NAVY NEWS WEEK 5-1

28 January 2018

Pirates release tanker and 22 crew held hostage off African coast Tue 16 Jan 2018 by Jamey Bergman A clean product tanker with 22 crew onboard that was overtaken by pirates in the Bight of Benin has been safely recovered. Shipowners Union Maritime confirmed the release in their third statement since losing track of the ship's location when its AIS data stopped updating. "Union Maritime can confirm that Barrett has been released after a Gulf of Guinea piracy incident lasting six days. All crew are safe. We are extremely grateful to the many parties that assisted in achieving the successful resolution of this incident," the statement said. According to the statement, authorities from Benin, Togo, Nigeria and India all participated in recovering the vessel and its crew. The company said the crew had returned to Lagos, Nigeria where Union Maritime staff were on hand to provide aid. Timeline of the attack Previous statements from the company gave more detail about the timeline of the ship attack. "The Union Maritime vessel, Barrett, a tanker which was at anchor off Benin, West Africa, has been the subject of a Gulf of Guinea piracy attack since 10 January," the company's second statement said. The group said the safety of the crew was its first priority throughout the search for the vessel and in attempting to bring the incident to a resolution. A company spokesperson told Tanker Shipping and Trade the company was actively working with all relevant parties to ensure the situation is resolved “successfully and as quickly as possible”. Contact with the 12,000 DWT Barrett was lost on the morning of 10 January, when it was at anchor off Benin, West Africa, according to Union Maritime's first statement. "On Wednesday (10 January), we alerted local maritime authorities and [explored] all possible options and efforts as we continuously [monitored] the situation," the group said. Union Maritime said it regularly operates vessels from ports in the region and that all of its vessels' crews are repeatedly drilled in safety and emergency procedures. According to AIS data from Genscape's VesselTracker software, the Marshall Islands-registered Barrett left an anchorage off the port of Lagos, Nigeria in the evening of 5 January, proceeding west until it reached the vicinity of Lomé, Togo, on the morning of 6 January. It departed the area in the afternoon of 8 January and was headed east until it abruptly turned to port, towards land in Cotonou, Benin (see image below), when its AIS tracking data ceased updating. The vessel's AIS tracking was restored late on 17 January, showing it proceeding into port at Lagos, Nigeria, where it is currently anchored. Source: http://www.tankershipping.com

Frigate Jingzhou fires depth charges in East Sea Source：China Military Online Editor：Huang Panyue 2018-01-17

A simulated sea target is hit by the rocket-propelled depth charge launched by the guided-missile frigate Jingzhou (Hull 532) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the East China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy during a 5-day live-fire training exercise in waters of the East China Sea from January 10 to 15, 2018. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wen Zidong)

Source: http://eng.mod.gov.cn Greece to launch talks with France over FREMM frigates, By: Jaroslaw Adamowski January 17

The French Navy's FREMM warship Normandy on July 2, 2014, in Larmor-Plage, near Lorient, Brittany. (Jean-Sebastien Evrard/AFP via Getty Images)

WARSAW, Poland ― The Greek Ministry of Defence may acquire two FREMM multimission frigates for its Navy, and as such, Athens plans to launch negotiations with the French government in February. A Greek source close to the deal told local daily Kathimerini that the decision follows an earlier verbal agreement between French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The Greek order could be expanded by a further two vessels. Due to the cost of the frigates, which have an estimated tag price of between €500 million and €600 million (U.S. $612 million to U.S. $735 million), the Greek ministry is also considering the purchase of French Gowind-class corvettes for its Navy, according to the source. The FREMM frigate was jointly designed by the Franco-Italian consortium of Naval Group and Fincantieri for the two countries’ navies. In addition to the potential deal with Athens, Paris has sold one frigate to Morocco and one to Egypt. Naval Group also developed the Gowind. Naval Group says the FREMM is a versatile vessel enabled to execute a wide range of missions encompassing all warfare domains. These include anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, as well as land attack and command ship missions, among others. Source: https://www.defensenews.com Only a few years ago they were so deep in debt that they had to be bailed by the rest of the EU.

