Lyndon Johnson News

Port Everglades, located in Greater Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida,  hosted the U.S. Navy’s Commissioning Ceremony of its newest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Paul IgnatiusLast week, the Broward County Commission voted unanimously to waive dockage charges for the ship’s call and provide a cruise terminal for the Commissioning Committee to hold weeklong events.“We are honored that the U.S. Navy recognizes that Port Everglades can meet their unique needs,” said Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen. “For 29 years, Fleet Week Port Everglades was produced as a signature annual event for South Florida, as well as the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and for the nation, bringing tens of thousands of visiting military personnel and guests to our community.

As Congress wrestles with the budget, there is at least a bipartisan consensus that defense spending should grow, and that includes growing the Navy’s fleet. The current goal is 355 ships, an admirable goal, but an objective that faces many cost hurdles. The surface fleet (which excludes submarines and aircraft carriers) needs to grow in capability and capacity. The numbers of ships being procured or envisions would increase as the total n umber of ships increases, but the number in this story represents current program status.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Arthur H. Thomas, Sr., president and CEO of Helix Alliance, Inc., received the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award. The award was presented by retired Capt. Louis Cavaliere, U.S. Navy, chairman of the Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, and George DuBois, chapel trustee, and mentor to the shipping community. The presentation was made at a joint meeting of the Propeller Club of Jacksonville and the Navy League. Cavaliere cited Thomas’ participation in numerous charitable organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and American Diabetes Foundation, through his position as chief operating officer at Solutions Through Advanced Research, Inc. (STAR), a Jacksonville company active in pharmaceutical research and clinical trials.

The U.S. Navy has awarded funding for the construction of DDG 122, the Fiscal Year 2015 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer under contract at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. This $610.4 million contract modification fully funds this ship which was awarded in 2013 as part of a multi-ship competition for DDG 51 class destroyers. The total value of the five-ship contract is approximately $3.4 billion. General Dynamics Bath Iron Works is a business unit of General Dynamics. Fred Harris, president of Bath Iron Works, said, "This announcement allows us to continue efforts associated with planning and construction of DDG 122. We appreciate the leadership of Senators Collins and King and the strong support of our entire delegation in matters of national defense.

Earlier this month, Dennis Nixon was named director of the Rhode Island Sea Grant, one of 32 programs that make up the National Sea Grant College Program, which is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nixon spends much of his life near the ocean. As a longtime Jamestown resident, Nixon is never more than minutes away from Narragansett Bay. As associate dean of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, he is just as close to the waves when he’s in his office. Nixon has been teaching at the University of Rhode Island for 37 years.

U.S. naval ship access into Cam Ranh Bay “is a key component of this relationship and we see a tremendous potential here for the future,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said during a recent visit to the dry cargo ship Richard Byrd, which is making a port call there. Panetta is the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit Cam Ranh Bay since the Vietnam War. President Lyndon Johnson visited Cam Ranh Bay in 1966. Many considered Cam Ranh Bay “the jewel of deep, warm-water ports in Southeast Asia,” a defense official said. Protected by mountains, the bay served as a hub for U.S. military operations during the Vietnam War. Now, Vietnam is trying to develop the bay into a prosperous international commercial port.

1897- Federal Civil Service rules were applied to Life-Saving Service (under Executive Order May 6, 1896). 1916-The official birthday of Coast Guard aviation. On this date LT Elmer F. Stone reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station for flight training. He was the Coast Guard's first naval aviator. 1945- Invasion of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands commenced. In all, seven Coast Guard-manned transports, 29 LSTs, the cutters Bibb and Woodbine, and 12 Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)s participated in the bloodiest invasion ever undertaken by the U.S. Over 13,000 Americans were killed and another 36,000 were wounded during the conquest of this Japanese possession. 1946- A tsunami swept away the light station at Scotch Cap, Alaska, killing the station's entire five-man crew. They were: BMC Anthony L.

1897- Federal Civil Service rules were applied to Life-Saving Service (under Executive Order May 6, 1896). 1916-The official birthday of Coast Guard aviation. On this date LT Elmer F. Stone reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station for flight training. He was the Coast Guard's first naval aviator. 1945- Invasion of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands commenced. In all, seven Coast Guard-manned transports, 29 LSTs, the cutters Bibb and Woodbine, and 12 Coast Guard-manned LCI(L)s participated in the bloodiest invasion ever undertaken by the U.S. Over 13,000 Americans were killed and another 36,000 were wounded during the conquest of this Japanese possession. 1946- A tsunami swept away the light station at Scotch Cap, Alaska, killing the station's entire five-man crew. They were: BMC Anthony L.

Corrine "Lindy" Clairborne Boggs, former U.S. representative from Louisiana, is to serve as godmother of Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship, Carnival Conquest, at the official naming ceremony slated for November 19, 2002, in New Orleans. The Carnival Conquest will be the line's first vessel inaugurated at the Port of New Orleans, where the ship will be based year-round. Boggs will name the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull in a special ceremony at the port. The 110,000 gross-registered-ton, 2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest will be the largest "Fun Ship" in Carnival's 18-vessel fleet. "Lindy Boggs is an individual who has served her state and country with distinction and made countless contributions as a lawmaker…

The Aegis guided missile destroyer DDG 95 was officially christened James E. Williams here June 28 when more than 1,000 guests attended ceremonies at Northrop Grumman Corporation's Ship Systems sector. The ship honors Boatswain's Mate First Class James Elliott Williams (1930-1999), often referred to as the most decorated enlisted man in U.S. naval history. The late Williams' widow, Mrs. Elaine Weaver Williams of Darlington, S.C., is the ship's sponsor. Two of the Williams' daughters, Debbie Williams Clark of Palm Coast, Fla., and Gail Williams Patterson of Florence, S.C., were on hand as Matrons of Honor for the event. The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hansford T. Johnson. Sec. Johnson is a retired four-star U.S.