Kapal Induk HMS Invincible Laku Diloak

HMS Invincible saat uji layar pada Februari 2003 setelah diremajakan. (Foto: naval-technology.com)

15 Februari 2011 -- (Berita HanKam): Kapal induk HMS Invincible telah dijual ke perusahaan Turki Leyal Ship Recycling, melalui lelang di situs internet.

Leyal Ship Recycling dipilih oleh pemerintah Inggris, menyingkirkan pengusaha Cina Lam Kin-bong berbasis di Inggris pemilik restaurant di West Midlands. Lam Kin-bong mengajukan tawaran senilai 5 juta pound, kapal akan diubah menjadi sekolah internasional di Cina.

Leyal telah terlibat menscrap sejumlah kapal perang AL Inggris, kapal perusak HMS Cardiff, HMS Newcastle, HMS Glasgow dan kapal bantu RFA Oakleaf.

HMS Invincible dioperasikan 25 tahun oleh AL Inggris dan telah dipensiunkan 6 tahun lalu. HMS Invincible berbobot 10.000 ton dibangun di Barrow pada 1973 dan dioperasikan 7 tahun kemudian. Pangeran Andrew menjadi pilot helikopter Sea King di HMS Invincible saat Perang Malvinas/Falklands.

HMS Invincible direncanakan meninggalkan Portsmouth akhir Maret dan tiba di Turki empat minggu kemudian.

Sumber: BBC

HMS Chatham Dipensiunkan AL Inggris

HMS Chatham. (Foto: Royal Navy)

8 Februari 2011 -- (Berita HanKam): Angkatan Laut Inggris pensiunkan frigate tipe 22 HMS Chatham, Rabu sore (8/2).

HMS Chatham frigate terakhir dari empat frigate tipe 22 bacth 3, mulai dibangun di Tyne oleh Swan Hunters Shipbuilders Ltd pada 1986. Frigate diluncurkan Januari 1988 oleh Lady Roni Oswald dan dioperasikan oleh AL Inggris 1990.


(Foto: Royal Navy)

HMS Chatham F-87 kapal ketujuh milik AL Inggris yang menyandang nama Chatham.

Frigate berpangkalan di Plymouth, panjang keseluruhan 150 meter dengan bobot 5300 ton, diawaki 250 orang. Frigate dipersenjatai rudal anti-pesawat dan anti-rudal Sea Wolf, rudal anti-kapal permukaan Harpoon, torpedo anti-kapal selam Stingray dan satu helikopter Lynx dan ditambah satu pucuk meriam 114 mm. Kapal digerakan oleh turbin gas dan mampu dipacu hingga 30 knot.

HMS Chatham dipensiunkan karena kebijakan pemerintah Inggris berdasarkan Strategic Defence Review. AL Inggris harus pensiunkan dini sejumlah kapal perangnya termasuk kapal induk HMS Ark Royal dan frigate tipe 42 HMS Manchester.

HMS Cornwall, HMS Cumberland dan HMS Campbelton sekelas dengan HMS Chatham, tetapi dioperasikan di Timur Tengah dan peraiaran Inggris hingga akhir tahun ini.

Sumber: Royal Navy

Inggris Potong Anggaran Militer, HMS Ark Royal dan Harrier Pensiun Dini, Pilot Tempur Terancam di PHK

HMS Ark Royal berlayar terakhir kalinya sebelum dipensiunkan. (Foto: Reuters)

27 November 2010 -- Jet tempur Harrier GR9 dan kapal induk serta kapal bendera Angkatan Laut Inggris HMS Ark Royal dipensiunkan dari armada AL Inggris terkait pemotongan anggaran belanja militer.

HMS Ark Royal telah bertugas 25 tahun, persenjataanya dilucuti sebelum ditambatkan. Kapal dibangun di galangan kapal Swan Hunter di Wallsend pada Desember 1978, diterima AL Inggris Juli 1985 dan bertugas November 1985.

Konstruksi kapal menelan dana 320 juta poundsterling dan diselesaikan 4.5 bulan lebih awal dari jadwal oleh Swan Hunter. HMS Ark Royal salah satu dari tiga kapal induk kelas Invinsible (HMS Invincible dan HMS Illustrious). Kapal AL Inggris kelima yang diberi nama Ark Royal.


HMS Ark Royal terlihat berlabuh di North Shields, Inggris 22 November 2010. Kapal bendera AL Inggris telah dilucuti persenjataanya dalam pelayaran perpisahan keliling Inggris Raya sebelum dipensiunkan karena pemotongan anggaran belanja pertahanan. (Foto: Reuters)

Panjang kesuluruhan kapal 210 meter dan lebar 36 meter, dapat mengangkut lebih 20 pesawat berbagai jenis, jet tempur Harrier GR7 dan GR9, helikopter anti kapal selam Sea King, helikopter anti kapal selam Merlin, helikopter angkut Sea King dan Chinook.

