HMS Iron Duke held an open day in Jersey to show the public the inner workings of a Royal Navy warship (Picture: Jersey Harbours/ Ollie Voak)
The crew of HMS Iron Duke welcomed residents of Jersey aboard to show them how a Royal Navy warship operates.
The 4,900-tonne Type 23 Duke Class frigate docked on the Channel Island where she opened her doors to the public, brought local Sea Cadets onboard and held a reception for visitors.
“We have a brilliant affiliation with Jersey and are looking forward to a host of activities: Ship open to visitors, STEM visits, meeting Sea cadets and hosting a reception,” said HMS Iron Duke on social media.
“It’s great to have HMS Iron Duke in Jersey to strengthen her close ties to the community and showcases her commitment to maritime security,” said the Ports of Jersey.
She recently sailed down the River Elbe to Hamburg and held a similar Open Ship Day for the German public.
Earlier this month HMS Iron Duke and HMS Tyne were deployed to monitor four Russian Navy vessels as they sailed through the Channel and the North Sea.
It’s great to have @HMSIronDuke in Jersey to strengthen her close ties to the community and showcases her commitment to maritime security.
You can go onboard today between 3pm & 4pm. Head to Elizabeth Terminal and follow the directions.
John Grady – September 6, 2024 5:32 PM – Updated: September 7, 2024 12:43 AM
SS United States on May 23, 2023. USNI News Photo
The world’s fastest ocean liner’s days are numbered at the Philadelphia pier where it has been berthed for decades. Whether the nonprofit that owns SS United States can find a new location for the liner, launched with great fanfare in June 1951 into Virginia’s James River, by Sept. 12 is an open question.
Even the option of sinking the 900-foot-long liner – larger than Titanic – to turn it into the world’s largest fishing and diving reef off the Florida Gulf coast, is now in limbo. The Oskaloosa County Board of Commissioners delayed a vote on its budget Tuesday that would have met the court-set deadline for the ship to leave or pay Penn Warehousing’s higher rental fees, ThePhiladelphia Inquirer reported.
The county would pay $9 million to buy, move and then sink the liner to become the reef off Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla. The ship no longer has a working propulsion system. Much of the expense would be put toward environmental cleaning to make the hull safe for the reef project.
United States, which was built to double as a high-speed troop transport, has not sailed the Atlantic since the late 1960s after jet travel sent the luxury passenger liner market into steep decline.
The newspaper quoted Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County’s public information officer, saying the county is working with the SS United States Conservancy, and “until a deal is finalized it would be inappropriate to make any additional comment.”
The other option would be to sell SS United States for scrap.
Efforts by USNI News for further comments from the conservancy were unsuccessful.
The ship’s length makes finding another temporary berthing site difficult. Sites at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Maryland and Virginia already have been ruled out as not large enough.
The conservancy’s goal of converting the ship into a museum and hotel is also on hold.
“There are multiple discussions underway and many unresolved matters that make the outcome and timing uncertain at this point,” read a conservancy statement on Instagram last week.
The Florida-based Get the Coast online news site reported the conservancy is committed “to developing a land-based museum in conjunction with the artificial reef, which would serve to continue the iconic vessel’s legacy and provide non-divers the opportunity to learn about ‘America’s Flagship’ and its rich history.”
The county will provide up to $1 million for museum-related costs, including property purchase, construction or renovation of an existing building or property for the museum and its exhibits. The report added details of the museum project and terms of an agreement are to be separately developed and negotiated within 12 months of the ship’s purchase.
The county identified three locations for the reef site between 25 and 30 miles off the coast.
In 2016, the conservancy received 600 important artifacts of artwork, furniture, fittings and documents from the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News and Colonial Williamsburg for its collection and a future museum.
SS United States was christened on June 23, 1951, on a sweltering early summer day by Lucille Connally, wife of Texas Sen. Tom Connally. The traditional champagne bottle breaking took place at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. ”as more than 20,000 persons, waving small American flags, sent up a mighty cheer.” An additional 20,000-plus were gathered along the massive dry dock where the liner was built.
