Navy: 231

Navy's 231 and SecNav says:

Since 1775, when the Continental Congress of the United States recognized the need for naval forces, the United States Navy has been vital in protecting our national security. The heroism and courage of the Sailors that have fought our nation's wars since the earliest days of the republic is alive today in each and every one of you; as we once again confront an enemy that openly targets our freedom and our way of life. Your willingness to serve, your steadfastness in the face of pressure, and your inspiring example of courage in confronting danger are what protect us from those who plot our destruction.

Once again, time to visit some ship history, this time
USS Hornet. The first Hornet was commissioned in 1775 as one of the first two ships of the US Navy (the other was the Wasp).

In 1805, the second Hornet took Marines to Tripoli and helped resolve the war with Barbary pirates.

The third Hornet fought in the War of 1812 and captured HMS Peacock in 1813

The fourth Hornet was a dispatch ship.



The fifth
Hornet was a captured Confderate blockade runner.

The sixth Hornet was a converted yacht that fought in the Spanish-American War.

The seventh Hornet carried Jimmy Dolittle's B-25's to the first strike on Japan after Pearl Harbor, fought at Midway and was lost in the Battle of Santa Cruz.





The eighth Hornet continued the war against Japan, recovered Apollo astronauts and is now a museum in Alameda, CA.

The current bearer of the name "Hornet" in the US fleet is the F/A-18 strike fighter.

Eight ships, an aircraft series. Thousands of men serving in them for 231 years - going in harm's way for the United States.

Happy birthday, Navy!

UDATE: Lex says it his own way with a reminder of the Navy's special hold on old sailors.

Some remember: USS Cole attacked 6 years ago

Jane at Armies of Liberation remembers.

And points to Linda Sog who remembers well.

Castle Argghhh! remembers.





Salute the 17 and their brave shipmates.

UPDATE: Others remember their shipmates:

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Command Master Chief James Russell tosses 17 roses into the sea during a remembrance ceremony to honor the sacrifice of the 17 Sailors who died in the terrorist attack on the guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67). Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Miguel Angel Contreras

UPDATE: USS Cole crew remembers:

On 12 October 2006, COLE conducted a ceremony at 1118, the time of the blast, to mark the significant events that occurred on this date. The ceremony consisted of a prayer, The Navy Hymn and a moment of silence. At the conclusion of the ceremony the ship’s bell rang seventeen times in memory of the seventeen sailors who lost their lives. VADM Walsh, Commander Fifth Fleet, sent a message to the crew to mark the poignant anniversary.

Drinking water from the sea

A plan to put desalination plants at sea, as set out here:

An oceangoing seawater conversion vessel doesn't need intake and outfall lines on the seabed, Gordon said. It draws its water a short distance through a telescoping snorkel that can be set to the optimum depth to avoid damage to sea life and get the best-quality water.

Brine -- water with a concentrated salt content that is left after freshwater is processed -- doesn't get pumped out of an outfall onto the near-shore seabed, he said. The proposed ships would be able to mix the brine with raw seawater and discharge the diluted brine in the deep ocean, where it would be further diffused.

There would be no need to pair the desalination plant with a power plant, as most projects do, Gordon said. The ships would generate their own power with jet turbine engines of the type used on jumbo jets, fueled by clean-burning biodiesel oil or marine gas oil, neither of which produce sulphur emissions.

Such engines, he said, have demonstrated their reliability on aircraft, ships and land-based electric power generating plants.

With their own power source, Gordon said, the ships would be immune to power failures, could operate at cheaper rates than land-based plants because of fuel costs, and operate over the horizon to avoid visual impact from the shore.

They aren't vulnerable to earthquakes or tsunamis, and can sail away if a heavy storm looms.

The freshwater would be brought ashore in "food-grade" tankers similar to those used for bulk transport of orange juice concentrate or wine, Gordon said, or by modular tug barge tankers.

