Us Naval Institute News

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

While the December 2021 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News examines 'Great Ships' delivered this calendar  year, Edward Lundquist takes a look back into U.S. Navy history and America's first aircraft carrier —CV 1, the USS Langley.Most people think of USS Langley as America’s first aircraft carrier — CV 1. While that’s true, and being the first flattop in the fleet is an honorable distinction, Langley began life as a collier — USS Jupiter, which itself was a relatively new concept of delivering fuel to the afloat forces where they need it. Today, the U.S.

China's military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday.These mockups reflect China's efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.The satellite images showed a full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh…

In November 2019, the Office of Coast Survey (OCS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced the start of a five-year program to “sunset” all raster and paper nautical charts.NOAA has produced electronic navigational charts (ENCs) since 1993. In the 2019 notice, NOAA writes that “ENC sales increased 425% since 2008, while sales of paper charts are now half of 2008 levels.”For NOAA and mariners, a focus on electronic charts and publications promises many advantages. With a singular focus, NOAA can use its resources more efficiently.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman named after the fabulously wealthy ancient kingdom of Ormus, has fascinated oil traders since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Iran has periodically threatened to close the strait to enemy shipping, while the United States and its allies have pledged to keep it open and maintain freedom of navigation, by force if necessary.The strait has become a symbolic flashpoint in the region-wide confrontation and indirect…

Part II in a two-part series, continued from the January 2017 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. Read Part I here. If reliance on the foreign commercial market is risky because of uncertain reliability, then what of U.S. Government ownership of a fleet of vessels? That has also been on the menu since the early 20th century. President Woodrow Wilson proposed in September 1914 that the U.S. Government acquire commercial cargo vessels. Congress disagreed, which delayed enactment of the President’s proposal until the Shipping Act, 1916. A compromise was struck to permit U.S. Government ownership as a war time measure – but all vessels so acquired had to be sold to private owners within five years of the end of the war.

The privately owned U.S.-flag foreign trading fleet, which is an essential component of U.S. sealift capability, stands on the edge of a precipice. The fleet – roughly stable in terms of cargo carrying capacity from 2000 to 2012 – has declined from 106 vessels in 2012 to 78 vessels at October 30, 2016 primarily because of a substantial decline in available U.S. Government-reserved cargo. The size of the fleet has reached a point where the viability of the U.S.-flag industry involved in foreign trade – including its trained mariners…

North Korea has lost contact with one of its submarines off the east coast of the country, CNN reports citing US officials. The U.S. is unsure whether the missing vessel is adrift at sea or has sunk, officials said. US spy satellites, aircraft and ships observed as the North Korean navy searched for the missing submarine for several days, the officials said. The United States is unaware of the submarine’s current whereabouts. CNN cited three unidentified U.S. officials saying that U.S. spy satellites, aircraft and ships have been secretly watching the North's navy searching for the missing submarine for days. U.S. officials believe the submarine "suffered some type of failure during an exercise," though it's unclear if the vessel is adrift under the sea or if it sank, the report said.

China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. "Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard. "Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," Clapper added.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s “number one priority is the offshore patrol cutter,” the service’s commandant told the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee Thursday, reports U.S. Naval Institute. The service will be looking again at its force-mix analysis, taking into account the money appropriated for a ninth national security cutter for this fiscal year, Adm. Paul Zukunft said. He said he had “the utmost confidence” the Coast Guard will down-select to one shipbuilder this year for the offshore patrol cutter. The budget request for Fiscal Year 2017 includes $100 million for long-lead procurement for the offshore patrol cutter program. A service fact sheet said the 25 offshore patrol cutters and 58 fast response cutters will replace 90 cutters now in the fleet.

Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday welcomed the U.S. Navy's decision to use Lockheed's integrated combat system for future frigate-class ships to be built beginning in fiscal 2019, saying it would allow greater commonality across the entire Navy fleet. "It's great news," Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems at Lockheed, told Reuters in a telephone interview. Neither the Navy nor Lockheed provided an estimate for the value of the combat system, but North said each system accounted for less than 10 percent of the cost of the ship. The last three ships ordered by the Navy ranged in price from $345 million to $441 million. The decision will make it easier for the future frigates that will succeed the current Littoral Combat Shipsp (LCS) to work together with U.S.

The U.S. Navy has ordered two new littoral combat ships from Austal, the shipbuilder said in a press release today. The two orders, worth $691 million, are part of the Navy's expansion of a previous block buy contract with Austal to 10 total ships, with the option to award an eleventh ship in FY 2016. The Navy also awarded a $441 million contract to Lockheed Martin for one LCS, U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) News reported. “The Navy’s confidence in Austal’s ability to continue to…

Russia’s Sevmash shipyard will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its next generation Project fifth Yasen-M multirole nuclear submarine, the Arkhangelsk, on March 19. The Yasen-class subs are touted as the most advanced nuclear-powered multipurpose underwater craft in the Russian Navy. According to local media reports, the Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov has ordered that the submarine be named Arkhangelsk. This missile carrier will become the fifth Yasen Project multirole nuclear submarine, developed by St. Petersburg's Malakhit naval design bureau. Designed by Rubin Marine Equipment Design Bureau and built by Northern Machine Building Enterprise (Sevmash shipyard)…

Admiral Paul Zukunft, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, visited the Port of San Diego’s administrative offices on February 12. The Commandant was in town to participate in the 2015 Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association /U.S. Naval Institute Conference held at the San Diego Convention Center. During his visit to the port, the Commandant participated in a briefing that included Dan Malcolm, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners; Acting President and CEO John Bolduc; Acting Chief of Harbor Police Mark Stainbrook and other senior Port staff members.

