U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China
On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…
US Navy Recovers Downed Helicopter from Record Ocean Depth
The U.S. Navy last week retrieved one of its crashed helicopters from 19,075 feet below the surface of the North Pacific, setting a record for the deepest aircraft recovery at sea.The helicopter, a twin engine Sikorsky Seahawk, crashed off the coast of Okinawa, Japan last year while operating from the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). The air crew was able to escape the MH-60S before it sank and no lives were lost in the accident.Responding to a U.S. Pacific Command Fleet request…
US Navy: Bigger is Better, but at What Cost?
The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.
Mount Whitney Makes History
USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship, made history today as the first amphibious command ship to have an MV-22B Osprey land on its flight deck, May 23, 2016. The MV-22B and crew are part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263), “The Thunder Chickens,” based out of Marine Corps Air Station, New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The aircraft, “Thunder 00,” successfully executed four starboard and three port landings, and hot refueling before returning to Morón Air Base, Spain where they are deployed as the Air Combat Element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force -Crisis Response – Africa. Capt. Carlos A.
AMSEC Wins Two US Navy Contracts
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that its AMSEC LLC subsidiary has been awarded two contracts in support of the United States Navy. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., awarded a contract to AMSEC for technical and logistical support services, as well as material kitting services, for U.S. Navy LCC 19-class Amphibious Command ships. Material kitting services involve the pre-packaging of materials required to complete a specific task. Amphibious Command ships provide command and control for fleet commanders. A total of three indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts were awarded for these services with a combined maximum dollar amount of $96.8 million. AMSEC LLC was also awarded the initial delivery order valued at $1.2 million.
America's Baltic Sea Commitment: Navy Exercise BALTOPS
Joint exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014, is set for June 6-21, in the Baltic Sea. : U.S. Navy units include the amphibious command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) and members of Expeditionary Strike Group 2, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as members of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/6th Fleet from Naples, Italy. This year's exercise will include 1,300 U.S. service members, in addition to forces from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Eye on the Fleet - USS Mount Whitney
Sept. 1, 2008, the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) departed Souda harbor following a routine port visit. Mount Whitney is homeported in Gaeta, Italy, where she received humanitarian aid supplies destined for the Republic of Georgia. Mount Whitney is transiting to the Black Sea for delivery of the humanitarian assistance cargo to the Republic of Georgia. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Paul Farley. (Source: Navy News Service)
Matson’s Manukai Heads Toward Panama Canal
Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (KPSI), of Philadelphia, PA., today delivered the M.V Manukai, a CV 2600 Philadelphia Class Containership. This is the first ship to be constructed at the new yard located in the former Philadelphia Naval Base. The M.V. Manukai is the first ship in a series of two containerships to be built for Matson Navigation Company, a shipping company based in San Francisco, CA. The U.S. Jones Act ship was christened by Margaret Inouye, wife of Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, at Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard on July 12, 2003.
