VigilanteVigilanteRVAH NAVY NewsletterRVAH NAVY Newsletter January, 2021

OK 2020…. Enough!!We give up! We surrender!!

Once again, this is a composite of oldstuff from past Newsletters and some

new stuff as well.Hopefully, the New Year will bring me

fewer obligations and more time to workon the Newsletter…

I thank you for your patience andunderstanding….

And now!

Remembering 2020….

We’re getting ready!!The new RecceNet Website is going LIVE!!

Attention all RVAH Navy/Reccenet supporters

Shipmates: We have been trying to avoid thismoment for 3 years now but Ning is forcing us toupgrade to Version 3.0. What does this mean? Itmeans the site will have a new look and feel basedupon Ning's version 3 features. I will try to makethe site look as close to the same as possible. Wemay lose a few things but Ning promises that willbe minimal. The upgrade will happen on January1st, 2021.

It also means we have to choose a new payment plan.The pricing of the plan is based on the number ofmembers and features used.

Attention All Hands!!The new Website is active today!!The website addresses are:Reccenet 3.0 website address #1 orReccenet 3.0 website address #2

Be sure to sign in (same email addressand password as the old website.

The old website will shut down in 2weeks.Yes, the websites will run concurrently fora few days. Bob is hopeful he'll haveeverything functioning pretty well notlong after activation (but there willprobably still be bugs to work out for atime after that).

We have been paying $24.95 per month for 7 or 8 yearsnow as that price have been grandfathered to thoseusing version 2. The only reason Ning has allowed us tomaintain the old version 2 pricing is because we are aveterans group and our site is not monetized. We don'tcharge a fee. Because we have 1385 members and havea lot of pictures and videos (20 GB) we need to pay forthe "Performance" plan at $49 per month. It allows 50GB and 10,000 users. Yes, we can clean up the usersand data and get under 10 GB and 1000 users and wewould only pay $20 per month. The question is who dowe delete? I personally think we should maintain allaccounts, preserving content from members no longerwith us. Those shipmates should remain with usforever, or until the last Vigi sailor passes.

We have had successful fundraisers in the past andthanks to your generosity, the site has been sailingsmooth. I occasionally get a check for $25 or $50 dollarsand that pays for a month or too, and I pay out ofpocket for the rest of the time after our money runsout.We currently have $296 in our PayPal account and thatwill take care of us for 6 months or so. Please try tocontribute through PayPal or check when you can andthat will continue to keep us alive!

Bob MarioniReccenet Website Creator/IT

What the Hell??A Boat? A Plane?

While researching some other stuff, I stumbled across a web article about this... Had never heardof it before, but found it so awesome, I decided to share it in this issue of the Newsletter…

Read on and be amazed!!

Not quite an airplane and not quite a ship, the Ekranoplan was something much moreNot quite an airplane and not quite a ship, the Ekranoplan was something much moreand it terrified Navies around the world.

It weighs in at a whopping 380 tons and has a wingspan of 148 feet. That means thatyou could place three (3) Vigilantes, wingtip to wingtip on this beast’s wing!

Lun Class EkranoplanDuring the year 1987, Russia was pushing their boundaries on technology and militaryadvancement. What they were building and testing during that time actually prompted

the United States, Area 51 in fact, to build unmanned drones to spy on their actions.This plan of action was brought about when images were taken of a giant vessel flying

across the Caspian Sea at unheard of speeds. The US military wasn’t sure what theywere looking at. A vessel that could reach speeds achieved only by airplanes but stayed

low enough that it would hide under radar much like a stealthy boat. The spyingrevealed what the Russian’s dubbed the Lun Class Ekranoplan.

It contained 6 anti-ship missiles that could be launched from flight or from a stand still.The Lun Class Ekranoplan could only reach an altitude of about 15 feet above the sea so

it was more of a harrier styled ship than a plane. This incredible piece of machinery isin a class all its own. The Lun Class Ekranoplan was built from scrap past projects in

1987 and was commissioned for use until sometime in the late 90’s. It is 240 feet longand boasts 6 Moskit anti-ship missiles capable of reaching a top speed of Mach 3.

