USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623) Decommissioned

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The crew of USCGC Steadfast holds a decommissioning ceremony for the cutter in Astoria, Oregon, Feb. 1, 2024. Steadfast was commissioned in 1968 and spent nearly 30 years in Astoria.

From the Coast Guard Pacific Area Facebook page.

Yesterday, the commissioning pennant was lowered for the final time, as U.S Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC 623) conducted her decommissioning ceremony in Astoria, Ore.

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The Steadfast proudly served the people of the United States for over five decades. Since commissioning in 1968, she has completed over 340 Search and Rescue cases, interdicted over 1.276 million pounds of marijuana and 209, 470 pounds of cocaine, and conducted 251 living marine resource boardings. Steadfast was the first, and one of only two cutters, awarded the gold marijuana leaf, symbolizing one million pounds of marijuana seized.

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We are now down to 12 WMEC210s of the original 16.

The Navy is Looking for Counter Drone Systems

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD). The sensors and remote weapon system used here looks like it might be a contender.

The Navy is looking for mature counter Unmanned Air Systems (c-UAS) that can be rapidly deployed. They have issued a Request For Information (FRI). Responses are due today, so we are talking near term if it happens.

Looks like it might be something the Coast Guard could use,

Marine Air Defense Remote Weapon Station. Use of this Remote Weapons Station would require an interface with cueing sensors.

Below is SECTION 3: [Requirements Overview]

PEO IWS 11.0 is looking for respondents to submit feasibility and capability information on innovative, mature solutions to counter Group 3-5 UAS from surface ships. System requirements include:

Mature systems that are in production and can be deployed in 1-6 months (preferred), or 6-12 months at the latest.
Demonstrated performance against Groups 3 to 5 UAS, with demonstrated capability against other classes of UAS’s being of interest.
Minimal integration requirements with Naval combat systems; with independent, self-contained capability highly desirable.

If the system is capable against Group 5 UAS (the largest UASs, over 1320 pounds (600 kg) and with no limit on their maximum speed) it’s likely the system will also have a capability against at least subsonic cruise missiles and manned aircraft and perhaps against winged smart bombs. After all, a Naval Strike missile fits the definition of a Group 4 UAS. Surface launched Harpoon or Tomahawk would be Group 5 UAS.

The War Zone has a fairly long post about this including discussion of alternatives. They seem to think these systems are destined for DDGs, but I think the need to equip other types, that do not have robust AAW capabilities, may be more urgent. If a C-UAS has an anti-surface capability, I could see such a system replacing Mk38 mounts. Alternately a 30mm Mk38 Mod4 mount that also mounts AAW missiles (like Stinger) might meet the requirement.

Martlet Light Multirole Missile launchers mounted on MSI 30mm gun mount that will be used in US Navy service as the 30mm Mk38 Mod4.

Mine Countermeasures Ships and MSC ships are currently essentially unarmed. They might be recipients.

“Minimal integration requirements with Naval combat systems; with independent, self-contained capability highly desirable” would certainly mean it should not be too difficult to add to a cutter.

“Ukraine Sinks Russian Navy Missile Corvette In Drone Boat Attack” –The War Zone

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The War Zone reports,

“A dramatic new view released by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) shows several of its uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) strike and sink the Russian Tarantul-III class missile corvette Ivanovets. The attack took place Wednesday night local time on the Black Sea near Lake Donuzlav in western Crimea, the GUR said on its Telegram channel.

“A 128-second video posted on Twitter shows what appears to be a complex attack on the Ivanovets by what Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, commander of GUR, told us were Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus (MAGURA V5) USVs operated by the GUR’s Group 13 drone unit.”

Tarantul-class corvette

The vessel in the video is a Tarantul class missile corvette. These vessels are powered by four engines totaling 32,000 HP making them very fast (42 knots). The hot gas turbine exhausts on either side of the transom glow brightly early in the video.

They have a pair of 30mm gatling guns on the aft superstructure with a clear field of fire aft.

This ship appears well equipped to defeat an unmanned surface vessel (USV) attack.

The Drive post analyses the attack, but I would point out that I don’t see as many splashes as I would have expected, if the 30mm guns were functioning. I don’t see muzzle flashes. What I did see appeared to be from heavy machine guns (12.7 or 14.5mm) rather than 30mm.

