Oliver Hazard Perry News

Introducing a new class of warship can be fraught with pain, and the first ship is always the hardest – almost always behind schedule and over budget. And trying something new and transformational is even harder.The U.S. Navy knows this from experience. That’s one reason why the Navy is opting for a lower risk design for its next class of guided missile frigates (FFGs).Just about every new class has experienced a rough start. Although the USS Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) today represent the largest and most successful class of warships…

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced the designation of 27 Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE), recognizing community colleges and training institutions that prepare students for careers in the U.S. maritime industry.One of the 27 schools and institutions recognized is the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI).The designation allows CCRI to work with MARAD to enter into cooperative agreements to help advance recruitment of students and faculty…

Reston, Va.-based Leidos said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire esteemed naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox for $380 million in cash, as the defense, engineering and IT conglomerate looks to bolster its expertise as it competes for U.S. Navy unmanned systems contracts. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to closing conditions.Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox has designed some of the world's most well-known vessels, including the WWII Liberty Ships and the stories ocean liner SS United States.

Navies operate on a spectrum between deterrence and defense, to include offensive operation, support of foreign policy, and power projection to civil affair and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Many have constabulary responsibilities, and it could be argued that, with the exception of the largest navies, most are more like a coast guard than a military force in their normal responsibilities.Every Navy is different. Yes, they all share similar challenges of acquisition…

Following the drawdown at the end of the Cold War, the Navy finds itself trying to build up again. The expansion of Russian and Chinese naval power has changed the calculus. While there will always be a debate about the final number of ships to build, we can all agree on one thing: the Navy must get bigger and the demand signal is to start building now,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, in testimony before Congress regarding the sea service’s 2019 budget request.

The decommissioned USS Doyle (FFG-39) has concluded her final voyage from Philadelphia to New Orleans, where she will now be disassembled and recycled after 28 years of service in the U.S. Navy.The retired 4,050-ton Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate will be dismantled by Southern Recycling, part of EMR. Work to recycle the 453-foot-long and 47-foot-wide vessel will take approximately six months to complete.The decommissioned USS Doyle, also nicknamed the Valiant Mariner, was the 30th vessel to be constructed in her class and received her namesake from Vice Admiral James Henry Doyle…

U.S. Coast Guard Station Castle Hill established a safety zone in Newport Harbor, R.I., Sunday night after a tall ship lost power and hit multiple other vessels before grounding near Perrotti Park. No injuries or pollution have been reported. The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, an educational tall ship homeported in Newport, was leaving Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival with 12 crewmembers aboard when it lost power and began to drift. A 911 dispatcher alerted Coast Guard watchstanders to the incident at about 6:15 p.m.

The Navy will commission the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) during a 5 p.m. AST ceremony Thursday, August 17, at Khalifa bin Salman Port in Al Hidd, Bahrain. The future Lewis B. Puller - currently USNS Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB 3 )- is the second ship to bear the name of Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, a distinguished combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Puller is the only Marine to have been awarded the Navy Cross on five separate occasions and is the most decorated individual in the history of the USMC. The first Lewis B. Puller (FFG 23), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate, served from 1982-1998, and was then transferred to the Egyptian Navy and renamed Toushka (F.906). Vice Adm. Kevin M. Donegan, commander, U.S.

HMAS Newcastle has marked her second Operation MANITOU patrol with a dual replenishment at sea in the Gulf of Aden with USNS Kanawha and Pakistan Navy Ship Alamgir. The resupply presented Newcastle with the opportunity to operate with another Oliver Hazard Perry class (called Adelaide class in Australia) ship, in Alamgir. Newcastle’s embarked MH-60R Seahawk Romeo helicopter launched to record the evolution from the air and for Seaman Boatswain Ben Robertson, it was another highlight in what has so far been “a surreal experience” on operational deployment. “To stand there, so incredibly close to a gigantic American replenishment ship with a cool warship on the other side was just unbelievable,” Seaman Robertson said.

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a $125,950,046 cost-plus-award-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4311) for the continuation of integrated planning yard services for Arleigh Burke-class and Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships. Bath Iron Works will provide expert design, planning, and material support services for both maintenance and modernization and will prevent any lapse in programmatic coverage. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine and is expected to complete by December 2017. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $945 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a stability letter to America’s newest tall ship for operation on exposed waters, confirming that SSV Oliver Hazard Perry exceeds their most stringent Sailing School Vessel standards for stability. This assures that the vessel is on track to begin offshore ocean voyaging in early 2017 following the successful near-shore sailing achieved this past summer. The first scheduled offshore passage will be south from Rhode Island to Florida, starting in January 2017. The 200-foot, three-masted, full rigged ship is currently dry-docked in North Kingstown, R.I. at J.

