Afloat Training Group News

Hydrocomp’s ProCad facilitates in-house Process Control of Propeller Design and Manufacture. Maritime Tactical Systems Inc. (MARTAC) is a Florida-based company building next-generation unmanned vessels for military applications. In preparation for the “Rim of the Pacific” (RIMPAC) military exercises in Pearl Harbor this last July, MARTAC needed a new propeller design for their MANTAS series high-speed vessels. Unfortunately, their current supplier was not meeting delivery schedules for the high-quality surface-piercing propellers that they need…

The US Navy released updates to the Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP) for eligible enlisted Sailors in NAVADMIN 120/16, May 25. The SDAP program enhances the Navy's ability to size, shape and stabilize the force by encouraging qualified Sailors to serve in designated Special Duty Assignments (SDAs) for a monetary incentive ranging from $75 to $450 a month. Changes to the program update will redistribute SDAP resources to help ensure Navy's priorities are being addressed. The NAVADMIN includes additions to SDAP eligibility for: Afloat Training Group Instructions at level SD-1 ($75 per month); Navy Military Training Instructors at level SD-2 ($150 per month); and Nimitz class reactor department conventional Sailors at level SD-1 ($75 per month).

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR) (CVN 71) successfully completed Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) and the Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) Oct. TSTA/FEP is a three-week training and evaluation period that prepares the ship and crew for integrated training with carrier strike group (CSG) assets through a wide range of drills, exercises, and operational scenarios. "FEP is a two-day evolution, which tests the basic watchstanders' and training teams' performance," said Capt. John Sipes, the director of aviation training at Afloat Training Group (ATG), from San Diego. FEP ensures TR's crew is fully capable of defending…

Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, Coast Guard Pacific Area commander, will preside over the ceremony where Capt. Matthew R. Walker will assume the duties and responsibilities as commanding officer of 'Polar Star' from Capt. George E. Pellissier, informs the Coast Guard. Commissioned in 1976, Polar Star is currently the only heavy ice breaker in service in the United States. The ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington along with her sister ship, Polar Sea. The cutter’s missions include close ice escort and logistics support of high latitude outposts. Polar Star also conducts search and rescue and supports scientific research in the Antarctic and Arctic regions. Capt.

The Navy's newest amphibious transport dock ship, Pre-commissioning Unit Somerset, (LPD 25) departed Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Shipbuilding site in Avondale, La., Feb. 3, beginning its maiden voyage to its commissioning site in Philadelphia, March 1. "The commissioning ceremony marks an important milestone in a ship's life and completes the cycle from christening and launching to full status as a ship of the United States Navy," said Commanding Officer, Capt. Thomas L. Dearborn. "On March 1, 2014 when you hear the words " ...

Military Sealift Command Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One changed leadership June 16 when Navy Capt. Ricks W. Polk relieved Navy Capt. Michael F. Ott in a ceremony aboard squadron flagship USNS 2ND LT John P. Bobo. The ceremony took place while Bobo was underway in the Baltic Sea near the coast of Estonia. MPS Squadron One is a forward-deployed squadron of four government-owned ships: Bobo, USNS PFC Eugene A. Obregon, USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat and USNS Sisler. The squadron prepositions cargo and supplies at sea in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, enabling rapid delivery to shore where needed. The commander of MPS Squadron One has tactical command and control of all four ships in the squadron and is embarked aboard Bobo.

Military Sealift Command Atlantic, the Norfolk, Va.,-based U.S. Navy command responsible for Military Sealift Command ships transporting equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition in the Western Atlantic Ocean, changed command during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk today. Capt. Samuel R. Norton assumed command of MSCLANT from outgoing commander Capt. Michael G. Graham during a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Vista Point Conference Center. Norton last served as commander of amphibious assault ship USS Nassau, which he led on its final deployment prior to decommissioning earlier this year.

The Navy's first littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Freedom (LCS 1), has successfully completed another major milestone in preparation for her upcoming maiden deployment. Freedom conducted independent ship deployment training and certification at sea from Nov. 13-21, operating with ships from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group during their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the southeastern coast of the United States. Freedom conducted effective complex training as part of the Maritime Security Surge certification for the ship's Gold Crew…

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 departed San Diego Nov. 27 to complete Tailored Ship's Training Assessment (TSTA), an intense training period designed to prepare the ship and embarked air wing for prompt and sustained combat operations at sea. TSTA and the upcoming Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) are conducted by Afloat Training Group Pacific, and are designed to test a ship's ability to conduct multiple simultaneous combat missions and survive complex casualty situations under stressful conditions. Rear Adm. Phil Wisecup, commander of the Ronald Reagan Strike Group, stressed to the officers and crew of Ronald Reagan and CVW 14 that the preparation for future strike group missions starts during TSTA/FEP.

The three-member Coast Guard boarding team stepped from the darkened bowels of the ship into the sunlight of the vessel’s aft deck. They didn’t stand a chance. One of the rogue ship’s crewmen stood 15 ft. in front of the Coast Guard boarding team with a loaded weapon behind his back, refusing to place it on the deck as the team was ordering. The Coast Guard team raised their weapons and trained their sights on the obstinate crewman’s center mass, just as they’d been trained. The boarding officer in charge of the boarding yelled, “Drop the weapon! Do it NOW!” But the crewman refused to comply. All eyes were on the armed crewman, and that was the team’s fatal mistake. One deck above them, another of the rogue ship’s crew took position against a railing.

