La Norvège débute le démantèlement du croiseur russe Murmansk

crédits : DROITS RESERVES

28/08/2009

En 1994, le croiseur russe Murmansk s'échouait près de Soervaer, dans le nord-ouest de la Norvège. Cette semaine, le démantèlement de l'épave, longue de 210 mètres pour une largeur de 21.6 mètres, a commencé. En vain, la Norvège a tenté de faire prendre en charge l'opération par une société émiratie, propriétaire de la coque. Au moment de l'accident, le navire n'appartenait en effet plus à la marine russe, l'échouement étant intervenu au cours de son remorquage vers un chantier de démolition indien. Mené finalement par les autorités norvégiennes, le démantèlement du Murmansk devrait coûter quelques 30 millions d'euros et s'étaler jusqu'au printemps 2011.
lancé aux chantiers de Severodvinsk en 1955 et mis en service l'année suivante, le Murmansk était l'un des 14 croiseurs du type Sverdlov. Dotés notamment de quatre tourelles triples de 152 mm, soit 12 canons de ce calibre, ces navires étaient directement inspirés des croiseurs légers de la seconde guerre mondiale. Capable d'atteindre 32 noeuds, le Murmansk, armé par un équipage de 1000 hommes, affichait un déplacement de 12.900 tonnes (17.200 tonnes à pleine charge). Outre son artillerie principale, il comptait 12 canons de 100 mm (en 6 tourelles doubles) et 16 affûts doubles de 37 mm.
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Royal Navy : La construction du porte-avions Queen Elizabeth débute

Vue du CVF, dans sa version avec tremplin et sans catapultes crédits : ROYAL NAVY

28/08/2009

Les premiers éléments du HMS Queen Elizabeth, tête de série du programme des deux futurs porte-avions britanniques, sont arrivés cette semaine au chantier Babcock de Rosyth. C'est là que l'ensemble des blocs, provenant de différents chantiers, sera assemblé. Le début de la construction du Queen Elizabeth intervient au moment où la Grande-Bretagne envisage l'abandon de la version à décollage court et appontage vertical du F-35 (F-35 B). Par souci d'économie, la Royal Navy pourrait finalement adopter la version catapultée du Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), également connue sous la désignation F-35 C. Cette disposition entrainerait la disparition du tremplin, situé à l'avant, ainsi que l'ajout de deux catapultes et de brins d'arrêt. La modification est rendue possible par le fait que le design du Carrier Vessel Future (CVF) a été étudié en commun avec la France, qui souhaitait une version pouvant mettre en oeuvre Rafale et Hawkeye. Toutes les dispositions ont donc été prises, lors des travaux d'ingénierie, pour que l'architecture du porte-avions permette la mise en place de catapultes et brins d'arrêt.
Si ce projet se confirme, la Grande Bretagne retrouverait le club des nations mettant en oeuvre des porte-avions à catapultes (Etats-Unis et France), club qu'elle avait quitté il y a une trentaine d'année au profit des porte-aéronefs, dotés d'avions à décollage court et vertical. Outre le fait que la Royal Navy disposerait, alors, d'appareils aux performances et capacités renforcées, le groupe aéronaval britannique deviendrait interopérable avec ceux de l'US Navy et de la Marine nationale.

Transforming E-Craft

• New Wars

The Navy’s Transforming E-Craft

2009 August 23

tags: high speed vessels

by Mike Burleson

The Office of Naval Research E-Craft, an experimental high-speed transformable hull form vessel, is under construction at Alaska Ship and Drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The MV Susitna catamaran ferry is an interesting concept similar to the Navy’s current fleet of catamaran vessels with one remarkable difference, it has the ability to transform from a deep water transport to a shallow draft vessel, specifically into 3 distinct modes of barge, catamaran and SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull) ship. From the Office of Naval Research:

The ship will have a center “barge” that can be hydraulically raised and lowered; it also will have the option to adjust the buoyancy of its catamaran hulls while under way. The vessel will demonstrate the functionality of a ship that can provide a multipurpose, expeditionary cargo and troop ship that performs efficiently at high speed, in ice, and in shallow waters, and that can even beach itself to load/discharge vehicles up to tank size.