The ships would be U.S.-flagged, he said, automatically under the protection of the Navy and Coast Guard, and would be far less vulnerable to terrorist attack or sabotage than a land-based plant.

"This would be supplemental water," Griffin said, not a primary water supply.

Not a bad idea. And it just might work - if the cost of water from other sources is high enough to justify the investment.

Freedom of the Press Somalia-style

Reporters Without Borders discovers that the Union of Islamic Courts has it own ideas of Freedom of the Press. As reported here:

The 13 rules are:

1. The media must not publish or disseminate information contrary to the Muslim religion, the public interest or the interest of the nation.

2. The media must not disseminate information likely to create conflicts between the population and the Council of Islamic Courts.

3. The media may reproduce information obtained from credible sources, but must reveal the identity of the sources.

4. The media must cooperate with the information bureau of the Council of Islamic Courts.

5. Media directors are responsible for the news and programmes they disseminate.

6. Each media must have a physical address and contact details.

7. The media must not serve foreign interests.

8. Media employees must have good professional training and must respect professional ethics and conduct.

9. The media must not participate in seminars or programmes supported by foreign organisations without express permission from the information bureau of the Council of Islamic Courts.

10. The media must not publish or disseminate elements of a foreign culture contrary to Islamic culture or promoting bad behaviour, such as nudity on film.

11. A media cannot work in areas controlled by the Islamic courts without previously registering with the information and propaganda bureau of the Islamic courts.

12. If media are guilty of misconduct, they must make amends.

13. The media must not employ the terms which infidels use to refer to Muslims such as 'terrorists,' 'extremists' etc.

Ah, sweet freedom.

A visit to charming Somalia

Since the Islamic Court guys seem to have gotten controlof the Somali pirate factions, I haven't been spending too much time on Somilia's internal struggles However, the Islamic Court guys seem to be rattling a few sabers, including declaring a "jihad" on their neighbor Ethiopia as noted here:

The Islamic courts have declared “a holy jihad war” on Ethiopia in what it being described as an Ethiopian invasion of Somali territories, threatening to launch a counterattack on President Abdullahi Yusuf’s interim government’s base in the southern city of Baidoa. In the first military counterstrike between the Islamic forces and the government forces, the latter allegedly supported by the Ethiopian army, the Islamists seized and regained control of Buur Hakaba city, which lies 30 km from the interim government’s base in the Baidoa. Earlier, an approximated 200-man joint force of the Ethiopian and Somali armies seized the city, which the Islamic forces had vacated, leaving it under the control of allied militias. However, this occupation did not last long as the Islamists quickly pushed into the city hundreds of fighters, supported by large caliber weapons, combat vehicles, and rocket launchers. Military and security sources from the Islamist militia, which has been in control of approximately 70 per cent of the Somali territories for over three months now, confirmed that they regained control of the city after a short battle. One of the militia members was killed and three others wounded as a result.

I'm a little curious about this jihad thingie, which I assumed was a "holy war" sort of deal but, in fact, seems to be something that you do pretty much when someone ticks you off and you need a religious backing for smacking back at them. So I'm declaring a jihad on my neighbor whose dog barks late at night, and at the guy across the street who mows his lawn early on Saturday morning and on the driver who cut me off in traffic and...

And, if I understand the Somali tribal culture thing, it'll be my tribe against the tribes of the offending persons.

Pretty much forever.

Hatfields and McCoys got nothing on these boys.

But I guess if you live in a few thousand miles of sand and rock you've got to find someway to amuse yourselves.

Death to ______! (fill in your own blank)

North Korea threatens war against U.S.

It is reported that looney toon Kim Jong the Ill likes movies, so maybe he is stealing the script of The Mouse that Roared as his sabers rattle once again:

In its first formal statement since the test, North Korea said it could respond to U.S. pressure with "physical" measures.

"If the U.S. keeps pestering us and increases pressure, we will regard it as a declaration of war and will take a series of physical corresponding measures," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. The statement didn't specify what those measures could be.

Perhaps hurling insults from Kim's castle walls?