An arms race is building between China and its neighbours as the world focuses on Trump and North Korea spat While Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un traded public insults, Beijing has been quietly bolstering its military presence on islands in the South China Sea Kim Sengupta Defence Editor Wednesday 17 January 2018 16:00 GMT

China's Liaoning aircraft carrier with accompanying fleet conducts a drill in the South China Sea Reuters

Japan used to have one of the most powerful aircraft carrier forces in the world, with a fleet of six. The US had seven, but the Imperial Japanese Navy was close to taking delivery of two more, gaining a decisive strategic advantage when the Second World War broke out. Four years later, the Japanese carrier fleet was at the bottom of the ocean, Emperor Hirohito had signed the surrender document and the Imperial Navy was disbanded. The Maritime Self-Defence Force was later formed, but with strict defensive rules of engagement. It has now emerged that Tokyo is planning to convert some of its Izumo-Class helicopter carriers into aircraft carriers, the country’s first in 80 years, making them capable of using fixed wing warplanes, probably American F-35 stealth fighters with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. There has been an immediate reaction from China, with the accusation that acquiring the aircraft carriers and the fighters would breach Article 9 of Japan’s constitution post-war. “We urge Japan to do more that may enhance mutual trust and promote regional peace and stability,” said a foreign ministry spokesman. But Beijing is also flexing its naval muscles. While the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was returning home last year after duties in Syria, its sister carrier – former Soviet vessel Varyag, now the Lianonig of the Chinese People’s Liberation Navy – was on manoeuvres in its maiden cruise in the South China Seas, scene of bitter disputes with neighbouring countries. The concern about conflicts in the Far East has focused on North Korea. But the longer-lasting undercurrent of tension, which may yet lead to hostilities, has been around China and surrounding states that believe Beijing is trying to spread its hegemony in the South China Seas by claiming strings of manmade islands and the strategic waters around them. Throughout last year, while Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un traded public insults, Beijing has been quietly bolstering its military presence on islands it has been building. Among its seven island bases are three airfields in the disputed Spratley chain. There has been a significant construction drive. Aerial photographs from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington revealed facilities awash with fortified shelters for warships and artillery and hangers for aircraft and radar. The most advanced base, Fiery Cross Reef, has a 27-acre hinterland of military buildings including underground bunkers and missile emplacement positions. A few weeks before the news of the Japanese carriers, China announced that it would launch its second aircraft carrier in just over two years, paving the way to start the manufacture of a third. The Ministry of Defence in Beijing declared a breakthrough in aircraft technology which it claimed was the most advanced jet launch system in the world that does not use nuclear power. Around the same time, as Donald Trump toured the region, the US Navy said it will hold joint drills in the Western Pacific for the first time in a decade with three of its aircraft carriers: The USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt. Admiral Scott Swift, of the US Pacific Fleet wanted to stress: “This exercise is a strong testament to the US Pacific Fleet’s unique ability and ironclad commitment to the continued security and stability of the region.” But one significant reason for Beijing to feel emboldened has been Mr Trump’s threats to pull US forces out of Japan and unless there was more money coming from Tokyo and Seoul. There has also been the marked reluctance of his administration to buttress an alliance of China’s neighbours. “The Trump administration has left other countries in the region unsure of the US, its credibility, its commitment,” says Bonnie Glaser, East Asia analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “They wonder where the South China Seas fit in an ‘America First’ world.” Faced with the unpredictability of Mr Trump, some of China’s former adversaries have now accepted they have to have more amicable relations with the region’s largest nation. Two years ago the went to an industrial tribunal to challenge Beijing’s claim to more than 85 per cent of the South China Sea and won. But President Rodrigo Duarte has, since then, gravitated towards China and away from the US. Other countries in the region have also moved towards accommodation: Singapore, a staunch ally of the West, agreed last September to Beijing’s request for greater military cooperation. At the same time countries like Japan, , Vietnam and India (which now has two aircraft carriers), are quietly discussing defence co-operation. Inaugurating the Shangri-la Dialogue, the region’s premier security forum last summer, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: “In this brave new world we cannot really rely on great powers to safeguard our interests. We have to take responsibility for our own security and prosperity, while recognising we are stronger when sharing the burden of collective leadership with trusted friends and partners.” The desire to buttress security has accelerated in the intervening months. Robert Emerson, a security analyst, said: “The standoff between the US and North Korea is obviously a dramatic spectacle with two loud leaders providing headlines. What is passing by relatively unnoticed, meanwhile, is the steady militarisation of the region by wealthy and technologically capable states. That is where the long-term dangers of conflict lie.” Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

