From the Gettysburg Address, that is. Robert George calls them out at First Things.

The Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and the Constitution of the United States of America—those were the three texts in the blue pamphlet I found on the table in front of me as I took my seat at a conference at Princeton.
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I recalled that in sixth grade I was required to memorize the address, and as I held the American Constitution Society’s pamphlet in my hands, I wondered whether I could still recite it from memory. So I began, silently reciting: “Four score and seven years ago . . . ,” until I reached “the world will little note nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.” Then I drew a blank. So I opened the pamphlet and read the final paragraph:

It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.

Deeply moving—but, I thought, something isn’t right. Did you notice what had been omitted? What’s missing is Lincoln’s description of the United States as a nation under God. What Lincoln actually said at Gettysburg was: “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.” The American Constitution Society had omitted Lincoln’s reference to the United States as a nation under God from the address he gave at the dedication of the burial ground at Gettysburg.

It’s one thing to quibble over what the words in the text mean, but something else entirely to change the text or shop for copies which suit one’s views. Perhaps these distinguished legal scholars will next undertake a search for copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights with language that’s more reasonable.

Townhall poster Skanderbeg provided a reminder of another significant 9/11: September 11, 1814.

In the grand sweep of American history, the “War of 1812” seems to rank near the bottom of the list of events of possible importance. Just the name given to war seems to reflect this – naming nothing in particular to associate with that war, other than the year in which it began.

However, the “War of 1812” (which actually stretched on until the end of 1814) was anything but trivial. Circumstances concatenated to a fever pitch in the later part of 1814, as the fledgling United States of America frantically fought off a three-pronged British attack of continental scope.

And while today we mark more recent events, we should also note that perhaps the most crucial of those moments occurred on this date in 1814 – in the waters near (of all places) Plattsburgh, New York.

Skanderbeg goes on to provide an excellent overview of Commodore Thomas MacDonough’s ingenious plan to turn back a British invasion from Canada.

Navy ship plan called ‘pure fantasy’

In unusually sharp language, the chairman of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee — Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss. — faulted Navy officials for offering a 30-year plan that independent analysts warned would leave the Navy short of ships and cash.

“The current shipbuilding plan for the 313-ship fleet is pure fantasy,” Taylor said. “It is totally unaffordable with the resources the Department of Defense allocates to the Navy for ship construction.”

The panel’s ranking Republican — Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland — offered a similar message as he complained of a 25 percent reduction in the number of ships planned for construction from just a year ago.

“I could say ‘Ditto, ditto,’ to the chairman’s statement,” Bartlett said. “I agree completely.”

The bipartisan outburst underscored the growing frustration in Congress with a shipbuilding plan that many people say is unrealistic and almost certain to prove more costly than acknowledged.

Today’s fleet of 279 ships, the smallest since 1917, is projected to grow to 313 — the number that Navy leaders say is the minimum required force.

But the shipbuilding plan wouldn’t produce 313 until at least 2019 — more than a decade from now. And it assumes a dramatic increase in construction money that few people expect will materialize.

Military pay is now on par with civilian

A new Department of Defense study of military compensation finds no pay gap exists today between service members and civilian peers.

But the study, conducted over the last two years, advises defense leaders to adopt a new tool for comparing military and private sector compensation so that service members learn to appreciate the full value of their more favorable package of pay, benefits, allowances and tax breaks.

The military compensation study also calls for changes to key elements of cash compensation:

Housing allowances for people without dependents living off base should be raised in stateside areas as budgets permit, so that over time it covers the full cost of rent and utilities.

Defense pay officials began to close this gap for single members but there’s still a way to go before they no longer face out-of-pocket costs to rent housing of similar size and quality to civilian peers.

Navy suspends DANTES paper-based testing

The Navy has suspended academic testing at its education centers worldwide due to the loss of some of the tests on several installations and ships, Navy officials said.

The suspension affects testing in the Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Services program. All paper-based DANTES testing will have to wait or find an alternate testing location.

In an administrative message released to the fleet, the Navy said the suspension is in effect for all Navy commands authorized to administer paper exams. The list of affected tests is extensive, and includes the Scholastic Aptitude Test, General Education Development, College Level Examination Program exams and the Graduate Record Exam.

