Hornet News

USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier in the world, successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing recently while sailing in the South China Sea, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making.Nimitz’s first arrested landing was conducted in 1975, the same year of the ship’s commissioning. Since commissioning, Nimitz has sailed 30 deployments and served in countless operations and missions. It serves as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) which is currently on a regularly-scheduled deployment in the U.S.

The U.S. Navy said it has retrieved a fighter jet that was lost from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea last month.The F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft, which blew off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in "unexpected heavy weather" on July 8, was recovered by a team from Task Force (CTF) 68, Naval Sea Systems Command's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Harry S. Truman, Naval Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic, and U.S. Sixth Fleet embarked on the multi-purpose…

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the only carrier qualification (CQ) asset regularly available on the East Coast this year, commenced its second round of CQs for Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) pilots May 10, with a healthy and mission-focused crew.Ford, operating at-sea at the same time as four other U.S. aircraft carriers, is conducting its fourth independent steaming event (ISE) since commencing an 18-month Post Delivery Test and Trials (PDT&T) phase of operations in November…

As Washington and Beijing trade barbs over the coronavirus pandemic, a longer-term struggle between the two Pacific powers is at a turning point, as the United States rolls out new weapons and strategy in a bid to close a wide missile gap with China.The United States has largely stood by in recent decades as China dramatically expanded its military firepower. Now, having shed the constraints of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, the Trump administration is planning to deploy long-range…

The expedition crew aboard the late Paul G. Allen’s research vessel (R/V) Petrel discovered wreckage from USS Wasp (CV 7), which was sunk in 1942.Wasp, found Jan. 14, was sunk Sept. 15, 1942, by four Japanese torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-19 while escorting transports carrying the Seventh Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal as reinforcements. Of the 2,162 on board, 176 were killed as a result of the attack. The sunken aircraft carrier was found in the Coral Sea, 4,200 meters (nearly 14,000 feet) below the surface.“Paul Allen’s passion for U.S. history lives on through these missions.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is carrying out strike sorties from the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The first aircraft launched from USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the "Argonauts" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147. Accompanying Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 squadrons, part of that first flight include the "Black Knights" of VFA-154, the "Blue Diamonds" of VFA-146, the "Death Rattlers" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, and the "Bluetails" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121. "For the Nimitz Strike Group, today is game day," said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of CSG-11. "When you hear the roar of the jets today it is for real. It's game on.

1861 - While commanding a gunboat flotilla, Cmdr. James Harmon Ward is mortally wounded by a musket ball while aiming the bow gun of his flagship, USS Thomas Freeborn at Mathias Point, Va. Ward is the first US Naval officer casualty of the Civil War. 1898 - During the Spanish-American War, the 301-ton yacht Hornet captures the Spanish steamer Benito Estenger off Cape Cruz, Cuba. 1916 - At the Battle of Los Trencheros during the Dominican Campaign in the Dominican Republic, the Fourth Marine Regiment withstands an attack by Dominican insurgent forces. 1945 - PV-1 (VPB 142) sinks the Japanese submarine I 165, 450 miles east of Saipan, Mariana Islands. 1945 - USS Blueback (SS 326) sinks Imperial Japanese Navy submarine chaser, (CH 2), north of Lombok, Java Sea.

1850 - The brig USS Perry, commanded by Lt. Andrew H. Foote, captures American slaver Martha off Ambriz (near the city of Luanda), Angola, Africa. 1918 - After Allied troops take Hill 142 at Chateau-Thierry, France, during World War I, 12 enemy soldiers crawl in a position to counter attack with five light machine guns. Realizing his company might withdraw if fired upon, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Maj. Ernest A. Janson, quickly rushes and bayonets two enemy leaders, forcing the rest of the enemy attackers to withdraw.

1805 - With naval bombardment from USS Nautilus, USS Hornet, and USS Argus, Lt. Presley OBannon leads his Marines to attack Derne, Tripoli, and raises the first U.S. flag over foreign soil. The Battle of Derna was the Marines' first battle on foreign soil, and is notably recalled in the first verse of the Marines Hymn. 1813 - A U.S. naval squadron under the command of Commodore Isaac Chauncey supports an attack on York (now Toronto), Canada, of nearly 1,800 troops under Gen. Zebulon Pike during the War of 1812.

1848 - U.S. Navy expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, commanded by Lt. William F. Lynch, reaches the Dead Sea. 1906 - U.S. Navy assists in relief operations during the San Francisco earthquake and fire. Sailors and Marines fight fires and ships carry the homeless and injured to Vallejo, where medical personnel established emergency facilities. 1942 - The Doolittle Raid begins with 16 Army Air Force B-25 bombers launching earlier than expected from USS Hornet (CV 8), approximately 650 miles off Japan, after being spotted by enemy ships. It is the first attack by the U.S. of the Japanese mainland since Pearl Harbor. Most of the 16 B-25s, each with a five-man crew, attack the Tokyo area, with a few hitting Nagoya.

1815 - The sloop-of-war USS Hornet captures the brig sloop HMS Penguin after a 22 minute battle, with neither ship aware the War of 1812 is over. 1882 - Secretary of the Navy William H. Hunt (Jan. 7, 1881 to April 16, 1882), creates the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) with General Order No. 292. 1917 - USS New Mexico (BB 40) is launched. She is the first dreadnought with turboelectric drive. 1944 - USS Tunny (SS 282) sinks the Japanese submarine I 42 off the Palau Islands. 1945 - USS Haggard (DD 555) is damaged when she rams and sinks Japanese submarine RO 41 in the Philippine Sea.

