Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the not-yet-launched Zumwalt-class destroyer he toured Nov. 21 “represents the cutting edge of our naval capabilities.” The ship, now known as the Pre-Commissioning Unit, or PCU, Zumwalt, will become the USS Zumwalt, named for former Navy Adm. Elmo Zumwalt. Officia
Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN 700) returned to Groton, Conn., Nov. 25, just in time for Thanksgiving and following its final scheduled deployment after more than 30 years in service. Led by Cmdr. Jack Houdeshell, Dallas transited more than 34,000 miles during a scheduled six-mon
The guided missile frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) conducted a change of command ceremony while in homeport at Naval Base San Diego, Nov. 22. Cmdr. Steven R. McDowell, a native of Millbrook, N.Y., relived Cmdr. James E. Brown, a Las Vegas native, as commanding officer of Gary during a ceremony on the pier
USS Chancellorsville Finishes Combat Systems Upgrades Naval Sea Systems Command completed the first-ever Air Defense Cruiser Aegis Baseline 9 combat systems upgrade for USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), March 29. The upgrade, part of the Navy’s Cruiser Modernization program, began in April 2012 at BAE S
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) returned to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Nov. 22 from a deployment to the Western Pacific. Commanded by Capt. Patrick Kelly, the ship and its crew of nearly 340 Sailors departed Hawaii on April 30th and conducted integ
The U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) participated in an underway oil spill response exercise with USNS Catawba (T-ATF-168) in Bahraini waters, Nov. 6-10. The exercise was held to test the Navy’s capability to respond to an emergent oil spill from a U.S. Navy ship. SUPSALV maint
Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC), a joint venture between DRS Technologies and Thales, successfully demonstrated advanced mine-hunting capabilities with the US Navy during the 2013 Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) Unmanned Systems (UxS) Campaign. By towing the unmanned high resolution synthetic aperture
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.(NASSCO) has received a $12.1 million worth contract modification to exercise the option for the fitting-out availability of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, the USS Somerset (LPD 25). The contract includes engineering, planning, manage
The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 departed Norfolk to begin Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)Nov. 20. COMPTUEX is a series of training exercises designed to certify the carrier strike group deployment-ready by testing its ability to react to real-world scenarios and perform
The Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) returned home to Naval Station Norfolk Nov. 18 marking the successful completion of her nine-month maiden deployment. Gravely deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations Feb. 15. She supported maritime security and theater security opera
Maritime forces from East Africa, the United States and European nations concluded exercise Cutlass Express 2013, Nov. 18. Cutlass Express is one of four African regional “Express” series exercises facilitated by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet. The objective of the exercise was to in
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Acoustics Division, with Bluefin Robotics, executed a record setting 507 kilometer (315 mile), long-endurance autonomy research mission using its heavyweight-class mine countermeasures autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), Reliant. NRL’s Reliant AUV, when eq
For two days, 20 Heads of Navy, 54 international delegations and 127 distinguished guests; including General Philip Breedlove USA AF, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, will gather under the auspices of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the maritime
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark Ferguson returned Nov. 15 from an official visit to the People’s Republic of China. During the four-day visit, Adm. Ferguson held discussions with senior leaders of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)) and visited several PLA(N) ships, including the 7,5
