Featured Boat: German Emden

 The Emden was launched at Danzig on 26 May 1908, she was commissioned into the Kaiserliche Marine on 10 July 1909. She was named after the German city of Emden, which sponsored the warship. Armed with ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns, she was the last German cruiser to use reciprocating engines. Emden's sister ship SMS Dresden and all subsequent cruisers were equipped with steam turbines. As with most ships of the time, Emden's twelve boilerswere heated by burning coal.

On 1 April 1910, the Emden officially entered the fleet and was assigned to the East Asian Station at Tsingtao in Germany's Chinese Kiautschou colony. Emden left Kiel on 12 April 1910, transited the Kiel Canal, and entered the open sea. She was never to see German home waters again.^[1] At Tsingtao she acquired the nickname "Swan of the East" because of her graceful lines.

Emden saw her first action suppressing the Sokehs Rebellion in the German Caroline Islands in January 1911. Together with the light cruiser SMS Nürnberg, she shelled rebel fortifications with her main battery, then sent an armed landing party ashore to capture the stronghold.

In May 1913, Emden received her last commanding officer, Korvettenkapitän Karl von Müller. The chivalry of Captain von Müller during his command would earn him the respect of both friend and foe. An enigmatic and quiet man, Müller suffered from recurring attacks of malaria, which killed him less than five years after the war.

During the Second Chinese Revolution, Müller was ordered to take the Emden to put down a revolt by the Chinese along the Yangtze River. In August 1913, she joined several British and Japanese warships on the Yangtze River and shelled a rebel fort into submission on 13 August.

[edit]World War I

Two days later, Emden captured her first prize, the Russian steamer Rjasan (Ryaezan), which was boarded and escorted back to Tsingtao.^[2]

Captain von Müller was well aware of how the Japanese fleet had trapped and destroyed the Russian fleet in Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War. When news came from Europe that war was imminent, he was determined not to let history repeat itself. The only major naval unit not on a routine mission at Pacific Ocean colonies, Emden left Tsingtao on 31 July 1914 and was at sea when news of the beginning of World War I was received on 2 August.

The German colony was soon surrounded by belligerents – British, French, Japanese and Russians; all had East Asian bases and warships near Kiautschou. The deep-water port at Tsingtao with its advanced shipyard facilities and neighbouring modern infrastructure was coveted by the Allies. Realizing the colony could not hold out for long, Müller left to join the German East Asia Squadron commanded by Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee. Müller allowed the sailors to line the deck in shifts, "singing to the [ship's] band and staring at the German town spread out behind them in the low sun of evening" one last time.^[3]

On 8 August 1914, Emden rendezvoused with Spee's squadron at Pagan Island in the northern Marianas, then a German colony. Admiral von Spee wanted the squadron to stay united and attempt to reach Germany, but agreed to Captain von Müller's suggestion of deploying a single light cruiser to raid British merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean. Taking along the collier Markomannia "with a full load of first-class coal," the Emden detached from the fleet on 14 August 1914.^[4]

Heading for the German Palau Islands, Emden met the gunboat Geier and informed her captain of the latest war news. Müller then began coaling his ship off Timor in the Dutch East Indies. Emden was intercepted by the neutral 5,300 ton Dutch coastal defense ship Tromp and "an elaborate exchange of courtesies ensued."^[5] Commander Müller, of lower rank and in Dutch colonial waters, called on the Dutch captain aboard Tromp. Her Captain politely explained the proclamation of neutrality of his nation and offered refreshments to his German guests. After the completion of coaling, Emden left, but deciphered a Dutch radio transmission reporting the passage of a four-funnel British warship in violation of Dutch neutrality. Taking advantage of the report, Müller built a dummy fourth smokestack on the ship’s superstructure to resemble the British cruiser HMS Yarmouth.^[6] On 28 August 1914, Emden then slipped through the narrow strait between Bali and Lombok into the Indian Ocean, her collier several miles astern in her wake.^[7]

Scale: 1:100

Length: 46.5” Height: 26” Bredth: 6”

Cruiser

Price: $1050

Shipping: $155

Featured Boat: HMS Dreadnought

HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of ships named after her, while the generation of ships she made obsolete became known as "pre-dreadnoughts". She was the sixth ship of that name in the Royal Navy.

Admiral Sir John "Jacky" Fisher, First Sea Lord of the Board of Admiralty, is credited as the father of the Dreadnought. Shortly after he assumed office he ordered design studies for a battleship armed solely with 12-inch (305 mm) guns and a speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). He convened a "Committee on Designs" to evaluate the alternative designs and to assist in the detailed design process. One ancillary benefit of the Committee was that it would shield him, and the Admiralty, from political charges that they had not consulted leading experts before designing such a radically different battleship.

