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JOINT TRAINING FOR INSHORE NAVAL OPERATIONS
130 Joint Training for
Inshore Naval Operations
By Lieutenant
Robert R. Yohanan, U. S. Navy
133 The North Sea
Hydrographic Commission
By A. Denis Clift
135 Incentive Awards for Creative Thinking
By Lieutenant Commander J. W. Willis, U. S. Navy
136 The French Marines
By Lieutenant Commander G. E. Thibault, U. S. Navy
Professional Notes
Captain Walter S. Delany, Jr.
U. S. Navy Associate Editor
Island, ^ January 196>
n in avall3^
The expanding role of U. S. Navy siiia^ boat operations in Vietnam, particular^ in the Mekong Delta, and the inherent u°' certainties of river operations in an insurgent environment have created an urgent need f°r a centralized and systematic training Pr°” gram, designed to prepare boat crews for the diverse tasks which characterize present-da) naval inshore operations.* , .
Such a program, which provides inltia training for inshore patrol operations vk'aS started by the amphibious Training Con1 mand, Pacific at the Naval Amphibious Base> Coronado, California, in early 1966. Became of the similarity between the geography of4 Sacramento River Delta and that of l Mekong Delta, the river patrol training PrJ! gram was relocated to Mare fornia, in March 1966. On 30 after a considerable expansion ... facilities and instructors, the Mare Island tachment was commissioned the Naval ^ shore Operations Training Center (Na^ InshOpsTraCen), charged with the mission ^ providing instruction and functional train in the conduct of river warfare. The * ‘ ^ InshOpsTraCen program of instruction divided into two distinct, yet complementa areas—river patrol training and river assa training—thereby identifying the traint|,e with the current missions assigned t° operating forces in the Mekong Delta.
■rraii>'
* See Garry I). Brewer, “Counterinsurgency piping for the Navy,” U. S. Naval Institute PR° inos, pp. 136- 138, June 1967.
Operation Game Warden, under the c mand of CTF-116, is responsible for the patrol mission of preventing the Viet ^ use of riverine lines of communications ^ securing their use for friendly military
the
he:
L0t’ h'
his 0.
future work h. forces.
will be principally with
the student receives classroom instruc-
tio:
‘ion;
1 . V" *»**•* *-------- o
. a familiarization, and Viet Cong dcc-
ine
and tactics. Practical instruction in-
Clvilian traffic. The fast and maneuverable fiver patrol boat (PBR) is the basic element of the patrol force. However, the PBR is neither °uilt nor equipped to engage troops on the fiver banks for extended periods, so it must withdraw and leave this type of engagement to the river assault craft.
River assault operations in Vietnam are the responsibility of CTF-117, whose mission is to conduct operations in support of ground forces participating in one of the following tasks: seize and occupy, search and destroy, h* and destroy, or clear and hold. The river assault missions necessarily involve complex and varied procedures which require intense training for joint Army and Navy operates. Specially designed river craft are employed to transport and support ground forces as they attempt to pacify the Mekong Delta.
. In training students for these two areas of fiverine operations, NavInshOpsTraCen has Continually revised and updated its curricula, Pased upon the needs and experiences of the °Perating forces. Many enlisted instructors and all officer instructors have been ordered ‘° the command immediately following their duty in Vietnam. Additionally, two Army of- cers and two Marine officers are assigned to
training center in order to provide stu- uts with insight into joint operations, basic vcld tactics, air operations, and anticipated let Gong techniques.
The river assault craft training program is fnuilar in design to the courses on counterurgency training, but is expanded to in- ^Ude the special features of joint operations, ybng an 11-week cycle, the assault craft 1 0r is not only given insight into the Navy . Pects of riverine warfare but he is intro- Uced to Army aspects as well. Like the river ^atr°l student, the river assault trainee un- j er8°es one week of counterinsurgency traffics and one week of SERE (Survival, Evasion, ^'stance, and Escape) training. He does owever, take language instruction, since
t>rffig his first week of river warfare orien- Cahon
11 in past riverine operations, the organiza- P)pl)and mission of river assault units, Mekong tr:
eludes 13 hours of survival swimming.
Heavy emphasis is then placed on small arms training. Two weeks are devoted to thorough classroom and practical instruction in all the small arms which the student is likely to handle in Vietnam. Each man qualifies with the M-16 rifle and the .38-caliber pistol, and can earn the expert medal for each of these weapons.
The sixth week is devoted to functional training, to prepare the student for the specific job to which he will be assigned on board his future boat. Complete crosstraining of rates is not done, since river assault crews are prepared for specific duties in one of the following types of boats used in Vietnam:
•Monitor, nicknamed “the battleship” of the river assault force because of her heavy firepower, mounts: a 40-mm. cannon, a 20mm. cannon, an 81-mm. mortar, two 40-mm. grenade launchers, three .50-caliber and two .30-caliber machine guns.
