Candidate School News

Last year experts raised their eyebrows when the Morrison government announced Australia would abandon its contract for French-built Attack class submarines, in favor of eight nuclear-powered submarines delivered under the AUKUS partnership.Retired Royal Australian Navy Chief Petty Officer Greg Jones was one key individual who questioned whether the choice is appropriate for Australia’s defense needs (at least in the short to medium term).One particularly controversial point is the time it will take for the nuclear submarines to become operational.

Retired Vice Adm. Richard Hunt will assume the position of president of the Surface Navy Association (SNA) at the association’s annual symposium in January. Hunt succeeds retired Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, who has been president since 2013.Hunt is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was commissioned in February 1976 through the Officer Candidate School program in Newport, R.I. He attended Naval Post Graduate School, receiving a Master of Science in Telecommunications Systems Management in March 1988.He has served in USS Sampson (DDG 10), USS Underwood (FFG 36) and USS Roark (FF 1053), and has commanded USS Crommelin (FFG 37) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58).

Brian Salerno was sworn in as the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on August 26, 2013. He is responsible for promoting safety, protecting the environment and conserving resources through the vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement of offshore operations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Prior to his appointment as Bureau Director, Salerno served as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deputy Commandant for Operations where he was responsible for establishing and providing operational strategy…

Last month we were offered an in-depth discussion on marine salvage with Captain Gregg W. Baumann, U.S. Navy, Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. Captain Baumann and his team have a long history regarding difficult missions accomplished, including most recently the location and filming of the lost TOTE containership El Faro. What is the scope of the responsibility of the Supervisor of Salvage & Diving; Director of Ocean Engineering? The responsibilities of the Supervisor of Salvage & Diving…

Picture this: A naval vessel is navigating the high seas thousands of nautical miles from land. Suddenly all navigation systems become inoperable. What happens next? What does this mean? The Navy looks to its past to chart its future. With today's technology rapidly advancing, the Navy realized that many basic techniques are still relevant to safe operations at sea. Celestial Navigation (CELNAV) is one skill that has not been formally taught to Navy officers, depending on one's commissioning source, for more than 15 years.

An increasing number of systems on ships and at marine facilities depend on cyber technologies for routine operations. While cyber technology has improved efficiencies in the marine industry and around the world, it has also created potential vulnerabilities. For example, the towboats that move goods through the Western Rivers and along our coasts rely heavily on electronic navigation systems, including Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), to safely transit around riverbends, capes, and shoals.

In an effort to standardize training and education across the military services, Recruit Training Command (RTC) and Officer Training Command (OTC) will run a pilot program, which will no longer require female accessions to cut their hair. The pilot program, which will run from January through March 2015, comes after receiving fleet feedback that junior Sailors and officers are not taught proper grooming standards with longer hair. This shift will align the Navy with every other armed forces service, which do not require female accessions to cut their hair. RTC and OTC required all females with long hair to cut it to the lower edge of the uniform collar. Now, female Sailors will have the ability to choose any hairstyle that meets uniform regulations.

Senior leaders from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) signed a Fleet Plan and Officer Exchange memorandum of understanding Wednesday at a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Charles Michel, deputy commandant for operations, and NOAA Vice Adm. Michael Devany, deputy under secretary for operations, were the signing officials for the joint letter of promulgation. The Coast Guard and NOAA have collaborated for more than 200 years.

Capt. Vincent Martinez relieved Capt. Thomas Smith, II, as commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NSWC IHEODTD) during a change of command ceremony at Indian Head, Md., June 26. Martinez served most recently as the Deputy Director, Navy Staff, Pentagon Washington, D.C. A native of Syracuse, New York, Martinez received his commission from Officer Candidate School in 1988. His initial training included Surface Warfare, Basic Diving and Salvage Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). He has earned designations as a Surface Warfare Officer, Special Operations Officer, Master EOD Technician, Naval Parachutist and Acquisition Professional.

U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger relieved Vice Adm. John Currier as Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard during a change of watch ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C., Tuesday. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp presided over the ceremony and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attended. “It has been my honor to serve our nation as the vice commandant,” said Currier. The change-of-watch ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by rich heritage of naval tradition.

Austal held a keel-laying ceremony for the third Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – Jackson (LCS 6), one of five Austal-designed 127-m U.S. Navy Independence-variant LCS under contract with the U.S. Navy. Dr. Katherine Holmes Cochran, the ship’s sponsor, was present to weld her initials onto the keel plate as the Keel Authenticator. She was assisted by J.B. Craig, III, who is an “A” Class welder that has been part of the Austal team since November of 2011. Dr. Cochran is the daughter of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and his wife Rose Clayton Cochran.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) changed command in Norfolk on August 5. Capt. Tushar R. Tembe relieved Capt. Joseph M. Clarkson as Truman's commanding officer during a ceremony at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center at Nauticus museum. Tembe, the new commanding officer, said he intends to take what he has learned while previously serving as a commanding officer and apply it to leading the ship and crew to further success. "Today belongs to Joe and Sandy Clarkson," said Tembe. "You two have had a very successful command tour and have poured your heart and souls into Truman over the past two-and-a-half years and it shows over every inch of the ship and her crew. Tembe reported to Truman in July 2011.