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Corey Truax, Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) successfully completed a three-day evaluation, Unit Level Training Assessment-Sustainment (ULTRA-S) July 22, while returning from the U.S and Australian-led Exercise Talisman Saber 2007. A team of inspectors from the Afloat Training Group Western Pacific (ATGWP) arrived, via helicopter from Guam, to evaluate 16 mission areas including engineering, damage control, seamanship, combat systems, amphibious warfare, medical, aviation and force protection/anti-terrorism. ATGWP also reviewed Essex's Maintenance Material Management (3M) program to ensure that material readiness standards and maintenance practices continued to meet standards.

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James R. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) wrapped up two weeks of training and certification with a scheduled port visit to Naval Air Station North Island July 22-24. Lincoln’s crew enjoyed two full days of liberty in the San Diego area while the ship took on personnel and equipment from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 in preparation for the next phase of operations. Prior to the visit, Lincoln spent its first two weeks underway since completing sea trials and a nine-month Dry-dock Planned Incremental Availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. During the time underway, Lincoln completed carrier qualifications for the ship’s flight deck…

After successfully completing over 10 drills during a three-day period, USS Tarawa (LHA1) passed the Unit Level Training Readiness Assessment Sustainment (ULTRA-S) inspection June 28. Alpha fires, mines in the water, man overboard and intruder on the quarterdeck were some of the different types of drills Tarawa conducted. Throughout the inspection, Tarawa’s training teams in damage control, combat systems, force protection, medical and others were evaluated through training team scenarios by Afloat Training Group (ATG) Pacific. The assessment also covers seamanship, navigation and the Maintenance Material Management (3M) program. “ULTRA…

Chief Quartermaster Scott Ramsey and Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Cliff Monroe, both assigned to Afloat Training Group Middle Pacific (ATG MIDPAC), man the lee helm and helmsman positions of a bridge watch team during a Navigation, Seamanship and Shiphandling Trainer (NSST) simulation of an underway replenishment at ATG MIDPAC. NSST is a state-of-the-art bridge team trainer designed to replicate the environment found on the bridge of a Navy ship and utilizes life-like scenarios with visual simulations to train Navy bridge teams. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Naval Base San Diego hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its newest navigation, seamanship and ship handling trainer (NSST) on June 11.

USS Boxer (LHD 4) and ships assigned to Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) steam alongside while transiting to U.S. 5th Fleet's area of responsibility. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, is responsible for a sea encompassing about 2.5 million square miles of water including the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean. U.S. The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) left the Persian Gulf on April 19, entering U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of operation (AOR) to begin its journey back to its homeport in San Diego, after conducting more than five months of maritime security operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf. “We spent a very long time in the Gulf, and the crew responded magnificently,” said Capt. Bruce W.

Sailors aboard USS Milius (DDG 69) completed their second Unit Level Training Assessment-Sustainment (ULTRA-S) on March 14. All U.S. Navy surface ships are familiar with the Unit Level Training Assessment, Engineering (ULTRA-E), Unit Level Training Assessment, Certification (ULTRA-C), and ULTRA-S, but Milius is the first ship to complete a second, in a series of continual ULTRA-S assessments. According to Cmdr. Tom Rowley, senior assessor and SHIPTRAIN department head, all surface ships following Milius will start performing an ULTRA-S every four to seven months. “In the past, we’ve seen different ships start out with a high level of proficiency and then slowly and steadily drop down after the certification process,” he said.

A flotilla of military and support vessels Tuesday will conduct a joint security exercise off of the entrance to Pearl Harbor. Persons viewing this exercise from shore or from other vessels should not be alarmed - this is only an exercise. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island along with small boats from Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Naval Submarine Support Command, and the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu will exercise a variety of security scenarios. Additional support vessels include a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel and several small boats and personal water craft from the Afloat Training Group Middle Pacific. These exercises will involve numerous high speed small boat maneuvers as well as flashing handheld lights and short blasts from air horns.

The U.S. Navy has created a new way to better manage surface ships by type or class. New "class squadrons" are being established, known as CLASSRONs to coordinate the support of ships by type, wherever they may be home ported. Eight CLASSRON Implementation Teams were established on Oct. 1, as an initiative of the Navy's new Surface Warfare Enterprise (SWE). The CLASSRONs will be located in Norfolk, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; Ingleside, Texas; and Mayport, Fla. (see chart). The Implementation Teams have begun staffing, defining roles and establishing procedures that will lead to CLASSRONs achieving full operational capability in the spring of 2007. According to Vice Adm.

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…

At Sea (NNS) -- Crew members aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) donned gas masks and chemical protection suits to treat mock mass casualties during a series of chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) defense drills recently. The drills are consistent with the normal basic-phase training routine ships go through to prepare for deployment, but according to ship Operations Officer Cmdr. Paul Shock, Bonhomme Richard is going through the training a lot sooner than most. "Normally, (ships) would start this training three months after a PMA (planned maintenance availability), and it would last about five months,” said Shock. In order to achieve these goals…