•Command communications boat (CCB) is the boat used to carry Army and Navy staffs during operations. Orders are given from this boat to the various elements of the afloat force.
•Armored troop carrier (ATC) is a well- protected and reasonably well-armed boat used to transport troops to a landing area.
•Assault support patrol boat (ASPB) is the fastest boat of the force. She is used to protect the flanks of the other boats in the formation- She has staying power for a firefight, and 13 equipped with chain-drag minesweeping gear.
During the following week, gunnery training in crew-served weapons is conducted a1 San Clemente Island. At this time the student receives underway training in firing tl>e cannon, the machine guns (including M M-60 machine gun), the 81-mm. mortar, ano the M-18 grenade launcher.
The students then return to Mare Island for Basic River Assault Operations. During this two week period they learn to operate 2s a team. Boat crews conduct practical drills >n all phases of underway operations in prepara' tion for a final practical exercise. The fi‘ia week of training, Advanced Tactical Tran1 ing, is conducted under simulated battle con ditions. The student participates in a rb,er transit to a base camp area from which M varied operations of the river assault force are conducted. All training takes place under harassment by “aggressor” forces, to further simulate actual conditions.
Thus, in a short period of time, the Na'- has instituted a new and vital training Pr° gram demanded by increased inshore opera tions in Vietnam. The success of current nv patrol and river assault operations in Mekong Delta can be attributed in large mea sure to the realistic, current, and coinpi'ehe” sive nature of this instruction.
the north sea hydrographic
COMMISSION
For more than a century nations have been pooling hydrographic knowledge in an ef- 0rt to give mariners the most accurate information possible for safe, swift voyages acr°ss the world’s oceans. It was in 1853, at the urging of Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury, U. S. Navy, that the first, major, international hydrographic conference was held Brussels, with 16 nations attending, to de- Vlsc a system for international observation of winds and ocean currents.
Other hydrographic conferences were to be eld in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and, in June 1921, the International Hydrographic Bureau was formally founded with its Seat in the principality of Monaco. Since its establishment, the I.H.B. has grown from 18 0 41 member states. Its mission, as is well ^hown to hydrographers and mariners who av’c attended its conferences and used its Publications and charts, is: to establish a °Se association between national hydro- ^Phic offices; to encourage the adoption of *te best methods for carrying out hydro- ^raphic surveys and co-ordinating hydro- ^raphic work with the view to rendering Uavigation easier and safer throughout the Vv°rld, and, to obtain uniformity in hydro- ^raPhic documents for their most efficient in- ernational use.
f be pressing need for better charts and hy- r°graphic data on one of the world’s most ensely used international bodies of water, e North Sea, has led to the establishment of Relatively new and noteworthy regional hy- ^°graphic organization, the North Sea Hy- . °graphic Commission. The North Sea is a aHow sea. With the exception of a deep, rr°w trough off the southern coast of Nor- aV> the entire sea is less than 200 meters in
depth (in most areas, considerably less). The sea bottom in some southern areas is made up of sand dunes, shifting dunes that move in the direction of the sea’s currents, and dunes that alter their heights as they shift. The floor of the North Sea is marked literally by thousands of wrecks of both merchantmen and men-of- war lost in fires, storms, and battles, hulks now buried beneath the sea and sometimes jutting dangerously beneath the water’s surface from the sea floor.
Traffic density in the North Sea is extremely high. Three hundred thousand ships alone pass to and from its southern approaches at the Dover Strait each year. Ships, many of which are getting larger and larger with deeper and deeper drafts, are therefore becoming increasingly vulnerable to the North Sea’s hazards. The first North Sea Hydrographic Conference was convened in The Hague on 9 October 1962, primarily at the instigation of The Netherlands and the Swedish hydrographers. Both were impressed by the need for international co-operation, the pooling of existing data, and the acquisition of additional hydrographic data if the shallow, wreck-strewn North Sea were to be plied with safety by the enormous new supertankers and bulk-carriers of 40-to-60-foot drafts. These are ships that would be, for example, calling at The Netherlands’ vast Europoort and Swedish ports on the Baltic.
The hydrographers of other North Sea nations were quick to agree that the need for regional co-operation existed. The first conference was attended by representatives of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The Netherlands hydrographer, serving as conference chairman, outlined the immediate problems and the long-range challenge facing the North Sea hydrographers: •
We have already in our midst, or will have so in the near future, super-tankers, submarine freighters, hydrofoil ships, hovercraft, highly developed and powerful fishing trawlers, and other ship types that draw our attention to the question of what the requirements of these vessels will be while navigating, or when entering or leaving harbor under adverse weather conditions.
The deep draft, very high speed, diving
detailed sonar and echo-sounding sur'e) have begun. >
The work of establishing well-surve>e j deep-draft routes that can be recommend by the hydrographers to shipowners is c°m plicated not only by the existence of 1 many wrecks, but also, in certain areas of 1 North Sea, by the presence of mines. As 1 Annual Summary of Admiralty Notices to Mari’11 indicates, large offshore areas along the coa ^ of The Netherlands, West Germany, and De^ mark are still considered dangerous owing mines laid during World War II. This however, The Netherlands and West many have begun minesweeping operations
of the
deep-draft routes off the North Sea’s souther
ivviH ,ff- nd
Consideration of any of the new routes have to include the growing number of 0 ,
properties, hovering capabilities, or deep fishing gear of these new designs will cause a rapid aging of our charts and other nautical documents that until now we have looked upon as perfectly adequate.
Apart from the alarming speed with which navigational sciences and ship design are developing, a third problem demands our attention—the problem of new navigational aids. Inertial navigation, passive and active satellite navigation, present us with charting problems that have not even been fully explored yet.
While it was appreciated by those attending the conference that no comprehensive survey of the North Sea had ever been undertaken, none of the delegates realized until they began exchanging information just how much important hydrographic data on the North Sea was lacking. The first conference concluded with the following decisions: first, that the North Sea Hydrographic Commission should, indeed, be established; second, that a special series of charts for North Sea fishermen should be jointly produced; third, that a detailed survey of the North Sea’s extraterritorial waters should be conducted; and fourth, that gravity measurements of the North Sea should be taken, with a view toward providing further aids to navigation and toward facilitating the computation of orbital constants of satellites by carefully charting the gravimetric anomalies at sea.
Since 1962, the North Sea hydrographers have met annually, and the Commission has moved ahead not only with the above tasks but also with other work that it has seen fit to include in its regional program. A special series of 64 fishing charts is nearly completed, with 12 of the charts being prepared by Great Britain, 28 by Denmark, 6 by The Netherlands, 10 by Norway, 4 by West Germany, and 4 by Sweden. The charts, on a scale of 1:300,000, are designed primarily to get the fishermen to the different fishing grounds, not, however, to provide extremely detailed information concerning all snags, wrecks, “fasteners,” and bottom irregularities at each specific area. On the charts, the shape of the sea bed is shown by depth contours, and soundings are given in meters (a meters-to- fathoms conversion table is on the charts). All known North Sea fishing grounds and banks are designated, and, within the limits mentioned, emphasis is given to describing the sea bottom. Also shown are submarine cables and various obstructions, restricted areas, and principal buoys and lighthouses. All of the charts are surprinted with a Decca navigation lattice, and, where more than one Decca chain is involved, separate versions are issued f°r each chain.
In commencing the immense task of conducting detailed surveys of the North Seas international waters, the Commission recognized that its member states had neither the resources nor the ships that would be required to survey the entire sea. Thus, while the survey ships of the different riparian states bega11 their relatively limited but co-ordinated surveys of areas wanting priority attention, 111 Commission set about establishing a mutually
satisfactory and agreeable pattern of draft routes across the North Sea so that most efficient use could be made of sl,r resources. Tentative routes, five miles " with a minimum depth of 16 meters, 11 have been selected for survey purposes a11
make possible the establishment of one coast.
shore structures, primarily oil, gas drilling a° production units there. Another factor en ^ ing into the development of the routes is provision for changes in North Sea dept ^ caused by the relatively complex movement tides. Under the direction of the West Germ Hydrographic Office, with the co-operati of Denmark, Great Britain, The Netherlanc ^ and Norway, the Commission is producing
^orth Sea Cotidal Chart. Extensive tidal observations presently are being taken by echo- sounders along shorelines from oil and gas rigs, fishing boats, and light vessels. The co- l'dal chart is scheduled for publication in
1969.
Th,
ah
Motions, retirements, liberty, and morale. ese studies have undoubtedly brought
The North Sea Hydrographic Commission Ca®e into existence and continues to do its w°rk without fanfare; its accomplishments ITlerit commendation. Those responsible for bringing the Commission into existence perceived that only through effective interna- tlQnal co-operation could their regional hydrographic problems be solved to meet the jjeeds of the increasing activity on, in, and er>eath the North Sea.
