John Currin
15 years in Royal New Zealand Navy
USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), the second of three members of the New Mexico class of battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state.
The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching in January 1917, and her commissioning in December that year. She was armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch (356 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, and was protected by heavy armor plate, with her main belt armor being 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick.
The ship remained in North American waters during World War I, conducting training exercises to work up the crew. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the ship served in the Pacific Fleet. In May 1941, with World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic raging, Mississippi and her two sister ships were transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to help protect American shipping through the Neutrality Patrols. Two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi departed the Atlantic to return to the Pacific Fleet; throughout her participation in World War II, she supported amphibious operations in the Pacific. She shelled Japanese forces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the Philippines campaigns and the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa. The Japanese fleet attacked American forces during the Philippines campaign, and in the ensuing Battle of Leyte Gulf, Mississippi took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.
After the war, Mississippi was converted into a gunnery training ship, and was also used to test new weapons systems. These included the RIM-2 Terrier missile and the AUM-N-2 Petrel missile. She was eventually decommissioned in 1956 and sold to ship breakers in November that year.
HMS Prince of Wales completes F-35 testing off US east coast
7th November 2023 at 4:17pm
Britain’s biggest warship HMS Prince of Wales has completed her F-35 fast jet Development Test Phase 3 (DT3) trials.
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier has been training with US aircraft off America’s east coast, which had to be delayed after the carrier broke down near the Isle of Wight last year after leaving Portsmouth to deploy to the US.
The Royal Navy has been working to expand the operating limits of the jet, to develop advanced takeoff and landing techniques, allowing the aircraft to launch with more weapons.
- US F-35 completes first shipborne rolling vertical landing on HMS Prince of Wales
- First F-35 shipborne rolling vertical landing to be made on HMS Prince of Wales
- HMS Prince of Wales’ long-awaited F-35 trials begin off US east
Around 200 American personnel from the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) embarked on the carrier for up to four weeks of sea trials.
The ITF team collected data to enhance the operating capability of the jet with the carrier.
Amerian F-35Bs completed the first shipborne rolling vertical landings (SRVL) on the vessel in October.
The world’s first night-time F-35 SRVL was made on HMS Prince of Wales less than two weeks later.
The SRVL sees an aircraft land on the carrier after approaching the ship from behind at speed, before using thrust from the aircraft’s nozzle and lift created by air over the wings to touch down and gently come to a stop.
Previously, F-35 jets had only landed on the ship vertically, which sees them hovering by the side of the £3bn carrier before moving sideways and lowering onto the flight deck.
Related topics
Two US carriers sail together in eastern Mediterranean for first time in decades
4th November 2023 at 2:30pm
For the first time in decades, the ships and aircraft of two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have sailed together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
US carriers USS Gerald R Ford and USS Dwight D Eisenhower drilled for three days along with the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney and two Italian guided missile frigates.
The two carrier strike groups have been operating in the area at the direction of Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, to bolster deterrence in the region.
- US Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group passes Strait of Gibraltar
- Lisa Franchetti confirmed as first woman to head the United States Navy
- USS Dwight D Eisenhower: All you need to know about US carrier heading to Middle East
“Operating dual carrier strike groups alongside allies and partners in a dynamic environment demonstrates our capability and capacity to respond with agility decisively to any contingency,” explained Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, the Commander of the US 6th Fleet.
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our commitment to deter aggression and promote stability throughout the region.”
USS Gerald R Ford and its strike group was dispatched following the 7 October attack on Israel amid fears that the escalating conflict could engulf the region.
Forces News previously spoke to International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) naval forces and maritime security expert Nick Childs about the importance of aircraft carriers in projecting power.
He said: “There is no other single weapons system that can deliver the same kind of signal, message, flexibility.”PlayMute
Why aircraft carriers are still the go-to for projecting power.
The Dwight D Eisenhower CSG deployed on 14 October, with the initial intention to relieve the Gerald R Ford CSG that had been operating in the Mediterranean since June as part of the regional US and Nato presence.
The US has maintained a carrier strike group in the region since December 2021.
Shortly after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, the US Defense Secretary extended USS Gerald R Ford’s deployment and shifted the strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the US effort to keep the conflict from spreading.
