Former Navy News

The U.S. Navy on Friday celebrated the keel laying of the lead ship of the Constellation class of guided-missile frigates, the future USS Constellation (FFG 62), at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wis.Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti participated in the ceremony along with Wisconsin governor Tony Evers and Fincantieri Marine Group CEO Marco Galbiati.Hundreds of FMM shipbuilders gathered with guests inside the shipyard’s massive new climate-controlled Building 34…

The much-needed replacement for the U.S. Coast Guard’s long-serving medium endurance cutters (WMEC) took a giant step closer to joining the fleet as the first Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) was launched and christened at Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) in Panama City, Fla. on October 27, 2023.The future USCGC Argus (WMSM 915) was christened by the ship’s sponsor, Captain (Ret.) Beverly Kelley, the first woman to command a U.S. military vessel, the 95-foot patrol boat, USCGC Cape Newagen (WPB 95318).

HII’s (NYSE: HII) Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division hosted a keel authentication ceremony for Virginia-class submarine Arkansas (SSN 800).The ship’s sponsors are the six women of the historic group known as the Little Rock Nine, the first African American students to attend all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas during desegregation. NNS honored all nine members, including the three men, during Saturday’s ceremony.The Little Rock Nine made history in 1957 with their response to the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v.

Sarter Marine Towing Company Inc. announced it has agreed upon definitive terms for the sale of Sarter to The Great Lakes Towing Company.Under the deal, The Great Lakes Towing Company purchased Sarter tugboats Donald J. Sarter and William C. Selvik, as well as all supporting machinery and equipment and most other shoreside assets. The remaining five tugs in Sarter’s fleet will be chartered to the Towing Company under a long-term bareboat charter arrangement. The acquisition closed on March 23, 2022.Great Lakes has retained all Sarter Marine employees and will supplement the business with administrative and financial support to help support and enhance Sarter’s current book of towing business in the region.Last fall…

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches.

The Great Lakes Towing Company said it is expanding its harbor towing and ice breaking services to Sturgeon Bay, Wis.The Towing Company has undertaken a fleet renewal program that began with the laying of 10 keels in August 2016. Since that time, the company has added five new Damen Stan 1907 ICE design tugs to its fleet, with the sixth new tug being delivered next month, and the seventh in Spring 2022.There will now be two Towing Company tugs stationed in Sturgeon Bay full-time, including a former Navy YTB.

Indonesia ended salvage efforts on Wednesday to retrieve a disaster-stricken submarine that cost 53 lives and prompted questions over the maintenance of military equipment in the world's fourth most populous nation.The 44-year-old submarine lost contact with the Indonesian navy on April 21 while preparing for a torpedo drill in the Bali Sea, triggering a desperate international search and rescue effort to find it before oxygen supplies ran out.When the vessel was discovered days later in three parts…

For professional maritime training, the 2020 holiday season was bright indeed. In a world clutching for optimism, officials from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) made a series of announcements that will strengthen, expand and intensify America’s maritime academic programs—really the maritime industry—for at least the next decade, likely much longer. Consider this string of news:On December 15, MARAD announced cutting steel for the first new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) at Philly Shipyard Inc.…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran on Monday for an explosion aboard an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, an accusation rejected by Tehran.The vehicle-carrier Helios Ray was hit between Thursday night and Friday morning by a blast above the water line that a U.S official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull. An Israeli official said limpet mines were used.“This was indeed an operation by Iran. That is clear,” Netanyahu told Kan radio.Asked if Israel would retaliate, he said, “You know my policy. Iran is Israel’s biggest enemy. I am determined to fend it off. We are striking at it all over the region.”Iran denied involvement.

South Carolina (SC) Ports has celebrated the structural completion of the operations building at Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal, a new container terminal along the Cooper River, which will open in March 2021.S.C. Ports celebrated today the structural completion of the terminal’s new operations building. More than 300 people — contractors, port employees, elected leaders and community members — cheered as a steel beam and tree were placed atop the steel structure as part of a traditional “topping out” ceremony.The 34,853-square-foot building, built by Samet Corp., will have offices, meeting spaces, crane operator rest and training areas, and a full-service kitchen, as well as the backup power required to maintain critical infrastructure in the event of a power outage.Sen. Hugh K.

Fincantieri Marine Group, the U.S. subsidiary of Italian based shipbuilding enterprise Fincantieri, announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, Francesco Valente, will step down from the position to assume another leadership role within the Fincantieri group.As a result, the Board has selected Dario Deste to assume the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. Valente and Deste are working together to ensure an orderly transition, which is expected to be completed before the end of the year.Valente joined Fincantieri in early 2012 as Senior Vice President for Business Development‐Naval, before being appointed as President and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group the following May.Deste…

A group of Philippine opposition senators has sought a public inquiry into the navy’s 15.7 billion peso ($310 million) acquisition of a frigate from a South Korean firm, after media said the president’s closest aide had meddled in the deal. President Rodrigo Duterte is furious at media reports that his longtime special assistant, Christopher “Bong” Go, had intervened to help a South Korean sub-contractor win the right to install a combat management system on the two missile-capable vessels, which are due for delivery in 2020. Go has denied any wrongdoing. The frigate issue cost former navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado his job last month.

