American Admiralty Books

Saturday, October 31, 2015

SPY CAM VIEW: JUST HOW DETAILED ARE IMAGES FROM DISTANT SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS?


A Photograph Of Thousands Of People Taken With Modern Surveillance Cameras Can Reveal A Portrait Of A Single Face:

Photo by Kashfi Halford licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 
American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies

  Ever wonder how the police pulled up the identities of the Boston Marathon bombers from all of those distant surveillance cameras?  Well the secret is n digital photography's ability to capture far more detail than film and to respond to programming. With modern digital photography analysts may "zoom in parts of crowd photographs as large as the one pictured above and "zoom in" to produce recognizable individual faces; Just for fun you can try the technology your self on line for free:

Click here: ZOOMING CROWD PHOTO  once you see the crowd just click on the photo until you can recognize individual faces. 
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Friday, October 30, 2015

Dirty Bombs and 100% Container Screening

American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies

Shipping Container Marshaling Yard.  Photo by NOAA


For years the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Agency has been telling Congress that physically screening 100% of the shipping containers is prohibitively expensive. Congress in turn has been questioning the wisdom of not screening 100% of containers and constantly pushing the CBP  to find ways to improve efficiency so that it becomes economic. Over the years that we have been following this issue we have seen increases in the percentage of containers physically examined and improvements in the screening criteria and systems. Recently the U.S. House has begun a major push for 100% scanning again this time citing the dirty bomb threat.  

 Yesterday we read of  U.S. House legislators advocating the scanning all containers that come into the U.S. again. During a Tuesday congressional hearing on the threat of dirty bombs, or explosives using radioactive materials and conventional explosives, a House subcommittee reiterated their calls for the long-delayed federal mandate. CBP senior management reiterated their position  that 100%  scanning is  impractical, both for trade and financial reasons. But this time they made the additional claim that 100% scanning could somehow prove more dangerous than the current practice of only scanning high-risk shipments.  While as experienced merchant marine officers we find the cost argument viable though decreasingly so, we find the argument that 100% screening is somehow more dangerous just plain drivel. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)  was granted a two-year extension last year to implement the 100-percent screening policy. Prior, the DHS missed both its initial 2012 deadline and another in 2014. At a Congressional hearing Tuesday before the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., reiterated her call for 100 % scanning of all containers at U.S. ports.  As Rep, Hahn said: “I have said it once and I will say it again, we need 100-percent scanning at our ports. The risks are too high not to,” the congresswoman said. (Journal of Commerce, 10/27/2015). Frankly, we concur.


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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Australian Navy Ships Caught Up In China-US Island Tension

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/australian-navy-ships-caught-china-us-island-tension

 DRAGONS CAN COMPLICATE THINGS BETWEEN FRIENDS




The USA Navy Oscar Austin class guided missile destroyer warship USS Lassen (DDG- 82   Photo: USN
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"AUSTRALIA has delayed a South China Sea naval exercise with Chinese warships until the United States Navy has completed its push against China’s illegal sand islands." Melbourne Herald Sun  "The American Guided Missile Destroyer USS Lassen was supported by US Navy surveillance aircraft yesterday as it cruised inside the 20km ‘exclusion zone’around the disputed Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands where China has built sand islands and air bases to back its illegal territorial claims over the disputed area."
Melbourne Herald Sun  Two Australian Navy vessels have delayed a joint exercise with China while the situation cools off a bit. Australia in its public statements have supported freedom of navigation in the South China Sea but have not yet joined the U.S. Navy in any soverignity patrol type movements or exercises. As we stated in previous articles given how long it took for the U.S. Navy to obtain political approval for such a movement it is no wonder that regional powers who also believe that China is operating outside the parameters of international law are slow to follow the U.S. lead. To be rather blunt it all boils down to the question of will the U.S. still be around after we piss off the dragon? With Obama in office its a legitimate question. READ THE ENTIRE STORY IN THE  Melbourne Herald Sun  "