Kenya gets some U.S. boats to help maritime patrols

As set out in U.S. Donates Boats to Secure Kenya's Coastline :

The Kenya Navy has stepped up patrols on the Kenyan coastline to stave off maritime threats including terrorism, arms and drugs trafficking.

It is buoyed by a donation of six powerful armoured speedboats worth Sh216 million from the United States to enhance its efforts to police the country's territorial waters.

The vessels - five 25-foot (eight-metre) "Defender" class boats and one 42-foot (13-metre) "Archangel" class boat - along with equipment, supplies and training were turned over to the Kenya Navy on Friday at their headquarters in Mombasa.

Indian and U.S. forces conduct joint operations

Reported here:

Troops from India and the United States will conduct military exercises later this month to improve the counter-terrorism capabilities of their armies, an Indian official said Tuesday.

About 300 soldiers from the two countries will participate in the exercises beginning Oct. 25 in the southwestern Indian city of Belgaum, Indian army spokesman Col. S.K. Sakhuja said.

The 10-day exercises are to be conducted in an urban environment and focus on joint combat drills and procedures in counter-terrorism operations, Col. Sakhuja said.
***
While the army exercises are under way at Belgaum, Indian and U.S. warships will hold joint manoeuvers off India's western coast near Goa.

The sixth round of naval exercises, called ``Malabar-06,'' will involve several American and Indian destroyers, guided-missile frigates and other warships, carrying out combat, search-and-rescue and patrolling manoeuvers in the Arabian Sea.

``Malabar-06'' will also include air operations, sea control missions aimed at preventing piracy and counter-terrorism actions at sea.

Tuesday edition of the Sunday Ship History: The German Commerce Raider and the loss of the HMAS Sydney

At the start of World War II, the German Navy knew that it needed to control the sea lanes that resupplied Great Britain. In addition to its U-Boat submarine fleet, the Germans had a number of "Auxiliary Cruisers" or "Commerce Raiders." As noted here:

The auxiliary cruisers of the Kriegsmarine were converted merchant, equipped with guns and torpedoes to attack Allied merchant shipping. The military equipment on board was camouflaged in a way that those ships still appeared to be "normal" merchant ships.

They carried enough material and paint to change their outer appearance often, like adding a second funnel, modifying the superstructure and repaint the whole ship. They often gave themselves the look of an existing allied merchant to deceive other allied ships.

Those ships archived some remarkable results. During their operations, the nine auxiliary cruisers sunk over 140 ships with over 700000 t.

The biggest of these converted ships was the Kormoran , which was armed to the teeth:

[Guns]6 x 15 cm; 1x 7,5 cm; 2 x 3,7 cm; 5 x 2 cm;6 x torpedo tubes, 2 x Arado Ar 196 float planes;1 x Small Fast Attack boat LS3; 360 Mines

The ship operated in the North Atlantic until April 1941, when sailed into the Indian Ocean.

Later in 1941, the Kormoran was approached by the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney, who believed the Kormoran to be the Dutch merchant she was using as a disguise. On November 19, 1941, as the Sydney grew suspicious of Kormoran's inability to respond with proper codes, Kormoran opened fire on Sydney. The battle was on:

Depending upon which report you read, the Sydney was located somewhere between 900 and 1500 metres away when the Kormoran opened fire, hitting Sydney with her 15-centimetre guns and a torpedo. The Australian vessel quickly caught alight, but was able to return fire, hitting the Kormoran in the engine room, which started an uncontrollable fire. Within five minutes of the commencement of action, both vessels were mortally wounded. Both ships sank during the night.

Five days later, two boats containing 103 German survivors landed at Quobba, north of Geraldton, and were taken to Carnarvon gaol. Another 213 survivors were picked up from lifeboats at sea. Seventy-eight German sailors remained unaccounted for. But no trace was ever found of the 645 officers and crew of HMAS Sydney - nor have the wrecks of either ship ever been located.