According to the Chief of Naval Personnel, the Navy administered 10,673 paper-based tests to 6,662 sailors in 2007.

Liberia: U.S. Navy Ship Arrives

Four United States Navy ships are expected to arrive in Liberia Monday at the start of a two week tour. The U.S. Navy ships – the HSV Swift, the USS Ft. McHenry, the USNS Bobo and the USNS Wheat, will be in Liberia’s waters from March 17th – 31st, under the rubric of Africa Partnership Station.

The Executive Mansion quoting a communication from the United States Embassy, says the ships will deliver more than US $3-million worth of medical supplies to the Ministry of Health, JFK Hospital, Redemption Hospital, and the Logan Town Clinic. More than 23 medical, dental, and veterinary professions will offer training and care at various sites near Monrovia during the two week period.

While in the country, the Navy Seabees and other sailors on board the ships will assist in the renovation of selected Liberian schools and clinics. Some Seabees and Marines will provide training to AFL soldiers over the next couple of months. As part of the Africa Partnership Station, a Navy Brass Quintet will be performing at the American Corners in Monrovia, Buchanan, and Kakata.

The visit by the US Navy ships under the Africa Partnership Station is the first in Liberia’s waters.

Cost of new presidential helicopters spiraling higher

In 2002, the White House set out to build a fleet of state-of-the-art Marine One helicopters that would be safer, faster and more reliable than the current iconic aircraft.

Six years later, the cost of the new helicopters has nearly doubled, production has fallen behind schedule and the bulk of the program has been put on hold while the government tries to figure out how to salvage it.

The Pentagon confirmed this month that the cost of the fleet of 28 new super-sophisticated helicopters had jumped from $6.1 billion when the contract was signed in 2005 to $11.2 billion today.

Why the cost has risen so much since the contract was signed with a team led by Lockheed Martin Corp. remains in dispute.

US clauses restrict India from using warship

It seems India has signed away the right to use its second-biggest warship in the event of war.

The Comptroller and Auditor General has slammed the UPA Government for accepting what it terms as “restrictive clauses” in the purchase of the American warship, USS Trenton — now renamed INS Jalashwa.

These clauses forbid the use of the warship for offensive purposes and even allow intrusive on-board inspections by the US.

The Left feels vindicated by the report, and says, “I told you so”.

RSP MP, Abani Roy says, “I don’t know why the Government purchased this warship. I don’t understand who they are trying to satisfy or who is asking them to purchase such things.

Pakistan Navy participates in NATO Naval exercises

Pakistan Navel Ships are for the first time participating in joint naval exercises with NATO Naval Forces in the Mediterranean on invitation of Turkey. Exercises “MAVI BALINA-2008” is being hosted by Turkey and is held in Mediterranean Sea from March 7-16. Pakistan Navy ships, PNS TARIQ and PNS MOAWIN have already joined NATO Naval Group at Turkish Naval base Aksaz, says a message received here Wednesday.

These ships will make a “port Call” at Antalya from March 16-18 and remain open to the public with the aim to enhance goodwill between the two brotherly nations.

Navy to ask PM to buy submarines, new aircraft

The Royal Thai Navy will push the government to buy submarines and new aircraft during a visit to the main naval base by Prime Minister and Defence Minister Samak Sundaravej. Navy commander Sathiraphan Keyanont yesterday said official itineraries would be submitted to the Defence Ministry for consideration as Mr Samak had limited time.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit the navy soon. However, the date of his visit has yet to be set.

Adm Sathiraphan said the navy would brief Mr Samak on its missions, including the submarine procurement project. His agency was in dire need of submarines as it had to operate in three areas _ under water, on the surface and in the sky, he said.

He said he would tell Mr Samak about the obstacles and problems faced by the navy since the prime minister, who concurrently holds the defence minister’s post, was his commander. Any decision to purchase submarines rests with Mr Samak.

”The navy must be ready to go into combat in three dimensions,” he stressed.

