Crew members, plankowners, family members and friends gathered Sept. 6 to bid farewell to USS Halyburton (FFG 40) during a decommissioning ceremony which capped more than 30 years of naval service. Among the ceremony guests were retired Cmdr. Porter Halyburton, a Silver Star recipient who spent se
Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02), part of NATO’s four Standing Maritime Forces, entered the Black Sea to participate in the U.S./Ukraine-led Exercise SEA BREEZE and enhance NATO’s solidarity and readiness in the region. Task Unit 02 presently consists of the Canadian fri
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 conducted Fleet Carrier Landing Practice training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Sept. 2. The squadron conducted the FCLP training to sharpen their pilots’ landing skills prior to embarking on the USS Roosevelt. FCLP training is a requirement for pilot
Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) assemble for an all-hands call aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5). Peleliu is on its final western Pacific deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asi
Exercise Sea Breeze 2014 (SB14), a multinational maritime exercise in the Black Sea, is set to start Sept. 8, as representatives from five participating nations and Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) will gather at sea aboard the USS Ross (DDG 71) for the exercise’s opening
The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted Japanese guests and command ombudsman for a daylight embark, Sept. 4. Honorable Seijiro Kasama, mayor of Ayase, Japan; Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Tatsuya Futakawa, commander, Fleet Air Wing Fou
HMCS Toronto will work with vessels from several partner nations in the Black Sea as part of Operation Reassurance from September 6-27. In the wake of Russia’s aggression in Central and Eastern Europe, these training exercises and maritime situational awareness operations will enhance maritime sec
The future amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) departed Callao, Peru, Sept. 3 after a three-day port visit. This was the crew’s final port visit on the ship’s maiden transit, “America Visits the Americas” as the ship continues to make its way from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.
Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, and Combined Task Forces (CTF) 32 and 34 completed an Undersea Warfare Exercise (USWEX), Sept. 3. The USWEX lasted 96 hours and assessed the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities of the strike group while it was engaged i
Exercise Sea Breeze 2014 (SB14), a multinational maritime exercise in the Black Sea, is set to start Sept. 8, as representatives from five participating nations and Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) will gather at sea aboard the USS Ross (DDG 71) for the exercise’s opening
Mississippi distinguished visitors recently spent 24 hours aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CNV 71) located 120 miles off the coast of Florida. The Distinguished Visitor (DV) program is hosted by Naval Air Forces and is focused on giving citizens a rare firsthand look at life aboard an aircraft carr
The United States Navy’s only forward-deployed air wing Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 flew aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Sept. 3 to continue their 2014 patrol of U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations (AOR). CVW-5 is composed of nine squadrons with approximately 1,9
Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) participate in a recovery assist landing with an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Saberhawks of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77. Antietam is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsi
Sailors aboard guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) participated in a multinational fleet training exercise (FLEETEX) Aug. 20-25. Gettysburg conducted exercises with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and a Canadian task group, strengthening international relationships with allied maritime pa