The loss of the entire crew of HMAS Sydney is the worst naval loss in Australian history.

A good report of the action can be found here. The story of the stunning memorial to the crew of Sydney at Geraldton’s Mount Scott can be found here.

As far as I can determine, HMAS Sydney is the only warship lost to a German surface raider.

A salute to the crews.

Sunday Ship History

Sunday Ship History was delayed for reasons that are too odd to go into.

It will appear soon either as Sunday Ship History, Monday or Tuesday edition.

Thanks.

Maritime Monday

Fred Fry is back from vacation and has posted Maritime Monday 28!

Enjoy!

North Korean confirms nukes with test

In what may be the least surprising event of the year, the "Democratic (hah!) Peoples Republic (hah!) of North Korean DPRK successfully threw the world's press in a panic with the confirmation test of one of its nuclear weapons in an underground test. See here for some reaction:

For the Bush administration, the fact that one of the countries described by the president as part of an "axis of evil" has apparently confirmed its membership of the nuclear weapons' club means that, short of military action, there is little it can really do to enforce a change of policy.

Any military action against the North might provoke it into a reckless response.

Its nuclear test does not mean that it now has a useable nuclear bomb.

The device would be too large to be put onto one of its missiles but it has a huge conventional army along the border line with the South.

Some sensible reaction at North Korea zone:

this changes everything -- and nothing. On the one hand (if it is all true), North Korea has now joined a very elite club, as the ninth nuclear power -- and the world is a more dangerous place.

On the other, very little changes -- no country is likely to respond militarily. So that status quo will remain in place, but with heightened rhetoric and tension.

And at OneFreeKorea:

President Bush will probably have no choice but to ignore the counsel of State Department doves who had nearly unopposed control of Bush’s North Korea policy until last August. Now, he’ll most likely use many of the options he didn’t use after North Korea’s July missile tests. I would expect some very severe sanctions and a move for a U.N. arms embargo. Stronger sanctions, along the lines of PATRIOT 311, are likely. A “soft” naval blockade, meaning enhanced enforcement under the Proliferation Security Initiative, is also likely.

For some reason the management of the DPRK reminds me of the plant in Little Shop of Horrors: "Feed me, Seymour!"

UPDATE: China Confidential looks at
how the "appeasers" will play the test here.

Ben Stein sorts through priorities

Ben Stein wonders about priorities.

"Pirates" kill one off Trinidad & Tobago

Reported here:

Just after midnight yesterday, Sherwood, 43, was killed by the blast of a shotgun carried by a pirate who came to steal his engine and net.

Sherwood's crewmate, Joseph Edwards, tried speeding back to shore to get medical help but did not reach in time to save his friend's life.
***
Over the past five years, there have been seven reported deaths linked to pirate attacks off Trinidad's west coast between Cedros and Chaguanas and several incidents involving the Venezuelan Guardia Nacio-nal.

Latest ICC CCS Piracy report (to 2 Oct 06)

According to reports made to the ICC Commercial Crime Services as set out here, things are relatively calm on the piracy front. The report includes reports 3 attempted boardings by robbers of ships at anchor in ports in Indonesia, Brazil and India and one unsuccessful attempt to board a bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea at 15:24.82N - 066:21.62E. I have roughly plotted this postion on the map at the red burst.

17,000 evacuees in Apex NC chemical fire

Nighttime fire at a plant storing a variety of chemicals has triggered a massive evacuation in a small suburb of Raleigh: Apex plant fire forces evacuations:

As many as 17,000 residents had been asked to evacuate by early Friday as firefighters waited for daylight to battle a hazardous materials fire that shot flames some 150 feet into the sky.

Hospital officials said 18 people were sent to emergency rooms after the blaze that began late Thursday in this suburban Raleigh town.

Town manager Bruce Radford said he didn't know what sparked the fire, which started around 10 p.m. Thursday at Environmental Quality Co.

When he arrived at the scene, Radford said, a chlorine cloud rose 50 feet in the air and flames shot three times as high. He estimated there were 20 to 30 explosions.

