|
#23
|
Mike Burleson
|
Aug 05, 2004 12:25 PDT
|
Greetings! Hope you are having a great summer and welcome to all
newcomers. This edition of Navy Review includes Strange Sea Tales and
International Navy News. Enjoy!
THE NAVY'S NEW GENERATION WARSHIP
The US Navy is hoping to spread the word to a new generation of sailors
about the Littoral Combat Ship(LCS). Emphasis is changing throughout the
fleet from deepwater dominance to the challenges posed by shallow water
operations. LCS is at the forefront of the new sea strategy. The craft
is expected to revolutionize war at sea with emphasis on multiple
missions previously capable only by larger warships. LCS will be fast
and agile, capable of changing its mission focus on short notice,
similiar to many so called "smart weapons" now entering service in
today's military. It will also be the Navy's testbed for many new
concepts, such as modularity, optional manning, Forcenet, and Sea Swap.
LCS was born out of the Streetfighter concept of the 1990's, which
envisioned a smaller, faster warships like the PT boats of World War 2.
Since then, the idea has evolved into a corvette type vessel, and
possible even frigate size, still with the high speed mission.
Like the Royal Navy during the Post-Napoleonic era, America is
undertaking its own version of gunboat diplomacy. After defeating her
last major rival at sea at Trafalgar on October 21,1805, Britain began a
century of total dominance at sea, and could safely enter into the
coastal and shallow seas. America is presently in a similiar situation
with no forseeable rival to its blue water force of attack carriers and
submarines. Like the gunboats of the Pax Brittanica, the LCS will see
its importance increase in future naval operations.
*********
FACT-Uruguay once saved its country from annexion by Argentina by using
cheese as a weapon. When the Uruguayan Army ran out of ammo to fire
against an invading Argentime fleet, they raided very old and hard
cheese from a merchent vessel and fired it from coastal cannon,
repelling the enemy.
INTERNATIONAL NAVY NEWS
-This summer the US Navy is proving its ability to respond in a crisis,
with the simultaneous sailing of seven aircraft carrier strike groups
(CSGs)during "Summer Pulse 04". It is the first exercise of the Navy's
new Fleet Response Plan(FRP) and will test the problems of large scale
surge operations. The FRP is the Navy's committment to provide combatant
commanders with at least 6 CSGs in 30 days and 2 more on short notice.
This worl-wide deployment will include 5 theaters and involve
interoperability with allies and coalition partners.
The carriers involved in the operation are USS George Washington
(CVN-73), USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), USS John
F. Kennedy (CV-67), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), USS Enterprise
(CVN-65), and the brand new USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
"Summer Pulse" will take place from June into August and also involve 10
nuclear attack submarines.
-In a related story US and Canadian mineships are teaming with 5 other
navies for "RIMPAC 2004", which ties in with "Summer Pulse 04". This
offshoot operation includes 40 warships, 7 submarines, and 100 aircraft
in the largest maritime exercise in the Pacific. The two navies'
mineships are combining to counter small and cheap explosives that can
damage or destroy larger vessels. Canada and the US have previously
worked together during Operation Iraqi Freedom clearing the vital port
Of Umm Qasr of mines to allow humanitarian aid to flow.
The captain of HMCS Brandon, a Canadian warship, had high remarks for
his American counterparts.
"They are very professional", he stated. "They know their stuff. They
train as they fight."
The US ships participating include USS Avenger (MCM-1) and USS Defender
(MCM-2). USS Dubuque (LPD-8)is acting as command ship. The crews are
expecting to work with the high-speed catamaran Swift (HSV-2) in at-sea
refueling and humanitarian missions.
-With plans to beef up her presense in the Western Pacific, the US will
soon base 2 aircraft carriers in Guam or Hawaii. So far only USS Kitty
Hawk is homeported outside the continental United States. The move is
probably apart of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's plan to remove sizable
numbers of ground troops from South Korea, vowing to still defend the
peninsula from Northern aggression. The Army plans to reduce it presence
by at least one-third or 12,500 troops. Aegis destroyers and nuclear
attack subs are also apart of the move West, posiibly including the new
Trident SSGNs, capable of firing 154 conventional cruise missiles.
-The Italian Navy's newest aircraft carrier is undergoing a name change.
The "Andrea Doria" will now be known as "Conte de Cavour". The original
title will revert to one of 2 new Horizon class frigates, the other
called "Ciao Duilo". Conte De Cavour, at 22,000 tons, is a larger
version of the Garbaldi, commissioned in the 1980's. Garibaldi, a small
ASW carrier, carries a mix of Sea King heloes and AV-8B Harrier vertol
aircraft. When the new ship is commissioned, it will carry the EH101
Merlin, and eventually the Italian version of the F-35 Joint Strike
fighter. The new vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2007.
FACT-In a close encounter with a Japanese submarine in April 1943,
crewmnen in the destroyer USS O'Bannon (DD-450) pelted the enemy with
potatoes when it became impossible to lower its guns. Thinking they were
being hit with grenades, the Japs dived and scuttled their vessel.
*********
STRANGE SEA TALES
WASHINGTON'S CHERRYTREES
Two of the oddest warships ever built were the British battleships HMS
Nelson and HMS Rodney, built shortly after World War One. Not only were
they the first capital ships constructed after the Washington Naval
Treaty, but carried many ingenius innovations and compromises to keep
below the required 35,000 ton limit for battleships. They were dubbed
the Cherrytree class by the press after they were "cut down" from a post
war design for a 48,000 ton battlecruiser.
The challenge for the naval architects of the day was to combine the
best speed, armor, and firepower in the smaller design. They
accomplished this by positioning all 3 main 16-inch gun turrets forward
the bridge. This enabled the new ships to utilize the American style
"all or nothing" armor, at the same time saving weight and increasing
protection. The 14 inch armor belt was sloped, and an extra "water
protection" was carried by shipping 2000 tons of sea water in the hull.
Critics also called them "Nelsol" and "Rodnol" for their resemblance to
naval oilers. In fact, they were well built ships, concieved with the
lessons of the previous war, including the Battle of Jutland, in mind.
The Cherrytrees' appearence didn't cause them to be underappreciated by
the Royal Navy in WW2. They distinguished themselves well on all fronts,
along the Atlantic Run, chasing the battleship Bismark, the Malta
convoys, and late in the war with the Far Eastern Fleet against Japan.
With the age of the battleships over, both were scrapped in 1948.
SEA SITES
HMS Nelson & HMS Rodney-
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aj.cashmore/britain/battleships/nelson/pictures.html
Wasington Naval Treaty-
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1355.html
Littoral Combat Ship-
http://peos.crane.navy.mil/lcs/default.htm
Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia-
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_000106_shipsofthewo.htm
|
|
 |
|