Wartime mystery solved as Australian ship finally found

The discovery of the wreckage of a warship that sank with all 645 men aboard in a fierce World War II battle promises clues to one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries, how the pride of its navy could have been lost to a lightly armed German cruiser.

The remains of battle cruiser HMAS Sydney were discovered off western Australia on Sunday, 66 years after it sank on Nov. 19, 1941, after a battle with the German vessel DKM Kormoran in the worst naval disaster in Australia’s history.

All 645 sailors aboard the Sydney were lost and its final resting place remained elusive until sonar technology advanced enough to scour waters more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) deep.

The Kormoran also sank, but 317 of its 397-member crew survived and rowed lifeboats to the Australian coast, where they were taken prisoner.

Australians have long been incredulous that the Sydney could have been lost to the German auxiliary cruiser. For years, various alternate theories have abounded, including that a Japanese submarine really sank the Sydney or that the Kormoran’s crew machine-gunned Australian survivors.

Suicide bombers kill five at Pakistan navy college

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a prestigious naval college in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring 19, officials said.

One bomber rammed a motorcycle into the gate of the Naval War College in the heart of Pakistan’s second biggest city, then the second drove another bike into the parking lot where he detonated explosives, they said.

The attack was the fourth in five days in Pakistan, posing a major challenge to the country’s incoming government, set to be a coalition led by the parties of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and former premier Nawaz Sharif.

President Pervez Musharraf condemned the bombings, vowing that the “government will not be cowed down by such acts” and expressing the “resolve to fight against extremism and terrorism,” the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

China’s defence spending to soar

CHINA says it will raise military spending by nearly 18% this year, triggering renewed tensions with the US and its close regional allies.

The military budget would rise 17.6% to 417.8 billion yuan ($A63.3 billion), a Government spokesman said, following a 17.8% rise in 2007.

Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, said military spending remained comparatively low as a percentage of the economy and was intended for peaceful development.

“China will not pose a threat to any country,” he said.

But Mr Jiang reiterated the Government’s preparedness to use force towards Taiwan, which it sees as part of China.

Official figures put the level of Chinese military spending at just 1.4% of GDP, down from about 6.4% between 1950 and 1980. The rapid spending growth compares with last year’s 11.4% growth in GDP and 31% growth in tax revenue.

The US Government regularly criticises the scale and transparency of Chinese military spending, which it estimates to be two or three times the official figures.

Navy holds Virginia Beach hearing on sonar’s marine life impact

The Navy is conducting a public hearing in Virginia Beach on the effects of its sonar training on marine mammals.

Tuesday’s hearing follows the discovery of 3 dolphins on the shores of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge over the weekend. To weak to be saved, they were euthanized.

A U.S. Fleet Forces Command spokesman said the Navy hasn’t conducted sonar tests within 200 nautical miles of the Virginia coast for more than a week.

Ship to be named after Navy’s first black deep-sea diver

A new cargo ship will bear the name of the Navy’s first black deep-sea diver.

Carl Brashear joined the Navy in 1948 when he was 17 years old. 1 of 6 children born to a sharecropper in Kentucky, he dreamed of becoming a Navy diver. No blacks were Navy divers at the time.

Brashear remained determined and made his way into the service, eventually retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer in 1979.

He died at age 75 in 2006.

Lest I get too far behind….

Navy probe of weld problems expands

All vessels constructed or serviced by Northrop Grumman Newport News since 2000 will be included as part of an ongoing probe of welding errors on submarines and aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.

The Navy will complete an initial assessment of critical welds on all interior, non-nuclear pipes in at least 17 vessels affected later this month. The investigation also will be expanded to include other surface ships that have been serviced by the yard in the past seven-plus years. Included in the investigation are at least seven aircraft carriers, six Virginia-class submarines, three Los Angeles-class subs and a Navy cruiser.

Depending on what the Navy and the shipyard find in a complete analysis of potential long-term problems associated with faulty welds due next spring, further actions could be required, including replacing some of the joints and conducting routine monitoring or testing of welds, said Katie Roberts, a Navy spokeswoman.

Navy marks ‘Great White’ launch

The U.S. Navy celebrated the centennial of the launching of the 16 battleships of the Great White Fleet in Norfolk, Va.

