Vessels
US Navy ships visit European ports ahead of New Year’s Eve
Two U.S. Navy destroyers and a guided missile cruiser visited ports in three European cities on December 30 and 31. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) arrived in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, while Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) arrived in Split
US Coast Guard awards contract for construction of ninth National Security Cutter
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division a $486 million fixed-price incentive contract for the construction of the ninth National Security Cutter. NSCs are the flagships of the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet, designed to replace the 12 Hamilton-class
Spanish, Pakistan Navy ships meet in Gulf of Aden
Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel ESPS Relámpago, currently part of the European Union Naval Force, met in the Gulf of Aden with Task Force 151 Pakistan Navy Ship, PNS Tariq on January 1. During the meeting, crewmembers from both ships cross-decked to the other in order to meet and share common
Japanese, US destroyers meet at sea for holiday gift exchange
Sailors from Japanese destroyer JS Yuugiri (DD 153) and U.S. Navy’s USS Shiloh (CG 67) met at sea to exchange holiday gifts on December 28. A week before, sailors from Japanese helicopter carrier JS Izumo visited U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan for a gift exchange and ship tour. During the m
NASSCO gets $324M for work on Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) 5
The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding a $324.4 million contract to definitize the long lead time material and to award the detail, design and construction of Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) 5. NASSCO received a $106 million contract in June this year to procure long lea
USS Carl Vinson begins deployment in January
The U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet announced that ships and units from the Carl Vinson strike group (CVNSG) will depart San Diego for a regularly-scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific on January 5 and 6. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Air Wing 2, and embarked Destro
USS Spruance changes command in San Diego
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) welcomed a new commanding officer during a ceremony held at Naval Base San Diego. Commander Manuel Hernandez turned over the role of commanding officer to Commander Joshua M. Menzel. The ship’s 325 member crew, family an
USS Rafael Peralta passes acceptance trials
The U.S. Navy’s future Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) completed acceptance trials December 16 after spending two days underway off the coast of Maine. USS Rafael Peralta is the third Flight IIA Restart destroyer laid down in October 2014 and christened a year later by the
South Korea decommissions final US naval ship in its fleet
The Republic of Korea Navy decommissioned ROKN ship Pyeongtaek (ATS-27), the last U.S. ship transferred to the ROK Navy, on December 28. Former USS Beaufort (ATS-2), an Edenton-class salvage and rescue ship, joined the U.S. Fleet in 1972 and served 24-years in the Indo-Asia-Pacific before being deco
Ike CSG to return home one day ahead of New Year’s Eve
U.S. Navy sailors from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group will arrive at their homeports December 30 following a seven-month deployment to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. More than 6,000 sailors will return home just in time for New Year’s Eve celebrations. The aircraft carrie
GD contracts BWXT for Virginia Payload Module launch tubes fabrication
General Dynamics Electric Boat has awarded BWXT Nuclear Operations Group a contract for the delivery of Virginia Payload Module (VPM) launch tubes. According to the company, the contract is worth approximately $35 million. The VPM will comprise four large-diameter payload tubes in a new hull section
Video: US Navy’s Fire Scout marks 10 years of flight
The U.S. Navy’s unmanned helicopter, MQ-8B Fire Scout, celebrated 10 years of flight on December 18, during a ceremony at Webster Field Annex, Maryland. The helicopter flew 15,000 hours during test and real-world operations since its first flight ten years ago. Fire Scout’s next variant, the MQ-8C w
Bechtel gets $303M for work on US Navy’s nuclear propulsion parts
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Bechtel Plant Machinery a $303 million contract for naval nuclear propulsion components. Part of the engineering and construction giant Bechtel Corp, Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. (BPMI) is responsible for providing design and manufacturing of nuclear p
Ike CSG leaves U.S. 6th Fleet area en route home
U.S. Navy’s Eisenhower carrier strike group (Ike CSG) departed the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations on December 26, six days after it set sail from the French city of Marseille. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56), and guided-missil