Naval Base San Diego News

Seattle based Manson Construction Co. announced it has been selected as the contractor for the P-508 Floating Dry Dock Mooring Facility project.Awarded by Naval Facilities Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW), this $106.9 million project at Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) includes a new ramp pier, retrofitting the mooring wharf, and support facilities for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) to directly support the operations and maintenance of a new floating dry dock.

Shipboard fire a constant threat: Bonhomme Richard tragedy an enduring lesson in fire prevention, responseJuly 12, 2020 was a lazy Sunday morning at Naval Base San Diego. USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), which had been commissioned only two years earlier, had recently made the base its new homeport and was docked as it underwent a maintenance availability.But, the silence of that morning was rocked by an explosion a few minutes before 9 a.m., changing everything for the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.Below the decks…

Austal USA celebrated the opening of its new San Diego waterfront ship repair facility.The shipyard, located adjacent to Naval Base San Diego, will provide full-service repair, maintenance and modernization services for small surface combatants, unmanned and autonomous vessels, and auxiliary ships.Since finalizing an agreement for the property over a year ago, Austal USA has invested more than $100 million in facility upgrades and a new floating dry dock to transform the facility. The 15-acre site now provides 678 ft. of improved San Diego Bay shoreline, 80,000 sq. ft.

A U.S. Navy sailor was found not guilty on Friday of starting a fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in San Diego in 2020.Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays was acquitted of charges of arson and the willful hazarding of a ship, Commander Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement.The decision followed a two-week court-martial in which Navy prosecutors argued that Mays, who was 19 at the time of the blaze, started the fire due to disgruntlement with his work.

The U.S. Navy accused a sailor of setting the 2020 fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, but it refuses to release records in the case as the law requires.Despite a 2016 law requiring more transparency of court-martials, the U.S. Navy is refusing to release nearly all court documents in a high-profile case in which a sailor faces life in prison.Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays, 21, has been charged with aggravated arson and hazarding a vessel in the 2020 fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard.

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA welcomes Michelle Kruger as vice president of global services and support. Operating from Austal’s San Diego waterfront services facility, Kruger is responsible for Austal USA’s global post-delivery repair and warranty efforts, including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. As the primary customer interface for ship repair and maintenance services, Kruger will lead the pursuit of future government and commercial business…

Austal USA finalized a deal to establish a repair facility in the Port of San Diego. The deal, first announced in November, includes a long-term lease of a waterfront site in National City adjacent to Naval Base San Diego, and the 15-acre site will focus on ship repair for U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command and U.S. Coast Guard ships. The site will be centered on a newly-built dry dock designed to efficiently dock small surface combatants and similar sized ships.“This agreement marks a major milestone in the continued growth of Austal USA’s services business.

Shipbuilder Austal USA said it received approval from the San Diego Port of Commissioners to assume the lease of Marine Group Boat Works in the Port of San Diego. Austal USA and Marine Group Boat Works are entering a 45-day exclusive period to close the agreement.Austal USA will use the 15-acre site to focus on ship repair for U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command and U.S. Coast Guard ships, establishing a full service ship repair capability providing maintenance and modernization for small surface combatants, autonomous vehicles and other vessels. The site, immediately adjacent to U.S.

A U.S. Navy investigation released on Wednesday found that a fire aboard a warship last year, which was caused by arson, was preventable and that a series of failures after it started led to the destruction of the ship.More than 60 people, including about 40 sailors, were treated for minor injuries during several days of fighting flames on the 844-foot-long (257-meter) amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which was docked for maintenance at its home port at U.S. Naval Base San Diego.A U.S.

A U.S. Navy sailor was charged on Thursday with starting a fire last year that burned for four days on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, injuring more than 60 people and destroying the vessel.The sailor, who was not identified by name, was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and could face court martial, Navy Commander Sean Robertson, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Fleet, said in a statement."The Sailor was a member of Bonhomme Richard's crew at the time and is accused of starting the fire…

The U.S. Navy decommissioned the mine countermeasures ship USS Champion (MCM 4) during a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday.Due to public health safety and restrictions of large public events related to the novel coronavirus pandemic, plankowners and former crew members of the Avenger-class ship virtually celebrated its distinguished history.Commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, Rear Adm. Scott Robertson was the guest speaker, with Capt. Hank Kim…

Firefighters have extinguished a major ship fire that burned for more than four days aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) moored pier side at Naval Base San Diego, the Navy said Thursday afternoon.Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, Commander of U.S. Navy Expeditionary Strike Group 3, said all known fires have been extinguished on board as fire teams continue to search the 844-foot-long Wasp-class amphibious assault ship to cool hot spots and ensure no other fires remain.The vessel is listing…

The U.S. Navy said it has cleared the burning USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and its adjacent San Diego pier of all personnel due to a shift in the vessel's list. The warship has been ablaze since Sunday morning."Out of an abundance of caution the pier and ship were cleared of personnel due to an initial shift in the ship’s list. Personnel are now pier side. We will continue to monitor as the ship settles." the Navy said in a statement at 2:30 a.m. Thursday.The fire, accompanied by at least one large explosion…

