Skip to content

IFTTT

NZ Defence Force Honors Animals in Armed Forces: Purple Poppy Day Commemoration Purple Poppy Day in New Zealand is a heartfelt commemoration of the animal veterans who have served alongside the New Zealand Defence Force. Discover the stories of bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice that highlight the enduring bond between humans and animals in times of conflict.

Honoring Four-Legged Heroes: New Zealand Commemorates Purple Poppy Day

Imagine the clamor of battlefields, the heroes who tread fearlessly into the fray, and among them, the silent, four-legged warriors whose bravery often remains unsung. In a poignant tribute to these valiant beings, New Zealand sets the stage for a heartfelt commemoration. As the sun rises on 24 February, the nation prepares to honor its most unique veterans on Purple Poppy Day, a testament to the animals that have served alongside the New Zealand Defence Force for over a century.

A Day of Remembrance and Recognition

Purple Poppy Day is not just another date on the calendar; it is a profound acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by animals in warfare. The National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy in Auckland and the National Army Museum in Waiouru are the focal points of this year’s commemoration, hosting events that pay homage to these unsung heroes. This occasion also marks the sixth anniversary of an equally significant milestone – the unveiling of New Zealand’s first Animal Memorial at the National Army Museum. The memorial stands as a permanent reminder of the steadfast companionship and service of animals in the line of duty.

Expanding the Narrative of Valor

Among the stories to be highlighted is that of First World War soldier Thomas Hartnell-Stone, whose service alongside animals will be specially recognized in Canterbury, coinciding with Purple Poppy Day. This narrative extends beyond the human experience of war, shedding light on the indomitable spirit of animals that have stood by soldiers through thick and thin. From the horses that carried troops into battle, to the dogs and pigeons that delivered critical messages, these animals have displayed unwavering courage and loyalty. Their contributions, though not always recorded in history books, have been integral to military operations across the globe.

A Legacy of Companionship and Bravery

The inception of Purple Poppy Day was a groundbreaking moment for New Zealand, signaling a shift in the collective memory of warfare to include the animal allies that have long stood beside human soldiers. This recognition is not only about remembering the past; it’s about acknowledging the ongoing relationship between humans and animals in the context of service and sacrifice. The annual observance has grown in significance, resonating with people both nationally and internationally, and reinforcing the message that courage knows no species.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/ruslKpV
via IFTTT February 25, 2024 at 02:08PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

Austal Wins Contract for Additional Patrol Boats the Royal Australian Navy

Austal Wins Contract for Additional Patrol Boats the Royal Australian Navy
Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy (Image: Austal Australia)

Austal Wins Contract For Additional Patrol Boats The Royal Australian Navy

Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.

Austal press release

The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on 23 November 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.

Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg has reiterated the importance of the Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats to both the Australian defence industry and the Royal Australian Navy.

“These additional Evolved Capes, designed and constructed by Austal in Henderson, Western Australia, are helping us to retain and build our sovereign, naval shipbuilding workforce and continue to engage supply chain partners from across Australia,” Mr Gregg said.

“The Evolved Capes are also enhancing the Navy’s operations throughout Northern Australia, adding greater capability for maritime surveillance and border patrols, as part of the ongoing Operation Sovereign Borders mission.”

The SEA1445-1 project, initially constructing six 58-metre aluminium monohull patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy from May 2020, was extended by two vessels in April 2022. The first five Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats, Cape Otway, Cape Peron, Cape Naturaliste, Cape Capricorn and Cape Woolamai were delivered within an eighteen-month period, from March 2022. Following the sixth and most recent delivery, Cape Pillar, in October 2023, there are two Evolved Capes currently under construction.

The Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats feature larger amenities to accommodate up to 32 people, improved quality of life systems and advanced sustainment intelligence systems that further enhance the Royal Australian Navy’s ability to fight and win at sea. The patrol boats are utilised for a wide variety of constabulary and naval missions and play a critical role in Australia’s national security, as a high-performing, reliable and effective maritime asset.

In-service support for the Cape, Evolved Cape and Guardian-class Patrol Boat fleets operated by the Australian Border Force, Royal Australian Navy and Pacific Island nations is provided by Austal Australia through dedicated service centres located in Henderson, Western Australia; Cairns, Queensland; and Darwin, Northern Territory.