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt pushed for the creation of the fleet, which he intended as a show of U.S. maritime power, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reported Sunday.

Saturday was the 100th anniversary of the day the ships — and their more than 14,000 sailors — set off on a 43,000-mile odyssey to six continents to impress potential rivals and allies with American naval might. 

Russian naval air exercises in Atlantic disrupting civilian flights, pilots warn

Air operations carried out by a Russian naval task force sailing from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean represent a potential threat to the safety of civilian flights in the area, an international pilots’ group warned Friday.

The squadron consisting of the carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and two Udaloy-class destroyers represents the most ambitious Russian naval deployment since the 1991 Soviet collapse. During its three-month tour it is due to be joined in the Mediterranean by units of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

When it sailed across the North Sea last week, the Kuznetsov conducted air operations close to Norway’s Gullfaks offshore oil field “without communication with any air traffic or other agency,” said a statement issued by The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations to its members.

It warned civilian pilots that similar operations below 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) could occur anywhere along the fleet’s route “without prior notification.” They could also result in communications loss due to interference from military transmissions, the group said.

Navy grounds anti-submarine planes

The U.S. Navy has grounded 39 of its surveillance, anti-submarine planes due to concerns about possible structural failures in the wings.

Ten of the four-engine propeller planes are currently deployed overseas, and Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Davis said they will return to the U.S. for repairs and it has not yet been determined how or if they will be replaced.

“We are acting early, based upon engineering analysis and fleet inspections, to ground these aircraft before a problem arises,” said Davis.

The Navy has a total of 161 of the P-3C Orions, and their average age is 28. It will take 18-24 months to repair each of the planes, for a total of about three years to complete the process. Those that cannot be repaired will be pulled from service.

Japanese vessel tests antimissile system 

A Japanese naval vessel shot down a ballistic missile Monday over the Pacific Ocean, the first US ally to successfully carry out such a test. Japan plans to install the US-built interceptor system on four of its warships, in addition to land-based missile systems to defend itself from possible attack from neighboring North Korea.

Japan has stepped up military cooperation with the US since North Korea test-fired a long-range missile over Japan in 1998. Monday’s test is a reminder of tensions in Northeast Asia, including the flash point of Taiwan, over which China claims sovereignty and which it has targeted with hundreds of missiles. Analysts say Japan’s interceptor missiles could be used to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

In Monday’s test, an Aegis-equipped Japanese warship, the JS Kongo, tracked and intercepted a target missile fired from a US naval base in Hawaii, the Associated Press reported. The target was fired at 12:05 p.m. local time and shot down about 100 miles above the ocean at 12:11 p.m., according to the US Missile Defense Agency.

Taiwan president pushes for naval build-up

Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday pressed for a build-up of the island’s seaborne defences, warning of a possible Chinese blockade during a trip to a naval base.

Taiwan is moving slowly towards acquiring eight new submarines from the United States after gaining parliamentary approval for a two billion dollar (61.54 million US) “assessment fee” last week.

“Since Taiwan is surrounded by ocean, its external trade relies largely on shipping. Should China launch a naval blockade, Taiwan’s lifeline would suffer severe impact,” Chen said at Tsoying, southern Taiwan’s main naval base.

Brazil May Work With France on Nuclear Submarine

Brazil may team up with a French company to build a nuclear-powered submarine, part of plans to rearm the country’s military, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said.

France is the most likely candidate to help Brazil develop military ship-building techniques to create submarines that can be fitted with a Brazilian-designed naval nuclear reactor, Jobim told reporters at the Angra dos Reis nuclear power station outside of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is seeking new warships to protect its expanding offshore oil reserves, resources that have transformed Brazil from an oil importer into an oil exporter, Jobim said. State- controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA said in November its Tupi offshore field may hold as much as 8 billion barrels of oil, one of the largest finds in the last 20 years.

India-PGCC joint naval exercise to be conduced in near future

Indian Navy has proposed holding multilateral naval exercises with the Navies of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).

This was stated by the naval officials in a press conference during the visit of two Indian naval warships INS Brahmaputra and INS Tabar to the UAE. This visit is a part of a tour to foster maritime goodwill with the Persian Gulf states.