The guided-missile frigate Jingzhou (Hull 532) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the East China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy fires its main gun at simulated targets during a 5-day live-fire training exercise in waters of the East China Sea from January 10 to 15, 2018. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wen Zidong)

Source: http://eng.mod.gov.cn The net probably works better than rubber mats.

Innovation is key to African maritime security - Paramount Written by Paramount, Thursday, 18 January 2018 Africa’s maritime domain is vast, with far-ranging security challenges on an almost individual state basis. Arguing for a blanket solution to all maritime security issues is unrealistic, as it is simply not in the interest of every African country to address every maritime security issue. This is according to Eric Ichikowitz, Senior Vice President Paramount Group. He goes on to say that, “While policy frameworks such as the 2009 Djibouti Code of Conduct are useful in creating the legal highway for good practice, it is the ‘practice’ itself that needs careful attention. “In this way, the Djibouti Code of Conduct runs into challenges. How useful is a treaty allowing for intelligence sharing and cooperation where one country is focused on combating illegal fishing and the other is more concerned about piracy? To complicate matters, not all African militaries possess equally proficient intelligence- sharing technologies and expertise. “Overcoming this issue is critical for African coastal nations. Using policy as an argument for maritime security solutions is akin to using a political sledgehammer where a specialised set of scalpels is required. And it is in this regard that African nations can do much in their own shipyards. “Navies, ministries, and indeed fisheries all depend on a remarkably simple formula for maritime security: ships at sea, eyes on the water, and planes in the sky. It’s a simple list, but it is also an incredibly expensive one. “Peeling back the policy and peering into the practices of navies and security forces in Africa, there is a worrying tendency to purchase foreign vessels and equipment that are not optimally suited for the exact requirements of the continent. Acquiring old Coast Guard vessels or creating a fleet from civilian vessels is all well and good, but often the tool does not mirror the security threat posed. Acquiring obsolete frigates and similar class vessels in maritime regions where more sophisticated surveillance systems are required is a case in point. “This is a critical factor, because the threats faced by littoral nations are often sophisticated ones. Illegal fishing vessels, for example, often deploy false AIS transponders aboard buoys to confuse radar tracking as to their whereabouts. A tracked vessel just outside territorial fishing waters could in fact be well within, illegally exploiting fishing grounds. This has long plagued large parts of Southern Africa, for example. “On the piracy front, attackers often utilise radio networks and the cover of night to board targeted shipping, either to rob or kidnap the crew and vessel. For an aircraft or ship without adequate night surveillance equipment and training, the criminals may as well be invisible. “If the problem is a lack of ships at sea, eyes on the water and planes in the sky, simply procuring more of the above in a hurried fashion is not enough to match the threat that is evolving in African oceans. There is little budget to execute the above well, even in larger naval services such as Nigeria or . “When combined with the sizeable training and recruitment demands of fielding larger navies and putting massive vessels at sea, the impossibility of the task becomes apparent. ’s new-old vessel, the NS Elephant, requires roughly as many sailors to crew as are currently enlisted in the entire Namibian navy. It is here, then, that the solution must and should rely on African shipbuilders. “This is not to say an approach of duplicating obsolete and varied vessels should be pursued. Rather, an innovative blend of off-the-shelf (OTS) equipment and multi-role platforms that are designed and developed by Africans for African requirements could shift the asymmetry in the continent’s maritime security back in the states’ favour. Indigenous ocean-monitoring capability “For example, littoral nations from Tanzania down to South Africa, and indeed even in the West Africa maritime domain can create an indigenous ocean-monitoring capability at a fraction of the cost of external navies. “This is because unlike NATO and other large military groupings abroad, African states need not maintain a large conventional naval threat as a strategic deterrence from superpowers. Rather it can proceed with the business of securing its maritime resources from illegal fishing and piracy. This means unmanned long-range seaborne drones instead of far-reaching and costly airframes. It means locally-produced multi-role offshore patrol vessels instead of second or third-hand platforms imported from a foreign, and often much costlier, supplier. Light aircraft equipped with sensors rather than large airframes that cost too much to procure and even more to maintain. “All the above is possible within Africa. Maritime Robotic Platforms (MRPs) are already performing valuable research in Africa, run and piloted by Africans. In the security context MRPs have already shown a capability in acting as a long-range ‘tripwire’, wherein several MRPs are laid in formation and used as a low-cost, long-range early warning system. Local shipbuilders already have a proven success record in creating durable and effective vessels to police local waters. And in terms of aviation, the alternative to expensive foreign maritime surveillance aircraft must be adapted locally. With a little creativity, this can be achieved cost-effectively. “Will this approach provide a foolproof system of achieving good order at sea on the level of larger conventional navies? Almost certainly not. But it will achieve a level of parity in targeting illegal fishing and piracy that can yield significant improvements. A hybrid maritime security strategy using local innovation at a fraction of the cost is both a realistic and optimal objective for good African maritime security,” Ichikowitz concludes. Source: www.defenceweb.co.za

