Author Archives: laststandonzombieisland

Atomwaffen!

Posted on by Leave a comment

How about this great 1960s Austrian Cold War classic civil defense documentary, “Es geht um die Zeit” (It’s about Time), complete with a Hitchcockian opening.

And you have to dig the “frogskin” or “duck hunter” camo, my all-time favorite. 

It is only about 10 minutes but it includes a ton of great shots of the recently rebuilt Austrian Bundesheer (reformed in 1955) in field operations, complete with M1 style helmets, the country’s Steyr-built FN FALs (StG 58s), Steyr MG42/59s in 7.62 NATO, an American-supplied M7 Priest 105mm self-propelled howitzer, M20 3.5-inch Super Bazooka, and M2 105mm tube artillery moved by an IHC M5 13-ton high-speed tractor.

Pig Safari

Posted on by Leave a comment

Some 40 years ago this month, September 1985: “A Marine aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61), armed with an M60 machine gun, participate in a self-defense force test during Exercise Ocean Safari ’85.”

Note the stern 16″/50 triple gun turret in the foggy Atlantic background and the battleship’s new Douglas fir deck which replaced her WWII-era teak. PH1 Jeff Hilton. 330-CFD-DN-ST-86-02496

Note the Woodland M81 pattern camo, and new PASGT kevlar frag vest (but not a K-pot, still rocking the WWII-era M1 steel helmet). The M60 appears to be a Vietnam standard “Pig” model. Around this time the Corps was replacing these heavy guns with the pared-down M60E3 which shaved a few pounds and, post-Desert Storm, would ultimately move (slowly) to the FN Mag 58 M240G variant in the 1990s.

As for Marine Dets on battleships and carriers, they went the way of the M60 in 1998.

For reference, the MarDet on Iowa in 1942 was 110 men, and by 1985 had shrunk to just 58.

Their jobs in the 1980s were primarily to man the ship’s eight M2 .50 cal mounts as well as the 27-member crew for Mount 55– their dedicated 5″/38 Mk 28 twin turret– spearhead the ship’s reaction force, as well as provide a guard for the skipper and admiral (if aboard) and protect any “special weapons” that may or may not have ever been carried by the battleships. 

Collector’s Dream: A Visit to the Colt Archives

Posted on by Leave a comment

While visiting Colt in Connecticut recently, we were within striking distance of the Colt Archives, so you know we had to stop in and check it out.

We visited Colt historian Beverly Haynes and her staff of dedicated archivists, who have decades of historical research experience within the Colt factory records. And the demand is fierce, with more than 7,000 research requests filed per year. That’s 150 to 200 letters a week. The average turnaround time is 120 days, and requests, unless expedited, are researched on a first-come, first-served basis.

Samuel Colt’s Firearms Manufacturing Company dates to 1855, and while some of the earliest records of production books, invoices, and shipments have been lost to history, the Archives has a tremendous amount of data on hand.

Colt archives
You can almost smell the history…
Colt archives
It can be a challenge to read older handwritten records, such as this one from 1862, during the height of the Civil War, listing guns headed to the Washington Arsenal and New York State Armory. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Colt archives
While many of the records have been digitized and are in controlled storage off-site, the Archives has some books on hand. 
Colt archives
Rows of them…

On a personal note, I have sent in requests in the past for research letters from the Archives and have been delighted with the results. However, keep in mind that the historians can only report what they find, which may be very detailed and interesting, or scant. The books only hold so much data.

As it was, I had a pending record with the Archives that I had sent in months prior that was nearing completion when we visited. It was on a circa-1967 Colt Agent.

Colt agent
While it had replacement Pachymar grips when I bought it that were not correct to the gun, it also had a very well-fitted Colt-marked hammer shroud that looked way too good to be aftermarket. 
Colt Agent Colt archives
It turns out that my guess was right, and the Archives were able to find that the Agent left the factory with a shroud installed. Super happy = me.

Check out the full 16-minute video we made at the Archives, here. 