An F/A-18C "Hornet" from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, the "Gladiators," caught fire on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) last night while parked forward of the island during refueling. The fire was immediately extinguished by the ship's flight deck firefighting team. The pilot of the aircraft ejected and landed on the flight deck. The pilot received medical treatment by the ship's medical department before being transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington, North Carolina, for further treatment of non-life threatening injuries. A Sailor assigned to the ship also sustained non-life threatening injuries from the incident and was also transported to the same location for treatment.

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), conducted high-intensity land strike training with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as part of exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 (TS15), July 16. The land strike training was one of 10 large-force strikes against simulated land adversaries throughout TS15. "The ultimate goal of conducting these exercises is to achieve and maintain interoperability between the U.S. and Royal Australian Air Force, as well as our other maritime components," said Lt. David Robinson, CVW 5's strike operations officer. Participants included F/A-18F Super Hornets from the "Diamondbacks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 and RAAF's E-7A Wedgetail and KC-30A. During the strike exercise, the U.S.

A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 crashed at 1:30 p.m. (GMT), today, shortly after launching from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) operating in the Arabian Gulf. The two personnel aboard the strike fighter ejected from the aircraft, survived the crash and were quickly recovered by search and rescue personnel from the ship. The recovered Naval Aviators are being evaluated by medical personnel aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. Initial reports indicate both are conscious and alert, and without serious injury. The crash was not a result of hostile activity. Strike Fighter Squadron 211 is based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, and is assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1.

The F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter completed its first phase of developmental test (DT) aboard an aircraft carrier Nov. 14, three days ahead of schedule aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). During the DT-I event, F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) the F-35 Lightning II Integrated Test Force (ITF) from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, tested the carrier suitability of the aircraft and its integration with carrier air and deck operations in the at-sea environment, achieving 100 percent of the threshold test points. The aircraft demonstrated exceptional performance throughout its initial sea trails…

The Department of the Navy, after carefully weighing the strategic, operational, and environmental consequences of the proposed action, has decided to base the F-35C aircraft at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California. This will be accomplished by implementing Alternative 2 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for U.S. Navy F-35C West Coast Homebasing. Under Alternative 2, a total of 100 F-35C aircraft in seven Navy Pacific Fleet squadrons (10 aircraft per squadron) and the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) (30 aircraft) will be based at NAS Lemoore beginning in 2016. The proposed action will be completed in the 2028 timeframe. The Navy has determined Alternative 2 best meets the operational needs of the Navy and, where feasible, minimizes potential environmental impacts.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a $16.2 million contract by the U.S. Navy to produce Type-3 Advanced Mission Computers (AMC) for the F/A-18 E/A-18G Super Hornet aircraft. Since 2002 General Dynamics has produced, tested and delivered the F/A-18 AMC, which serves as the nerve center of the Super Hornet and provides the Navy with situational awareness and combat systems control. "By leveraging commercial off-the-shelf technologies and an open architecture, we are helping the Navy keep lifecycle costs down, while strengthening mission-critical performance capabilities for the flight crew," said John van Dyke, senior director, Sensors and Processing at General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.

An un-manned X-47B has completed a series of tests, operating safely and seamlessly with manned aircraft from 'USS Theodore Roosevelt' informs the US Navy. Building on lessons learned from its first test period aboard TR in November 2013, the X-47B team is now focused on perfecting deck operations and performing maneuvers with manned aircraft in the flight pattern. "Today we showed that the X-47B could take off, land and fly in the carrier pattern with manned aircraft while maintaining normal flight deck operations," said Capt. Beau Duarte, program manager for the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation office. The first series of manned/unmanned operations began when the ship launched an F/A-18 and an X-47B.

Today in U.S. Naval History - February 24 1813 - USS Hornet, Captain James Lawrence, captures HMS Peacock 1968 - Task Force Clearwater established in I Corps For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

Today in U.S. 1813 - Capt. David Porter claims Marquesas Islands for the United States. 1943 - Carrier force attacks bases on Tarawa and Makin begun. 1943 - USS Nautilus (SS-168) enters Tarawa lagoon in first submarine photograph reconnaissance mission. 1961 - At the request of President of Dominican Republic, U.S. Naval Task Force sails to Dominican Republic to bolster the country's government and to prevent a coup. 1969 - Navy astronauts Cdr. Charles Conrad Jr. and Cdr. Alan L. Bean are third and fourth men to walk on the moon. They were part of Apollo 12 mission. CDR Richard F.

Exercise Bersama Lima 2013, a Five-Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) activity involving Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand, kicks off 7, November 2013. Commander Australian Contingent, Wing Commander Louis Nuttycombe, said the exercise was designed to share operational methods between the FPDA militaries and provides an opportunity to enhance relationships and interoperability with our security partners. “Exercise Bersama Lima 2013 involves planning and rehearsing air and maritime operations in the South China Sea…

The engineering and technology group SENER will attend as an exhibitor the DSEI exhibition, the world’s largest defense and security event, which is held from September 10-13 at the ExCeL convention center in London. SENER’s Engineering and Construction division will present at the exhibition new developments and projects in two large fields of activity: the naval sector and the defense sector. Along the naval sector, SENER will show its new developments in the FORAN system, the…

Today in U.S. 1885 - Capt. 1891 - Baltimore Incident, Valparaiso, Chile. 1940 - Fifth group of 10 destroyers from the Destroyers for Bases Deal turned over to British at Halifax, Canada. 1942 - Carrier aircraft from USS Hornet (CV-8) conduct attacks on Japanese troops on Guadalcanal. 1943 - Navy accepts its first helicopter, a Sikorsky YR-4B (HNS-1) at Bridgeport, Connecticut. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.