The USCG’s Legend Class National Security Cutters

WMSL-750 Bertholf

The US Coast Guard’s massive $25 billion Deepwater meta-program (really Deepwater-II given post-9/11 changes) has endured more than its share of ups and downs. Nevertheless, Congressional support has remained strong, and efforts are being made to restructure the program and get it back on track. Yet the USCG’s Island Class cutter modification program, and the Deepwater Fast Response Cutter supposed to replace it, have faced many difficulties.

The Legend Class National Security Cutters are the largest ships in the Deepwater program, and represent the program’s flagship in more ways than one. The 418 foot, 4,400 ton ships will be frigate-sized vessels with a 21 foot draughts [1], and are rather larger than the 379 foot, 3,250 ton Hamilton Class High Endurance Cutters (HECs) they will replace. Controversies regarding durability and potential hull fatigue, as well as significant cost overruns, have shadowed the new cutter’s construction. Nevertheless, the program appears to be moving forward. This DID FOCUS Article covers the Legend Class cutters’ specifications, program history, and key events.

Rapid Fire March 19, 2012: India’s 2013 Budget

• India is increasing its defense budget for 2012-13 by 17% to Rs 1,93,407 crore (about $38.5B). The Business Standard opines that the nominal double-digit growth is misleading.

• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its latest report [PDF] on international arms imports and exports. India remains the #1 importer at 10% of global imports.

• DARPA wants to develop new year-round monitoring capabilities in the Arctic, above and below the ice, for example to measure under-ice acoustic propagation. Their Proposer’s Day on the topic is scheduled for March 30, with $4M in funds to follow that they will spend in awards of about $250K-$500K.

Rapid Fire 2011-12-02: NAVAIR Procurement Management System

• JSF PEO Vice Admiral David J. Venlet said in an interview with AOL Defense that ramping up production quickly while completing tests was a “miscalculation” but he has to live with concurrency, though he questions the delivery pace.

• Northrop Grumman’s 3-year, $8.9M Microscale Power Conversion contract could lead to higher-power radars with wider frequency ranges, without increasing their size. It’s an outgrowth of DARPA’s R&D into Gallium Nitride (GaN) circuits, and is one of several GaN-related contracts Northrop has received.

• MASTERing the CHIRP. What goes with the USAF’s ground-breaking Commercial Hosted Infrared Payload? Why, a MASTER ground control architecture that can expand to hosted payloads on other commercial satellites.

Todd Pacific Shipyards to Repair, Overhaul USA’s Largest Icebreaker

US Coast Guard Cutter Healy

The US Coast Guard awarded Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, WA a $12.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract (HSCG85-05-C-625306) in support of repairs and alterations performed during the triennial Dry-Docking Planned Maintenance Availability (DPMA) of the icebreaker USCG Cutter Healy (WAGB-20).

The contract modification provides for repair and maintenance of the ship’s main propulsion system, auxiliary systems, and other structural, mechanical, and electrical features aboard the ship, including underwater hull inspection and renewal.

The USCG Cutter Healy is the USA’s largest icebreaker…

NOSI’s Top 10 Naval Trends of 2008

On the list again

Naval Open Source Intelligence is a good set of quick links to international navy-related stories in the news. Each year, they also add a summary of their take on the most significant trends and items to their “Naval Year in Review” set.

They’ve added the 2008 list, which includes piracy, the continuing crisis in US Navy shipbuilding (4 of last 5 years, see DID), environmental groups’ lawfare against the US Navy (2 of last 3 years, see DID), the steady growth of the Chinese Navy, the use of semi-submersibles to smuggle drugs into the USA (see readings), humanitarian operations, arctic sovereignty, and more.

$6.7M for Minor Base Improvements at Ft. Greely

Small business qualifier Nana Pacific LLC in Anchorage, AK received a $6.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a new antenna addition and a weather vestibule between existing buildings, relocation of a fuel storage tank, and expansion of the area within the security fence at Fort Greely, Alaska, an existing defense satellite communications system facility.

Fort Greely is a launch site for anti-ballistic missiles and home of the Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC), as it is one of the coldest areas in Alaska (get the current forecast). Imagine the fun experience in store, with work lasting through fall and winter and ending on March 15, 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 13, 2006 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK (W911KB-07-C-0002).

British Report: Abandoned Russian Subs Pose Nuclear Threat

K-159 before departure,
moored at Gremikha base
(click to expand)

According to a British report published June 10, 2005, Russia’s scrapped atomic submarines pose a serious nuclear threat. Russia must act to prevent a nuclear accident in northwest Russia’s Barents Sea region, home to 118 scrapped nuclear submarines as well as spent nuclear fuel storage sites, said Mark Gerchikov, coordinator of the report from British consulting firm National Nuclear Corporation. It was funded by the 60-nation European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The USSR built 450 naval nuclear reactors, beginning in 1958. Of these, two-thirds are located in the Barents Sea region, representing 20% of the world’s nuclear reactors. “Certain nuclear installations are in such a state that we cannot exclude a chain reaction” leading to a nuclear accident, Gerchikov said at the report’s presentation.