Austal Australia is also contracted to deliver 22 steel-hulled Guardian-class Patrol Boats to the Commonwealth of Australia under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1) and has delivered 18 vessels since 2018.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/D7c4jIF
via IFTTT February 25, 2024 at 01:37PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

Casablanca-Class: The U.S. Navy Built 50 ‘Baby’ Aircraft Carriers in a Just 1 Year

Casablanca-Class 'Escort' Aircraft Carriers
February 23, 2024  Topic: Security  Region: Americas  Blog Brand: The Reboot  Tags: Aircraft CarriersU.S. NavyWorld War IIImperial Japanese NavyCasablanca-class

In 1942, industrialist Henry Kaiser proposed mass-producing small escort carriers for the U.S. Navy to aid in World War II, using assembly-line techniques to launch one nearly every week. Despite initial skepticism, President Roosevelt’s support led to the production of fifty Casablanca-class aircraft carriers, crucial for anti-submarine warfare and air defense in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

Summary: In 1942, industrialist Henry Kaiser proposed mass-producing small escort carriers for the U.S. Navy to aid in World War II, using assembly-line techniques to launch one nearly every week. Despite initial skepticism, President Roosevelt’s support led to the production of fifty Casablanca-class carriers, crucial for anti-submarine warfare and air defense in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. These carriers, though less capable than fleet carriers, played a pivotal role in convoy protection, ground support, and engaging enemy submarines and ships. Their production demonstrated the value of simple, numerous platforms in wartime, marking a significant contribution to naval warfare strategy.

Mass Production at Sea: The Story of the Casablanca-Class Escort Carriers

“Mass-production” isn’t a term one usually associates with ships as large and valuable as aircraft carriers. But that’s precisely what industrialist Henry Kaiser proposed to the U.S. Navy in 1942: dozens of carriers churned out in a matter of months using assembly-line techniques.

Following the Pearl Harbor raid, it was evident that carriers would rule the seas—but forthcoming Essex-class fleet carriers were years away from entering service. Kaiser was already assembling large “Liberty Ship” transports in just six weeks on average, and he promised to launch small escort carriers in just three months using interchangeable-part production techniques.

But the Navy initially spurned Kaiser’s offer. The “jeep carriers” would have only two-thirds the 30-knot maximum speed of fleet carriers, and carry roughly one-third the number of aircraft. But Kaiser reached over the heads of the Navy to President Franklin Roosevelt, who may have been more attuned to the political sensitivities of the war.

German submarines were then inflicting unsustainable losses on vital transatlantic convoys—particularly while traversing the “mid-Atlantic gap” which lay just outside the patrol radius of patrol planes based in North America and the United Kingdom. Land-based bombers like the Fw 200 Condor also exacted a toll.

An obvious solution was to have carriers escort convoys, providing round-the-clock anti-submarine and air defense patrols. But large, fast fleet carriers were too valuable to devote full-time to such missions.

The Navy first converted C3 cargo ships into carriers, starting with a few Long Island-class ships used primarily for testing, training and aircraft delivery, then the forty-five-ship Bogue-class, thirty-four of which were transferred to the Royal Navy. The Bogue incorporated a second elevator, more powerful steam-turbine propulsion, and expanded fuel stores and anti-aircraft defenses. The air wing on the Bogue-class USS Card sank eight U-Boats on her first two patrols in August and October 1943.

As the Navy ran short of C3 hulls, it then converted four larger Cimarron-class oilers, renamed the Sangamon-class. Sangamon and sistership Santee first saw action supporting the American landings in Tunisia (Operation Torch). In a fierce naval battle off Casablanca, their bombers sank Vichy French submarine Sidi Farruch and forced another to run aground.

With Roosevelt’s support, Kaiser’s shipyard in Vancouver, Washington, began construction of lead ship Casablanca in November 1942—named after the aforementioned battle. Between April 5, 1943, and May 27, 1944, his shipyards launched fifty brand-new escort carriers—nearly one per week! Designated CVE 55 through 104, they were all named either after famous battles or bays.

The 156-meter long Casablanca displaced only 7,800-tons—or nearly 11,000 tons fully loaded with 910 crew, 28 aircraft, ammunition and nearly 120,000 gallons of aviation fuel. Her uniflow reciprocating engines could only push her to twenty knots—faster than earlier escort carriers, and adequate for accompanying merchant ships and amphibious transport transports. The Casablancas had little in the way of armor, and were infamous for rolling hard in rough weather, as dramatically illustrated in this photo. However, they had roomier flight and hangar decks than the Bogues.

For self-defense, the Casablanca mustered air- and surface-search radars, a few dozen rapid-fire 20-and 40-millimeter anti-aircraft cannons, and a single stern-mounted 5” dual-purpose gun. However, their primary combat power came from their composite air wings, typically counting around sixteen F4F Wildcat fighters and twelve TBF Avengers torpedo bombers.

