Fort Mchenry News

The Unified Command began to remove containers onboard M/V Dali at the Key Bridge incident site, Sunday. Salvors removed containers from the Dali as part of the effort to gain access to the portion of the Key Bridge that lies atop the ship. The transfer of containers from the Dali will continue in the coming days, as weather permits.The removal of the containers is a critical step required to safely move the Dali and eventually fully re-open the Fort McHenry Channel. Removing containers allows for safe access to then remove the pieces of the Key Bridge that lie across the ship’s bow…

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.

Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the 3,000‐horsepower Fishing Creek, the 13th Maryland-built tugboat to join the Baltimore-based company’s expanding fleet in the last 10 years. Designed by Frank Basile, P.E., of Entech Designs, LLC, Fishing Creek is the latest of 20 Sassafras Class tugboats contracted through Chesapeake Shipbuilding of Salisbury, Md. Construction began in 2007 on the first-in‐series tugboat Sassafras, which, when delivered to Vane Brothers in 2008, was considered…

1803 - Commodore John Barry dies at Philadelphia, Pa., having served in numerous commands and over vessels in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and in the newly formed U.S. Navy. 1814 - During the War of 1812, the British bomb Fort McHenry at Baltimore Harbor for 25 hours. The sight of Fort McHenrys flag and the British withdrawing from Baltimore the next morning inspires Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. 1847 - During the Mexican-American War, Chapultepec - the gateway to Mexico City - is successfully stormed by Marines.

Vane Brothers is hailing the newest addition to its fleet: the Fort McHenry, a state-of-the-art, 3,000-horsepower tugboat named in honor of the historic landmark that can be seen from the company’s Baltimore, Maryland, headquarters. Designed by Frank Basile, P.E., of Entech Designs, LLC, the Fort McHenry is the most recent of 12 “Sassafras Class” tugboats delivered to Vane since 2008 by Chesapeake Shipbuilding of Salisbury, Maryland. Measuring 94 feet long and 32 feet wide with a hull depth of 13 feet…

1860 - Screw frigate USS San Jacinto, commanded by Capt. William M. Armstrong, captures the American slaver Storm King with 619 slaves on board, off the Congo River. A prize crew from the steam frigate sailed the captured slaver to Monrovia and turned 616 freed Negroes over to the United States agent there before proceeding to Norfolk with the prize. 1861 - During the Civil War, the frigate USS Santee commanded by Capt. Eagle captured the schooner C.P. Knapp in the Gulf of Mexico. 1863 - During the Civil War, the screw steam gunboat, USS Sagamore, commanded by Lt. Cmdr.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. of Salisbury, MD announced it has successfully delivered another ocean going tugboat to Vane Brothers of Baltimore, MD. The boat, named Fort McHenry, marks the 12th tugboat that Chesapeake Shipbuilding has built for the maritime transportation company. Chesapeake Shipbuilding has 5 additional tugboats under construction for Vane Brothers. The Fort McHenry is equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines producing a combined 3,000 horsepower, and a single drum hydraulic winch from JonRie of New Jersey. The tug measures 94’ long with a 32’ beam, and a 13’ depth. All Chesapeake Shipbuilding tugs are built in a controlled indoor environment prior to being moved and launched into Maryland’s Wicomico River.

BAE Systems has been awarded contracts from the U.S. Navy for the repair and maintenance of two ships based in Jacksonville, Fla. The contracts come within days of one another and have a combined value of $61.7 million and a cumulative value of $68.6 million if all options are exercised. BAE Systems received a $32.5 million contract from the Navy on May 10 for the docking selected restricted availability of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99). The company will drydock the 509.5-foot-long destroyer this summer and will perform structural and tank repairs…

Now in its 28th year, New York Fleet Week has commenced, with ships from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy sailing into New York Harbor. The weeklong Fleet Week celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984, providing an opportunity for New Yorkers to witness firsthand the capabilities of today’s maritime services, as well as meet sailors, marines and coastguardsmen.

Today in U.S. Naval History - September 13   1814 - British bombardment of Fort McHenry inspires the Star Spangled Banner.   1847 - Marine Brigade leads U.S. forces that storm Chapultepec Castle near Mexico City, inspiring one line of the Marine Hymn   1906 - Sailors and Marines from USS Denver land in Havana at the request of the Cuban government to preserve order during a revolution.    1939 - Navy suspends transfers to the Fleet Reserve after 20 years service and retains men on active duty.   1985 - Commander Middle East Force orders escort of Military Sealift Ships in Persian Gulf because of Iranian seizure of merchant vessels.

1814 - British bombardment of Fort McHenry inspires the Star Spangled Banner. 1847 - Marine Brigade leads U.S. forces that storm Chapultepec Castle near Mexico City, inspiring one line of the Marine Hymn. 1906 - Sailors and Marines from USS Denver land in Havana at the request of the Cuban government to preserve order during a revolution. 1939 - Navy suspends transfers to the Fleet Reserve after 20 years of service and retains men on active duty. 1985 - Commander Middle East Force orders escort of Military Sealift Ships in Persian Gulf because of Iranian seizure of merchant vessels.