The Daily Press reported that shipyard officials said the crowd’s size was held down by the near 100-degree temperature and television broadcasting of the christening.
SS United States Departing Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1952. US Navy Photo
SS United States was built for the dual purpose of fast, safe, luxurious ocean travel across the Atlantic and for the fast transport of U.S. troops across any ocean. The commercial contractor was U.S. Lines and the original contract with Newport News was let in 1949 for more than $67 million. Design work at Gibbs & Cox on the “super liner” started three years earlier in partnership with the federal government.
“The U.S. Government worked in conjunction with the United States Lines to develop a ‘super ship’ to be part Cold War weapon and part luxury ocean liner. The top-secret Pentagon project produced the fastest, safest and most advanced vessel ever constructed,” reads a 2022 post from Norfolk Naval Shipyard. “The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 15,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and do it faster than any other ship before or since. Due to its hidden military objective, the construction of the ship was shrouded in secrecy.”
“The unsinkable ship never has been built, but the United States has later and improved safety precautions built into her hull. She was designed to withstand some degree of enemy attack if the time should come when she must be a military transport.”
The editorial writers missed its wartime importance. The liner was capable of sustaining 35 knots for 12 days without refueling. Better yet, it would need only 48 hours to be converted to military service. It could carry 18,000 troops.
In contrast, the British troop transport and ocean liner Queen Mary carried 15,000 troops per crossing to Europe in World War II.
William Francis Gibbs, educated as a lawyer at Harvard and Columbia, designed SS United States. By the early 1950s, he was already world famous for his ship designs, and he and his brother’s firm are credited with providing three-quarters of the designs for the nation’s World War II ships.
If a new berthing site is not found, SS United States may no longer be able to claim the title “Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink.”
HMS Glasgow and HMS Cardiff at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun Yard (Picture: EyeintheskyGla X)
Two of the Royal Navy’s Type 26 City-class frigates have been pictured together in the water for the first time, with one of them having been fitted with a new 5-inch gun.
HMS Glasgow, the lead ship in the Type 26 class, has had the gun fitted to her forecastle, with HMS Cardiff pictured alongside at BAE Systems’ Scotstoun Yard.
The next-generation frigates are designed to be primarily submarine hunters, replacing the Type 23s.
They are also expected to carry out other roles, with adaptable mission bays to allow the eight City-class ships to operate drones, mine-hunting systems or raiding kit for Royal Marines commandos.
This new gun is likely to be a mainstay of the fleet for half a century or more, with all the ships set to be fitted with the capability.
So what are the benefits of this new class of frigate?
One of them is the gun.
Officially called the Mk45 Mod 4A Medium Calibre Gun, it is the latest variant of a US Navy gun that has been fitted to over 280 warships – including Nato allies and vessels from Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Watch: Rear section of Royal Navy’s second Type 26 frigate HMS Cardiff rolled out of build hall.
It replaces the existing Mk8 4.5in gun, which has been in service since the early 1970s and has been used in the Falklands, two Gulf wars and the Libyan Civil War.
The latest gun is fully automated, safer, reliable, accurate and interoperable with the UK’s closest Nato allies.
It is also able to eliminate threats as varied as enemy positions ashore or aerial drones.
Despite being fitted to HMS Glasgow, the gun is still missing its barrel.
But once it is operational, shells weighing up to 31.5kg leave the muzzle at speeds between 823 and 1,051 metres per second – or up to three times the speed of sound – depending on the ammunition used.
It can also be used against aerial threats, including drones and fast-moving inshore attack craft, with it being much cheaper than firing a missile.
The Mk45 Mod 4A Medium Calibre Gun is derived from a US weapon, seen here being fired by USS Simpson (Picture US Department of Defence)
However, what makes the gun really stand out is the automatic handling system.
Sailors will no longer need to form a chain to supply the gun with fresh shells during a shoot, with the automatic system instead pulling shells from its “deep” magazine to constantly refill the 20-round “ready to use” magazine.
