Navy Takes News

The U.S. Navy took delivery of the next-generation landing craft, Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 108, from Textron Systems."These next-generation craft provide our Navy and Marine Corps team with essential agility and speed to complete their missions,” said Capt. Jason Grabelle, program manager for Amphibious Assault and Connectors Programs, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “SSC provides the fleet with agility and speed to assist with current and future mission requirements.”LCACs are built with configurations…

The US  Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Marinette (LCS 25) from Lockheed Martin at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wis.“Today marks a significant milestone in the life of the future USS Marinette,” said Capt. Andy Gold, LCS program manager. “I look forward to the commissioning of Marinette later this year and recognizing the contribution of her namesake town and the great shipbuilders who bring these warships to life, ensuring they are ready to…

The U.S. Navy announced it has accepted delivery of the lead ship of its new class of fleet replenishment oilers, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego.T-AO 205’s July 26 delivery follows the completion of Acceptance Trials with the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey to test the readiness and capability of the craft and to validate requirements.“USNS John Lewis will provide much needed capability to the fleet as the primary fuel pipeline at sea,” said John Lighthammer, program manager, Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office.

The Italian navy took back control on Friday of a Sicilian fishing boat that had been seized overnight by unknown assailants near the Libyan coast, the defence ministry said. The stretch of Mediterranean Sea has grown increasingly chaotic in recent years as hundreds of thousands of people risk the dangerous journey to Europe to escape conflicts in Libya, other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. A defence ministry statement said naval personnel boarded the trawler soon after it was stopped by a tugboat around 90 km (55 miles) from the Libyan port of Misrata. The ministry did not immediately say whether there was any clash with those who had seized the Italian trawler or what happened to them or the seven crew on the vessel after the navy reasserted control.

Today in U.S. Naval History: April 7 1776 - Continental brig Lexington captures British Edward 1917 - Navy takes control of all wireless radio stations in the U.S. 1942 - Navy accepts African Americans for general service 1945 - Carrier aircraft defeat last Japanese Navy sortie (Battle of East China Sea); Yamato, world's largest battleship, and five other ships sunk 1979 - Launching of first Trident submarine, USS Ohio (SSBN-726) at Groton, Conn. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

The Cameroonian Navy (CN) has taken delivery of two new 24m ARESA 2400 CPV Defender and one new 23m ARESA 2300 LD Craft to patrol and secure it’s coast. Cameroon’s Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Jean Mendoua, commissioned the 23m Aresa 2300 landing craft and two 24m Aresa 2400 CPV Defender patrol boats at the Cameroon Navy Base in Douala on November 21. The commissioning also included a presentation meeting as well as a tour of the boats while moored at the Naval Base. The Spanish shipbuilding group has worked extensively with Cameroon…

The Cameroonian Navy (CN) has taken delivery of two new 24 meter ARESA 2400 CPV Defender and one new 23 meter ARESA 2300 LD Craft to help the force safeguard their maritime domains. Cameroon’s Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Jean Mendoua, commissioned the 23 meter Aresa 2300 landing craft and two 24 meter Aresa 2400 CPV Defender patrol boats at the Cameroon Navy Base in Douala on November 21. The commissioning also included a presentation meeting as well as a tour of the boats while moored at the Naval Base.

The pirates engaged the navy in a gun battle late Sunday off the coast of Calabar in Nigerian and Cameroonian waters, according to ABC News/AP citing Delta state navy spokesman Lt. Delightsome Yohana. Nigeria's navy fired back, killing the six pirates, and wounding one other who is in custody. The operation is the latest in a string of victories for the Nigerian navy that has ramped up its presence offshore and bolstered it with support from its air forces. In the last two weeks the navy has killed 18 pirates in battles and arrested five others the same spokesman informed the news source. Source: ABC News/AP

Personnel from U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) command highlighted the Navy's environmental efforts during Earth Day 2013 events held in the Hampton Roads, Va. area April 20-21. Navy leaders encouraged commands across the Navy to participate in local events and to spread the word on the Navy's many environmental success stories. USFF acted by sending a team of civilians and Navy Reservists to three local community events held in honor of Earth Day. The team helped convey the Navy's commitment to protecting the environment by participating in Earth Day programs at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, and Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach.

