Petty Officer Cruel Kev's Blog to honor our Sailors, Mariners, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Airmen & Soldiers of the United States as well as Sailors & Mariners World wide.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Naval Academy Graduated Middie Mom-To-Be
In what may be a first, the U.S. Naval Academy graduated a pregnant midshipman on May 22, a move that ran contrary to policy that middies not marry or begin a family while attending the school. The academy, citing medical privacy, will not identify the woman, who received her commission and is now a Navy officer, according to Joe Carpenter, an academy spokesman. “Initial duty assignments are the responsibility of the Navy,” Carpenter said in an email to Military.com. “For reasons of privacy, it would be inappropriate for the Naval Academy to discuss the details of this individual’s service assignment.” Carpenter did not say how far along in her pregnancy the woman was at the time of graduation, but said the academy became aware of the midshipman’s pregnancy in early May. According to the academy’s Midshipman Regulations Manual, a midshipman who becomes pregnant and chooses not to resign will be allowed to take a leave of absence for no more than one year. Those who become pregnant but do not resign or request the leave will be separated, the manual states.The same rules also apply to a midshipman who “incurs the obligations of parenthood,” so that a male midshipman would face the same choices. In this case, however, after the academy determined the midshipman would not be eligible to graduate and be commissioned, the woman submitted a waiver asking to be exempted from the policy, according to Carpenter. “That request was evaluated through the chain of command,” he said. “[Defense Department] and Navy leadership approved the midshipman’s request for waiver.” Carpenter said he did not know if there have been other instances of Annapolis graduating pregnant midshipmen. More than a decade ago, in what was then seen as a “softening” of Naval Academy regulations, midshipmen facing parenthood could request returning to the school after a one-year leave of absence if they gave up the child for adoption, according to a November 1995 Washington Post report. Before then, the report stated, female midshipmen had to choose between expulsion or having an abortion. Male midshipmen would have to deny paternity in order to remain at the school.
The keel has been laid for the Navy’s newest large-deck amphibious assault ship, three years after the contract to build it was announced. At a ceremony officials described it as a centerpiece for the Navy. Irwin Edenzon, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast, said the LHA 6 class will replace the aging Tarawa class of ships.
USS America (LHA-6)
He says this ship, the USS America, is scheduled for completion in 2013. He says it will be much like the recently delivered Makin Island, but will have more space for aviation components instead of a well deck for storing smaller vessels.
The Chinese merchant vessel, Asian Forest — abandoned by its crew off Mangalore coast when it listed on Saturday afternoon — has sunk. It sank about 6 nautical miles (11 km) southwest of the New Mangalore Port. The Coast Guard sources said the officials in its fast patrol vessel, Kasturba Gandhi, who had kept a watch since Saturday night, had reported that it had submerged fully.Braving the rough weather, four Coast Guard officials continued to keep vigil around the area where it sank to see whether there was any leakage of fuel from the ship. Since the ships carried heavy load of fuel, any leak could harm undersea life and ecosystem besides posing health hazard to people along the nearby coast.
Qatar Police Officers’ Children Get Joy Ride On Coast Guard Patrol Boat
The Qatar Police Sports Federation organised a programme of events for children of police officers. They were taken on field trips to various public and private organisations. Over the last week, children aged between six and twelve, visited the headquarters of the Internal Security Force (Lekhoya), the Coasts and Borders Security Department, City Center and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel.The children were met by Lieutenant Khalid Mohamed al-Kubaisi at Lekhoya, where they were shown a documentary about the department’s work and were given a tour of vehicles, equipment and also shown police dogs. Children also joined the coastguard on a sea cruise before they visited City Center to participate in an ice-skating session. At Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, they visited a studio and learnt about creating television programmes. The programme will continue with sessions featuring other sports, cultural, recreational and educational courses such as swimming, judo, taekwondo, and other activities.
A Chinese ship carrying iron ore to China from New Mangalore Port today reported a distress call following bad weather. The ship was tilting over 30 degrees by evening and it might be matter of time before it capsizes. All the 18 crew members have been rescued including the captain Yang Seng Yang. According to the captain the ship MV Asian Forest was carrying 13,500 tonnes of iron ore to China and had departed New Mangalore Port on 17th morning, but when they reached some 30 nautical miles into the sea the ship had started listing (tilting) they immediately radioed back the port that they were coming back for correction of the listing. But when they were 7 nautical miles from the port the ship had already listed 28 degrees which was beyond correction at that point. The captain then sent an SOS to the port. The Coast Guard was alerted and immediately the coast guard ship went to the spot and evacuated five crew members including the captain while the other crew had managed to lower the life boats and arrive at the new Mangalore port. The ship was precariously poised even when this report was filed.According to the port officials the Hong Kong registered ship had been in the anchorrage for seven days after arriving from China on 7 July and had berthed at the port only on 14 July. After loading cargo, it had set sail on Friday morning. Later speaking to the presspersons the captain of the ship said we knew about the listing of the ship right from the first degree but the turning around at 30 nautical miles was not easy and it took away so much precious time. We investigated into the reason for listing and found out that the iron ore had inadvertently gathered some water due to the excessive rains during the berthing which had caused the tilting of the ship when it reached into the sea.The owners of the ship have already informed the slavers and a representative of the insurance company was already in Mangalore and was assessing the situation. The insurers have also claimed that the cargo and the ship will be salvaged to the extent possible and if possible the ship will also be corrected for its listing. The Coast guard had evacuated the captain and five other crew while 12 others took the life boat of the ship under the order of the captain and arrived at the new Mangalore Port. It can be recalled that Erithrian ship Den Den capsized off the Thannirbavi coast which claimed three lives while 21 sailors were rescued. In the second incident, Cheng Le Men, which was carrying iron ore to China had listed off the port after it left the port in September 2007.
A Dubai-bound commercial ship with 11 crew members, including six Indians, on board today ran aground off the Karwar coast. The ship travelling from Malaysia to Dubai was carrying 10 crew members, including six Indians, three Iranains and a Siberian national, in addition to the captain, Karwar Port Director Mohan Raj Gatta said.The authorities deployed tugs and launched operations to rescue the crew, he said.The ship M B Shaheen, carrying fuel and lubricant oil, is owned by Five Flower Trading Company of Obalali state of Dubai, Gatta said.
Somali pirates have abandoned an Indian ship after using it to attack an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. A European Union anti-piracy force said pirates who hijacked the Indian dhow earlier this week abandoned the ship Wednesday and left its 14 crew members unharmed. Naval officials said the pirates left the ship about 24 kilometers off the Somali coast. After hijacking the Indian dhow, the pirates used the ship in a failed attack on a Liberian-flagged supertanker on MondayThe EU naval force said one of its helicopters helped stop the attack. Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the last two years, often receiving ransom payments of more than a million dollars for a ship's release. The United States, China, NATO and other world powers are conducting naval patrols off the Somali coast in an effort to protect commercial shipping. The hijackings have tailed off in recent weeks because of monsoon rains in the Gulf of Aden and eastern Indian Ocean.