Related posts: http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2015/10/china-says-us-naval-destroyer-sailing.html

A Fun Read:

 AUSSI NAVY "STUFF":
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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

EIGHT ARCTIC NATIONS SIGN COAST GUARD PACT


Image from: http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/fishimages/id/46550/rec/442
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All eight nations with an Arctic Ocean Coastline have agreed to formally sign the "Arctic Coast Guard Forum" agreement to work together on issues such as search and rescue in the Arctic waters. The creation of the Arctic Coast Guard  Forum builds on a foundation of previously negotiated search and rescue agreements. According to the U.S. Coast Guard the forum will be operationally orientated focused on search and rescue, emergency response, and icebreaking collaboration. The heads of all eight coast guard agencies have agreed that collaboration is to the benefit of all Arctic nations and the ships of those nations transiting through Arctic waters. The forum while still awaiting final signatures probably next week was formed in Canada in March of 2014. Finalization was delayed because of Canadian objections to Russian participation in 2014 due to Russian involvement in the Ukraine. The Russians completed their negotiations in the U.S. and the deal will be signed by all participating nations at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn..  The protocol will be signed by the heads of all eight coast guard agencies during a meeting convened at the Academy next Wednesday through Friday.   The signatories include Canada, the U.S., Russia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

 In the United States and some of the other Arctic nations ( but not Canada) the coast guard agencies are part of the military organization.  The military nature of some of the coast guards means that the  new forum will also provide a venue for high-ranking officers from several different Arctic nations  to meet regularly and open new channels of regular communication. Per the rules of the forum the heads of the coast guard agencies are to meet at least once per year. A table top joint search and rescue exercise is planned for next week's meeting at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard hopes to plan a real time exercise next year. The forum , though it will include military personnel will formally steer clear of military issues. The coast guard forum is distinct from the Arctic Council , the principal diplomatic body on Arctic it, but the lead will rotate in concert with the council presently chaired by the United States. 

 We found this coast guard forum to be a story not widely covered by the general media in the lower 48. Some time ago we noted the retirement of former U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Robert A Papp , USCG and his subsequent appointment as a special Federal envoy for Arctic issues on 7/18/2014. In several up dates to that post over the past year we have noted that we could not find any coverage of his activities and wondered in print what if anything was going on in terms of bringing more order to the High Arctic. In order to find cover this protocol about to be signed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy we had to peruse Canadian press accounts. The Arctic still draws little interest from U.S. journalists. We found no direct mention of Admiral Papp in the Canadian press coverage but we suspect we now know what he has been working on since his appointment over a year ago. American needs to wake up to the Arctic we have high stakes there and we are not responding with the needed resources to protect our interests. 

SEE Previous related Posts: http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-diplomat-for-high-arctic.html

and:  http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/militarization-of-arctic-ocean.html

Read More:


          

















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How Whale Poop Balanced Earth's Nutrient Cycles

http://gizmodo.com/how-whale-poop-balanced-earths-nutrient-cycles-1738976114?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Updated and links checked 2/3/2020
Illustration for article titled How Whale Poop Balanced Earths Nutrient Cycles

Illustration for article titled How Whale Poop Balanced Earths Nutrient Cycles
Illustration for article titled How Whale Poop Balanced Earths Nutrient Cycles

Image courtesy of NOAA

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Complete Story in GIZMODO:

"Over the last few centuries, whale populations have been decimated by hunting, with global population densities declining anywhere between 66 and 99%. And that’s leading to widespread changes across food webs and ecosystems. Because whales, with their tremendous appetites and equally impressive plumes of excrement, literally fertilize the Earth, bringing nutrients like phosphorus up from the ocean’s depths and transporting these critical resources across the world.
According to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, the loss of Earth’s largest poop machines, as well as certain smaller fish and seabirds, has had a profound impact on global nutrient cycles, potentially weakening ecosystem health, fisheries and agriculture. Let’s explore how it works." @ GIZMODO:


