United States Naval Academy News

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

Austal USA has named Jim Blastos as vice president supply chain management, with responsibility for the company’s procurement, strategic sourcing, warehousing, logistics, material management and production control activities.Blastos has over 25 years of experience in developing strategic organizational transformation, collaborative solutions and operational processing. He has held leadership positions in supply chain and operations in the U.S. Navy and industry, including Overhead Door Corporation…

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced that Mark Heward has joined its team as Director. Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management and training experience together with being fully STCW qualified and his continuing education experience are a rare combination,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director.

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) said Friday that Mark Heward had joined as Director of MITAGS.Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Heward Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management, and training experience, together with being fully STCW qualified…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its board of directors announced that Mark Vandroff will be taking over as CEO effective July 7, replacing Jan Allman who has led the Wisconsin shipyard since 2014.“Our company’s continued growth afforded us an opportunity to expand our senior leadership team and to better organize to exceed our customer’s needs,” said Dario Deste, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Jan [Allman] has done a tremendous job working with partner Lockheed Martin and the Navy on the Littoral Combat Ship and Multi-mission Surface Combatant programs…

U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate Carlos del Toro for secretary of the Navy, the White House announced on Friday.Del Toro is a retired U.S. Navy commander with nearly 40 years’ experience in national security and naval operations, budgeting and acquisition.Over the course of a 22-year career in the U.S. Navy, Del Toro held a series of critical appointments, including Senior Executive Assistant to the Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense…

Marine organisms such as barnacles and zebra mussels have been a long-standing nuisance to ship hulls, causing exterior damage, increased power and fuel consumption and environmental concerns. While anti-fouling coatings help to prevent biofouling,  a new research study suggests that an innovative approach to marine coatings may solve the problem of barnacle and zebra mussel fouling, an approach stems from the MOSI (Marine Organism Sensory Interference) concept. MOSI uses a unique coating tech to interfere with the sensory ability of juvenile barnacles…

Hepburn and Sons LLC team has welcomed CAPT Timothy Crone as its newest Director. CAPT Timothy Crone, USN (Ret) will serve as Hepburn’s Director, Advisory Services.CAPT Crone, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the US Naval Academy and completed a Master of Science in Justice, Law and Society from American University. He has also received a Master of Arts in National Security Policy and Strategic Studies from the U.S.

Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) delivered the future USS Sioux City, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 11, and future USS Wichita, LCS 13, to the U.S. Navy.LCS 11 is the sixth Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team and will be commissioned at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Nov. 17. LCS 11 will be the first combat ship ever commissioned at the Naval Academy.LCS 13 is the seventh Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team, and will be commissioned this winter."We look forward to the day the future USS Sioux City and USS Wichita join the fleet.

The Great Lakes Group announced recent new hires to the company’s management team: Thomas Rigolo – Shipyard General Manager; Kirsten Buccigrossi – Director, Marketing & Communications; and Emery Eiber – Quality, Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (QHSSE) Manager.Tom Rigolo is a senior shipbuilding executive with more than 25 years of experience gained from hands-on engineering and high-level leadership roles at several U.S. shipyards. Rigolo is a licensed Professional Engineer…

Hepburn and Sons has hired Rear Admiral Sam Perez as Chief, Advisory Services. Rear Admiral, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earned his Masters of Art degree in Strategic Planning from Naval Postgraduate School and completed a year-long tour of the Federal Executive Fellowship (FEF) Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Perez served in the U.S. Navy for 36 years, following commissioning from the United States Naval Academy in 1980. His at-sea commands included command of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and command of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1. During his tour as the Deputy Director Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), Perez was assigned to Operation Unified Response as part of the U.S. response to the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

Philip M. Bilden has been elected to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) board of directors, effective November 7. Bilden retired last year as a co-founding member of the private equity firm HarbourVest Partners. He began his career in Boston in 1991 and relocated to Hong Kong in 1996 to establish the firm’s Asian subsidiary. Throughout his 25-year tenure at HarbourVest Partners, Bilden served in senior leadership roles in the firm’s global management, including the firm’s six-person executive committee responsible for governance.

Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, arrived in Yokosuka Aug. 25, after assuming command Aug. 23. Prior to arrival, he participated in the International Maritime Security Symposium hosted by the Indonesian Navy in Bali, Indonesia. A career submariner, Sawyer has extensive experience as a commander in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. His most recent assignment was deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Before that, he was commander, U.S. Submarine Forces Pacific, also in Hawaii; and commander, Submarine Group 7/ Task Force 54 and 74 in Yokosuka. His afloat commands were USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and Submarine Squadron 15 in Guam. A Phoenix native, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering.

