US Navy News and updates

[AegisFC]

Sorry to go back so far but i was interested in the inital article in this post relating to how the carrier USS America was scuttled off the coast by a series of torpedoes, cruise missiles and explosions to replicate the USS Coles experience. After reading into this a bit more i have heard that the US Navy purchased some Sunburn Anti-ship missiles from the russians and i was wanting to know if anyone knew how the scuttling went? What type of munitions were used? If in fact they used sunburn missiles and how they went.

I believe the whole event was kept very hush hush with the results since no american carrier had been directly attacked since WWII and the results of modern cruise missiles on US carriers were not know.

Be very interested to find out, thanks.

You are not going to find much, the whole thing is classified for good reason.

 

[Salty Dog]

Sorry to go back so far but i was interested in the inital article in this post relating to how the carrier USS America was scuttled off the coast by a series of torpedoes, cruise missiles and explosions to replicate the USS Coles experience. After reading into this a bit more i have heard that the US Navy purchased some Sunburn Anti-ship missiles from the russians and i was wanting to know if anyone knew how the scuttling went? What type of munitions were used? If in fact they used sunburn missiles and how they went.

I believe the whole event was kept very hush hush with the results since no american carrier had been directly attacked since WWII and the results of modern cruise missiles on US carriers were not know.

Be very interested to find out, thanks.

AFAIK the ex-USS America was not used as a target. It was a 4 week long test to gather data on the survivability of a super-carrier by placing explosives above water and below water to simulate missile hits, torpedo hits, and small boat attacks. As AegisFC mentioned, the results would be classified.

 

[bd popeye]

AFAIK the ex-USS America was not used as a target. It was a 4 week long test to gather data on the survivability of a super-carrier by placing explosives above water and below water to simulate missile hits, torpedo hits, and small boat attacks. As AegisFC mentioned, the results would be classified.

I think Salty Dogs response best describes what was the final fate of the America. After all that pummeling off and on for 4 weeks she did not sink and was finally sunk bu USN EOD set explosives.

We all would love to see some sort of video or Discovery, NatGeo, Military etc channel presentation of the sinking. But as mentioned the sinking was, is and shall remain classified.

 

[AegisFC]

A lot of articles and new pictures have come out about LCS-1 in the last few weeks as it completes its transit out of the Great Lakes.

http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/photo/FREEDOM_PANO

A virtual tour of the bridge, bridge wing, berthing (those racks have a lot of room compared to every other enlisted rack in the USN), waterborne mission zone, turbine module, reconfigurable mission zones one and two, hangar (or "airborne mission zone") and RAM deck.

Galrahn from Information Dissemination was on LCS for part of its Great Lakes transit and took quite a few pictures.

 

[AegisFC]

I think Salty Dogs response best describes what was the final fate of the America. After all that pummeling off and on for 4 weeks she did not sink and was finally sunk bu USN EOD set explosives.

We all would love to see some sort of video or Discovery, NatGeo, Military etc channel presentation of the sinking. But as mentioned the sinking was, is and shall remain classified.

I doubt anything like that will ever enter into the public domain, it took a FOIA request and lots of lobbing from a veterans group just to get the location of the ex-America.

 

[Salty Dog]

A lot of articles and new pictures have come out about LCS-1 in the last few weeks as it completes its transit out of the Great Lakes.

http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/photo/FREEDOM_PANO

A virtual tour of the bridge, bridge wing, berthing (those racks have a lot of room compared to every other enlisted rack in the USN), waterborne mission zone, turbine module, reconfigurable mission zones one and two, hangar (or "airborne mission zone") and RAM deck.

Galrahn from Information Dissemination was on LCS for part of its Great Lakes transit and took quite a few pictures.

Excellent material AegisFC and Galrahn. Thank you very much mates, BZ!

 

[Galrahn]

Yea I got tons of pictures from that trip, way too many to post on the blog. Hit the LCS tag on the blog if you want to see my pics from the trip, or if you are looking for something specific let me know, because if I have a photo I can upload it for ya.