READ MORE:
       
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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

China Says U.S. Naval Destroyer Sailing Close To Chinese-Built Island Damages Peace And Stability

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-says-us-naval-destroyer-sailing-close-to-chinese-built-island-damages-peace-and-stability/2015/10/27/25b254b4-7c7a-11e5-beba-927fd8634498_story.html

THE WASHINGTON POST CARRIES STORY OF THE U.S. LATEST SOUTH CHINA SEA SOVEREIGNTY PATROL 

American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies
 Đá Tây LightSouthern Vietnam Maritime Safety Agency


"BEIJING — China denounced what it called a “dangerous and provocative” act Tuesday after an American warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-built artificial island at a center of regional dispute over maritime territory and sea routes.
The incident reflects rising tensions between the United States and China over Beijing’s aggressive program of land reclamation and construction on rocks and reefs in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, whose shores include Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
The U.S. naval action — which followed months of debate in Washington — was intended to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters, U.S. officials said, and underscores that Washington does not accept China’s claim to territorial waters around the man-made islands." Read the Full Story @ Washington Post's Sovereignty Patrol Report 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-warship-sails-within-12-miles-of-chinese-built-island-in-south-china-sea/2015/10/26/a178497b-7033-4e4c-a328-0f3c980cf193_story.html 
OUR RECENT RELATED POSTS:

US Admiral: Politician Policymakers To Decide South China Sea Patrols


Dragon Light Houses


LIGHT HOUSES AS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS


SUGGESTED READINGS:

                                       







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Monday, October 26, 2015

RUSSIAN SUBMARINES TOO NEAR SUBMERGED DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS CABLES

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/world/europe/russian-presence-near-undersea-cables-concerns-us.html?_r=1

Soviet Era Submarine, Photo: USN
American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies

UPDATE 15 January 2019) : SINCE FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2015 WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF THE US OR OUR ALLIES TAKING COUNTER MEASURES: 
Update: 2/3/2020 All evidence is that the Russian submarine presence near our vital undersea communications cables continues.
 In the popular mind most telephone, television, and computer communications across the oceans are handled by low earth orbit satellite. In actuality something on the order of 90% of such data and communications are carried by sub-sea cable. The United States during the Cold War was able to utilize submarines to tap into Soviet sub-sea cables and pick up on some highly useful intelligence.
Today there are increasing reports of intelligence services making it into the public realm that indicate that Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near critical cable crossings in depths where subs, unmanned submersibles, and even divers can effectively work. Some American intelligence officials according to a recent article in New York Times believe  that the Russians may be planning to damage those lines should hostilities appear about to break out. No doubt they plan on exactly that, but unless and until such hostilities do break out that is not what they are up to in our opinion in terms of immediate missions. One deterrent to a attempting such damage is the simple fact that we know exactly where these cables are and the best points along their route for a mission to damage and disrupt communications. Our subs and antisubmarine ships and air craft would assure Russia heavy losses for submarines and surface ships assigned to such missions. So there is a "natural" deterrent to Russia doing damage unless desperate to do so. Such an attack could be considered an act of war. Similar considerations limited our own submarine force to eavesdropping missions in the Cold War.


http://www.cablemap.info/   Craig's Cable Map Interactive Submarine Cable Info

 Concerns today go beyond those of the Cold War. Today's modern fiber optic cables are carrying more data volume and more critical and time sensitive data than ever before. Today's military submarine technology and unmanned submersible technology , as well as saturation diving technology far exceed our technology devoted to restoring service to ocean bottom communications cables.  It is easier for the Russians to damage such cables in areas where we would be a very long time being able to repair them, and to cover the event as an apparent "accident". Such an operation could do serious damage to our economy. We apparently have little in the way of  alternative cable rerouting plans, and little of the traffic can be transferred to satellite communications.

 We feel the best deterrent to Russian plans to disrupt our sub-sea cable communications is three fold.