The Navy will commission the destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000), Saturday, Oct. 15, during a 5 p.m. EDT ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship is named in honor of Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., former chief of naval operations (CNO) from 1970 to 1974. A veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, Adm. Zumwalt exemplified honor, courage and commitment during 32 years of dedicated naval service, earning a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 79. During his time as CNO, Adm. Zumwalt embraced technological innovation and advocated a number of successful programs including the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate…

The U.S. Navy's newest warship, the future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), has left Naval Station Norfolk for Baltimore, Md., where it will be commissioned into active service on October 15 during Fleet Week Maryland. Originally slated to sail from Norfolk on October 9, the one-day transit was moved up to October 7 due to the approach of Hurricane Matthew. The Navy's most technologically advanced surface ship, Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers designed to strengthen naval power.

Ex-USS Taylor (FFG-50) was towed from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to Detyens Shipyard in Charleston, S.C. where the vessel will be converted in preparation for delivery to the Taiwanese government as part of the U.S.’ foreign military sales program. The 33-year-old Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate was decommissioned at NS Mayport, Fla. in 2015, where it had been homeported since 1993. During its service, Taylor, named for Cmdr. Jesse Taylor, a naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism in the Vietnam War…

Newport Exhibition Group, owners and producers of the Newport International Boat Show, announced today the 2016 Education Series for this year’s Boat Show. Greatly expanding on past offerings, the Newport International Boat Show will host  on-water courses, seminars and demonstrations, giving showgoers plenty to look forward to beyond the excitement of new boat debuts and boating gear. This year’s education opportunities include Confident Captain’s At The Helm instruction program; the CruiserPort University seminar series presented by PassageMaker, Sail, Soundings and Power & Motoryacht; and Sail America’s Discover Sailing program.

The U.S. Navy has decommissioned its last remaining Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate on the West coast as past and current crew, plank owners, former and current commanding officers, namesake relatives and friends and family gathered at Naval Base San Diego July 23 to bid farewell to USS Gary (FFG 51) after 31 years of service. The decommissioning ceremony was led by the ship's Commanding Officer Cmdr. Steven McDowell, with guest speakers including Hon. William Albrecht, World War II veteran and a recipient of the Bronze Star, and retired Capt. Dallas Bethea.

Day after day, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to conduct its 11 statutory missions with its limited resources. It is challenged to Invest in long-term operational capacity while continuing to carry out its daily missions. “We’re a small service, but as always, we do punch above our weight class,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft during the 2015 Surface Navy Association symposium in Arlington, Virginia. While the Coast Guard may have drifted off course with its ambitious and holistic Deepwater recapitalization effort…

Maritime forces from East Africa, South Africa, Europe, Indian Ocean nations, the United States and several international organizations began the fourth iteration of the multinational maritime Exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 28, 2015. Exercise Cutlass Express 2015, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness (MDA) and information-sharing practices to increase capabilities of East African and Indian Ocean nations to counter sea-based illicit activity. The exercise leverages The Djibouti Code of Conduct, which 21 nations are signatory to, as a framework for exercising information-sharing practices and enforcing maritime rule of law at sea.

The guided-missile frigate USS Kauffman (FFG 59), departed Naval Station Norfolk today for the ship's final deployment and will operate in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility. Kauffman's final deployment also marks the last scheduled deployment by any Oliver Hazard Perry-Class frigate and in September the ship will be the last operationally-active frigate to decommission. At that time, the only remaining frigate in the U.S. Navy will be USS Constitution, Navy's ambassador that was launched in 1797 and remains the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. During Kauffman's final deployment, the crew will support the United States Southern Command and the Joint Interagency Task Force South's Operation Martillo.

To begin the ship's final deployment, USS Simpson (FFG 56) departed her homeport Nov. 14, for regularly scheduled theater security missions in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Commanded by Cmdr. Ken Anderson, the crew concluded a highly-successful maintenance availability and intense training exercises, and was outfitted with four Fire Scout (MQ-8B) vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicles prior to departure. Simpson returned from her last 6th Fleet…

Sailors and guests bade farewell to Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Ingraham (FFG 61) as the ship concluded 25 years of naval service during a decommissioning ceremony on Naval Station Everett (NSE), Washington, Nov. 12. Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates joined the crew in honoring Ingraham and her many years of service by acting as the guest speaker at the ceremony. Several former crew members, plankowners, friends and family also attended. Ingraham's last commanding officer, Cmdr. Daniel Straub kicked off the ceremony and put into context the ship's place in the history of the Navy during her time in service. "During 25 years of service to the nation…

Today in U.S. Naval History - September 10 1813 - In Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, flying his "Don't give up the ship" flag, defeats British squadron and says: "We have met the enemy and they are ours..." 1925 - Submarine R-4 rescues crew of PN-9 10 miles from their destination of Hawaii For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.

The U.S. Navy reported that the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50), homeported in Mayport, Fla., will enter the Black Sea April 22 to promote peace and stability in the region. The U.S. Navy routinely operates ships in the Black Sea consistent with the Montreux Convention and International Law. Taylor's mission is to reassure NATO allies of the U.S. Navy's commitment to strengthen and improve interoperability while working toward mutual goals in the region. Taylor recently completed repairs at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece.