Royal Navy auxiliary landing ship dock RFA Mounts Bay served as the test bed for a mobile US Navy minehunting force during a recent test off the coast of Virginia. The test included helicopters, divers, remote-controlled boats and automated surveying machines and was intended to see whether a task f
The lead ship of the US Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), will return to operations three months later than originally planned, in part due to issues related to ship’s nuclear propulsion plant. News of the delay comes amid the confirmation of a US Navy plan to r
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division a $1.47 billion contract for the detail design and construction of the amphibious transport dock LPD 30. The ship will be the 14th in the San Antonio class and the first Flight II LPD. LPD 30 is
US Navy’s sixth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named in honor of Korean War veteran, and Navy Cross Recipient, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, the US Navy secretary has announced. Neal, a native of Springfield, Ohio, served with Helicopter Utility Squadron ONE (
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Australia-based shipbuilder Austal a $261.7 million contract for additional work on Expeditionary Fast Transport Ships (EPF) 13 and 14. The contract award extends the EPF program to 2022, with construction of EPF 13 to commence in late 2019 and EPF 14 to
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding held a keel authentication ceremony for the US Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine New Jersey (SSN 796) on March 25. New Jersey is the 23rd Virginia-class fast attack submarine. Construction began in March 2016 and is about 42 percent compl
US Navy and Marine Corps units are wrapping up two weeks of joint drills as part of exercise Pacific Blitz 2019 in and off the coast of Southern California. The scenario-driven field-training exercise kicked off March 12 and is set to conclude on Tuesday, March 26. The exercise involved command and
The US Coast Guard commissioned its 31st fast response cutter in a March 22 ceremony in San Pedro, California. Cutter Terrell Horne (WPC-1131) is the third FRC to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles-Long Beach and will operate throughout the 11th Coast Guard District, which includes all of
US Navy ships from the Japan-based US 7th Fleet took part in what the navy termed the most advanced tactical training necessary for blue water combat. For the first time ever, three guided missile destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, and two amphibious ships of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces com
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $2 billion contract modification to procure long lead time material to support construction of Block V Virginia-class submarines. The award modifies a contract awarded in 2017 that provides funding for long lead time mater
US Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf pulled into Sasebo, Japan, earlier this month after supporting the enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) sanctions on North Korea. Bertholf was tasked with preventing illicit ship-to-ship transfers that violate North Korea sanctions. The pa
US Navy’s Los Angeles-class submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) returned to Naval Submarine Base New London on March 15, completing a deployment to the European Command Areas of Responsibility. This deployment marked 33 years of service and 15 completed deployments for USS Providence (SSN 719). Durin
The US Navy’s fifth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient, Hospital Corpsman Master Chief William Charette, US Navy secretary Richard V. Spencer has announced. Charette, a native of Ludington, Michigan, joined the Navy in 1951 and served in the K
US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55 and commercial shipping industry representatives joined forces recently to complete exercise Lucky Mariner 19. The annual exercise concluded March 15 and was led by the task force’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment designed to exercise comma