 

[AegisFC]

Yea I got tons of pictures from that trip, way too many to post on the blog. Hit the LCS tag on the blog if you want to see my pics from the trip, or if you are looking for something specific let me know, because if I have a photo I can upload it for ya.

Do you have anything on the CIC or CCS? I've heard the ship does not have a traditional CIC but it is directly behind the bridge and the 2 are more integrated than on a normal ship.

 

[Galrahn]

Do you have anything on the CIC or CCS? I've heard the ship does not have a traditional CIC but it is directly behind the bridge and the 2 are more integrated than on a normal ship.

It is called the MCC, Mission Control Center, and it could be more integrated, but that is probably a slogan. It is not directly behind the bridge, but down in the ship.

I can't post any of the pics I took of that specific room, too much information came through the consoles in the pics I took, but David has a picture up on Wired. I do have some stuff on the room I can post though, will dig it up tonight.

 

[mig3535]

video

Admin: Deleted. Read the Rules re expected posting behaviour. This is not a forum designed to promote your presence on other links.

Warning issued.

 

[ChEB]

not as glamorus as the LCS, DDG, Carriers or Gators but just as important. Here some recent updates on the new combat logistic supply vessels.

U.S. Department of Defense News Release

Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced today the names of four new Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships (T-AKE) as Matthew Perry, Charles Drew, Washington Chambers and William McLean. All of the Lewis and Clark ships are named in honor of American explorers and pioneers and are being built by General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif.

The selection of Matthew Perry, designated T-AKE 9, honors Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), who led a squadron of ships to Japan in 1853 with the aim of opening that nation to trade. He served during the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, and was sent to suppress piracy and the slave trade in the West Indies.

The selection of Charles Drew, designated T-AKE 10, honors Dr. Charles R. Drew (1904-1950), a physician and medical researcher whose pioneering work in the late 1930s and early 1940s led to the discovery that blood could be separated into plasma. The model for blood and plasma storage developed by Drew has saved untold lives and is the same process used today by the Red Cross. In 1943, he became the first African-American surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery. T-AKE 10 will be the first Navy ship named after Drew.

The selection of Washington Chambers, designated T-AKE 11, honors Navy Capt. Washington Irving Chambers (1856-1934), a pioneer in naval aviation. Responsible for the Navy's nascent aviation activities, Chambers arranged the world's first airplane flight from a warship. The Nov. 14, 1910, flight by aviator Eugene Ely on the light cruiser the USS Birmingham (CL-2) confirmed the potential of carrier-based naval aviation. T-AKE 11 will be the first Navy ship named after Chambers.

The selection of William McLean, designated T-AKE 12, honors William Burdette McLean (1914-1976), who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder air-to-air missile while serving as a physicist for the Navy. During World War II, McLean worked on ordnance equipment and testing at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C. Following the war, he moved to the Naval Ordnance Test Station in China Lake, Calif., where he led the project team developing the Sidewinder missile. T-AKE 12 will be the first Navy ship named after McLean.

The T-AKEs are 689 feet in length, have an overall beam of 106 feet, a navigational draft of 30 feet and displace approximately 42,000 tons. Powered by single-shaft diesel-electric propulsion systems, the T-AKEs can reach a speed of 20 knots. As part of the Military Sealift Command's (MSC) Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, the T-AKEs are designated United States Naval Ship (USNS). Unlike their United States Ship (USS) counterparts, the T-AKEs are crewed by 124 civil service mariners working for MSC, as well as 11 sailors who provide supply coordination. When needed, the T-AKEs can also carry a helicopter detachment.

More information on dry cargo/ammunition ships can be seen at http://www.msc.navy.mil/factsheet/t-ake.asp. More MSC news can be seen at http://www.navy.mil/local/MSC.

 

[tatra]

T-AKE pics

from here: http://www.nassco.com/usn_dac/tadcx.html
factsheet: http://www.nassco.com/usn_dac/take_fact.html

 

[AegisFC]

LCS-4 has been ordered.

