Newport News Shipbuilding begins flooding Dry Dock 12 to float the first in class aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua J. Wahl/Released)

131011-N-ZZ999-001 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Oct. 11, 2013) Newport News Shipbuilding begins flooding Dry Dock 12 to float the first in class aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). (U.S. Navy photo by John Whalen/Released)

Canadian Coast Guard awards MEMTV, OPV contracts

Good news there for the Canadian Coast Guard. Their current fleet of medium endurance vessels dates to the 1960s-1980s and, while there’s life in an old body, only 1 of these is scheduled for a refit during the next 10-yr cycle. The addition of 5 new MEMTVs to the fleet will ease any anxiety over the CCG’s longer-term operational capability.

Vancouver Shipyards awarded another 10 NSPS vessels

OCTOBER 7, 2013 — Diane Finley, Canada’s Minister of Public Works and Government, says that Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards will build an additional 10 non-combat vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard at an estimated cost of Canadian $3.3 billion..

The new ships, confirmed during a visit to the shipyard today by Minister Finley and James Moore, Minister of Industry and Regional Minister for British Columbia, increase Seaspan’s non-combat build package to 17 ships from the seven ships originally announced on October 19,
2011.

The additional ships are five Medium Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessels (MEMTVs) and five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to build the next generation of vessels for the men and women of the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy,” said Brian Carter, President – Seaspan Shipyards. “Today’s announcement marks the latest milestone in the future of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) and the rebirth of the shipbuilding industry in British Columbia.

“We are one year into our Shipyard Modernization Project, and with approximately one year remaining, the transformation of Vancouver Shipyards has been profound,” added Mr. Carter. “In addition to the progress on facilities, we are making a huge investment in people, processes and tools. We continue to recruit the best and brightest engineers, project managers and procurement personnel to join the Seaspan team and look forward next year to increasing the number of unionized tradesmen and women once we commence construction of our first ship under the NSPS project.”

http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4750:vancouver-shipyards-awarded-another-10-nsps-vessels&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=195

Nope. Not gonna translate this article into French. All that “Garde côtière canadienne” stuff is down to you folks.

It’s all about the littorals… Rolls Royce unveils OPV design

Rolls Royce unveils its new patrol vessel (to be available in 55, 75 and 90-metre flavours). The new vessels will be in direct competition with of the BAE Systems OPV, the National Security Cutter and the Navantia BAM. It a world where littoral warfare, counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations are increasingly part of of a modern navy’s operational demand, a well-designed OPV is arguably better “bang for your buck” than the LCS or an undersized frigate.

Rolls-Royce unveils new maritime patrol vessel design

Rolls-Royce has unveiled a new design of maritime patrol craft at the Defence & Security Event International (DSEI) in London.

Rolls-Royce unveils new maritime patrol vessel design

The first of a ‘protection vessel family’ of designs, is a new 55-metre craft featuring a range of equipment from Rolls-Royce (stabilisers, thrusters, steering gear, fixed pitch propellers) and MTU (diesels, diesel generators, Callosum IPMS), offering a cost-effective design that can be tailored to mission requirements.

Weighing around 500 tonnes, the new vessel is suited to patrol, search and rescue and interception duties. A 90-metre version of the craft will be on offer by the end of the year, with a 75-metre design following in 2014.

Garry Mills, Rolls-Royce, Chief of Naval Ship Design, said: “Coastal protection and offshore patrol vessels is a growing sector and this new design offers multi-purpose capability, incorporating core design elements that are replicated across the family of vessels.

“Our customers often face short timescales in the procurement of this type of craft, and having a scalable, cost effective offering is essential.

“There is a growing trend of commercial marine technology crossing into naval markets as governments seek cost reduction through proven capability. Naval vessels generally comprise many disparate and complex technologies, and that’s what Rolls-Royce, with its broad product base, is good at integrating bespoke whole-ship systems to minimise programme risk.”

Building on its success in the commercial marine market, Rolls-Royce established its Bristol-based naval ship design team last year which is focused on four key naval vessel types – naval auxiliaries, offshore/coastal patrol vessels, fast attack craft and naval ice-breakers.

http://www.rolls-royce.com/news/press_releases/2013/06092013_patrol_vessel_design.jsp

BAE selects partners for Type 26 frigate

The current Royal Navy requirement (by which we mean “HM Treasury-directed requirement” and not “RN-determined operational requirement”) is for 13 Type 26 frigates. Combined with the Type 45, that would give the RN a destroyer/frigate force of just 19 ships. But all the same, a hearty “THANK GOD!” that the project is moving forward at last.

BAE Selects 4 Firms for Type 26 Frigate Program

The latest design of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship is seen. (BAE Systems)

LONDON — BAE Systems began selecting key systems suppliers for the Royal Navy Type 26 frigate program now on the drawing board.

Rolls-Royce, MTU, David Brown Gear Systems and Rohde & Schwarz were unveiled as suppliers on the second day of the DSEi defense show in London Sept 11.

The awards will see Rolls-Royce supply its MT30 gas turbine, with MTU responsible for the diesel engines and David Brown the gear box. Rohde & Schwarz will provide the ships integrated communications system.

The Rolls-Royce MT30 is the same engine as the one that will power the Royal Navy’s two 65,000 ton aircraft carriers now under construction.

BAE’s program director, Geoff Searle, said the suppliers were the first of between 30 to 40 companies expected to be selected for major systems deals on Type 26 by the end of the year.

There are about 70 competitions for Type 26 systems. Final supplier selection for major items will be completed in 2014.

The Type 26 program has been in the assessment phase since 2010 and BAE is now refining the design of the warship.

The Royal Navy is planning to buy 13 Type 26’s with the first of the new warships expected to start replacing the current Type 23 fleet in the early 2020s.

It will be the maritime industry’s single biggest surface warship program once the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers are completed late in the decade.

Searle said the Type 26 program is expected to continue through to the 2030s. The warship has primarily a utility role with a bias toward anti-submarine capabilities.

Aside from the firming up of the supply chain, BAE revealed a number of design changes to the 6,000-ton warship. The most significant of those was a switch of the mission bay from the stern of the vessel to a position just behind the helicopter hangar.

The hangar can house a variety of containerised modules of equipment or facilities ranging from mine counter measures to fast intercept craft.

Searle said that moving the mission bay back gave the Royal Navy greater flexibility including possible extension of the hangar space to handle unmanned air vehicles when required.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130911/DEFREG01/309110027/BAE-Selects-4-Firms-Type-26-Frigate-Program

Final shipment of sections for HMS Queen Elizabeth

Mast cap and long range radar at Rosyth. This was the very final shipment of sections for HMS Queen Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/mFDhydKDVq

— QEClass Carriers (@QEClassCarriers) September 10, 2013

 

Mast cap and long range radar at Rosyth. This was the very final shipment of sections for HMS Queen Elizabeth. (Aircraft Carrier Alliance)