Guantanamo Bay News

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, today honored Maritime Administration (MARAD) Administrator Mark H. Buzby with the SCA Maritime Leadership Award during this year’s virtual advocacy meeting. The Award is given annually to national leaders who demonstrate exemplary dedication and support of the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry.“Rear Admiral Buzby has dedicated his life to military and public service to protect the United States’ national and domestic security…

Insights: Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby, USN (Ret), Maritime Administrator, U.S. Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby was appointed by President Donald Trump and sworn in as Maritime Administrator on August 8, 2017. Prior to his appointment, Buzby served as president of the National Defense Transportation Association, a position he has held since retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2013 with over 34 years of service. A 1979 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Buzby earned his Bachelor of Science in Nautical Science and U.S. Coast Guard Third Mate License. He was commissioned in the U.S.

Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, USN, Ret. has been sworn in as the Administrator of the Maritime Administration by U.S Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. As Maritime Administrator, Buzby will lead the agency tasked with promoting the use of waterborne transportation and its seamless integration with other segments of the transportation system; and the development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced U.S. merchant marine, sufficient to carry a substantial portion of the Nation’s waterborne commerce, and capable of service in time of war or national emergency.

Performing missions at sea, on land and in the skies daily around the globe, the Navy is a constant presence in the environment. To emphasize stewardship on all fronts, the Navy workforce is taking part in Earth Day-related activities throughout the month of April. The official Earth Day date is April 22. The Navy's Earth Day theme for 2017 is, "Building Strength Through Stewardship." The theme emphasizes the value of environmental initiatives in supporting the mission by helping to build trust with government agencies and the public. As examples, preserving the ecosystems where we train and operate, conducting research in support of…

The United States prepared to airlift hundreds of people from its Guantanamo Bay naval base as the most powerful cyclone to form over the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007 ground slowly towards Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. Haiti also began evacuating residents by boat from outlying islands in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, which threatens to wreak widespread damage in the region with flash floods and winds at about 150 miles per hour (240 kph). Matthew is expected to make landfall as a major storm on Jamaica's southern coast, home to the capital, Kingston, and its only oil refinery. Stormy weather could begin on Sunday. Simultaneously…

In preparation for Hurricane Matthew, Commander, Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE) has ordered the mandatory evacuation for approximately 700 spouses and children on board Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Navy Region Southeast is coordinating with U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Transportation Command for an airlift to transport family members via military aircraft to safe haven at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Fla. Family members would remain in Pensacola until it is safe to return. NAS Pensacola has quarters to house the families, and the Fleet and Family Service Center counselors will be available to provide assistance. The remaining military and civilian personnel will shelter in place and be able to support recovery efforts once safe to do so following the storm's passage.

1847 - An Army-Navy force begins the siege of Veracruz, Mexico. Approximately 12,000 U.S. troops land on the beaches, along with their horses, mules, artillery, and supplies. Veracruz surrenders March 29, and the forces make their way to Mexico City. 1862 - In the first battle between ironclads, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia engage in close combat in Hampton Roads, Va. Neither side could claim victory, but it eventually ends the era of wooden ships. 1919 - The first flight from a battleship platform is made by Lt. Cmdr. Edward O. McDonnell in a Sopwith Camel from turret No.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony today to announce that SSN 799, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS Idaho. The submarine will be named to honor the history its namesake state has with the Navy. Idaho is home to the former Farragut Naval Training Station, which was the second largest training facility in the world during World War II. From the early 1950s to the mid-1990s, the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) located within the Idaho National Laboratory, trained nearly 40,000 Navy personnel in surface and submarine nuclear power plant operations with three nuclear propulsion prototypes including the first nuclear-powered submarine prototype, S1W.

The U.S. Navy’s newest Amphibious Assault Ship, USS America (LHA 6) was commissioned on October 11, 2014 at Pier 30-32 in San Francisco. First in its class, the USS America does not have a well deck, unlike her previous counterparts, thus making the USS America an LHA with an aviation focus. The removal of the well deck allows USS America to have larger hangar facilities and more capacity for aviation fuel and munitions. The U.S. Navy points out that, “In lieu of a well deck,…

The Navy informs that the soon to-be-commissioned amphibious assault ship 'USS America' (LHA 6) arrived at its homeport of San Diego after completing its two-month maiden transit around the American continent from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. During the transit, the ship and crew traveled 15,300 miles, made port visits to Colombia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Brazil, and Peru, engaging in cooperative maritime security operations in order to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships that foster regional security. America is the first ship of its class, replacing the Tawara-class of amphibious assault ships.

Today in U.S. Naval History - July 9 1846 - Sailors and Marines from USS Portsmouth occupy and raise flag over San Francisco. 1944 - Organized Japanese resistence ceases on Saipan, Marianas. 1960 - USS Wasp departs Guantanamo Bay to support United Nations effort to calm the newly independent Congo. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Defense lawyers for the Saudi man charged with masterminding the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors argued on Friday he should not face the death penalty because the murders were not premeditated. The move was among several pre-trial motions heard in the murder case against Abd al-Rahim al Nashiri at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, viewed by closed-circuit television at Fort Meade. The charges Nashiri is faced with - among them murder, terrorism and conspiracy - carry the death penalty.

