USS New York (BB-34) was a United States Navy battleship, the lead ship of her class. Named for New York State, she was designed as the first ship to carry the 14-inch (356 mm)/45-caliber gun.
USS New York 1937
The U.S. Navy battleship USS New York (BB-34) underway at high speed on 29 May 1915.
New York on maneuvers with Oklahoma and Nevada, 1932. The carrier Langley can be seen in the background. Entering service in 1914, she was part of the U.S. Navy force which was sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea near the end of World War I. During that time, she was involved in at least two incidents with German U-boats, and is believed to have been the only US ship to have sunk one in the war, during an accidental collision in October 1918. Following the war, she was sent on a series of training exercises and cruises in both the Atlantic and the Pacific, and saw several overhauls to increase her armament, aircraft handling and armor. She entered the Neutrality Patrol at the beginning of World War II, and served as a convoy escort for ships to Iceland and Great Britain in the early phase of the war. She saw her first combat against coastal artillery during Operation Torch around Casablanca in North Africa, and later became a training ship. Late in the war, she moved to the Pacific, and provided naval gunfire support for the invasion of Iwo Jima and later the invasion of Okinawa. Returning to Pearl Harbor for repairs until the end of the war, she was classified obsolete and was chosen to take part in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. She survived both explosions, and the effects of radiation on the ship were studied for two years. She was eventually sunk as a target in 1948. She received three battle stars for her service. via Blogger https://ift.tt/A7saumO September 25, 2023 at 02:22PM Two Royal New Zealand Navy ships dock at Saigon port on goodwill visit - Sunday 17:09 24/09/202325/9/2023
Two Royal New Zealand Navy ships dock at Saigon port on goodwill visit - Sunday, 17:09, 24/09/2023
VOV.VN - Two auxiliary ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy - HMNZS Aotearoa and HMNZS Te Mana – docked at Saigon Port in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24 on a goodwill visit to mark 48 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and New Zealand. The visit aims to further strengthen the friendly and close relationship between the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy. During their five-day stay, officers and sailors will take part in various activities, including exchanges and meetings between the two navies, sports friendlies and community activities. All the crewmembers of the two ships are very excited to learn about Vietnamese culture and people, as well as to share New Zealand culture with Vietnamese friends, according to Rear Admiral James Gilmour, commander of the Joint Forces New Zealand. The visit of the two ships comes following the successful visit to New Zealand in July 2023 by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam. The two countries are expected to hold talks on defense cooperation in early 2024. via Blogger https://ift.tt/3TiC8bL September 25, 2023 at 12:53PM
USS San Juan, once cutting-edge attack sub, ends final voyage in Washington = By GARY WARNER STARS AND STRIPES ⢠September 22, 2023
The USS San Juan, the first advanced version of the Los Angeles-class nuclear fast attack submarine built in 1988, arrived in Washington state this week concluding its final voyage. The 35-year-old submarine will be decommissioned and deactivated at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, near Seattle, the Navy said. The Navy reported in 2022 that it had 50 nuclear attack submarines in service â 26 Los Angeles-class boats, three Seawolf-class boats, and 21 Virginia-class boats. The Navy is requesting up to 41 more Virginia-class subs to be built by 2053. The San Juan, named for the capital of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, was the first of the final 23 Los Angeles-class submarines built with changes that included quieter operations and upgrades for laying mines, improved torpedo tubes and a redesign to launch cruise missiles. The San Juan also had the ability to break through ice. The San Juan was involved in at least one high-profile incident during its service. On March 19, 1998, the submerged San Juan collided off Long Island, N.Y., with the submarine USS Kentucky, which was surfaced. There were no reported injuries. The San Juanâs deployments have included the Navyâs first joint exercises with the South African Navy in 2019. The submarine received an overhaul in 2010 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. USS San Juan returned in June from a six-month deployment with U.S. European Command, steaming more than 37,500 nautical miles and making port calls in Cypress and Spain. The San Juan began is final voyage on Aug. 21, when it left Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn., with 110 crew, sailing through the Northwest Passage to Puget Sound. The submarine took part in Operation Nanook 2023, a joint exercise of the U.S., Canadian and French navies, and the U.S. Coast Guard. In finishing its career in Bremerton, the submarine is following the path of its namesake, the Atlanta-class World War II light cruiser USS San Juan. Launched in September 1941 at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporationâs Fore River Shipyard, Mass., it was commissioned in February 1942. The cruiser earned 13 battle stars in combat across the Pacific and was just outside of Tokyo Harbor for the Sept. 2, 1945, surrender of Japan. In the rapid force reduction immediately after the war, the ship was sent to Bremerton, Wash., in January 1946 and placed in inactive status. Decommissioned in November 1946, it was struck from the Navy list in March 1959 and sold for scrap in October 1961. The submarine USS San Juan has a submerged displacement of 6,927 tons â slightly more than the 6,718 tons displacement of the cruiser USS San Juan. via Blogger https://ift.tt/wsouK1P September 23, 2023 at 12:05PM