INCENTIVE AWARDS FOR CREATIVE THINKING
any personal incentives have been of- _ fered to people throughout the history ^ lhe Department of the Navy. Studies have ^en conducted year after year to find out hV people do not remain in the Navy, how Uch education they need to meet modern chnological advances, and to inquire into areas as family life, pay, advancements,
^ °ut many changes that have resulted in eUefits to the Navy as well as to its people.
ihe 89th Congress now offers another in- j^utive to the military through Public Law (j. . 98. The law makes it possible for inf v'duals to receive cash awards up to $25,000 „ . Worthwhile suggestions, inventions and cntific achievements that are of value and c°nsidered worthy of recognition. The im- ct of this law cannot be overlooked or t^ned aside lightly by those who are in- ested in making improvements. It provides °ther vehicle through which experienced
members can be motivated to improve the Navy and receive a monetary reward for their concentrated efforts. The entire Navy functions as a result of the knowledge and experience of people, who through being on the job and at the scene, can contribute methods to improve operations, equipment, and morale if they are encouraged to do some creative thinking.
The spark of creativity is not new to private industry or to the armed services. Creativity simply causes something to be improved after proper evaluation from an abstract point of view. Everyone has some creative ability. The purpose of stimulating creativity among people in uniform is to improve the way things are being done. Those with new ideas or suggestions may very likely find themselves on the defensive. Admittedly, some people who offer ideas or suggestions are labeled as impractical dreamers or crackpots. This is not a fair way to judge an individual who desires to see improvements made. Constructive creativity requires deep thinking, courage, interest, experience, humor, and excitement. The process is exhilarating and offers a person a real sense of accomplishment, when the results of his efforts are brought into reality. In a constant effort to reduce the ever-mounting costs of national defense, we must not neglect to motivate and train our experienced people to create ways to improve things.
This permanent adjunct to military procedures will save the Department of the Navy millions of dollars each year and improve the morale of its people. The success of the program and the benefits derived from it will be in direct proportion to the participation that commanding officers inspire in those working under them. Public Law 89-198 presents a challenge for each command to establish an active suggestion program that will stimulate each person to offer better ways to do things. Department heads and division officers are directly responsible for the program’s results. They must stimulate those under their leadership to realize that suggestions and ideas are needed to bring about economies and improve operations. The need for individual recognition for those who take the time to consider improvements cannot be ignored.
Everyone has three of the four ingredients necessary for making improvements. All have
knowledge of their job, skill in doing a good job, and experience with that job. The remaining technique is to examine the job for possible ways to improve the tasks being performed. Constructive suggestions for improvement are the products of an individual’s initiative and teamwork between him and his division officer. The incentive awards program is not designed to be complicated. Simply stated, it involves the individual who has an idea that will save a number of dollars during its first year of operation. If conclusive evaluation shows that savings or value are inherent in the suggestion, the suggester is promptly paid a cash award based on such savings or value. Intangible benefits are measured by the same principle. By combining tangible savings and intangible benefits, the program promises to be self-sustaining with immeasurable benefits accruing over the years to the Navy and to Navy people.
By Lieutenant Commander G. E. Thibault,
U. S. Navy,
Ecole Navale, Brest, France
THE FRENCH MARINES
“Pour etre un soldat de Marine II faut avoir dans la poitrine Le coeur d’un matelot Et celui d’un soldat”
“Tn order to be a soldier of the Navy you X must have in your chest the heart of a sailor and one of a soldier as well.” This excerpt from the March of the Infantry of the Navy describes well the Fusilier Marin of 1967. He is a combination of soldier and sailor, well- trained and self-disciplined, who carries much of the responsibility for any coastal operations in which the French Navy might take part. His training is arduous and frequent, he belongs to an elite branch of the Navy and knows it, and his esprit de corps is strong. He can be found in the center of France on evasive maneuvers, in a wet suit below the surface of the Mediterranean conducting a practice sneak attack on an Allied ship during combined exercises, in a classroom learning about amphibious assaults, parachuting into the dark of night, performing the duties of 3 master-at-arms on a ship of the line or virtually anywhere else you might find a French sailor- For he is, before all else, a sailor. Not an ordinary seaman to be sure, but one with 3 demanding specialty; he is a Marine, a commando, and perhaps even a frogman.
There are approximately 2,500 Marines m the French Navy today. About 500 of them are assigned to the one permanent Marine combat battalion based at Toulon in the south of France. The remainder are either attending a service school, assigned to a shore activity, or on board one of the units of the French Fleet.