Though by 1943 the Wildcat was being replaced by the faster and more maneuverable F6F Hellcat, its shorter takeoff and landing distance made it better suited for escort carrier operations. The late-war FM-2 model built by General Motors boasted a more powerful R-1820-56W engine bumping a maximum speed up to 330 miles per hour and range to nearly 800 miles. It was armed with four .50 caliber machine guns and could carry two 250-pound bombs or six 5” high-velocity rockets for blasting ground targets or submarines.

The TBF or TBM Avengers were the carrier’s heavy hitters. The tubby three-man bombers had a range of 1,000 miles and could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges in its bomb bay, extra fuel tanks or up to eight rockets under the wing, or a Mark 24 acoustic homing torpedo under-belly.

TBM-1D model Avengers also had ASD microwave radars that could detect surfaced submarines attempting to recharge their batteries. There were even “stealth” Avengers fitted with flame-dampened engines and flares or spotlights to illuminate submarines recharging at night to friendly forces.

Five Casablanca-class carriers were assigned to Atlantic patrols, where escort carriers proved one of several innovations that ultimately defeated the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boats. Initially deployed to protect convoys and ferry land-based aircraft, they eventually led five out of eleven roving “Hunter-Killer groups” that aggressively chased down U-Boats, sinking fifty-three by the end of the war. (The Santee and five Bogue-class CVEs led the others.)

For example, the Guadalcanal, guided by intercepted signals, dispatched Avengers that sank two U-Boats west of Spain early in 1944, and harried a third (U-515) attempting to recharge batteries constantly until the captain decided to scuttle his boat.

Then on June 4, she bumped into U-505 off the coast of West Africa as she was returning to base. Her aircraft guided the destroyer Chatelain in launching depth charges that so rocked the U-Boat that her captain ordered to abandon ship. A boarding party from Guadalcanal then snatched the U-Boat as she swam in circles, rescued all but one of her crew, and recovered compromising Engima codes and homing torpedoes. The first warship captured by the U.S. Navy since 1815, U-505 can be seen today at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

Most Casablancas served in the Pacific theater, where they proved cost-efficient platforms for providing air cover and ground support to largely static amphibious invasion fleets.

Radar-equipped Avengers armed with homing torpedoes also hunted down Japanese submarines, including those carrying manned torpedoes.

But hunter could become prey. At 5 AM on November 25, 1943 the Liscome Bay arrived late to support an amphibious landing at Tarawa, fully loaded with 354 bombs grossing 75 tons when a torpedo fired by Japanese submarine I-175 struck her magazine. The titanic explosion sent debris flying over three miles away. Only 272 crew escaped the doomed carrier.

The Casablanca class’ finest hour came in the Battle of Samar, when sixteen CVEs and their escorts covering the amphibious landing at Leyte Gulf single-handedly took on a Japanese battlefleet consisting of four battleships and nineteen cruisers and destroyers. In a frantic few hours, the carriers’ combined air wings and self-sacrificing destroyer escorts managed to sink three cruisers and persuade Admiral Takeo Kurita to withdraw. Even the carriers’ 5” guns proved surprisingly effective. However, the Gambier Bay became the only U.S. carrier sunk by naval gunfire (pictured here).

The surface action was followed by the first ever Japanese kamikaze strike, which sank the carrier St. Lo and damaged several others. The new kamikaze threat made Combat Air Patrols by Wildcats more vital than ever. For example, in four months of action over the Philippines, VC-27 based on USS Savo Island shot down sixty-two aircraft.

But even with air cover, escort carriers remained vulnerable. While the Ommaney Bay was transiting through the Sulu Sea on January 4, 1945 a bomb-slugging twin-engine kamikaze plowed into her flight deck, triggering a chain reaction of exploding warplanes in the hangar below. Blazing out of control (color footage here), the crippled carrier had to be sunk by a U.S. destroyer with the loss of 93 crew.

Two days later, a kamikaze struck the Salamaua near Luzonkilling fifteen crew, setting her deck ablaze, flooding her engine rooms, and knocking out electrical power and steering. Remarkably the jeep carrier managed to limp back to San Francisco and was back in action by May.

While supporting the landing on Iwo Jima on February 24, the Bismarck Sea nearly recovered from a kamikaze strike on the starboard side of her hangar deck when a second plane knocked out the water supplying fire fighting hoses. A frantic rescue effort saved two-thirds of the crew before she sank—the last American carrier lost in World War II.