1. Proactive naval patrol surveillance of all critical points on our cable crossings, and publication to the world public of Russian threats observed.

2. A comprehensive cable traffic rerouting plan.

3. An alternative short wave radio transmission plan for some non defense or economically sensitive information.

 Such a plan would be somewhat expensive though much of the hardware we need is already in government hands, planning , coordination, and drills aren't particularly cheap but are far from un-affordable. At the moment the Russians have no disincentive for this threatening activity. Let's raise the cost to them of such conduct.  In fact the Pentagon is quite secretive about such matters and for all we know some semblance of our proposal may already be in the works. But we have to wonder if a little more selective approach to such secrecy might be in order. The best defense is a deterrent for an enemy to even attempt certain aggressive actions. If we have a deterrent, but no one knows it, then we may as well not have a deterrent. The key is letting the enemy know how expensive we could make the worrisome tactic , that we indeed have the counter measures, but let out so much detail that the enemy can quickly revise their plans of attack. To read more on what is becoming publicly known of this threat check out the recent article in the New York Times ; Russian Ships Near Data Cables...


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Saturday, October 24, 2015

US Admiral: Politician Policymakers To Decide South China Sea Patrols

American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies
Photo: USN

SOVEREIGNTY PATROLS: POLITICIANS DECIDE HOW FORCEFUL THEY WILL BE 

The U.S. Navy Pacific Commander Adm. Scott Swift claims his ships and crews are up for soverignity patrols that include passing within 12 miles of newly established Chinese manned light houses and other manned installations within disputed parts of the South China Sea. Adm. Swift spoke to the Military Times October 23, 2015 and asserted his fleet's readiness to carry out challenging soverignity patrols but stated that it was up to America's political authorities to determine if his fleet would carry out this element of their soverignity patrols. Adm. Swift speaking to Associated Press reporters stated that his sailors have the capacity and capability to sail anywhere international law allows but emphasized that patrols were intended to reinforce international law and are not directed at any specific nation. 
Since 2013, China has been stepping up its construction of new islands atop reefs and atolls in the South China Sea. Recently the Dragon began adding buildings and airstrips in apparent attempts to boost its sovereignty claims to the territory claimed by its neighbors.  Last week Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a news conference in Boston that the U.S. will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits, including in the South China Sea. According to testimony by Assistant Defense Secretary David Shear before  the Senate Armed Services Committee last month, the United States last patrolled within 12 nautical miles of the disputed islands in 2012, 
SEE RELATED POSTS: 

WILL WE TEST THE AGGRESSION LEVEL OF THE SWIMMING DRAGON 

http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2015/05/will-we-test-aggression-level-of.html


THE HIGH SEAS DEFINED:


http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/maritime-international-law-part-15.html

TERRITORY AND THE COMMONS: ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY BY OTHER THAN OCCUPATION:


http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/maritime-international-law-part-8.html


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Friday, October 23, 2015

Dragon Light Houses

CHINA HAS STARTED TO OPERATE LIGHT HOUSES IN

THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTED ISLANDS




Hoàng hôn buông bên ngọn hải đăng
Hoàng hôn buông bên ngọn hải đăng - Ảnh: Hnica

                               Historic Vietnamese Light House-





American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies
China has begun operating two light houses somewhat similar to the Vietnamese primary seacoast light depicted above in the South China Sea. The Chinese Ministry of Transport recently held completion ceremonies for the 154 ft tall (50 meter)  Huayangand Chigua lighthouses on Huayang Reef in the Spratly Islands according to a news release from the official news agency Xinhua. The Spratly's are also claimed entirely or in part by Taiwan, Malaysia, the Phiippines, Vietnam, and Bruni. In terms of the present International Convention on the law of the sea the Philippines has the best claim on much of the Island chain since it is situated well within the accepted exclusive economic zone  (EEZ) of the Philippines as provided in the convention. Vietnam has a couple of the islands just outside of its 12 mile territorial sea , Taiwan has some reasonable claims, Malaysi and Brunei have arguable claims over some islands near what should be negotiable EEZ boundaries with each other and the Philippines. But the Dragon claims the entire sea and all of its wealth as its exclusive property practically to the South China Sea beach line of the Philippine main Islands.  