A proposed ban on tobacco would end sales on U.S. military bases and prohibit uniformed soldiers from smoking, even in combat, authorities said. The ban was proposed in a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, USA Today reported. The study, which recommends phasing out tobacco products during a 5- to 10-year period, said tobacco use impairs military readiness and can cause lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, CNN reported Sunday.While any final decision rests with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, many in uniform would oppose such a ban, said retired Gen. Russel Honore, known for his ever-present cigar when he coordinated military relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. "When you're tired and you've been going days on end with minimum sleep, and you are not getting the proper meals on time, that hit of tobacco can make a difference," Honore said. One in three U.S. service members uses tobacco, compared with one in five adult Americans overall, the VA said, noting combat veterans are 50 percent more likely to use tobacco than soldiers who haven't seen combat.
A body believed to be that of a missing Gibraltar fisherman was found in the cabin of his capsized boat today on the Detroit River near Lake Erie, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. "(The capsized boat) was found about 10:30-11 p.m. last night about 11 miles off Sterling State Park in Canadian waters," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty officer Ryan Alexander.A dive team discovered a body inside the cabin. The 47-year-old Gibraltar man was reported missing by family members Monday when he didn't return home from a fishing trip the day before, he said. The Coast Guard units at Belle Isle and Toledo began a search with air support from Detroit. The Ontario Provincial Police, which assisted in the search, are investigating. The man has not been identified.
A US warship arrived in Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi Tuesday for the first joint exercises between the two countries since the former Soviet republic's war with giant neighbour Russia. Georgian coastguard personnel and locals welcomed the USS Stout crew at the Batumi pier at a ceremony including traditional Georgian folk dances, an news correspondent reported. The joint exercises with the Georgian coastguard were to begin on Wednesday. While the exercises are with the coastguard -- part of the interior ministry and not the Georgian military -- the manoeuvres risk further inflaming resurgent tensions with Russia. US warships made frequent calls to Batumi in the aftermath of the August war with Russia but this the first time since then that the United States and the small pro-Western state have held a joint exercise. Russia has repeatedly questioned the need for such port calls, questioning Washington's motives for sending battleships into the Black Sea.
A Georgian policeman stands by the USS Stout
Georgian officials said that the exercises would involve fire-fighting practice and similar moves but emphasized there would no firing. "US Navy regular visits to the Black Sea demonstrate the US commitment to Black Sea regional stability and maritime security," the US embassy to Georgia said in a statement. USS Stout Commander Marc Oberley told journalists: "This visit and the combined training demonstrate US and Georgian commitment to work together, to cooperate and maintain a maritime security." The exercises "will develop all the participants' ability to operate with each other and ensure a safe maritime environment," he added. Georgia and Russia remain at loggerheads over Moscow's recognition last year of its breakaway regions as independent and tensions have increased over the last weeks as Russia held war games close to Georgia. On Monday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili slammed a visit by his Russia counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia as "one of the most shameful pages in Russia's history".
The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) July 10 from General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works (BIW) during a ceremony in Bath, Maine. Wayne E. Meyer is the 56th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and carries the 100th Aegis Combat System. The ship completed a combined builder's and acceptance super trial June 12 after spending four days at sea off the coast of Maine. "The ship performed well for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey," said Capt. Pete Lyle, DDG 51 class program manager in the Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships (PEO Ships). "Our industry partners continue to deliver the highest quality assets to our warfighters. These ships are a perfect example of the cost and schedule efficiencies realized from steady-state production in shipbuilding." The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Wayne E. Meyer will be capable of fighting air, surface and sub-surface battles simultaneously and possesses multiple offensive and defensive weapons systems designed to support maritime warfare.Designated DDG 108, the new destroyer honors retired Navy Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, who led the development of the Aegis combat system for the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. In 1963, then-Secretary of the Navy Fred Korth chose Meyer to lead a special task force for surface guided missiles. Meyer turned down a destroyer command to continue his work with missile, radar and fire control systems. His experience laid the groundwork for the success of a prototype Aegis radar weapons control system in 1974. Meyer served as the Aegis program manager 1975-1983. The future Wayne E. Meyer is scheduled to be commissioned this fall in Philadelphia, Pa. PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships and is currently managing the design and construction of a wide range of ship classes and small boats and craft. These platforms range from major warships such as frontline surface combatants and amphibious assault ships to air-cushioned landing craft, oceanographic research ships and special warfare craft. PEO Ships has delivered 32 major warships and hundreds of small boats and craft from more than 30 shipyards and boat builders across the United States.
The keel for the future littoral combat ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), will be laid July 11 during a ceremony at Marinette Marine Shipyard in Marinette, Wisc. Keel-laying has traditionally been the first step in ship construction, when shipbuilders laid down the lengthwise timber that would become the ship's backbone. During the scheduled event, a shipyard welder will attach the future ship's plaque to the keel, and U.S. Rep. Kay Granger will confirm that the keel was laid "straight and true." "Starting construction on the third ship is an exciting milestone to reach," said Capt. Jim Murdoch, LCS program manager within the Navy's Program Executive Office, Ships. "Reaching the Navy's goal of a 55-ship class depends on getting LCS into serial production, which will lead to high quality ships being delivered to the fleet on cost and on schedule." LCS is a new breed of U.S. Navy warship, capable of open-ocean operation but optimized for littoral or coastal missions. Operational experience and analyses indicate that potential adversaries will employ asymmetric means to deny U.S. and allied forces access into critical coastal regions, such as strategic chokepoints and vital economic sea lanes. LCS is specifically designed to defeat such "anti-access" threats, which include fast surface craft, quiet diesel submarines and various types of mines.Fort Worth is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2012, when she will join sister ships USS Freedom (LCS 1) and USS Independence (LCS 2). Freedom was commissioned by the Navy in November 2008. Independence is currently undergoing builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy later this year. A contract was awarded to General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works in May for the construction of LCS 4, the future USS Coronado. The future USS Fort Worth, named in honor of the Texas city, will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons and will make speed in excess of 40 knots. PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships and is currently managing the design and construction of a wide range of ship classes and small boats and craft. These platforms range from major warships such as frontline surface combatants and amphibious assault ships to air-cushioned landing craft, oceanographic research ships and special warfare craft. PEO Ships has delivered 31 major warships and hundreds of small boats and craft from more than 30 shipyards and boat builders across the United States.
Mich. Man Killed, 2 Hurt When Boat Hits Steel Pier
Monroe police say a boat veered into an old steel pier on the River Raisin, killing a 28-year-old Brighton man died and injuring 2 of his passengers. Police say the collision sheared off the windshield and threw the man from the boat. Deputies found the man's body about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, nearly three hours after the crash. 1 of the three passengers still aboard stopped the boat. Two passengers received minor injuries and were taken to Mercy Memorial Hospital in Monroe. Police on Sunday were not releasing the names of any of the victims. Brighton is about 35 miles northwest of Detroit and about 45 miles northwest of Monroe.
Freighter Freed After Being Stuck On Great Barrier Reef
This is the first picture of the ship which ran aground on Inset Reef, 600km north of Cairns. The Sattha, now anchored at Horn Island and under investigation by Marine Safety Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, was stranded on the reef for about 24 hours before a high tide managed to free it last weekend. Mystery surrounds the reasons why the 40m-long, ex-coastal freighter is under investigation with MSQ again declining to provide details when contacted by reporters.