Combined with the top speed of the Ekranoplan, these missiles would be undetecteduntil about 30 seconds before they hit. In comparison, the most destructive anti-ship

missile the U.S. had at that time gave enemies a 2 minute warning.

The Lun Class Ekranoplan was designed by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev todominate the high seas completely undetected by radar and carrying a payload

of firepower that could destroy any ship on the sea. Up to and including theera’s US Navy Aircraft Carriers.

Lun Class Ekranoplan

It was equipped with 8 enormous jet engineswith adjustable nozzles capable of 28,000

pounds of thrust each. That equals out to be224,000 pounds of thrust that would propel theEkranoplan within a 1,200 – 2,000 mile range. It

was able to support a full crew for 5 dayswithout resupplying. Although it was never

tested, the vessel is said to be able to transport900 soldiers if needed as well.

The underside of the hull is shaped like that ofa speed boat. It is made to cut through hugewaves at a very high speed and remain stable.It can take off and land in seas with 6-12 footwaves. Looking at the underside of the vessel islooking at a thing of beauty. The bolt and crisplines are 100 percent for function but theymake a statement on their own. They alsocreate a cushion of air when the machine isfully up to speed. This cushion allows thevessel to travel much faster than a boat or aplane of its size. This also allows for a muchheavier payload. Due to these factors, theEkranoplan was fitted with 6 enormous missilelaunchers mounted on top. Flying at amaximum of 15 feet above the surface of the

The jet nozzles are adjustable much like that of aharrier jet. They help control the lift and the speedof the Ekranoplan. With 4 on each side, there is nolack of power here making it the fastest sea vessel

of its time. This incredible feat of engineeringgenius was docked in the late 90’s where it sits in a

guarded Russian harbor.

maximum of 15 feet above the surface of thewater, it keeps it underneath any radar systemsmaking the Lun Class Ekranoplan very stealthy.

The missile housings are seriously massive! Belowthe backside of them you will notice a darkercolored contoured section. This is actually madeout of the same tiles that are used on spaceshuttles in order to protect the hull and themechanical parts from the blistering heatproduced by the rockets when they are launched.It houses 6 Moskit anti-ship missiles that it canlaunch while airborne. They can fly at speeds up toMach 3 and be launched from below radardetection systems. The missiles have a range of 75miles. Because of the firepower and speedscapable by such a stealthy vessel, it was a force tobe reckoned with and feared so much that Area 51actually had a team devoted to keeping tabs on theEkranoplan.

To find more information on this beast, Google:“Lun Class Ekranoplan”

There is a ton of information out there…

Lun Class EkranoplanThe Lun-class Ekranoplan is a ground effect vehicle designed by

Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev and used by the Soviet and Russian Naviesfrom 1987 until sometime in the late 1990s.

General characteristicsCrew: 15 (6 officers, 9 enlisted)Capacity: 137 t (302,000 lb)Length: 73.8 m (242 ft 2 in)Wingspan: 44 m (144 ft 4 in)Height: 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in)Wing area: 550 m2 (5,900 sq ft)Empty weight: 286,000 kg (630,522 lb)Max takeoff weight: 380,000 kg (837,757 lb)Powerplant: 8 × Kuznetsov NK-87 turbofans,127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) thrust eachPerformanceMaximum speed: 550 km/h (342 mph; 297 kn)Cruising speed: 450 km/h (280 mph; 243 kn) at2.5 m (8 ft)Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi; 1,080 nmi)Service ceiling: 7,500 m (24,606 ft) or5 m (16 ft) in ground effectArmament:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Nu94khHoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh5nuWhhHmQ

To see a couple of videosdocumenting this incredible

plane… boat… whatever?Click on the links to the right.

Armament:Guns: two 23mm Pl-23 cannon in a twin tail turretand two 23mm Pl-23 cannon in a twin turret underforward missile tubesMissiles: six launchers for SS-N-22 Sunburnantiship missiles

(Thanks to Brad Jones for this)Over 50 years ago I remember the C-1 Trader was theCOD and that was followed by the C-2 Greyhound.Now, in my lifetime, we see the third COD, the MV-22Osprey! Time flies, doesn't it?

