Daily Archives: December 31, 2012

US Submariner drowns while swimming off Guam

1 Reply

USS Buffalo surfacing from the depths of the Pacific Ocean

USS Buffalo surfaces from the depths of the Pacific Ocean

The swimmer who died off the Pagat coastline earlier this week was a Navy sailor from New York City who was set to leave the island in a few months.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Barrett would most likely have left Guam early next year if he had not drowned on Monday. Barrett was assigned to the nuclear submarine Buffalo, which will soon switch its homeport to Hawaii.

Barrett was originally from the Bronx borough of New York City, and he enlisted in the Navy in July 2009. He joined Buffalo’s crew in Guam in April 2011, according to a Navy news release.

“Petty Officer Barrett was a friend to everyone in the crew,” said Cmdr. Rick Seif, commanding officer of the submarine. “His strong work ethic and positive attitude were infectious. The thoughts and prayers of the entire crew are with his family and friends during this most difficult time. He will be dearly missed by all of us.”

Barrett died Monday afternoon off the coastline of the Pagat area, which is notorious for rough seas and dangerous rocks.

Barrett was among a group of about nine hikers, and his body was recovered from the water by the HSC-25 Navy helicopter squadron.

According to the Navy news release, preliminary medical tests suggest that Barrett’s cause of death was head trauma and drowning. The death is also under investigation by the Navy Criminal Investigative Service.

According to the release, Barrett was assigned to Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, Ill., and Basic Enlisted Submarine School at Groton, Conn., prior to reporting to Buffalo. He qualified in submarines, earning the coveted “dolphin” pin, in April 2012 and had recently been promoted to petty officer third class. He had also been awarded a letter of commendation for his outstanding performance during the ship’s most recent deployment.

Source – Navy Times

US$150 million for submarine yard in Surabaya (Indonesia)

Leave a reply

KRI Cakra 401: (Tribunnews/Surya/Izi Hartono)

State-run shipyard company PT PAL Indonesia is commencing construction of a 2.5-hectare submarine works and repair facility in the Ujung dock area in Surabaya, East Java, after the government promised to provide US$150
million for the purpose.

During an inspection of warships by the ministry at the PT PAL docks on Friday, Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. (ret.) Sjafrie Sjamsoedin said the submarine project should be completed in 21 months, or by September 2014.

The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) expects to have five submarines by 2016 and for the country to be able to produce and maintain its own submarines.

The company will make use of technology from South Korea and Germany at the facility.

The measure is part of the strategic plan for the domestic defense industry.

The government has earmarked Rp 7.9 trillion ($87 million) over the next five years, be it for PT PAL, state arms manufacturer PT Pindad or state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia, as well as other private domestic companies to meet the Indonesian Military arms demand, Sjafrie told journalists after the inspection. Rp 1.2 trillion from 2011 until 2012 was assigned for the purpose.

The Defense Ministry has orders in for three tugboats and three 60-meter fast attack missile ships (KCR) from PT PAL and a 105-meter destroy escort (PKR), produced jointly by PT PAL and Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the Netherlands.

Three submarines are on order from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea. Two will be built in South Korea and the third in Indonesia, upon completion of the aforementioned submarine works in Surabaya.

TNI-AL currently operates two submarines built at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, Germany — the KRI Cakra 401 and KRI Nanggala 402.

The tugboats will be delivered to the Defense Ministry starting in April next year, while the 60-meter PKR will be delivered in December next year.

PT PAL managing director Mohammad Firmansyah Arifin said work would not begin on the 105-meter destroyer, jointly produced with the Netherlands, until the end of 2014, or early 2015.

“In 2013, we will send our experts to the Netherlands to design and plan the construction of the destroyer escort. They will be there for up to 10 months, after which production will commence,” said Arifin.

PT PAL Indonesia will send over 200 operatives (20 designers and at least 180 production experts) to South Korea, on the submarine project. They will be involved in every stage of construction for the two submarines from the design to the production process.

While the two submarines are being built in South Korea, PT PAL will recruit over 250 new staff and build the submarine facility for the production of the third submarine in Indonesia.

It is expected that by 2024, Indonesia will be able to produce its own submarines to meet the anticipated demand for 12 naval vessels.

