Sailors and Marines manned the rails as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) set sail from Naval Station Norfolk Tuesday morning, October 6, for its maiden deployment. The ship pulled out of Norfolk to begin the transit across the Atlantic Ocean. The San Antonio-class ship and i
The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) arrived in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) on September 21. Commanded by Cmdr. Shea Thompson, the ship and crew of more than 300 Sailors are currently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23 and will be conducting Maritime Theater Security C
Cmdr. Micah Maxwell relieved Cmdr. Brian Tothero as Commander of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Buffalo (SSN 715) during a ceremony at the submarine piers on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oct. 6. While in command, Tothero led his submarine through the completion of a 17-month ship
First Lady Michelle Obama joins General Dynamics Electric Boat in christening Illinois (SSN-786), the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced nuclear attack submarine, at a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. First Lady Michelle Obama is the ship’s sponsor and participated in the keel laying of t
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. received a $392 million contract modification from the US Navy for the delivery of further Trident II (D5) missiles and related support services. The contract also includes missile production, D5 life extension development and production, and D5 deployed systems sup
For the first time in almost 38 years, there will be no Oliver Hazard Perry (OHP) Frigate on the fleet rolls of the United States Navy. The USS Simpson (FFG 56) was decommissioned in her homeport of Mayport, Florida, Sept. 29, and represented the last frigate in the Navy’s inventory. The OHP Frigate
The guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) was inducted as the first ship to undergo a modernization effort that will significantly upgrade its capabilities in multiple mission areas, Sept. 25, at Naval Base San Diego. The CG Phased Modernization Program is designed to balance the Navy’s long-te
US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will name the Navy’s new Virginia-class submarine as USS Utah in a ceremony on September 28. This will be the second vessel in US Navy history to bear the name. The first USS Utah was commissioned in 1911 and was eventually sunk by the Japanese in 1941. In 1998, the U.S.
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) has been named the Pacific Fleet’s recipient of the prestigious Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy. The announcement was made June 16, 2015 by Adm. James F. Caldwell, Jr. in Washington, D.C. Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, pres
The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Submarine Force successfully tested its operational proficiency in clandestine mine deployment during a Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine Exercise (SLMM-Ex) conducted earlier this month off the coast of Kauai at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). SLMM-Ex is designed to d
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), Sept. 20 after departing from their homeport of San Diego, Sept. 9. Commanded by Cmdr. Gill McCarthy, Russell is a ballistic missile defense ship that departed her homepo
Cmdr. Burt J. Canfield relieved Cmdr. Daniel B. Caldwell as commanding officer of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) during a change of command ceremony held at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Sept. 18. The event was the ship’s first change of command since its commissioning o
After nearly 28 years of Naval service, friends, family members, former and present crewmembers will gather at Naval Station Norfolk to decommission USS Kauffman (FFG 59), Norfolk’s last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, Sept. 18. In the 28 years of service, USS Kauffman gave its nation, the ship a
US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that the next Freedom-variant littoral combat ship will be named USS Wichita (LCS 13) during a naming ceremony at Wichita City Hall. The selection of Wichita honors Kansas’ largest city and will be the third ship to bear the name. The first Wichita was co