Brad

New Navy CMV-22B Makes First Carrier LandingBy: Sam LaGroneThe Navy’s next carrier onboard delivery vehicle toucheddown on an aircraft carrier for the first time last week, theservice announced.A CMV-22B Osprey, assigned to the “Titans” of Navy’sFleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, landedaboard carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) off the coast ofCalifornia as part of the ongoing workups to get the newCODs ready in time for a deployment aboard the carrier.The tilt-rotors are being moved quickly into service tosupport a squadron of F-35C Lighting II Joint StrikeFighters that will deploy aboard Vinson. The older COD,the C-2A Greyhound, is unable to ferry the larger F-35engine prompting the Navy to move the new aircraft intoservice for the upcoming Vinson deployment. The Navy isaccelerating the retirement of the Greyhounds with thelast of the aircraft leaving the service in 2024.

From Our Readers…

(Thanks to Mike Mercer for this)Bill, Merry Christmas to you and the family. If you haveGoogle Earth, Check out the inventory at the NavalAviation Museum on the back lot behind the museum.Very interesting. Seems like Vigi 156624 isn’t the onlyplane that seems to be just rotting away back there.They seem to have a fetish for A-4,s.

This is was article submitted to a 1999 Louisville Sentinelcontest to find out who had the wildest Christmas dinner.This won first prize.

As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose overhis fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was forSanta to fill them. What they say about Santa checking thelist twice must be true because every Christmas morning,although Jay's kids' stockings overflowed, his poor pantyhosehung sadly empty.One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put onsunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. Theydon't sell those things at Wal-Mart. I had to go to an adultbookstore downtown. If you've never been in an X-ratedstore, don't go. You'll only confuse yourself. I was there anhour saying things like, "What does this do?" "You're kiddingme!" "Who would buy that?" Finally, I made it to theinflatable doll section. I wanted to buy a standard,uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passengerin my truck so I could use the car-pool lane during rush hour.Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love dolls come in manydifferent models. The top of the line, according to the side of

Thanks to Boom Powell for sharing this…

“How many pieces have you read again and againand still find yourself laughing? I do at this one.Seasonal too. “Yours Aye, Boom

Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It wasChristmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of theambulance saying, "Hang on Granny, Hang on!"My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight,sidled up to me and said, "Hey, who's the naked gal by thefireplace?"I told him she was Jay's friend. A few minutes later I noticedGrandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking,but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this mightbe Grandpa's last Christmas at home.The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk aboutwho had died, who was dying, and who should be killed,when suddenly Louise made a noise that sounded a lot likemy father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurchedfrom the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and fell ina heap in front of the sofa.. The cat screamed. I passedcranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran acrossthe room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouthto mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back over his chairand wet his pants and Granny threw down her napkin,stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember.Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thoroughexamination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse. Wediscovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to theback of her right thigh. Fortunately, thanks to a wonderdrug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health.Louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies.I think Grandpa still calls her whenever he can get out of thehouse.

Welcome to Our NewMembers!

Welcome to our new members of RecceNet!

Welcome aboard shipmates!“Now liberty call, liberty call.

Liberty commences for the port section.Liberty expires on board, 0800 Monday

morning. now liberty call'

different models. The top of the line, according to the side ofthe box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animalhusbandry. I settled for "Lovable Louise." She was at thebottom of the price scale. To call Louise a "doll" took a hugeleap of imagination.On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump,Louise came to life. My sister-in-law was in on the plan andlet me in during the wee morning hours, long after Santa hadcome and gone, I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise'spliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drankwhat remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. I wenthome, and giggled for a couple of hours.The next morning my brother called to say that Santa hadbeen to his house and left a present that had made him VERYhappy but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start towalk away, then come back and bark some more. We allagreed that Louise should remain in her panty hose so therest of the family could admire her when they came over forthe traditional Christmas dinner.My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked inthe door. "What the hell is that?" she asked.My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll."Who would play with something like that?" Granny snapped.I had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut."Where are her clothes?" Granny continued."Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran," Jay said, trying tosteer her into the dining room.But Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't she have anyteeth?”

house.

Clifford

William Soldavini

Winfield Thomas Fisher III

Hugo C. Lee

Tricia Cornwall

Alan J. Dooley

The Funny Page

Happy New Year!!