General Dynamics Awarded Contract for Additional Trimaran Littoral Combat Ship

BATH, Maine, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy today awarded a contract to a Bath Iron Works-led team for the construction of Coronado (LCS 4), the second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to feature an innovative, high-speed trimaran hull. The 419-foot surface combatant ship, equipped with open architecture-based combat systems and computing environment developed by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, will be manufactured by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. It is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in May 2012. Bath Iron Works is a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The Littoral Combat Ship is a key element of the Navy's plan to address asymmetric threats of the 21st century. Intended to operate in coastal areas, the ship will be fast, highly maneuverable and geared to supporting mine detection/elimination, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, particularly against small surface craft. The Navy's first trimaran LCS, Independence (LCS 2), is in the final stages of construction and testing in preparation for its upcoming sea trials.

I'm more of a fan of the LCS-1 design, but I'm looking forward to hearing about how LCS-2 handles its sea trials.

 

[AegisFC]

An interesting article about lean manning all USN ships face these days.

Lean manning saps morale, puts sailors at risk - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

When the cruiser Port Royal ran aground in February off Hawaii, Navy investigators found a number of reasons for the failure. The ship’s navigational gear was broken. Watchstanders lost their situational awareness. The fathometer wasn’t working, so the ship had no way of assessing depth.

But the investigation also found two other problems that have become all too common in the surface fleet: The captain had barely slept, and qualified lookouts who could have spotted the disaster in time were stuck doing jobs in other parts of the ship.

Both problems — too much work to do and not enough people to do it — are byproducts of the fleet’s years-old practice of “optimal manning,” slowly whittling the number of bodies in each command throughout the fleet.

Interviews with sailors, officers, leadership and experts, and a review of internal Navy documents, illustrate several problems in the fleet caused or worsened by shrinking crews:

• Increasing workdays and precious little time for rest.
• Fewer people to maintain or repair equipment aboard ship.
• Crew members with valuable expertise being pulled for other jobs — and never replaced.
• Lower material readiness of ships — and even mishaps.

A site visit report from the Naval Inspector General’s office to commands in Hampton Roads, Va., laid out the problems, listing the sailor deficit as the issue commanders complained about most.

“Manning issues abounded throughout the region and clearly represented the greatest concern with regard to commanders’ ability to safely and effectively accomplish their missions,” said the report, which was completed this spring and obtained by Navy Times through the Freedom of Information Act. “Numerous manpower reduction initiatives, combined with manpower ‘taxes’ on commands to accomplish external missions, severely test many commands’ ability to function.”

Comments from sailors show just how tough life has become.

“Everything from standing watches and back-to-back deployments is getting really bad,” one first class petty officer told Navy Times. He asked that his name not be used because he is still serving on active duty.

“Just look at the surface side of the house. These sailors are standing watches, then going to work, then going to stand another watch. You tell me when these sailors are getting any sleep, or time to eat,” he said.

Ensign Eric Wynn, of the cruiser Vicksburg, said he thought the effects were even worse for junior officers, who work, stand watches and study to get qualified as surface warfare officers in a climate of smaller crews.

“A SWO JO gets a hard lesson in time management during the first 18 months on board,” Wynn said, estimating that young officers get only three or four hours of sleep on busy days.
“Lean manning at sea means one thing: sleep deprivation,” he said. “Sleep deprivation leads to mistakes, injuries, neglected equipment maintenance and repair, and poor crew morale. All of these affect mission readiness and success. We’ve known for years that sleep deprivation can have the same effects as being drunk.”
Big Navy knows the fleet is unhappy with lean manning. Adm. John Harvey, head of Fleet Forces Command, used one of the earliest posts on his official blog to ask sailors what they thought about manning in the Navy. And he acknowledged to Navy Times on Sept. 28 that the Navy was still adjusting to its current end strength of about 330,000 people, after cutting about 60,000 sailors over the previous six years.

I'm not going to post the rest of the article but it is a good read.

I had to live with low manning on my last couple years of service, it isn't just reduction in billets crew get pulled off for IA assignments and then you have the issue of females getting pregnant and not getting replaced. Before my final deployment the destroyer I was on had about 10 females get pregnant and not make the deployment.
It is affecting the material condition of the ships, the USS San Jacinto had to pull 87 extra people from more than a dozen commands to get the ship in shape for INSURV.

