The “Fighting Marlins” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 returned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Washington, Jan. 29, following a seven-month deployment to the Pacific in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. The “Fighting Marlins” primarily conducted operations out of Kadena Air Base in J
UK’s New RFA Tankers to Get Military Capabilities The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a £15 million contract to A&P Group to install high-end military capabilities in four new tankers so that they are ready for operations by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Philippine Navy to Receive Two Vessels from A
Hardship Duty Pay-Tempo (HDP-T) eligible Sailors have received $4.2 million in their paycheck as of Jan. 28, according to US Navy officials. More than 5,500 Sailors from the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) received the HDP-T pay in their December a
The crew of the USS Kearsarge and pilots with Marine Attack Squadron 223 (VMA-223) continued integration training Jan. 20, building the squadron’s proficiency for operations at sea. The squadron, which is scheduled for deployment as part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit later this year, coordin
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg is patroling in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation CARIBBE 2015, Canada’s contribution to the multinational campaign against transnational criminal organizations in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean. HMCS Winnipeg’s deployment marks the beginning of se
Sailors, Marines and DoD civilians aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) participated in a “crossing the line” ceremony aboard the ship Jan. 23. The ceremony is a time-honored tradition predating the U.S. Navy when a ship crossed the equator and tested new Sailors to determine
The “Pathfinders” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35, Det. 1, the Navy’s first composite expeditionary helicopter squadron, are currently deployed aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) during her maiden 16-month rotational deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. HSM
The Virginia-class attack submarine USS California (SSN 781) returned to its homeport at U.S. Naval Submarine Base, New London, from its maiden deployment Jan. 24. Under the command of Cmdr. Shawn Huey, California is returning from the U.S. European Command area of responsibility where the crew exec
Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) began moving tanks of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) on board the ship Jan. 14, achieving another key milestone in moving the ship out of refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). AFFF is an extinguishing agent used fo
The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducted an ammo on-load Jan. 22-23 in preparation for its next deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. Over the course of two days, Weapons Department Sailors craned on and stored more than 1,000 pallets of
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine agents and interagency partners disrupted two separate drug smuggling attempts off the coast of Costa Rica resulting in the interdiction of more than $74 million in illegal drugs. On Jan. 20, a Jacksonville-based OAM aircrew aboard a P-3 wa
On January 21, 2015, the Bipartisan Virginia delegation wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel expressing their continued support for the 11 aircraft carrier fleet in advance of the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal. The Virginia delegation, consisting of U.S. S
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) breaks away from the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Robert E. Perry (T-AKE 5) after completing a replenishment-at-sea. The vessels engaged in RAS while in the Atlantic Ocean on January 2
The commanding officer of the dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) announced the 2014 Sailor of the Year (SOY), Junior Sailor of the Year (JSOY), and Bluejacket of the Year (BJOY) award recipients during the ship’s holiday party in San Diego, Dec. 12. Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Ronald Swift,