Speaking in front of the Senate, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee, said the requirement for a 355-ship Navy is clear, especially in light of the recent, fatal accidents involving the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain. In response to these incidents, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, directed that a comprehensive review take place. On Tuesday, Wicker and other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have been briefed on those findings. The Navy is scheduled to make the review public later this week.

India's Eastern Naval Command Golden Jubilee Seminar with the theme “National Maritime Power - Concepts, Constituents and Catalysts”, concluded on 23 August 2017. The two-day seminar is jointly hosted by ENC in partnership with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) was inaugurated at Samudrika Auditorium Visakhapatnam on 22 August 2017 by Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC  Chief of the Naval Staff. In the Inaugural session, the welcome address was delivered by Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command and Admiral RK Dhowan (Retd), former Navy Chief delivered the inaugural address. The Chief Guest for the event, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, delivered the keynote address.

A Retired U.S. Navy Captain was sentenced in federal court today to 41 months in prison for his role in a massive bribery and fraud scheme involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his firm, Singapore-based, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA). Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Alana W. Robinson Southern District of California, Director Dermot O'Reilly of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Director Andrew Traver of the NCIS made the announcement. In addition to the 41-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino ordered Michael Brooks, 59, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, to pay a $41,000 fine and $31,000 in restitution to the U.S. Navy.

DNV GL has honoured three engineers for their scientific research with the DNV GL Award for Young Professionals. Presented by DNV GL – Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, the award is designed to find innovative ideas for increasing safety, efficiency and sustainability in shipping. Seeking to honour the best research, it aims to support young graduates in the maritime field. Overall, 25 graduates took part in this year’s competition. “With a fresh view on the most pressing challenges we face in shipping today, young professionals are a driving force in developing the innovative solutions we need to advance the industry as a whole. This…

U.S. Navy, Maritime Administration and California Environmental Protection Agency representatives joined City and Port officials today to commemorate the approval to transfer ownership of 125 acres of the former Naval Complex to the City of Long Beach. The property transfer commemoration highlighted the economic success of a thriving shipping terminal and other operations at the former Navy facility. Today, the Pier T container terminal is one of the Port of Long Beach’s busiest — able to accommodate megaships and handling billions of dollars’ worth of trade. The acreage was part of the former Long Beach Naval Station and Naval Shipyard…

1861 - During the Civil War, the frigate, USS St. Lawrence, spots a schooner flying English colors and gave chase. Some four hours later, as she is overhauling the schooner, the fleeing vessel runs up the Confederate flag and fires three shots. Firing with her forecastle battery, St. Lawrence hits the vessel twice, once in her bow. Survivors from the sunken vessel reveal it had been the Confederate privateer, Petrel. 1926 - USS S-1 surfaces and launches a Cox-Klemin (XS 2) seaplane flown by Lt. D.C. Allen.

Ousting of Japan ally PM Abbott opened door to rivals; Tokyo slow to respond to new competitive process. In 2014, a blossoming friendship between Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe looked to have all but sewn up a $40 billion submarine deal. Then French naval contractor DCNS hatched a bold and seemingly hopeless plan to gatecrash the party. Almost 18 months later, France this week secured a remarkable come-from-behind victory on one of the world's most lucrative defense deals. The result: Tokyo's dream of fast-tracking a revival of its arms export industry is left in disarray. Interviews with more than a dozen Japanese…

South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) saw strong container volume growth during the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, with TEU volumes 9.5 percent higher than the same period last year. SCPA handled 167,549 TEUs last month, an 11.1 percent increase from September 2014 volumes. Since the 2016 fiscal year began in July, SCPA has moved 513,299 TEUs. As measured in pier containers, 289,610 boxes have moved across SCPA docks fiscal year to date. Pier container volume is up 8.6 percent from the 266,741 boxes handled during the same period last fiscal year. "Our growth is indicative of broad-based strength across all market segments," said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome.

Following a record-setting month of container volumes achieved in May, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) board of directors looked ahead to a favorable 2016 fiscal year today with the adoption of a financial plan that includes continued cargo growth, increased operating revenues and significant capital investments. The plan projects pier container volume of 1.15 million boxes during FY2016, a 7.2 percent increase over projected totals for the current fiscal year. Strong growth at the inland port is also planned…

The Miami-based ocean engineering and naval architecture firm of Henderson & Associates, Inc. has merged with Sea3 Systems, Inc. to form Henderson, Hanes & Associates, a full-service engineering firm that brings underwater intervention and project management services to the global marine industry. The new firm, headed by Shawn Henderson, P.E. and Dan Hanes, P.E., both of South Florida, draws on the deep experience base of its founders and specializes in quick turnaround refit and repair projects that may span multiple technical disciplines and trades. Shawn Henderson, P.E., a former Navy Diver who served active duty during the Gulf War and with over 20 years of underwater experience, has spearheaded complex, multifaceted industrial projects around the country.

Today in U.S. 1916 - Navy establishes a Code and Signal Section which initially worked against German ciphers and tested the security of communications during U.S. naval training maneuvers. 1945 - USS Callaghan (DD-792) is last ship sunk by a Japanese kamikaze attack, off Okinawa. 1973 - Launch of Skylab 3, the second manned mission to the first U.S. manned space station, was piloted by Major Jack R. Lousma, USMC with Capt. Alan L. Bean, USN as the Commander of the mission and former Navy electronics officer, Owen K. Garriott as Science Pilot.