Turkish , Greek gunboat collide off disputed Imia islet

HS Nikiforos with the Turkish coast in the background as seen abeam to starboard by a converging Turkish patrol boat. In my days playing ‘chicken’ with expensive naval vessels was frowned on! Photo from YouTube

A Turkish patrol boat bumped into a Hellenic Navy gunboat while maneuvering near the disputed Imia islet in the Aegean Sea, according to Greek media reports. The incident took place on January 17 near the two small uninhabited islets in the Agean Sea which are part of the larger Aegean Sea dispute between Turkey and Greece. The islets are referred to as Kardak in Turkey and were the object of a military crisis in 1996. According to Greek reports, overall three Turkish Coast Guard vessels had entered Greek territorial waters and one of them bumped into Hellenic Navy gunboat HS Nikiforos during what was described as a dangerous maneuver. The Nikiforos did not sustain damages in the collision and was able to continue its patrol. Turkish patrol boats returned to Turkish territorial waters after the incident. Source: Naval Today

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Jan. 16, 2017) Sailors work on the bridge aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) while arriving in Alexandria, Egypt. Carney, forward- deployed to Rota, is on its fourth patrol in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner/Released)

The bridge seems bigger than what we were used, and maybe somewhat more busy.

USNS Brunswick Departs Kuching, Release Date: 1/18/2018 2:25:00 PM By Lt. Clyde Shavers, CTF 73 Public Affairs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Jan. 30, 2017) The expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (EPF 6) departs Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va. Brunswick is underway for her first overseas deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Bill Mesta/Released)

