Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command (NEIC) held a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station Oceana Nov. 22. Cmdr. Benjamin Snell relieved Capt. Joe J. Johnson as commanding officer of NEIC. “Today we recognize your (NEIC’s) outstanding achievements over the last few years as your new leade
The guided missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) conducted a change of command ceremony while in homeport at Naval Base San Diego, Nov. 22. Cmdr. Steven Foley, who has been the ship’s executive officer since September, relieved Cmdr. Dwayne Ducommun as commanding officer of Sampson during a ceremo
The guided missile frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) conducted a change of command ceremony while in homeport at Naval Base San Diego, Nov. 22. Cmdr. Steven R. McDowell, a native of Millbrook, N.Y., relived Cmdr. James E. Brown, a Las Vegas native, as commanding officer of Gary during a ceremony on the pier
USS Chancellorsville Finishes Combat Systems Upgrades Naval Sea Systems Command completed the first-ever Air Defense Cruiser Aegis Baseline 9 combat systems upgrade for USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), March 29. The upgrade, part of the Navy’s Cruiser Modernization program, began in April 2012 at BAE S
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) returned to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Nov. 22 from a deployment to the Western Pacific. Commanded by Capt. Patrick Kelly, the ship and its crew of nearly 340 Sailors departed Hawaii on April 30th and conducted integ
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus completed a visit to Doha, Qatar, Nov. 20. The visit was designed to build upon an existing relationship with Qatar, an important partner in the Middle East region. “Qatar is and remains a very valuable American partner,” said Mabus. “In our cooperation on a wide rang
The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 departed Norfolk to begin Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)Nov. 20. COMPTUEX is a series of training exercises designed to certify the carrier strike group deployment-ready by testing its ability to react to real-world scenarios and perform
Commodore Paddy McAlpine, Commander United Kingdom Task Group, met his US Navy counterpart, Captain Malcolm Potts, Commander Amphibious Squadron One, in the waters off Djibouti to discuss continuing amphibious interoperability between the two allies. Captain Potts, based on board USS Boxer, and Colo
The Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) returned home to Naval Station Norfolk Nov. 18 marking the successful completion of her nine-month maiden deployment. Gravely deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations Feb. 15. She supported maritime security and theater security opera
Guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) returned to its homeport of San Diego Nov. 18 following the completion of a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR). Deployed since April 19, the ship and crew of more than 280 Sailors served as the flagship for Destroyer Squadron (D
What began as an isolated Safety-of-Life-at-Sea (SOLAS) operation quickly turned into a coordinated effort between the Canadian ship Edmonton (MM 703), a Kingston Class Mine Countermeasure Ship, and the USS RENTZ (FFG 46) in the U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR) During routine Counter Tran
USS Freedom (LCS 1) arrived at Brunei’s port of Muara Nov. 18 to take on fuel and supplies in preparation to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the Philippines. The port visit occurs during the annual bilateral exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Br
U.S. Coast Guard crews intercepted five people suspected of working as refuelers for smuggling vessels approximately 100 miles south of San Diego, Sunday morning. At approximately 3:20 a.m., the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett detected the panga. After a brief chase ending in the use of disabling
The crew of the Cape May-based Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous returned on Sunday from a 48-day patrol. The Vigorous crew departed Oct. 1 for a counter-drug and counter-human trafficking patrol throughout the Caribbean Sea. During the patrol, Vigorous crewmembers offloaded $40 million worth of cocaine a