Related topics
HMS Queen Elizabeth fends off submarine ‘attack’ during exercise with Norwegian navy
6th November 2023 at 12:16pm
For the first time in decades, the ships and aircraft of two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have sailed together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
US carriers USS Gerald R Ford and USS Dwight D Eisenhower drilled for three days along with the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney and two Italian guided missile frigates.
The two carrier strike groups have been operating in the area at the direction of Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, to bolster deterrence in the region.
- US Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group passes Strait of Gibraltar
- Lisa Franchetti confirmed as first woman to head the United States Navy
- USS Dwight D Eisenhower: All you need to know about US carrier heading to Middle East
“Operating dual carrier strike groups alongside allies and partners in a dynamic environment demonstrates our capability and capacity to respond with agility decisively to any contingency,” explained Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, the Commander of the US 6th Fleet.
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our commitment to deter aggression and promote stability throughout the region.”
USS Gerald R Ford and its strike group was dispatched following the 7 October attack on Israel amid fears that the escalating conflict could engulf the region.
Forces News previously spoke to International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) naval forces and maritime security expert Nick Childs about the importance of aircraft carriers in projecting power.
He said: “There is no other single weapons system that can deliver the same kind of signal, message, flexibility.”PlayMute
Current Time 0:07
/
Duration 3:35
Loaded: 22.98%SharePicture-in-PictureQuality LevelsFullscreenWatch: Why aircraft carriers are still the go-to for projecting power.
The Dwight D Eisenhower CSG deployed on 14 October, with the initial intention to relieve the Gerald R Ford CSG that had been operating in the Mediterranean since June as part of the regional US and Nato presence.
The US has maintained a carrier strike group in the region since December 2021.
Shortly after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, the US Defense Secretary extended USS Gerald R Ford’s deployment and shifted the strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the US effort to keep the conflict from spreading.
Related topics
Every Single Aircraft Carrier in the World
Across 13 countries, about 80 percent of these ships are in service. The rest are either under construction or under development
Xinhua News Agency//Getty Images
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 not only marked the entry of the United States into World War II, but also the ascendancy of the aircraft carrier. The devastating strike—on a distant naval base thousands of miles away from the Japanese homeland—set the tone for four more years of carrier-centric warfare as the U.S. Navy regrouped, built a vast new fleet of aircraft carriers, and brought the fight all the way back to Japan.
How America Flew the U-2 Spy Plane off of Aircraft Carriers
Eighty years later, the carrier is still the dominant platform at sea. Aircraft carriers have remained dominant because they’re floating airfields for the real weapon: carrier aircraft. A carrier can upgrade to the newest military tech simply by freighting the newest aircraft. Jet engines, radar, guided missiles, nuclear weapons, stealth, and cruise missiles are all examples of technology easily absorbed by carriers, making them more relevant and deadly than ever.
✅ GET THE FACTS: AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Today, a new era of great power competition is seeing more countries field aircraft carriers than ever before. Longtime carrier operators like the United Kingdom and Japan have restarted flat-top production, while countries such as China, South Korea, and Turkey are building their first-ever carriers.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of about 22 carriers, across 20 ship classes, from 13 different countries. Roughly 80 percent of those ships are in operation, and the rest are either in development or currently under construction. The message is clear: if you want to be taken seriously as a naval power, you need an aircraft carrier.
Brazil
Atlántico
Brazil’s sole aircraft carrier,Alexandre Durão/Revista Força Aérea via Flickr
In 1998, the Royal Navy commissioned the landing platform helicopter HMS Ocean. Ocean, a 21,500-ton warship that is 667 feet long, featured a full-length flight deck and flight-control island. Although it looked the part of a carrier, it was actually a floating helicopter platform for the Royal Marines. An amphibious ship with limited self-defense capability, it could also embark up to six Apache attack helicopters for an offensive punch.
In 2018, the Royal Navy decommissioned Ocean, which the Brazilian Navy quickly snatched up. Renamed Atlántico, she was recently redesignated a “multipurpose aircraft carrier.” In the absence of crewed aircraft, the Brazilian Navy intends to experiment with operating fixed-wing, medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones from the ship. Eventually, Atlántico could fly MALE drones outfitted for reconnaissance and strike missions. Atlántico is the only aircraft carrier based in South America.
China
Liaoning, Shandong
China’s sole aircraft carrier at the time, the Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017, less than a week after a high-profile visit by president Xi Jinping.’< emAFP Contributor//Getty Images
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
China operates two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong.
