The FReeper Foxhole - Military Related News in Review - June 9th, 2003

various news sources and FR

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Buchanan (DD-131)

Wickes class destroyer
Displacement. 1154 t.
Lenght. 314'5"
Beam. 31'8"
Draft. 9'
Speed. 35.4 k.
Complement. 122
Armament. 4 4", 1 3", 12 21" tt.

The USS Buchanan (DD-131) was launched 2 January 1919 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. Charles P. Wetherbee; and commissioned 20 January 1919, Lieutenant H. H. J. Bensen in command.

Buchanan reported to Commander, Destroyer Force, at Guantanamo, Cuba, and was temporarily attached to Destroyer Squadron 2 until ordered to the Pacific Fleet in July 1919 for duty with Destroyer Flotilla 4. From 7 June 1922 until 10 April 1930 Buchanan was out of commission at San Diego. She then joined Destroyer Division 10, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Force, and operated on the west coast in routine division, force, and fleet activities and problems. In the summer of 1934, after making a cruise to Alaska with ROTC units aboard, she was placed in reduced commission attached to Rotating Reserve Destroyer Squadron 20 at San Diego.

Again placed in full commission in December 1934, she resumed operations with Division 5, Destroyers, Battle Force. Buchanan was again out of commission at San Diego from 9 April 1937 until 30 September 1939. She was then refitted for action with Division 65, Destroyer Squadron 32, Atlantic Squadron, and from December 1939 until 22 February 1940 operated with the Neutrality Patrol and Antilles Detachment. She was then assigned to patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, operating out of Galveston, Tex., and later off Key West and around the Florida Straits. She arrived at Boston Navy Yard 2 September and then proceeded to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where on 9 September 1940 she was decommissioned and transferred in the destroyer-land bases exchange to the United Kingdom.

Commissioned in the Royal Navy on the day of transfer she was renamed HMS Campbeltown. Upon her arrival at Devonport, England, 29 September 1940, Campbeltown was allocated to the 7th Escort Group, Liverpool, in the Western Approaches Comm and. In January 1941 she was provisionally allocated to the Royal Netherlands Navy, but reverted to the Royal Navy in September 1941. Between September 1941 and March 1942 she served with Atlantic convoys and was attacked on several occasions by enemy U-boats and aircraft, but escaped without damage. On 15 September 1941 she picked up the survivors of the Norwegian motor tanker Vinga, damaged by an enemy air attack.

Her end came as a fitting conclusion to her fine career for she acted as blockship in the lock entrance at St. Nazaire during the raid of 28 March 1942. Early that morning she was driven straight at her objective under withering fire. Her commandos scrambled ashore and commenced their demolition work. After scuttling her, her crew escaped in motor boats. Eleven hours later, her five tons of delayed action high explosives blew up, inflicting heavy casualties among the German members of an inspection party who had gone on board and wrought great havoc in the port. Campbeltown's captain, Lieutenant Commander S. H. Beattie, R. N., who was taken prisoner of war, was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry.

USS Buchanan was named in honor of Admiral Franklin Buchanan (1800-1874), who was an important figure in the United States Navy, and Admiral and the ranking officer in the Confederate States Navy.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you aomagrat.
Your essay on her "fitting conclusion" peaked my interest and caused me to read a little more on the story...

In March 1942 the U-Boat offensive in the Atlantic was at its height and the Admiralty was afraid that the appearance of a powerful German surface raider in the Atlantic might destroy British morale.

The Tirpitz was in Norwegian waters and if she was to operate in the Atlantic she would have to use the enormous dry-docks at St. Nazaire. The Admiralty decided that if the dock was destroyed the Tirpitz would not try to break out to the Atlantic.

Lord Mountbatten worked out the best plan for this operation: an old destroyer, laden with explosives, would ram the lock gates of the Normandie docks and then be scuttled, with three eight-hour fuzes on board to detonate the explosives. The operation was codenamed Chariot and on 26 March a force was assembled at Falmouth.

