Western Pacific Ocean News

A new study from NOAA finds that reducing air pollution in North America & Europe brings more hurricanes; increased pollution in Asia reduces tropical cyclonesA NOAA study published in the journal Science Advances about four decades of tropical cyclones reveals the surprising result that reducing particulate air pollution in Europe and North America has contributed to an increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin and a decrease in the number of these storms in the Southern Hemisphere.

Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the western Pacific Ocean over the past week, Russia's defense ministry said on Saturday, a move Japan said it was monitoring.Moscow and Beijing, which staged naval cooperation drills in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties in recent years at a time when their relations with the West have soured.The naval maneuvers, which Russia said ran from Sunday through Saturday…

A fire-stricken U.S. Coast Guard cutter docked in Yokosuka, Japan Tuesday for inspection and possible repairs days after an onboard blaze left five crew members with minor injuries.Black smoke was reported on the cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) at 5:18 p.m. (local time) on Sunday while the ship was on deployed within the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations, the Coast Guard said.Onboard crews were able to contain the flames in the ship' exhaust stack and nearby spaces, and all fires…

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) is scheduled to return Friday to their home port of Alameda following a 162-day deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.In the Western Pacific, the crew patrolled and conducted operations as directed, including enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by monitoring and gathering intelligence on vessels conducting ship-to-ship transfers in the East China…

According to the latest monthly climate report from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July 2019 was hottest month on record for the planet and Polar sea ice melted to record lows.Much of the planet sweltered in unprecedented heat in July, as temperatures soared to new heights in the hottest month ever recorded. The record warmth also shrank Arctic and Antarctic sea ice to historic lows.The average global temperature in July was 1.71 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees…

APL has unveiled its Aloha Express (AEX) service, a new fortnightly service directly connecting Central China, Korea, Japan to Hawaii. The AEX service promises cargo delivery from Shanghai, Busan and Yokohama to Honolulu in 19, 15 and 12 days respectively. “The AEX service introduces a new sea route in our portfolio to directly serve Asia and Hawaii. Instead of routing via the U.S. mainland, shippers with Hawaiian-bound cargo will find a faster shipping alternative in the AEX service,” said Jesper Stenbak, APL Senior Vice President of Trans-Pacific Trade. “To optimally coincide with market activities in the U.S. The 990 TEU APL-operated vessel the APL Aloha will be fully dedicated the AEX service…

Admiral Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, has directed the Carl Vinson Strike Group to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific Ocean after departing Singapore April 8. Carl Vinson Strike Group, including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), will operate in the Western Pacific rather than executing previously planned port visits to Australia. The Strike Group will remain under the operational control of U.S. 3rd Fleet as part of the Third Fleet Forward initiative.

China's air force conducted its first drill above the western Pacific Ocean on Monday, the Defence Ministry said, in a move that could exacerbate tensions with its South China Sea neighbours including Taiwan and the Philippines. People's Liberation Army aircraft conducted exercises over the western Pacific Ocean after they flew over the Bashi Channel, said Shen Jinke, an air force spokesman. The channel is located between Taiwan and the Philippines, and is claimed by both. The ministry showed photos of long-range bombers sitting on the tarmac along with their crews. The jets returned the same day, it said. This marks the first time the air force has conducted drills in airspace so far from China's coast, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The pilot of one of two F/A-18 Hornets that crashed Sept. 12 while operating from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is in fair condition and receiving medical treatment aboard the ship. Search efforts continue for the missing pilot. At the time of the incident, USS Carl Vinson was operating in the Western Pacific Ocean approximately 250 nautical miles west of Wake Island. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The ships of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, USS Carl Vinson, USS Bunker Hill…

USS John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG) ships commenced an undersea warfare exercise (USWEX) in the Hawaiian operating area on Monday as part of the strike group's final test and evaluation before arriving in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) and western Pacific Ocean. Exercises like this are conducted several times throughout the year in the waters near Hawaii for maritime commanders to asses the undersea warfare capabilities of deploying strike groups. "We're taking part in an undersea warfare exercise as directed by the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet," said Master Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) Lucas Stiles, an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) analyst assigned to the Commander Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21.

SAN DIEGO – General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today launched the U.S. Navy’s newest supply ship, USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12), during an evening christening ceremony at the shipyard. The USNS William McLean is the 12th of a class of 14 dry cargo/ammunition ships slated to serve as Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships or be part of the Maritime Prepositioning Force. USNS William McLean is named after William Burdette McLean (1914–1976), the U.S. Navy physicist who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile.