We want to thank Beverly and her crew at the Colt Archives for opening their doors to us.

Warship Wednesday, September 24, 2025: Low Lying

Posted on by Leave a comment

Here at LSOZI, we take a break every Wednesday to explore the old steam/diesel navies of the 1833-1954 period, profiling a different ship each week. These ships have a life, a tale all their own, which sometimes takes them to the strangest places.- Christopher Eger

If you enjoy my always ad-free Warship Wednesday content, you can support it by buying me a cup of joe at https://buymeacoffee.com/lsozi As Henk says: “Warship Coffee – no sugar, just a pinch of salt!”

Warship Wednesday, September 24, 2025: Low Lying

Fotoafdrukken Koninklijke Marine, Objectnummer 2158_002096

Above, we see the Dutch Heiligerlee-class deckhouse monitor 2de klasse Zr.Ms. Krokodil between 1887 and 1900. Note her myriad of topside shielded 37mm 1-pounder Hotchkiss QF guns, including two covered 5-garreled Gatling style Krupp-Gruson Revolverkanone looking over her stern and two singles crowding her forward military mast, from where they had a great enfilade angle on approaching small craft. This augmented her single 11.4-inch L22 Krupp No.1 breechloading rifle in her turret.

One of a group of interesting ironclads built for the Netherlands to a British design, she had a quiet career.

Dutch monitors

Keen to learn from the naval developments coming out of the U.S. during the Civil War, the Koninklijke Marine, then as now one of the most professional sea services in the world, was quick to upgrade. From the mid-1860s to the late 1870s, the Dutch navy rushed to complete a fleet of armored monitors for coastal defense.

These included the two large domestically-built Rammonitor 1ste klasse vessels, the Rijkswerf-built Zr.Ms. Draak (2,234 t, 201 ft. oal, 8.4 knots, 2×11.4″/22 guns, ƒ1,311,715 cost) and the Fijenoord-built Matador (2,000 t, 209 ft. oal, 7.5 knots, 2×11.4″/22, ƒ1,039,529) that entered service in 1877.

Rammonitor Zr.Ms. Matador NIMH 2158_006466

These beasts were preceded by 11 Monitors 2de klasse, led by six bow ram-equipped Adder-class vessels (Zr.Ms. Hyena, Panter, Haai, Adder, Wesp, and Luipaard), delivered by Rijkswerf and Fijenoord between 1870 and 1876. Running 1,500 tons and some 192 feet long, they carried two 9-inch Armstrong/EOC RML guns and were protected with between 5.5 and 11 inches of iron plate armor. Speed was 7 or 8 knots, depending on the vessel, as none of the six appeared to have been 100 percent identical. These ships ran between ƒ755,955 (Adder) and ƒ920,343 (Luipaard).

This leaves us with the other five 2de klasse monitors, which kicked off the Dutch monitor race.

These vessels, the Laird Brothers-designed Heiligerlee class, included Zr.Ms.Cerberus, Bloedhond, Tijger, and our primary subject, Krokodil. All ordered in 1867 as the ink was still drying at Appomattox and the smoke was still in the air from Lissa, these five ships were built at two different British yards (Laird and Napier) as well as at Rijkswerf.

Heiligerlee model, via Rijksmuseum

While they were roughly the same design, they varied from hull to hull but generally ran 1,500 tons and 192 feet overall. Carrying two 9-inch Armstrong/EOC RML guns, they were protected with between 5.5 and 11 inches of iron plate armor. Speed was between 7 and 9 knots, depending on the vessel.

Zr. Ms. Luipaard

Zr. Ms. Luipaard

As you may have guessed, the Heiligerlee design would prove the basis for the follow-on Adders as described above.

Meet Krokodil

Laid down at Laird Brothers, Birkenhead, within days of her class-leading sister Heiligerlee, Krokodil was launched 13 Feb 1868 and entered service 21 July 1870. She cost ƒ765,115 compared to Heiligerlee’s ƒ788,348

Monitor  Zr.Ms. Krokodil in Birkenhead, England, in 1868, showing her original twin turret. NIMH Objectnummer 2158_002092

Krokodil was well-documented in the British press at the time, with a well-known line drawing appearing in the Illustrated News and a description in the Engineer.