The HMS Campbeltown (ex-USS Buchanan) was used with a motor gunboat, 16 motor launches and one motor torpedo boat and 611 men were picked to carry out the raid. The German defenses at St Nazaire were powerful with 13 40mm guns and 28 20mm guns on the coast. By 0030 on 28 March the commando force had reached the Loire estuary undetected and at 0134 the Campbeltown rammed the lock gates, under heavy fire.

By this time the Germans were fully alerted and only three craft succeeded in landing their men as planned, who blew up the dock installations. The fuzes on the Campbeltown were activated and the ship was scuttled but the evacuation of the commandos was confused and many were left behind.

The Germans rounded up the men and as a party of officers were inspecting the Campbeltown, she blew up at about 1000. The raid was a great success and the lock gates were destroyed, but 144 men were killed and more than half the men were taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war in POW camps.

[snippy_about_it]

You'll be on the regular ping list tomorrow. :)

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
MIRAGE 2000 (DASSAULT-BREGUET)

The Mirage 2000 is very similar to the Mirage III/5 and 50, though it is not a variant of the Mirage III/5 or 50 but an entirely new aircraft with advanced interceptor controls. In its secondary ground-attack role, the Mirage 2000 carries laser guided missiles rockets and bombs. There is a two-seat version of this aircraft, the 2000N (Penetration) which has nuclear standoff capability.

The wings are low-mounted delta with clipped tips. There is one turbofan engine mounted in the fuselage. There are semicircular air intakes alongside the fuselage forward of the wings. There is a large, single exhaust which protrudes past the tail. The fuselage is tube-shaped with a pointed nose and a bubble canopy. There are no tail flats. The fin is swept-back and tapered with a clipped tip.

The Mirage 2000-5 is a multi-role single-seater or two seater fighter. It differs from its predecessors mainly in its avionics; its new multiple target air-to-ground and air-to-air firing procedures linked to the use of RDY radar and its new visualization and control system. As a multi-role combat aircraft with versatile air-to-air mission capabilities, the Mirage 2000-5 integrates the state-of-the-art of the know-how based on the experience gained from the previous Mirage 2000 versions (Mirage 2000 DA, Mirage 2000 E, Mirage 2000 D) and is designed for the most-advanced armaments.

The Mirage 2000 D, derived from the Mirage 2000N operated by the French Air Force, is a two-seater air-to-ground attack aircraft. The Mirage 2000D tactical penetration two-seater fighter carries air-to-ground high precision weapons which can be fired at a safe distance, by day or by night. Its navigation and attack system enable it to fly in any weather conditions, hugging the terrain at a very low altitude. Beyond the nuclear-weapons capabilities adopted for the Mirage 2000 N, the Mirage 2000 D armament includes laser-guided weapons, low-drag bombs, and the aircraft can also carry the APACHE cruise missile. The Mirage 2000 D geometrical characteristics and the main performance data are the same as those of the Mirage 2000-5.

Specifications:
Countries of Origin: France
Builder team: Dassault Aviation, SNECMA, Thomson-CSF
First flight: March, 1978 [Mirage 2000C]
Crew: One / Mirage 2000N &2000D -- two [ 1 pilot + 1 navigation and weapon officer]
Power plant / Thrust: SNECMA M 53 P2 jet engine / 9.7 t with afterburner
Roles:Interceptor [Mirage 2000C]
Major operational capabilities:
All weather night and day missions such as Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI) [Mirage 2000D]
Automated terrain following at very high speed and very low altitude
All-weather night and day bombing capability
High precision all weather day/night bombing with Thomson-CSF PDL-CT

Dimensions:
Length: 50 ft, 3 in (14.36 m)
Span: 29 ft, 5 in (9.13 m)
Height: 5.30 meters
Empty Weight: 7,600 kg [Mirage 2000C]
Maximum Weight: 16,500 kg
Maximal armament weight: 5,900 kg [Mirage 2000C] / 6,200 kg (9 store stations) [Mirage 2000D]