In this photo, an SA-330 Puma helicopter lifts a pallet of supplies from the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) during a replenishment at sea with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is operating in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shawn J. Stewart/Released)

Military Sealift Command-chartered cargo ship MV Combi Dock III departed Subic Bay, Philippines, Oct. 30, carrying 460 pieces of U.S. Marine Corps equipment including Humvees, trucks, ambulances, firefighting vehicles, helicopters and supplies that were used during the recent amphibious landing exercise, or PHIBLEX, held in the Philippines Oct. 14-18. The equipment is being returned to Marine Corps bases on Okinawa, Japan. MSC-chartered high-speed vessel HSV Westpac Express also participated in the exercise by transporting Marines and their equipment between Okinawa and the Philippines.

(Nov. 21, 2009) The aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) transits through the Pacific Ocean with Mt. Fuji in the background. George Washington, the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, is underway supporting security and stability in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Adam K. Thomas/Released)

Sealift, Inc., Oyster Bay, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,708,925 firm fixed price contract for a 108-calendar day time charter of U.S. Air Force container ship MV TSGT John A. Chapman. The ship's primary mission will be to preposition U.S. Air Force ammunition at sea, is expected to operate in and around Saipan in the Western Pacific Ocean. The contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $46,197,020. Work on the contract is expected to commence by Jun. 2009 and is expected to be completed within 115-calendar days. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-3317).

Two Military Sealift Command ships delivered hundreds of pieces of U.S. Marine Corps equipment and containerized supplies to Thai ports in late January as preparations ramped up for Exercise Cobra Gold 2009, the major multi-national exercise scheduled for Feb. 4 - 17 in Thailand. Cobra Gold is a regularly scheduled joint and coalition multinational exercise hosted annually by the Kingdom of Thailand. Armed forces from Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and the United States are participating.

On Jan. 24, 2009, the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), right, pulls alongside the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) in the western Pacific Ocean. Lake Champlain is part of the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group and is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) departed San Diego Jan. 24 with commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 on a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment. Nimitz is deploying under the Navy's Fleet Response Plan (FRP) and will operate in the Western Pacific Ocean in support of U.S. commitments in the region while the forward-deployed USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) undergoes scheduled maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. FRP was designed to allow the United States the ability to rapidly respond with flexible and sustainable forces to any global commitment on short notice. "Our mission will be to ensure security and stability in the region," said Capt. Michael Manazir, Nimitz' commanding officer. The Nimitz CSG, commanded by Rear Adm.

frigate USS Ingraham (FFG 61) during a leap frog training exercise. The exercise allows ship handlers to practice the approach and stabilization alongside and a breakaway in a simulated underway replenishment environment. Ingraham and Antietam are part of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group on deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jeremie Kerns. By Edward H. The U.S. Navy’s “Cruiser Modernization” program will extend…

SS Cornhusker State arrived May 1 at Newport News, Va., after six months deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The civilian-crewed crane ship was the only ship of the Navy and Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force activated specifically to support the war in Afghanistan. The Ready Reserve Force is a fleet of 76 militarily useful ships maintained in reduced operating status by the Maritime Administration near potential load ports around the country. When activated, these civilian-crewed ships come under the operational control of the Navy's Military Sealift Command. Cornhusker State was activated last November to transport and provide floating storage for ammunition to sustain the war effort.

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, has directed Jan. 20 that the commanding officer of USS San Francisco (SSN 711), Cmdr. Kevin Mooney, be reassigned pending the results of an investigation into the sub’s grounding during operations in the Western Pacific Ocean. Mooney is reassigned to Submarine Squadron 15, based in Guam, pending the results of an investigation to determine the cause of the sub’s grounding Jan. 8 that resulted in the death of one Sailor and injuries to 23 others. Cmdr. Andrew Hale, Submarine Squadron 15 deputy commander, will assume the duties as commanding officer of San Francisco.

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandan W. The National Marine Fisheries Services issued a final rule Aug. 16 that allows the Navy to continue operating Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) sonar in the western Pacific Ocean for the next five years, subject to a yearly authorization renewal. SURTASS LFA consists of two separate components. The LFA portion of the system is suspended vertically below the ship and transmits low-frequency sound energy into the water. SURTASS, the passive portion of the system, is towed behind the ship and is made up of a series of underwater microphones that detect natural and man-made sound energy in the water. This allows underwater objects, such as submarines, to be detected.