Many USVs were involved in this attack. The Ukrainians claimed six USVs hit the little corvette. Still other USVs filmed the ultimate explosion and sinking.

Perhaps the 30mm guns had run out of ammunition engaging other USVs by the time the drone in the first video recorded attack gets as close as seen in the video.

The report included this statement,

““The Ivanovets MRK sank while repelling a night attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Sevastopol,” the Russian VoenkorKotenok Telegram channel wrote.”

The Russians have historically stationed a “guard ship” off their ports to prevent surprise attack. Ivanovets may have been stationed off Sevastopol specifically as a counter to a drone attack.

“A Houthi missile got so close to a US destroyer the warship had to turn to a last resort gun system to shoot it down: report” –Business insider

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Chuck Hill

A Phalanx Close-In Weapons system on the US destroyer Gravely downed an incoming Houthi cruise missile on Tuesday. This image shows the CIWS during a live-fire practice by a guided-missile cruiser in November 2023. MC2 Malachi Lakey/US Navy

Business Insider reports,

“A Houthi anti-ship cruise missile fired into the Red Sea came within a mile of a US Navy destroyer (USS Gravely. DDG-107) on Tuesday, close enough that the American warship had to turn to its Close-In Weapon System (Phalanx)— a last line of defense.”

Nice to know it worked but bet the pucker factor was high. Gravely is not one of those Burke class destroyers that traded one of its Phalanx for SeaRAM.

“Indian Navy Repels 3 Somali Pirate Hijackings” –USNI

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Chuck Hill

INS Sumitra during her trials, 27 August 2014, Indian Navy photo.

The US Naval Institute News Service reports.

The Indian Navy thwarted three hijackings by Somalian pirates in a two-day period from Sunday to Monday, with one warship rescuing separately two hijacked ships off the east coast of Somalia, while a second ship participated in a multinational operation with Sri Lanka and the Seychelles to rescue a hijacked ship, according to releases by the service.

So, what was this hero warship? — An Indian Navy counterpart of a USCG medium endurance cutter, like a WMEC 270 but a little larger, faster. and a lot newer.

INS Sumitra (P-60) is one of six Saryu class offshore patrol vessel, four for the Indian Navy and two for the Sri Lanka Navy.

(It is not the Indian Navy OPV pictured in the X report included in the USNI report. That is INS Sharda (P-55) commissioned in 1991, which participated in the third rescue. Also much like a WMEC270, only slightly larger, faster, and newer.)

Ships of the Saryu class displace 2,230 tons full load, are 344′ (105 m) in length, with a beam of 42′ (12.9 m), a draft of 16′ (4.9 m). They have two engines producing 21,428 HP (15,979 kW) (1,908 HP more than the OPC) for a speed of 25 knots. They have an endurance of 6,000 nmi at 16 knots, with a crew of 118. They are armed with a 76mm gun and two 30mm guns.

We seem to be seeing a reemergence of Somali pirates. When Somali piracy was at its height, the US Navy was using Burke class destroyers, about four times larger, to do the same sort of thing INS Sumitra did. Even the National Security Cutters and OPCs are twice as large.

I suspect that the new Fleet Mix Study, which has not been made public (why?) would show that the Coast Guard needs more patrol cutters with aviation facilities and more endurance than the FRCs. Currently, we have 38 large patrol cutters, 1000 tons and larger. The program of record will leave the Coast Guard with 36, all 4,500 tons or larger.

This is, I believe, the smallest number of large patrol cutters the Coast Guard has had since at least 1948. Yes, we might build more than 25 OPCs, but we might do well to trade off some of the out year OPC construction for more numerous smaller vessels about the size of INS Sumitra. It would be especially useful if we could start getting them ASAP, at least before 2038 when the last OPC is due. We might be able to build one OPC and two MECs annually for about the same cost as two OPCs. Of course, total operating costs would probably be higher.

Naval Deployments, 29 January, 2024

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The chart above and the comments below are from Schizointel on X (Twitter). Note proliferation of Iranian drone carriers, and as noted earlier, the strength of the Indian Navy deployment.

29JAN2024 Updated map of warships operating in Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea.

Updates:

IKE CSG and HMS Diamond (D-34)

IRIS Alborz (72) and MV Behshad spotted on imagery ~70km E of Djibouti.