1776 - Continental brig Lexington captures British Edward   1917 - Navy takes control of all wireless radio stations in the U.S.   1942 - Navy accepts African Americans for general service   1945 - First two Navy flight nurses land on an active battlefield (Iwo Jima): ENS Jane Kendeigh, USNR, and LTJG Ann Purvis, USN   1945 - Carrier aircraft defeat last Japanese Navy sortie (Battle of East China Sea); Yamato, world's largest battleship, and five other ships sunk   1979 - Launching of first Trident submarine, USS Ohio (SSBN-726) at Groton, CT   (Source: Navy News Service)

1776 - Continental brig Lexington captures British Edward 1917 - Navy takes control of all wireless radio stations in the U.S. 1942 - Navy accepts African Americans for general service 1945 - First two Navy flight nurses land on an active battlefield (Iwo Jima): ENS Jane Kendeigh, USNR, and LTJG Ann Purvis, USN 1945 - Carrier aircraft defeat last Japanese Navy sortie (Battle of East China Sea); Yamato, world's largest battleship, and five other ships sunk 1979 - Launching of first Trident submarine, USS Ohio (SSBN-726) at Groton, CT (Source: Navy News Service)

1776 - Continental brig Lexington captures British Edward 1917 - Navy takes control of all wireless radio stations in the U.S. 1942 - Navy accepts African Americans for general service 1945 - First two Navy flight nurses land on an active battlefield (Iwo Jima): ENS Jane Kendeigh, USNR, and LTJG Ann Purvis, USN 1945 - Carrier aircraft defeat last Japanese Navy sortie (Battle of East China Sea); Yamato, world's largest battleship, and five other ships sunk 1979 - Launching of first Trident submarine, USS Ohio (SSBN-726) at Groton, CT (Source: Navy News Service)

From the Navy News Service 1779 - Captain John Paul Jones, in Continental Navy frigate Bonhomme Richard, captures HMS Serapis. 1931 - Lt. Alfred Pride pilots Navy's first rotary wing aircraft, XOP-1 autogiro, in landings and takeoffs aboard USS Langley (CV 1) while underway. 1944 - Naval Task Group lands Army troops on Ulithi Atoll, . 1944 - USS West Virginia (BB 48) reaches and rejoins the Pacific Fleet, marking the end of the salvage and reconstruction of 18 ships damaged Dec. 7, 1941. 1947 - James Forrestal, former Secretary of the Navy, takes office as the first Secretary of Defense. 1990 - Two hospital ships -- USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) -- steam together for the first time in the .

The Navy took delivery of its newest attack submarine, Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) New Hampshire (SSN 778), from General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) on Aug. 27, eight months early to its contract delivery date. New Hampshire is the fifth Virginia-Class submarine and the third delivered by GDEB. New Hampshire's early delivery is an important milestone for both the submarine force and the Virginia-Class Program. Rear Adm. (sel) Dave Johnson, Virginia-Class Program Manager commented, "Our shipbuilding partners have played an active role in reducing construction time and cost, both through the Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) incentive program that improves facilities and LEAN initiatives that make shipbuilding more efficient."  USS Hawaii (SSN 776) and USS North Carolina (SSN 777)…

The Navy took delivery of its newest attack submarine, PCU North Carolina (SSN 777), from Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) Feb. 21. North Carolina is the fourth Virginia-class submarine and the second delivered by NGNN. “Eighteen months ago I estimated that North Carolina would deliver six months late, but thanks to the hard work of a lot of people at both NGNN and GDEB [General Dynamics Electric Boat] we were able to deliver only about seven weeks late to the original schedule – a 10-month improvement when compared to NGNN’s first Virginia-class submarine, USS Texas (SSN 775),” said Capt. Dave Johnson, Virginia-class program manager. The Virginia-class is the Navy’s first major combatant designed and delivered specifically for the post-Cold War security environment.