 Regional tensions have been rising as the Dragon has become more assertive about its claims to the entire south China Sea. The Philippines and her alley the United states have expressed concern that China's land reclamation claims around reefs and atolls are simply cover for the eventual militarization of such feature to further bully the Dragon's neighbors. As usual the Dragon is unimpressed with either the Philippine military which is fact is beefing up, including with Japanese help, a bit of a surprise given Japan's constitution and the their brutal occupation of the Philippines during WWII. But the Dragon also makes claims on Japanese owned Islands in the East China Sea, so we guess the enemy of my enemy becomes my friend. As usual the Dragon simply laughs at the amateurish actions of the Obama administration. The Dragon clearly hasn't paid the slightest attention to the Obama Administration's call to freeze such activity. 


 The Spratlys with few exceptions are uninhabited and uninhabitable without some very uneconomic engineering which China can afford buts its rival claimant neighbors can not. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea generally provides for a 200 mile from shore line EEZ. China routinely stands armed guard with its coast guard over islands nearly 900 miles from the Chinese mainland. The Dragon claims that the light houses are for aids to navigation purposes and oil spill response equipment staging without mentioning territorial claim issues. However, "effective administration" is the second best claim for sovereignty over disputed territory behind "effective settlement"". The dragon builds light houses, then enforces exclusive fishing rights, then claims exclusive mineral rights despite having much less proximity to the reefs and islands than rival claimants whose rights are supposed to be assured by international convention. Its a skillful use of  "law fare " backed by serious war fare capability. We repeat out usual assertion. The Dragon is a thug state. Interesting first use of light houses as an offenseive weapon in a war of territorial conquest. We are surely living the Chinese curse; "may you live in interesting times". 




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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

THE DRAGON'S "CELESTIAL MILITARY"

China Mulls Space Force In Most Sweeping Military 

                                     Reform Yet                                                  

American Admiralty Books Safety & Privacy Policies
Chinese Astronauts servicing the Shenzou Spacecraft. Image China's Space Agency
             http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201509090065

          FROM THE THE ASAHI SHIMBUN:

        "BEIJING--China may set up what it calls a "celestial military" to boost its 
        capabilities in  strategic space warfare, sources said Sept. 8.
         The space troopers are included in plans to structurally reform the People's 
         Liberation Army to rival the U.S. armed forces.
        The sweeping PLA reboot will be the most significant since the founding of               
        modern   China in 1949 and the aim this time round is quality rather than quantity ..."
         TO READ MORE GO TO: 
      THE ASAHI SHIMBUN:

           
       CHINESE SPACE PROGRAM BOOK SHELF


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Monday, October 19, 2015

AN IDEA FROM RUSSIA FOR BEEFING UP OUR SIXTH FLEET CHEAPLY AND EFFECTIVELY

U.S. OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSEL available in lengths 165' to 295'+
Wikipedia Commons Photo released under  GNU Free Documentation License.
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This tiny Russian warship just shocked the world

Russian Buyan class Missile boat LOA 203 ft.

Updated 5/15/2018

Four ships of Russia's Caspian Sea flotilla, all under 1,000 tons and most under 207 feet in length, performed a combat mission normally associated only with the largest of war ships. The four Russian vessels which we may think of as tiny warships or large patrol boats fired 26 SS-N-30A land attack cruise type missiles at rebel forces in western Syria, more than a thousand miles from the landlocked Caspian Sea.

