Bangor News

Two British Royal Navy mine-hunter vessels were involved in a collision in a port in Bahrain, the Royal Navy said.No one was injured in the accident which occurred in Bahrain Harbor on Friday, it said. An investigation into the incident has been opened.The Royal Navy is working with the U.S. Navy in the Gulf region in an effort to protect Red Sea shipping from an upsurge in attacks by Houthi forces based in Yemen.The Houthis say they acting in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas, which is locked in conflict with Israel in Gaza.

HydroWing is gearing up for deployment of its tidal energy technology, following the recent announcement that it has been awarded a contract for a 10MW tidal stream energy project in Wales.HydroWing was the largest tidal stream project in Wales to be successful in the UK government’s latest Contracts for Difference round. The project will be located at the Morlais tidal energy site in Anglesey, which is managed by the social enterprise Menter Môn. The Morlais site is the UK’s largest consented tidal energy scheme.Richard Parkinson…

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday invited public comment on possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.BOEM said the call represented an early step in the commercial planning and leasing process in the Gulf fo Maine, and the first required by BOEM regulations.“BOEM is committed to transparent, inclusive and data-driven processes, and public input is essential to helping us determine areas that may be suitable for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cuttyhunk (WPB 1322) was decommissioned Thursday during a ceremony held at Air Station Port Angeles that was presided over by Capt. Mark McDonnell, 13th Coast Guard District Chief of Response.Cuttyhunk was one of the Coast Guard's 37 remaining 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. The fleet of Island-class cutters is being replaced by 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters built by Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards.Built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to four cadets at the Maine Maritime Academy in recognition of their achievements, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based shipping company announced Wednesday.The honorees earned the scholarships based on their academic performance, financial need and interest in pursuing a career at sea. The scholarship recipients are:Megan Doucette, a senior from Bangor, Maine, is majoring in marine transport operations. She sailed during a sea term aboard the Crowley tanker Louisiana.Nickolas Lewis…

Port of Gulfport (Mississippi) executive director Jonathan Daniels will move east and take the top spot as the Chief Executive & Port Director at Port Everglades, as announed by Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry. Broward’s seaport is a gateway for cargo, cruise and petroleum that is undergoing a $1.6 billion port expansion effort. Daniels comes to Port Everglades from the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi where he has been the executive director since 2013.In addition to his maritime experience in Gulfport…

Commander, Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR) officially kicked-off Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018 in the Arctic Ocean with the construction of temporary Ice Camp Skate and the arrival of two U.S. Navy fast-attack submarines and one U.K. Royal Navy submarine March 7. ICEX 2018 is a five-week biennial exercise that allows the Navy to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic, increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment and continue to develop relationships with other services, allies and partner organizations. The Seawolf-class fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) from Bangor, Washington, the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) from Groton…

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.

Traveling across the globe from port to port, the U.S. Navy fleet transports sailors and Marines, aircraft, and supplies. Unfortunately, ships can also unintentionally transport stowaways, small organisms which live in ballast water. Most people would not look at small organisms like mitten crabs or zebra mussels and think they are a major threat to the environment – and in their natural habitats they pose no threat. But what happens when these organisms are introduced into a new ecosystem? According to Rachel Jacobs, a chemical engineer in the Wastewater Management Branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, the results of introducing non-native species into a new environment can be disastrous for the ecosystem…

The ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana and a Navy offshore support vessel collided while conducting routine operations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the coast of Washington state on Thursday (August 18, 2016), informs  the United States Navy. The collision occurred at 6:00 p.m. There were no injuries to personnel. Assessments of the damage to both the submarine and the U.S. Navy Offshore Support Vessel are being conducted. The incident is currently under investigation. Both ships returned safely to port under their own power. The U.S. Navy Offshore Support Vessel returned safely to port at Port Angeles, Washington, and the USS Louisiana returned safely to homeport at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor, Washington.

Defense minister Philip Dunne has visited Liverpool City Region U.K. based ship engine specialist James Troop & Co Thursday to review progress of a £2 million deal to replace the generator sets on seven Royal Navy Mine Hunters. Dunne, the Minister of State for Defense Procurement at the Ministry, met with staff across James Troop, one of the shipping industry’s most established companies. Dunne heard how James Troop is finishing the first phase of the contract to supply Volvo Penta engines and generators for the Royal Navy’s Sandown-class Mine Hunters: HMS Bangor…

Fast-attack submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21) returned to its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton August 21, following a six-month Arctic deployment during which it conducted routine submarine operations, including under-ice transits and under-ice operations. "The crew performed superbly on multiple operations in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility," said Cmdr. Jeff Bierley, Seawolf's commanding officer, from Birmingham, Alabama. "We conducted two polar transits, including a routine surfacing at the North Pole. The U.S.

