Pirate movie poster
June 4th, 2010 | Photos Pirates | Posted by Phil Ewing
Hollywood’s inevitable big-budget pirate-Navy action flick hasn’t yet been made — although don’t think there aren’t projects in the works — but a recent set of photos by MC2 Ja’lon Rhinehart would serve nicely if the studios need art for the movie posters. By the looks of it, Rhinehart was part of a boarding team from the pirate-terrorizing cruiser San Jacinto that went out for an early-morning visit.
Rhinehart’s dawn’s early light gives an unearthly, dreamlike quality to a potentially dangerous evolution.
AH-1W Super Cobra links
June 2nd, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Naval Academy Pirates Science and technology | Posted by Phil Ewing
Much as Marine Cobra gunship helicopters -- like this one, from HMM 166 -- deliver support exactly where the grunts need it, so too do today's links bring the latest updates right to you. // MC1 Richard Doolin / Navy
Whip-whip whip-whip whip-whip whip-whip whip-whip whip-whip — twin-rotor spinnin’, Hellfire missile slingin’, big-deck gator launchin’ links, coming in low out of the haze, straight at you, with no question about who they are or what they’re capable of:
- The Norfolk-based cruiser San Jacinto is the latest warship on a pirate tear.
- There’s a petition in the works these days for the Navy to name its next ship after the late Medal of Honor recipient Lt. John Finn — we hasten to point out that DDG 1002 is as yet unnamed…
- Sailors on boarding teams at sea may be able to zip up the sides of high-freeboard vessels like Batman with the Office of Naval Researcher’s new rope ascender.
- Apparently we’re all taking completely in the open these days about China’s super death-ray re-targetable anti-ship ballistic missile — no more spooky “classified threat” phrases. As such, other navies with carrier-fielding aspirations are realizing they too might have some challenges putting their ships to sea in a hostile environment.
- The latest chapter in the endless saga called “What Will Happen To the Ex-Carrier John F. Kennedy” seems to be in the works: One Maine activist wants to get on board with plans to bring JFK down east, only he says engineers should install wind turbines on the flight deck and let it earn its keep.
- Pacific Fleet, take note: It’s midshipman season.
The old ship-renaming trick
May 24th, 2010 | Pirates | Posted by Phil Ewing
The crew of the destroyer McFaul wasn't fooled when pirates tried to change the name of the ship they'd hijacked. // MC2 Jason Zalasky / Navy
There’s a scene in 2005′s underrated Nicholas Cage vehicle “Lord of War” in which Cage’s bad-guy arms dealer trips up the federal agents on his trail by repainting the name of the ship he’s using for his latest smuggling scheme. When the feds spot Cage’s vessel they don’t find the one they’re looking for — they think — so they can’t bring the hammer down.
Although that movie sank like a stone when it came out, at least one DVD made it to a pirate den in Somalia, because a team of hijackers used that exact trick on a cargo ship last week. When the destroyer McFaul spotted the ship, which is really named the Iceberg I, its crew saw its pirate captors had rechristened it “Sea Express,” according to this story.
The only difference is, the crew of the McFaul wasn’t fooled — the destroyer shadowed the hijacked vessel on the open sea until it turned back to the Somali coast.
The T-AO with flags as black as the oil it carries
May 18th, 2010 | Military Sealift Command Photos Pirates | Posted by Phil Ewing
The ensigns of Henry Avery, the United States of America and Blackbeard flying aboard the oiler Leroy Grumman. // Tim Wheeler / MSC
We take great pleasure in sharing the latest spoils from the Inbox of Excellence — live, no-foolin’ photos of Military Sealift Command’s renegade oiler, the Leroy Grumman, flying not one — but two! — of its infamous Jolly Rogers.
These shots might not win any of your fancy National Geographic photo-prizes, having come from rogue cameras, after all, but they also come straight from the source: Leroy Grumman’s chief mate, Tim Wheeler, who was good enough to explain a little of the ship’s pirate-flag rules of engagement:
The skeleton with the cocktail who is stabbing the heart is Blackbeard’s and the more traditional one (or not) with the skull profile is Henry Avery’s — both fine, upstanding mariners. We use certain flag etiquette with these. If someone is alongside and they do a good job they’ll get “flagged” (weather permitting — these things are so big they can rip themselves up in a stiff head wind). If they’re just horrible we just want them away and we don’t even think about a “flagging”. If someone hauls up some wambly flag we’ll “flag” them and if someone has something decent/sizable, we feel compelled to “double-flag” ‘em so they’ll remember Grumman. A sister MSC ship generally gets a “double-flagging”. It makes sense to us, somehow. We’re always sure to announce when they’re up so our new crew can step outside, look aloft and swell up with pride — like us.
Outstanding! Honi soit qui mal y pense.
We asked for these shots in our original post from February about MSC’s pirate oiler, at the same time we asked for other pix of your ship flying a Jolly Roger — or doing anything cool. The offer stands, and we’d love to post your images here on the Deck.
Grumman's Jolly Rogers appear near its trademark MSC yellow and blue-striped stack. // Tim Wheeler / MSC
Seven in Seven
April 30th, 2010 | Aviation Coast Guard Congress Environment Foreign navies Maritime operations Morale Navy Officers Personnel Pirates Royal Navy Ships Submarines The Pacific Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Photo by MCSN Joshua Martin
The Navy nabbed a lot of headlines again this week. Leading the way is news that subs are now officially open to women. In other career news, the active duty master chiefs list was released. The Coast Guard is holding its ground in the oil spill – and against critics. and the Army cancelled the Non-Line of Sight Launch System, which will likely have significant ramifications for the Littoral Combat Ship.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
See for yourself: Capt. Richard Phillips
April 20th, 2010 | Pirates Video | Posted by Phil Ewing
A couple of months ago we told you about the forthcoming book — and media blitz — from Capt. Richard Phillips of the pirate-victim container ship Maersk Alabama. Now it’s here, and Phillips appeared this week on Washington’s top weekly defense news TV show, “This Week In Defense News,” with big-dog Defense News editor Vago Muradian.
Why, admiral, so nice of you to drop by
April 16th, 2010 | Life at Sea Photos Pirates | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC1 Cassandra Thompson / Navy
How can you tell the crew of the destroyer Farragut is on a roll these days? Not only are they fightin’ pirates left and right, the ship’s namesake, Adm. David G. Farragut, traveled forward in time from the 19th century to pose in this picture with its current skipper, Cmdr. Philip Sobeck, as he presented a commemorative photo to Singaporean Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Neo Kian Hong.
Seven in Seven
April 9th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Life at Sea Maritime operations Navy NECC Pirates Science and technology Seabees Ships The greenside | Posted by Lance Bacon
The Navy kicked off the month by kicking pirate butt in three foiled attacks. The stories that nabbed most other headlines this week included the Nuclear Posture Review, which was all the talk in the beltway; F-35 training, which continues despite problems getting the jets; the Fire Scout, which scored its first drug bust; the smoking ban on subs and the Navy’s decision to restrict the wear of ball caps and coveralls.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
March Madness — Navy style
April 8th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Foreign navies Maritime operations Military Sealift Command Navy ordnance Pirates Ships Submarines The Pacific | Posted by Lance Bacon
March was a busy month for the Global Force for Good. You’ve likely heard about the commissionings, the pummeling of pirates and all the other good tidbits. Here are a few highlights that may have slipped under your radar:
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower launched nearly 620 combat sorties and flew more than 3,600 cumulative hours from the North Arabian Sea supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Nearly three dozen nuggets gave a collective sigh as the carrier John C. Stennis began the journey home to Bremerton, Wash., after 21 days at sea in support of fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications. Stennis embarked five squadrons and qualified 34 new pilots who completed 641 arrested gear landings. You can read about it here.
The persistant pirate problem
March 24th, 2010 | Maritime operations Pirates The Middle East | Posted by Phil Ewing
Although most Americans' attention has likely flagged, U.S. and international navies continue to police the lawless, pirate-ridden Somali coast. These sailors and Coast Guardsmen are from the destroyer Farragut. // MC1 Elizabeth Allen / Navy
Most Americans will start hearing about pirates again in a few weeks when the publicity tour kicks up for the release of “A Captain’s Duty,” the memoir of former pirate captive Richard Phillips, but as Scoop Deck readers know, the pirate situation never went away. As a matter of fact, Somali pirates hijacked two ships on Tuesday, one of which was closer to India than it was to the Horn of Africa — Eagle1 has more details.
There was another grim pirate milestone this week: Private security contractors aboard a merchant vessel off the Somali coast killed a would-be hijacker this week, in what is believed to be the first time a civilian security operative has killed a pirate. It was probably inevitable: U.S. and international naval commanders have said repeatedly they can’t protect all the merchant vessels off Somalia, and that shippers have to be responsible for their own security.
The question is, will the death of an attacker escalate the pirate situation in this part of the world? It hasn’t before, in Phillips’ case and others: Pirates need vessels intact and crews alive to hold for their lucrative ransoms. Then again, if the growing presence of armed guards makes it harder to commit what used to be simple hijackings, there’s no telling what could become the new norm.