The Sattha, stuck on the Great Barrier Reef off Cairns last weekend.
It is understood the boat was involved in a near collision after it was freed from the reef and steamed toward Horn Island. The ship left Cairns bound for Papua New Guinea late last week but ran aground on Inset Reef, near Piper Reef about 600km north of Cairns on Saturday afternoon. The boat’s crew managed to free it from the reef on Sunday but it is now anchored at Horn Island. A GBRMPA spokeswoman confirmed the agency was looking at possible damage caused to Inset Reef by the grounding.
The first women to fly U.S. military aircraft will be given gold medals to honor their service to the country under a bill signed Wednesday by President Obama. About 300 of the 1,000 or so women who were members of the World War II-era Women Air force Service Pilots -- WASPs for short -- are still alive to receive their Congressional Gold Medals. The rest will go to the pilots' families. Created during World War II, the all-women unit's primary mission was flying non-combat military missions in the United States to free up their male counterparts for combat. They flew virtually every type of U.S. military aircraft that existed at the time."The Women Air force Service Pilots courageously answered their country's call in a time of need while blazing a trail for the brave women who have given and continue to give so much in service to this nation since," Obama said at the bill signing. "Every American should be grateful for their service, and I am honored to sign this bill to finally give them some of the hard-earned recognition they deserve." Thirty-eight of the WASP pilots died while performing their missions. But it wasn't until 1977 the WASPs were afforded veteran status. Joining Obama at the signing was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who helped shepherd the bill through Congress, three WASP members -- Elaine Danforth Harmon, Lorraine H. Rodgers and Bernice Falk Haydu -- and five female active duty U.S. Air Force pilots.
About 150 people have fallen ill aboard a cruise ship berthed in Scotland following a suspected outbreak of the vomit-inducing norovirus, health officials said. A 74-year-old English man has also died on board the Marco Polo, which is berthed near Invergordon in northeastern Scotland, but the ship's operators said his death was unrelated to the outbreak. Two people have been hospitalised and the others are being treated on board, according to Ken Oates, the local National Health Service (NHS) director of public health. "NHS Highland can confirm that around 150 people on board a cruise ship docked at Invergordon have become unwell with suspected norovirus," he said. "The Marco Polo docked today. This evening two people have been admitted to Raigmore Hospital who are showing symptoms of norovirus."Germany-based operators Transocean Tours said the man's death earlier on Monday was unrelated to the outbreak, saying he had chronic heart and breathing problems and "suffered a fatal heart attack on board ship". It said 769 passengers and 340 crew were on the Marco Polo and its medical team had reported that 54 passengers and 21 crew "have an unconfirmed virus that causes a form of gastroenteritis". Norovirus is highly contagious and induces vomiting and diarrhoea. It affects between 600,000 and one million people in Britain each year and outbreaks are common within contained environments. Passengers on the world-famous Queen Elizabeth II luxury liner were struck by an outbreak in 2007.
Australian Sailors Competed For Sex With Female Colleagues
Australian sailors on board the navy’s largest ship, are said to have competed with each other in a “sex game” to bed their female colleagues for cash prizes, prompting the government to launch a probe. According to a news report on ‘Channel Seven’, sailors on board ‘HMAS Success’ put a cash value on each woman’s head, and sleeping with a female officer or a lesbian, or having sex in a strange place, as on top of a pool table, won more money. The sailors have detailed their sex contest in a book they called ‘The Ledger’, which came to light in May, when the vessel was in Singapore. The ship captain ordered the sailors involved immediately to return home after they were formally interviewed, the report said. The Australian navy has now launched a probe into the claims, with the country’s deputy PM calling for a full investigation into the affair so that women wouldn’t feel excluded from joining the military.
HMAS Success (AOR 304)
“Obviously this is a matter for our defence forces to deal with and to fully investigate. As a nation, we have been saying for a long period of time we want men and women to be able to join the army, the navy, the air force and to have good careers in it. “We don’t want to see anything that precludes women from having a good career in our armed forces if that’s what they choose to do with their lives,” deputy PM Julia Gillard told reporters. “In the first instance we need our defence hierarchy to get on with the job of investigating these claims and taking appropriate action,” Gillard said. The defence department said in a statement, “The individuals were removed from ship after an equity and diversity health check, which led to a formal inquiry being initiated.”
On board a German ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in April have no more water, food or medicine, a German weekly reported. The 20,000-ton container vessel, Hansa Stavanger, was captured about 640 kilometers off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4. "We just cannot carry on," the captain wrote in an e-mail to his wife on Friday, the first sign of life in over three weeks, Der Spiegel magazine reported. "We have no water, no food and no medicine," he wrote. The Hamburg shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg that owns the Hansa Stavanger was not available to comment on the authenticity of the e-mails.
Hansa Stavanger
Piracy has flourished recently off the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes and seaborne gangs have seized several cargo ships and collected tens of millions of dollars in ransom for the safe release of crews and cargoes. The captain of the Hansa Stavanger wrote in one e-mail that the pirates threatened to kill the crew. "They put tape over my eyes and dragged me onto the deck ... They shouted and sent bullets flying close next to my head." Five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians, and 14 Filippinos are believed to be on board the ship. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said a crisis management team was working with Leonhardt & Blumberg on a solution.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West released the following Independence Day message to the fleet June 29. "Shipmates and Navy Families, As we celebrate this great nation's birthday I'd like you to take a moment and consider your role in preserving the ideals the United States was founded upon. No matter the platform on which you serve, the community to which you belong or the rating that identifies your skill set, you are all patriots in defense of liberty and protectors of our independence. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for the honor to serve among you. It really hits home, though, during holidays like these when we are reminded of what this country stands for. Independence Day is a time to celebrate the freedoms we hold dear and to honor those who have protected them for 233 years. For your part in that, I say thank you.I also ask that while you celebrate our nation's birthday you keep in mind those who are deployed protecting what we are celebrating. Additionally I ask you keep another item at the forefront and that is safety. Use common sense on our nation's freeways and take every possible precaution (including watching out for others) whether you're driving, riding a motorcycle, on the water or staying at home with fireworks and barbecue. I expect safety to be a primary discussion point now and every day leading up to the holiday weekend. Awareness and caution should be the watchwords of every Sailor and Navy family member. Enjoy your holiday, shipmates. No matter where you are, on or below the world's seas and oceans, in the air or boots on ground, I hope you get to spend at least a few moments celebrating the 4th of July. Stay safe and continue to take care of one another. Thanks for what you do in defense of this incredible country of ours. Stay focused; stay alert and stay safe, HOOYAH!"
The Norfolk coastguard has co-ordinated the rescue of a 57-year-old passenger taken ill on a cruise liner. The man was taken seriously ill on Tuesday on the P&O cruise ship Ventura which was in North Sea travelling to Southampton.
P&O Ventura
An RAF rescue helicopter from Leconfield, Yorkshire, and the Cromer lifeboat went to the ship and the man was winched from the deck. He was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for treatment.
