Capt. Francis X. Castellano relieved Capt. Robert D. Katz as commanding officer of guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) during a change-of-command ceremony, April 17. Katz commanded Vella Gulf during a six-month deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. While deployed, Vella Gulf
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8 held a change of command ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station, April 17. Rear Adm. Victorino G. Mercado was relieved by Rear Adm. Bret C. Batchelder as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, which includes the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. Mercado assumed command of CSG
US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus recently announced that the next Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named USS St. Louis. The future USS St. Louis, designated LCS 19, will be the seventh ship to bear the name. The first St. Louis, a sloop of war, was launched in 1828. It spent the
Three out of four Royal Canadian Navy vessels will receive a final salute from their current and former sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen on their respective coasts this spring and summer. On September 19, 2014, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), announced the
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Whitehorse and Nanaimo returned to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, B.C., after a deployment on Operation Caribbe. The combined efforts of Whitehorse and Nanaimo during this operation aided the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in the interception of more than 5,800
Austal has been awarded a $11 million order against the previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) to provide engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the Post Shakedown Availability for Littoral Combat Ship USS Jackson (LCS 6). Under the contract, Aus
Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Jacksonville enters a new realm of supply support with the arrival of the littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. USS Independence is the tri-hull variant of the littoral combat sh
Boeing has delivered the first of 10 upgraded aircraft diagnostic and maintenance systems to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The devices, used for servicing military aircraft, consolidate depot level testing into a single station, improving efficiencies and lowering costs while maximizing use of exi
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, awarded an $8.2 million task order to Engineering Services Network, Inc. (ESN). The one-year task order will create three additional positions and the entire task order will be executed in various locations. They include Oxnard, CA, Norfolk, VA, B
The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba returned to their homeport in Boston, on April 13, after a 54-day deployment in the Caribbean. During the patrol, the Escanaba’s mission was to detect and interdict vessels suspected of narcotics trafficking in the waters south of Puerto Rico and the Domini
BAE Systems has received a $52.9 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to provide additional canisters for the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS). The VLS canisters are used to ship, store, and launch various types of missiles from Navy ships. The canister contract — originally awarded
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a three-year contract to provide engineering and other services to modernize weapon launch platforms on U.S. and allied submarines. The initial award from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center is valued at $3.4 million, with the total value of the three-year contrac
Sailors and members of the community had the opportunity to observe an F-35C Lightning II aircraft static display at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California, April 14. The static display is part of a six-day visit by elements of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA-101) “Grim Reapers” to NAS Lemoore. NA
An Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) will be named after Margaret Brooke, a Royal Canadian Navy Nursing Sister decorated for gallantry during the Second World War. The actions followed the torpedoing and subsequent sinking of the Newfoundland ferry SS Caribou on October 14, 1942, in the off Newfoun