Both the French Army and Navy train and maintain marine-type units. There is c°" operation and an exchange of information between the two services; however, their basic missions differ. Army commandos are smm groups trained to be self-sufficient and able to operate in the interior of a hostile area without the fetters of the usual equipment and m3 teriel. The Navy’s commandos (command0 being the advanced level of training of every Marine) are trained to conduct coastal war fare exclusively. They are the first me° ashore during an amphibious operation, either before the assault to gather intelligence °T during the assault as members of the n wave. Where there are ships of the Fleet, they are ready to go ashore to establish a beac head and hold it until they can be reinforce and supported by Army troops. To fos a spirit of co-operation and to facilitate joi training, the Army maintains a regime at Vanne on the northwest coast of Fran near both the Marine schools and the ne3 quarters of the French Amphibious Force Lorient. _
Today, a young man entering the ^aV^t|ie ceives his preliminary training either at ^ Ecole des Mousses or at one of the Centres Formation Maritime. The Ecole des Mousse^ a one-year school devoted to the initial tra ing of career-oriented enlisted people, vvm . as the Centres de Formation Maritime arc s ^ week schools much like the U. S. Navy s 0
camp designed for the initial orientation o ^
listees and draftees. A man may serve
M,
arin returns here at regular intervals
h,
^Vhen a Marine recruit arrives at Lorient, e begins four months of instruction to earn
Fusilier Marin, if he is 18 years old, willing to serve a minimum of three years, and passes the required physical and mental examina- b°ns. Fusilier Marin is a rating in the Navy similar to boatswain, sonarman or electrician’s ^ate, and is not a separate corps as is the Marine Corps of the United States. On completion of training at one of the above two Schools and if he is qualified and accepted, 'hen he goes to the Ecole des Fusiliers at ^orient to begin formal marine training.
The Marine school, ficole des Fusiliers, is j°cated on the Naval Base at Lorient on the cu bank of the Scorff River on France’s At- j^ntic coast. Commanded by a Capitaine de r%ate (Commander) and with headquarters °u board the Chateaurenault, an ex-Italian light Cruiser, this school provides all the in-school education a Fusilier Marin receives during his eutire career except for the specialized parachutist and frogman training. Courses here range from the basic level of the enlistee to the !n°st advanced commando level. The Fusilier
Jhroughout his career to continue building a atiicwork of professional knowledge and experience. With this kind of successive training 'Tele, he is able to carry out a program of c°utinuous self-improvement, whether as- Sl?ned to a ship or in the field with a combat CQlnpany. This reinforces his previous trains and at the same time prepares him for the period of formal instruction at Lorient.
elementary qualifications (Brevet Ele- ntaire). During these four months, he receives basic infantry training, becomes familiar with the small arms used in the field, practices marksmanship, learns how to drive a car, and takes part in a vigorous physical conditioning program. On the successful completion of these four months, he is considered a Marine with the elementary skills of his specialty and is permitted to wear the two crossed rifles on his sleeve, setting him apart from sailors of other ratings. His proficiency at this level can be best compared to the designated seaman striker in the U. S. Navy. This ends his formal schooling for now, but sets a pattern that will be followed if he remains in the Navy and continues to be a Marine. For the remainder of his career, the Marine alternates from assignments with the combat company at Toulon or sea duty to school at Lorient.
Having earned elementary qualifications, he is sent to the battalion at Toulon to gain field experience. This battalion is composed of five full companies and one half-company: three combat companies of 100 to 120 officers and men each, one support company, one command company, and one half-company that is a special commando unit which includes frogmen. The new Marine is assigned to one of these companies and remains with this battalion for two-and-a-half years. At the end of this time, he is assigned to a ship for one year to learn life on board ship and his responsibilities as a member of the crew.
A small number of the graduates of the elementary course at Lorient are not sent to the combat battalion at Toulon. These are men who are either not suited to the rigorous duty
officers either volunteer or are
th
with a field battalion, for physical or other reasons, or are men who plan to spend a limited amount of time in the armed forces. They are assigned to duty with the Compa- gniesde Protection located throughout France. These Compagnies de Protection have the mission of providing the first element of local defense for the civilian population. They remain part of the naval establishment and are distinguished from other sailors by the words “Fusilier Marin” printed on their uniform hatbands.
When the typical Fusilier Marin completes one year on board ship, between the third and sixth year of naval service, he is sent back to the Ecole des Fusiliers at Lorientfor an eight- month petty officers’ course (Cours de Quar- tier-Maitre). During this period, he receives intensive infantry and commando combat training, which prepares him to command a combat team of 11 men (chef de groupe). He also concentrates on the duties of the inaster- at-arms force and continues with marksmanship practice and weapons familiarization. Physical improvement includes training in a simulated jungle environment fitted with all manner of obstacles and field problems. Upon completion of this course, he receives the elementary commando certification and is C|ualified for advancement to the level equivalent to petty officer second class.
When he leaves Lorient at the end of this training, he receives shore and shipboard assignments for the next six-and-a-half-years. If he goes to sea, he becomes a permanent member of the master-at-arms force. The Fusiliers Marins are not grouped on board ship to serve as a Marine detachment but, instead, are an integral part of ship’s company, differing only in rating or specialty. They always comprise the master-at-arms force and their duties include participation in normal ship’s evolutions, supervising reliefs and calls, various fatigue duties, small arms training, the management and upkeep of landing party equipment, and care of part of the light armament of the ship. In addition, they form the nucleus around which the ship’s landing party is built. The ship’s landing party is, as in the U. S. Navy, a ship’s company evolution that is limited in scope; it is not to be confused with the commando infantry actions for which the Fusilier Marin is trained.