The vessel will have three distinct modes of operation: a catamaran mode for high speeds; a small-water-area-twin-hull (SWATH) mode for stability in high sea states; and a shallow-draft landing-craft mode that provides substantial buoyancy for maneuvering in shallow water. In addition, the Susitna will be the world´s first ice-breaking twin-hulled vessel.

Also interesting is the partnership with commercial industry to see the project to fruition. The Navy is in league with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Alaska Ship & Drydock, with the funds coming from the ONR. When launched, the ferry will operate between Anchorage, Alaska and Port Mackenzie in its civil guise while the Navy takes notes.

Naturally the government is interested in MV Susitna’s military applications, and potentially these are considerable. The Navy sees it as key for its expeditionary/amphibious warfare sea basing plans, hence the official moniker of “E-craft”. This is also where its transforming abilities come to play, allowing it to morph into a shallow-water “Sealifter” quickly from its Blue Water transport mode. Global Security explains this concept:

The E-Craft is a variable-draft vessel that includes a center hull; a first side hull coupled to a first side of the center hull; a second side hull coupled to a second side of the center hull; and at least one cross support coupling the first and second side hulls, wherein the center hull is configured to be vertically translated with respect to the first and second side hulls. According to a specific embodiment, the vessel further includes lifting mechanism configured to vertically translate the center hull with respect to the first and second side hulls. The lifting mechanism may include a plurality of hydraulic actuators coupled between the center hull and the first and second side hulls…

The center hull may be raised above the water, thereby forcing the side hulls relatively deep into the water (i.e., relatively deep draft)…In deep-draft-transit mode, the height of the center hull may be adjusted such that a top deck of the center hull approximately matches, for example, the height of a pier or the like…When each of the side hulls and the center hull are in the water, the configuration of the vessel is referred to as the shallow-draft mode. As each of the three hulls is in the water, the hull form is similar to flat-bottomed-monohull vessels and has a relatively high buoyancy and relatively low draft.

In our view, we see the E-craft along with the other high speed catamarans such as the HSV-2 Swift built by Incat from a catamaran ferry design, as the future of amphibious warfare. As the techniques now stands in the US and other large navies, the idea of amphibious warfare is for very large and costly “motherships” to act as a go-between to the actual landing vessels to get the Marines and their cargo to shore. By doing away with this very costly, large and vulnerable “middleman”, shallow draft ferries would carry the troops from a port of embarkation to the landing zone directly and very quickly. Naturally such a strategy would entail the purchase of very many such craft to match the current lifting abilities of large Amphib ships, but historically in wartime conditions, many ships are more desirable and ensures than some will survive to perform their essential mission, by not placing all your precious expeditionary assets in a few giant hulls.

E-craft also has considerable arctic abilities, able to sail through 2 feet of ice. We wonder if this might also be of interest to our Canadian friends, currently searching for arctic patrol vessels?

Here is the MV Susitna’s specifications:

· Length -195 Feet, Beam – 60 feet

· Displacement: 940 tons full load

· Variable Draft – SWATH mode is 12± feet, shallow-draft landing-craft mode is 4± feet.

· Capacity: 100 Passengers and 20 vehicles.

· Speed: 20 knots

· Power Plant: 4 ea., MTU 12V 4000 diesel engines

The vessel is scheduled for delivery in April 2010. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough also has a website on the E-craf

Navio-Veleiro “Cisne Branco” vence regata internacional no Atlântico Norte Como parte integrante das atividades programadas pela “Sail Training Inte