A circa 1868 print of Krokodil. NIMH Objectnummer 2158_002093

Krokodil print, Illustrated News

Dutch Harbor Defense Ironclad Monitor Krokodil, Illustrated London News, September 5, 1868,

With a draft of just under 10 feet, these monitors were well-suited for inland service, defending the sea inlets along the extensive canals of their home country.

Krokodil, 1871, via Rijksmuseum

However, their low freeboard made them lethal to their crews in any sort of chop, as witnessed by the original USS Monitor, which went to the bottom early in her career.

Hauntingly, Adder capsized near Scheveningen with all 65 crew members on board in 1882.

With the rapid advancement in naval guns, the standard Dutch monitor big gun, the muzzle-loading Armstrong 9-incher, was soon made obsolete and, starting with the Luipaard in 1877, would instead carry 11.4″/22 Krupp No.1 breechloaders.

The Krupp gun, besides being about 15 percent cheaper than the British RML, was also more effective, capable of firing a 560-pound AP shell to 9,000 yards instead of the 249-pound “pointed bullet” (puntkogel), which had a 6,000-yard range. However, as a single Krupp gun weighed more than two Armstrongs, this meant the twin-gun turrets on the Heiligerlees and Adders were eventually converted to a single gun.

The brown-powder fired Krupp 28cm L22 C76 Nr. 1 kanon as used by Dutch ironclad monitors starting in 1877.

Krokodil only received her Krupp upgrade in 1884, making it easy to date images of her. As small torpedo boats had become a threat by that time, she also picked up a smaller 3-inch gun and four Hotchkiss 1-pounders as described in the first image of this post.

Zr.Ms. Heiligerlee class monitor 2de klasse 2158_005033

Heiligerlee class monitor with 28 cm A No. 1 gun after 1884, Amsterdam. Afbeeldingsbestand: PBKD00201000009 G

Monitor Hr.Ms. Krokodil in Harlingen on laundry day, circa 1887-1900. NIMH Objectnummer 2158_002094

By the late 1890s, after international naval lessons learned in the Sino-Japanese War in 1894 and the Spanish-American War in 1898, the age of the iron-sheathed monitor was clearly passed.

On 16 March 1900, Krokodil was decommissioned and, after a few years of service as a hulk, was sold for ƒ32.257 worth of scrap in 1906 to J.G. van der Linden of Woerden.

All of her sisters were similarly disposed of, with Heiligerlee surviving the latest, being scrapped in 1910. The larger and more advanced Draak was the last Dutch monitor in service, but even she left in 1914. The age of steel and electricity had come.

All that remains are their builders’ models and the wreck of Adder.

Model monitor Tijger, in full rigged arrangement. Heiligerlee class, via Rijksmuseum

Meminisse est ad Vivificandum – To Remember is to Keep Alive

***

If you like this column, please consider joining the International Naval Research Organization (INRO), Publishers of Warship International

They are possibly one of the best sources of naval study, images, and fellowship you can find. http://www.warship.org/membership.htm

The International Naval Research Organization is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the encouragement of the study of naval vessels and their histories, principally in the era of iron and steel warships (about 1860 to date). Its purpose is to provide information and a means of contact for those interested in warships.

With more than 50 years of scholarship, Warship International, the written tome of the INRO, has published hundreds of articles, most of which are unique in their sweep and subject.

PRINT still has its place. If you LOVE warships, you should belong.

I’m a member, so should you be!

Czech Lions in Arabia

Posted on by Leave a comment

Members of the Czechoslovak Independent Anti-Chemical Unit (čs. samostatné protichemické jednotce – CS SPCHJ) during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia or, later, in Kuwait.

