Undersea Surveillance News

A converted offshore support vessel has taken on a new life as a dedicated underwater surveillance ship for the U.K.'s Royal Navy.Christened during a ceremony in London on October 10, RFA Proteus will be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a launchpad for remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) and a home to a suite of specialist capabilities similar to those found in the offshore oil and gas industry.The ship, built in 2017 as a subsea construction vessel named Topaz Tangaroa, was acquired by the U.K.

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced it has been awarded a contract potentially worth more than $3 billion for the detail design and construction of new TAGOS-25 class ocean surveillance ships for the U.S. Navy.The $113.9 million fixed-price incentive (firm target) and firm-fixed-price contract includes options for detail design and construction of up to seven T-AGOS 25 class ships which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $3.195 billion.Austal…

The UK defense ministry has acquired a subsea construction vessel that used to work in the offshore energy industry. The vessel, Topaz Tangaroa, will undergo a period of military modification and will be used to protect subsea cables and oil and gas pipelines.The Topaz Tangaora, to be renamed as it joins the Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet, is the first of two future undersea surveillance ships, and it arrived at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. Thursday.Once operational, the ship will be used to protect seabed telecommunications cables and oil and gas pipelines. "The 98-meter-long, adaptable offshore patrol vessel – the length of Big Ben – will act as a ‘mother ship’…

The U.S. Navy's next Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship will be named USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67), Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced on Wednesday.The name selection follows the tradition of naming survey ships after explorers, oceanographers and distinguished marine surveyors. Widely known as a discoverer of the final resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard is a retired U.S. Navy Commander, former director of the Center for Ocean Exploration…

The U.S. Navy uses unmanned and robotic underwater vehicles for a multitude of functions, including environmental sensing, mine hunting, and salvage. The Navy plans to evolve an unmanned systems operating concept that is platform agnostic and capable of operating in highly complex contested environments with minimal operator interaction.The most recent edition of the Navy’s Unmanned Systems (UxS) Roadmap was issued in 2018, and a new version is expected in the near future. The 2018 document states that UxS will operate in every domain…

As Director of Innovation, Dr. Larry Schuette is one of three portfolio directors at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). His counterparts are the director of research (discovery and invention) and director of transition. The Office of Innovation promotes, fosters, and develops innovative science, technology, processes and policies that support the Department of the Navy. “I manage the ‘leap ahead’ portfolio here at the Office of Naval Research,” he says. Schuette leads both technological innovation in as well as the business of innovation.

MAR Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, Port Hueneme, for the operation, maintenance, and repair of the M/V Independence, including providing research, development, testing, and evaluation of undersea surveillance systems, load handling systems, acoustic array systems, cable system components, cable and system survivability studies, installation methods, test vessel support, and training range establishment and maintenance. Work will be performed in Port Hueneme, Calif. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of April 2015.

Friede Goldman Halter (FGH) held the christening ceremony of USNS Impeccable on November 1 at its Pascagoula, MS shipyard. The vessel's mission will involve the collection, processing and transmission of acoustic data in support of the Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems (IUSS) mission requirements. Boasting a unique hull form, the 282-ft. (85.9 m) vessel will be operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) - utilizing both civilian and naval personnel. It is touted as the quietest vessel that the government operates, outside of submarines.

General Dynamics’ Canadian subsidiary, General Dynamics Canada, was awarded a contract valued at $128 million by the Canadian Department of National Defense to supply and integrate a new data management system for the CP-140 Aurora, Canada’s long-range maritime patrol aircraft, as part of the ongoing Aurora Incremental Modernization Project (AIMP). Under the contract, General Dynamics Canada will supply a new mission computer, integrate upgraded sensors, and provide ground facilities and logistics support. The General Dynamics-designed data management system will provide the enhanced capability and flexibility required to allow the CP-140 Aurora to fulfill its surface and undersea surveillance roles. Work will be completed in Ottawa and Halifax.

Two Military Sealift Command (MSC) prepositioning ships, MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011) and MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (T-AK 3002), completed a 10-day tsunami relief operation Feb. 1 in the Republic of Maldives as part of Operation Unified Assistance. Lummus and Bonnyman belong to Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron 3, a group of 11 ships deployed to the Guam/Saipan area laden with enough cargo to sustain a Marine Expeditionary Brigade for 30 days. Together, the ships delivered more than 100,000 gallons of water, $3,000 of medical supplies and more than 20 tons of food. The Maldives is a string of more than 1,000 islands located 2,000 nautical miles east from the Dec. 26 earthquake's epicenter.