Kapal berbobot 22000 ton dapat dipacu hingga 30 knot, dipersenjatai 3x close-in weapons systems (CIWS) dan 2x 20 mm kanon anti pesawat udara sebagai pertahanan diri, diawaki 726 pelaut dan 348 personil satuan udara. Kapal juga mampu membawa 400 prajurit marinir atau angkatan darat.

Pemotongan anggaran

Jumlah kapal perang dipotong dari 24 menjadi 19 dan 4000 personil kehilangan pekerjaan. Penundaan pergantian kapal selam nuklir kelas Vanguard sekurangnya lima tahun, menghemat anggaran 750 juta poundsterling. AL Inggris hanya akan mengoperasikan satu kapal induk HMS Queen Elizabeth pada 2016 dan tanpa dilengkapi jet tempur, hanya helikopter. Pada 2019, Kapal induk kedua HMS Prince of Wales akan disiagakan dan mungkin juga dijual ke negara ketiga. Jet tempur Harrier dipensiunkan tahun depan dan jet tempur pengganti F-35 akan tiba 2020.

Program pemotongan anggaran militer berimbas juga pengurangan jumlah prajurit angkatan darat sebanyak 7000 orang, lebih dari 100 tank dan 200 ranpur dipensiunkan, serta kehadiran militer Inggris di Jerman akan ditarik.

Dua pangkalan udara akan ditutup dan sedikitnya 5000 personil akan dikurangi. Kekuatan AU Inggris ditumpukan pada Tornado dan Typhoon.

Sedangkan satuan khusus akan mendapatkan peningkatan anggaran untuk membeli persenjataan dan peralatan komunikasi canggih

Penerbangan perpisahan Harrier






Jet tempur Harrier GR9 lepas landas dari dek kapal induk HMS Ark Royal terakhir kalinya sekitar 40 mil laut dari pantai Newcastle, 24 November 2010. Kapal dan pesawat dipensiunkan menyusul pemotongan anggaran militer Inggris. Para pilot Harrier terancam kehilangan pekerjaan, karena pesawat pengganti baru tiba 2020. (Foto: Reuters)

Daily Mail/Berita HanKam

HMS Manchester Kapal Perang Inggris Pertama Kunjungi Kuba Sejak 1967

(Foto: Reuters)

16 November 2010 -- Kapal perusak tipe 42 Angkatan Laut Inggris HMS Manchester-D95 berlabuh di pelabuhan laut Havana Senin (15/11), menjadikan kapal perang pertama AL Inggris mengunjungi Kuba sejak 1967, diumumkan Kedutaan Besar Inggris di Havana.

HMS Manchester berlabuh selama lima hari di Havana, sebagai bagian tugas di Karibia dan meningkatkan kerja sama antara Inggris dan Kuba, terutama memerangi narkotika dan penangganan bencana alam.

HMS Manchester berlayar ke Laut Karibia pertama kalinya pada Mei dengan membawa 250 orang, termasuk warga negara Australia, Dominika, Fiji, Jamaika, Nepal, St. Vincent dan Grenada serta Spanyol.







(Foto: Reuters)

LAHT/Berita HanKam

HMAS Triumph Selesai Diremajakan

29 Oktober 2010 -- Kapal selam nuklir Kerajaan Inggris HMS Triumph bersandar di Den Helder, Selasa (26/10). HMAS Triumph telah melakukan serangkaian uji pelayaran setelah diremajakan, meningkatkan secara signifikan kemampuan tempurnya. (Foto: Getty Images)

Berita HanKam

Pembuatan Destroyer HMS Duncan

08 Oktober 2010 -- Para pekerja di galangan kapal BAE Govan, Glasgow, Skotlandia, sedang membangun HMS Duncan destroyer tipe 45. Panjang kapal 152.4 meter dan lebar 21,2 meter, bobot standar 7350 ton dan bobot penuh 7800 ton.







(Foto: Getty Images)

Berita HanKam

Army all at sea on HMS Ark Royal

A detachment of Apache attack helicopters have landed on board the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship HMS Ark Royal to take part in Exercise Joint Warrior in October.

28 September 2010 -- An unusual sight – Apaches are used extensively by the Army Air Corps in land operations but over the next few weeks they will train to broaden their sea experience and capability with the Royal Navy.

As well as it being a relatively new experience for the three aircraft and ten pilots, there is also a support crew of 120 engineers and maintainers from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps on board the Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier. Working around the clock to ensure the safety of the aircraft, this will be the first time at sea for many of the soldiers.

