Submarine School News

AUKUS defense ministers have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster security and stability and ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region free from coercion and aggression.A statement was released after Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, at the Defense Innovation Unit Headquarters in California on December 1.AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia…

Elbit Systems Ltd. subsidiary, Elbit Systems UK Ltd. won a $166m contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for the Royal Navy Future Naval Training Programas part of the Fisher consortium led by Capita plc. The contract will be performed over a 12-year period.The program calls for the transformation and modernization of the shore-based training of the Royal Navy including the establishment of the Future Submarine School. As the provider and integrator of training solutions for the Consortium…

Passing out ceremony of Basic Submarine Courses for Sindhughosh and Shishumar Class was held at Submarine School, INS Satavahana on 22 Sep 17. A total of 39 officers and 47 sailors successfully completed their training and will now be moving to submarines at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam for Sea Training. Rear Admiral V Srinivas NM, Flag Officer Submarines was the Chief Guest for the ceremony and gave away the book prizes and awards to the meritorious trainees. Sunny Verma, ERA4 , stood first among sailor's while Lt Jose Babu was adjudged best overall officer of the course. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest congratulated all the trainees for successfully completing the rigorous and challenging training and stressed upon the necessity of professionalism in the Submarine Arm.

Capt. Rod Hutton, deputy commander for the Enlisted Women in Submarines Task Force, led the Enlisted Women in Submarines Road Show to different military bases in the San Diego area Feb. 9-11. The road show is spreading the word that the submarine force is now open to female enlisted Sailors from E-1 to E-8. Speakers discussed how junior female Sailors could convert to rates in the submarine force and the type of candidates the force is seeking. In addition, they provided an insight of the lifestyle aboard submarines. "Up until 21 January all the enlisted billets in the submarine force were previously closed to women," said Hutton. Currently, more than 60 female officers are serving throughout the Navy's 76 submarines.

Capt. Todd W. Cramer relieved Capt. Michael W. Byman as Commander, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Newport, July 16, in a ceremony at the warfare center. Rear Adm. Thomas Wears. Commander, Naval Undersea Warfare Center was the guest speaker. "Captain Byman fostered an environment that valued uniqueness and diverse perspectives" said Wears. Byman, who has served as Commander of NUWC Newport since Aug. 2005, will report to the Navy's Submarine Acoustic Systems Program Office (PMS 401) in Washington D.C. He holds the distinction for serving as Commander of NUWC Newport for the longest period in the command's 141 year history. "NUWC's technical capabilities derive from the combination of the talent…

Former Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, retired Adm. William James Crowe Jr., died Oct. 18, at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He was 82. "Today our nation has lost a great patriot," said the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald C. Winter. "Adm. Crowe served our nation, and the men and women of our armed forces since the day he was commissioned in June of 1947. Whether acting as admiral, chairman, or ambassador, Adm. Crowe’s leadership and counsel were sought and valued by presidents and world leaders alike. He was a man of great conviction and dedication who helped guide our country during challenging times. He touched numerous lives and will be sorely missed. A 1946 graduate of the U.S.

Adm. Gary Roughead, Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF), announced the selection of Fleet Master Chief (SS/SW) Rick West June 18 as U.S. Fleet Forces Command Fleet Master Chief (FLTCMC). “It is truly an honor to be here,” said West. West, a Rising Fawn, Ga., native, recently served as the U.S. Pacific Fleet Master Chief. Prior to that assignment, he was the Command Master Chief of USS Preble (DDG 88). He relieved Fleet Master Chief Jacqueline DiRosa to become USFF’s 14th Fleet Master Chief. DiRosa will now serve as the Director, Command Master Chief Management Office in Washington. With his new assignment, West becomes the senior enlisted advisor for more than 97…

Seven personnel practiced locking out from the attack submarine USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) and ascending to the surface wearing special suits that are designed to enable a free ascent from a stricken submarine Dec. 2 during ESCAPEX at the Navy’s Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility in Ketchikan, Alaska. While several foreign navies practice the maneuver routinely, the U.S. Navy had not conducted it in more than three decades, and never from a nuclear-powered submarine. The Navy’s renewed interest in submarine escape comes as U.S. submarines operate more frequently now in shallow coastal waters, said Submarine Development Squadron (CSDS) 5 Commander Capt. Butch Howard, who oversaw the exercise.

With a snip of the scissors Oct. 25, Naval Submarine School (SubScol) welcomed the latest addition to its attack center trainer inventory, the Submarine Multi-Mission Team Trainer Phase (SMMTT) 3. SMMTT3 is a shore-based trainer for submarine combat control and sonar systems, and the latest version of attack centers to allow submarine crews to rehearse and execute tactical, at-sea missions, in a training environment. “SMMTT3 is a significant step forward in shore-based training," said Lt. Cmdr. Robert Haldeman, operations officer for SubScol’s Advanced Tactical Employment Training Department. Phase 3 of the Submarine Multi-Mission Team Trainer is the result of previous system evolution and technology improvements with a wide range of organizations partnering to make it a reality.

The AN/BLQ-10(V) Electronic Warfare Support (ES) System Operations and Maintenance Courses at the Naval Submarine School (NSS), Newport R.I, was recently upgraded, and attained its Ready for Training (RFT) milestone. The major upgrades, taking more than two years to complete, involved developing 109 Interactive Multi-Media Instruction (IMI) modules along with an AN/BLQ-10 display simulator; curriculum updates; the development of the system’s interactive electronic technical manual (IETM) that links with Authority Instructional Materials (AIM), and post-delivery preparation for NSS’s instructor-lead IMI courses. This effort provides the NSS’s ES warfare training with the Submarine Force’s latest Electronic Warfare training tools.

Drew Marine, a division of Ashland Specialty Chemical Company, recently announced two promotions in its Boonton, N.J., headquarters. Ron Ieva, who has held positions at Drew Marine as senior product manager, area manager for the Southeast and Caribbean, and cruise industry business manager, has been promoted to regional sales manager for the Americas. Mike Cassaras, who has been southeast and Caribbean area manager and regional sales manager for the Americas, will now assume global responsibility as business manager for Drew Marine Safety. BSME from the Marine Maritime Academy. After attending the University of Florida, Cassaras began his career in the marine industry in 1975. Prior to his positions at Drew, he was President and Founder of Atlas Marine Services, Inc.

The leadership of NAVSEA's Warfare Centers presented the first in an annual series of awards to highlight and recognize groups and individuals who are working to ensure that the Warfare Center Enterprise vision becomes a reality. In an Oct. 4th ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard, eleven groups and 66 individuals were recognized in three categories: Innovation; Collaboration; Transformation and Change Agent. The awards were presented by the Warfare Center (WC) workforce executive, Dr. Ken Baile, in conjunction with Rear Adm. Steven Johnson, Commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Mr. Charles Giacchi, Technical Director of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and Don McCormack, Technical Director, NUWC. In his introductory remarks, Dr.