Somali pirates released on Sunday the crew of the Pompei, a Belgian dredging vessel captured in mid-April, Belgian authorities said. The vessel was seized en route to the Seychelles with 10 crew on board. Pirate sources had said five days ago they were on the verge of releasing it after a ransom of $2.8 million was agreed. Last week Somali pirates freed Dutch freighter, the Marathon. However, one of the Ukrainian crew was shot dead by the pirates, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. Here are details of some ships believed to be under pirate control and some facts about the increase in piracy:JAIKUR-I: Seized Oct. 2, 2008 - The 21,040-tonne general cargo ship was detained after a dispute with the owners over damaged cargo. Most of the 21 crew were released last month.
MASINDRA 7: Seized on Dec. 16, 2008. The Malaysian-owned tugboat, was seized with a barge off the Yemeni coast. The tug has about 11 Indonesian crew.
SERENITY: The catamaran sailing for Madagascar from the Seychelles with three people aboard, was seized in March 2009.
INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009. The 35-metre boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates about 12 passengers. Pirates said on June 22 they had freed the seven crew.
HANSA STAVANGER: Seized April 4, 2009. The 20,000-tonne German container vessel was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu, between the Seychelles and Kenya. The vessel had a German captain and three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos on board.
WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized April 6, 2009.
SHUGAA-AL-MADHI: Seized April 9, 2009, the fishing boat had 13 crew.
MOMTAZ 1: Seized April 10, 2009. The Egyptian fishing vessel was detained with 18 crew.
BUCCANEER: Seized April 11, 2009. The Italian tugboat, owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors, was carrying 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian, and was seized towing two barges while travelling westbound through the Gulf of Aden.
IRENE E.M.: Seized April 14, 2009. The St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. Its Filipino crew of 22 was unharmed.
POMPEI: Seized April 18, 2009. The Belgian dredging vessel and its 10 crew were hijacked about 370 miles from the Somali coast en route to the Seychelles. It had two Belgians, four Croatians, one Dutchman and three Filipinos on board. The crew were released on Sunday.
ARIANA: Seized May 2, 2009. The Ariana was seized north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East from Brazil. The 24-strong Ukrainian crew were said to be unhurt. The ship, flying a Maltese flag, belongs to All Oceans shipping in Greece. A Ukrainian ship was hijacked on the same day in the Indian Ocean with a cargo including U.N. vehicles. Maritime officials were unable to confirm this seizure.
VICTORIA: Seized on May 5, 2009. The Antigua and Barbuda- flagged cargo vessel was hijacked by eight pirates in the Gulf of Aden on its way to the port of Jeddah. The 146-metre ship had a crew of 10.
CHARELLE: Seized on June 12, 2009. The 2,800-tonne cargo ship carrying about nine crew, was attacked 60 miles south of Oman. Lloyds reported the vessel was owned by shipping firm Tarmstedt International.
PIRACY KEY FACTS:
-- In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide, 11 percent up on the year before. Attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden almost trebled.
-- In 2008, there were 111 incidents including 42 vessels hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. So far in 2009, there have been 31 successful hijackings from 143 attempted attacks. -- Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.
Thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops moved into Taliban-infested villages with armor and helicopters Wednesday evening in the first major operation under President Barack Obama's revamped strategy to stabilize Afghanistan. The offensive in the once-forgotten war was launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday local time in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold in the southern part of the country. The goal is to clear insurgents from the hotly contested Helmand River Valley before the nation's Aug. 20 presidential election. Dubbed Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," the military push was described by officials as the largest and fastest-moving of the war's new phase. British forces last week led similar missions to fight and clear out insurgents in Helmand and neighboring Kandahar provinces. "Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces," Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson said in a statement. Southern Afghanistan is a Taliban stronghold but also a region where Afghan President Hamid Karzai is seeking votes from fellow Pashtun tribesmen. The Pentagon is deploying 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in time for the elections and expects the total number of U.S. forces there to reach 68,000 by year's end. That is double the number of troops in Afghanistan in 2008, but still half of much as are now in Iraq. The Taliban who ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 and were ousted from power following a U.S.-led invasion, have made a violent comeback, wreaking havoc in much of the country's south and east forcing the United States to pour in the new troops. Capt. Bill Pelletier, a spokesman for the Marines said the troops involved in the Thursday operation were sent in by a mixture of aircraft and ground transport under the cover of darkness.The operation is aimed at putting pressure on insurgents, "and to show our commitment to the Afghan people that when we come in we are going to stay long enough to set up their own institutions," Pelletier said. Reversing the insurgency's momentum has been one of the key components of the new U.S. strategy, and thousands of additional troops allow commanders to push and stay into areas where international and Afghan troops had no permanent presence before. While Marine troops were the bulk of the force, recently arrived U.S. Army helicopters were also taking part in the operation in Helmand province. In March, Obama unveiled his strategy for Afghanistan, seeking to defeat al-Qaida terrorists there and in Pakistan with a bigger force and a new commander. Taliban and other extremists, including those allied with al-Qaida, routinely cross the two nations' border in Afghanistan's remote south. The governor of Helmand province predicted the operation would be "very effective." "The security forces will build bases to provide security for the local people so that they can carry out every activity with this favorable background, and take their lives forward in peace," Gov. Gulab Mangal said in a Pentagon news release. Obama's strategy aims to boost the size of the Afghan army from 80,000 to 134,000 troops by 2011 - and greatly increase training by U.S. troops accompanying them - so the Afghan military can defeat Taliban insurgents and take control of the war. The White House also is pushing forces to set clear goals for a war gone awry, to get the American people behind them, to provide more resources and to make a better case for international support. There is no timetable for withdrawal, and the White House has not estimated how many billions of dollars its plan will cost.
According to the wires, at 7:13pm, a Staten Island ferry experienced a "hard docking" with "several injuries" at the St. George Terminal in Staten Island. No one was seen in the water, and the ferry regained power and was able to pull in to the berth. The Fire Department is calling all hands, and 750 people are being evacuated from the ferry. More details as we get them.
A North Korean ship tracked by the US Navy and suspected of transporting weapons or military know-how in violation of UN sanctions has turned around, a Pentagon official said. The official declined to provide details, including where the Kang Nam 1 ship - reportedly originally bound for Myanmar - could now be headed, but news reports out of South Korea suggested the ship may be returning home two weeks after it set sail June 17. A diplomatic source speaking on condition of anonymity told the Korea Herald that the ship was "near our waters," which could suggest that sanctions were having an effect on reclusive North Korea. "If the ship is on its way back, it would mean that Resolution 1874 is taking effect and causing the North to retreat," Kim Tae-woo, vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told the newspaper.The Kang Nam 1 quickly drew the attention of the US military under new UN sanctions designed to punish Pyongyang over its May 25 underground nuclear test. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, confirmed Sunday that the United States was tracking the cargo ship. "Obviously we're pursuing and following the progress of that ship very closely," she told reporters. "I'm not going to get into our operational details or what we might actually do on the high seas, if anything, or what allies and partners in the region might do." UN Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in response to the May 25 nuclear test, calls for beefed up inspections of air, sea and land shipments going to and from North Korea, and an expanded arms embargo. But a senior US lawmaker, Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, last week said the resolution had "serious limitations" because it rules out the use of military force to back up the searches.