 According to the Russian Ministry of Defense the ships were Dagestan, Grad Sviyazhsk, Veliky Ustyug, and Uglich. All but the Dagestan are 203 foot missile boats displacing about 950 tons of the Buyan Class. The Dagestan is a 355 foot Gepard -class frigate displacing about 1900 tons.  The missile boats are smaller than some U.S. offshore supply boats. But apparently all are large enough to mount more than one cruise type missile. While the vessels themselves can't exit the Caspian sea obviously the area targeted in Western Syria was within range of their individual missile batteries. Using a long advocated U.S. Navy tactic, the Russians net worked four of their smaller vessels  and loosed a barrage of deadly and destructive missiles accurately at a target over a 1,000 miles away. Russia is the biggest naval power on the Caspian Sea the world's largest landlocked body of water. The Coastlines of the Caspian Sea are shared by  Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.  The naval fleets that are there must be mostly built or assembled on the shoreline and once launched are really unavailable for service anywhere else. However, their recent launch of a networked and coordinated 26 missile barrage to a target a thousand miles distant indicates that their military utility extends far beyond the immediate shores of the Caspian. These tiny war ships are actually very effective warships and there in is a lesson for the U.S. Navy. By contrast the smallest U.S. Navy warship to possess an equivalent weapon, the Tomahawk cruise missile is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer which is over 500 feet in length overall and displaces more than 3,000 tons or nearly three times the size of the largest Russian vessel used in this recent networked missile strike. 

 There has been a debate that has been raging in the pages of the NAVAL INSTITUTE'S PROCEEDINGS and other naval trade journals about "quantity verses quality" for decades. Since the end of WWII the U.S. Navy has been putting its' ship building dollars into nuclear propulsion, and globe circling capable big warships with sophisticated weaponry. The United States has global sea lines of communication to protect, and must have global reach. So our fleet has been constructed so that the capital ships of our Atlantic or Pacific fleets can detach as individual vessels or small flotillas and go join U.S. forces offshore of anywhere in the world. The U.S. Navy is the master of under way replenishment at sea. But something always nags at the mind of real naval thinkers as our ships grew larger and more expensive. Its been said many time in the pages of the U.S. Naval Institute's PROCEEDINGS "quantity often has a quality all its' own" . This is after all the great lesson of the BISMARK . In that pivotal battle of WWII a bunch of relatively small and inexpensive British destroyers ganged up on the "Death star" BISMARK  and put an end to her. The Russian use of networked missile fire from vessels thought too small to warrant such weapons illustrates that the ability to gang up on more expensive vessels is not the only virtue of small inexpensive vessels. The quality that small vessels have is definitely related to their quantity whether "ganging up" on superior war ships or net working to take out over the horizon targets.

 The most obvious case in point where the U.S. could take a cue for the Russian Caspian Sea fleet  is our own phantom Sixth Fleet. Once we had a powerful naval fleet in the Mediterranean and we still do at the moment but the ships actually belong to the Atlantic Fleet and could at any moment need to be deployed elsewhere. The so called sixth fleet now actually only owns a command and control ship based in Italy, and an Admiral and staff. Everything else is now borrowed from the Atlantic Fleet which is also expected to send a portion of its standing force for the "pivot to the Pacific". Who would dare venture an opinion that frightful events in the Mediterranean are about to slow down? We need a standing force in the Mediterranean, one that doesn't leave the area. In these tight budget times perhaps our best bet is to go for some low cost quantity vessels with a mix of innovative but cheap high performance weapons. Used offshore supply boats can be bought by the dozen for less than the cost of a single Arleigh Burke destroyer. Their range is not great but we have plenty of secure fuel in Italy and we could have it in Israel , Perhaps President Trump who appears to be a pragmatist will see fit to consider the basic idea. These offshore supply vessels do have a great deal of compartmentalization that can be retained from their typical below deck liquid cargo tanks for drilling mud. This gives them remarkable survive-ability for their size. The little supply vessels come with comfortable accommodations for a two watch navigation and engineering crew, and extra berthing for ordinance rates that a war ship would need. The little ships are basically designed for an unmanned engine room and some commercially sail with a single "Designated Engineer". Converted to small war ships they would only be expected to conduct short patrols south of the Bosphorus  or offshore of Israel unless called upon to mass forces for a strike similar to what the Russians pulled off with their Caspian fleet. 