Civil service mariners aboard Military Sealift Command ammunition ship USNS Shasta (T-AE 33) rescued all crew members aboard a disabled commercial cargo ship May 12 in the Western Pacific near Saipan. Just after sunset, Shasta received a request from the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet Battle Watch Center to assist the ill-fated MV Haurosi, which reported a major engine room fire. Traveling at full-speed, Shasta made the 90-mile voyage to Haurosi’s location in just over four hours, using the transit time to prepare the flight deck for helicopter operations and ready Shasta’s towing and firefighting equipment. “As we approached, we could see the crew on deck waving flashlights,” said Capt. R.J. Bellfi, Shasta’s civil service master. After refueling a U.S.

Fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194)won the fiscal year 2006 Secretary of the Navy Environmental Quality Award in the Environmental Quality, Small Ship category. In ALNAV Message 029/07, released March 30, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment B.J. Penn extended his personal congratulations to the winners. “Your accomplishments are outstanding in their own right and exemplify the Department of the Navy’s commitment to environmental stewardship,” Penn stated. Ericsson will compete in the Secretary of Defense Environmental awards later this year. “We are extremely pleased to be recognized for our environmental efforts,” said Capt. Robert T. Wiley, the ship’s civil service master. The 678-ft.

The first of three Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships set to carry Army cargo to Iraq this month began loading here April 3. The cargo belongs to the Third Infantry Division’s Second Brigade Combat Team and Combat Aviation Brigade of Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., which will deploy to Iraq later this year. Container ship MV American Tern, a privately owned, U.S.-flagged ship under long-term charter to MSC, is currently using three shipboard cranes to load 550 pieces of cargo consisting mostly of 20-foot containers. In addition, MSC’s large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships USNS Watson (T-AKR 310), and USNS Charlton (T-AKR 314) will load thousands of pieces of military equipment, including helicopters, Humvees, tanks and trucks.

Commander Undersea Surveillance (CUS), head of the Navy’s Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), was elevated to an echelon IV command Feb. 28 to serve under the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The move united the Navy’s Undersea Surveillance Command with the Navy’s oceanography community. It culminated several months of discussion and study, continuing the reorganization of NMOC efforts to focus the Navy oceanography community’s activities on the needs of its warfighting customers. NMOC is an Echelon III command under the lead of Fleet Forces Command. CUS, headquartered in Dam Neck, Va., previously was a command serving under the Naval Submarine Force.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen announced that Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (TAO-194) won a 2006 Environmental Quality Small Ship award. The 678-foot ship is currently operating out of Pearl Harbor and is crewed by 81 civil service mariners and a military detachment of 23 active-duty Navy Sailors. Ericsson was cited for its crew’s work in preventing pollution, ensuring readiness in responding to environmental issues, conserving resources and complying with environmental regulations. While the ship voluntarily met standards stricter than those required by the Navy, it also ensured that each mariner received special training in environmental management, used environmentally friendly chemicals and conducted monthly spill drills.

Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced Feb. 1 that a Military Sealift Command (MSC) contracting team won a 2006 Navy Competition and Procurement Excellence Award for chartering ships to rescue Americans stranded in Lebanon last year. The team -- Ken Allen, Lee Anderson, Olivia Bradley, Tim Pickering, Lance Nyman, and Dan Wentzell -- worked with companies and brokers from around the world to ensure that more than 6,700 Americans were rescued and moved from war-torn Lebanon to safety in Cyprus during the July 2006 Israeli offensive against Hezbollah militants. Though U.S. military ships also took part in the effort that eventually rescued more than 13,000 people, the MSC-chartered cruise ship Orient Queen was the first to arrive in Lebanon.

the U.S. Navy's Advanced Deployable System (ADS). a continuous and reliable picture of activity over vast oceanic areas. initial production options are exercised beginning in 2007. Corporation's Government Communications Systems Division. link the ADS sensor nodes with the LCS platform. 30 nautical miles. from the LCS to the sensor platforms. Analysis Segment and a Mission Support Segment. ships.

The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin $144.3 million for continued development of the Advanced Deployable System (ADS), a rapidly deployable undersea surveillance system. The work will be performed under an option to a $21 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2004. Under the option, Lockheed Martin will provide system engineering, detailed design and program management required to conduct a Detailed Design Review and build a system that will be deployed from a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for technical and operational evaluation. ADS uses distributed passive acoustic bottom mounted arrays wirelessly linked to an analysis and reporting system to provide continuous acoustic coverage over large areas of the ocean.