Navio-Veleiro “Cisne Branco” vence regata internacional
no Atlântico Norte

Como parte integrante das atividades programadas pela “Sail Training International” (organização europeia sem fins lucrativos, criada com o objetivo de formar jovens pela arte de navegar), o Navio-Veleiro (NVe) “Cisne Branco” venceu, no dia 5 de agosto, a 5ª etapa das regatas que compuseram a “Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009”, maior evento náutico realizado esse ano, sendo a única de que participou. Este grande evento náutico começou em Vigo (Espanha), em maio, passando por Tenerife (Espanha), Bermuda, Estados Unidos, Canadá e Irlanda, com veleiros de várias nacionalidades, alguns integrando a frota durante todo o percurso e outros apenas parcialmente, como foi o caso do NVe “Cisne Branco”. A regata estava prevista para cruzar o Atlântico Norte, saindo de Halifax (Canadá), indo até Belfast (Irlanda), retornando a Europa. O tempo total estimado para a travessia era de 23 dias, sendo que o veleiro brasileiro completou o percurso em apenas 15 dias, sendo o “Fita Azul” (Line of Honours), prêmio destinado ao primeiro navio a cruzar a linha de chegada, independente da classe e do tempo corrigido (fator utilizado para equalizar o tempo entre veleiros de características distintas). Além do “Cisne Branco”, estavam inscritos na regata veleiros da Alemanha, Bélgica, França, Holanda, Portugal, Reino Unido, Rússia e Uruguai. O navio veleiro russo “Kruzenshtern” participou apenas da largada, em virtude de séria avaria sofrida no mastro do traquete (mastro mais avante dos quatro que possui), ocorrida dias antes da largada. A derrota inicialmente traçada passaria próximo à área onde houve o acidente com o Titanic, em 1912, porém os organizadores da regata propuseram que os navios montassem uma boia localizada mais ao sul para evitar a rota dos icebergs, tornando impossível a navegação direta para Belfast e acrescentando dose extra de desafio para os competidores. Foram 15 dias de navegação, onde o navio enfrentou calmarias e mares agitados, com ventos de até 48 nós, (89 km/h) e ondas de 7 metros de altura, totalizando cerca de 2.350 milhas náuticas (4.350 km) e variações de pressão atmosférica de 25 milibares, muito acentuada se comparada com a média encontrada no Atlântico Sul, alcançando o máximo de 16,3 nós de velocidade. Além de ser o “Fita Azul”, o NVe “Cisne Branco” recebeu os prêmios de primeiro lugar entre os navios de sua classe e o de segundo lugar geral (considerando-se todos os navios das demais classes participantes) entre os 12 competidores, elevando o nome do Brasil à posição mais alta do pódio das regatas internacionais de veleiros clássicos.

HISTORIA HMAS Sydney inquiry blames captain for worst naval disaster

HMAS Sydney inquiry blames captain for worst naval disaster

HMAS Sydney. Photo: Reuters

Brendan Nicholson

August 12, 2009 - 1:10PM

Nearly 70 years after the sinking of the pride of the Australian Navy, HMAS Sydney, by the German raider Kormoran, an inquiry has blamed the Australian warship's captain for its loss with all 645 crew.

HMAS Sydney vanished on November 19, 1941, 112 nautical miles off the Western Australian coast after a brutal battle with the raider, which was disguised as a Dutch merchant ship.

The inquiry was headed by former judge Terence Cole, who said Sydney's commander Captain Joseph Burnett inexplicably brought his ship to within 1000 metres of the Kormoran, which in naval gunnery terms was "point blank range".

The Germans caught the Australian crew completely by surprise and Mr Cole said it was likely that within minutes, 70 per cent of the Australian sailors and airmen were dead.

He said the remaining crew, many wounded or suffering from inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes inside the blazing warship, would have had little chance of survival when the Sydney sank very suddenly.

Mr Cole said he had not made any formal finding of negligence against Captain Burnett.

"The commanding officer of HMAS Sydney II was not expecting to encounter any merchant ship in the location where he encountered Kormoran," Mr Cole said.

"That knowledge together with his knowledge of the possible presence of a German raider, should have caused the sighted vessel to be treated as suspicious."

Mr Cole produced a hefty three-volume report on the Sydney's loss, one volume of which deals with conspiracy theories that have emerged over the years to explain how a raider was able to overwhelm a large warship and how there were no survivors from the Sydney.

He said he was satisfied that all of these theories - including that a foreign submarine may have been involved, or that the Germans murdered Australian survivors - were untrue.

"Each of the many frauds, theories and speculations reported to the inquiry were thoroughly investigated and none were found to have any substance whatsoever," Mr Cole said.

He also said Captain Burnett had been sent, just days before he encountered the Kormoran, detailed lists of all of the merchant ships around the Australian coast and he should have realised quickly that the Kormoran's claim to be a Dutch vessel was false.

Australian Defence Force chief Angus Houston welcomed the report, saying it answered many questions that had haunted the families of the brave sailors and airmen who never came home.

"For a long time, our nation has struggled to understand how our greatest maritime disaster occurred," Air Chief Marshal Houston said.

The inquiry was launched in March 2008 and investigators received hundreds of submissions and travelled to Europe to interview German survivors.

CURSO DE ESTRATÉGIA MARÍTIMA NA FEMAR