Will Roberts has joined Foss Maritime as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), responsible for building the customer facing team to drive and sustain the company’s market share and long-term revenue generation. CCO is a newly developed position at Foss Maritime. In his role as CCO, Roberts will set out to advance Foss’ global perspective on market opportunities and lead in the assessment and prioritization of geographic and operational market segments through marketing, sales and business development activities.

Steve Roth has been promoted to President of Seaspan Ferries Corporation (SFC). In this position, Steve will continue to have the primary accountability for the overall performance of the SFC business unit, including management of day-to-day operations of SFC, as well as the short and long-term strategic planning processes, including setting and fulfilling revenue and profitability targets and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders. He is also responsible for ensuring that customer service expectations are met or exceeded while ensuring the safe operation of SFC’s vessels…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Camber Corporation and formed a new operating division, HII Technical Solutions. The new division will be led by Andy Green, who will serve as an executive vice president of HII and president of HII Technical Solutions, reporting directly to HII President and CEO Mike Petters. “The acquisition of Camber and the consolidation of our existing service businesses into a dedicated division provides the breadth and scale necessary to successfully pursue numerous growth opportunities,” Petters said. “Camber brings a broad array of capabilities to the HII team, and we are excited about the possibilities of growing the combined businesses.

Capt. Joseph J. Leonard (U.S. Navy, Ret.) has joined Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) as corporate director of customer affairs, large surface combatant program, the shipbuilder announced. In his new role, Leonard will provide solutions in the development and implementation of customer-focused activities for HII’s surface ship programs. He will work in HII’s Washington, D.C., office and will report to Dan Holloway, corporate vice president, customer affairs. Prior to joining HII…

The Great Lakes Naval Museum was officially renamed the National Museum of the American Sailor during a ceremony and sign unveiling at the museum July 4. The Navy's top enlisted Sailor, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens, was joined by retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Capt. James Hawkins, commanding officer of Naval Station Great Lakes, Jennifer Searcy, Ph.D., director of the National Museum of the American Sailor, and representatives from the Great Lakes Naval Museum Foundation and National Museum of the American Sailor Foundation to unveil the new sign in front of the museum.

On June 4 2012, Deputy Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen was named Acting Maritime Administrator. With the U.S. Maritime Administration since July 2012 when he was appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator by President Obama, Jaenichen would no doubt like to be confirmed as the Administrator; sooner, rather than later. Nevertheless, he’s not letting any grass grow under his feet in the meantime. Beyond this, the affable Jaenichen has rejuvenated an arguably ineffective Marad organization that had in recent years drifted aimlessly without strong leadership. With enthusiasm and a genuine passion for the domestic maritime industry, he has once again put Marad squarely in the conversation even as the collective U.S.

The winners of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Safe Affordable Ferry Competition, as determined by a panel of judges, have been announced by WFSA Executive Director Dr. Roberta Weisbrod. The requirements of this year’s competition were to design a safe and affordable RoPax ferry able to transport 185 passengers plus a crew of 15 and cargo carrying vehicles on a route linking five islands surrounding Indonesia’s Savu Sea. Taking home first place honors is the University of Strathclyde, which will earn a $5,000 prize for its Savutec ferry.

Vice Adm. Thomas J. Moore relieved Vice Adm. William H. Hilarides as commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) during a June 10 ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard. Moore graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in math and operations analysis. He holds a degree in information systems management from The George Washington University as well as a Master of Science and an engineer's degree in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 2011, Moore has headed Program Executive Office Carriers where he led the Ford-class aircraft carrier program, as well as the maintenance, modernization and inactivation of carriers in fleet service.

Paul “Chip” Jaenichen was appointed by President Obama and sworn in as Maritime Administrator on July 25, 2014. Before his appointment, Administrator Jaenichen served as Acting Administrator beginning in June 2013. He joined the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration in July 2012 when he was appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator. A career naval officer, retiring in 2012 after serving 30 years as nuclear trained Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy, Jaenichen’s…

Adm. John M. Richardson, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, was confirmed by the Senate as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Aug. Richardson will replace Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert who has been CNO since September 2011. Vice Adm. Frank Caldwell, who was also confirmed by the Senate today, will succeed Richardson later this month as the director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. "I am honored and humbled to have been nominated and confirmed to succeed Adm. Greenert as our Navy's next chief of naval operations," Richardson said. "Adm.