Israeli Navy Takes Control Of Activist Ship To Gaza
Israel’s Navy seized a Greek-registered passenger ferry carrying 21 peace activists and humanitarian goods plying international waters 24 nautical miles off the Gaza coast. Israeli sailors boarded the vessel in the afternoon and ordered its crew to sail to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod. The Cyprus-based Free Gaza movement which organised the voyage said the vessel, dubbed the Spirit of Humanity, had been shadowed by sometimes two, sometimes six Israeli warships, before being forced off its Larnaca- to-Gaza course. The boat’s navigation and communications systems were inoperative for several hours, compelling the British captain to rely on traditional navigational instruments. Passengers said the Israeli navy threatened to open fire if they did return to Cyprus. Those on board included Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairéad Maguire, former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and activists from Bahrain, Britain, the US, Jamaica and the Palestinian territories.Ms Maguire said US president Barack Obama “has called upon the Palestinians to abandon violence, but is denying them the right to non-violently resist the siege of Gaza”. First mate Derek Graham, an electrician from Co Mayo, has served on the five successful crossings attempted by the movement. The last three were interdicted by the Israeli navy. The Dignity, a yacht that made the journey to Gaza twice, was rammed by the Israelis last December and eventually sank in port. Mr Graham’s wife, Jenny, said the crew and passengers were expected to be taken from Ashdod to holding cells at Ben Gurion airport until they are processed for deportation. She has been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. The ferry was carrying three tonnes of medical supplies, toys and tool kits for Gazans deprived of basic supplies by Israel’s blockade. Israel has said the aid will be delivered to Gaza after inspection.
The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is now authorized for wear off-base, during routine stops and at eating establishments during the prescribed workday. In NAVADMIN 188/09, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. Gary Roughead, expanded the occasion for wear policy, which has been in place for six months. Roughead consistently stated that the possibility for changing the policy hinged upon a timetable driven by the Navy's chiefs' mess. Once the leadership mess provided feedback to Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick West, indicating that Sailors across the Navy understood the correct manner to wear the uniform, it was understood that he would recommend to CNO and Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP), Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson, when the time was right to allow the uniform off base. According to West, that time is now. "Communication from the Force and Fleet Master Chiefs has been unanimously positive. Our Sailors are ready to introduce this uniform to the American public," said West. "That's what CNO was waiting for and this decision is a direct result of chief petty officer (CPO) feedback. It's been sincerely gratifying to be able to watch this process work as well as it has." The policy differs from the language in NAVADMIN 343/08 in that, up to now, routine stops were not allowed. That meant Sailors were prohibited from visits to child care centers, gas stations, brief stops at convenience stores or banks. Now those stops are authorized. "Our Sailors are proud of this uniform," said MCPON. "This has been the number one feedback item from the fleet since I took office, (Dec. 12, 2008) and they have not been shy about their wishes to wear this uniform in town. Our Sailors have been trained to wear it and will wear it proudly." West underscored the importance of waiting for the right time to open up the occasion for wear policy. He said that while many wondered why the original wear policy was put in place, it was important to ensure every Sailor knew how to wear it before allowing it outside the lifelines of ships and bases. He also said he kept a close eye on various regions to see how aggressive leadership was in training the fleet to wear the NWU."I watched Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and I saw how the chiefs in that region were engaged in getting this right from day one. The training was consistent and it was effective. They deserve a lot of credit for the expanded policy, because they did it the right way in the largest fleet concentration area. Leaderships engagement coupled with Sailor feedback was what drove this recommendation (to expand the policy) to CNP and CNO." The revision includes aligning the NWU and Camouflage Utility Uniforms (CUUs) occasion for wear policies and offers more flexibility than the rules governing the wear of other working uniforms. The transition to the NWU will continue as stipulated in NAVADMIN 343/08. Multiple regions across the United States and overseas are still not wearing the NWU due to distribution constraints, so West pointed out that the manner of wear policy is even more critical now as Sailors transfer to those areas. Leadership (CO/CMC) has been authorized to wear the NWU since December and should already be wearing it in the areas where Sailors will soon be showing up. "We have people rolling from one region to another and coming from boot camp, wearing the NWU. I'm looking to them as the Sailors who are going to meet the standards as set forth in the NAVADMIN and the Uniform Regulations, but more importantly, I expect the CPO mess to maintain the standards expected of our high caliber Sailors," said West. The NAVADMIN also states that wear of the NWU/CUU will be restricted inside the National Capital Region (NCR). Navy personnel on staffs located in or visiting the NCR will not be able to wear the NWU or CCU as their uniform of the day. Commanders, according to the message, may prescribe the NWU/CUU for those Sailors in the NCR requiring that uniform for work that would soil the uniform of the day. "I look forward to seeing the public's reaction to our new uniform," said West. "And I know our Sailors are eager to get out there and show it off."
A North Korean patrol boat tows another in flames. The latter was shot by the South Korean Navy when the two Koreas clashed in the Yellow Sea in 2002. This picture was taken by Lt. Choo Seong-hoon aboard a South Korean patrol boat on June 29, 2002, and released by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on July 2 the same year.
Plastiki Ship Made Of Bottles To Sail Pacific On Voyage Highlighting The Perils Of Plastic
You've heard of a ship in a bottle. How about a ship made of plastic bottles? That would be the Plastiki, designed to sail the Pacific on an 11,000-mile voyage highlighting the dangers of living in a throwaway world. "Waste is fundamentally a design flaw. We wanted to design a vessel that would epitomize waste being used as a resource," said expedition leader David de Rothschild. The boat is named in honor of the 1947 Kon-Tiki raft sailed across the Pacific by explorer Thor Heyerdahl, an ocean adventure that inspired de Rothschild. There's a bit more of a tie-in. One of the Plastiki team members is Josian Heyerdahl, the explorer's granddaughter. An environmental scientist who works on business sustainability issues, Heyerdahl, 25, became part of the project after reading about it and introducing herself to de Rothschild. She's enthusiastic about the idea of using adventure to engage people's attention in rethinking trash. "I've witnessed firsthand how the story of the Kon-Tiki and other adventure stories have really inspired people to take on tasks that they thought were somewhat impossible or inspired them to do something that they really believed in," she said. Plans are for skipper Jo Royle and de Rothschild to sail the whole way from California to Australia, while other crew members will rotate. Heyerdahl plans to join the boat for the last leg of the journey as the Plastiki heads toward Sydney Harbor. Turning thousands of reclaimed 2-liter bottles into a sailing vessel isn't a simple task. The launch date, which had been scheduled earlier this year, had to be pushed back to late this year because of the challenges of working with a new material. The Plastiki is planned as a 60-foot catamaran with the hulls made of a rigid plastic structure forming compartments in which about 10,000 empty bottles are stacked to make it float. Project manager Matthew Grey said the hulls are partially completed and the next step is bonding the various elements of the boat together.Just how much longer it will take to complete the catamaran is uncertain, he said, because "we are dealing on a daily basis with so many unknowns." On Friday, the Plastiki team plans to announce a partnership with Hewlett-Packard Co., which is providing technology for the voyage as well as the Plastiki Mission Control Center at Pier 45. At the center, there will be a number of interactive displays and exhibits, including computer screens that visitors can touch to track the Plastiki's progress and send text messages. "We see it as really a great educational opportunity and a very interactive place where people are coming to learn and enjoy and kind of get a taste of what Plastiki's all about," said Steven Hoffman, HP's director of worldwide marketing. The crew will be housed in a geodesic dome, topped by solar panels, and will have such creature comforts as bunks, solar shower and compost toilet. The boat is fully recyclable, part of the mission to find ways to reuse plastics. "What we have to do is realign our understanding of the material," said de Rothschild, a descendant of the well-known British banking family, who founded Adventure Ecology, which stages expeditions to raise awareness of environmental issues. During the Plastiki voyage, the crew plans to document planetary pollution, from huge patches of floating ocean debris to fallout from nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll to the effects of climate change. They'll keep in touch and get their navigational and meteorological data through HP laptops as well as a satellite phone. Power will come from 12-volt batteries charged by wind turbines and solar panels. The Plastiki isn't the only vessel highlighting the perils of plastic. Last summer, Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal sailed from Long Beach to Hawaii on a raft made of 15,000 plastic bottles and the fuselage of a Cessna 310, part of the Long Beach-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation's project called "JUNK."
