NavyRecognition is reporting that Poland has floated out an OPV. This ship like the Israeli OPVs discussed in my previous post is a MEKO A-100 design. The NavyRecognition post includes a photo of the vessel in its current state and an artist’s concept of the finished product.

This project has had a long gestation period. The ship was laid down in 2001. It began as a project to build seven corvettes referred to as the Gowron class, but funding was not forthcoming, and the project was cancelled, leaving the first ship of the class on the ways, largely complete structurally but without its expensive weapons systems. Ultimately they made a decision to complete the ship as an OPV without the planned anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and anti-submarine systems.

There is more information and photos here.

“Standard displacement mass of the vessel is to be as much as 1800 tonnes, total length – 95.2 m (312.3 ft), width – 13.5 m (44.3 ft), height to the level of the board – 9.35 m, displacement – 3.6 m. The ship is to be able to operate autonomously for a period of 30 days.

“Mixed propulsion system consists of 2 main engines (power output: 2 x 3240 kW) and a turbine, maximum power of which is to be as much as 25 000 Kw. All that is to allow the ship to reach speeds of up to 30 knots. Range of the vessel – 2000 NM at at 18 knots and  4500 NM at 14 knots. Ship’s power plant is equipped with 4 generators, 600 kW each. Additional equipment includes bow azimuth thruster, which improves manoeuvrability, and active stabilizers, which improve comfort for the crew.”

The ship’s weapons will be:
» 1x Oto Melara 76mm main gun
» 2x Oto Melara Marlin WS 30mm remote weapon stations
» 4x GROM Short range surface to air missile launchers
» 4x 12.7 mm machine guns

This is typical OPV weaponry with the exception of the GROM missile systems which are relatively simple MANPADS (man portable air defense systems).

I got this from Canadian friend and volunteer life saver Ken White. Apparently he got it from Ryan Erickson, click on it to enlarge.

There is a more serious seafarer’s Christmas poem by Robert Louis Stevenson here.

It has been my pleasure to have a long association with people who have chosen a life of service to humanity and their country. This time of year helps to bring it all into focus. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

A site in Taiwan reports a Russian report with some details and a Probability of kill (PK) claim for China’s newest Close in Weapon System (CIWS). With eleven 30mm barrels giving a 10,000 round per minute rate of fire and 1280 rounds on the mount, it would also be pretty wicked as an anti-surface weapon at close range.

Dec. 4, the US Naval Institute had a seminar, “Defense Forum Washington 2014, What Does the Nation Need from its Sea Services?” VAdm Charles D. Michel, Deputy Commandant for Operations, was the Coast Guard representative on the panel discussion labeled “Sea Service Briefing.” He did a credible job of representing the Coast Guard. He also made some headlines when he said that the LCS was an excellent asset for drug enforcement, and eloquently presented a case for maritime drug interdiction.

But I would like to particularly recommend a portion of the presentation by Ron O’Rourke, who is the Congressional Research Service. He devoted the last few minutes of his presentation to the Coast Guard, beginning about minute 24:30. He does a better job of explaining the crisis in Coast Guard budgeting than I have ever seen done by any Coast Guard representative.

Looking at some of the other speakers, I learned that they have taken the program to replace the Ballistic Missile Submarine Force out of the regular navy shipbuilding budget. I think this is significant, because the effect of the SSBN replacement on the Navy ship building budget, is very similar to the effect of the heavy icebreaker procurement on the Coast Guard budget. Perhaps this might be used as a precedence for a special, separate appropriation for the icebreaker.

I will not attempt to retell this story. The Coast Guard Historian’s Office has already done a good job of explaining the Coast Guard’s role.

Taney remains afloat in Baltimore, the last warship to survive the attack.

Photo credit: Jrfreeland , MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Air System (VUAS) flies with the BRITE Star II electro-optical/infrared payload using a Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL) at Webster Field, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

DefenseNews is reporting Fire Scout is currently deployed on four ships including the Bertholf.

“On Dec. 2, the California-based Coast Guard cutter Bertholf got underway off Southern California carrying two Fire Scouts, the first time Coasties have operated the drone aboard a national security cutter.

“Not all the embarks are aimed directly at operational needs. The Coast Guard concept demonstration, Dodge said, “will show what they can do with a large-sized aircraft.” Fire Scout, he said, “is probably on the large side of potential solutions for their cutters. I think they’re still trying to sort out what their need is.”

“The Bertholf demonstration is using two 8Bs — one an instrumented test aircraft, the other fitted with a search radar, one of five Bravo models being upgraded with a small Telephonics ZPY-4 radar fitted in the nose.

“A full Fire Scout operating system wasn’t installed on the Bertholf for the tests, scheduled to run about two weeks. “Instead of fully integrating the mission control station into the ship, we put it in a conex box,” Dodge said.”

The Post talks about other on-going activity, production plans, and losses amoung the Fire Scout fleet.

Late addition, video of the Firescout MQ-8B operating from Bertholf:

Photo: Sikuliaq on Acceptance Trials

The Marine Log is reporting the delivery of a new ice capable research vessel to the National Science Foundation.

The 261-foot double-hulled vessel will be stationed at Seward Marine Center, its homeport in Seward, Alaska, where it will be tasked with year-round operation. The Sikuliaq is the first vessel in the U.S. academic research fleet capable of breaking ice up to 2.5 feet thick, making it uniquely equipped for polar and sub-polar research.

The Marine Log post focuses on the ship’s engineering plant which includes four MTU 4000 series diesels (the same series used in the Webber class) in a fully integrated diesel electric plant providing both ship’s service power and propulsion.

Earlier we talked about this ship, and the possibility of adapting the design as an Artic Patrol Cutter. My 2011 post includes a bit more detail about the ship. You can read it here.