Surface Navy News

The U.S. Navy’s newest Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel Vanguard (OUSV3), was recently launched from Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Vanguard is the first USV for the Navy purpose-built for autonomous operations from the keel-up.Vanguard is being jointly developed by a team led by Austal USA and L3Harris. Once outfitting and testing is completed, Vanguard will autonomously transit to San Diego, joining sister ships, OUSV2 Ranger and OUSV4 Mariner, as part of the Navy’s USV Division 1.

The demand for warships is strong, and the Navy continues to receive support from the Congress to build more ships. The Navy is working to achieve a fleet of about 355 ships, plus a fleet of about 150 unmanned vesselsBut to achieve something close to that goal requires more than demand, and even more than money. For one thing, it requires an industrial base that can build, repair and sustain that fleet.While Navy leadership acknowledges the challenges of a stressed supply chain…

“If we desire to secure peace,” President George Washington once observed, “it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.” During the late 1790s, the U.S. government commissioned naval engineers and shipbuilders to design and build large warships capable of agile maneuvering and stowing an excess amount of weapons.With the passing of the Naval Act of 1794, Washington secured the authorization to procure the Navy’s first six frigates – a wooden-hulled, three-masted warship with either a 38 or 44-gun capability.

“DDG-51 hull form is maxed out in nearly every mission area. Meanwhile, the threat marches on.”Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, director for surface warfareThe U.S. Navy’s highly successful USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) surface combatant program is still going strong and growing in capability. Nearly 40 years later, new ships are still being built. But, the navy said, the ship cannot support the systems of tomorrow needed to meet the future threat.“DDG 51 has been in production for over 40 years with basically the same hull we started with in 1985…

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…

The Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) "Old Salt" designation, honoring the active duty U. S. Navy Officer with the earliest date of qualification as a Surface Warfare Officer, has passed to Admiral Christopher Grady. Grady is currently assigned as the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.Grady relieved Admiral Philip Davidson, who has retired, and is now the 21st individual to receive this honor.Initiated in 1988, the Old Salt award is accompanied by a bronze statue depicting a naval officer on the pitching deck of a ship. The statue is cast from metal salvaged from historic U.S.

The Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) "Old Tar" designation, honoring the U.S. Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) serving on active duty with the earliest qualification date, has passed to Fleet Master Chief Bill Smalts. Smalts is currently assigned as the Fleet Master Chief, Commander, United States SECOND Fleet, Norfolk, Va.Smalts is now the 14th individual to receive the Old Tar honor having relieved Force Master Chief David B. Carter, who has recently retired."This award is a recognition of the leadership, experience and expertise possessed by a knowledgeable mariner.

The Surface Navy Association’s (SNA) “Old Tar” designation, honoring the U.S. Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) serving on active duty with the earliest qualification date, has passed to Force Master Chief David B. Carter. Carter is currently assigned as the Force Master Chief, Naval Information Forces, Suffolk, Va.Carter relieved Command Master Chief Rodd D. Tooker, who has retired, and is now the 13th individual to receive the honor.“This award is a recognition of the leadership, experience and expertise possessed by a knowledgeable mariner.

Surface Navy Association (SNA) names two new Vice Presidents to focus on Navy and Coast Guard Enlisted membersThe Surface Navy Association has established two new Vice President positions created to specifically focus on providing tailored programs, professional development and other outreach initiatives dedicated to better serve our Navy and Coast Guard Enlisted members. The Association’s board of directors has approved Retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles “Skip” Bowen and Retired Fleet Master Chief (AW/SW) JoAnn Marie Ortloff to the new positions.Bowen joined the Coast Guard in 1978 and served for 32 years. A lifelong cutterman, Bowen commanded five separate Coast Guard units ashore and afloat.

Retired Vice Adm. Richard Hunt will assume the position of president of the Surface Navy Association (SNA) at the association’s annual symposium in January. Hunt succeeds retired Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, who has been president since 2013.Hunt is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was commissioned in February 1976 through the Officer Candidate School program in Newport, R.I. He attended Naval Post Graduate School, receiving a Master of Science in Telecommunications Systems Management in March 1988.He has served in USS Sampson (DDG 10), USS Underwood (FFG 36) and USS Roark (FF 1053), and has commanded USS Crommelin (FFG 37) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58).

The Surface Navy Association will hold its 31st National Symposium January 15-17, 2019 at the Crystal City Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Va.The symposium will feature senior Navy leaders delivering keynote remarks, focused on the theme of “Ready, Agile, Focused: Own the Fight!”Featured speakers include Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran; Commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Adm. Richard A. Brown, USN; Director, Surface Warfare (N96) Rear Adm. Ronald A. Boxall; and Director, Expeditionary Warfare (N95) Maj. Gen.

An interview with Rear Admiral Ronald A. Boxall, Director, Surface Warfare (N96), conducted by Capt. Edward Lundquist, U. S. Navy (Ret.)The theme of the recent SNA West Coast Symposium was “Take a Running Fix.” So what’s your “fix” right now about where we are regarding surface warfare?The SWO Boss is thinking about that from a man/train/equip standpoint, and being able to ensure that we’re trained to the best we can, that we’re manned properly, and have the equipment we need.

