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
USS Anchorage (LPD 23) successfully completed final contract trials and returned to San Diego July 18. Final contract trials serve as the final review of a newly constructed ship, with the ship’s crew operating the vessel while still under warranty from the shipbuilder. The trial, run by the Navy’s
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
Recruit Training Command (RTC) and Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU), Great Lakes, were hosts to 10 interns from the South Korean Parliament on July 30. The visit was part of an annual exchange program between college student interns from the Korean National Assembly and United States C
Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) participated in a community service event (COMSERV) at Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) during the crew’s five-day port visit to Brisbane, Australia, Aug. 1. Twenty-eight Sailors volunteered for the opportun
The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) completed a missile exercise (MISSILX), Aug. 4. Philippine Sea, and USS Truxtun (DDG 103) simultaneously launched Navy Standard Missile-2’s (SM-2) while USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) launched shortly afterwards. The MISSILEX required that all three ship
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) departed its homeport of Norfolk to begin the Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP) process, July 30. TSTA/FEP prepares the ship and crew for full integration into a carrier strike group through a wid
Guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) conducted an air operations for maritime surface warfare exercise in the Persian Gulf, July 17. The exercise was a joint operation between Monterey and aircraft from U.S. Air Force, Central Command. “This was an excellent opportunity for Monterey to improv
October is Energy Awareness Month for the U.S. Navy, and at Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE), employing energy conservation as a means of reducing shore infrastructure costs to invest more in support of the warfighter, is in full swing. In concert with many other clean energy programs, the S
Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) held a change of command ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., Aug. 1. Cmdr. Bret M. Grabbe relieved Cmdr. Todd S. Weeks during the ceremony. The keynote speaker, Capt. Vern Parks, commander, Submarine Development Sq
Maritime security leader the AdvanFort Company announced on Wednesday that it has volunteered for service in the piracy-infested waters in and around the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as part of the U.S. Coast Guard-coordinated Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (Amver), whose members
USS Freedom’s “Blue” Crew arrived in Singapore July 31 to conduct the first crew swap of a littoral combat ship during an overseas deployment. An advance Blue team is already on board Freedom conducting familiarization evolutions at sea. Following nearly five months of extensive training, the Blue C