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| Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Jan. 9,
2006) - The heavy lift vessel MV Blue Marlin enters Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, with the Sea Based X-Band Radar (SBX) aboard after completing a
15,000-mile journey from Corpus Christi, Texas. SBX is a combination of
the world’s largest phased array X-band radar carried aboard a mobile,
ocean-going semi-submersible oil platform. It will provide the nation
with highly advanced ballistic missile detection and will be able to
discriminate a hostile warhead from decoys and countermeasures. SBX
will undergo minor modifications, post-transit maintenance and routine
inspections in Pearl Harbor before completing its voyage to its
homeport of Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands.
U.S.
Navy photo by
Chief Journalist Joe Kane (RELEASED) Jan. 9 2006
Drew Andrews, working on Ford Island,
comments: Our building is
exactly on the side
of the harbor allowing us to see all ships as they enter and
leave Pearl. This was definitely a sight to see. Until you asked;
taking photos
never entered my mind. I'm like so many people who take the
privilege of base access for granted, but since I have that access I
will go out and take some photos. This is a mammoth piece of
hardware. On my way into the office today I just took a few
minutes to stare at it, and this thing is huge, and that's from across
the harbor on Ford Island; about two hundred yards away. It's still
here and my research assistant tells me that it's here for a paint job
which will take a little time. I plan to load up my camera and
head over tomorrow for a bit of picture taking. After I see what
I get I'll send you a few frames. We try so hard not to look like
tourist that we miss once in a lifetime photo opportunities.
Thanks for snapping me out of my mode of complacency.
..................................................................................Drew GMT3 73-75 Jan 12, 2006 <>
We
thought the radar platform left in July for Alaska, but it showed up
while RIMPAC was going on. RIMPAC maneuvers ended at the end of
July. It was obvious that it had been at sea for a
while, because the beautiful paint job was weatherworn and the rust
streaks were everywhere. I thought it was back for a touch up,
but I guess not. The platform left just about the same
time, and has not been back.
Drew
GMT3 73-75 Sept. 14, 2006
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Navy Newsstand 1-24-2006 Here are a few pictures of the SBX from my office on Ford Island. It's still here but it has been removed from the Blue Marlin and is on its own. They are still painting it, so I plan to take more pictures of her before she pulls out. .........Drew Andrews "K" GMT2 73-75 |
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September 14, 2006 - The San Diego Union-Tribune As the weeks pass and the price tag creeps toward $1 billion, the Sea-Based X-Band Radar shows little chance of actually making the voyage to its intended port in Alaska – considered the optimal location for monitoring potential North Korean missile launches – until at least later this fall. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060901/news_1n1radar.html |
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