Navy picking up more high-speed target boats

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One of last week’s more interesting DOD contracts:

Silver Ships Inc.,* Theodore, Alabama, is awarded a $7,814,630 firm-fixed-price modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-23-F-2201 for the acquisition of 49 additional High-Speed Maneuvering Surface Target (HSMST) craft and accessories, 12 service manuals, 6 spare engines, and 38 sets of deployment spares. Work will be performed in Theodore, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by March 2025. The fiscal 2023 appropriation account for other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,016,330 (51%); and the fiscal 2022 appropriation account for other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,798,300 (49%), will be obligated at time of award; none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

The HSMST is a remotely operated target drone based on Metal Shark’s 26-foot AM800 fire boat.

While the DOD release mentions just 49 hulls, a presser from Silverships details that there are options for 246 HSMSTs that would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $48.25 milly.

The 27-foot custom-built AM800 target boats feature a 9-foot 8-inch beam and include an air or foam collar depending on the boat variant. Each AM800 will be outfitted with a specialized compartment designed for installing remote control systems and electronics. These target boats are fully operational and built to the Navy’s specifications and payload requirements depending on the boat’s specific mission. Vessels can be operated by a one or two-person crew for training purposes but are remotely operated during live-fire training.

Most of the 246 HSMSTs ordered will be powered by twin Suzuki 225HP outboards. The remaining boats included in this contract will be powered by Mercury Diesel Spark Ignition outboards to fulfill Navy fueling requirements. HSMSTs are designed with several uncommon design elements specific to their unique mission, for example, an above-deck fuel tank allowing operators to replace tanks quickly and easily.

The company had previously been awarded a contract in 2013 for 350 HSMSTs to be delivered by 2017. A lot of them wind up getting zapped.

180502-N-EN275-1040. ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 2, 2018) A close-in weapons system (CIWS) 20mm radar-guided Gatling gun aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disables a remote-controlled high-speed maneuvering seaborne target (HSMST) during Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Smith/Released)

I’d also like to point out that the HSMST is very relevant in the age of Ukrainian drone attack boats.

For reference, via the recent swarm attack of six such boats against the Russian spy ship Priazovye.

Via Russian MOD. 

America’s Hat Gets its SIGs

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The Canadian Armed Forces have received its first batch of new 9mm pistols from New Hampshire-based SIG Sauer.

The CAF last October announced the planned acquisition of SIG Sauer P320 modular handguns in a $3.2 million deal for 7,000 pistols with an option for as many as 9,500. The SIGs are replacing World War II-vintage Maple Leaf-marked Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Powers that had been produced in Toronto during the conflict.

The Canadians adopted the Hi-Power in 1944.

The Canadian Browning-Inglis production was aided during WWII by FN’s exiled staff, with the BHP’s co-designer, Dieudonné Saive, helping with the technical package, making these unofficial clones. Ultimately, an agreement was reached to pay FN a royalty of 25 cents after the war for each gun produced.

The SIG pistols, type classified as the C22 in Canadian service, will equip the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, and Military Police.

As I have been covering in past years, the country has been trying to replace the aging classics since at least 2007 with the government and military officials running hot and cold on the process numerous times since then.

The C22 is a P320 modular, full-size, 9mm striker-fired pistol. The C22 contract pistol enhancements included an improved ergonomic design, 17-round capacity, and a loaded chamber indicator that is visible to the user at any angle. (Photo: SIG)

Turkish Tiger Inspectors

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Some 80 years ago today: Turkish military observers checking out a brand new PzKpfw VI Ausf. H Tiger tank of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion (s PzAbt 503) outside of Belgorod, Russia, 26 June 1943. This was just prior to Operation Citadel (Unternehmen Zitadelle) in the Kursk salient.

The tank’s armor likely had a Turkish twist.

Long a fan of Teutonic military gear, strategy, and tactics, besides being an outright German ally in the Great War, the Turks maintained a large group of General Staff observers with the Wehrmacht for much of WWII. In addition, the country’s intelligence service often actively produced background reports for the Germans in regard to the Soviet military, at least early in the war.

Plus, the bulk of the small arms used by Istanbul were German-pattern Mausers and Spandau-type MG08 machine guns, while every naval nerd remembers that the country’s flagship was the old battlecruiser SMS Goeben (as Yavuz Sultan Selim).

Also, fans of armored vehicle technology, the Turkish army had ordered Soviet-made T-26 light tanks, T-27 tankettes, and BA-3 armored cars in the 1930s, as well as Vickers Mk VI light tanks from the British and French Renault R-35s by 1940– the latter a product of a military alliance with Paris and London signed in October 1939. However, after the Fall of France in 1940, the Turks instituted a policy of strict neutrality. 

At the time of the above images, Turkey was the largest supplier of chromite to Germany– a raw material desperately needed for the production of steel armor plates– sending 45,000 tons direct to Krupp in 1942 alone.