Adm. Philip S. Davidson, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), became the Navy’s newest “Old Salt” during an award presentation Oct. 22 at the Pentagon.The “Old Salt” award is given to the active duty officer who has held the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) qualification for the longest amount of time."It is a tremendous honor to receive this award. I have been fortunate to be part of this organization for more than 35 years, serving alongside a number of amazing men and women.

GE’s Marine Solutions said it has shipped a LM2500 marine gas turbine propulsion module that will help power the U.S. Navy’s 75th DDG Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the company reported at the Surface Navy Association’s 30th Annual Symposium. Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division will construct this new destroyer with U.S. Navy Flight III upgrades incorporated. Each DDG destroyer features four GE LM2500 marine gas turbines in a COmbined Gas turbine And Gas turbine (COGAG) configuration. “Since 1991 – for just the U.S.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

It’s still too early to know for certain what the new administration will do about building up the U.S. Navy, as the numbers are a moving target. But with President Trump’s recent pledge to add $54 billion to defense spending, it’s a safe bet to make that the fleet will grow. So let’s start with the numbers. There are different ways to count the fleet size, including whether or not you count auxiliaries, but let’s use this number as the baseline: There are 274 ships in the U.S. Navy now.

The Surface Navy Association (SNA) concluded its 29th annual three-day symposium in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 12. The symposium focused on distributed lethality to enable sea control and facilitated professional discussions between military members, industry representatives and lawmakers regarding surface warfare technology, tactics, training and career development. The first day commenced with welcomes, roundtable discussions and keynote addresses by Navy leaders, including Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. William Moran and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano. Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Forces/Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, detailed his new Naval Surface Force Strategy and related it to the symposium's objectives.

Marine Security Leader Demonstrates Latest Innovative Surveillance Systems Fort Lauderdale, Fla. today that it will highlight its newest commercial maritime products at the 2016 Maritime Security East conference in Norfolk, Virginia, March 21 through 23, in booth #14. GOST will showcase its GOST Watch HD H20 at the Maritime Security East conference, this year. Designed to withstand the rigors of commercial maritime use, the GOST Watch HD H20 is a revolutionary new video surveillance system, housed in a compact, IP67 certified waterproof, impact-resistant, fiberglass container. The unit can be installed quickly and includes a high-speed 4G LTE data communicator, gateways for up to six cameras, a control unit and a GOST Watch HD Internet Video Recorder.

The U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Adm. The document presents Richardson’s priorities with four “lines of effort” to strengthen naval power at and from the sea; achieve high velocity learning at every level; strengthen our Navy team for the future’ and expand and strengthen our network of partners. It isn’t an earth-shattering document, and perhaps is most telling for what it doesn’t say, as opposed to what is says. The document makes a strong case for forward presence, which has been the raison d’etre for the U.S. Navy for decades.

Representatives from the Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) educated the surface warfare community on who they train and how they support the Fleet at the Surface Navy Association (SNA) Symposium January 12-14. Capt. Bill McKinley, CSCS commanding officer, oversees 14 learning sites and is responsible for combat systems training across the rates of fire controlman, operations specialist, gunner’s mate, sonar technician surface, mineman, interior communications electrician, and electronics technician.

When discussing the Navy’s top science and technology (S&T) priorities with military, government and industry leaders, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Mat Winter reflected on his college days at the University of Notre Dame. “When I graduated from Notre Dame 30 years ago, many of the things that the Navy had in the ‘petri dish’ back then, so to speak, are being used today throughout the fleet,” said Winter. On Jan. 13, Winter gave the keynote address at the Surface Navy Association’s 28th Annual Symposium, held in Crystal City, Virginia.

U.S. Today the U.S. shipbuilding and ship repair industry responded to unfounded claims purporting a causal link between the Jones Act and the loss of the cargo container ship El Faro in Hurricane Joaquin earlier this month -- a loss that tragically claimed the lives of 33 crewmembers who were carrying out their duties in service to the Puerto Rican people. The entire maritime industry has been mourning this loss. In the wake of this tragedy, critics have attempted to blame the loss of the ship on the Jones Act requirement that ships operating between two U.S. ports be U.S. built -- claiming that if operators could purchase less costly foreign ships they would replace their vessels more often and avoid similar tragedies. “To imply that vessels that do not have to comply with rigorous U.S.

The annual Surface Navy Association (SNA) West Coast Symposium was held on the waterfront at Naval Station San Diego on July 16, and provided attendees an update on some key operational and career developments important to the surface warfare community. Capt. Mark Johnson, president of the SNA San Diego Chapter, was the host and master of ceremonies for the symposium. Capt. Warren Buller, commander of LCS Squadron 1, provided a comprehensive update on the LCS program, to include a detailed summary of the status of mission package development.