Dreadnought was the first battleship of her era to have a uniform main battery, rather than having a few large guns complemented by a heavy secondary battery of somewhat smaller guns. She was also the first capital ship to be powered by steam turbines, making her the fastest battleship in the world at the time of her completion.^[1] Her launch helped spark a major naval arms race as navies around the world, particularly the German Imperial Navy rushed to match her in the build-up to World War I.^[2]

Dreadnought did not participate in any of World War I's naval battles as she was being refitted during the Battle of Jutland in 1916. This was the only time that British dreadnought battleships fired on their German counterparts during the war. However, she became the only battleship ever to sink a submarine when she rammed the SM U-29 when it unexpectedly broke the surface after firing a torpedo at another dreadnought in 1915. After Jutland, she was relegated to coast defence duties in the English Channel, only rejoining the Grand Fleet in 1918. She was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap on 9 May 1921 for £44,000

Scale: 1:125

Length: 50.5” Height: 26” Bredth: 19”

Battleship

Price: $1300

Shipping: $185

Featured Boat :USS Texas

USS Texas was a second-class battleship built by the United States in the early 1890s, the first American battleship commissioned^[1] and the first ship named in honor of the state of Texas to be built by the United States.^[a] Built in reaction to the acquisition of modern armored warships by several South American countries, Texas was meant to incorporate the latest developments in naval tactics and design. This includes the mounting of her main armament en echelon to allow maximum end–on fire and a heavily–armored redoubt amidships to ensure defensive strength. However, due to the state of U.S. industry at the time, Texas's building time was lengthy and by the time she was commissioned, she was already out–of–date. Nevertheless, she and her near–sister USS Maine were considered advancements in American naval design.
Texas developed a reputation as a jinxed or unlucky ship after several accidents early in her career; she consequently earned the nickname "Old Hoodoo".^[1] These mishaps included problems during construction, a grounding off Newport, Rhode Island, and flooding shortly afterwards while at dock in New York City. In the last, she settled to the bottom with her gun deck awash and several crew members drowned. She also received significant damage to her hull in drydock after being raised. Her reputation improved with her service in the Spanish–American War,^[2] when she blockaded the coast of Cuba and fought in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.


After the war, Texas returned to peacetime duty, interrupted by several refits. She became the station ship in Charleston, South Carolina by 1908 and was renamed San Marcos in 1911 to allow her name to be used by a new battleship. She became a target ship that same year and was sunk in shallow water in Chesapeake Bay. She was used as a gunnery target through World War II and was finally demolished in 1959 because her remains were considered a navigational hazard.

USS Texas

Battleship 1893

Scale: 1/8” M: 1:96

Length: 39” Height: 19” Bredth: 11”

Price: $620

Shipping: Free

 

Featured Boat: CG-49 Vincent

The USS Vincennes (CG-49) was a Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided missile cruiser in service with the United States Navy from July 1985 to June 2005. Decommissioned in 2005, Vincennes was sold for scrapping to International Shipbreaking in July 2010, and finished scrapping by the end of November 2011.
Vincennes is best known for shooting down an Iranian civilian passenger jetliner, Iran Air Flight 655, over the Persian Gulf on 3 July 1988, killing all 290 civilians on board (including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children), sparking an international incident between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America.

History

1980s

Vincennes was launched on 14 April 1984 and sponsored by Marilyn Quayle, wife of Indiana Senator Dan Quayle. Vincennes was named for the Battle of Vincennes during the American Revolutionary War, while the previous Vincennes heavy cruiser and Vincennes light cruiser were named for the city of Vincennes, Indiana. She was commissioned at Pascagoula 6 July 1985, Captain George N. Gee in command. The ship normally carried guided missiles, rapid-fire cannons, and two Seahawk LAMPS helicopters for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, personnel transfers, and other purposes.
Vincennes was the first of the Ticonderoga class cruisers to enter the Pacific Fleet. Upon commissioning in 1985, Vincennes helped test the SM-2 Block II surface-to-air missile. In May 1986, Vincennes participated in the multinational exercise RIMPAC 86, coordinating the anti-aircraft warfare efforts of two aircraft carriers and more than 40 ships from five nations. The Vincennes was deployed in August 1986 to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The ship served as anti-air warfare commander with the Carl Vinson and New Jersey battle groups, operated with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy, and steamed more than 46,000 miles (74,000 km) in waters from the Bering Sea to the Indian Ocean.^[1][2]

Iran-Iraq War

During the Iran-Iraq War the United States took active measures in the Persian Gulf to protect shipping, mainly oil tankers, that were being threatened by both countries.

Operation Earnest Will

On 14 April 1988, the guided missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts hit a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. Six days later, Vincennes was re-deployed from Fleet Exercise 88-1, sent back to San Diego, California and told to prepare for a six-month deployment. The reason for the haste: Navy leaders decided that they needed an Aegis ship to protect the exit of the damaged Roberts through the Strait of Hormuz. One month later, the cruiser entered the Persian Gulf, and in early July, stood guard in the Strait as the damaged frigate was borne out on the Mighty Servant 2 heavy-lift ship. The ship made 14 Hormuz transits during its Earnest Will operations.