As noted by NARA: 

In 1943 Turkey provided essentially 100 percent of German requirements. According to Albert Speer, Hitler’s Armaments Minister, the German war machine would have ground to a halt without chromite ore.

However, eager to join the forming United Nations, closely courted by the Allies, and well aware of Germany’s likely defeat, Turkey halted sales of chromite in early 1944, broke off relations with Berlin four months later, and made a somewhat perfunctory declaration of war in February 1945 with the Soviets across the Oder and the Western Allies in the Rhine.

No Turkish troops saw combat in WWII.

Getting back in the game after 3 years in the penalty box

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80 years ago today, several French Navy warships that had been interned at Alexandria from June 1940 to June 1943 were rearmed, saluted, and welcomed back to the war. Among these was the cruiser Suffren.

French heavy cruiser Suffren leaving Alexandria Harbor, Egypt, 23rd June 1943, after a three-year stay during which she was interned by the British. She sailed out to join the Free French forces- IWM Photo

French heavy cruiser Suffren, shown leaving Alexandria Harbor, Egypt, on 23rd June 1943, after a three-year stay during which she was interned by the British. She sailed out to join the Free French forces- IWM Photo

To students of naval history, the name “Suffren” is quick to jog memories.

An homage to Admiral Comte Pierre André de Suffren, an 18th-century hero who doggedly fought the Royal Navy from the East Indies to the West Indies and off the coast of North America during the Seven Years War and later the American Revolution, more than a half-dozen French ships have carried his name.

These included the 74-gun ship of the line that tangled with HMS Victory directly at Trafalgar, an event that led to Nelson’s death; the early and somewhat innovative central battery ironclad of the late 19th Century; a Great War-era République-class pre-dreadnought that covered the withdrawal from the Dardanelles in 1915 with her 12-inch guns only to be sunk by a German U-boat the next winter; the lead-ship of a four-vessel class of heavy cruisers that saw combat in WWII; and the lead ship of a class of guided-missile destroyers that served during the Cold War.

The WWII-era Suffren, a handsome 12,000-ton CA, survived WWII in Free French service and went on to serve off Indochina and elsewhere, only heading to the breakers in 1974.

In 2019, the eighth Suffren, a brand new Barracuda-class submarine (Q284), was launched. The name was, once again, set aside for the first ship of her class.

The 7th warship to carry the name for France, Suffren (D602), was decommissioned in 2008 after nearly a decade in reserve. The 8th was commissioned in late 2020.

The submarine’s skipper was presented with relics from past Suffrens, including the long-interned cruiser

Working for that ‘Jungle’ tab

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Now don’t roll your eyes but Insider Business actually came up with a really good documentary on the current U.S. Army’s Jungle Operations Training Course (JOTC) in Hawaii. It is current, filmed just a few weeks ago at the 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Academy, and follows 80 students across the grueling 12-day course with lots of access. Just 51 were able to get the “Jungle” tab at the end.

Don’t let the cringy title turn you off, it is a good doc.

That Carrier Life, Mike Rowe version

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I’ve always liked Mike Rowe’s work and was thrilled to meet him at an NSSF event at SHOT Show a few years ago. Really great storyteller. Probably our generation’s Mark Twain.

On his new “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” show, Mike was welcomed aboard the Norfolk-based supercarrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) while underway with an embarked airwing. The next 18 minutes are decent and give a good window into the current flattop life.

Enjoy.

She deserved better

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65 years ago today. The well-traveled Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, ex-USS Enterprise (CVS-6) awaiting disposal at the New York Naval Shipyard on 22 June 1958. She was sold for scrapping ten days later, on 2 July.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph. Catalog #: USN 1036995

The new Forrestal-class supercarrier USS Independence (CVA-62), almost twice as large by displacement, is fitting out on the opposite side of the pier. Ships visible in the left foreground include (from the front): the destroyer escorts USS DeLong (DE-684), USS Coates (DE-685), and the diesel fleet boat USS Hoe (SS-258). Ten other destroyers are also present, as is a Liberty-type ship. The Schaefer Brewery is visible in the center background.

The 7th U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, Enterprise was present and in the thick of it at Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Santa Cruz Islands, Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Leyte Gulf, winning 20 battlestars the hard way. From the period between USS Wasp‘s sinking on 15 September 1942 and USS Essex‘s entrance to the Pacific after rushed builder’s trials in May 1943, she and Saratoga, which earned 8 battlestars, were the only U.S. fleet carriers in the Pacific.

Decommissioned on 17 February 1947, the Big E was scrapped in 1958 though remnants of her have remained aboard both the 8th Enterprise (CVN-65) and the newest to carry the name, CVN-80.

Steel from CVN-65 will be recycled into the hull of the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) as will the portholes from her Captain’s cabin (which were carried on CV-6 during WWII!) and her bell.

One of six porthole frames and covers removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

One of six porthole frames and covers was removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

 

Builders plaque from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

Bomb and kamikaze fragments from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

Warship…err, how about Mud Cat?

