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.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 and is filed under Brazil, France, History, India, Japan, Maritime Strategy News, Middle East, Navy, Russia, Taiwan, Venezuela. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.