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Philippine Sea News

01 Feb 2024

Philippines Plans to Buy Submarines to Defend Sovereignty in South China Sea

© Darren Green / Adobe Stock

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the third phase of the military's modernization, which includes the purchase of the country's first submarine, in order to defend its maritime sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea.Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Roy Trinidad, said on Thursday the third phase of modernization reflected a shift in strategy away from internal to external defense."We may not be a large navy...but we would have a navy that will take care of our territorial rights and sovereignty…

10 Dec 2023

Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

© olinchuk / Adobe Stock

The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

23 Oct 2023

Philippines Says Chinese Coastguard 'Intentionally' Collided with Its Boats

(Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines)

The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian U.S. ally and Beijing.Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats "bumped dangerously" with the coastguard vessels and "Chinese fishing vessels" fishing there.On Monday…

20 May 2023

Photo of the Day: Submarine Surfacing

Photo By: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Emily Weiss/Courtesy U.S. DoD

The ballistic missile submarine USS Maine surfaces to receive a vertical replenishment from Marines assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force in the Philippine Sea, May 9, 2023. Vertical replenishments enable Navy vessels to quickly receive critical resources without disrupting maritime security operations.

28 Mar 2022

Philippines Slams Chinese Ship's 'Close Distance Maneuvering'

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday reported a recent incident of "close distance maneuvering" by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the disputed South China Sea that "constrained" the movement of a Philippine ship sailing nearby.The March 2 incident took place during the PCG's maritime patrol operations around the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, the PCG said in a news release.It was yet unclear whether the Philippines had lodged a diplomatic protest for the incident.

18 Oct 2021

US Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Santa Barbara

(Photo: Austal USA)

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA, part of Australia's Austal Group, hosted a christening ceremony for the future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship at the company’s Gulf Coast shipyard today. Ship sponsor Lolita Zinke performed the ceremonial bottle break over the bow of the Santa Barbara, the 16th LCS designed and constructed by Austal USA and the third U.S. Navy ship to be named after the California coast city.Zinke, wife of former U.S. Congressman and former U.S.

20 Jul 2021

Shipbuilding and The Navy Of Tomorrow

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 1, 2021. U.S. Navy Photoby Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Wade

In the United States, it is a frustrating time to be in the government shipbuilding business. Even though America depends upon maritime commerce and faces growing security risks at sea, shipbuilding is just not a major national focus.Up to now, shipbuilders have had it pretty good. For the past several years, big naval shipbuilders have enjoyed steady growth and strong performance. In 2020, Huntington Ingalls Industries enjoyed record revenue of $9.4 billion, an 8.5% margin and gave a quarter billion back to shareholders in dividends and stock buybacks.

12 Jul 2021

China Says It 'Drove Away' US Warship

(Photo: Nathan Burke / U.S. Navy)

China's military said it "drove away" a U.S. warship that illegally entered Chinese waters near the Paracel Islands on Monday, the anniversary of an international court ruling that held Beijing had no claim over the South China Sea.The USS Benfold entered the waters without China's approval, seriously violating its sovereignty and undermining the stability of the South China Sea, the southern theatre command of the People's Liberation Army said."We urge the United States to immediately stop such provocative actions…

17 Jun 2021

UK's Queen Elizabeth Visits New Aircraft Carrier Before Asia Voyage

(Photo: U.K. Royal Navy)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth visited the country's new aircraft carrier on Saturday, named in honor of Elizabeth I, before it leads a flotilla of Royal Navy ships to Asian waters on its maiden operational voyage.The queen, aged 95, stepped aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth, seven years after she named the vessel alongside her late husband Prince Philip who died last month.The 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth will carry eight British F-35B fighter jets and 10 U.S. F-35s as well as 250 U.S.

17 May 2021

Philippines' Duterte Issues Gag Order Over South China Sea Spat

©  PixHound / Adobe Stock

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte barred his cabinet from talking about the South China Sea in public on Monday after weeks of strong rebukes by his ministers against China’s conduct in the contested waters.Tensions between the Philippines and its giant neighbor have escalated since March, with Manila filing daily diplomatic protests over the presence of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed portions of the South China Sea.“This is my order now to the cabinet, and to all and sundry talking for the government…

22 Mar 2021

Philippines Says 220 Chinese Militia Vessels Seen in Disputed Waters This Month

© Oleksii / Adobe Stock

The Philippines expressed concern about hundreds of Chinese military vessels it said were spotted this month in the disputed South China Sea, the latest example of tension in the crucial waterway.The Philippine Coast Guard reported that some 220 vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were seen moored in line formation at a reef on March 7, a cross-government task force said late on Saturday.Foreign minister Teodoro Locsin, asked whether he would file a diplomatic protest over the ships’ presence, told a journalist on Twitter: “Only if the generals tell me.

26 Feb 2021

US Navy Warship in the Middle East Has COVID-19 Cases

(Photo: Tyler R. Fraser / U.S. Navy)

A U.S. Navy warship operating in the Middle East has a dozen cases of the novel coronavirus, while another warship in the region is investigating whether some of its members are also infected.The USS San Diego which has the confirmed cases is at port in Bahrain. It sails with about 600 sailors and Marines aboard.The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, which carries some 380 sailors, is expected to pull into port for further testing. The port was not disclosed.“Once we became aware of possible COVID-19 aboard USS San Diego (LPD 22) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58)…

20 Oct 2020

What Is the Malabar Exercise, and Why Is It Significant?