The Soviet Union originally ordered an unfinished aircraft carrier. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, it transferred the ship to China, whereupon it went through a lengthy modernization. The ship was commissioned Liaoning in 2012. It displaces up to 67,000 tons fully loaded and is 999 feet long. Liaoning can operate up to 26 Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark fighters and another 12 helicopters, for a total air wing of 38 to 40 aircraft. Liaoning is a training ship intended to teach China’s first generation of naval aviators and China’s navy in carrier operations.
Shandong, commissioned in 2019, is nearly identical. But, it was built from the bottom up in a Chinese shipyard. Both Liaoning and Shandong carry the same number of planes. Both utilize bow-mounted ski ramps instead of catapults to launch aircraft, limiting the payload of their fighter jets and preventing them from launching piston-engine aircraft. Unlike Liaoning, Shandong is a fully operational carrier capable of combat operations.
Type 003
China is currently building a third carrier, tentatively named Type 003, at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. Type 003 will be approximately the same size as the two previous carriers and carry about 40 aircraft. It is also expected to use an electromagnetic system to launch aircraft, allowing it to operate a more varied air wing, including drones and piston-engine aircraft. The Department of Defense estimates the carrier will enter service in 2024. China may eventually build as many as six carriers, enough to match the U.S. Pacific Fleet, though American carriers are much more capable.
🛳 CARRIER CONSTRUCTION IS HARD WORK
Type 076
China is also building a variant of its Type 075 amphibious ships as a drone aircraft carrier. The Type 076 will displace approximately 40,000 tons and measure 778 feet long. The ship will be designed to launch and recover landing craft from the sea. Unlike the Type 075, which reserves its flight deck for helicopter operations, Type 076 will launch and recover drones, likely to provide air support and an unblinking eye in the sky overseeing an amphibious landing.
France
FS Charles de Gaulle
An aerial view of the Russian Tall Ship Mir as she passes astern of the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle ahead of the International Fleet Review on June 26, 2005 in Portsmouth, England.Peter Macdiarmid//Getty Images
Charles de Gaulle is France’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Although construction began during the Cold War, the ship only became fully operational in 2001. De Gaulle displaces 45,000 fully equipped and is 858 feet long. De Gaulle’s mix of up to 40 Rafale-M multi-role fighters, E-2 Hawkeye airborne command-and-control aircraft, and naval helicopters makes it the most capable carrier outside the U.S. Navy. The carrier participated in combat operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in 2001 and 2002 and against the Islamic State in the 2010s
Charles de Gaulle was meant to be one of two carriers, but France never built the second one, leaving the country without a carrier when the ship is in drydock. It is scheduled to be replaced in the 2030s with a new carrier, currently designated Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PANG). At 75,000 tons, the new ship will be 50 percent larger and operate a mixture of manned aircraft and drones.
India
INS Vikramaditya, Vikrant
Aircrafts on the deck of INS Vikramaditya during Navy Week celebration at Gateway of India on December 2, 2016 in Mumbai, India.Hindustan Times//Getty Images
India, a longtime operator of aircraft carriers, currently operates just one: INS Vikramaditya. Originally built for the Soviet Navy, Vikramaditya was later refitted as an angled-deck aircraft carrier, complete with catapults and arresting gear, for the Indian Navy. The carrier is in the same size and weight class as Shandong and de Gaulle, displacing 45,000 tons and capable of operating up to 28 MiG-29K multi-role strike fighters and Kamov helicopters, for a total of up to 40 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
A second aircraft carrier, Vikrant, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022. Vikrant, India’s first locally produced carrier, is approximately the same size as sister ship Vikramaditya. Two carriers will ensure that India could surge up to two ships in a crisis, while maintaining at least one in ready condition while the other is in drydock.
Italy
Giuseppe Garibaldi, Cavour
Italian AV8 Harrier aircraft are pictured on the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation codenamed “Unified Protectors” on June 15, 2011 in the Mediterranean sea.MARCELLO PATERNOSTRO//Getty Images
The Italian Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. The first, Giuseppe Garibaldi, is a 13,930-ton, 590-foot-long carrier that can operate up to 18 AV-8B II+ Harrier jump jets. Garibaldi, commissioned in 1985, is a veteran of the NATO intervention in Afghanistan, the war in Afghanistan, and the 2011 intervention in Libya.