Coast Guard Sector Northern New England was searching for a possible overdue fisherman out of Cobscook Park in Eastport until a search on Facebook helped locate information which ultimately closed the case and as a result saved up to $30,000 for the taxpayers. A park ranger at Cobscook Park reported to the Coast Guard a lone vehicle and trailer with no boat sitting in a parking lot. Using the license plate, the Coast Guard was able to locate a name, address, and phone number of the vehicle owner but there was no response at the location. Before launching a costly search by Coast Guard aircraft and cutters and with little amplifying information, Paul Conner, the search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England who was running the case, decided to use the social networking site Facebook to enhance his search means. Knowing the popularity of internet networking sites, Conner used Facebook to check for any contact information on the missing fisherman or his relatives.“Sometimes we have to be very creative in our information gathering,” said Conner. “A simple internet search can often help us locate a missing person before a boat or aircraft is even on scene.” Conner was ultimately able to locate an email address and contact number for one of the missing fisherman’s relatives. He sent an email to the listed address, but in the end the phone number led him to speak to the fisherman directly, who was not in any distress and moored at a different location than his trailer and vehicle. “For over 200 years the Coast Guard has been using any means necessary to fulfill our mission,” said Captain Jim McPherson, commander at Sector Northern New England. “Now we can add social online media as another tool in our lifesaving kit.”
The next 18 months will be crucial in Afghanistan, the new commander of NATO and U.S. forces there said. "I think that the next 18 months are probably a period in which this effort will be decided," Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal told Tom Bowman in a National Public Radio interview. "I don't think it will be over. But I think that not only the American people, I think the Afghan people are looking and deciding which way this will go." McChrystal took command of coalition and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan on June 15. His job is to carry out the new strategy for the region. The general said the conflict should not be viewed solely as a military struggle. It is not a question of whether the United States is winning, he said, but whether the Afghan people are winning. The Afghan government is the ultimate deciding factor, and while the government is not winning the war on extremists, "I don't say they're losing," McChrystal said. "That's an old axiom in counterinsurgency: If you're not winning, you're losing," he said. "And the danger there is that that is true. So we see it as very, very important, probably over about the next 12 to 24 months, that we absolutely get a trend where we are clearly winning."McChrystal has spent much of his career in special operations, hunting down and killing or capturing terrorists. "What I learned is that much of the terrorism we fought years ago was very small groups that were finite. They were fanatical, and they could be attacked that way," he said. "Nowadays, we have to fight the cause of terrorism, because terror is a tactic. You win by taking away from the enemy the one thing the insurgent absolutely has to have, and that's access to the population." Hunting terrorists still has a place in the war in Afghanistan, McChrystal said, but the overall effort requires a mix of aggression and rebuilding. "I very much lean toward the importance of the building side," he said. The population needs to be safe so they can build an economy, build good governance and develop an infrastructure, the general explained. That gives the people something they want to continue and something they want to protect, so "the insurgent, then, becomes a troublemaker," he said. "The opposite could be perceived, even with good intentions," he continued. "If we are just hunting Taliban, we can be perceived as coming into areas and being someone who upsets the neighborhood. But we do need to be able to keep a pressure on the enemy as we push them away. So there's always a balance."
A 52-year-old Kingsbury man was killed Saturday when his drag racing power boat crashed at 140 m.p.h. in a race on a lake near St. Louis, Mo. Fred Welshans, president of St. Louis Drag Boat Racing Association, said Jim Tucker was killed when his open power boat, “Say When,” lurched and then dipped bow-first into the water as it approached the end of a qualifying run Saturday afternoon for the 30th Annual Budweiser Creve Coeur Lake Drag Boat Classic. “We don’t know what happened,” Welshans said Monday. “The boat was on a good run. It just got a little squirrelly at the top end, the front of the boat got in the water a little bit and it tore off the top deck. It got tore up pretty bad, and he got caught in it. Only God knows what happened after that.” Tucker, a 20-year veteran competitor who was the 2008 International Hot Boat Racing Association’s “Pro Eliminator” class world champion, was thrown from the boat and was believed to have suffered head injuries and a number of broken bones. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital shortly after the accident. The wreckage was recovered, Welshans said, but a preliminary look on Saturday revealed no clues as to how the accident occurred. “We retrieved the entire bottom of the boat, and all his hardware — the rudder, the propeller, the safety gear — was all there, intact,” Welshans said. Investigators will work to determine what caused the crash and whether the accident could have been prevented. “There’ll be guys looking to see what happened,” he said. Welshans said Tucker’s death was the first in the event’s three-decade history — and a tragedy that rocked the drag boat racing community in the Midwest and Southwest where Tucker competed.
“This was a great guy,” Welshans said. “We’ve just lost one of our family. That’s how we see it. This is a sad day.” Tucker has raced in the event since 2003. His boat was an open-cockpit “Pro Eliminator” that competed in the fastest open class sanctioned at the St. Louis Drag Boat Racing Association event. The boats are permitted any piston-driven power plant a racer can mount in a hull. “They can be blown (supercharged), naturally aspirated, you can run anything you want, said Welshans, who is himself a drag boat racer. “The only thing you can’t do is run nitromethane (fuel).” Tucker’s boat, named after a famous line from a showdown in a Western movie, was powered by a 496 cubic-inch Chevy big block that burned alcohol. In spite of the safety measures employed in the construction of the boats and the running of the events — which always include emergency divers to effect quick rescues — the sport is an unforgiving one when things go wrong. “I’ve been racing boats for 30 years and I’ve seen a lot of it,” Welshans said. “It’s a bad thing. You don’t like losing your friends and your racers, but we all think about the same way. None of us thinks it’ll never happen to us. But we had a guy get killed up here on a local sprint car track this weekend, and guys play football and break their necks and die at that. I’ve always been a hot rodder. It’s a challenge, and I’ve always liked speed. It’s just a passion. Adrenaline junkies is what we are.” And the race continued, Welshans said, after a meeting in which other competitors agreed Tucker would have wanted the event to go on without him. “There were still a line of racers standing in line behind him,” Welshans said. “I would like to give special thanks for all Jim’s Texas fans who came up here, and I’m sorry for the loss. We all know this can happen.” And so did his wife, Yvonne Tucker. “Nobody has to feel badly for Jimmy,” she said. “I’m sorry to lose him, but if I’ve got to lose him, I’m glad he went that way, doing what he loves. How many of us get to do that?”