Hundreds of firefighters battled through a second day from the air, land and water on Monday to save a U.S. war vessel swept by flames while moored at a San Diego shipyard, as the number of sailors and civilians injured in the blaze rose to nearly 60.The USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship whose size ranks second in the U.S. Navy fleet to that of an aircraft carrier, remained largely shrouded in thick, acrid smoke on Monday as the vessel began listing to its starboard side.The fire…

U.S. Navy ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) caught fire on Sunday morning while it was moored pier side at Naval Base San Diego.According to the U.S. Navy, 21 people were being treated for light injuries on Sunday.The Navy said in a statement: "Today, we suffered a terrible tragedy aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) when a fire broke out aboard the ship while in port San Diego. At this point, 17 Sailors and four civilians are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital."The remainder of the crew is accounted for.

Bethel-Webcor Pacific JV,* Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded firm-fixed-price task order N6247319F4865 at $39,300,000 under a multiple award construction contract for a maritime skills training center at Naval Base San Diego. The task order also contains three unexercised options and one planned modification, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $41,868,747. The work to be performed provides for converting a portion of Building 3304 to house computer simulator trainers to support the Surface Warfare Officers School’s mission to train sea-bound warriors to serve on surface combatants as officers. The planned modification, if issued, provides for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

A joint team of NASA and U.S. Navy personnel are testing new equipment and practicing procedures for recovering astronauts that have splashed down in the ocean upon returning from space travel. NASA’s deep space exploration systems will send a crew through space at 25,000 miles per hour, travelling some 40,000 miles beyond the Moon before coming back home. When returning to Earth, the Orion spacecraft will slow to a mere 300 mph as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, eventually slowing to 20 mph before it safely splashing down in the Pacific.

USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), the Navy's newest littoral combat ship, was brought to life by her crew before a crowd of nearly 2,500 guests at Pier 21 at the Port of Galveston, June 10. Adm. William Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, delivered the ceremony's principal address before officially commissioning the ship into service. "As we man the rails today, blood gets pumped, the ship comes alive, and the heart begins to beat," said Moran. "It's the blood that is infused by the spirit, the attitude, and the courage of its namesake. Following the commissioning, Dr. The crowd sounded its approval as the crew ran aboard the ship to man their assigned stations and complete the ceremony of bringing the ship into active service to end a story that began more than five years ago.

The 58th Chief of Naval Personnel, Vice Adm. Robert Burke, and Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer April Beldo visited Naval Base San Diego to discuss the Sailor 2025 initiative and hear from Sailors Jan. 12. The Sailor 2025 initiative is a series of changes to a wide range of personnel programs and policies Burke is looking at in order to provide the Navy with the right mix of skill sets and Sailors with more flexible career paths. "I am here to paint the big picture of Sailor 2025," said Burke. The goal of Sailor 2025 is aimed at modernizing the naval personnel system and includes 43 different initiatives which fall under three major categories: modernizing the entire personnel system, modernizing the training process, and enhancing career and family readiness.

BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4419); Continental Maritime of San Diego, San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4420); and General Dynamics, National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California (N00024-16-D-4421), are being awarded a combined $383,058,661 firm-fixed-price modifications to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contracts to exercise an option for complex, emergent and continuous maintenance, repair, modernization and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities on amphibious ships homeported in San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, at contractor facilities or Naval Base San Diego, and is expected to be completed by March 2018.

Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson relieved Vice Adm. Dixon R. Smith at a change of command ceremony for Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) March 31, at the Washington Navy Yard. The ceremony included the presentation of colors by the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard color guard, national anthem by the U.S. Navy Band and remarks from guest speaker, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. "While here, I've witnessed firsthand the tremendous dedication of our civilians and Sailors who support the fleet, warfighters and their families," said Smith. Smith served as the head of the Navy's entire shore infrastructure for approximately two and a half years and was the fifth commander of CNIC since the command's inception in 2003.

Ships and units from the Sterett-Dewey Surface Action Group (Sterett-Dewey SAG) arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, April 11, the first stop of the group's Western Pacific deployment. The command staff of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 31 and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Dewey (DDG 105), along with embarked helicopter detachments from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49 and HSM 78, deployed from Naval Base San Diego March 31. During the transit to Hawaii, the Sterett-Dewey SAG completed a series of training and certification exercises tailored to meet projected expectations of Western Pacific operations. The group additionally worked with Carrier Strike Group 11 in a series of communications exercises.

1813 - During the War of 1812, the frigate, President, commanded by John Rodgers, is en route between the Azores and England when it begins a series of captures of British vessels that include the brig Kitty, the packet brig Duke of Montrose, the brig Maria, and the schooner Falcon. 1869 - Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie, orders the construction of the first torpedo station on Goat Island, Newport, R.I. Cmdr. Edmund O. Matthews is the first Commanding Officer. During the establishment, the station experiments with torpedoes and trained sailors in the use of the weapons.