Postwar, the surviving forty-five Casablancas helped ferry personnel back to the United States before most were promptly retired and scrapped.

However, a few like the USS Corregidor and Tripoli served on as transports during the Korean War, and some were adapted to carry new-fangled helicopters. In 1955, Thetis Bay was even converted into the Navy’s first assault helicopter carrier, designed to lug twenty Sikorsky HR2S (S-56) heavy transport helicopters, or forty medium-size HRS choppers. Thetis Bay dispatched helicopters to deliver aid to storm-wracked Taiwan and Haiti, and deployed during the Cuban Missile Crisis with combat-ready Marines. She was finally scrapped in 1964, bringing the class’s eventful and diverse career to a close.

Recommended for you

from Blogger https://ift.tt/j42GuWI
via IFTTT February 25, 2024 at 01:04PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

2013 = HMS Protector Commanding Officer, Captain Rhett Hatcher prepares to carve the turkey

Royal Navy celebrates Christmas early in Antarctica

The crew of a Royal Navy ship HMS Protector has celebrated Christmas early on the ice caps of Antarctica.

Crew members of HMS Protector sit down to their Christmas dinner on the ice [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

Crew members of HMS Protector sit down to their Christmas dinner

The ship is currently deployed to the Antarctic to carry out survey and patrol operations. As the ship will be at sea on Christmas Day, the crew decided to hold their festive celebrations early.

Pictures released today show the ship’s company enjoying a game of football before settling down to a roast turkey dinner in a real life winter wonderland.

Commanding Officer, Captain Rhett Hatcher, said:

Spending Christmas in the coldest, windiest and driest place on earth comes with a number of challenges but it is a truly unique privilege.

With 21 hours of daylight we need to remind ourselves to take a break from operations, but when we do so we know that despite being a very long way from our families and friends at home, we are proud to be on patrol for the Royal Navy and in the best possible company over the Christmas period.

HMS Protector

HMS Protector in Port Lockroy [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

HMS Protector sailed from Portsmouth in October, travelling to the Antarctic Peninsula via Cape Verde, Rio de Janeiro and South Georgia.

The British Antarctic Territory is the UK’s largest overseas territory and HMS Protector’s role is to provide a sovereign presence in the region.

The 5,000 tonne ice patrol ship is also conducting research on behalf of the UK Hydrographic Office and providing logistical support to the British Antarctic Survey organisation.

Captain Rhett Hatcher (centre) preparing to carve the turkey

Commanding Officer, Captain Rhett Hatcher (centre), prepares to carve the turkey [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

HMS Protector's ship's company playing football

HMS Protector’s ship’s company playing football on the ice against the setting sun in Antarctica [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

HMS Protector

HMS Protector in her transit to Vernadsky Base with Antarctica’s vast landscape as a backdrop [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

HMS Protector's ship's company

HMS Protector’s ship’s company at the end of their football friendly on the ice [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Vicki Benwell, Crown copyright]

from Blogger https://ift.tt/ZjV8S71
via IFTTT February 25, 2024 at 12:33PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

US Navy awards HII $1.2B contract to overhaul long-sidelined sub USS Boise Originally launched in 1991, Boise has sat in port since 2017 due to a series of delays that denied it a timely availability at a public shipyard.

 

USS Boise (SSN-764) moors at Marathi NATO Pier Complex in Souda Bay, Greece, during a scheduled visit Dec. 23, 2014. Boise, a Los Angeles-class submarine, homeported in Norfolk, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jeffrey M. Richardson/Released)

WASHINGTON — The Navy today awarded HII a $1.2 billion contract to begin the engineering overhaul on the Los Angeles-class submarine Boise (SSN-764), a boat that has been sidelined for years due to the service’s ongoing maintenance backlog, according to the Pentagon’s daily contract announcements.

The work will be done at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., and the award allows for maintenance to begin “immediately,” according to the company.

“The NNS team looks forward to leveraging our experience in nuclear-powered submarine maintenance to begin this important engineering overhaul (EOH) of USS Boise (SSN 764),” Todd Corillo, an HII spokesman, said in a statement to Breaking Defense. “The contract covers work that will include maintenance and restoration of the ship’s hull structure, tanks, propulsion systems, electric plant, auxiliary systems, armament and furnishings, as well as numerous ship alterations.”

Originally launched in 1991, Boise has sat in port since 2017 due to a series of delays that denied it a timely availability at a public shipyard. If the Navy’s expectation of work being completed by September 2029 holds, that means there is a potential 12 year gap between missions for the Boise, a nuclear-powered, fast-attack sub.