Equinox Cruise Ship On Its Way To Southampton - Backwards
The Captain must surely have breathed a sigh of relief as his cruise ship squeezed through a canal with just inches to spare. The 2,850-guest Celebrity Equinox dwarfed the Rivers Ems in Germany as it passed through the locks backwards. At its tightest point along the course, there were just 4m - not enough room to park a London black cab - between each side of the 317m-long, 37m-wide ship and the riverbank. It was en-route from shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, to Eemshaven, Netherlands where it will undergo trials before arriving in Southampton for its launch. Celebrity Cruises plan to put the 122,000 tonnes liner into service from July 31.
Equinox cruise ship on its way to Southampton - backwards
Captain Apostolos Bouzakis had to wait until high tide, calm winds and the right tidal barriers before embarking on the tricky journey yesterday and said: ''The conveyance is an interesting challenge for any captain. ''The limited space available for navigation, the nature of sailing in reverse and the number of locks and bridges to traverse are all factors that cruise ship captains normally do not have to contend with. ''But a real benefit of this event is the opportunity to test the manoeuvrability of the ship at reduced speeds. ''With an average channel breadth of 111m it is a bit like taking a brand-new sports car down winding country lanes. ''It's exhilarating, but not without its share of trepidation.'' With sister ship Celebrity Solstice, the two are the largest ships to have sailed on the River Ems.
Sailor Picked Up By Container Ship South Of Nova Scotia
A sailor whose boat capsized during a transatlantic race has been plucked from the water south of Nova Scotia. Jeri Grychowski of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax says the man was picked up by a container vessel, the Maersk Missouri, Sunday about 420 kilometres south of Halifax. She says he's in good condition and used a satellite phone to call for help after his boat flipped and he lost his mast.
Maersk Missouri
The unidentified man was the only person on board and was involved in a transatlantic race from Portsmouth, U.K., to Rhode Island. Grychowski says a Cormorant helicopter and a C-130 Hercules had been dispatched, but because of low visibility and high gusty winds, the helicopter landed at Sable Island and was not able to continue on. However, she says the container ship was close by and they were able to reach the individual.
U.S. Military Set To Intercept North Korean Ship Suspected of Proliferating Missiles, Nukes
The U.S. military is planning to intercept a flagged North Korean ship suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution passed last Friday. The USS John McCain, a navy destroyer, will intercept the ship Kang Nam as soon as it leaves the vicinity off the coast of China, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The order to inderdict has not been given yet, but the ship is getting into position. The ship left a port in North Korea Wednesday and appears to be heading toward Singapore, according to a senior U.S. military source. The vessel, which the military has been tracking since its departure, could be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials, a violation of U.N. Resolution 1874, which put sanctions in place against Pyongyang. The USS McCain was involved in an incident with a Chinese sub last Friday - near Subic Bay off the Philippines. The Chinese sub was shadowing the destroyer when it hit the underwater sonar array that theUSS McCainwas towing behind it. That same navy destroyer that was being shadowed by the Chinese is now positioning itself for a possible interdiction of the North Korean vessel. This is the first suspected "proliferator" that the U.S. and its allies have tracked from North Korea since the United Nations authorized the world's navies to enforce compliance with a variety of U.N. sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test. The ship is currently along the coast of China and being monitored around-the-clock by air.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56)
The apparent violation raises the question of how the United States and its allies will respond, particularly since the U.N. resolution does not have a lot of teeth to it. The resolution would not allow the United States to board the ship forcibly. Rather, U.S. military would have to request permission to board -- a request North Korea is unlikely to grant. North Korea has said that any attempt to board its ships would be viewed as an act of war and promised "100- or 1,000-fold" retaliation if provoked. The U.S. military may also request that the host country not provide fuel to the ship when it enters its port. The Kang Nam is known to be a ship that has been involved in proliferation activities in the past -- it is "a repeat offender," according to one military source. The ship was detained in October 2006 by authorities in Hong Kong after the North Koreans tested their first nuclear device and the U.N. imposed a subsequent round of sanctions. The latest tension follows a Japanese news report that North Korea may fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawaii in early July. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the military is "watching" that situation "very closely," and would have "some concerns" if North Korea launched a missile in the direction of Hawaii. But he expressed confidence in U.S. ability to handle such a launch. Gates said he's directed the deployment of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense, a mobile missile defense system used for knocking down long- and medium-range missiles. "The ground-based interceptors are clearly in a position to take action. So, without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say ... I think we are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect the American territory."
Tensions between the United States and North Korea are ratcheting up again tonight. The North may be preparing to test-fire another long-range missile - possibly toward Hawaii. And American warships are tracking a North Korean cargo vessel that could be carrying banned weapons. The cargo ship Kang Nam may not look like much, but it is suddenly attracting a lot of attention from the U.S. military. It is the first North Korean ship to set sail since the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on the U.S. and other navies to intercept North Korean vessels believed to be carrying arms. That means a U.S. warship could request permission to search the Kang Nam, but it could not use force to board her if North Korea refuses, which it almost certainly will.North Korea has threatened to retaliate if its ships are interfered with - and is preparing a new launch pad to fire off a long range missile capable of reaching Hawaii. Two previous long-range missile tests have failed, but the Pentagon is taking no chances. It's positioning a giant radar at sea to track any North Korea launch and sending interceptor missiles to Hawaii as a back up to interceptors based in California and Alaska. "I think we are in a good position, should it become necessary to protect the … American territory," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters. The Kang Nam was halted for safety violations entering the port of Hong Kong two years ago. That such a seemingly unassuming vessel could become a key player in such a high-tech standoff is almost laughable. Except that that is exactly what's happening.
A boater is safe after police were able to pull the victim from a burning boat on Lake Minnewaska near Glenwood Wednesday. Pope County authorities got a call shortly before 12:30 p.m. from the boater, who said his vessel had started on fire.The boat was on the east end of the lake, about 200 feet from shore, according to police. The boater was the only person on board at the time and got off safely. Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire with a portable pump and tow the boat to shore. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Authorities searched Tuesday morning for a passenger who apparently had fallen off a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico. The Carnival ship Holiday was stopped about one–third of the way as it headed from Mobile, Alabama, to Cozumel, Mexico, and an announcement was made that a passenger might have gone overboard. The passenger apparently fell about 10.30pm Monday US Central Time. Passengers, who had been ordered to their cabins for a headcount, later watched as two search boats launched from the cruise ship to search nearby waters in the Gulf of Mexico. A Coast Guard helicopter also had been called. By early Tuesday, several boats still were hunting with searchlights in calm seas.In a separate incident Monday, a man found clinging to a buoy after falling from a cruise ship in coastal Florida was rescued. The Coast Guard said 46–year–old Larry Miller told them he went overboard from the Carnival Inspiration early Monday morning while it was returning to the Port of Tampa. He was found a few hours later clinging to a buoy near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the St. Petersburg area. He was brought to the hospital with minor injuries. Carnival says the man told authorities he slipped after climbing on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat. The ship was returning from a four–day cruise. The case remains under investigation.