KUCHING, Malaysia (NNS) -- The expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF-6) concluded a port visit to Kuching, Malaysia, Jan. 17. The crew took advantage of the opportunity to experience Malaysia's rich culture following a port visit to Lumut, Malaysia. "It is important for our Sailors to interact with local communities throughout the region," said Capt. Lex Walker, of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. "The experiences they share with partner nations allows the U.S. Navy and partner nations to be even closer." The Royal Malaysian and U.S. Navy continue to work closely together through increasingly sophisticated exercises including the annual bilateral Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia and the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise. "For over two decades, the U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy have shared knowledge and experiences with each other as a way to increase tactical proficiency and enhance mutual capabilities," said Walker. Brunswick is one of three expeditionary fast transport ships in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to continue its mission of providing rapid intra-theater transport of troops and military equipment. "We look forward to strengthening this strong partnership with even greater cooperative engagements and more frequent port visits," said Walker. As U.S. 7th Fleet's executive agent for theater security cooperation in South and Southeast Asia, Commander, Task Force 73 and DESRON-7 conduct advanced planning, organize resources and directly support the execution of maritime exercises and engagements, such as Pacific Partnership, the bilateral CARAT series, the Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) with Vietnam and multilateral SEACAT. Task Force 73 and DESRON-7 also tactically control and coordinate maintenance for rotationally deployed LCS. Source: www.navy.mil

North Korea to test submarine-launched ballistic missiles using new submersible barge Critics say Olympics overture is attempt to stall for time to perfect nuclear weapons programme Samuel Osborne Wednesday 17 January 2018 17:16 GMT

North Korea test fires a strategic submarine- launched ballistic missile KNS/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea appears to be preparing for future rocket tests by developing a second submersible barge from which to launch ballistic missiles, according to new satellite imagery. Its other test barge, which was obtained in 2014 and based at Sinpo South Shipyard, has been used to support the development of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and North Korea’s largest experimental ballistic missile submarine. Satellite imagery shows the new barge has been moved to a fitting-out dock at the shipyard since previous images taken in December. The dock is typically where vessels are moved to when their hulls are sound yet they require systems, such as pumps, electrics and communications, to be installed, the North Korea analysis website 38 North reported. There is also a small floating crane moored alongside the barge, with its boom extended over the vessel. The purpose of the work is unclear. It probably concerns final stages of repair before the barge is declared operational, Joseph S Bermudez Jr, an analyst at 38 North said. He said it was unclear when the barge would become operational. Kim Jong-un, the leader of the totalitarian state, has refused to give up the goal of developing nuclear missiles capable of hitting the US despite increasingly severe international sanctions. At the same time, North and South Korea have come to something of a rapprochement with a number of collaborative projects around this year's Winter Olympics in South Korea. Critics warn the North’s overture is an attempt to use improved ties with the South to weaken US-led international sanctions as it stalls for time to perfect is nuclear weapons programme. But the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, has praised Donald Trump for his belligerent approach to diplomacy with North Korea, saying last week that "President Trump deserves big credit" for helping bring about new inter-Korean talks. Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

Brazilian Navy transfers S40 submarine sections to assembly hall 17 January 2018 The Brazilian Navy and construction firm Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN) have transferred the first three sections of the navy’s lead Scorpene submarine, Riachuelo (S40), to the final assembly hall at the Madeira Island shipyard. S40 represents the first vessel of the navy’s submarine development programme (PROSUB), which is also expected to involve the development of three other conventional boats, as well as the first Brazilian submarine with nuclear propulsion. All of the three sections were transferred to the shipyard in the Itaguaí Naval Complex after completing an 11-hour journey from the Steel Structures Manufacturing Unit (UFEM), also located in Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro. The logistics operation was carried out after a month-long planning period and included the removal of certain stretches of the electricity grid. The three sections of the Riachuelo submarine weighed a combined 619t, measuring 39.86m in length and 12.30m in height. A further two sections, weighing 487t and measuring 30m, are slated to be transferred separately to the construction shipyard in the near future. The Riachuelo submarine will enter the final assembly phase upon the delivery of all five sections. The diesel-electric ship is scheduled to be launched into the sea during the second half of this year. It is scheduled to enter into service in 2020, which is nearly three years later than originally planned, reported Naval Today. Riachuelo (S40) is the first of four vessels set to be constructed for the navy under an agreement that was originally signed between the French Naval Group, formerly DCNS, and in 2008. The other three Scorpene submarines will be named Humaita (S41), Tonelero (S42) and Ango Stura (S43) and are currently at different stages of development at UFEM.

