US Navy – The US Navy will soon commission its last warship with steam propulsion, the USS Iwo Jima.

• Stars and Stripes: End of an Era: Navy Readies Last Warship With Steam Propulsion

US Navy – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern E. Clark has issued an explanation of why the captain of the USS Cole was not punished for what happened to his ship.

• Virginian Pilot: Don’t misread Cole ruling, Admiral tells commanders

Taiwan – Background – The U.S. and Taiwan are jointly operating a Signals Intelligence gathering facility on Taiwan.

• Jane’s: Taiwan-USA link up on SIGINT
  

US Marines – 6th Fleet Marines are training Israeli units in combat in urban terrain tactics.

• Times of India: Israeli commandos training with US Marines

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy is rushing ships and resources to aid earthquake victims in Bhuj and other parts of the Gujarat.

• Deccan Herald: Western naval command rushes 2 ships to Gujarat

US Navy – US Navy cryptographers have been assigned to the Pine Gap intelligence gathering facility in Australia to monitor more closely naval movements in South East Asia.

• The Australian: Elite US spy unit sent to Pine Gap
  

US Navy – A thorough review of the past and future career of the E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft.

• Jane’s: Hawkeye fixes gaze on emerging missions

French Navy – The French Navy has developed a new high explosive “insensitive munition” bomb for use on its aircraft carrier, as the weapon’s magazine for these bombs in located near the nuclear reactor on the Charles de Gaulle.

• Jane’s: New BANG for carrier strike aircraft
  

Taiwanese Navy -The US may be asked by Taiwan to sell it the 4 Kidd-class guided missile destroyers, as replacements for its Gearing-class destroyers. The Kidd’s would help Taiwan counter China’s new Russian-made Sovremenny- class destroyers and Kilo-class submarines.

• New York Times (registration required): Taiwan Is Likely to Ask the U.S. to Sell It 4 Destroyers

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy has just commissioned a new guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, and a new guided missile corvette, INS Kirch.

• Times of India: Navy gets 2 new ships

US Navy – The US Navy (and US military) is in for some big changes from the Bush administration — but no one knows just what those changes will entail???

• CNN: Administration to reassess national security strategies
• Virginian Pilot: Defense secretary appointee makes Navy no promises

US Navy – The commission investigating the attack on the USS Cole has issued its report, finding no one to blame for the incident.

• Jane’s: Cole attack highlights inadequate security

US Navy – Newport News Shipbuilding has come under attack for failing to keep costs down on Navy contracts.

• Wall Street Journal: Newport News draws fire
  over cost-cutting efforts

US Coast Guard – The US Coast Guard is assisting in the clean up of the oil spill off the Galapagos Islands.

• CNN:
  Oil spill off Galapagos Islands threatens rare species

• BBC: Galapagos oil tanker ‘breaking up’

Russian Navy – Further analysis by academics of seismic data from the Kursk lends credence to the theory that an explosion, not a collision with another submarine, is what sunk the Kursk.

• BBC: ‘Blast sank Kursk, not collision’

Pakistan Navy – the Pakistani Navy is looking to acquire nuclear weapons for its fleet to provide a counterbalance against a larger and stronger Indian Navy.

• Times of India: Pakistan nuclearising its Navy

Pakistani Navy – The Pakistani Navy will acquire 1 and construct 3 warships from China over the next decade. They will also develop Gawadar Port on the Makran coast in Baluchistan as an alternatiive to the main seaport Karachi, which is vulnerable to Indian warships.

• Times of India: Chinese warships for Pakistan Navy

US Navy – An update on the DD-21 program, which is moving forward towards selection of a final design and builder.

• NY Times: A New Destroyer May Force Choice on the Bush Team

Royal Navy – A breakdown of which ships in the Royal Navy currently use depleted uranium ammunition.

• The Times: Navy to withdraw uranium shells

US Navy – A sailor aboard the Trident submarine USS Alaska has been charged with sabotage.

• Associated Press: Nuclear submarine crew member charged with sabotage

Russian Navy – Two Russian warships will visit the Indian Ocean for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union, and visit the International Fleet Review in Mumbai.

• Times of India: Russia to send 2 warships for Indian fleet review

East Asian Background – A number of East Asian navies – such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore – are acquiring submarines to guard their coastlines and shipping lanes. The submarine’s stealthy nature and tremendous firepower are its main selling points.

• International Herald Tribune: East Asians Acquiring Submarines to Guard Sea-Lanes

Royal Navy – A look at how the shipbuilding industry in the UK is undergoing a profound change in order to become more efficient.

• Financial Times: Warships take time to plot a new course

Chilean Navy – The Chilean Navy is monitoring the passage of a British ship off its coast which is carrying nuclear waste from France to Japan.

• CNN:
  Chilean Navy monitors ship carrying nuclear waste

Turkish Navy – Exerercise Reliant Mermaid III is occurring in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, between the Turkish, Israeli, and US navies. The exercise shows the strong alliances that exist between the 3 countries.

• Washington Post: Naval exercise builds Mideast ties

US Navy – The US Navy is set to limit port calls, to protect against terrorism.

• US News and World Report: Port calls or naval gazing

Royal Navy – The controversy over depleted uranium ammunition continues, with the Royal Navy phasing out its use as the ammuntion is no longer made for its Phalynx Close In Weapons Systems.

• BBC: Royal Navy phases out DU ammo
• BBC: Call for further action on DU ammo

Background – Depleted Uranium (DU) weapons – A historical background on DU weapons – why they were developed and what their side effects are.

• Washington Post: The Department of Depleted Uranium

Royal Australian Navy – The US Navy has taken a keen interest in the Collins-class attack submarines, now that the bugs in them are being ironed out. Meanwhile, their Swedish designer has lodged a protest with Australia, claiming the Australians are improperly sharing the boat’s secrets with the US.

• Sydney Morning Herald: Subs once mocked now valued by US
• Sydney Morning Herald: Sweden goes to war: Australia blasted over submarine secrets

US Navy – The next mission of the stealth test ship Sea Shadow – to test new technologies for the DD-21 class.

• San Diego Union Tribune:
  Ship comes out from shadow for new mission

US Navy – A description of the mission of the Acoustical Research Detachment in Idaho, which develops techniques for submarine quieting

• Spokesman-Review: Tour of installation satisfied curiosity, provided facts

Russian Navy – The Russian Navy will cruise to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and Mediterranean Sea this year.

• Associated Press: Russian Navy returning to Atlantic
• The Hindu: Russian warships to resume ocean patrolling

Background – Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) – A cogent description of what LFAS is, and why it may be harmful to marine mammals.

• Feed: Now Hear This

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy was attempting to purchase Squall high speed torpedoes from the Russian Navy, on behalf of the US. It appears that this may have involved Edmond Pope.

• Ottawa Citizen: Canadian connection in spy drama
• National Post: Torpedo travels through water like ‘lightning stab of a dagger’
  

Indian Navy – The Indian defence minister states that India must devote more resources to its navy, to help it defend its sea borders.

• The News International, Pakistan: Indian sea borders vulnerable, says Fernandes

Now that last year’s bookeeping is out of the way, it’s time to return to the news???

???except, I’d like you to take a moment to think about NOSI, what you like about it, what you dislike about it, and how it can be improved. Then drop me a brief e-mail with your thoughts to: thedalessandros@hotmail.com

Your feedback is much appreciated as it helps to immeasurably improve this site.

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy has been criticized for delaying modernization of its sole aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

• Janes: India under fire over delay in carrier upgrade

US Navy – How the US Navy is convincingly making the case it needs to increase the number of nuclear attack submarines it has.

• Air Force: Submarine salesmanship

World Naval Operational News Highlights for 2000

1. Several recurring themes were identified in this year’s naval news stories:
• Iraq’s successful attempts to circumvent the United Nations
  economic sanctions on the exporting of oil.
• The crisis in readiness, especially in the navies of the United
  States, United Kingdom, Russia, and Canada.
• Piracy in the South China Sea.
• The standoff in the Taiwanese Straits between Taiwan and China.
• Ship handling accidents in the United States Navy.
• The ascendency of Indian Navy.
• Territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea, such as the Spratly Islands.
• Support for Operations Other Than War including the Royal Navy and French Navy in Mozambique
  and Madagascar, the Royal Navy in Sierra Leone, and the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy in the Solomon Islands.
2. The most professional combined arms operation of the year was the deployment of British forces to Sierra Leone to attempt to restore stability to the country.
3. The only ship-to-ship combat of the year was between the Sri Lankan Navy and the Tamil Tigers.
4. The most intriguing naval news story of the year is whether or not Israel has developed a sea based nuclear deterrent in the form of nuclear tipped cruise missiles on its new Dolphin-class submarines.
5. The most strategically significant naval news story of the year is the possibility that the US may have to turn its base on Diego Garcia back over to the native Chagos islanders who were unlawfully evicted from the island in the 1960’s.
6. The most narrowly averted naval disaster of the year was the serious problem found in the cooling system of the nuclear reactor on the Royal Navy’s nuclear attack submarines.
7. The most tragic naval news stories of the year was the sinking of the Russian nuclear attack submarine Kursk with the loss of all hands, and the terrorist attack on the guided missile destroyer USS Cole with heavy loss of life.
8. The most bizarre naval news story of the year was the construction of a midget submarine in the mountains of Columbia, to be used by drug smugglers, with assistance from Russian nationals.
9. The most humorous naval operation of the year was the sight of the Canadian Navy undertaking an operation to recapture Canadian Army equipment from a transport ship’s crew which was holding it hostage in order to be reimbursed for its transport from Kosovo to Canada.
10. And finally, the naval news story of the year with the most potential long term significance was the unsuccessful attempt of Argentinians to sue the British government over the sinking of the cruiser General Belgrano in the Falklands War. Will the wars of the future be refought in the court room, rather than in the simulator room?

Yesterday I reread all of NOSI, in preparation for writing a year-end summary. I came across the following two stories, which due to typos were not linked correctly and therefore could not be read. I therefore resubmit them to you for your reading pleasure???

Russian Navy – A fascinating seismic analysis of the Kursk’s explosions from Terry Wallace and Dr. Keith Koper at the University of Arizona, which estimates the force of the explosion to be between 0.5 and 1 ton. I am grateful to Micha Schellingerhout from the Netherlands for sharing this!

• University of Arizona: Forensic Seismology and the Sinking of the Kursk

Royal Navy – it has been discovered that HMS Tireless, the Trafalgar-class nuclear attack submarine currently docked in Gibraltar awaiting repairs, was much closer to a meltdown of its nuclear reactor than was previously admittted.

• Times of London: Nuclear sub ‘came close to meltdown’

NOSI Statistics for 2000
NOSI was launched on February 18, 2000.

In 2000, there were news stories linked to on 208 / 318 days – that is on 65% of the days.

In 2000, NOSI linked to 567 news stories. On December 31, 2000, each link was
checked to see if it was still working. 139 / 567 links, or 25% were
broken.

The news stories linked to covered the operational activities of 32 navies:

United States – 178 stories
Russia – 77 stories
United Kingdom – 74 stories
India – 44 stories
Canada – 22 stories
Australia – 21 stories
China – 16 stories
France – 15 stories
Taiwan – 14 stories
Sri Lanka – 13 stories
Indonesia – 8 stories
Japan – 8 stories
Nigeria – 6 stories
South Africa – 6 stories
Iran – 5 stories
New Zealand – 4 stories
Israel – 4 stories
Columbia – 4 stories
Pakistan – 3 stories
Phillipines – 3 stories
Suriname – 2 stories
Malaysia – 2 stories
Brazil – 2 stories
Ukraine – 2 stories
Mauritania – 1 story
North Korea – 1 story
Portugal – 1 story
Poland – 1 story
Turkey – 1 story
Uruguay – 1 story
Yugoslavia – 1 story
South Korea – 1 story
???and 26 Background new stories

In 2000, 18,205 pages of information were read on NOSI by 8,612 users.