The U.S. Navy has selected more than three dozen female enlisted sailors to qualify to serve aboard a submarine in a historic first for the sea service as part of a plan to more fully integrate women into the undersea force. The 38 selected female sailors are only the first step in a long-term plan approved by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert to integrate the US Navy’s submarine force and provide opportunities for women to serve in all missions, the US Navy News Service said in a statement. “Applications from women… were received for the initial application period to fill four chief petty officer… and 34 rating conversion positions… across the two crews of the USS Michigan (SSGN 727),” the statement said.

Capt. Rod Hutton, deputy commander for the Enlisted Women in Submarines Task Force, led the Enlisted Women in Submarines Road Show to different military bases in the San Diego area Feb. 9-11. The road show is spreading the word that the submarine force is now open to female enlisted Sailors from E-1 to E-8. Speakers discussed how junior female Sailors could convert to rates in the submarine force and the type of candidates the force is seeking. In addition, they provided an insight of the lifestyle aboard submarines. "Up until 21 January all the enlisted billets in the submarine force were previously closed to women," said Hutton. Currently, more than 60 female officers are serving throughout the Navy's 76 submarines.

Following a national search, the Board of Commissioners of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport selected Jonathan Daniels as the port’s new executive director. Daniels comes to the Port of Gulfport from the Port of Oswego in upstate New York where he served as executive director since 2007. Prior to joining the Port of Oswego he served as the president and chief executive officer of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations and development efforts of the six-county economic development district.

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) completed major renovations of the Maneuvering and Seakeeping Basin (MASK) facility, Aug. 16. For more than one hundred years, the Navy has built and conducted extensive testing on physical prototypes of ships called scale models before building the real ship in full scale. In 1962, Carderock built the MASK in order to test the scale model performance of ships, platforms and moored systems in realistic sea conditions. The…

The Department of Defense informs that General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded a $234,229,426 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for design agent, planning yard, engineering and technical support for active nuclear submarines. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1,537,500,654. affordability/cost reduction technical support. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (73 percent); Bangor, Washington (9 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (6 percent); Newport, Rhode Island (4 percent); Quonset, Rhode Island (3 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (3 percent); and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2015.

The Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit based in Bangor, Wash., is scheduled to conduct an exercise on the Hood Canal, Tuesday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The exercise includes boat tactics, security zone enforcement, weapons capabilities and is designed to ensure the highest quality training for Coast Guard personnel. During the exercise, Coast Guard personnel will be using blank rounds and LA-51 warning munitions for live-fire training. No person will have anything shot at them. All necessary precautions will be taken to ensure discarded casings are collected for appropriate disposal, and designated spotters will monitor marine mammal activity. If any marine mammals are spotted in the vicinity, all exercise activity will cease until all wildlife depart the training area.

Smoke bellows out the ventilation ducts. The glow of the blazing fire emanates down the passageway. Firefighters move with precision and purpose, pausing to unleash a torrent of water towards the fire as they kneel before it. Such was the scene at the Navy's first submarine firefighting trainer, located at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) Oct. 29. Commander, Navy Installation Command (CNIC) approached Kidde Fire Trainers almost one year ago in response to the incident on the USS Miami, in which a fire caused over $400 million of damage to the submarine.

As part of their regular practice searching for mines in the warmer waters of the Gulf, the ship's company worked alongside their coalition counterparts to exercise their already well-established techniques. For the ten-day exercise, the US Navy deployed their MH-53E Sea Dragon - a specially designed helicopter that can sweep for mines from the air. Finding 13 dummy mines that had been laid by friendly forces was a successful haul for HMS Middleton, particularly as the temperature of the water can make it more difficult for the ship's sonar to detect ordnance…

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division marked the opening of the maneuvering and seakeeping basin (MASK) facility, with a ribbon cutting ceremony, Dec. 19. The 360-foot long and 240 foot-wide facility holds approximately 12 million gallons of water and is used to evaluate the maneuverability, stability and control of scale models. "As I marvel at this triumph of naval engineering and naval architecture, it is gratifying to see that once again the Navy is demonstrating its long term commitment to science, engineering and innovation," said keynote speaker, Dr.

Smoke bellows out the ventilation ducts. The glow of the blazing fire emanates down the passageway. Firefighters move with precision and purpose, pausing to unleash a torrent of water towards the fire as they kneel before it. Such was the scene at the Navy’s first submarine firefighting trainer, located at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) Oct. 29. Commander, Navy Installation Command (CNIC) approached Kidde Fire Trainers almost one year ago in response to the incident on the USS Miami, in which a fire caused over $400 million of damage to the submarine.

Army research laboratory helps vessels deal with ice in domestic waterways. Ice, snow and extremely low temperatures can put a big chill on maritime operations in ports, lakes, rivers and waterways. Thanks to the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, mariners have a better understanding regarding phenomena such as icing on superstructures, brash ice and propulsion systems and controlling ice dams. And…