FS Languedoc (D-653) relieved by FS Alsace (D-656)

PLAN 45th Naval Escort Taskforce continues to conduct naval escorts. China is now considering joining Operation Prosperity Guardian with the 45th Naval Escort Task Force this comes following recent indications from Chinese defense officials in Djibouti that they are Increasingly nervous about “spillover” from this Houthi Attacks.

New Zealand has Joined Operation Prosperity Guardian and will deploy 6 Defense Officials/Staff Officers.

INS Visakhapatnam (D-66) FS Alsace (D-656) USS Carney (DDG-64) Responded to a distress call of M/V Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, after being struck by ASBM and critical damage control, firefighting material and assistance to the civilian crew, who had depleted their organic firefighting capability. Thanks to this rapid response by the U.S., Indian and French navies, the fire is now extinguished. There were no casualties in the attack, the ship remains seaworthy, and has returned to its previous course.

INS Kochi (D-64) has returned to port.

IRIN 97th Flotilla is preparing for deployment to the Gulf of Aden to relieve the IRIN 94th Flotilla which composed of the Alborz (72) which has been deployed for 80 days. (Unknown which ships are part of 97th Flotilla at this time.

Unnamed IRIN Flotilla Composed of IRIS Bushehr (422) IRIS Tonb (513) another Iranian Drone Carrier Deployed 8 days ago have not been able to locate accurate position yet since it left Bandar Abbas 20JAN2024. Iranian Media listed this deployment as “new combat and training flotilla” and “deployed on a heavy and multidimensional mission and would be trained in the mission to prepare them to take on delicate tasks in the future, detailing that Iranian forces maintained a presence on the high seas and oceans despite the plans of their enemies.”

IRGCN Shahid Mahdavi (110-3) one of Irans Drone carriers is underway in the Gulf of Oman.

Former IRIN 86th Flotilla composed of IRIS Dena (75) IRIS Makran (441) IRIN forward base ship Currently in Bandar Abbas

Does not include all ships under Combined Maritime Force such as CTF 150, CTF 151, CTF 152, CTF 153,

Thanks to Tom Wade for bringing this to my attention.

“Colombia Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 41st Member” –CMF / Another Small Step Toward International Law

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Chuck Hill

MANAMA, Bahrain – Graphic illustration of the flag of Colombia and the Combined Maritime Forces logo. CMF welcomed Colombia, Jan. 21th, as the 41th member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership. 240127-N-NO146-1001.JPG, Photo By: NAVCENT Public Affairs

Below is a news release from Combined Maritime Forces / US 5th Fleet.

I would not normally make a separate post about this, but recently I saw someone remark that International Law has no enforcement mechanism.

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is an international law enforcement mechanism.

It is, after all, not a military alliance, it is a law enforcement alliance, and while its police powers are limited, they are nevertheless real. Its power extends beyond national territorial seas and is derived from the concurrence of its members that certain behaviors are unacceptable.

It is not yet effective against nation states, but it does operate against the gray zone agents of nation states.

This is a remarkable development and overtime, hopefully, it will be extended to other geographic areas and broadened in scope.

Colombia Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 41st Member

By Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs | January 27, 2024

MANAMA, Bahrain —Combined Maritime Forces welcomed Colombia as the 41st member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership, Jan 21.

“It is a privilege to have Colombia as an official part of CMF,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CMF commander. “We welcome the Colombians in the largest international naval coalition, dedicated to maritime security and stability in the Middle East, and protecting some of the world’s most important waterways. I look forward to sharing our experiences and being ‘Ready Together’ with our new partners.”

CMF is comprised of a headquarters staff and five combined task forces focusing on defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment. The naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by supporting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

“Data Link Solutions to Provide BAE Systems’ FireNet Tactical Systems for US Navy” –BAE News Release

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Below is a BAE press release.

I have long felt Coast Guard ships and aircraft could benefit from use of NATO standard data links. They ease coordination and can become essential in complex military operations, but they also provide secure exchange of text, imagery, and voice communications and can prevent “friendly fire” situations like the attack on USCGC Point Welcome.

Availability of Link 16 at Coast Guard district headquarters (if they do not already have it) would also make coordination with DOD assets easier should the District Commander need to ask for their assistance.

The FireNet systems seems to have made installation easier than ever.