According to the Royal Navy, the result is a first-class gun that is easier to maintain, operates seamlessly working with allies and is highly reliable – with other navies reporting an availability of 99.6 per cent.
Neil Stevenson, Type 26 Weapons Group Leader at Defence Equipment and Support, said the installation marked a “major milestone for the Type 26 MOD weapons team”.
“The Mk 45 Mod 4 is a proven, effective weapon that incorporates the latest technologies for today’s multi-mission warships,” he said.
“Throughout the entire team has been supported by US Department of Defence and the Royal Navy, ensuring that this system is at the forefront of gunnery technology and adaptability, that meets the needs of the Royal Navy, now and in the future.”
Austal USA has launched the U.S. Navy’s 15th expeditionary fast transport (EPF) USNS Point Loma at the company’s shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Image credit: Austal USA
According to Austal, during the launch process, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) lifted the ship almost three feet and moved it approximately 400 feet onto a deck barge moored adjacent to the final assembly bay. The barge then moved the ship downriver to Austal’s West Campus repair yard where it was placed in a floating dry dock. The ship was submerged in the dry dock, enabling it to float for the first time, and was returned back upriver to Austal’s new construction facility.
The EPF USNS Point Loma is now docked pier side for final outfitting and system activation in preparation for sea trials later in 2024.
Dave Growden, Austal USA’s Vice President of New Construction Programs, said: “The continued success of this launch process is a testament to the value of teamwork and applying lessons-learned to everything we do. Our test and activation, crane and rigging, and safety teams work methodically alongside our Navy partners and key vendors such as Berard Transportation and E.N. Bisso & Son tug services. These partnerships allow us to continually examine our process, identify opportunities for improvement, and more effectively achieve these major ship milestones.”
To remind, the ship, which is the second of the Spearhead-class EPF Flight II configurations and one of 16 EPFs the US Navy has contracted Austal to build, was christened at a ceremony in Mobile at the beginning of August 2024.
EPF Flight II provides a Role 2E (enhanced) medical capability which includes, among other capabilities, basic secondary health care built around primary surgery, intensive care unit, ward beds and limited x-ray, laboratory and dental support.
The Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group transits the Pacific Ocean in 2020. (Jason Isaacs/U.S. Navy)
By CAITLYN BURCHETT STARS AND STRIPES • August 26, 2024
WASHINGTON — The Middle East deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has been extended following a weekend of Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah trading heavy fire, the Pentagon said Monday. “Given the tensions in the Middle East and given our commitment to continue to support Israel’s defense and deter potential aggression, the secretary did order an extension of Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the top Pentagon spokesman. The Roosevelt and its strike group will remain in the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorts. The announcement marks the second time the U.S. has positioned two carrier strike groups in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday on the social media platform X that two strike groups would be postured in the region. Ryder said Monday that the decision was made “over the weekend” but declined to say if the decision came before or after tensions between Israel and Hezbollah came to a head Saturday. It is unclear how long the Roosevelt, which has already been deployed for eight months, will be extended, with neither Austin nor Ryder indicating a timeline for the extension. Historically, carrier deployments have been extended in 30-day increments. “We will do everything we can to ensure we can meet our national security commitments, while also at the same time managing the finite resources that we do have around the world,” Ryder said. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Aug. 10, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy) Israel fired preemptive strikes Saturday, with Hezbollah launching drones and missiles after weeks of cease-fire negotiations and a hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The U.S. provided information, surveillance and reconnaissance support to Israel in tracking incoming Hezbollah attacks over the weekend, Ryder said.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Aug. 10, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy)
But the U.S. did not participate in the firefight; Ryder said Israel was able to defend itself with its own capabilities. “Should there have been a need for us to do that, certainly, we are posed and ready to go,” he said. The Roosevelt deployed in January from San Diego for an Indo-Pacific region deployment. The aircraft carrier and its strike group were redirected in late June to the Middle East to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also in the region is the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and its group. “We remain well postured to support Israel’s defense against any aggression from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah or other actors, as we’ve been from the start,” Ryder said. CAITLYN BURCHETT Caitlyn Burchett covers defense news at the Pentagon. Before joining Stars and Stripes, she was the military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-08-26/aircraft-carrier-middle-east-israel-iran-theodore-roosevelt-14981819.html?