 Such commercial conversions could be formidably armed with tripod mounted stinger missiles, normally a soldiers shoulder mounted anti aircraft defense weapon , anti armor weapons mounted piggy back atop 50 cal machine guns as the Coast Guard 82 footers did in Vietnam, and that big roomy aft deck could accommodate land attack missiles or ASW weapons. The crews could live in Greece or Israel, and use commercial facilities, all coordinated by the existing Admiral and staff in Italy. While the shell game will continue with the sixth fleet borrowing from the Atlantic fleet the There will be a big disincentive to redeploy the Sixth Fleet's small warship heart, they simply don't have the range to be globe trotters , this is an inexpensive center piece of a constabulary force. Over time the commercial conversions can be replaced with purpose designed, and purpose built state of the art small war ships, but costs count. If you go small in size you need a low unit cost because you fail to achieve the quality that is an integral part of quantity, if your quantity is small. 

For Additional Reading:
RUSSIA'S EQUIVALENT OF THE U.S. SIXTH FLEET

THE U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER SHELL GAME

http://theweek.com/articles/583294/tiny-russian-warship-just-shocked-world

Sea Power In The Med.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

240 Years of the U.S. Navy Celebrated in Images

Chief Yeoman (F), USNRF during World War I. Painting by Anne Fuller Abbott, 1925. (U.S. Navy Art Collection/Released)
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  This year the U.S. Navy is is 240 years old. The MARITIME EXECUTIVE  offers a great photo album reflecting this history. To view the album simply click on the words MARITIME EXECUTIVE here in the text or if you experience any technical glitches try this url: http://maritime-executive.com/features/us-navy-celebrates-240th-birthday. The photo gallery is well worth the time for any navy member, vet or fan. 

                                                                             
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THE U.S.NAVAL ACADEMY RESUMES CELESTIAL NAVIGATION INSTRUCTION

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"Marine sextant" by Joaquim Alves Gaspar - own image. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marine_sextant.svg#/media/File:Marine_sextant.svg

 At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and all of the state maritime academies celestial navigation is a required subject for all deck officer candidates. In this age of electronic navigation a licensed American Merchant Marine Deck Officer must still master navigation by the stars since it remains a defining part of the Coast Guard administered professional licensing examination. The Merchant Marine industry doesn't fight this requirement despite the fact that they normally utilize far more accurate and less time consuming electronic methods of navigation including the Global Positioning System of low earth orbit satellites. The U.S. Merchant Marine readily acknowledges that electronics can fail, but cargoes must get through regardless. So by definition, instruction, and testing; every unlimited Merchant Marine Deck Officer is a celestial navigator of some reasonable competency.   

 Not so in recent years with Academy trained U.S. Navy commissioned "unlimited line" Officers. The decision to cut celestial navigation out of the curriculum in the late 1990s was met with disbelief by the veteran officers and chiefs. In combat, far more than in the routine movement of commerce, whatever could go wrong was bound to happen eventually and according to "Murphy's law", "at the worst possible moment. The level of acceptable accuracy in non electronic navigation has pretty much always been about 1.5 miles on an ocean crossing and  plus or minus 200 yards in sight of the coast, inaccurate enough to get a competently navigated ship in highly restricted waters in serious trouble. Local knowledge in the form of coastal and harbor pilots helped reduce the negative effects of this less than perfect standard of accuracy. Yet for centuries before electronic navigation, mariners pursued voyages of thousands of miles and routinely arrived at their targeted and intended destination and returned again. 