The U.S. Navy has awarded Data Link Solutions, a joint venture between BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins, Inc., a contract to provide small form factor (SFF) Link 16 radios, which will be fulfilled using BAE Systems’ FireNet™ Link 16 tactical systems. FireNet is a scalable, secure, and open system architecture communications solution with a unified tactical network to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) operations.

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Warfighters today operate in network-centric, information-intensive environments that demand wide data bandwidth, network diversity, and constant connectivity. Large volumes of accurate, reliable information need to be exchanged in real-time to maintain situational awareness. The FireNet system delivers that edge with additional narrow, wide-band, and tactical data link capabilities.

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“We have developed a first-of-its kind small form factor system that enables full Link 16 connectivity. FireNet is scalable and modular to give our service men and women a battlefield advantage in network-centric environments across domains,” said Amber Dolan, director of Adaptive Communications and Sensing at BAE Systems. “Using the government’s program of record waveform, we can reduce lifecycle costs, quickly deliver updated capabilities, and enhance mission survivability across manned and unmanned fleets.”

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The FireNet system is Crypto Modernization 1 compliant and offers the highest transmit power available in a SFF radio for current and future fleets. The system addresses size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) demands and its applications can extend across rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned vehicles, maritime vessels, and space platforms. It enables additional line-of-sight voice, data, and network communications from very high frequency to S-Band.

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With more than two decades of expertise in the radio market, BAE Systems’ narrowband and broadband communication technologies span airborne, maritime, and ground applications across the radio frequency and visible spectrum. These battle-proven, highly-reliable systems also feature multi-band, secure anti-jam voice, data imagery transmission, and network-capable communications. The company’s family of products merges the latest generation wideband, high speed hardware, and software technologies to provide warfighters with the communication solutions they need in the modern battlefield.

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Work on the FireNet system will take place at BAE Systems’ Wayne, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Hudson, New Hampshire sites. Qualification and certification will begin in 2024.

The link below is a pdf data sheet on FireNet options including dimensions and size.

FIRENET+sales+sheet_2023

“Coast Guard holds groundbreaking ceremony for new Base Charleston campus” –CG News

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Chuck Hill

Base Charleston, The Base is moving from this location.

Below is a news release from CG News (photos of the ceremony at the link). While it seems the Coast Guard is contracting in some areas, it is important to remember that the Coast Guard is also being improved in others. Yes, we are decommissioning or laying up ten cutters, three 210s and seven 87 footers, but we also have 54 FRCs, compared with the 41 WPB 110s that we had when the FRC program started, and we will soon have eleven more.

The Coast Guard is also replacing and weather proofing much of its aging shoreside infrastructure.

Really, the news is not all bad.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Coast Guard Base Charleston held a groundbreaking ceremony, Friday, for a new 64-acre campus in North Charleston.

Adm. Linda Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard, presided over the ceremony.

The 64-acre campus along the Cooper River will support the five Charleston-based national security cutters, their crews and the support personnel with completion expected in late 2026.

Marking a new trajectory for the Coast Guard in Charleston, Base Charleston is slated to become the service’s largest homeport and a base for global operations, training and support.

Since its commissioning in 2015, Base Charleston has delivered customer-focused premiere support to all Coast Guard members, assets, and mission partners from Northern Florida to South Carolina. Moreover, the base generates Coast Guard global operational readiness.

Growth estimates show that the Coast Guard workforce may double in the Charleston area by 2030 and continued prioritization and investment in the future of Base Charleston is needed to make this vision a reality.

As one of the original 10 homeports for the Revenue Cutter Service, the greater Charleston area has proudly supported members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor agencies for more than 230 years.

The Coast Guard footprint in Charleston includes eight major commands; Coast Guard Base Charleston, Coast Guard Sector Charleston, and the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, as well as numerous tenant commands and personnel in supporting roles throughout the region.

The Coast Guard is a seagoing service; Charleston is the homeport of four Legend-class cutters, the Hamilton (WMSL 753), James (WMSL 754), Stone (WMSL 758) and Calhoun (WMSL 759). The Coast Guard Cutter Friedman (WMSL 760), the eleventh Legend-class cutter, is currently under construction and will be homeported in Charleston. Additionally, the cutters Willow (WLB 202), Anvil (WLIC 75301) and Kingfisher (WPB 87322) are homeported here.