Hudson, F A (Lt) Royal Navy official photographer Imperial War Museums (collection no. 4700-01) A 25368.
She lost 21 of her crew but the survivors couldn’t quit her.
Constructed in Seattle under the name USS Edisto (ACV/CVE-41), Nabob instead entered British service on 7 September 1943, with over two-thirds of her crew being Canadian.
Less than a year later and half a world away, Nabob, loaded with Wildcat Mk V fighters and Avenger Mk.IIs from 852 and 856 Naval Air Squadrons, were in the main force attacking KMS Tirpitz in that German battlewagon’s Norwegian stronghold during Operation Goodwood.
It was then, after the first strike was recovered, that a Type VIIC U-boat on its 8th patrol, U-354 (Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Sthamer), encountered our little “jeep” carrier and pumped a spread of FAT torpedoes into her just after 01.14 hours on 22 August 1944. One hit, blowing a 32-foot hole below her waterline aft of the engine room and causing extensive flooding.
Sthamer tried to finish off the wounded carrier with a Gnat torpedo but it was instead soaked up by the Buckley-class destroyer escort HMS Bickerton (K 466), sending the greyhound to the bottom of the Barents Sea with 38 dead.
The British sloop HMS Mermaid and the frigate HMS Loch Dunvegan would in turn send U-354 and all hands to the cold embrace of the sea floor courtesy of dozens of depth charges.
Nabob, her engine room shored up against the open ocean, managed to limp to Scapa Flow some 1,070 miles at a steady ten-knot clip. She somehow even managed to get a few of her Avengers airborne when a sonar contact suggested another U-boat blocking her path.
It was a marvel of damage control and was cited as an example to emulate in RN publications for years.
Declared a constructive loss as repair to her warped shaft could not realistically be accomplished she was returned to U.S. Navy custody in March 1945.
Sold for scrap the next year to a breaker’s yard in Holland, she was in fact found still serviceable and, converted to mercantile service, steamed for another 30 years.
Never doubt a Jeep carrier.
Often regarded by some as Canada’s first aircraft carrier, her ship’s bell was retained by the RCN and is in the Naval Museum of Halifax, CFB Halifax. Although her crew cut off her guns and jettisoned several of her planes to cut weight and correct trim lest water poured into her hangar deck from the stern, they couldn’t bring themselves to 86 the bell.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) sails in the Indian Ocean on Aug. 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived in the Middle East Wednesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The San Diego, Calif., based carrier, Carrier Air Wing 9 and its escorts are headed to join the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian effort to protect merchant shipping in the region on orders from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Last week, Austin ordered Lincoln to accelerate its transit last week as part of U.S. moves to move more assets to the CENTCOM area of response following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. The U.S. and its allies are on alert for Iranian retaliation.
Lincoln is set to relieve USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which has been operating in the Middle East supporting Prosperity Guardian since June.
The carrier left the South China Sea via the Strait of Malacca near Singapore on Friday for the Indian Ocean and U.S. 5th Fleet. Lincoln deployed in June with Carrier Air Wing 9 embarked. Pentagon officials singled out the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 314 equipped with F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters.
In addition to Lincoln, the Pentagon highlighted the presence of guided-missile nuclear submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-728) armed with 154 long-range Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. As of Tuesday, Georgia was in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Pentagon spokesperson Mag. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.
“The department’s recent adjustment to the U.S. military posture in the region have enabled us to bolster U.S. force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies,” he said.
It’s unclear how long Lincoln and Roosevelt will both be operating in 5th Fleet together.
Roosevelt and the embarked Carrier Air Wing 11 left San Diego in January and has been deployed for more than seven months.