According to an All India Radio Report (AIR), Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Talmiz Ahmed said “These visits are part of the historic maritime linkages that we have with the Persian Gulf for centuries.” 40 Indian naval ships have visited the Persian Gulf region as part of goodwill mission in the last three years, while Fujairah has seen visited by 11 ships, he added.

Spanish Warships For Venezuela

December 22, 2007: While Venezuela is buying billions of dollars worth of weapons from Russia, it still has a two billion dollar contract with Spain to build eight warships. Four are 2,300 ton corvettes, and the other four are 1,500 ton coastal patrol boats. The deal was agreed to in 2005, but the contracts were not signed until last year.

These ships are basically for the Venezuelan coast guard, and the two ship types are similar to U.S. Coast Guard ships. However, it’s expected that the Venezuelan ships will be more heavily armed, with anti-ship missiles from West European or Russian sources. Same with anti-aircraft missiles. The ships are to be delivered within four years.

US navy to stage oil spill exercise at Bahrain port

US naval forces in the Gulf are on Tuesday to conduct a crisis response exercise involving a mock oil spill at a Bahraini port, the US Fifth Fleet said.

US forces began exercises in the Gulf on Thursday including response to “a tropical cyclone that devastates a notional regional nation, destroying its critical infrastructure … and displacing thousands of citizens,” the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.

It said the week-long drills will also include a response to a mock oil spill from a damaged tanker at sea, to be staged at Mina Salman Port in Manama on Tuesday.

The Fifth Fleet earlier said the exercises were aimed at enhancing capacity to respond to crises, and it linked the drills to potential disaster situations or oil spills without mentioning military conflict.

Norfolk Carrier Group Deploys

At least eight ships are leaving their East Coast homeports today as part of the deployment of the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman’s strike group.

The Navy says the nearly 7,500 sailors on board are likely headed to the Middle East to provide maritime security in international waters.

US Navy Frees Ship From Pirates

The U.S. Navy on Monday helped free the fifth ship in a week hijacked by Somalia pirates, attempting to bring security to crucial shipping routes between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

Pirates released the Taiwanese fishing vessel 5 1/2 months after seizing it. U.S. naval personnel have been telling the pirates by radio to abandon hijacked vessels, get back in their small skiffs and return to Somalia.

Largest Sealift in World History – Forgotten

The largest sealift in world history and the veterans who facilitated the sealift have largely been forgotten in history books and by the American people. That’s according to Dr. Ronald B. Frankum, Jr., history professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

“As we celebrate Veterans Day 2007 on November 11th, it would be a good time to reflect on one of the most remarkable events in our nation’s military history,” said Frankum, who has chronicled America’s involvement in Operation Passage to Freedom.

The July 1954 Geneva Agreements established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam and it provided a 300 day period for the Vietnamese to relocate freely to either country. As a result, U.S. Navy ships transported 310,000 Vietnamese by sea who fled the communist north in hopes of a better life in the south.

Top U.S. Navy Acquisition Official Resigns

Delores Etter, the U.S. Navy’s senior acquisition official, submitted her resignation Oct. 5 after a year of turmoil and embarrassment over cost growth in one of the service’s most prominent shipbuilding programs.
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Etter, a member of the electrical engineering faculty at the Naval Academy, was sworn into the RD&A position in November 2005. She followed a high-powered predecessor, John Young, who has been nominated as the Pentagon’s top acquisition executive.

Etter, as expected, was heavily interested in the research portion of her portfolio, but it was in the acquisition arena that she faced her severest challenges. In early January she revealed that the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program was experiencing severe cost overruns. The first LCS, under construction by Lockheed Martin, was far over its touted $220 million building price. The service has yet to issue a revised cost for the ship — which is nearly a year behind schedule — but Navy officials admit the price is approaching $400 million and may go higher. The competing General Dynamics LCS design also is expected to be over budget.

Commanding officer of nuclear sub relieved of duty

The Navy says it has relieved the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Hampton of his duty because of a loss of confidence in his leadership.

Commander Michael Portland was dismissed from his job yesterday after Navy investigators found the ship failed to do daily safety checks on its nuclear reactor for a month and falsified records to cover up the omission.