The fire jumped the chemical plant site and appeared to have burned four petroleum tanks belonging to another company, said Mayor Keith Weatherly. That likely accounted for some of the explosions, he said.

Residents have seen the plume or smelled chemicals from as much as 2 miles away from Environmental Quality Co., where the fire started about 10 p.m. Thursday.

Hours after asking almost half the town's resident to evacuate, officials ordered additional evacuations for several hundred more homes when a plume of smoke and chemicals moved. Residents as far as 2 miles away could see the plume or smell the chemicals, officials said.

It's raining, which should help in surpressing the spread of the chemical smoke.

There is also lightning, which should supress the firefighters until the thunderstorm portion of what is supposed to be a severl day rain storm passes.

Apex is normally a nice town.

Pretty much says it for me

The Foley thing

My new group

Where do those things go?

The Nicaragua Canal?

Once upon a time, the Panama Canal was to be built in Nicaragua. Now, Nicaragua is floating the idea of a canal again, as set out here.

Nicaragua has announced plans to build a waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic that would carry bigger ships than the existing Panama Canal.

President Enrique Bolanos said the new route - which would cost $18bn (£9.5bn) and take 12 years to complete - was needed for the rise in world shipping.
***
If built, the Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal would cut time and several hundred miles off the route from China to Europe or North America.

Map showing Panama and Nicaragua
It would also carry super-ships of up to 250,000 tonnes, significantly bigger than the vessels that currently pass through Panama.

Nicaragua has long held dreams of its own canal and was considered a potential route before the Panama waterway was constructed.

As noted in this Wikipedia article, Panama got the canal when lobbyists sent each U.S. Senator a Nicaragua postage stamp showing the Momotombo volcano.

UPDATE: Sharp-eyed reader JC spotted that the original stamp posted was incorrect. Proper stamp, as identified here, is now on the page.

Sea lanes in the news: China, India and the US

Oh, sea lanes and China's weakest link as set out in US, China, India flex muscle over energy-critical sea lanes:

The United States, China and India are moving to assert control over the sea lanes through which they receive critical energy supplies amid fears in Beijing of a US blockade of the Malacca Strait in the event of a crisis over Taiwan, experts said.

The United States at present has vast control over the major so-called "choke points" on the world's sea lanes, said experts at a recent forum in Washington.

Almost all of China's energy imports are obtained through sea and it is worried the United States could hold its oil supply hostage.

Beijing is also concerned over its gradually weakening position in the Indian Ocean as New Delhi develops new generations of weapons systems with US support.

Moreover, China's naval modernization has focused largely on preparing for possible armed conflict over Taiwan than defending its very long sea lanes, experts said.

While it may be difficult for the US navy to interrupt China's sea lanes, "these appear vulnerable" in the eyes of the Chinese military, said Bernard Cole of the US National War College.

China has been exploring some options including the Mekong River through Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam as set out here. That helps with Malacca Strait but isn't much for the Indian Ocean or the Strait of Hormuz. Much more on sea lanes here: Chokepoints: Maritime Economic Concerns in Southeast Asia Institute for National Strategic Studies, Washington,D.C. (National Defense University, 1996)(color and bursts added as follows - I have marked U.S. allies in blue (yes, Singapore is oversized) and areas that China is making claims or working to establish relations as red bursts. Note that the red bursts sit athwart the sea lanes.)
See also a comparison with the Japanese sea lane issues in WWII (grayscale map) here.
More discussion here.

UPDATE: Forgot to add a link to China Builds up Strategic Sea Lanes.

UPDATE2: China "cooperating" in Cambodia as set out here

Cambodia is strategically vital to China because it overlooks crucial sea lanes and could conceivably share a maritime border if China's military eventually enforces Beijing's claims to disputed, energy-rich atolls in the South China Sea. Beijing currently gives more civil aid to Cambodia, more than $2 billion since the 1970s, than any other country, according to Sophie Richardson...