The Navy took delivery of the third low-rate production model Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) on Dec. 21. Formerly known as the Remote Minehunting Vehicle (RMV), the RMMV was originally designed to detect and classify sea mines. The name was changed because RMMV missions are being expanded to include anti-submarine warfare applications and maritime reconnaissance. The RMMV is a robust unmanned, semi-submersible, semi-autonomous vehicle that can be adapted to a broad spectrum of applications and missions, including towing variable-depth sensors to detect, localize, classify and identify undersea threats at a safe distance from friendly ships.

Armed Canadian sailors seized control of the U.S.-owned ship GTS Katie on Thursday after a high-seas standoff in which hundreds of millions of dollars of Canadian military equipment had effectively been held hostage. The Ukrainian captain of the Katie reportedly engaged the ship in violent maneuvers as a Sea King helicopter sought to drop the sailors by cable on deck to take over the vessel in the North Atlantic, the commander of the naval operation reported. But within 50 minutes the Canadians had grabbed full control, with no injuries to sailors or the crew of the ship, which had been embroiled in a bitter commercial dispute between its owner and the Canadian firm that chartered the vessel.

Pakistani Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Saddique, Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff and French Rear Admiral Alain Hinden salute their flags during the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 change of command ceremony. The ceremony marks the second time Pakistan takes the helm of CTF-150 and marks the conclusion of France’s fourth time leading the Coalition task force. CTF-150, established near the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, conducts Maritime Operations (MO) in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. U.S. By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Hamilton, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. Pakistani Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Siddique relieved French Rear Adm.

The decommissioned aircraft carrier ex-Oriskany (CV/CVA 34) will become the largest ship intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in mid-May. The 888-foot ship will be reefed in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola, Fla., and will benefit marine life, sport fishing and recreational diving in the area. In November 2004, President George Bush signed the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, allowing the Navy to transfer inactive vessels to states, U.S. possessions, municipal corporations and municipalities for artificial reefing purposes. "The sinking of the ex-Oriskany will provide an additional offshore location for the regional recreational fishery and diving industries…

According to the Houston Chronicle, environmental groups sued the federal government to prevent the Navy from using active sonar during drills off Hawaii next month, saying the sound could harm whales and other marine mammals. The Natural Resources Defense Council asked a federal court in Los Angeles to issue a temporary restraining order unless the Navy takes "effective measures" to protect marine life when it uses high-intensity, mid-frequency active sonar to hunt submarines in the drills. Navy lawyers haven't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined to comment, but said the agency was confident the Navy would protect dolphins and whales.

The officer who commanded the USS Cole when it was attacked in Yemen in 2000 will not be promoted because he did not meet the standards expected of commanding officers, the U.S. Navy said on Monday. Almost six years after the al Qaeda attack that killed 17 sailors while the American destroyer was refueling, Navy Secretary Donald Winter pulled Cmdr. Kirk Lippold off a promotion list, saying he was not qualified to rise to the rank of captain, the Navy said in a statement. Secretary Winter determined that CDR Lippold's actions as the Commanding Officer of USS COLE prior to the attack on October 12, 2000 did not meet the high standard he expects of Commanding Officers, and, based on this, CDR Lippold was not the best and fully qualified for promotion to the higher grade, the Navy said.

The Navy accepted delivery of the second in the LPD 17 class of amphibious transport dock ship on Dec. 22. The acceptance of the future USS New Orleans, marks the culmination of millions of hours in conceptual planning, design, construction, and testing of this advanced amphibious warship. New Orleans recently completed Builder's and Acceptance Trials during which the shipbuilder, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, successfully demonstrated this new warship's tremendous range of capability. Main propulsion, engineering and ship control systems, mission and combat systems, damage control, food service and crew support systems were exercised.

American Superconductor Corporation and its partner, Northrop Grumman announced the completion of factory acceptance testing for the world's first 36.5 megawatt (49,000 horsepower) high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor at Northrop Grumman's facility at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center. This is the final milestone before the Navy takes possession of the motor. The motor was designed, developed and manufactured under a contract from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) to demonstrate the efficacy of HTS primary- propulsion-motor technology for future Navy all-electric ships and submarines. The power and torque of this HTS motor is comparable to the requirements for the Navy's new Zumwalt class of destroyers, known as DDG 1000.