During the period between six and ten years of service, the Fusilier Marin again re* turns to Lorient for a six-month senior quail" fications course (Cours du Brevet Superieut Fusilier Commando). This time he concentrates on shore combat techniques at an ad' vanced level, preparing him to command 3 combat group of 27 men (chef de section). also receives the most advanced commando training and continues physical training, all° marksmanship. On return to sea duty, he be" comes the chief master-at-arms (Capitauie d’Arme) on a ship of the line.
A small number of officers become MarineS each year. This is a specialization for office^3 just as it is for enlisted men and is comparaD to an area of subspecialization current in t^e U. S. Navy for officers. The officer remain* basically a line officer, but becomes qualm® in this specialized sub-area. Three to
designs^ every other year; they attend a nine-mon ^ course (Cours d’Officiers Sieves Fusiliers) a Lorient. They must be qualified to meet physical demands of the training, demonstr an aptitude for that type of service, and be ^ ensign or lieutenant (junior grade) with three to-five years of shipboard experience. Rese ^ officers meeting the same requirements 11 attend a six-month course while on act1'
dllty- . . t4 Today, French Marines comprise atm ,
per cent of the French Navy, asstg
throughout the forces afloat and the s ^
establishment. The influence of their thim^
therefore, is felt at all levels of the French
It appears that France does not plan t0^
large her Marine force in the near future, j
has focused on the careful training of a *1
number of men for limited emergencies-
ever, the training facilities at Lorient ar^.|]ie,
ing enlarged and improved. In a short
the Marines will move from their temp0e
quarters close by the World War II subma ^
pens to a new complex of buildings
which will house all their components,in. -pg
ing command, administrative, and tr -fle
facilities. Should the need for a larger -
force arise, this new facility will permit ^
creased enrollment on short notice-
Fusiliers Marins who are now being tra
could then serve as the professional core,
leaders, of this larger force.
Progress
Navy Hydrofoil—The Tii- cumcari (PGH-2), shown here during builder’s trials, can cruise on her hydrofoils at more than 40 knots. Scheduled for February delivery, the 71-foot craft is powered by a turbine-driven water-jet system.
Boeing
Laser Rangefinder—This
laser rangefinder, developed for the Swedish Navy by the L. M. Ericsson Telephone Company of Sweden, has a range of 12 miles with an accuracy of -|— 5 meters. It contains a ruby crystal laser with a rotating prism, emitting high intensity pulses of ultra-short duration. Range is determined by an electronic counter, with values being transferred to a direct-reading presentation.
Siuedish International Press Bureau
Huge Radar—Antenna feed for ALTAIR, world’s most powerful tracking radar, being built for the Army Missile Command, is two stories tall and weighs seven tons. The five-horn monopulse feed can provide four different polarizations—vertical, horizontal, left, right, and circular.
Radiation Inc.
New 5-incher—The Navy’s new 5-inch 54-caliber gun is test fired at the U. S. Naval Weapons Laboratory. The lightweight, fully automatic gun, can fire projectiles of more than 50 pounds for over 20,000 yards.
Grumman/Piccard Craft— The PX-15 research submarine is scheduled to make a six-week submerged survey of the Gulf Stream this summer, manned by Jacques Piccard and five others. The craft, now under construction, will have 29 viewports, television, flood lights and photographic equipment for conducting acoustical and environmental experiments. The 130 ton vehicle has a pressure hull 48 feet long with a 10-foot diameter. Operating depth is 2,000 feet below the surface.
Grumman
NASA Fleet—A 113-ton section of the new forward deckhouse of the USNS Vanguard is lifted aboard. The ship is one of three Apollo instrumentation ships converted by General Dynamics. When completed, the three-section deckhouse will house electronics equipment, a primary conning station and living quarters, and will support a 30-foot dish antenna for transmitting data received from spacecraft.
General Dynamics
Notebook
53 Weed and Squealer Used in Vietnam
(Aviation Week & Space Technology, 13 November 1967) Ground intrusion prevention tech- aiciues considered for Vietnam deployment delude small devices called the Weed and jhe Squealer. The Weed consists of small bomblets sown from the air over wide areas and detonated by proximity fuses. The Squealer detects acoustic vibrations caused by footstePs and broadcasts them to monitors.