➡️ DIVE DEEPER
She is scheduled to be replaced in 2022 by the new amphibious assault ship Trieste. Trieste, modeled on the U.S. Navy’s Wasp-class amphibious ships, will have both a well deck for transporting Italian marines by watercraft, and a full-length flight deck to accommodate the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
The second carrier, Cavour, is the flagship of the Italian Navy. Commissioned in 2009, Cavour is also equipped with a well deck capable of launching and recovering landing craft, hovercraft, and amphibious vehicles. In July 2021, after a lengthy refit, she became the first Italian warship to launch and recover F-35B fighter jets. Cavour will be able to carry up to 12 F-35Bs and a dozen helicopters at a time. Italy will purchase 30 F-35Bs, evenly split between the Italian Navy and Air Force.
Japan
Izumo, Kaga
Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces carrier Izumo anchored up at its Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa.TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA//Gett
Getty Images
Once the largest and most proficient operator of aircraft carriers, Japan is building its first new carrier in nearly 80 years. Japan, whose post-war pacifist sentiment banned aircraft carriers as tools of offensive warfare, has done an about-face and is now embracing them—but purely as defensive weapons.
In 2018, citing concerns about the growing Chinese Navy and the construction of China’s own carriers, Japan announced it would convert helicopter carriers Izumo and Kaga into ships capable of launching and recovering F-35B Joint-Strike Fighters. The conversion process includes fitting flight decks with aviation lighting; squaring the rear of the flight deck; adding fixed-wing ammunition, fuel, and maintenance facilities; and a heat-resistant flight-deck coating designed to handle an F-35B’s downward-facing thrust nozzle. Each will carry about a dozen, and perhaps as many as 16, F-35B fighters.
In October 2021, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet landed on the partially converted Izumo, marking the first fixed-wing aircraft landing on a Japanese ship since World War II. Japan plans to purchase 42 F-35Bs, flying them from the ships and island bases in order to counter Chinese military flights near its western airspace.
Russia
Admiral Kuznetsov
The Russian Navy’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier seen at shipyard No 35 in December 2017.Lev Fedoseyev//Getty Images
The largest conventionally powered carrier in the world, Admiral Kuznetsov is also Russia’s only flat-top. Built at Ukraine’s Nikolayev shipyards during the Cold War, Kuznetsov displaces 58,000 tons and is 1,000 feet long. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the ship saw little use, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the ship as a symbol of Russia’s resurgence on the world stage, using it to show off the country’s flag and sending it to Syria on combat deployments.
Kuznetsov is notionally a capable ship, with the ability to embark up to 24 Su-33 Flanker-D and MiG-29K fighter jets and six helicopters. However, the ship is old and has suffered from neglect and sheer bad luck. Kuznetsov has broken down at sea, suffered an electrical fire that killed one crewman, caught fire in drydock, and lost its drydock when the floating dock PD-50 abruptly sank. The ship is nearing the end of a multi-year upgrade, though, and is scheduled to return to the fleet in late 2023.
South Korea
CVX
South Korea is the latest naval power seeking to build aircraft carriers. The carrier, tentatively known as CVX, will be a conventionally powered warship and the country’s first fixed-wing aircraft carrier. Seoul has signed development deals with European shipbuilders Babock International and Fincantieri, companies with experience developing British and Italian carriers.
➡️ MUST-READ
Early concept designs depict a full-length flight deck, aviation elevators, and a ski ramp to launch aircraft. The ship is depicted with two island superstructures, much like HMS Queen Elizabeth, in order to increase available flight deck space. CVX will carry a mixed air wing of F-35 fighters, attack helicopters, and utility helicopters. South Korea has 20 F-35Bs on order.
Spain
Juan Carlos I
A pack of bicyclists ride past the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I at the Cadiz harbour at the start of the 3rd stage of the 69th edition of “La Vuelta” Tour of Spain, a 197.8-kilometres ride from Cadiz to Arcos de la Frontera, on August 25, 2014.JOSE JORDAN//Getty Images
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Thailand
HTMS Chakri Naruebet
Thai tourists visit the Royal Thai Navy’s HTMS Chakri Naruebet at its berth at the Sattahip navy docks in May 1998.Peter Charlesworth//Getty Images
The only aircraft carrier native to southeast Asia, HTMS Chakri Naruebet was built in Spain and is the flagship of the Thai Navy. Chakri Naruebet is the smallest carrier in the world, displacing just 11,000 tons and measuring 599 feet long. When completed in 1997, it carried six AV-8S Harrier fighter jets and six SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. It also features royal accommodations fit for Thailand’s King.