The San Pedro, Calif., based Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 returned home Aug. 15, from a nine-month deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. During the deployment, PSU 311 successfully maintained a continuous maritime anti-terrorism/force protection presence in the Naval Defensive Sea Area of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba directly supporting the Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Guantanamo (GTMO). “I couldn’t be prouder of the men and women of PSU 311 during this highly successful deployment,” said Coast Guard Cmdr.

Today in U.S. Naval history - July 9 1846 - Sailors and Marines from USS Portsmouth occupy and raise flag over San Francisco. 1944 - Organized Japanese resistance ceases on Saipan, Marianas. 1960 - USS Wasp departs Guantanamo Bay to support United Nations effort to calm the newly independent Congo. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center website at history.navy.mil.

A U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer accused of rape, sexual assault, cruelty and maltreatment, making a false official statement and failure to obey a lawful order will face a court-martial expected to begin in September in Charleston, S.C. The decision by Vice Adm. Robert C. Parker, Atlantic Area Commander, is based on the recommendation of an Article 32 hearing completed May 22, 2013, that reasonable grounds exist to try Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar Gomez, 35. The charges follow a six-month-long Coast Guard investigation which revealed that Gomez, the sole member charged in this case, engaged in a broad spectrum of sexually related misconduct ranging from rape to inappropriate comments, involving two civilians and six Coast Guard women.

At approximately 1 p.m. Monday (March 4, 2013), the Coast Guard received a report that 22 containers fell off the 91-foot barge Atlantic Trader and into the ocean 18 miles east of Key Biscayne, Fla. Coast Guard Watchstanders at Sector Miami received notification from the Tug Spence that 22 containers on a voyage from Jacksonville, Fla., to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba fell off the barge into the water. An aircrew from Coast Guard Airstation Miami launched to the scene and initially located some of the containers floating around the Tug Spence.

Crowley Sends First Articulated Tug-Barge to Guantanamo Bay to Deliver Fuel at U.S. Naval Base. Crowley Maritime Corporation’s shipping services to Cuba reached another milestone this past weekend with the first delivery of petroleum products to the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay via articulated tug-barge (ATB) tank vessel. The cargo was loaded in San Diego, Calif., and transported to Cuba aboard Crowley’s ATB Coastal Reliance / 550-4. The fuel delivery was made in support of Crowley customer Military Sealift Command (MSC)…

Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort's Medical Treatment Facility changed leadership May 25 as Navy Capt. Kevin J. Knoop assumed command from Navy Capt. David K. Weiss during a ceremony aboard Comfort at Canton Pier in Baltimore. Comfort's primary mission is to serve as an afloat, mobile, acute-surgical medical facility to the U.S. military, with a secondary mission of providing hospital services for disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide. Comfort's Medical Treatment Facility, or MTF, is crewed and maintained by medical personnel from the U.S.

During the deployment, Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego members formed the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Maritime Security Detachment and were responsible for securing the port and waterways around the base. MSST San Diego boat crews, specialized in armed boat tactics and threat interdiction, conducted more than 4,500 hours of continuous patrols during the deployment. The unit also provided shore-side security at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which includes internal courtroom security for the expeditionary legal complex where military commissions for high value detainees are held. Prior to deploying, unit members completed two-months of training that included boat and weapon qualifications, team coordination training and CPR certification.

The Port Operations department (Port Ops) at Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, Cuba conducted training for oil spill response (OSR), and hazardous waste operations and emergency response Feb. 6-10. The annual training ensures NS Guantanamo Bay Port Ops Sailors and contract workers have the necessary skills to operate the installation's OSR boats, equipment, and other assets to quickly react to in-water oil spills on base. "Oil spill response is one of the primary duties for Port Ops," said Senior Chief Quartermaster Paul Bischoff, NS Guantanamo Bay Port Ops leading chief petty officer. "Unlike bases in the U.S., we don't have specialized on-call oil spill response teams available at the other end of a telephone.

Military Sealift Command’s San Diego-based office, MSC Pacific, changed leadership today as Capt. Sylvester Moore assumed command from Capt. Jerome F. Hamel. The ceremony was held aboard fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. MSCPAC is responsible for MSC ships operating in the Eastern Pacific and is dual-hatted as Commander, Task Force 33, directing the underway delivery of fuel, provisions, ordnance and towing services to Navy combatants in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility.

Amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) moored at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Feb. 1-2 to on load food, water and supplies for the Haiti relief effort. Ashland took on more than 200 pallets of supplies, including more than 35 cases of bottled water, approximately 10,000 meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), baby food, baby diapers, mail for service members in Haiti and essential maintenance parts for U.S. ships providing the relief efforts in the area. Ashland was on a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Adam Upham, pictured left and Petty Officer 3rd Class Todd Robinson patrol the waters near U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba April 13. Upham and Robinson are both members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 313, based in Tacoma, Wash. PSU 313 is responsible for anti-terrorism force protection at the base and has been deployed since December, 2007. Official photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeff Pollinger.