Important milestone in the Brazilian Scorpene submarine Program. Passage through the 700 m tunnel to southern sector to the Itaguaí Naval Base.

Source: https://www.naval-technology.com

CNavy not ruling out future Navy Festivals Written by defenceWeb, Thursday, 18 January 2018 SA Navy Chief, Mosiwa Hlongwane, maintains the cancellation of this year’s Navy Festival is not an indicator the event will not take place again in future. “The non-hosting of the Navy Festival is not indefinite and the SA Navy will continue exploring viable options to circumvent budgetary constraints,” he said in a statement issued seven days after defenceWeb told readers there would not be a Navy Festival in 2018. Among options he noted the possibility of the Festival being held every second year or any moving it away from fleet headquarters at Simon’s Town to other ports. He did not elaborate on whether this would be confined to ports where there is a permanent Navy presence, such as Durban and Saldanha Bay, or all South African ports. Echoing what by now has become an oft- repeated utterance from chiefs of service as regards insufficient funding, Hlongwane said the maritime service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) “must work harder and smarter, doing more with less and, now more than ever, we need to challenge traditional constructs, employing innovation to propel our Navy into the future”. For more than a decade the SA Navy Festival has been a window for naval enthusiasts and the public to see and experience the Navy. Speaking at last year’s Festival Hlongwane said: “Ever mindful of our socio-economic climate and the need to account to the people of this country we, each year, open our doors and hearts to the people of South Africa so they are able to see and experience their Navy first-hand”. This week the Navy said it has become “increasingly difficult over recent years to host the Festival or participate in events such as Transnet National Ports Authority festivals and the Knysna Festival to mention just a few”. “The organisation is beset with dwindling budget allocations yearly. It is presumed budget allocations will not increase in the foreseeable future,” Hlongwane said in a statement adding the maritime force was “confronted with an intricate conundrum of operating optimally with the current budget”. This saw Naval Command decide not to host the festival in 2018 and limit participation in similar events. “This will allow the SA Navy to commit its already depleted budget on the force’s core business to ensure the navy discharges its primary responsibility of defending and protecting the South African maritime zone while making sure our sea lines of communication are open and protected against any threat.” Source: www.defenceweb.co.za To me this sounds like political pacifying. Don’t hold your breath for the next Navy Day.

Who You Calling Ugly? The Navy's New Ship Is a Floating Swiss Army Knife The Woody Williams may look like a repurposed oil tanker (because it is), but this vessel can do it all for the U.S. Navy. By Kyle Mizokami Jan 18, 2018 The USNS Herschel “Woody” Williams is neither fast nor heavily armed. And while she may look like a commercial cargo ship, the Navy's new vessel is also one of the most useful ships in the entire U.S. military. Called an “expeditionary mobile base,” the Woody Williams can do just about any job, whether that means supporting a fleet of minesweepers or potentially hosting F-35B Joint Strike Fighters. The Williams was recently christened by builder General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) and is set to join the fleet soon. One major maritime blog called the USNS Woody Williams “unsexy,” and to be honest it’s not a unfair statement. Call it the cargo pants of boats. The 785-foot long, 164 foot-wide, 90,000-ton ship is based on the civilian Alaska-class oil tanker, also built by NASSCO, and despite the gray paint job it still looks like it. This is where the similarity with an oil tanker ends, however.

General Dynamics photo released by the U.S. Navy.

