US Navy destroyer tests new defense system, takes out ballistic missile

[Boats]

US Navy destroyer tests new defense system, takes out ballistic missile
Published February 10, 2017
RE: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/02/...c-missile.html

The U.S. and Japan successfully completed a ballistic missile intercept in a spectacular test off the west coast of Hawaii last week.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Japan’s Ministry of Defense and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS John Paul Jones conducted the intercept test on Feb. 3. The test marks the first time that a ballistic missile has been targeted using the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor.

[Boats]

12 recent incidents have led to fires and explosions aboard vessels.
By Michael Byrne 4-15-17
RE: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/a...-vaping-at-sea

12 recent incidents have led to fires and explosions aboard vessels.

The US Navy has moved to ban vaping and possession of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) aboard its ships, subs, and aircraft. According to the Associated Press, the move follows a recent 8-month stretch in which 12 separate incidents of exploding ENDS put sailors out of commision for a combined 77 days. The ban is temporary but indefinite.

The concern, according to a US Navy news release, are the lithium-ion batteries that power most e-cigarettes. Lithium-ion batteries in any context are at risk of explosion via an overheating feedback process known as thermal runaway. A good lithium-ion battery will have checks in place to make doubly sure that this can't happen, but the e-cig industry is a total Wild West.

According to a 2014 US Fire Administration report, most cases of exploding e-cigs occur as their batteries charge via USB port, a feature of many e-cigarettes. The presence of a USB port means that the devices can be hooked up to any number of different power sources that may or may not align with the battery's specs.

"Few, if any, consumers understand that not all USB ports are 'created equal.' The voltage and current provided by USB ports can vary significantly," the USFA report explains. "Without consulting the technical specifications for the USB power source, it is difficult or impossible for a consumer to determine the power supplied by any particular USB port and even more difficult to determine whether it is safe to use with a particular e-cigarette."

Given its shape and dimensions, an overheating e-cig then has the potential to become a "flaming rocket," which is probably not a good thing to have aboard a battleship or submarine. In any case, sailors that are currently deployed can request extensions on device removal until their next port visit.

[Boats]

E-Cigarettes Banned On U.S. Navy Ships
By Adnan Farooqui on 04/16/2017 08:30 PDT
RE: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2017/04/e-c...source=mainrss

E-cigarettes are often relied upon by those who are trying to give up smoking and find it a more viable alternative to other methods like nicotine patches or gums. However, since they are battery powered, it’s not uncommon to hear about e-cigarettes exploding and causing a lot of physical damage to the user. Following incidents of the lithium-ion batteries in e-cigarettes exploding on ships and injuring sailors, the U.S. Navy has banned them on every ship in its fleet.

E-cigarettes were not regulated prior to 2016 when the FDA finally decided to regulate them. It was quick to ban them from checked baggage on flights. Passengers can only keep e-cigarettes in carry-ons.

The United States Navy is taking no chances, though. There have been 15 reported incidents of e-cigarette lithium-ion batteries exploding between October 2015 and June 2016 in a Navy memorandum. In two of those incidents, the battery exploded when the e-cigarettes were actually in sailor’s mouths.

This ban only applies to use of such devices onboard U.S. Navy ships. Sailors ashore will be able to use their e-cigarettes when they’re on the Navy’s facilities on the land but only in the designated smoking areas.

However, when shipped out, everyone on the ship and that includes visitors and civilians, will have to abide by the ban.