Thailand’s carrier has been the victim of neglect over the past two decades, rarely leaving port. Its six Harrier fighters have been retired for lack of spare parts.
Turkey
TCG Anadolu, TCG Trakya
Turkish Ministry of Defense
Like Spain, Turkey has one mixed amphibious/light aircraft carrier, TCG Anadolu. Anadolu is physically and dimensionally similar to Spain’s Juan Carlos I, and was built using technology from the same Spanish shipyard. The ship is equipped not only with aviation facilities (including a ski ramp), but the ability to launch and recover amphibious landing craft from a floodable well deck.
Turkey was ejected from the F-35 program when President Recep Erdogan purchased air-defense missiles from Russia, leaving it unable to equip Anadolu with the fifth-generation fighter jet. Instead, the country plans to equip it with Bayraktar TB3 uncrewed aerial combat vehicles (UCAVs). The TB3 is a folding wing version of the TB2 UCAV used in combat in Libya, Armenia, and Ukraine and can be used in strike, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles. Turkey plans to equip the ship with an air wing of up to 50 TB3s, giving it technically an air wing only second in numbers to American supercarriers.
Turkey is also planning a second carrier, TCG Trakya, and recently indicated the new ship will be even larger than the first.
United Kingdom
HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Prince of Wales
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Rosyth Dockyard, where she was built, after a period of planned maintenance on May 21, 2019 in Rosyth, Scotland.Ken Jack//Getty Images
In the late 2000s, the United Kingdom set out to revamp its fixed-wing carrier capability, replacing four aging Invincible-class anti-submarine warfare carriers with larger, more capable ships. The result is the Queen Elizabeth-class, consisting of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The two carriers are the largest warships ever to serve in the Royal Navy.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales both displace approximately 72,000 tons fully loaded and measure 920 feet long. The ships use a conventional propulsion system, like South Korea’s CVX, that splits the ships’ island superstructure into two distinct structures. The 12.5-degree ski ramp affixed to the front bow gives a boost to F-35B fighter jets, allowing them to take off with more fuel and munitions, though not as many as if the ships were equipped with an aircraft catapult. The ships will typically embark 20 to 24 F-35Bs with provisions to carry up to 36 in emergencies.
In mid-2021, HMS Queen Elizabeth embarked on her first cruise as the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group 21. CSG21 sailed as far east as Guam, conducting combat missions against the Islamic State, and sailed in the South China Sea alongside U.S. and other allied warships.
United States of America
Nimitz and Ford classes
The future USS Gerald R. Ford is seen underway on its own power for the first time on April 8, 2017 in Newport News, Virginia.Getty Images
The U.S. Navy operates two classes of so-called “supercarriers,” the Nimitz and Ford classes. The Nimitz-class, consisting of ten ships, weighs a whopping 105,000 tons fully loaded and is 1,092 feet long. The Ford-class, consisting of USS Gerald R. Ford, is roughly the same weight and size, but includes next-generation technology such as an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, advanced arresting gear for recovering planes, a new Dual-Band Radar, and electromagnetic weapons handling elevators. Both classes normally accommodate up to 75 aircraft, including 40 to 44 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and F-35C Joint Strike Fighters.
✅ EXTRA CREDIT: MEET THE SUPER HORNET
The Navy has committed to building at least five Ford-class carriers and will likely build up to 11, fully replacing the Nimitz-class ships by 2050.
Wasp and America classes
In addition to supercarriers, the Navy also operates a mixed fleet of nine Wasp- and America-class amphibious ships. These ships include a full-length flight deck, elevators, and an island for aviation operations. The Wasp-class also includes a well deck for embarking and disembarking amphibious landing craft. Each weighs 45,000 tons fully loaded and is 844 feet long. The ships, nicknamed “gators,” normally carry 10 F-35Bs, but can carry up to 20 F-35Bs in a purely aviation role.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he’s generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
6 Nov 2023
NZ Navy conduct Pacific operation to dispose submerged World War II bombs
Dive and hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui has arrived in Niue, the first stop in a seven-week deployment to the south-west Pacific. Photo: NZDF
The New Zealand Navy is conducting a seven-week operation in the Pacific to conduct underwater surveys and help dispose of submerged World War II bombs.