Perfmorance:
Maximum Speed: Mach 1,2 [low altitude] / Mach 2,2 [high altitude]
Rate of Climb: 17,000 m/min
Ceiling: Above 50,000 ft / 16,500 m
Combat Radius:
800 nm (1,475 km) w/ 4 250-kg bombs
1,000 nm (1,850 km) w/ 2 1,700-liter drop tanks
1,800 nm (3,335 km) max fuel w/ 2 1,700-liter + 1 1,300-liter drop tanks
In-Flight Refueling: Yes
Fuel capacity: [Mirage 2000C]
3,950 l internal / 8,000 l maximal / in-flight refuelling [Mirage 2000D]
3,1 t internal / 6,2 t maximal / In-flight refuelling

Sensors:
RDI radar (interceptor), RWR, Advanced bombsight

Armaments:
2 GIAT DEFA 554 de 30 mm cannons
Air-air : missiles MICA, Magic 2, Super 530F,Super 530D Sky Flash.
Air-ground bombs : BGL 1000, BM400, BAP 100
Air-ground missiles : Durandal, Belouga, Armat, Apache, Scalp, AS30L, AM39, ASMP

TYPICAL LOADS:
2 AM.39 Exocet, 1 1300 L drop Tank (855 nm)
1 1300 L drop tank, 2 ARMAT, 2 R.550 Magic (885 nm)
1 1300 L drop tank, 2R.500 Magic, 2 R.530D (885 nm)
4 Belouga, 2 1700 L drop tank, 2 R.550 Magic (1094 nm)
18 EU2 250 kg bombs (756 nm)

Special equipment:: [Mirage 2000C]
Thomson-CSF RDI radar (pulse doppler), look down-shoot down capacity, integrated electronic counter-measures, fly-by-wire, automatic pilot, inertial guidance system [Mirage 2000D]
Fly-by-wire system, 2 inertial navigation systems, Thomson-CSF Antilope 5 terrain following radar, Icare digital map, integrated GPS, integrated countermeasures, laser designation pod with thermal camera (PDL-CT)

All photos Copyright of Global Security.org

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you Johnny.

The Mirage 2000 is very similar to the Mirage III/5 and 50, though it is not a variant of the Mirage III/5 or 50 but an entirely new aircraft with advanced interceptor controls.

Then why did they even call it Mirage? This is as bad as the trouble I'm having with ship naming. Arrgh. How am I to learn anything with all the confusion? LOL.< /rant>

[snippy_about_it]

Hey E.G.C.

It's a Monday that's for sure. What a day already I've had. lol.

However, the sun is shining for a change. Yippee.

And you?

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

Thanks for putting all the news in one place for us

[snippy_about_it]

Well look at you! Those are beautiful. Thank you. :)

[SAMWolf]

1963 Barbra Striesand appears on "The Ed Sullivan Show"

Blames Republican Vast Right Wing Conspiracy for War in Vietnam

[snippy_about_it]

You know if you stayed busy much longer today I was gonna have to call my pups for some psychiatric help. LOL.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather

[SAMWolf]

I'm still holding on to Windows 98.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks aomagrat. Makes me wonder if they'd name a ship after a Confederate hero nowadays.

[SAMWolf]

The Raid on St. Nazaire is a amazing story.

[SAMWolf]

AHA! I see aomagrat got you interested into looking up the Raid on St. Nazaire.

[snippy_about_it]

AHA! I see aomagrat got you interested into looking up the Raid on St. Nazaire.


I confess, what can I say, your influence is taking hold on me!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Johnny.

What do you call the french Air Force in a combat zone?

A Mirage

[Johnny Gage]

I hear ya

[SAMWolf]

Busy? just can't get the IL's out of my computer room any earlier! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!

[snippy_about_it]

IL's out of the room....


I was being nice. :)