As an expeditionary sea base, Woody Williams is designed to support amphibious operations from the sea, including seaborne invasions. The ship’s huge size allows it to carry up to 25,000 square feet of armored vehicles and military equipment inside, as well as 380,000 gallons of JP-5 aviation fuel. Woody Williams is designed as a connector between ships carrying heavy military equipment—such as tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and howitzers—and the shore. The United States maintains several ships filled with heavy equipment for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, but these ships typically need a port or pier to land on. Previously, an amphibious invasion would need to capture such shore facilities early on to allow for rapid reinforcement by “roll on-roll off” (RORO) vessels. With an expeditionary sea base around, that need becomes less of a priority. RORO vessels packed with Army and Marine Corps gear can sidle up to the Woody Williams and transfer the gear to the floating sea base. From there, heavy lift helicopters such as the CH-53K King Stallion and LCAC hovercraft can ferry the equipment, including 70-ton main battle tanks, to shore. The net result is that U.S. forces can land without a port and those troops on the ground don’t need to quickly capture port facilities. This makes U.S. forces less predictable and eases the pressure to attack a well-defended objective. Like a floating Swiss Army Knife, the Woody Williams has many additional uses. The ship would function as a local, seagoing base for a wide variety of forces, including special forces, small Cyclone-class coastal patrol boats, and even minesweepers. During earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters an expeditionary sea base can provide a floating warehouse and helicopter base in places where local infrastructure has been washed out or destroyed. One of the more intriguing possibilities for the Woody Williams is as a pocket aircraft carrier hosting the vertical takeoff and landing version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B. The massive ship can operate two CH-53K helicopters at a time, aircraft that are about in the same size and weight class of the F-35B. While this could probably be done in a pinch, there are better places to host the F-35B, including the Wasp and America-class amphibious assault ships. Operating the F-35B from a ship like the Williams would also singe her flight deck, as the fighter directs its powerful engine thrust straight down onto a ship’s deck when taking off and landing. Thermo- resistant coatings to prevent such damage do exist, however. The Woody Williams and her four sisters: USNS Montford Point, USNS John Glenn, and the USS Lewis B. Puller are truly “unsexy” ships. That having been said, they can do things no other ship can do, and when the chips are down--whether it be war or disaster—they are an absolutely essential tool in the Pentagon's toolbox. Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com This shows again that the appearance of warships is changing, as warfare at sea is changing.