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On the road this week covering an industry event in Oregon so not enough spare time on hand to do a proper Warship Wednesday.

In lieu, and in a salute to all this rain we seem to be getting, how about this amazing image taken 80 years ago today.

Official caption: “Track at Amchitka on the Heavy Side. A U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina long-range flying boat raises a veritable cloud of mud as it comes to rest on the muddy landing field at Amchitka, American advance base in the Aleutian Islands, June 23, 1943.”

U.S. Navy Photograph. Photographed through Mylar sleeve. Lot-803-1: Aleutian Islands Campaign, June 1942 – August 1943.

Located about 80 miles from Kiska Island in the Aleutians, Allied forces landed on Amchitka unopposed in January 1943 and quickly built a Marston Matting airfield there to support the recapture of Attu and Kiska. Once the Emperor was driven out of Alaska, Amchitka-based Navy patrol bombers of Fleet Air Wing Four and the 11th Air Force began regular attacks into the Japanese Kurile Islands from there well into early 1944, by which time the war moved further West and left Amchitka again as a backwater. 

With the founding of the USAF’s Strategic Air Command in 1947, the largely vacant base was redesignated the Amchitka Air Force Base and used the lengthened strip as a refueling stop for B-29 and B-47 Bombers being deployed from the United States to Japan. This mission was short-lived, and the base shuttered again in 1950 other than for use as a relay station in the 1960s and 1970s.

Going for a stroll…

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80 years ago today: 20 June 1943. Finnish army training grounds outside of Hyrynsalmi, in the country’s rural and heavily forested Kainuu region of North Karelia.

On the move is a domestically-made 109-pound Lahti L39 20mm “anti-tank” (really just “anti-material” by this period of WWII) rifle and what looks to be a French-made Hotchkiss (canon de 25 mm SA mle 1934) 25mm anti-tank gun, dubbed the PstK/37 “Marianne,” of which the Finnish army had received 40 during the Winter War. 

The “enemy” has detached itself from the hill and pst. the riflemen hastened to secure its possession. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20 (“”Vihollinen”” on irroittautunut kukkulalta ja pst. kiväärimiehet kiirehtivät varmistamaan sen omistuksen. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20) SA-Kuva 132062

“On the way to the combat training ground. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20. (Matkalla taisteluharjoituspaikalle. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20). SA-Kuva 132058

Note the rider and the shell carriers along with all the slung Mosins. SA-Kuva 132059

 

Note the tiny shell to the right.”The anti-tank gun fires. The fire was marked with pile stakes. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20″ (Panssaritorjuntatykki tulittaa. Tulta markkeerattiin kasapanoksilla. Hyrynsalmi 1943.06.20) SA-Kuva 132065

Besides the 40 Mariannes that the French sent to the Finns directly in 1939, the Germans gave (some accounts said sold) them another 200 that they had captured. They remained in inventory for quite a while despite their liliputian caliber.  

As detailed by Jaeger Platoon: 

Report concerning antitank guns used by the Finnish Army dated February 1942 notes from the 25 mm French guns that: “Their armor-penetration capability is such, that they have no meaning as actual antitank-weapons…”

The last 25-mm antitank guns were withdrawn from frontline use in the year 1943.

After the war, they were mothballed for possible further use until being declared obsolete in 1959. The remaining 225 guns were sold to Interarmco that year and exported in 1960. The guns sold to Interamco included 125 M/34 and 100 M/37.

Welcome Back, Iowa

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The future USS Iowa (SSN 797) was officially christened by Christie Vilsack, the ship’s sponsor and former first lady of Iowa, during a ceremony at the Electric Boat shipyard facility in Groton, Connecticut last Saturday. She is the 23rd Virginia-class submarine and the 6th advanced Block IV boat of the class.

230617-N-UR986-0140 GROTON, Conn. (June 17, 2023) – Christie Vilsack, sponsor of the pre-commissioning unit (PCU) USS Iowa (SSN 797), christens the ship during a ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard facility in Groton, Connecticut , June 17, 2023. Iowa and crew will operate under Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) FOUR 

230617-N-UR986-0042 GROTON, Conn. (June 17, 2023) – The crew of the pre-commissioning unit (PCU) USS Iowa (SSN 797), stand in ranks next to their ship during a christening ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard facility in Groton, Connecticut, June 17, 2023. 

The future USS Iowa (SSN 797) is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel and first submarine named in recognition of the state. Previous ships named after the state were battleships, as well as, a converted merchant ship that was never activated.

Her crest includes BB-61, “The Grey Ghost” that I saw recommission in 1984 as an excited 10-year-old at Pascagoula– and accidentally bumped into then Veep George Bush in a passageway.

The final battleship Iowa decommissioned on 26 October 1990 and her name was stricken from the NVR on 17 March 2006, leaving an almost 16-year gap on the Navy List without the Hawkeye State.

Ironically, the first USS Iowa (Battleship No. 4) was launched on 16 June 1897– 126 years and one day prior.

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