Sunday, January 20, 2013

1/20/2013 Station Identification and Notice Board,Sunday


WELCOME TO AMERICAN ADMIRALTY BOOKS!




Barque:  ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLT II, Named for the Oceanographer
Photo by Hans Georg Schroder

SUNDAY JANUARY 19, 2013

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THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IS PERFORMED  BY"MADISON RISING":
Click on the link below the flag to get your day off to the right start!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8C7i9kdEf8

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NEWS FLASH:

USS GUARDIAN (MCM-5) ,A  U.S.MINE SWEEPER WENT AGROUND ON A CORAL REEF WITHIN A PHILIPPINE MARINE SANCTUARY  YESTERDAY. THE SHIP ENTERED IN VIOLATION OF PHILIPPINE LAW. 

 There was initially no reported oil pollution, and the ship appeared at first to be in no danger of sinking. However more than a 100 cubic yards of coral is reported damaged. The Tubbataha Sanctuary is established in full accordance with the International Convention on the Law of the Sea within the Philippine Exclusive economic Zone.  Link to full  initialstory below:

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

STRONG SEAS PUSH USS GUARDIAN DEEPER INTO THE CORAL REEF


MANILA, Philippines - Strong waves had pushed the trapped USS Guardian further into the coral reefs in Tubbataha in the Sulu Sea, complicating operations to have the 68-meter warship removed from the marine protected area, sources said yesterday based on accounts from eyewitnesses. The development came just as some officials had thought hours earlier that the US Navy minesweeper had stabilized and was no longer in danger of sinking or causing environmental disaster. “The situation is worse,” a highly placed source said. The source said that based on accounts, strong waves had dislodged the ship from its original position. The source said the ship, as of yesterday, sat parallel to the edge of the coral reef. Earlier, the ship’s bow rested on the reef in shallow waters and its bow floating precariously in deep waters. He said there were no traces of oil slick in the area. He declined to say if the ship could still be extricated without causing serious damage to its hull. Just hours earlier, officials who declined to be named had talked about getting assurances from US authorities that the ship had stabilized and was no longer in danger of sinking.


 http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/01/20/898981/strong-waves-disrupt-extraction

US Navy to look into erroneous navigation chart in warship grounding

"The US Navy on Saturday said inaccurate navigation data may have been one of the reasons why the USS Guardian ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last Thursday.

A statement from the US Pacific Fleet cited the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's preliminary findings on Digital Nautical Charts (DNC) showing faulty navigation data.

However, the US Pacific Fleet said until a proper assessment of the incident has been done, no assumptions regarding faulty navigation data as the cause for the incident should be raised.

"While the erroneous navigation chart data is important information, no one should jump to conclusions," said US Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. Darryn James." Source:DMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/291117/news/nation/us-navy-to-look-into-erroneous-navigation-chart-in-warship-grounding

USS Guardian’ Navigator Misplaced Tubbataha by 8 Nautical Miles – US

According to reports, the chart used by the Guardian “misplaced the location of the reef by about eight nautical miles.”


By 8:00 PM Central Standard Time Fridayday We Began to Monitor Reports That the Ship Was Taking On Water


"MANILA, Philippines - An environmental disaster looms at one of the nation’s five World Heritage Sites as a freshly refueled US Navy minesweeper has started sinking in waters around Tubbataha Reef.
Informed sources told The STAR yesterday that the 1,300-ton, 68-meter-long USS Guardian, which ran aground on the reef at around 2 a.m. Thursday, had started taking in water and sinking, prompting 72 of the 79 crew to abandon ship. No injuries were reported.
The seven who remained aboard, including the commanding and executive officers, would try to free the ship from the reef with minimal environmental impact, according to a statement from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet.
The cause of the grounding is still under investigation".


Full story from the Philippine Star
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/01/19/898633/damaged-us-warship-sinking-sulu-sea

 For a background on International Marine Protected Areas we suggest : :MARINE PROTECTED AREAS : Putting up the 'Keep Out' sign by Don Walsh on p.88 of the Naval Institute's PROCEEDINGS January 2013 issue just out. 

http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013-01/oceans-marine-protected-areas-putting-%E2%80%98keep-out%E2%80%99-signs

 Only a lead in is available to non members at the link above. Members who haven't yet received their hard copy of the PROCEEDINGS yet may access the entire article via the above link. If you aren't a member of the Naval Institute yet....why not?

The US Navy said most of its personnel aboard the USS Guardian, which ran aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea on Thursday, have been transferred to a support vessel for safety reasons as the Navy minesweeper remains stuck.

In a statement posted on its website Friday, the US Navy's 7th Fleet said 72 out of the 79 crew members of the ship were transferred to the MV C-Champion because of unsuccessful efforts to free the Guardian on high tide.
A team of engineering and bridge personnel will remain aboard the ship and work with a US Navy team to free the Guardian “with minimal environmental impact,” the statement added.

IN THE BLOG POSTS YESTERDAY:

IRAN SHIP ON THE RUN FROM GERMAN AND SRI LANKEN COURTS

THINGS ARE GETTING HOT FOR HEAD HUNTERS LETS MAKE IT HOTTER....someone is finally doing something about illegal crew recruitment tactics we tell you who and how to make contact with him to possibly get some of that extorted head hunter money back.


 IN THE BLOG LAST WEEK

The final in our series on the economic health and national security utility of America's various maritime industries. Today we explore the Recreational Boating Industry and the Recreational Boating Community.

 How Far Will The Dragon Swim? When a navy starts to learn underway replenishment global reach is imminent.

IN THE NEWS TODAY:


IN THE NEWS RECENTLY:

PLA Navy in live-fire attack drills in East China and South China seas

Live fire by missile-carrying aircraft in East China and South China seas bare the sabre to neighbours and mark a shift in strategy

The People's Liberation Army's naval air force has carried out attack drills in both the East and South China seas in a show of force directed at countries involved in territorial disputes with China, according to naval experts.

Link to full story below:
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1130517/pla-navy-live-fire-attack-drills-east-china-and-south-china-seas

Unprecedented Tokyo trial starts

Somali pair admit trying to hijack ship


Two pirates captured by U.S. forces and turned over to the Japanese Coast Guard started their trials in Tokyo today. The turn over was to Japanese authorities because the assault was against a Japanese owned ship, though it was registered under a flag of convenience. New Japanese anti piracy laws allow for such prosecutions and U.S. authorities much prefer prosecution to the more usual "catch and release. If convicted the Somali men face sentences of five years to life.

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CHINA TO SURVEY DISPUTED MARINE TERRITORIES


http://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/global-issues/1380-china-to-survey-disputed-marine-territories

"The 2nd Chinese Comprehensive Survey of Marine and Island Resources will be started sometime in the first half of this year. The survey is expected to be completed by December 2016. By this survey, the Chinese hope to fill earlier gaps regarding the distribution, quality and quantity of resources in important marine and island territories like Sansha and other baseline points."
Undoubtedly, the unveiling of this new plan would draw criticism from other countries having disputes with China on marine territories (including islands), with the probable exclusion of Taiwan. But of greater concern is the escalation of disputes mainly in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

It remains to be seen what measures countries such as Japan and Vietnam resort to when Chinese survey vessels actually begin conducting surveys in marine territories and islands which they claim to be their own. One has also to watch what security measures these Chinese survey vessels employ to thwart actions from vessels of the other claimant countries."

Editorial Note: Couple this news with last week's news that Japan is beefing up its Coast Guard presence in the disputed area with China and we perceive another dangerous government vessel on government vessel confrontation looming for later in 2013. Unless of course the Dragon does something else rash sooner.


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