The sub’s homeport was Norfolk, Virginia, until it was relocated to San Diego earlier this year.

Portland is the fourth commanding officer of a submarine to be relieved of duty this year. The other three include Commander Matthew Weingart of the USS Newport News, after the sub collided with a Japanese oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.

The Power of Three – Work Starts On Carrier Variant Of F-35 Lightning II

BAE Systems has started manufacture of the F-35 Lightning II Carrier Variant (CV). The CV aircraft is the final F-35 variant to start production and means that all three variants of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft are now being produced concurrently by BAE Systems.

The initial manufacturing on the CV variant is of the first titanium and aluminium frames that will form part of the aft fuselage for the first CV aircraft, which is planned to take to the skies in 2009. The aft fuselage and empennage (vertical and horizontal tails) for each F-35 Lightning II variant are being designed, engineered and built by BAE Systems, using the latest in advanced digital design and manufacturing technology.

BAE Systems’ F-35 Lightning II Managing Director, Tom Fillingham said: “Developing three variants of the same aircraft, at the same time, is a first for the military aircraft industry. We are breaking new ground on the F-35 programme.

Navy launches new vessel

Wellington takes to the seas tomorrow – in the form of an 85 metre-long patrol vessel being launched by the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The Wellington is the third ship to be built as part of Project Protect, the government’s $500 million upgrade of the Defence Force.

Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias will launch the vessel in Williamstown, Melbourne on what Defence Minister Phil Goff called a “an important day for New Zealand”.

The Wellington will join sister ship Otago in patrolling the country’s Economic Exclusion Zone, with a focus on border patrol, counter-terrorism missions and enhancing New Zealand?s presence in the Pacific.

The ship has a core crew of 35, but is equipped to carry 30 extra troops as well as flight and customs personnel.

The offshore patrol vessels are designed for flexibility. At three-quarters the size of an ANZAC frigate, the Wellington and Otago boast a 6000-mile range, are helicopter capable and ice strengthened.

Kazakhstan To Build Up Navy To Protect Oil

Kazakhstan plans to build up its naval force on the Caspian Sea to guard its vast offshore oilfields and diversify arms imports, the Central Asian state’s defense minister said Oct. 24.

Kazakhstan inherited its military force from Russia and it relies on its former Soviet overlord for most of its defense contracts. Any deviation from this tradition would annoy Russia which sees Central Asia as its sphere of interest.

Defense Minister Danial Akhmetov told Reuters in an interview that Kazakhstan sought to significantly expand its small fleet on the Caspian Sea and promote military contacts with countries such as Turkey and Israel.

Planned Italo-Russian Sub Could Shrink to Suit Market

A submarine being developed by Italy and Russia displaces 1,000 metric tons but could take a size cut to better suit market demand, an Italian official said here Oct. 23.

Italian shipyard Fincantieri and Russia’s Rubin have been working on the S1000 submarine, equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP), since 2004.

Fincantieri has previously stated the submarine would be 40 to 50 meters long with a top speed of 14 knots, a crew of 16, submersion depth of 250 meters and the ability to stay submerged for 10 days using an AIP system powered by fuel cells.
But a Fincantieri official said that plans could now be overhauled to produce a smaller sub in response to soundings from potential customers.

Experts find shipwreck evidence in river

Captured by Confederate sailors in a bloody midnight sneak attack in 1864, the gunboat Water Witch became one of the few Civil War ships to sail under the flags of both the Confederate and Union navies. Archaeologists say they found strong evidence Thursday they’ve located the Water Witch’s wreckage buried under more than 10 feet of mud in the Vernon River south of Savannah.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Divers pushed a 20-foot metal rod through the river mud Thursday and tapped solid wood and metal underneath. It was the same location where an 1865 survey map showed Confederate sailors burned the ship to prevent Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s army from recapturing it.

U.S. Denies Japan Refueling Its Warships

U.S. officials have formally told Japan no U.S. warships used in the Iraq war have been refueled by Japanese defensive military vessels, a report says.