The troops have Cold War Přilba vz. 53 steel helmets with amazing covers that were hand-painted by the troops themselves in an attempt to blend in with the environment. They look to be carrying the 7.62x39mm vz.58 V (Výsadkový—”airborne”) rifles.

On 23 September 1990, some 35 years ago today, the assembly of the Warsaw Pact country voted to dispatch a company-sized force of CBW/NBC specialists to take part in the coalition effort during Desert Shield.

The initial force of 163 volunteers, along with their vehicles, supplies, food, and equipment, was dispatched via 13 USAF C-5 Globemaster flights to Saudi Arabia beginning on 11 December 1990. They were later joined by a further 37 soldiers in February 1991, bringing it to an even 200. The outfit was organized into three CBW platoons and a security platoon.

Taking part in the ground campaign to liberate Kuwait, a detachment of the CS SPCHJ took possession of the shuttered Czech embassy in Kuwait City before the unit was withdrawn home on 22 April 1991.

The Warsaw Pact only dissolved in July 1991.

This operation was the sole overseas military expedition carried out by Czechoslovakia since WWII and before its breakup in 1993.

Eye(s) in the Sky, Las Vegas Metro Style

Posted on by 2 comments

The Las Vegas Metro Police Department, with the help of donations, is building 13 UAV hive “Skyports,” each housing numerous docked and ready to deploy Skydio X-10 quadcopters (38 on hand, supplemented by 12 spare X-10s).

With a 40-minute flight endurance, weather resistance, and rapid deployment capabilities, the Skydio X10 enhances situational awareness. It empowers first responders to make informed, timely decisions during critical operations, making it a vital asset in DFR deployments.

The department has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing for remote operation from a central command center.

Skyports are strategically located in areas of high crime or where they are needed most. These drones remain climate-controlled, fully charged, and mission-ready, and are equipped with built-in safety features such as parachutes in the event of an unplanned landing. Anyone who attempts to damage a police drone is subject to the same penalties as damaging a police vehicle.

Going past the Skyports, drone unit vehicles will be on call with 16 smaller Skydio X2s capable of flying out of the back of a marked SUV, presumably four units per shift. Each of these Mobile DFR (Drones as a First Responder) units consists of two officers, or an officer paired with an LVMPD drone pilot and a deployable drone.

“Similar to a traditional K9 unit that deploys trained dogs, the Mobile DFR program deploys drones to provide real-time overwatch and situational awareness from the sky, offering critical support to officers on the ground during high-priority incidents.”

You can bet that this will be policing in the future.

Add to that border security, base security, sovereignty protection, etc., et al.

Beretta M9 Still Riding the Seas with the Navy

Posted on by Leave a comment

A recent photo series released by the U.S. Navy showcased the iconic Beretta M9, still in service with the country’s maritime forces.

The crew of the Pearl Harbor-based Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) was recently seen putting the M9 service pistol through its paces on a makeshift range set up on the ship’s helicopter deck.

Plus, you gotta love the old school “blue blob” silhouette transitional targets originally developed by the Treasury Department back in the 1990s.

250606-N-VM650-1158 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (June 6, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250606-N-VM650-1041 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (June 6, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250529-N-VM650-1574 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) U.S. Sailors fire the M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250529-N-VM650-1535 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250529-N-VM650-1473 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250529-N-VM650-1357 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) A U.S. Sailor reloads an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250529-N-VM650-1125 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo

250529-N-VM650-1303 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (May 29, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250606-N-VM650-1118 U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (June 6, 2025) A U.S. Sailor fires an M9 pistol during a small arms gun shoot aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

“Watchstanders must prepare for anything, including the use of force when necessary,” said the ship’s social media feed on Wednesday. “Wayne E. Meyer ensures its Sailors are ready with regular small arms training to ensure we can protect the ship and its crew from anyone at any time!”

Adopted to replace the M1911A1 .45 Government Issue in 1985, the Beretta M9 became the standard sidearm across the then-Department of Defense, with some exceptions for specialty units. The initial five-year $56.4 million contract, to produce 315,930 units for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, ended up running more than three decades, greatly surpassing those numbers.

