U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Confidence completed a 44-day northern Caribbean Sea patrol returning to its homeport in Port Canaveral on February 25. During their patrol of the Florida Straits and the Windward Passage, the crew conducted alien migrant interdiction operations, conducted search and rescue o
U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) welcomed a new commander in a ceremony held on the historic submarine piers in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, February 24. Cmdr. Mike R. Dolbec relieved Cmdr. Todd J. Nethercott as the new commanding officer. Capt. Richard Seif, c
In an effort to accelerate progress on the electromagnetic railgun development, BAE Systems announced the acquisition of Ohio-based IAP Research. Prior to the acquisition, IAP Research was a major BAE Systems subcontractor on the U.S. Navy-led development of an electromagnetic (EM) railgun. The Dayt
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s logistic support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan is undergoing refit works at the naval base Parera in Willemstad, Curaçao, where it is expected to remain until April 2017. HNLMS Pelikaan was launched in 2006 in Galati, Romania, and sailed into Willemstad for the first time on 11
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) concluded an independent deployment to the Arabian Gulf, western Pacific, and Indian Ocean and returned to Pearl Harbor on February 21. Hopper spent 180 days forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleets, with more than 3
U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) made a port call in Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan while on her Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment, February 19. “The crew of Alexandria is looking forward to another opportunity for liberty in Sasebo,” said Cmdr. Todd Santala, comman
Facing end-of-life challenges, old displays on ships in the U.S. Navy fleet are being replaced by new ones that are to be delivered by General Micro Systems, the company announced in February. From an RFQ first seen in 2013, the SD19 SmartView display system is now in the deployment phase. General M
The lead ship of U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Nimitz (CVN 68) has shown it is mission ready by completing the Material Inspection, one day earlier than expected in San Diego, February 16. Material Inspection is the final phase of the congressionally-mandated inspection of U.S. Navy
The “suicide boats” used by Yemen’s Houthi fighters during the recent attack on Royal Saudi Navy frigate Al-Madinah were actually unmanned boats, a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral told Defense News in a recent interview. Official reports from the January 30 incident said the frigate was attacked by three boa
In a move designed to give the ship an edge over mines, sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie performed a deperming procedure on the ship ahead of her upcoming deployment. The Ticonderoga-class cruiser moored at Naval Base Point Loma’s deperming pier, February 6-9,
After several U.S. Coast Guard cutters seized more than 13 tons of cocaine, the crew of USCGC Midgett offloaded the contraband at Naval Base San Diego on February 16. The cocaine was seized in international waters off the coast of Central and South America by crews of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Sh
U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), completed crew certification on February 16, following a three-day fast cruise. “It is the crew that brings the ship to life,” said Capt. Rick McCormack, Ford’s commanding officer. “The crew is at the heart of all that we d
U.S. Navy’s Singapore-based littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrived in Brunei for the first scheduled port visit on its deployment on February 16. While in port Coronado will host multiple ship tours and put the embarked MH-60S Seahawk helicopter and MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter on
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight visited Havana, Cuba on the latest stop during her Caribbean counter-drug deployment. Other roles of the support ship include flying the flag for Britain in its overseas territories, being on stand-by to help out in the event of a natural disaster and generally prom