Source – The Jakarta Post

RSN’s second Archer-class submarine back in Singapore

Leave a reply

RSS Swordsman, which is berthed at Changi Naval Base, at the homecoming ceremony on Monday.

SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) second Archer-class submarine is back from Sweden.

On hand to welcome the RSS Swordsman at Changi Naval Base was Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng, and other senior naval officers.

The RSS Swordsman is one of two ex-Royal Swedish Navy Västergötland-class submarines that Singapore acquired in 2005. It has been comprehensively upgraded, refurbished and tropicalised to ensure its suitability for operations in local conditions.

The submarine’s crew has also undergone extensive training in Sweden since 2008 to acquire the skill sets needed to operate and maintain the submarine.

The RSS Swordsman was launched in Karlskrona, Sweden, on October 20, 2010. It will join the 171 Squadron, under the RSN’s Fleet Command, to enhance the RSN’s capability in securing the seaward defence of Singapore and protect vital sea lines of communication.

The RSS Archer was the RSN’s first Archer-class submarine.

Source – Channel News Asia

Silent sub: Russian noiseless Borei class nuclear submarine immersed

Leave a reply

Borei class nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomah at the “Sevmash” shipyard before its launch in Severodvinsk. (RIA Novosti/A. Petrov)

Borei class nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomah at the “Sevmash” shipyard before its launch in Severodvinsk.

Super-modern, powerful and almost noiseless Russian nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomakh has been put in water to become the third ship of the Borei project. The cruiser is about to begin sea trials and mooring to become fully operational in 2013.

Vladimir Monomakh was laid down at Russia’s largest shipbuilding complex Sevmash, located on the shores of the White Sea in the town of Severodvinsk in northern Russia on March 19, 2006 – the 100th anniversary of the Russian submarine fleet.

Borei-class submarine

Length: 170 m
Beam: 13.5 m
Draught: 10 m
Test depth: 450 m
Displacement:
14,720 tons surfaced
24,000 tons submerged
Speed: 29 knots (54 km/h)
Complement: 107 (55 officers)
Armament: 16-20 × Bulava SLBMs
6 × 533 mm torpedo tubes

It belongs to a class of missile strategic submarine cruisers with a new generation of nuclear reactor, which allows the submarine to dive to a depth of 480 meters. It can spend up to three months in autonomous navigation and, thanks to the latest achievements in the reduction of noise, it is almost silent compared to previous generations of submarines.

The submarine is armed with the new missile system, which has from 16 to 20 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles Bulava (SS-NX-30 by NATO classification). The rocket is able to overcome any prospective missile defense system.

On August 27, 2011, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on a successful test of Bulava to investigate its maximum range. The missile was launched from the White Sea, flew 9,300km in just 33 minutes, and then fell in the specified area in the Pacific Ocean.

All Borei class submarines are equipped with a floating rescue chamber designed to fit in the whole crew.

Nuclear submarine (NS) "Yuri Dolgoruky" undergoing sea trials. (RIA Novosti)
Nuclear submarine (NS) “Yuri Dolgoruky” undergoing sea trials. 

The Borei family

The first and head submarine of Borei class, Yury Dolgoruky, has already completed the test program and is to be officially adopted by the Russian Navy on Sunday. Construction of the missile carrier is approximately estimated at around US$770 million, while other Borei class submarines are believed to cost less.

“The hoisting of the flag and the signing of the acceptance act is to be adopted at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on Sunday, December 30,” the Rubin design bureau that designed the submarine said in a statement on Saturday.

Another missile cruiser of this project, the Aleksandr Nevsky, is undergoing tests, according to Borisov. While a fourth, more advanced submarine, the Knyaz Vladimir, with enhanced technical characteristics and increased ammunition is currently being built.

Over the next eight years Russia plans to have built 10 Borei class submarines altogether, according to the state armaments program of 2011-2020. All Borei class submarines are believed to provide a basis of naval strategic nuclear forces of Russia in the coming decades.

The nuclear submarine (NS) "Yuri Dolgoruky" in the area of the JSC "Sevmash". (RIA Novosti)
The nuclear submarine (NS) “Yuri Dolgoruky” in the area of the JSC “Sevmash”. (RIA Novosti)
Source – RT dot Com