The flat-packed cardboard drones held together with elastic bands that are taking out Russian jets in Ukraine 20th September 2023 at 9:55am
uA fleet of drones made out of cardboard and held together with elastic bands and tape are thought to have destroyed or damaged at least five Russian jets in the Ukraine war. Australia has sent hundreds of the SYPAQ cardboard drones to Ukraine and Forces News journalist Simon Newton met the company behind the drone at this year's DSEI exhibition in London. The drones arrive flat-packed like some well-known Swedish furniture. A bit of sticky tape and a few elastic bands later, and what you get is a military-grade UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that is able to carry several kilos of explosives over 75 miles. The cardboard drone, known to the makers as the Precision Payload Delivery System or PPDS, is thought to have even been used to attack a military base hundreds of miles inside Russian territory. The PPDS is an unmanned aerial vehicle designed by Australian engineering firm SYPAQ that is capable of carrying 3kg of explosives. Designed originally for reconnaissance and logistics resupply, Ukrainian forces have turned the drone into a highly effective kamikaze weapon. Michael Partridge of SYPAQ Australia said of the device: "The capability brick we call it. It has an avionics programmable laptop or a tablet that allows you to mission plan. It also has a launcher. "All very simple and quick, easily assembled in theatre and allows you to operate quite quickly. "With the PPDS it is about a shoebox-size roughly, and it can carry three kilos. We've recently developed a heavy-lift version that can carry six kilos." Last month the Ukrainians launched a series of drone strikes against Russian airfields. In one of those attacks an air base at Kursk was targeted and five fighter jets, missile launchers and an air defence system were destroyed by drones. Another attack that was carried out two days later at Psykov airfield, 430 miles inside Russia’s border, resulted in the destruction of two Ilyushin cargo planes. It is suspected that cardboard drones were used. Australia has been supplying Kyiv with 100 PPDS drones every month since March this year, and Ukraine has been using them to devastating effect. Mr Partridge said: "These will roughly equate to $5,000 Australian (£2,608). "When you look at the more military-grade systems, fixed winged or not, you're talking upward of $20,000 to $30,000. "So it really does allow the user to use it in a more aggressive way due to the cost point of the product." via Blogger https://ift.tt/bN6dOpY September 23, 2023 at 11:19AM
HMS Prince of Wales welcomed into Florida naval station for the first time Alex Walters 21st September 2023 at 11:00am
Britain's biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, has arrived in Florida as the Royal Navy vessel continues to strengthen ties with her allies on the other side of the Atlantic. The 280-metre-long aircraft carrier only recently returned to action after nine months of repairs and will remain off the east coast of the United States until she returns to the UK in December. More than 900 personnel assigned to the aircraft carrier have now arrived at US Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville. 'Welcome to the USA'This is HMS Prince of Wales's first visit to Naval Station Mayport, and the aircraft carrier is expected to be in port for five days. Naval Station Mayport, on X, formerly known as Twitter, highlighted the moment and said: "Today marked a moment in history for Naval Station Mayport, the HMS Prince of Wales (R09) made port at our pier for the first time. "Welcome to the USA!" The British Consulate General in Miami, representing the UK in Florida, said on X: "Her inaugural visit to the US will strengthen defence ties. "Britain's newest and largest warship will spend time in to test new technologies and manoeuvres meant to revolutionise the way the Royal Navy operates Carrier Strike Groups."
The Royal Navy carrier is one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK, measuring 280m by 70m and accommodating up to 1,600 crew members. HMS Prince of Wales can hit a top speed of 25 knots and is set to go on a global deployment in 2025. Personnel on board will be operating off the east coast of the US until Christmas, conducting experimental operations with their American counterparts involving F-35B Lightning stealth fighters, MV-Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and Mojave drones.
Earlier this month, a supply drone safely landed on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier in a first for naval operations. The Southampton-based W Autonomous Systems (WAS) drone flew from the Lizard Peninsula and onto the deck of HMS Prince of Wales off the Cornish coast. It delivered supplies, and then returned to the Lizard after completing its milestone flight. The ultimate goal of this experimental flight is to develop the ability to deploy drones within a UK Carrier Strike Group so they can work alongside F-35B Lightning jets as well as Merlin and Wildcat helicopters. via Blogger https://ift.tt/MmJEUxe September 22, 2023 at 04:55PM |
AuthorJohn Currin served 15 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy and has retained an interest in naval, marine, military and happenings around the world. Archives
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