The new LX(R) line of U.S. Navy amphibious combat ships could be built faster than the LPD line and could be procured as early as 2018, a U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing indicated on March 2. U.S. Senator Thad Cochran chaired the hearing to review the FY2017 budget request fo
The U.S. Navy’s Southwest Regional Maintenance Center has awarded General Dynamics a contract for the phased maintenance availability (PMA) of USS Essex (LHD-2). Under the $156,5 million contract, GD will plan and perform depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications on the U.S. Navy’s amp
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), took the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7 aboard for a patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. Bonhomme Richard arrived in White Beach, Okinawa February 28 to r
USNS Grapple, U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command ship, departed Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach on February 29 to begin its deployment to Africa in the 6th Fleet’s area of operations. With a crew of approximately 45 U.S. Navy divers and Civil Service mariners, Gr
U.S. Navy has awarded Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of the American shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, a contract to assist with planning for the refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The $185.2 million contract option funds the
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), and amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42), arrived in White Beach, Okinawa after completing a 9-day certification exercise (CERTEX) in the East China Sea, February 28. The ships embarked the 31st Marine Expeditionary Un
Norfolk Naval Shipyard completed the engineered refueling overhaul (ERO) on U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine has USS Maryland (SSBN 738) on February 24. EROs are complex, major shipyard availabilities that extend a submarine’s service life. In addition to being refueled, The U.S. N
Representatives of the U.S. Navy and other Pacific Partnership nations gathered in Singapore February 22-26 for a planning conference in preparations for the 2016-mission. Now in its 11th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief prepare
Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Navy) will be taking part in the U.S. Navy-organized international maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), with a yet to be determined number of units. Wu Qian, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed this at a regular briefing despite of recently hei
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg returned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on February 23 after an eight-and-a-half month deployment and participation in two international exercises. On Operation REASSURANCE, HMCS Winnipeg served with two Standing NATO Maritime Groups, supported NA
Canadian officials announced February 22 that a new expert advisor has been elected to assist on the $26.2 billion “Canadian Surface Combatant” shipbuilding programme under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). Through the NSPS, the Government is supporting the renewal of the Canada
The U.S. Navy representative in South Korea officially opened its headquarters in Busan, Korea on February 19. Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and thereby marked the start of what the U.S. Navy called “a new era of U.S. and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN
The U.S. Navy announced that its Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) is leading the creation of a virtual cyber test bed ship called USS Secure in conjunction with three Navy system commands, cyber defense leaders, and experts from coast to coast. The test bed is designed to make
Shipbuilding Association of Canada, the voice of Canada’s shipbuilding industry expressed concerns over recent reports that the Canadian government may lease foreign built tugboats rather than build replacement tugs for the Royal Canadian Navy at home. Several media reports in the recent days said t