In May 2020, Corillo said, the sub was sent to Newport News Shipbuilding for associated work to “de-risk the overhaul,” or in other words, provide HII the opportunity to identify ahead of time any unexpected issues that might need to be resolved during the long anticipated engineering overhaul.

Boise’s excessive delays have been repeatedly cited by lawmakers such as Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., as the “poster child” for the Navy’s ship maintenance backlog.

Although submarine maintenance is traditionally handled by one of the service’s public shipyards, the Navy has taken to tapping private industry in an effort to alleviate its maintenance backlog.

As the Navy’s senior acquisition executive, Nickolas Guertin, who was nominated to his position in 2022 but only recently assumed his office following a political impasse over military nominations in the Senate, is largely responsible for the service’s sub maintenance and contracting.

During his confirmation hearing in March 2023, he said he would “aggressively pursue any method we can” to resolve the backlog.

from Blogger https://ift.tt/WsD3NfV
via IFTTT February 25, 2024 at 12:11PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

Juan Sebastián de Elcano Sails on Her 96th Training Cruise

Commissioned in 1927, the Spanish Navy’s 371-foot steel-hulled training barquentine Juan Sebastián de Elcano left Cadiz last month for a regular seven-month cadet cruise, her 96th.

The ship is under the command of Captain Luis Carreras-Presas do Campo and the crew of the four-mast brig-schooner is made up of 21 officers, 21 NCOs, 135 seamen/third-year cadets, and 2 civilians.

Elcano via Ministerio de Defensa España

She is expected to call at 10 overseas ports sailing across the North Atlantic and Eastern Pacific: Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Fortaleza (Brazil), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Manzanillo (Mexico), San Diego, Balboa, New Orleans, Boston, London, and Marin (NW Spain), returning to her home base on 21 July.

With a history that includes covering over 2 million miles under sail and ten full circumnavigations of the globe, if you have a chance to visit her you will not be let down.

I had a chance to visit Elcano last June when she called at Pensacola’s Commendencia Street Slip, her 9th visit there since 1959. Of interest, I noted she carried a pair of well-greased 37mm DP 6-pounders for use as saluting guns, and a rack of HK G36s and sabers on the quarterdeck protected by a Cabo armed with a Star Model 30M sidearm.

Gotta love those HK36s

A closer look at the stand. Note the officer sabers and, while there are no loaded mags in place, you can bet there is an ammo box somewhere close if needed.

The wheels and breech are well lubricated and these pieces no doubt get a lot of TLC after firing salutes. Can you imagine having to clean off powder and carbon from this bad boy? Well, I guess that’s what midshipmen are for. 

The Star Model 30M, with gold embossed grip panels, is a standard sidearm of the Spanish Navy, despite Star going belly up years ago. Also, note the Bianchi UM84 holster in parade white 

El Cano is beautiful, and if you get a chance to visit her this year– or any year– please do

 

from Blogger https://ift.tt/RJMoNKc
via IFTTT February 24, 2024 at 04:49PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

Photos – Askold (Russian: Аскольд) was a protected cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was named after the legendary Varangian Askold. Her thin, narrow hull and maximum speed of 23.8 knots (44.1 km/h) were considered impressive for the time.

IRN Askold_(1903) Russia
The Imperial Russian protected cruiser Askol’d on the trials in Kiel, Germany.
Askold in East Indies (1902)
Askold at Port Arthur (1904)
Russian Protected cruiser Askold’ during World War 1 in the Mediterranean Sea, Toulon.

Askold had five thin funnels which gave it a unique silhouette for any vessel in the Imperial Russian Navy. This led British sailors to nickname her Packet of Woodbines after the thin cigarettes popular at the time. However, the five funnels also had a symbolic importance, as it was popularly considered that the number of funnels was indicative of performance, and some navies were known to add extra fake funnels to impress dignitaries in less advanced countries.

https://ift.tt/oxT3EP6

from Blogger https://ift.tt/GmwrUsD
via IFTTT February 24, 2024 at 03:31PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

HMS Malaya was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s.


HMS Malaya 1919 – 1921

Malaya departing New York after repairs, 9 July 1941
>Shortly after commissioning in early 1916, she participated in the Battle of Jutland of the First World War as part of the Grand Fleet. In the Second World WarMalaya served mostly in escort duties in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. She was withdrawn from service at the end of 1944, and sold for scrap in 1948.

See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ 

from Blogger https://ift.tt/T7MR2FZ
via IFTTT February 24, 2024 at 03:17PM See all posts in full – click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/