A Japanese peace organization had claimed last month that records of the U.S. oil ship Pecos and other documents suggested that in 2003 the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship Tokiwa gave illegal logistical support for the Iraq war by indirectly supplying oil to the U.S. carrier Kitty Hawk, the Kyodo news service reported Saturday.

Japan upbeat on refuelling expansion

Japanese ministers said they remained confident in securing parliamentary approval to extend a refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean after agreeing to abandon naval support for US-led troops in Afghanistan amid fierce opposition.

Since 2001, Japan’s navy has been providing fuel for coalition warships under an anti-terrorism law that has been extended three times, and the pro-US prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, has strongly pushed for another extension to the mission.

However, Fukuda was forced to make concessions under a new draft law submitted last week because of strong resistance from the opposition bloc – which controls one of
parliament’s two chambers.

The new draft law would strictly limit the mission to naval refuelling and supplying water to allies – but only to vessels involved in anti-terrorism activities at sea, and not
those involved in US-led missions in Afghanistan.

Rising Costs Plague Navy’s Shipbuilding Program

They are called Freedom and Independence.

The two competing ships, based in San Diego, are designed to dodge mines, hunt for submarines and conduct special operations at high speeds of up to 45 knots.

Whichever prototype proves superior — either Lockheed Martin’s Freedom or General Dynamics’ Independence — is supposed to serve as the model for a class of 55 agile ships said to be central to revitalizing the Navy’s fleet in the 21st century.

But first, Lockheed of Bethesda or General Dynamics of Falls Church must ensure the shipbuilding effort doesn’t disappear.

A litany of program delays and cost overruns led the Senate last week to pass a defense appropriations bill that cut more than $1 billion in spending on the program, a move that would effectively end the contractors’ plans to build any more ships.

Remains of 1779 naval disaster in Maine

Relics of one of the great naval disasters of U.S. history, the 1779 Penobscot Expedition, are emerging from the mud in Maine.

The expedition was an effort by the Massachusetts government — Maine was not yet an independent state — to retake Castine, Maine, from the British. But the biggest naval force assembled on the revolutionary side ended up being destroyed by its own crews to keep the vessels out of the hands of the enemy.

Some items surfaced two months ago that may have been from the lost ships, The Bangor Daily News reports.

Blackfive’s referred to some nice pics on LINCOLN’s recent live fire stream raid that are worth checking out because it’s an increasingly rare occurrence. When I was first commissioned, every ship with missiles had to complete several live fires to prove their capability in a fight.

When I was a combat systems officer on a frigate, we got to shoot four in the space of six months; one at a low-speed target, one at a supersonic Vandal, and two at a stream raid of German Kormorants. Today, most of this is done with training rounds and pre-programmed scenarios in the ship’s combat system. But there’s no substitue for pressing the button, hearing the whoosh and seeing the weapon intersect the target with your own eyes.

Oh, and never let it be said that the Sea Sparrow is too small to wreak great havoc on small- to medium-sized targets. I’ve seen that with my own eyes. As I recall, only one bird detonated….

A story in the naval news a couple of days ago reported on how NATO recently began training for operations against piracy with South Africa’s navy. It’s about time NATO and the world have started taking the threat of piracy, and terrorist-connected piracy in African waters, seriously. But, by now you’re asking, what’s the connection to Jefferson?

Flash back to the Barbary Wars. America and other nations have been bribing the Barbary States for years to limit economic losses to piracy. America looks to Britian for a model to control the threat, and discovers bribes are most effective when backed by firepower. So, America  builds, commissions and forward deploys ships, and later squadrons, to the Mediterranean in an attempt to limit the pirates’ threat to American shipping.

Fighting immediately ensues and the war drags on for years. America ultimatly reaches an acceptable peace through the aforementioned combination of inducements and punishment. In the years that follow, however, the general threat of North African piracy continues, and Jefferson acts. The man who is normally associated with a strict isolationism proposes a system where the major economic powers of Europe, namely Britain, France and Spain, join up with America and contribute warships to form a multi-national force to patrol the Mediterranean.

Jefferson argued in support of the idea for years following his presidency, but he never saw it happen. Once again, Thomas Jefferson was a visionary.

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