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
It’s game time! The Planned Incremental Availability, or PIA, is finally over and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and her crew will take to the high seas with an unprecedented level of readiness. Since completing RIMPAC in July 2014, Ronald Reagan’s time and energy has been spent preparing for what’s on
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
Officials from the U.S. and Canada welcomed back a U.S. Coast Guard cutter with more than 28,000 pounds of cocaine on Thursday as allied forces set record drug seizure rates in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy ships have seized more cocaine in the last six mo
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
U.S. Navy frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) returned to Naval Base San Diego, April 17 from its final deployment, where it operated in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet and U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. During the seven-month deployment, Gary, the embarked “Scorpions” of Helicopter
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
The officers and crew of the mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) completed a material inspection with a grade of 87% given by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), March 16-19. During the inspection, the crew performed multiple demonstrations for the INSURV inspectors in ord
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
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
Cmdr. Jason Weed relieved Cmdr. Sean Fujimoto as commanding officer of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) during a change of command ceremony held onboard the submarine at U.S. Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, April 13. Fujimoto became the third commanding o
U.S. Navy frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) is scheduled to return to Naval Base San Diego April 17 from its final deployment, where it operated in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet and U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. During the seven-month deployment, Gary, the embarked “Scorpions” o
The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Seneca returned to their homeport in Boston on Friday, April 10, after a 64-day deployment. The crew of the Seneca completed Tailored Ships Training Availability (TSTA), served as a primary Search and Rescue Response asset along the eastern seaboard, and conducted f