Iran Air Flight 655 tragedy

Main article: Iran Air Flight 655

On 3 July 1988, Vincennes, under the command of Captain Will Rogers III, fired two radar-guided missiles and shot down an Iran Air Airbus A300 civilian airliner over Iranian airspace in the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 passengers and crew on board. According to Captain Rogers, they were being attacked by eight Iranian gun boats. Vincennes was defending itself from this attack when the plane was shot at with two Standard missiles. Crucially, the Vincennes misidentified the Iranian Airbus as an attacking F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft. A radio warning had been sent to the aircraft on the international air distress frequency. CNN showed video from the area where they found plane wreckage, 25 miles away from the location that Vincennes fired the two Standard missiles. Also noted from CNNs video footage was the lack of other floating debris such as luggage, airplane seat cushions and clothing on the victims seeing that all bodies recovered were bloated and floating hours after they passed.
The Iranian government has maintained that the Vincennes knowingly shot down the civilian aircraft.^[3] Iran Air flight IR655 flew every day out of Bandar Abbas—a civil as well as military airport—on a scheduled passenger flight to Dubai using established air lanes. The Italian navy and another US warship, the frigate Sides, confirmed that the plane was climbing—not diving to attack—at the time of the missile strike. The U.S. radio warnings were only broadcast on 121.5 MHz, not air traffic control frequencies and mistakenly identified the altitude and position of the plane, so the Airbus crew, if they were monitoring "guard," could have misinterpreted the warnings as referring to another aircraft. Captain David Carlson of the Sides later said that the destruction of the airliner "marked the horrifying climax to Rogers' aggressiveness".^[4]

1990s

In February 1990, Vincennes was deployed on a third six-month tour of the western Pacific and Indian oceans, with SH-60 helicopters from HSL-45 Detachment 13. The ship coordinated all battle group air events and served as the command-and-control flagship during Harpoon-Ex-90. In July 1990, Vincennes returned home after steaming nearly 100,000 miles (160,000 km).^[1][2]
In August 1991, Vincennes departed for a fourth western Pacific deployment. Steaming with Independence, Vincennes performed duties as the anti-air warfare commander for Battle Group Delta until detaching to participate as the United States representative in MERCUBEX 91, a joint United States and Republic of Singapore Navy exercise. Over the next three months, Vincennes participated in the bilateral exercise Valiant Blitz with the South Korean Navy, the bilateral exercise Annualex 03G with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, and ASWEX 92-1K with the South Korean Navy before reaching Hong Kong to act as the U.S. representative for the Navy Days ceremonies. Vincennes returned from deployment on 21 December 1991.
In June 1994, Vincennes departed on a fifth western Pacific deployment with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group. Vincennes performed duties as anti-air warfare commander for the battle group. During deployment, Vincennes conducted an anti-submarine exercise, PASSEX 94-2, with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the bilateral exercise MERCUB 94-2, a joint U.S. and Singaporean Navy exercise of the Malaysian peninsula, the bilateral exercise Keen Edge, with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and Tandem Thrust, a larger-scale joint exercise which Vincennes participated as the area air defense coordinator for the entire joint operating area. Vincennes returned from this deployment on 22 December 1994.
In August 1997, Vincennes changed homeport from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan, then steamed to the South Pacific and took part in Exercise Valiant Usher 98-1 with the Belleau Wood amphibious ready group and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Perth. The combined exercise took place near Townsend Island, Australia.
Vincennes also took part in the U.S. Seventh Fleet's Fleet Battle Experiment Delta (FBE-D) from 24 October 1998, to 2 November 1998, in conjunction with the exercise, Foal Eagle, a regularly scheduled exercise that simulates the military defense of South Korea. Sponsored by the Navy Warfare Development Command, FBE-D was the fourth in a series of experiments that tested new combat systems and procedures at sea.

2000s

On 12 August 2000, Vincennes completed Sharem 134, a bilateral exercise with several Japanese ships and other U.S. participants. The exercise included a week of undersea warfare training and data collection in the South China Sea. The ship tested its submarine detection, sonar range testing, and sonobuoy employment and developed new submarine prosecution procedures. The final Sharem events included a "freeplay", which allowed the cruiser to detect and prosecute other submarines, combining many of the tactics and systems tested during Sharem.
In mid-November 2000, the cruiser fired missile batteries at remote-controlled aerial drones provided by Fleet Activities Okinawa during MISSILEX 01-1.
On 23 March 2001, Vincennes, as part of the Kitty Hawk Battle Group, cruised into Changi Naval Base, the first time a U.S. carrier had moored pierside in Singapore. Vincennes took part in a 23 August 2001 to 27 August 2001, military training exercise called Multi-Sail, which was designed to provide U.S. and Japanese forces interoperability training in multiple warfare areas.
Vincennes departed from Yokosuka on 17 September 2001, to conduct operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ship returned on 18 December 2001 after more than three months at sea.
In March 2003 Vincennes was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15.^[5]

C – 49 Vincent

Cruiser

Scale: 1/125

Length: 26” Height: 20” Bredth: 6”

Price: $1450

Shipping: $175