InSurv prep means extensive outside help - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

 

[Salty Dog]

An interesting article about lean manning all USN ships face these days.

Lean manning saps morale, puts sailors at risk - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times



I'm not going to post the rest of the article but it is a good read.

I had to live with low manning on my last couple years of service, it isn't just reduction in billets crew get pulled off for IA assignments and then you have the issue of females getting pregnant and not getting replaced. Before my final deployment the destroyer I was on had about 10 females get pregnant and not make the deployment.
It is affecting the material condition of the ships, the USS San Jacinto had to pull 87 extra people from more than a dozen commands to get the ship in shape for INSURV.

InSurv prep means extensive outside help - Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

Amen mate. I lived through that as well. I recall when the Spruance class were brand new with their minimum manning concept. We could manage with inport and underway watchbills, however, material and space maintenance were another issue. I know the FFG-7 class had the same challenges. Life was better on an Adams Class DDG since we had quite a bit more warm bodies for everything. I am impressed with the lower manning in the LCS classes. It will be interesting how they fare with increased optempo. I know smaller crews are not a new concept in the USN as the minesweepers, PHMs, and PCCs were crewed in a similar fashion. Smaller crews means it is critical each member must each pull their own weight, quite a bit more critical than the larger combatants fat with larger personnel numbers. With respect to "manning", we had great on steam powered combatants.

 

[gf0012-aust]

US navy Discussion and Updates

Austal Commences JHSV Construction

Friday, December 18, 2009, 12:39 PM

Austal has received authorization from the U.S. Navy to commence construction on the first of up to ten 338-ft Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV).

After Austal successfully completed the Production Readiness Review (PRR) and necessary DoD approvals were obtained, the Navy authorized Austal’s Mobile, Ala. facility to immediately begin construction of Fortitude (JHSV 1).

Photo courtesy Austal

As the US Department of Defense’s next generation multi-use platform, the JHSV will provide rapid intra-theater deployment/transportation of personnel, equipment and supplies. The vessel will support military logistics, sustainment and humanitarian relief operations and will be capable of speeds up to 43 knots.

Austal was selected as Prime contractor in November 2008 to design and build the first JHSV, with options for nine additional vessels expected to be exercised between FY09 and FY13.

Fortitude will be the first Austal design to be constructed using the new procedures and processes developed in conjunction with Austal’s recently-competed Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF). The MMF provides Austal with assembly line efficiency, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced lead times.

Austal USA President and Chief Operating Officer, Joe Rella, commented, “What makes this program destined for success is the high degree of maturity of the design, coupled with the module manufacturing process to be completed in our new facility. Our workforce is in place and ready to start construction.”

The Austal JHSV will transport medium-size operational units with their vehicles, or reconfigure to provide troop transport for an infantry battalion, allowing units to transit long distances while maintaining unit integrity. The vessel also supports helicopter operations and has an off-load vehicle ramp which enables use of austere piers and quay walls, common in developing countries. A shallow draft (under 13 ft) will further enhance theater port access.

The Austal JHSV team includes platform systems engineering agent General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, which is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the ship’s electronic systems.

Austal USA is also currently building two 416.6 ft Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) for the US Navy, with the first, Independence (LCS 2), scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

(www.austal.com)


Marine News - Austal Commences JHSV Construction

 

[AegisFC]

Looks like the Burkes have broken the record for longest non-carrier production run.

After 2-plus decades, Navy destroyer breaks record - Yahoo! News

 

[AegisFC]

An interesting article about LCS-2.

Aluminum Glitters Inside 2nd Littoral Combat Ship Variant - Defense News

 

[Salty Dog]

An interesting article about LCS-2.

Aluminum Glitters Inside 2nd Littoral Combat Ship Variant - Defense News

Nice walk around article. Interesting that LCS-2 has operations, weapons, and engineering all in an ICC unit. Does the LCS-1 class have a similar arrangement?

 

[AegisFC]

Nice walk around article. Interesting that LCS-2 has operations, weapons, and engineering all in an ICC unit. Does the LCS-1 class have a similar arrangement?

No, LCS-1 has a traditional CIC and bridge, however the bridge can control all the major pieces of engineering equipment.