The HMNZS Manawanui has arrived in Niue, the first stop in the Calypso operation.
There are 70 personnel, including some of Pasifika heritage, who will undertake maritime security patrols, hydrographic surveys, and community engagement activities in Niue, Fiji and Vanuatu.
In Niue, the team will support local authorities to inspect Beveridge Reef, 38km out to sea.
In Fiji, NZ personnel will work with Fiji’s military on two maritime surveys, one of which is in the Koro Sea east of Viti Levu island – an area that was last surveyed in 1895.
Once the ship reaches Vanuatu, NZ explosive ordnance disposal divers will be tasked with the disposal of four, over 226 kg bombs left submerged in Port Vila Harbour after World War II.
Commanding Officer of HMNZS Manawanui Commander Yvonne Gray said the ship’s company was excited about the deployment.
“For all of us, the Pacific is our neighbourhood and it’s always special to get out here and work with our friends on these tasks,” she said.
“Some of our crew hail from Pacific nations and so for them our deployments to the Pacific are a way for them to give something back to their communities.”
Operation Calypso is due to conclude in early December.
The third USS Los Angeles (CA-135) was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, laid down by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, on 28 July 1943 and launched on 20 August 1944.
The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles (CA-135) returns to the Korean theater for its second tour of combat duty with UN Naval Forces, 13 October 1952. Note that the ship’s Jack and National Ensign are flying at half-mast.
She was sponsored by Mrs. Fletcher Bowron and commissioned on 22 July 1945, with Captain John A. Snackenberg in command.
Service history
1944–1948
After a shakedown cruise out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Los Angeles sailed on 15 October for the Far East via the west coast and arrived at Shanghai, China, on 3 January 1946. During the next year she operated with the 7th Fleet along the coast of China and in the western Pacific to the Marianas. She returned to San Francisco, California, on 21 January 1947, and was decommissioned at Hunters Point on 9 April 1948, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Los_Angeles
USS Vesuvius, the third ship of the United States Navy named for the Italian volcano, was a unique vessel in the Navy inventory which marked a departure from more conventional forms of main battery armament. She is considered a dynamite gun cruiser and was essentially an operational testbed for large dynamite guns.
The dynamite guns
Vesuvius was laid down in September 1887 at Philadelphia by William Cramp & Sons Ships and Engine Building Company, subcontracted from the Pneumatic Dynamite Gun Company of New York City. She was launched on 28 April 1888 sponsored by Miss Eleanor Breckinridge and commissioned on 2 June 1890 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard with Lieutenant Seaton Schroeder in command.
Dynamite guns[edit]
Vesuvius carried three 15-inch (38 cm) cast-iron pneumatic guns, invented by D. M. Medford and developed by Edmund Zalinski, a retired officer of the United States Army.[3] They were mounted forward side by side at a fixed elevation of 16 degrees. Gun barrels were 55 feet (17 meters) long with the muzzles extending 15 feet (4.6 meters) through the deck 37 feet (11 meters) abaft the bow. In order to train these weapons, the ship had to be aimed, like a gun, at its target. Compressed air from a 1000 psi (70 atm) reservoir projected the shells from the dynamite guns. Two air compressors were available to recharge the reservoir.[2]
The shells fired from the guns were steel or brass casings 7 feet (2.1 meters) long with the explosive contained in the conical forward part of the casing and spiral vanes on the after part to rotate the projectile. The explosive used in the shells themselves was actually a “desensitized blasting gelatin” composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin. It was less sensitive to shock than regular dynamite, but still sensitive enough that compressed air, rather than powder, had to be utilized as the propellant. Shells containing 550 pounds (250 kg) of explosive had a maximum range of 1 mile (1.6 km), but range could be extended to 4,000 yards (3.7 km) by reducing projectile weight to 200 pounds (91 kg). Maximum muzzle velocity was 800 feet (240 meters) per second. Range could be reduced by releasing less compressed air from the reservoir. Ten shells per gun were carried on board, and 15 shells were fired in 16 minutes 50 seconds during an 1889 test. The shells employed an electrical fuze which could be either set to explode on contact or delayed to explode underwater.