Will 2018 be plain sailing for the Clyde shipyards? The launch of any ship is a celebratory occasion but the naming of the MV Glen Sannox in 2017 was a particularly notable event in the history of shipbuilding on the Clyde. The vessel was the first dual-fuel passenger ferry built in the UK and represented a turning point for its builders, Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL). The Port Glasgow-based company was days from going bust in 2014 before being rescued by Clyde Blowers Capital. As the last commercial yard on the river, its closure would have represented a grievous blow to the country’s already diminished industrial capacity. Its renaissance can be illustrated by more than just ship launches. There are now more than 360 staff on the books - up from just 47 when the yard was bought. That figure is likely to rise as and when more orders are secured. Jim McColl, the billionaire industrialist and founder of Clyde Blowers, has previously talked of a five-year transformation of FMEL with up to 1,300 jobs being created. Key to this expansion is diversifying the type of contracts the yard can bid for - a push towards renewables as well as shipbuilding. Entering the defence market is also on the cards. This month, FMEL was revealed as part of a consortium bidding to win the Type 31e frigate contract from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Ferguson shipyard could be a winner in new MoD plan The future of shipbuilding on the west coast is of course about much more than business. Both the UK and Scottish Governments are acutely aware of “the politics of the Clyde”, as one source put it to the BBC in 2013 following the decision to end naval shipbuilding in Portsmouth. That was good news for workers at the Govan and Scotstoun yards owned by defence giant BAE, which took the decision to consolidate its warship capability in Glasgow. 2018 will be a busy year for the biggest remaining shipbuilder on the Clyde. Work continues on the River Class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) contract it secured in 2013, with two of five vessels already afloat. The latest, HMS Medway, was named at Scotstoun in October. BAE currently employs 2,600 staff through its naval ships division in Glasgow, and will recruit more apprentices in the coming months. But the company’s future on the Clyde currently rests on the successful completion of Type 26 frigate contract, described as “the UK’s core shipbuilding programme for the next 18 years”. Eight vessels are planned - but only contracts for the first three have been signed off, in a deal worth £3.7 billion. Early work on HMS Glasgow, the first of the Type 26s, is currently progressing at Govan. Securing a future deal for the remaining five vessels is a key priority for BAE. Defence bosses and UK Government ministers claim the OPV and Type 26 contracts combined secure the future of the Clyde yards until the 2030s. But some Glasgow MPs are not so certain. They point to BAE’s decision not to proceed with a “frigate factory” at Scotstoun, which was first talked about in 2013, as proof the company is hedging its bets on future orders. The company in turn points to the on-going investment it has made at both Clyde yards and its determination to deliver the Type 26 fleet. There is also concern that three naval support ships will be built overseas after no UK yards bid for the work. In a Commons debate on the UK’s shipbuilding strategy, SNP MP Chris Stephens said auxiliary ships should not be built abroad. He added: “This country has just completed a process during which the Aircraft Carrier Alliance was built across shipyards in the UK. If that was good enough for the Alliance, surely it is good enough for Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. I do not believe that sending Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships to international competition will save the Ministry of Defence money — far from it.” Labour’s Paul Sweeney called for the UK Government to fund a frigate factory at Scotstoun as it would offer an integrated site which would provide value for money for the . Yet the message from both BAE and Ferguson is that the Clyde yards are looking ahead to 2018 with confidence. While the days when shipbuilding on the river directly employed 55,000 men - a high point reached at the end of the Second World War - are long gone, the industry believes it is ready for any stormy waters that may lie ahead. Source : The Sotsman INSV Tarini crosses designated point, all-woman crew hoists tricolour TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Jan 19, 2018, 18:25 IST NEW DELHI: Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini crossed Cape Horn, its designated point, early on Friday morning, following which its all-woman crew hoisted the tricolour to mark their accomplishment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the crew. "Wonderful news! Delighted that INSV Tarini has rounded Cape Horn in the last few hours. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments," he said. The official Twitter handle of the Indian Navy noted that the sea was "rough" and winds "strong gusting to ~70kmph." Earlier this month, a video showed INSV Tarini's crew battling surging waves and downpours on their way to Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. INSV Tarini is skippered by commander Vartika Joshi. The crew includes lieutenant Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and S Vijaya Devi, Aishwarya Boddapati and Payal Gupta. Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Workhorses of the Sea

Haewene Brim FPSO on Station in the Pierce Field Photo : Murdanie Macleod © Since 1999, the Haewene Brim Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) installation has been operational at the Pierce field in the UK sector of the North Sea for client Shell UK Exploration & Production. Bluewater purchased the Hæwene Brim in 2001. The Hæwene Brim was built in 1996 at Samsung ship yard, Korea, as a so-called Multi-purpose Shuttle Tanker (MST), meaning she could be employed in various modes as a Dynamically Positioned (DP) shuttle tanker and adapted to be converted to an FPSO or a deep- water drilling vessel. After delivery of the vessel in early 1997, she was employed as a trading (shuttle) tanker and as a Floating Storage and Offloading vessel during extended well-testing operations at the Connemara field off Ireland for Statoil. The Hæwene Brim was converted to an FPSO at Aker McNulty yard in Newcastle by her previous owners in late 1997-1998 and started operating at the Pierce field early in 1999.To extend its field life, production was suspended in July 2004 to allow addition of a water injection topsides module inshore, again in Newcastle. In September 2004, these modifications were completed and the vessel returned to the field for offshore hook-up allowing production to resume in October 2004. The core business of Bluewater is to design, engineer, construct, install and deliver Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) systems, Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) systems and Single Point Mooring (SPM) systems. Ever since its incorporation in 1978, Bluewater has been a technological front runner in the SPM business. The company has designed, manufactured, supplied and installed many innovative FPSO, FSO and SPM systems for oil companies worldwide through turnkey supply and time charter contracts. Source: Maasmond Maritime