The Air Force Chief of Staff has approved several changes to the Air Force Physical Fitness Test (AFPFT). The entire test is being re-structured, but the complete details won't be available until July, when the new regulation comes out. The new test will be effective on January 1, 2010. The fitness test will now be administered to active duty airmen twice per year, regardless of test score achieved. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve airmen will continue to take the test once per year. The actual components of the test aren't changing -- it will still consist of waist measurement, 1.5 mile run, sit-ups, and push-ups. The waist standards are relaxing somewhat. Under the new program, the maximum waist size for a perfect score in that component area is going up from 32.5 inches to 35 inches for men, and from 29 inches to 31.5 inches for women. Additionally, the waist measurements will now affect only 20 percent of the total score, instead of 30 percent inn the current program. The standards for the 1.5 mile run are being recalculated, although specifics won't be known until July.Additionally, the 1.5 mile run will now account for 60 percent of the total score, vice 50 percent under the present program. Push-ups and sit-ups will each still account for 10 percent of the total score. A percent score on the test remains at 100 points. Airmen still need a minimum of 75 points to pass. However, minimums are being established for each event, as well. The Air Force is also cutting the age categories in half. The new age categories are: under 30; 30 to 39; 40 to 49; 50 to 59; and 60 or older. Also in the works is a PT patch that airmen will allowed to wear on their uniform, if they achieved a perfect score of their last test. The Air Force is also hiring civilian proctors for each base to conduct the tests, as a method of eliminating favoritism within the units. The new regulation will also prohibit giving an airman a "5" (outstanding) rating on their performance reports if they have a test failure during the reporting period. Air Force officials considered adding a combat fitness test, such as the Marines incorporated a few months ago, but that idea was shot down.
Air France Plane Part Is Recovered by Merchant Ship
A merchant ship traveling between Uruguay and the United Kingdom found a “medium size” piece of debris from the Air France plane crash site in the Atlantic Ocean, the Brazilian military said today. The Gammagas, a ship sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, recovered the debris, which will be transferred to the Brazilian Navy, Vice Admiral Edison Lawrence told reporters in Recife, northeast Brazil. Lawrence didn’t say from which part of the plane the piece came. No more bodies or debris were recovered today by the Brazilians, and an air search was called off for most of the day because of bad weather, said Ramon Borges Cardoso, an Air Force brigadier. Air France Flight 447, carrying 228 passengers and crew, went down in the ocean on June 1. A Brazilian Navy ship carrying parts of the plane and personal belongings of the passengers will arrive tomorrow in the port of Recife, where they will be handed over to BEA, the French agency in charge of the investigation, Cardoso said. For the first time, Brazil’s military used the expression “human remains” rather than bodies in today’s briefing. “The conditions in which the last ones were found do not allow us to say body,” Cardoso said. Fifty bodies have been recovered and 37 of them are in Recife for identification by authorities, the military said today. Another seven are on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha island, nearer the crash site, for “pre- identification” procedures.
The Gammagas
Cardoso said he will meet tomorrow in Recife with French ambassador Pierre-Jean Vandoorne, a diplomat named by the French government to follow the case and serve as a go-between with the families and authorities. Vandoorne told relatives of passengers in Rio de Janeiro today that they will be issued with “certificates of presence” on Flight 447, which was traveling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, Brazilian state news service Agencia Brasil reported. The certificates, to be issued by Air France, are equivalent to death certificates, Agencia Brasil cited Vandoorne as saying. An official at the French Consulate in Rio de Janerio said he couldn’t immediately confirm this when contacted by reporters. Investigators are examining whether ice damage or an obstruction of the plane’s airspeed sensors caused unreliable readings that may have contributed to the crash. Accurate airspeed readings are crucial because flying too quickly can damage a plane’s airframe, while traveling too slowly produces a stall and loss of control. The French navy’s nuclear attack submarine Emeraude, equipped with advanced listening equipment, has joined the hunt for the flight recorders, known as black boxes. The devices may provide clues to what caused the crash. Cardoso said yesterday the authorities will review on June 19 how long the search will continue. “Technically, there are possibilities of recovering bodies up to 20 days after the accident,” he said.
The Coast Guard rescued four people from a sinking 22-foot vessel approximately 10 miles off the coast of Jacksonville this afternoon. Duane Allyn Ferguson, 47, Kevin Ferguson, 15, John Banar, 33, and Mason Penblepon, 27, were taken from the boat by Coast Guard personnel.They had issued a distress call about 12:30 p.m. after the boat, which experienced engine failure, began taking on water. A 47-foot rescue boat from Coast Guard and a Navy search and rescue helicopter crew from Mayport Naval Station were used. The Coast Guard rescue crew salvaged the sinking boat and towed it to the Joe Carlucci Boat Ramp. The boaters were all wearing their life jackets.
CRUEL KEV: A Third Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War. Presently a member of the Navy League. A Republican with Libertarian leanings. (South Park Republican) My goals for the several blogs that I am involved with is to find and post Interesting News including occasional Criticism, Comments & Analysis
The same rules also apply to a midshipman who “incurs the obligations of parenthood,” so that a male midshipman would face the same choices. In this case, however, after the academy determined the midshipman would not be eligible to graduate and be commissioned, the woman submitted a waiver asking to be exempted from the policy, according to Carpenter. “That request was evaluated through the chain of command,” he said. “[Defense Department] and Navy leadership approved the midshipman’s request for waiver.” Carpenter said he did not know if there have been other instances of Annapolis graduating pregnant midshipmen. More than a decade ago, in what was then seen as a “softening” of Naval Academy regulations, midshipmen facing parenthood could request returning to the school after a one-year leave of absence if they gave up the child for adoption, according to a November 1995 Washington Post report. Before then, the report stated, female midshipmen had to choose between expulsion or having an abortion. Male midshipmen would have to deny paternity in order to remain at the school.
The same rules also apply to a midshipman who “incurs the obligations of parenthood,” so that a male midshipman would face the same choices. In this case, however, after the academy determined the midshipman would not be eligible to graduate and be commissioned, the woman submitted a waiver asking to be exempted from the policy, according to Carpenter. “That request was evaluated through the chain of command,” he said. “[Defense Department] and Navy leadership approved the midshipman’s request for waiver.” Carpenter said he did not know if there have been other instances of Annapolis graduating pregnant midshipmen. More than a decade ago, in what was then seen as a “softening” of Naval Academy regulations, midshipmen facing parenthood could request returning to the school after a one-year leave of absence if they gave up the child for adoption, according to a November 1995 Washington Post report. Before then, the report stated, female midshipmen had to choose between expulsion or having an abortion. Male midshipmen would have to deny paternity in order to remain at the school.