53 "Bug Smasher” to Phase Out
'Aviation Week & Space Technology, 13 Novem- er) 1967) Beech Aircraft Corporation probity -will phase out production of its twin- eagine Model 18 (SNB-JRB) transport before tae end of the year. More than 9,000 of the
b'ditary and commercial aircraft have been delf
fivi
(0,
ivered in the past 30 years. The remaining e units are to be completed by January.
Navy Oceanography Budget Reviewed
Cean Science News, 6 October 1967) The
Ccanographic Subcommittee of the House erchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
as been holding hearings on the progress of °Ceanography, the Marine Sciences Council, 3nd the Marine Studies Commission.
^ear Admiral O. U. Waters, Oceanog- faPher of the Navy: The Navy “oceanography adget” has increased from $167.5 million in '66 to $227.3 million in FY-67 and $249.6 b'llion in FY-68. He said nothing about FY-69. ^ guess: A request for $280 to $300 million. There is a need to “develop technological lotions in order to make optimum use of sea- ased deterrent systems. . . The “Most ur- Jbt problems” associated with development i 000-foot-depth manned submersibles are
dun s H
ter;
structural materials and flotation ma-
lals. The Navy is currently researching
“steels with yield strengths of 180,000-to- 210,000 psi and titanium alloys in the range of 150,000-to-l80,000 psi.” The need is for suitable fabrication methods.
He also talked of Sealab III and living at 600-foot depths; of the 7-passenger, NR-1 nuclear-powered DRV; fuel cells for deep submersibles (to be available three years hence); extension of CURV’s operational depth capabilities in two steps to 7,000 and 20,000 feet respectively; further development of massive glass as a pressure hull material for submersibles; advanced development of the tandem propeller; seawater hydraulic systems for deep ocean machinery and vehicles; a one-atmosphere manned habitat at a depth of 6,000 feet; and the ability to handle loads of up to 150 tons.
s Helo Experiment Slated for Vietnam
(.Aviation Week & Space Technology, 20 November 1967) Sikorsky-American Export Is- brandtsen Lines proposal to move containerized cargo from ship to shore by helicopter delivery techniques is to be evaluated in South Vietnam next summer. The plan is designed to bypass congested port areas, and, in some cases, to transport the cargo directly to the user. Isbrandtsen will provide the ship for the tests and Sikorsky the CH-54A helicopters.
Canada Opts Out of U. S. ABM System
{Flight International, 12 October 1967) Canada, America’s partner in the NORAD North American air-defence system, declines to have anything to do with the “thin” anti-ballistic missile defence which the United States is to install, ostensibly as a defence against the threat of Chinese missile attack in the 1970s. The Canadian government plainly regards the U. S. decision as an unhappy one that is
$ 5.95
6.95
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6.75
8.75 i J M 25.00
0 U. S. Deep Rescue Vehicle Shaping
{Oceanology International, Nov/Dec 1967) On 10 April 1963, the nuclear submarine Thresh^ plunged 2,560 meters (8,400 feet) to the hot tom of the North Atlantic. Since the dept" was far below the collapse depth of the Thresher's, hull, the submarine disintegraR and all hands were lost.
But even if the Thresher had sunk in dep11
between 225 meters and her collapse dep
likely to trigger off a new round of the Cold War arms race, though it is careful to add that future considerations might demand Canada’s participation in an ABM system. Apart from these objections, Canada also regards the proposed U. S. project as the thin edge of the wedge likely to result in demands for a full ABM system to counter Soviet attacks.
s Gatun Channel May Be Deepened
(The New York Times, 24 November 1967) Deepening of the Panama Canal channel in the Gatun Lake area is being considered in a study of capital improvements necessary to achieve maximum traffic capacity for the waterway during the dry season. Such a move would add some 30 per cent to the usable water storage volume of the summit lake created at 85 feet above the level of the two oceans when the Canal was built. The idea of deepening the channel through Gatun Lake is not new, having been explored in other studies, authorities said.
The draft of ships in transit is now governed in general by the lake level. If the channel through the lake and that part of it that lies in Gaillard Cut were to be deepened appreciably, the allowable draft of transiting ships would then be governed by the depth of the lock sills at Pedro Miguel Locks. These are the middle of three sets of locks that lift and set down vessels moving from sea to sea across the hilly spine of the isthmus.
Earlier there was little concern about vessel drafts, but beginning in 1951 merchantmen of 80-foot beam or more, and with a tropical fresh-water draft in excess of 34 feet, began arriving for transit. In 1955, the Canal’s inaxi-
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mum allowable draft was set at 37 feet.
Meanwhile, the volume of wide, deep-draft ships increased rapidly. During the fiscal year 1967, 900 ships were transited with drafts i° excess of 34 feet. However, various improvements and experience in handling bigger ships resulted in an increase of draft limits to 40 feet during those months of each year when the level of Gatun Lake was as much as a foot-and-a-half above its rated 85-foot level- 0 Merchant Losses at Peacetime High
{Ocean Science News, 6 October 1967) Lloyd s of London reports world merchant ship losses last year exceeded any peacetime year sir>ce 1891, when comprehensive records were started.
th
(which is classified), rescuers would still ha'1 been helpless. The present rescue system, 1 McCann bell, is limited to about 225 ineterS' From the Thresher disaster, plans evolved t build a deep-sea rescue vehicle. In Aug11' ' builders reached the midway point in the co'1 struction of the Navy’s Deep Submerge1' Rescue Vehicle.
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The DSRV will operate to depths of in°^ than 1,000 meters. The parts of the PresSl1^, hull now are being welded. Formed *r three interconnecting 7.5-foot-dia111 spheres, the pressure hull is being fabric3*1 by Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock CompaI1.jj Chester, Pennsylvania. The pressure hull " be sent to Lockheed Missiles & Space C01 pany, Sunnyvale, California, where the oi hull of the vehicle is being constructed- . u The DSRV will be 15 meters long and c about 27,000 kg. (60,000 pounds) i*1 air. It will have a crew of three and a re ,e$, capability of 24 crewmen. Designed to ha^Aj[ collapse depth of about 1,600 meters, '* cruise submerged about 12 hours at 3 k ^ In case of an emergency, the DSRV "
Notebook 147
Went
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Was
°f the world’s largest floating dredges that sunk by Viet Cong frogmen.
transported to the nearest airport to be loaded aboard a C-141 aircraft and flown to the airport nearest the scene of the disaster. The hSRv will be carried piggy-back on a mother Sl>bmarine to the area where the distressed submarine lies.
The DSRV also will be used for a variety of boundary missions: general oceanographic ^search, diver lock-out techniques, underwater search and recovery, and the support of Undersea habitats.
22 Salvage Firm Tests Foam Guns
Narine Engineering/Log, November 1967) Tace age techniques for underwater salvage ?,re being used in a series of tests on San rancisco Bay, conducted by Murphy Pacific Marine Salvage Company. In tests, employees ^ lhe Emeryville, California, company have Cer> attaching urethane foam guns to a 'jOOO-pound test vessel. After lowering the v^ssel 200 feet to the floor of the Bay, techni- c‘ans “fire” urethane chemicals by remote c°itrol into the chamber where, within sec- fn4s, they react to produce a buoyant plastic j^arn. In underwater salvage, the foam ad- Cfes to all surfaces with which it comes in ^ntact and, as it builds up in volume, dis- 1 aces water in flooded compartments.
Murphy Pacific, under a U. S. Navy re- ^arch contract, is testing various urethane j. r,11ulations at depths ranging from 50 to 200 ,(*t.The company has used urethane foam in a . Uiber of successful salvage operations, inking the U. S. destroyer Frank Knox that aground in the South China Sea, and merged displacement of about 85 tons. It will operate at depths up to some 2,000 feet, maneuvering at a speed of about 3.5 knots. The vessel will carry a crew of four, including two researchers, and will be equipped to perform a variety of underwater research and survey projects.
Kawasaki was the first Japanese shipyard to build a submarine. Pre-war construction totaled 61 submarines, and the survey vessel is the yard’s fifth postwar submersible. It is scheduled for completion late next year, with delivery set for March 1969.
s 60-m.p.h. Russian Hydrofoil Tested
(The New York Times, 20 November 1967) The Soviet Union has completed testing of a fast hydrofoil to join a large and profitable fleet of the craft in service on the country’s waterways.
The new hydrofoil, called the Burevestnik, can travel at speeds up to 60 miles an hour, according to a report today in Trub, the trade- union newspaper. This compares with a speed of 38 miles an hour for the Raketa, the first Soviet hydrofoil. The Raketa was put into service 10 years ago.
Since then, several other types of hydrofoils have been developed, including the Meteor with a speed of 42 miles an hour. The hydrofoils are built at the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in Gorky, east of Moscow on the Volga River.
The new hydrofoil develops its speed by means of aircraft turbine engines and water- jet propulsion. Earlier hydrofoils had diesel engines and propellers.
(7 Japan Builds Research Submersible
arine Engineering/Log, November 1967) I he °f the first underwater survey vessel of its to be built in Japan was laid recently at pge Kobe yard of Kawasaki Dockyard Com- c|cn^- Japan’s Maritime Safety Agency or- e4 the craft, which is being built under an
Pr°priation from the Science and Technol- AgencY- All governmental agencies con-
n0 n.ec^ VviH share the vessel, according to their
ceds.
Tk
l0rine underwater boat will be about 50 feet g> 'vith a beam of about 18 feet and a sub
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