A French frigate has entered the Black Sea, growing the number of NATO surface warships in the region to three, according to a U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) news report citing a ship spotting blog and Russian press reports. Surcouf (F711), a La Fayette-class frigate was spotted by amateur photographers crossing the Bosporus strait on Wednesday joining French signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lôme (A759) and U.S. guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) – both which entered the region earlier this month. In reaction to the increased NATO naval presence in the region, Russian officials said they would begin to fly more air patrols over the Black Sea. According to USNI U.S. and NATO ships have had a rotational presence in the Black Sea since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Former USCG Admiral Thad Allen is a transformational leader in the history of the service, a rock through thick and thin. Today he talks about resource allocation, risk management and homeland security. As part of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Justice and Homeland Security business group, Executive Vice President and former U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen leads the development of thought leadership and client engagements regarding the future direction of law enforcement and homeland security. The Coast Guard is under pressure to either pare its mission mix or downscale what it does.

Austal USA is delighted to announce the employment of Dr. Craig Hooper as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and External Affairs. Dr. Hooper comes to us as the publisher of NextNavy.com, a widely-read national security-oriented website. He has a PhD from Harvard University and is the co-founder of New Pacific Institute, a national security think-tank. His experience also includes work as a lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School, School of International Graduate Studies, Department of National Security Affairs. He is the founding contributor to the U.S. Naval Institute Blog on naval affairs and has published papers for leading defense publications to include: Proceedings of the U.S. Naval Institute, National Defense Magazine, and Naval War College Review.

The last 12 months has been one for the books ... or the trash. There was no shortage of government inducements to turn the lackluster tide in 2012—stimulus spending in China and Japan, quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and multiple actions by the European Central Bank to strengthen the Eurozone. But as the year evolved, weak macroeconomic fundamentals decisively trumped monetary policy initiatives and continued their choke on global commerce, hence the maritime sector.

On July 27, 2011, the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) begins an important new chapter with the appointment of Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly, U.S. Navy (Ret.) as the professional society’s Chief Executive Officer. Daly served from August 2008 until June 2011 as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. He brings more than 30 years experience as a commissioned naval officer, to include command of the destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59); Commander, Destroyer Squadron 31; and Commander, Carrier Strike Group 11. He has also served as Deputy for Resources and Acquisition (J-8), Office, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and as Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.

1884 - Department of the Navy establishes the Naval War College at Newport, RI (General Order 325). 1940 - Fourth group of 8 U.S. destroyers involved in Destroyers for Bases Deal are turned over to British authorities at Halifax, Canada. 1943 - In night Battle of Vella Lavella, 3 U.S. 1958 - USS Seawolf (SSN-575) completes record submerged run of 60 days, logging over 13,700 nautical miles. 1997 - NASA Astronaut CDR Wendy B. Lawrence, USN returns from mission of STS-86: Shuttle -Mir 7 when Atlantis docked with Mir Space Station. The mission began on 25 September. 1864 - USS Washusett captures Confederate raider CSS Florida in harbor of Bahia, Brazil. 1924 - Rigid airship Shenandoah commences transcontinental flight.

While ongoing operations involving ships at sea and forward-deployed forces are moving along as scheduled, the government shutdown is reverberating throughout the Navy, especially at its shipyards. More than 75,000 Navy civilian employees will be furloughed, according to Military.com. Citing a U.S. Naval Institute report, Military.com says that [unpaid] furloughs are slated to occur at all four of the Navy’s public shipyards, including: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash.…

"Until the Sea Shall Free Them," an account of the sinking of the SS Marine Electric in 1983 and the rescue of some of its crew, is back in print after Blue Jacket press and the Naval Institute rolled press on a second printing. The book, used by maritime academies and USCG safety instructors, tells the story of how more than 30 men went into the cold waters off Virginia and how only three came back. The three men, lead by Captain Robert M. Cusick, then battled against great odds to reform the industry. They eventually succeeded with the help of Coast Guard Captain Domenic A. Calicchio.

No way, says Guy Thomas, a man who’s in a position to know because he designed the satellite on which the information giant is renting space for its latest venture — a satellite that uses the same technology the Navy and the Coast Guard use. “Anybody driving along the shore with a pair of binoculars can see that destroyer out there. That’s the only time those ships have AIS on,” said Thomas, the Coast Guard’s science and technology adviser for maritime domain awareness. The controversy over AIS popped up after Michael Jones, chief technology advocate for Google Ventures, said in a May 17 speech to the U.S. Naval Institute’s annual Joint Warfighting Conference that his company was developing a system to track ships at sea globally — including naval vessels.