File photo: Ships from the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the U.S. Navy sail in formation during Malabar 2018. (Photo: Erwin Jacob V. Miciano / U.S. Navy)

Australia will join three-way naval exercises involving the United States, Japan and India, in a move that could provoke concern from China, which has criticized similar joint drills in the past.Here are some of the most common questions on the Malabar exercise:What is the Malabar exercise?The Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 as a training event between the United States and India. Japan joined it in 2015, but Australia has not participated since 2007.The exercise was conducted…

21 Jul 2020

US Holds Naval Exercises with Allies in Asia amid China Tension

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, consisting of flagship USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104), and USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), along with Indian Navy ships Rana, Sahyardi, Shivalik and Kamorta, steam in formation during a cooperative deployment in the Indian Ocean July 20. (U.S. Navy photo by Jose Madrigal)

The United States is conducting two military exercises in Asian waters this week involving allies Japan, Australia and India, the U.S. navy said on Tuesday.The exercises come as military rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying and days after the United States said China’s claims of sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea were illegal.The United States has long opposed China’s expansive territorial claims on the South China Sea, sending warships regularly through the strategic waterway to demonstrate freedom of navigation.China opposes such exercises and said the U.S.

22 May 2020

USS Theodore Roosevelt Returns to Sea Following COVID-19 Outbreak

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) returns to operations in the Philippine Sea on May 21 following an extended visit to Guam in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. (U.S. Navy photo by Kaylianna Genier)

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is underway for the first time since being sidelined by an onboard coronavirus outbreak that infected hundreds of sailors and led to the firing of the ship's commander.Theodore Roosevelt was in the Asia-Pacific region when a number of its sailors began falling ill with COVID-19, forcing the aircraft carrier to eventually dock in Guam on March 27. One sailor who was infected died, and more than 1,110 out of the roughly 4…

14 Jan 2019

Vice Adm. Richard Hunt to lead SNA

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).

04 Jan 2019

HMS Argyll Hunts Submarines in the Philippine Sea

208 Flight load a TVT (dummy) onto a Wildcat HMA Mk2 (Photo: Royal Navy)

HMS Argyll has hunted down submarines in the Philippine Sea during exercises with allied navies from Japan and the United States.This was the first time these navies have combined like this as they tested their specialist anti-submarine warfare skills.Japan’s helicopter destroyer JS Izumo worked with the Plymouth-based frigate to hunt down a US Navy Submarine, which was playing the part of the enemy during two days of training.Argyll has already worked alongside the Japanese navy…

25 Sep 2018

Future USS South Dakota Delivered to US Navy

Official U.S. Navy file photo.

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the 17th submarine of the Virginia class, the future USS South Dakota (SSN 790), on September 24.The next-generation attack submarine began construction in 2013 and is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2019.South Dakota is the seventh Virginia-class Block III submarine. Block III submarines feature a redesigned bow with enhanced payload capabilities, replacing 12 individual vertical launch tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles.

28 Sep 2018

U.S. Navy to Commission Submarine Indiana Today

The U.S. Navy will commission its newest fast attack submarine, the future USS Indiana (SSN 789), during a 10 a.m. (EDT) ceremony today (Saturday, Sept. 29), at the Navy Port at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Port Canaveral, Florida.The principal speaker will be U.S. Representative Jim Banks from Indiana. Diane Donald, wife of retired Adm. Kirkland H. Donald, director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion from 2004 to 2012, is serving as the ship’s sponsor. She will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!” in a time-honored Navy tradition.“The future USS Indiana shows the increased capabilities that our industrial partners bring to the fleet as we deliver the Navy the nation needs,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer.

09 Jan 2018

Downed US Navy Aircraft Found in Philippine Sea

U.S. Navy file photo of a C-2A Greyhound (U.S. Navy photo by Kenneth Abbate)

A U.S. Navy team has located a C-2A Greyhound aircraft that crashed in the Philippine Sea on November 22. The downed aircraft rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, making the salvage operation the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date, the Navy said, adding it will make every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and fallen Sailors, despite very challenging conditions. Eight of the 11 crew and passengers on board were recovered immediately following the crash. For the next three days, the U.S.

30 Jan 2018

US Navy to Survey Downed Aircraft in the Philippine Sea

RV Petrel (Photo courtesy of Paul G. Allen)

The U.S. Navy said it has contracted a research vessel owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen to survey the location of a downed C-2A Greyhound plane before attempts are made to recover the aircraft from 18,500 feet below the surface in the Philippine Sea. The C-2A Greyhound was transporting 11 crew and passengers when it crashed into the ocean on November 22, 2017, killing three. On December 29, A Navy team using a towed pinger locator (TPL-25) system discovered the aircraft resting on the seafloor at a depth of 18,500 feet, an unprecedented depth for the salvage of an aircraft.

08 Feb 2018

BAE System Wins Ship Repair Navy Contract

BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair LLC, Jacksonville, Florida, is being awarded a $9,613,062 firm-fixed-price contract for dry-dock selected restricted availability repair work onboard USS Philippine Sea (CG 58). The work consists of dry-docking, structural and tank repairs, propulsion system repairs, ventilation and auxiliary system repairs, temporary services, habitability preservations, structural preservations, ship alterations and miscellaneous repairs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $71,892,174. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by March 2019.

12 Apr 2018

Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Indianapolis

The US Navy will christen its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis (LCS 17), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, April 14, in Marinette, Wisconsin. The future USS Indianapolis, designated LCS-17, honors Indianapolis, Indiana's state capital. She will be the fourth ship to bear the name. The principal speaker will be former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana. Mrs. Jill Donnelly, wife of U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana, will serve as the ship's sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. "The future USS Indianapolis honors more than a city…