In 2017, the SIG P320 won the Army’s Modular Handgun System contract to replace the Beretta, and the last military contract M9 left Beretta’s Gallatin, Tennessee factory in September 2021.

While the Navy has acquired 60,000 SIG M18s to replace its current M9s, as shown by the photos from Meyer, the ol’ “Italian Stallion” continues to ride with some units.

And it’s not just on the Meyer, as photos taken recently on the cruiser USS Princeton and the amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima show.

250717-N-BT947-1457 SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 17, 2025) U.S. Navy Chief Fire Control Toby Hughes, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, fires an M9 pistol during a small arms weapons qualification aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), July 17, 2025. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is underway, conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob I. Allison)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 11, 2025) Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Kaleb Jenkins, from Huntsville, Alabama, fires a Beretta M9 pistol at a target during a small arms firing exercise on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Andrew Eggert)

This shouldn’t be surprising, as most ships traditionally maintain the same small arms locker inventory they were originally outfitted with when commissioned into service, unless they go through a long-term multi-month/year overhaul/SLEP process. As a warship can be in service for 20 or 30 years or more, that can leave its small arms locker a bit…dated.

For instance, in the first couple of years of World War II, it was common for Navy ships to still have supplies of cutlasses in their inventory for boarding teams, items that ironically became useful as ersatz machetes for Marines fighting across the jungles of the Western Pacific. During Vietnam, some vessels still had Tommy guns and Garands in their armory. As Meyer commissioned in 2009, still having Berettas on board tracks.

Further, the service tends to keep older small arms on hand much longer than is typical for Army and Marine units. After all, the M14 is still often seen in service afloat. 

Nonetheless, the cool and classy Beretta 92 remains a thing of beauty and a great shooter, so we don’t blame the Navy at all for keeping it around.

A dictated meeting with Oley

Posted on by Leave a comment

80 years ago today, VADM Jesse Barrett “Oley” Oldendorf (USNA 1909), left, “dictates the terms of surrender” to RADM Tomomatsu Nakazawa (often incorrectly cited as “Vice Admiral Hoka”) and RADM Yoichi Fujii (often incorrectly cited as “Rear Admiral Yofai”) on 22 September 1945 at Wakayama, Honshu, Japan. Oldendorf, commander of Battleship Squadron One, had arrived offshore in the old dreadnought USS Tennessee (BB-43), a Pearl Harbor vet, the morning prior.

The forces in the region had long before laid down their arms and were simply providing Oldendorf the most current charts of the area, lists of naval vessels and merchant shipping in the Osaka, Kobe, and Wakayama areas, and up-to-date information on navigational aids in Southern Honshu waters in preparation for an upcoming landing by the U.S. Sixth Army’s well-traveled 33rd “Prairie” and green 98th “Iroquois” Infantry Divisions in the area scheduled for the 25th. The two divisions would remain on occupation duties in Honshu until they were deactivated in early 1946.

It turned out that a lot of the fierce defenses overlooking Wakayama beach were faux, with numerous “Quaker Guns” photographed in the region.

Close-up of a dummy AA gun that the Japanese constructed around a fish oil and acid-producing factory off the beach at Wakayama, Honshu, Japan. Photo by: T/5 Eisman, 111-SC-213311

Close-up of a dummy AA gun that the Japanese constructed around a fish oil and acid-producing factory off the beach at Wakayama, Honshu, Japan. Photo by: T/5 Eisman, 111-SC-213310

American troops of Major General Innis P. Swift’s I Corps had arrived in the Wakayama area on 7 September, and the Navy had used the port as a rally and evac point under a Beachmaster Shore Patrol for Allied POWs in the area. Between 11 to 18 September, the hospital ships USS Consolation (AH 15) and Sanctuary (AH 17), augmented by the ‘phibs USS Cabildo (LSD 16) and Hopping (APD 51), operating under the control of RADM Ralph S. Riggs with his flag on the cruiser Montpelier (CL-57), rescued 2,568 POWs including 167 were litter cases and 281 injured ambulatory personnel.

