Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) and Commander Task Force 134 held a change of command ceremony at the submarine piers on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Aug. 7. Rear Adm. Phillip G. Sawyer relieved Rear Adm. James F. Caldwell Jr. Caldwell assumed command in December 2010 an
The Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator safely returned to Naval Air Station Patuxent River Aug. 8 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia aftercompleting a number of historic firsts for carrier-based unmanned aviation. The X-47B, known as Salty Dog 502, was temporari
Guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) returned to its Naval Station Norfolk homeport Aug. 6, marking completion of a seven-month deployment. In January, Gonzalez deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility to support maritime security operations and promote theater security cooper
The U.S. Navy completed the first fleet firing of Raytheon Company’s Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 as part of its ongoing developmental and operational testing (DT/OT). In an at-sea test conducted from the USS Arlington (LPD 24), two RAM Block 2 missiles engaged a subsonic target in a scenario de
The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed Brisbane, Australia following a five-day, goodwill port visit, Aug. 3. The city of Brisbane welcomed more than 5,000 George Washington Sailors into its shops, restaurants, schools and parks to experience Austra
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has successfully completed the comprehensive risk reduction program for the U.S. Navy’s Knifefish Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) program. Designed to discover any potential systems defect
Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas awarded a $20,249,617 million dollar firm-fixed price task order Aug. 7 to Guam Multiple Award Construction Contracts (MACC) Builders A JV, a large business, for ongoing Guam realignment work. “With this contract award, the Department of Defense
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 102, which had been deployed aboard USS Freedom (LCS 1) since March, is scheduled to return to San Diego Aug. 7 following the ship’s maiden overseas deployment in support of operations with regional navies in the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility. Crew 102 turned over
More than 400 friends and family members arrived on board the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) for a one-day Tiger Cruise in Gaeta, Italy, Aug. 5. Participants in the event, also known as ‘tigers’, received a welcome aboard package upon arrival which included a welcome aboard lette
Aboard the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) the outgoing “Gold” crew and incoming “Blue” crew completed the first crew swap on a deployed LCS during a brief turnover ceremony Aug. 6. Both crews assembled in two distinct formations on either side of the flight deck “T” line used to designate
Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) will become the first West Coast ship to deploy with the MV-22 Osprey this fall. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 166 (Reinforced) is embarked on Boxer as a part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and will deploy wi
The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed their Certification Exercise (CERTEX) on Aug. 7. CERTEX is a comprehensive set of training exercises that combines Navy and Marine Corps amphibious capabilities. “The single most essential objective
Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) continues to welcome midshipmen throughout the summer from the U.S. Naval Academy and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) to learn about life and operations aboard an aircraft carrier. “The objective of the midshipmen summer training is to further their p
The U.S. Navy participated in Exercise Noble Melinda, July 22 – Aug. 1, in the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa, Israel. The exercise was an annual training event that was not associated with, or a reaction to, any real-world events, the US Navy informed. Noble Melinda is an annual maritime exercise des
