Marine Corps Air Station News

An ocean liner barred from returning to port in San Francisco due to a coronavirus outbreak on board will dock briefly at a nearby terminal in Oakland, where passengers will be unloaded and sent on to medical and quarantine sites elsewhere, officials said on Sunday.The cruise ship Grand Princess, whose guests have been largely confined to their staterooms since Thursday, is due to arrive at the Port of Oakland on Monday to begin immediately disgorging its 2,400 passengers, California Governor Gavin Newsom told a news conference.Nearly all 1…

Responders are continuing the search for five missing Army aviators from a downed Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter approximately two miles west of Ka'ena Point, Oahu, Wednesday. En route is Coast Guard Cutter Walnut (WLB 205) and crew, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu. None of the aviators have been located yet. Debris has been spotted and recovered near Ka'ena Point by responders. A joint forward incident command post has been established at Hale'iwa Boat Harbor to coordinate search and rescue efforts. Debris from the crash should be considered hazardous material and should only be recovered by recovery teams with the proper training and personal protective equipment. The debris poses potential risk and could cause serious bodily harm due to sharp edges.

In a ceremony Nov. 9, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, DDG 121, will be named Frank E. Petersen Jr., in honor of the Marine Corps lieutenant general who was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general officer. In 1950, two years after President Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces, Petersen enlisted in the Navy. In 1952, Petersen was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He would go on to fly 350 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He also went on to become the first African-American in the Marine Corps to command a fighter squadron, an air group and a major base.

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.

The Coast Guard is investigating a possible hoax call after multiple Coast Guard assets and partner agencies responded to a distress call that was made via VHF-FM channel 16, Sunday at approximately 2:45 a.m. near Beaufort, N.C. As part of this investigation, the Coast Guard is seeking the public’s assistance to identify the caller or provide additional information. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders received a mayday call Sunday via VHF- Channel 16.

California Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing have successfully completed the rescue of two injured fishermen from a Chinese fishing vessel about 700 miles off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. The rescue phase of the mission began Sunday, when Guardian Angel Pararescuemen parachuted off an MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft into the Pacific Ocean and boarded an inflatable Zodiac boat. Equipped with medical supplies, the pararescuemen maneuvered the boat next to the Chinese fishing vessel before boarding and providing medical treatment to the injured fishermen.

The V-22 Integrated Test Team (ITT) completed a detachment in USS Bataan (LHD 5) in November, the second at-sea period for the Osprey program this year. During the 11 days of the Phase IV shipboard suitability testing, the ITT conducted deck-landing qualifications for five V-22 pilots, including one from Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 22, the new test and evaluation squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. ITT completed test points necessary to expand the Osprey’s wind-over-deck envelope, and measured the effects of hovering H-53 and H-46 helicopters on a V-22 on deck behind them. ITT engineers were pleased with the test results.

- Mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) pulls into port at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, becoming the first U.S. Navy ship to utilize the air base’s recently built port and harbor facility. While in Iwakuni, crew members of the Sasebo, Japan-based ship will have an opportunity to interact with the local population and Iwakuni-based Japanese Self Defense Force personnel. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam R. Sasebo, Japan-based minesweepers USS Guardian (MCM 5) and USS Patriot (MCM 7) successfully completed mine sweeping operations with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) as part of Foal Eagle 2007 on March 30.