The formidable firepower and target-tracking capability of the Apache has already been demonstrated to impressive effect on the battlefields of Afghanistan and while on board HMS Ark Royal, this AAC detachment will explore how these capabilities can be further extended by working from a seaborne platform.

Under Exercise joint Warrior, which is off the west coast of Scotland, the pilots will initially spend time acclimatising to the unique difficulties which arise when operating at sea, performing deck-landings in a variety of conditions.

Once this process is completed, the Apaches will take part in simulated small-scale warfare, attacking land-targets in a series of assaults planned, launched and directed by HMS Ark Royal.

Commander Rocky Salmon, Commander Air of HMS Ark Royal, said:

“Being able to operate a diverse range of aircraft from the carrier underlines our flexibility in the joint service environment and the Apache brings with it an awesome capability. “The focus of this period will be to ensure that we safely integrate 656 Squadron into HMS Ark Royal, provide their crews with deck experience and develop tactical procedures for the future.”

ROYAL NAVY

HMS Argyll is Ready For Sea

17 September 2010 -- The Royal Navy Frigate HMS Argyll has returned to sea after a year long £20 Million upgrade. The refit project, which began in September 2009 in Rosyth Dockyard on the Firth of Forth, was undertaken by Babcock Marine. After 12 months of expert engineering work the Plymouth-based Warship passed her Ready for Sea Date Inspection with flying colours on Friday 10 Sep 2010. The upgrade has turned the Type 23 Frigate into the most potent and relevant fighting unit of its kind and a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.

As the oldest of the Type 23 Frigates still in service, Argyll is the first in class to reach her second major upgrade. Originally destined for this refit 2 years earlier, she missed out on many of the operational upgrades given to her sister ships. Therefore when she finally entered Rosyth last year she was very much in need of some TLC.

With upgrades to her central tactical computer, her administrative computer system and her satellite communications Argyll has moved firmly into the 21st century. Many of her weapon systems have also been replaced or improved. This includes her short range missile system Sea Wolf, her 4.5” Gun which is sporting a new angular turret (otherwise known as Kryten’s Head in honour of the Red Dwarf character) and her new automated small calibre cannons. From a structural perspective large sections of the hull have been replaced and her wooden flight deck has been removed to be replaced by a new composite material deck. Internally Argyll has been the recipient of 3 new engines, her living quarters have undergone a facelift to improve habitability and all of this is now protected by a new fire and flood monitoring system. The entire package has guaranteed many more years of useful life for the Ship enabling her to successfully support the wide spectrum of British Defence Policy.

Upon entering her Refit period in Rosyth, Argyll lost much of her manpower leaving a core of 28 key personnel drawn mostly from the Engineering and Logistics departments. As well as working in partnership with Babcock to create the most effective fighting ship in the RN, the reduced Ship’s Company integrated themselves very much into the Dockyard, HMS Caledonia (the local Naval Base) and the local community. Personnel represented their Ship in Perth during the Armed Forces Day celebrations in June, assisted the organisers of the Highland Games at Inverary Castle and gave their all under the banner of HMS Caledonia during the Field Gun competition in HMS Collingwood in July.

Not only have the systems of HMS Argyll received an major overhaul, she is now home to 177 sailors, most of whom have joined in the latter stages of the refit period. It has been a challenging time for those recent joiners as the pace of life has seen the Ship’s Company working long hours to guarantee the Ship is ready in all respects to return to sea. It is largely thanks to their enthusiasm, determination and teamwork, in conjunction with Babcock, that the Ship can boast the accolade of the only ship to hit every key date set for it so far. Those same traits have been exhibited in spades during the Initial Sea Safety Training the Ship has undergone immediately after Ready for Sea Date. Passing as safe in all respects the various incidents such as fires, floods, machinery breakdowns and man overboard exercises Argyll and her crew have already garnered a strong reputation for themselves.

Looking ahead, this is just the beginning of a long period of sea trials before the Ship can return to full operational effectiveness and be welcomed back into the Fleet. However the Ship’s Company is in a buoyant mood after such resounding successes to date and is very much looking forward to returning to their home port of Plymouth and being further put through their paces.

Of the achievements to date Commanding Officer Cdr Paul Stroude said:

I am delighted with the outcome of our refit period in Rosyth. Babcock Marine have done us proud in delivering a high quality work package on time, and the Ship’s Company have worked and trained exceptionally hard to prepare themselves and their Ship for sea. The Ship’s structure has been fully refurbished and preserved, and our weapons and sensors dramatically enhanced to ensure that HMS Argyll will remain a relevant, flexible and potent fighting force, able to support and protect UK interests worldwide, for many years to come.

ROYAL NAVY