Rear Admiral Wendi B. Carpenter is the daughter of an Air Force veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Raised throughout the United States, she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Carpenter was commissioned in 1978 through Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla. and in July 1979 was designated a Naval Aviator. Graduating at the top of her class, she was assigned as the Navy’s first Selectively Retained Graduate Instructor Pilot (SERGRAD) in the T-44 aircraft at VT-31, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.

Four students from very diverse backgrounds each got a chance to attend the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, thanks in part to Thomas B. Crowley Sr. scholarships. Crowley Maritime Corporation awarded scholarships to Virginia Steiner, Morgan Wilson, Hannah Holland and Caroline Crowell during the 2009-2010 academic year. Steiner, a history major from Mount Saint Mary College, currently works at the Mystic Seaport Museum as a historical interpreter, is a member of their demonstration squad and the Anchor Watch educational program. She also participates in Officer Candidate School for the United States Marine Corps. A native of Olalla, Wash., Crowell is a junior at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Rear Adm. John Currier, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District, has been nominated by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen, to serve as the future chief of staff for the service. Once approved by Congress, Currier will oversee acquisition, personnel, budgeting, communication technologies, engineering and logistics for the service. Currier was commissioned in 1976 upon graduation from officer candidate school and was designated as an aviator after completion of Naval Flight training in 1977.

By Scott A. Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) returned to Naval Station (NAVSTA) August 29, to review a graduation of newly commissioned officers at Officer Candidate School (OCS) and help rededicate one of their training facility. Vice Adm. Mark E. Ferguson, III, addressed more than 40 new ensigns during the morning OCS graduation on Nimitz Field. "I want to leave each of you with two questions that I want you to remember as you procede from here and go on throughout your careers," he said. According to , those are two of the most important questions for them to constantly remember as they rise in rank during their naval careers. "You each will have a responsibility to your Sailors and when you drag yourselves out of bed to stand the mid-watch…

Coast Guard Atlantic Area includes five Coast Guard Districts spanning 14 million square miles and involves 30,000 personnel. Captain John E. Schrinner discusses his philosophy on making it run smoothly. When the clock strikes midnight June 30, 2004, the world will watch with wonder to see if shipping as we know it will come to a screeching halt off the U.S. coast, as the deadline for companies to comply to the letter of the new maritime security laws enters force. With speculation running rampant and a flurry of last-minute paperwork, retiring Chief of the Marine Safety Division, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Captain John E. Schrinner, offers this perspective. "I remember as a trainee in 1973 the mantra was (for the USCG) to facilitate commerce," Schrinner said.

Continuing its tradition of supporting academic excellence, Crowley Maritime Corporation last week presented Thomas B. Crowley Sr., Memorial Scholarships to three midshipmen from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY. Mark Miller, Manager of Corporate Communications for Crowley, presented scholarships to Michael Aubry, Michael Attanasio and Jason Craig at a Containerization & Intermodal Institute luncheon Thursday in New Jersey. Midshipman Craig is a Logistics and Intermodal Transportation major from Tinley Park, Ill. In addition to his academic course load, he serves as executive officer for the academy's 3rd company of midshipmen. He is also captain of the crew team. After graduation, Craig plans on sailing and then pursuing an MBA in logistics.

In remembrance for his valiant and dedicated efforts to his fellow soldiers, the U.S. Navy last year named its fifteenth Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer in honor of COL Donald G. Cook. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage while a prisoner of war (POW), Cook is noted as a heroic figure for his rescue efforts during the Vietnam War. As an observer from Communications Company on a 30-day tour of duty, then Captain Cook was stationed at Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. After being wounded on New Year's Eve 1964, Cook was captured by Viet Cong forces near Binh Gia, Phouc Tuy Province, South Vietnam. He had been out on a search for an American helicopter that had gone down in the area when he was seized.

Captain William S. Cheever recently assumed command of the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md. He becomes the 36th Commanding Officer in the 102-year history of the Yard, the only shipbuilding and ship repair facility of the U.S. Coast Guard. Captain Cheever took command of the Yard from Captain Alan S. Gracewski who had served as the shipyard's Commanding Officer since June, 1998. Captain Gracewki retired from the Coast Guard with 30 years service. In addition to being commanding officer of the Coast Guard's , maritime industrial facility, Captain Cheever holds the title of distinction as the U.S. Coast Guard's Gold Ancient Mariner. The honor is bestowed on the Commissioned Officer of the USCG who has the earliest date of service time at sea.

Coast Guard Atlantic Area Chief of Staff, Captain Christopher C. Colvin, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral lower half today at a ceremony held at the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command. Rear Adm. Colvin is currently assigned as the Chief of Staff for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, which encompasses the eastern half of the world from the Rocky Mountains to the Persian Gulf. He will report Nov. 8, to the United States Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base located in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he will serve as Deputy Director of Operations. Rear Adm. Colvin has served afloat on ten Coast Guard cutters and has been the commanding officer of the Dallas home ported in Charleston…

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane will welcome a new commanding officer in a change of command ceremony here Tuesday at 10 a.m. The crew will welcome Cmdr. John W. McKinley and bid farewell to Capt. Christopher P. Scraba. McKinley comes to the Harriet Lane from an assignment as executive officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell, homeported in Alameda, Calif. McKinley graduated from George Mason University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration. In 1990, he graduated from the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School in Yorktown, Va. From January to July 2003, McKinley deployed to the Middle East as the first officer in charge…