Naval Service News

Wärtsilä announced it has signed a five-year Optimized Maintenance Agreement with the Irish Naval Service. The agreement, which covers four offshore patrol vessels (OPV), is designed to ensure operational reliability along with long-term cost predictability.“We have had good experience with Wärtsilä over the years, and we have great trust in their capabilities. This agreement will help us to achieve the level of efficiency and reliability that we aim for, which in turn will improve the environmental performance of these ships…

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) has been decommissioned after less than eight years of naval service.The U.S. Navy has been scrapping its fleet of littoral combat ships—including both its Freedom and Independence variants. The latest to get the axe, USS Milwaukee, was decommissioned in Mayport, Fla. on September 8.During the ceremony guest speaker, Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink (USN, Ret), former chairman of Milwaukee’s commissioning committee wished…

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…

My first visit in 2007 to the American Society of Naval Engineers’ (ASNE) Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) was an eye-opener. Having built a naval architecture career with frigates, destroyers and other large naval and commercial ships, I was eager to learn of the smaller craft used by the U.S. Navy and other government and military bodies. As my flight into Norfolk, Va. descended over Chesapeake Bay, I gazed in amazement as a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) raced toward Virginia Beach, slowed, glided up the beach and into its shore base.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Rear Admiral (Rear Adm.) Ann Phillips, USN, Ret., has been confirmed and sworn in as the 20th Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Nominated by President Biden on October 21, 2021, Rear Adm. Phillips was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 10, 2022. She is the first woman to lead MARAD as administrator.“From her distinguished naval service to her leadership on coastal infrastructure, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips has championed America’s maritime sector throughout her career,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Clarence Sutphin to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 170th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 47th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC Clarence Sutphin is the final of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the newest Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC), the USCGC John Scheuerman, to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. nearly one week ahead of schedule despite a three week shutdown due to the significant damage sustained to Bollinger’s facilities during Hurricane Ida. The storm made landfall in late August near Port Fourchon, La. as a Category 4 storm. Bollinger’s facilities in Port Fourchon, Lockport, Houma and Larose suffered significant damage as a result of Hurricane Ida…

America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on Monday that Danny Hernandez will succeed Beci Brenton as the company’s corporate director of public affairs upon Brenton’s October 31 retirement. Hernandez will join HII on September 13, transition into the position, and report to the executive vice president of communications, while based in the company’s Washington, D.C. office.Brenton joined HII as corporate director of public affairs in 2011 after serving in various public affairs roles during her 26-year career with the U.S. Navy.

Babcock International has won a contract to deliver the installation of a variable speed drive system for the central cooling system onboard the Irish Navy’s P60 Samuel Beckett Class.The variable speed drive system was first installed on the central cooling system of the fourth Offshore Patrol Vessel, LÉ George Bernard Shaw (P64), at time of build, enabling the vessel to use a variety of power outputs depending on the conditions and requirements. According to Babcock, the system has proven to be very successful…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine launched LCS 27, the future USS Nantucket, for the U.S. Navy.The ship’s sponsor, Polly Spencer, broke the ceremonial champagne bottle on the bow of the ship declaring the vessel christened. As the bottle broke and champagne flowed, the vessel was launched into the Menominee River.The 378-foot Freedom-class littoral combat ship will be the third commissioned ship in U.S. naval service named after Nantucket.Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the vessel in October 2017.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine held a keel laying ceremony for the final Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to be built in Marinette, Wis., the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31).The Freedom-variant LCS will be the fourth commissioned ship in naval service, since World War I, named after Cleveland. It will be the nation’s 31st LCS.“Our team at Fincantieri Marinette Marine is proud to celebrate the keel laying of the LCS 31 with the gracious citizens of Cleveland. This milestone is a testament to the power of cooperation and forward thinking by the entire Freedom Team and our customer, the United States Navy.

The Navy is a step closer to achieving the vision of being able to fabricate parts on demand. Xerox and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have announced a strategic research collaboration to advance 3D printing and additive manufacturing.As part of a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NPS and Xerox, a Xerox ElemX Liquid Metal Printer has been installed at the school’s Large Experiment Annex on campus. NPS is the first site anywhere in the world to install this new technology.“From the age of sail to the nuclear era…

The Navy is a step closer to achieving the vision of being able to fabricate parts on demand. Xerox and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have announced a strategic research collaboration to advance 3D printing and additive manufacturing.As part of a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NPS and Xerox, a Xerox ElemX Liquid Metal Printer has been installed at the school’s Large Experiment Annex on campus. NPS is the first site anywhere in the world to install this new technology.“From the age of sail to the nuclear era…