 War ships intending to put lead on target also largely depended on a manual system of fire control for their main battery naval artillery. A "Mount Captain" supervised the gun crew which typically consisted of a "Pointer" who operated fly wheels to raise the gun barrel up and down and a "Trainer" who used a fly wheel to direct the gun barrel left or right. There were usually also ammunition loaders and passers on these "Crew Served" weapons. The art of such gun control over the centuries of its existence gradually rose to a level that fire control officers, and some cases Gun or Mount Captains, could use geometry to hit targets out of sight and over the horizon. The existence of the "bracket and halving" method of manual fire control tells us that sometimes in the heat of battle, under manual fire control, it took three shots to get the desired effect.

USA 40 mm/56 Quad Mount on USS Hornet CV-12 in 1945 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # 80-G-413915 .


  Navigation and fire control are related in war ships. The 90s were the culmination of decades of development in both. Naval "stand off weapons" no longer depended on "Kentucky windage" and bracket and halving but could be precisely programmed or even accurately guided to target. For the programmed weapons  it was vital that the computerized guidance system had a precise starting point ( the ship's location) before the shot. The old plus or minus 200 yards could result in "collateral damage", tough sledding when facing modern enemies who liked to hide mortars and missiles near prohibited targets like schools and hospitals. So when electronic fire control became dominant, manual navigation and fire control became seemingly irrelevant. The old guard thought this exceptionally short sighted back in the 90s. Today reality dictates a second look at the objections of the old guard. But we think the second look now in progress back at the academy is only half the effort needed. We have to bring back more widespread knowledge of manual fire control to both the unrestricted commissioned line officer community and to the boatswain's mate and gunners mate petty officer communities. Why? In two words "THE SOFT KILL".

All of the modern navigation and fire control equipment operates in the "electromagnetic spectrum". Entire satellite constellations can be rendered inoperative without the use of kinetic energy weapons doing physical damage.  Anything computerized can be hacked. A sexton or paper chart can't be hacked. Lose your GPS system and you can still get your ship on combat station. So the return of a short celestial navigation introductory course to the Naval Academy is one step in the right direction. However if your modern or near future war ship can't aim and fire its weapons without electronic fire control systems, what did our war ship crew accomplish by getting on station? How many missile systems come with hand cranks and leavers that can point and train the missile with no electricity. How will the future "rail gun" (electromagnetic pulse firing projectile) be fitted for fire control? Will any of our officers or fire control ratings be sufficiently trained in the geometry of "plunging fire" to take the known range of one of these modern weapons and the distance and direction of the intended target and come up with an elevation and train that can be hand cranked into the weapon system and deliver the fire power to the target plus or minus 200 yards?

The MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS - pronounced "sea-whiz") is a fast-reaction, rapid-fire 20-millimeter gun system. Must we lose the ability to visually aim and fire the available rounds because we lost electricity? 

 We propose that if a war ship sets out on a mission and suffers a "soft kill" of its electronic systems, if it has the ability to navigate and control fire to the "manual standard of plus or minus 200 yards  the crew is justified in conducting combat operations and the nation that soft killed the ship's electronics is responsible for the increase in collateral damage, especially if they are deliberately locating fighting positions near prohibited targets under the law of armed conflict. 

 So to today's Naval Academy powers that be we, the "old guard", say congratulations for bringing back some celestial navigation but that isn't nearly far enough. Line officers should be masters of both celestial navigation and manual fire control geometry.  Acquisition programs should always include a requirement for manual pointing, training, and firing of any weapon. Naval tradition requires us to fight with a wounded ship, why should loss of electricity or even just artificially rendered inaccurate electronics cause us to abandon a mission and limp back to home port? With some skilled math and a bit of back and arm strength applied to fly wheels and leavers we should be able to aim and fire anything the designers put on our ships.  Redevelop this capacity place the responsibility for reduced accuracy and resulting increased collateral damage squarely on those who extend warfare into the electromagnetic spectrum. Few enemies will spend a fortune on soft kill technology if an electromagnetic casualty doesn't stop a warships transit to station or its ability to fire shots. Let's get this idea into our designs and into our naval training classrooms. 

Johnas Presbyter , Editor



 Celestial Navigation In The GPS Age        Common sense Celestial Navigation.
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