1814 - British bombardment of Fort McHenry inspires the Star Spangled Banner. 1847 - Marine Brigade leads U.S. forces that storm Chapultepec Castle near Mexico City, inspiring one line of the Marine Hymn 1906 - Sailors and Marines from USS Denver land in Havana at the request of the Cuban government to preserve order during a revolution. 1939 - Navy suspends transfers to the Fleet Reserve after 20 years service and retains men on active duty. 1985 - Commander Middle East Force orders escort of Military Sealift Ships in Persian Gulf because of Iranian seizure of merchant vessels. (Source: Navy News Service)

1969: HC-130H CGNR 1453, stationed at Air Station Kodiak, flew over the geographic North Pole, becoming the first Coast Guard aircraft to do so. The aircraft commander was LCDR Melvin J. Hartman and the copilot was LT Larry Minor. The purpose of the flight was ice reconnaissance of a potential route for super tankers from the North Slope of Alaska to the east coast of the U.S. According to a summary of the flight published in the Commandant's Bulletin: "COAST GUARD AIRCRAFT FLIES AROUND THE WORLD NONSTOP. 1979-During a city-wide strike by tugboat operators and longshoremen in New York City that began on 1 April 1979, Mayor Ed Koch of New York asked for federal assistance.

The USS Fort McHenry arrived in Haiti Jan. 18, six days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation. The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship's Sailors and embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provided critical medical, distribution, rubble removal and construction assistance during Operation Unified Response. The ship provided over 3,500 pounds of medical aid and the medical team treated 850 patients, both on the ship and ashore…

Sept. 16, 200: The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199), left, is alongside the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) during a connected replenishment at sea. Fort McHenry is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson/Released)

On August 24, the U.S. Coast Guard released the final report of investigation into the March 2004 capsizing of the passenger vessel Lady D in the northwest harbor of the Patapsco River, Baltimore. Five passengers aboard the Lady D died in the accident. The report states the accident was initiated by the master's unsafe decision to depart the dock at Fort McHenry in the face of an approaching visible squall line. The report also states that the Lady D, a small pontoon water taxi, capsized when the cumulative effect of many factors created an overturning motion from which the vessel could not recover. •    Conducting an assessment of the stability of the pontoon passenger vessel fleet to identify vessels that may have an elevated risk of capsizing due to improperly conducted stability tests.

The leadership of Military Sealift Command’s 6th Fleet-based Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One, or MPS Squadron One, changed hands May 22 in Corfu, Greece, with the outgoing commander Capt. Clay Saunders being relieved by Capt. William Sheehan during a ceremony held aboard the squadron’s flagship USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo. The ships of MPS Squadron One – MSC ships Bobo and USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat –  are forward deployed year-round in the European and African theaters, strategically prepositioning military cargo at-sea for quick delivery ashore in the event of any fast-breaking military or humanitarian crises. While Bobo and Wheat are noncombatant cargo ships crewed by merchant mariners, the squadron is commanded by a Navy captain and a military staff embarked aboard the flagship.

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Campbell, Africa Partnership Station Public AffairsWhile transiting off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS), March 20 High Speed Vessel 2 Swift received a distress call, relayed from the Maritime Regional Coordination Center (RMCC) in Lisbon, of a Portuguese fishing vessel, the Princesa Di Guadiana, stranded 100 nautical miles off the Liberian Coast with no food, water or fuel. The RMCC contacted Lt. Cmdr. Jose Neto of the Portuguese Navy, who is the APS operations officer aboard the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), APS flag ship. Cap Lara, a Greek flagged vessel, remained in the vicinity until Swift arrived to assist the Princesa.

Military Sealift Command ships USNS 2nd LT John P. Bobo and USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat arrived off the coast of Monrovia, Liberia, in the Gulf of Guinea March 20, to participate in a sea-basing and humanitarian aid distribution exercise in conjunction with U.S. Marines and Africa Partnership Station ships USS Fort McHenry and HSV-2 Swift. Bobo and Wheat are U.S. Navy cargo ships that are part of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One, or MPSRON One, one of three squadrons that preposition military equipment in strategic locations at-sea for rapid delivery ashore in response to military or humanitarian crises. These squadrons are commanded by a U.S. Navy captain with an embarked military staff, while the ships themselves are crewed by merchant mariners under contract to MSC.

The high-speed vessel (HSV 2) Swift is moored pier-side at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek before departing for the western coast of Africa. While in Africa, Swift will take part in the Global Fleet Station (GFS), Africa Partnership Station (APS) Initiative, for the purpose of strengthening cooperative partnerships with regional maritime security. U.S. Africa Partnership Station (APS) pulled into Lome, aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift Jan. 28, as the first U.S. Navy ship to visit Togo in 15 years.

U.S. and French Navy trainers and Cameroonian students on Zodaic crafts make their approach to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) while learning visit, board, search and seizure techniques as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS). APS is a multi-national effort to bring the latest training and techniques to maritime professionals in nine West and Central African countries, to address common threats of illegal fishing, smuggling, and human trafficking. In addition to maritime training, APS will perform more than 20 humanitarian projects in the region. (U.S.

The USS Fort McHenry arrived off the coast of West Africa in November to lead an international team of experts that will train African sailors to confront the daily challenges of illegal fishing, piracy, drug trafficking and oil smuggling. The amphibious ship is the centerpiece of the new Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. During its seven-month deployment, it will serve as a floating platform in the strategically important Gulf of Guinea, where it will promote regional maritime safety and security. The West Africa program is modeled on a successfully completed Global Fleet Station mission in the Caribbean that helped promote port security and stronger borders in Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama.

$1,029,368 in grants for 12 community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. These projects are funded by the NOAA Marine Debris Program and administered by the NOAA Restoration Center. The program provides financial and technical assistance to local groups to clean-up marine debris, and prevent its introduction into coastal environments. The Marine Debris Program awarded $333,868 in the northeast region to support marine debris removal, research and education. (GIS) analysis to target the source of marine debris in New Hampshire and will investigate the effectiveness of marine debris removal activities. The State of Rhode Island, Clean the Bay, and other local partners will remove more than 500 tons of debris from Narragansett Bay.