Celestial navigation is one of the earliest forms of sea-based positioning and relies on taking angles between the horizon and a reliable celestial body like the sun, moon, or certain planets and stars. From their inception in 1798, Navy navigators and quartermasters were taught and used this method
The U.S. Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, PCU Rafael Peralta (DDG115), will be commissioned July 29 in California, acting secretary of the U.S. Navy Sean J. Stackley has announced. The ceremony will take place at Naval Air Station North Island. Rafael Peralta is the 65th A
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced that it has branded its Dual Mode Plus laser-guided bomb (LGB) as Paragon. Paragon has been integrated on the F/A-18 while F-16 test flights are planned for the second quarter of 2017. In a U.S. Navy test from August 2016, the Dual Mode Plus demonstr
Royal Canadian Navy’s last Iroquois-class destroyer HMCS Athabaskan is set to be decommissioned at the Canadian Forces Base Halifax on March 10, after 44 years of service. The destroyer returned to her homeport on March 1 after completing the final underway of her career. During the underway, HMCS A
U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) made a port call at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on March 2 during her Indo-Asia-Pacific patrol. “Our crew has had the opportunity to meet our partner Japanese submarine crews that visit Pearl Harbor and are excited to visit their ho
Over ten ships from four nations are participating in the annual, Royal Navy of Oman-hosted exercise Khunjar Haad that takes place in the Gulf of Oman. Ships from the Royal Navy of Oman are joined by U.S., French and Royal Navy ships in gunnery and air defense exercises aimed at maintaining the sail
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
The U.S. Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for its future guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG 121) at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard on February 21. The ship is named in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African-American general and will be the 33rd Arleigh Burke-
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
Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis St Laurent, the country’s heaviest icebreaker, arrived in Quebec, Canada where it was dry-docked for a refit. Work on the refit and upgrades of CCGS Louis St Laurent will be undertaken by Davie Shipbuilding under a $14 million contract announced in January 2017. Durin
The wreck of the U.S. Navy’s World War II cruiser USS Houston (CA 30) lying in Indonesian waters appears to be intact, an analysis of data from a multi-beam sonar survey has revealed. Following a 2014 expedition, specialists from the Naval History and Heritage Command Underwater Archeology (UA) Bran
U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) completed its unit-level training in record time and returned to Sasebo, Japan,on February 13. “Out at sea, ship’s readiness and operability are the responsibility of all hands,” said Capt. Jeffrey Ward, USS Bonhomme Richard, commandin
In conjunction with the Missile Defense Agency, guided-missile cruisers USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), along with guided-missile destroyers USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) and USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), successfully executed a live-fire missile exercise off the coast of North Caro
General Dynamics delivered the 65th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) to the U.S. Navy on February 3. DDG 115 is the second Flight IIA restart ship to be delivered to the navy and the first to be built at Bath Iron Works since the program was restarted in 2010. DDG 115 follo