The first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), Harry DeWolf, was delivered to the Government of Canada on July 31, 2020, in Halifax, N.S.Built by Irving Shipbuilding, the new 6,615-metric-ton, 103.6-meter ship is the largest vessel ever built in Canada in a combat package as well as the largest Navy vessel built in the country in more than 50 years. It is also the first warship to be delivered as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), with many more ships to come as part of the Navy's future fleet.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, said it has secured an order to provide deck handling solutions to two towing, salvage and rescue ships (T-ATS) class vessels to be built at Gulf Island Shipyards, a subsidiary of Gulf Island Fabrication.MacGregor's scope of supply includes deck machinery, towing winch, traction winch, shark jaws, towing pins/pop-up pins, stern roller, offshore crane and other accessories. This order represents the fourth and fifth shipsets that will be supplied to the new Navajo-class T-ATS class…

Operational trials of unmanned equipment in Norway offered a glimpse of the UK Royal Navy's autonomous future. Royal Marines small boat specialists 47 Commando have been working alongside HMS Albion, the Royal Navy’s autonomous accelerator NavyX and the Office for the Chief Technology Officer to see how the kit can be put to use in real world situations.Exercise Autonomous Advance Force put unmanned boat Mast 13, heavy lift drone from Malloy, remotely-piloted air system Puma and…

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 19, the future USS St. Louis, has completed acceptance trials in Lake Michigan and will now undergo final outfitting and fine-tuning before delivery to the US Navy early next year.Christened and launched on December 15, 2018, LCS 19 was built by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. The vessel is the seventh ship in naval service named after St. Louis, Mo. and the 10th Freedom-variant LCS designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team."The LCS fleet is growing in numbers and capability…

The charity behind the campaign to build the UK’s national memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic in Liverpool has announced that HRH The Princess Royal, has become its Patron.In a letter to the campaign Her Royal Highness said:“The Battle of the Atlantic, a six-year long campaign, was enormous in its scale, both geographically and logistically. In total over 100,000 people lost their lives in this epic struggle between the convoys and the U Boat packs. It required the combined efforts of huge numbers of men and women of many nationalities across their navies, air forces and merchant navies.

Finnish marine cargo handling equipment provider MacGregor has been selected to supply repeat packages of deck machinery equipment for two new US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) towing, salvage and rescue ships (T-ATS).According to a press release from MacGregor, part of Cargotec, the vessels under construction at Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, Louisiana, US. The new orders have a combined value of circa EUR 8 million (USD 9.02 million and are subsequent to the first contract secured in the fourth quarter of 2018 and announced in January 2019."We are very pleased that MacGregor has again been selected to supply deck machinery equipment for the two T-ATS class vessels…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has been selected to supply deck machinery equipment for a US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) T-ATSX-class vessel under construction at Gulf Island Shipyards, in Houma, Louisiana, US. The order was booked into Cargotec's fourth quarter 2018 order intake and the equipment is planned for delivery during the first quarter of 2020.MacGregor's latest naval contract with Gulf Island Shipyards, a subsidiary of Gulf Island Fabrication Inc, includes the option for a further seven vessels. The towing, salvage and rescue ship (T-ATSX) is a new class of vessel that will be deployed for worldwide naval service including open-ocean towing…

Global Fishing Watch is teaming up with the United States Coast Guard Research & Development Center (CG RDC) to conduct research on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and share analysis to advance global efforts to improve fisheries management.Global Fishing Watch (https://globalfishingwatch.org) and CG RDC are exploring pathways to collaborate on relevant research activities, such as the establishment of analytical methodologies to evaluate open-source vessel movement data…

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson visited New Zealand, Nov. 2 and 3, to meet with New Zealand naval leadership to discuss deepening the U.S.-New Zealand naval partnership and recognize New Zealand’s role as a leader in regional security. During the visit, Richardson met with his counterpart, Rear Adm. John Martin, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) to discuss opportunities to increase interoperability through more combined operations and personnel exchanges.“We are two very like nations,” said Richardson. “We share the same values. We are two maritime nations. Our navies operate together, and we’re two nations that are dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region that allows for the prosperity of everybody.”Richardson presented a U.S.

Tymor Marine of Aberdeen has been tapped to deliver a vessel mid-life extension survey for the Irish Naval Service.Tymor will survey the Irish Navy’s P50 class vessels to assess the condition of their structure, systems, equipment and machinery and provide a full analysis and report containing independent recommendations for integrity maintenance and upgrade activity.The award of this contract, following a competitive tender process, was one of several UK and European projects successfully completed by Tymor Marine in the marine…