The 2,568 Allied POWs were recovered from the beach by 18 LCMs and 18 LCVPs from USS Cabildo (LSD 16) due to the clogged/mined port facilities. Note the LSD-16 hull numbers on her craft. 

These men, many of whom had been imprisoned since 1941, came from POW and civilian internment camps at Obe, Zentsuji, Nii hamа (Hiroshima no. 2), Tamano (Hiroshima no. 3), Omine (Hiroshima no. 4), Motoyami (Hiroshima no. 6), and Ohama (Hiroshima no. 7). They included U.S. Sailors from Guam, U.S. Marines from Wake, U. S. Soldiers from Corregidor and Bataan, Australians captured in Java, Dutch officers from Sumatra, and British taken at Singapore and Hong Kong. Even an Armenian civilian was found.

No wonder “Oley” looked so stern.

 

Just when you thought cruisers were gone, they pop back up

Posted on by Leave a comment

Modern steel warships dubbed “cruisers” have been around since the 1870s and 1880s starting with the Tsarist Imperial Navy’s 5,000-ton 8-inch gunned General-Admiral (1874), the first armored cruiser, followed a few years later by the Royal Navy’s 5,600-ton 10-inch gunned HMS Shannon and what could be described as the first second class or light cruiser, the 3,700-ton 6.3-inch gunned HMS Mercury, in 1879.

Since then, hundreds of cruisers have come and gone, with the last few remaining being the nine still-active (but scheduled to retire by 2029) 9,800-ton Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruisers (122 VLS cells, 2×5″/62s) and the two equally old Russian 25,000-ton nuclear-powered Kirov-class battlecruisers, the latter the largest non-aviation surface warships in the world since USS Missouri retired for the last time in 1992. The Russians also have two 11,000-ton Slavas in service.

Norfolk, Va. (January 20, 2025) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), departs from Naval Station Norfolk to deploy to the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility (USSOUTHCOM AOR) to support maritime operations with partners in the region, conduct Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) port visits, and support Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) to deter illicit activity along Caribbean and Central American shipping routes. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Evan Thompson/Released)

Of note, the Russian Admiral Nakhimov (080), which commissioned as Kalinin back in the old Soviet Red Banner Fleet in 1988 the year before the Wall came down, was recently on sea trials and is slated to return to service after being laid up since 1997 (not a misprint) with two new reactors and now packs a massive 176 VLS tubes (80 for anti-surface and 96 for anti-air warfare) and the ability to fire Kalibr-NK and/or Oniks cruise missiles as well as the Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile. Whether or not she actually gets back in realistic service, with Moscow’s cash-strapped defense budget, is anybody’s guess, but it looks very possible.

I mean, she looks good after 27 years in ordinary/overhaul/mothballs.

Every NATO submarine skipper’s wet dream! (On August 18, 2025, the Admiral Nakhimov was assisted by tugs out to open water in the White Sea for the first set of sea trials)

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) 13,000-ton 112-VLS Type 055 Renhai-class guided-missile destroyers, which are rated as “cruisers” by NATO, are among the most formidable warships afloat. While eight have been commissioned since 2020, another eight are on the schedule.

PLAN’s Nanchang (DDG-101) Type 055, from a Japanese MOD intel picture/press release earlier this year. Look at all those VLS cells…

It then should come as no surprise that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has now re-rated its ludicrously designated 25,000-ton, soon to be F-35B carrying, Izumo-class “helicopter destroyers” (DDHs) to CVMs, or basically a “aircraft-carrying multi-role cruiser.” While CV or CVL is probably more appropriate, it is at least a call back to the 1970s concept of the 20,000-ton British Invincible class “through deck” cruisers, which were later re-rated as aircraft carriers.

SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 11, 2019) The Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), left, operates with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), June 11, 2019. The ships, along with the JMSDF destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Akebono (DD 108) conducted communication checks, tactical maneuvering drills and liaison officer exchanges, June 10-12, designed to address common maritime security priorities and enhance interoperability at sea. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of JMSDF/Released)

190611-N-AB123-0002 SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 11, 2019) The Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) operates with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), June 11, 2019. The ships, along with the JMSDF destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Akebono (DD 108) conducted communication checks, tactical maneuvering drills, and liaison officer exchanges, June 10-12, designed to address common maritime security priorities and enhance interoperability at sea. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of JMSDF/Released)

Further, the Japanese will be designating their planned 14,000-ton 128-VLS celled SPY-7 Aegis system equipped vessel (ASEV) super destroyer as a “CG.”

The Japanese Aegis system-equipped vessels (ASEV) super destroyer will be classed as a “CG” and will be geared towards ballistic missile defense

With that in mind, maybe it is time to just go ahead and call the three 15,000-ton Zumwalt DDGs as CGs, which is what they really are, especially after they get their planned LRHW tubes.

Zumwalt undocking, 6 December 2024, Pascagoula, HII photo

Heck, let’s even revisit the circa 1980s nuclear-powered strike cruiser (CGVN) and CGHN concepts, with tons of room and spare electrical capacity or growth.

They looked at 180~ VLSs, twin 5-inch (or even 8-inch Mk 71) guns as well as room for 4-10 MH60/AV-8 platforms in a 15,000-20,000 ton package.

The U.S. “strike cruiser” concept of the 1970s which never grew beyond the model phase.

An artist’s concept of a VLS-carrying battle cruiser (CGH-67) with the SWATH (small waterplane area twin hulls) configuration. May 1986. DN-SC-86-04714

In today’s terms, that could translate to a lot of drones as well. You could build one heck of a surface action group around one of these, and using one as the AAW Boss in a CVBG is ideal.

Making memories and earning blisters

Posted on by Leave a comment

Some 100 years ago, caught in time.

Landing party, USS Arizona (Battleship No. 39), resting during a required 5-mile forced march with full pack near Bremerton, Washington, in 1925. The junior officer in the center leading the drill is newly minted Ensign (future CNO) Arleigh Albert “31 Knot” Burke (USNA 1923).

Collection of Admiral A.A. Burke, USN(Ret), NHHC Catalog #: NH 100270

Landing party drill marches such as these were an annual requirement.

The battlewagon’s man crew was expected to provide a 201-man light infantry company reinforced with a machine gun detachment for service ashore if needed. Three such companies would form a battalion, such as in the Navy’s actions in Vera Cruz in 1914.

Navy Landing Party, 1914. Their uniforms are stained khaki with the use of coffee grounds. Courtesy of Carter Rila, 1986. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. NH 100832

  • A Naval Landing Party Battalion consisted of 28 officers and 636 men.
  • A company, 6 officers, 195 men.
  • A rifle platoon, 1 officer, 44 men.
  • A machine gun platoon, 1 officer, 55 men.
  • A rifle squad had one petty officer squad leader and 12 men divided into three fire teams.

According to her 1924 book of plans, seen below, Arizona’s small arms locker at the time included two .30 caliber machine guns (likely Lewis guns), 350 M1903 Springfield rifles with bayonets, 100 M1911 .45 ACP pistols, and 10 cutlasses, as well as an undefined quantity of older Krag rifles.

Most ships of the era also carried a few shotguns and rimfire pistols for recreational purposes. The battleship likewise stored full marching order sets of web gear, canteens, knapsacks, blanket rolls, and button-up canvas gaiters to gather the bellbottoms.

Atlantic Fleet sailors in formation, landing force drill, circa 1909. Collection of CQM John Harold. Catalog #: NH 101534

While few large naval landing parties were sent ashore after WWII, the Navy continued to issue a manual (OPNAV P 34-03) to cover such evolutions into 1960. Under its guidelines, even destroyers and destroyer escorts were expected to cough up a trained and properly equipped 13-man rifle squad for service ashore.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »