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Indo – U.S. joint bilateral naval exercise “Malabar 2010”, was conducted from April 23. The week long exercise was participated by the ships, submarines and aircraft from the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.

Some interesting features of Malabar 2010 are:

• Aims to promote the interoperability of both navies.
• U.S. forces participated:
  • Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67).
  • Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Lassen (DDG 82), USS Chafee (DDG 90).
  • Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Curts (FFG 38).
  • Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760).
  • P-3 Orion aircraft, SH-60 helicopters.
  • Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) special forces detachment.
• Participation by Indian Navy:
  • INS Mysore (D 60), Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer.
  • Frigates: INS Godavari (F 20), INS Brahmaputra (F 31) and INS Tabar (F 44).
  • Submarine INS Shishumar.
• Training conducted at sea includes surface and anti-submarine warfare, coordinated gunnery exercises, air defense and visit, board, search and seizure drills including professional exchanges and discussions between both navies while at sea and on shore.
• U.S. Navy personnel also participated in a community service project during the port visit to Goa. Sailors from USS Shiloh and USS Lassen painted class rooms at the Bhatikar Model English School in Goa, India.

Here are some photographs released by the Commander U.S. 7th Fleet of U.S. Navy.

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Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata launched ‘Kamorta’ the first Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette (ASWC) for the Indian Navy on April 19. The event coincides with Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebrations of GRSE.

Some interesting features of ASWC Kamorta and the launch are:

• Kamorta signifies an island, in the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands.
• Launched by Smt. Mamatha M, wife of the Minister of State of Defence, Shri M.M. Pallam Raju.
• Stealth corvette (Yard 3017), the first of the series of four under construction as Project 28.
• Expected to be commissioned by mid-2012.
• Three remaining corvettes are also under construction and are expected to be inducted into the Indian Navy by early 2015.
• Equipped with the latest indigenously developed Sonar to detect submarines, torpedo tubes, Improvised Rocket Launchers (IRL) and scutter (torpedo decoys) launchers.
• Has a very low signature of radiated underwater noise.

Here are some photographs from Press Information Bureau.

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The 17th annual Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX 2010) has commenced on April 03. The exercise is going on in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. SIMBEX 2010 is expected to conclude on April 16.

Some interesting features of SIMBEX 2010 are:

• Participating ships from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)
  • RSS Intrepid (Formidable Class stealth frigate – pennant number 69)
  • RSS Victory (Victory class missile corvette – pennant number 88)
• During the course of the exercise the RSN ships would also be visiting Port Blair and Visakhapatnam.
• Participating ships from the Indian navy:
  • INS Batti Malv (Fast Attack Craft) and INS Mahish (Landing Ship Tank) from the Andaman & Nicobar Command
  • INS Ranvir (Destroyer), INS Jyoti (Tanker) and a submarine from the Eastern Naval Command.
• In addition fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts are also participating in the exercise.

Here are the photographs of RSS Intrepid and RSS Victory available from U.S. Navy website.

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On April 01, INS Chennai guided missile destroyer (Project 15A Kolkatta Class) was launched at Mumbai by Mrs Elizabeth Antony, the wife of Defence Minister A K Antony. INS Chennai is the third destroyer (after INS Kolkata and INS Kochi) of Project 15 Alpha, under construction by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

INS Chennai is expected to be commissioned in August 2013.

Here is the press release from Press Information Bureau:

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Indian Navy’s Milan 2010 a biennial meeting of navies from the Indian Ocean region/Asia-Pacific region commenced on February 05 at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The four day event is being participated by 12 navies from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.

On this occasion, an international seminar on "Navies in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations" was also held on February 05.

Here is a photograph from Press Information Bureau.

Participants of the International Seminar on "Navies in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations" with the Lt. Governor of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Bhopender Singh and the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Verma.

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HMS Astute, the biggest and most powerful stealth nuclear attack submarine, being built for the Royal Navy (RN) is ready to commence her first set of sea trials. Three more Astute class submarines Ambush, Artful and Audacious are under construction by BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.  Astute is expected to be available for deployment by RN in 2010.

Some interesting features of Astute class submarines are:

• More complex than a Space Shuttle.
• Will never need refueling.
• Sonar suite has the processing power of 400 laptop computers.
• 97 metre long and the length is more than the length of 10 London buses.
• Has 11.2 metre beam that is more than the width of 4 London buses.
• To displace 7800 tonnes of sea water when fully loaded, equivalent to 65 blue whales or 975 unladen London buses.
• Modular construction followed.
• Has around 110 km of cabling and pipelines, that is equivalent to driving from Bristol to Oxford.
• Has more than three times the displacement of the last ‘conventionally’ powered submarine (HMS Upholder) built for the RN.
• Will be able to carry more torpedoes and tube launched missiles than any previous class of RN submarines – nuclear or conventionally powered.
• Can circumnavigate the world without surfacing and its dived endurance is limited only by the amount of food that can be carried and the endurance of the crew.
• Her sanitary fittings comprise five showers, five toilets, two urinals and eight hand basins for a crew of 98 (the Commanding Officer has his own hand basin).
• First RN submarine not to be fitted with optical periscopes.
• Has individual bunks for the whole crew and eleven extra bunks for ‘passengers’ and ‘sea riders’.
• Can produce its own oxygen from sea water to replenish the onboard atmosphere.
• Can purify the onboard atmosphere by removing and disposing of waste carbon dioxide, hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
• Can operate independently of the earth’s atmosphere for extended dived periods.
• Can compact and store onboard all the food waste and garbage arising from an extended patrol for eventual disposal on arrival back in harbour.
• Faster underwater than on the surface.
• Uses Sonar 2076 that has the world’s largest number of hydrophones of any sonar system in service today.
• On a 10 week patrol the crew would get through (on average) 18000 sausages and 4,200 Weetabix for breakfast.
• A team of 5 RN chefs (1x Petty Officer Caterer, 1x Leading Chef and 3x Chefs) provide 24 hour service to the crew of 98.

Here are some photographs from Royal Navy: HMS Astute during construction and leaving Barrow-in-Furness on her maiden voyage to start sea trials.

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The Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia’s is expected to float out the first of the three frigates of Project 11356 for the Indian Navy on November 27.
Some interesting features of Project 11356 frigates are:

• The frigates are the modified Krivak III class (Talwar class) guided missile frigates under construction at a cost of $1.6 billion contract signed in July, 2006.
• The frigates are named as: Teg (Saber), Tarkash (Quiver), Trikand (Bow).
• Russia has previously built three Talwar class frigates for India – INS Talwar, (Sword), INS Trishul (Trident), and INS Tabar (Axe).
• The first frigate after floating out is expected to commence sea trials in 2010 after completing remaining work.
• The second frigate is to be finished in 2011 and the third frigate is to be finished in 2012.
• All frigates will be armed with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
• Frigates will be also equipped with a 100-mm gun, a Shtil air defense system, two Kashtan air defense gun/missile systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo tubes, and an anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

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The 28th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference commenced at New Delhi on October 28. The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has said that the Government is making all out efforts to help Indian Coast Guard to be one of the finest Coast Guards in the world in a couple of years.

Some interesting information available from this three day 28th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference are:

• Government has sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional personnel at various levels and this is expected to be filled up on priority.
• Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring 20 Fast Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), 41 Interceptor Boats, 12 Coastal Surveillance Aircraft (Dorniers) and 7 off-shore Patrol Vehicles(OPVs).
• Work is in progress to set up a chain of 46 Coastal Radars spanning 9 Coastal Stations across the country.
• Nine new Coast Guard Stations have been approved.
• A new Regional Headquarters at Gandhinagar, Gujarat will facilitate synergy between the Coast Guard, State Government and other Central Government Organisations.
• Steps are being taken to enhance the efficacy of Coast Guard surveillance and Search and Rescue operations.

Here are some photographs of 28th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference from Press Information Bureau:

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INS Kochi (Project 15-A) stealth destroyer of Indian Navy was launched on September 18. INS Kochi is a variant of Type 15 destroyers (INS Delhi, INS Mysore and INS Mumbai).
Some interesting features of INS Kochi are:

• Launched by Mrs Madhulika Verma, wife of Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of the Naval Staff.
• The second of the three Project 15-A Kolkata-class stealth destroyers, built by Mazagon Docks Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai.
• Designed indigenously by the Directorate of Naval Design and launched using pontoon-assisted launch technique for the first time to overcome draft constraints in launching heavier vessels.
• 6500 ton,163 metres long, with maximum speed of 30 Knots.
• To have
  • Supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface missile.
  • Long Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (LRSAM).
  • MFStar, multi-function radar system to provide accurate data on surface and air targets.
  • Four AK-630 rapid-fire guns and a Medium Range gun for close-range defence capability.
  • Indigenously developed twin-tube torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers.
  • NPOL developed Humsa-NG hull-mounted sonar.
  • Two multi-role helicopters.
• Expected to join the fleet in August 2012.

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Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC) conducted a two-day seminar on Maritime Security and Development of A&N Islands at Military Station, Brichgunj on September 4-5. The  seminar was hosted to enhance and update the security aspects concerning the Andaman sea region. ANC the first integrated theatre command in India, with headquarters at Port Blair is commanded presently by VADM Vijay Sankar, PVSM, AVSM. ANC operates directly under the Chiefs Of Staff Committee (COSC).

The former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, while inaugurating the seminar unveiled a vision document for the strategic development of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the year 2020 in two parts:

• Missions for Andaman and Nicobar Islands prosperity
  • Possibility of converting the volcanic Barren island for generating electricity which can be useful for the entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • Development of mechanized deep water fishing, fish processing, storage and marketing to enhance growth in this sector.
  • Development of tourism infrastructure both internal and external, through roadways, waterways and airways, on Build Own and Operate basis as in Maldives.
  • Setting up of Island PURA ((Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) with physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity.
  • Data on meteorology and sea state should be converted into meaningful information and provided to benefit the fishing community.
• Missions for security of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
  • All the Islands of India may be brought under a single independent operational command with adequate empowerment.
  • Setting up of a 250 MW dedicated nuclear power station on one of the islands for the development of the archipelago.
  • Setting up of a static aircraft carrier with dynamic warfare systems using 10 vacant Islands.
  • Setting up of a reliable communication system within the islands and with the mainland including tsunami forecast.
  • Setting up of a nuclear submarine based fleet as a core defence system for the entire region.

Vice Admiral Shankar pointed out that security and development are the two sides of the same coin and ANC will ensure that security and development is achieved while maintaining the ecological balance.
Here is the photograph (from Press Information Bureau) of the former President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam addressing at the inauguration of Seminar on Security and Development of Andaman and Nicobar, at Port Blair.

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Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman (KD TAR), arrived at KD Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, naval base in Pulau Indah,  Malaysia on September 03. The submarine received a grand welcome from Yang Di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, RMN captain-in-chief the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Scorpene (SSK) on delivery by French military shipyard DCNS, left France on July 09. submarine acquisition by Malaysia will not set off a submarines race in the region as neighbouring countries like Singapore has four submarines and Vietnam has ordered six Kilo-class submarines. Malaysia’s development of a submarine base at Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah indicates that the submarine would be active in the South China Sea.

Commemorative stamps and first-day covers of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman were also released as part of the event.

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The Royal Navy is preparing to host “Navy Days 2009 – Meet Your Navy” on September 05 and 06. The event is going to be held at Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth.

Some interesting features of the event are:

• To be held for the first time in 3 years at the largest naval base in Western Europe, Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport.
• To showcase the present and future capabilities of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
• Public will be allowed to meet the men and women who serve on ships and submarines.
• Show on water:
  • Public can visit a wide range of Royal Naval ships and submarines, including a Hunter-Killer nuclear submarine and the Falklands war veteran Courageous.
  • Helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the fleet.
  • HMS Bulwark, the Fleet Amphibious Flagship.
  • The newest and most sophisticated warship HMS Daring, the first of the Type-45 Destroyers of the Royal Navy.
• Show on land:
  • ‘Back from the Frontline’ Exhibition by the Royal Marines.
  • A wide range of vehicles and weapons including Jackal, Viking, the awesome LCAC Military Hovercraft, and the Grenade Machine Gun will be on display.
  • Royal Navy’s Parachute Display Team and the Royal Artillery’s motorbike display team, the Flying Gunners.
• In addition there will be boarding demonstration, air display to recognise 100 years of naval aviation and performance by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.

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The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner released the report on the Loss of HMAS Sydney II on August 12 in the presence of Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal, Angus Houston, Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russell Crane and Acting Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Geoff Brown. The President of the Commission, the Honourable Terence Cole AO, RFD, QC, also discussed the contents of the report.

From the report, it is clear that ‘Element of Surprise’ by HSK Kormoran, was the key factor for the loss of HMAS Sydney II.

HMAS Sydney II

• HMAS Sydney II, a modified Leander Class Light Cruiser sank with 645 crew with no survivors on November 19, 1941 following an engagement with the German raider, HSK Kormoran, off the Western Australian coast.
• HMAS Sydney II was located on March 16, 2008 following the discovery of HSK Kormoran on March 12, 2008 approximately 112 nautical miles off Steep Point, Western Australia, at a depth of 2560 metres. Both wreckages were located by Survey vessel Geosounder.

Commission of Inquiry

• A Commission of Inquiry was appointed by the Chief of Defence Force to inquire into and report upon circumstances associated with the loss of HMAS Sydney II.
• President of the Commission, the Honourable Terence Cole says
  • The Inquiry’s key findings confirm that accounts provided by the HSK Kormoran survivors of Sydney II’s last movements and of the damage she sustained during the engagement with the German raider are correct.
  • The Commanding Officer of HMAS Sydney II was not expecting to encounter any merchant ship in the location where he encountered Kormoran.
  • That knowledge together with his knowledge of the possible presence of a German raider should have caused the sighted vessel to be treated as suspicious.
  • Another key finding is that there is now additional compelling evidence to support the conclusion that the body recovered from Christmas Island in 1941 is that of a member of HMAS Sydney II’s ship’s company.
  • Each of the many frauds, theories and speculations reported to the Inquiry were thoroughly investigated. None were found to have any substance whatsoever.

The Report is in three volumes.

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Chinese guided missile destroyer Shenzhen (DDG–167) has entered Kochi on August 08 on goodwill visit on completion of anti piracy mission off Somalia.

Chinese warships are engaged in anti piracy mission in Gulf of Aden off Somalia since January. Chinese warships are  deployed on rotation for this mission. Destroyer Shenzhen was part of second mission and is returning to port of Zhanjiang, China. On return voyage she has entered Kochi for four days.

Some interesting features of Shenzhen’s visit to Kochi are:

• Commanded by Senior Captain Zhao Chang Sheng of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
• Has embarked Rear Admiral Yao Zhilou, Deputy Commander of China’s South Sea Fleet.
• Crew of the ship is expected to visit the Naval Submarine School and the Naval Aeronautical Engineering Academy including sight seeing and sports.

Here are some details on Chinese anti piracy missions off Somalia.

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On August 01, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the world’s deepest lake, Baikal, in the Mir-1 mini-submarine.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, age 56 is well known for his adventures. When asked by journalists whether he is intending to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as his next adventure, he told that he has more things to do in Earth than in Space.

View a video clip from Al Jazeera: Putin in submarine adventure – 1 Aug 09

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