Mallory Shelbourne – February 12, 2025 12:54 PM

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) conducts routine underway operations. U.S. Navy Photo

Two U.S. Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week as China’s People Liberation Army shadowed the first warship passage in the waters under the new Trump administration.

USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), one of the Navy’s forward-deployed destroyers based in Yokosuka, Japan, performed the strait transit with survey ship USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-62), according to a statement from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The two ships sailed south through the strait over the course of Feb. 10 through 12.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy and PLA Air Force tracked the transit, according to a spokesman.

“The US’s actions sent the wrong signals and increased security risks. The troops of the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command remain on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability,” PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesman senior Capt. Li Xi said in a statement.

U.S. ships routinely conduct Taiwan Strait transits that China monitors.

The last publicly announced Taiwan Strait transit took place in October, when USS Higgins (DDG-76) and Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH-331) sailed through the waters, USNI News reported at the time.

Chinese Navy Tracks First U.S. Taiwan Strait Transit under Trump Administration – USNI News

Source: currinsnavalandmaritme

By SeaWaves Magazine

US Navy photo

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and its embarked air wing and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) arrived at U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay for a working port visit Feb. 6 following two months of combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

While the strike group’s material readiness is the top priority of the visit, ensuring maintenance and upkeep across the ships and aircraft, Sailors will have the opportunity to enjoy liberty and experience Crete’s rich history and culture.

“I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and service of this team and their tireless work around the clock,” said Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). “Their efforts keep our ship operating at peak performance and aircraft ready to support combat operations.”

After entering the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility on Dec. 14, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) supported multiple self-defense strikes against targets across Iran-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The strikes directly contributed to CENTCOM’s campaign to degrade the Houthis attempts to threaten regional partners and the free flow of commerce in the region. On Feb. 1, HSTCSG conducted airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia in support of U.S. Africa Command and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia.

“The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains the most adaptable and lethal presence in theater,” said Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander, HSTCSG. “This port visit provides the opportunity to reset and focus on maintenance for maximum readiness ahead of future operations.”

The visit is HSTCSG’s third port visit of deployment, following stops in Oslo, Norway, and Marseille, France. NSA Souda Bay is a remote forward operating installation that enables power projection and warfighting capabilities from the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Team Souda is happy to welcome HSTCSG to Crete,” from Capt. Stephen Steacy, commanding officer, NSA Souda Bay. “As the crossroads of the 6th Fleet, we are strategically located in the Eastern Mediterranean to support our forward-deployed forces. The hospitality of the local community is unmatched, giving Sailors the opportunity for a much-needed break.”

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) visited NSA Souda Bay for a similar port visit in April 2024. The IKECSG and HSTCSG have operated in the most intense period of sustained combat activity for the U.S. Navy since World War II.

The carrier strike group includes the flagship USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, with eight embarked aviation squadrons; staffs from CSG-8, CVW-1, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28; the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).

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USS Shenandoah (AD-44)

USS Shenandoah (AD-44) was the fourth and final ship of the Yellowstone-class of destroyer tenders. AD-44 was the fifth ship to bear the name, USS Shenandoah as named for the Shenandoah Valley. She was commissioned in 1983, only three years after the decommissioning of the previous USS Shenandoah (AD-26), also a destroyer tender.

In 1993,[1] USS Shenandoah was unexpectedly diverted to the Persian Gulf to tend ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet‘s USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Battle Group. This was documented in the Shenandoah’s Tenth Anniversary cruise book. The Shenandoah and her crew members were awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal with one campaign star and the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait).

Following her decommissioning in 1996, at only 13 years old, the USS Shenandoah was re-located at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va., awaiting final disposal. In FY15, the ex-Shenandoah was sold for dismantlement, departed the JRRF and was withdrawn from MARAD inventory.

Source: currinsnavalandmaritme

US, France and Japan prepare for rare 3-carrier exercise in Philippine Sea – By ALEX WILSON STARS AND STRIPES • February 6, 2025

Source – Stars and Stripes

The French aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle steams in the Mediterranean Sea, May 2, 2024. (Mercy Crowe/U.S. Navy) A flotilla of about 10 warships, including the USS Carl Vinson and the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, are set to train together Saturday in the Philippine Sea, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet. Joining the two carriers for the exercise, dubbed Pacific Steller 2025, are at least eight escort ships and Japan’s JS Kaga, a small-deck flattop called a helicopter carrier, the command announced Thursday in a news release. “Our routine integration aims to showcase our partnership and demonstrate our ability to work together with our French and Japanese allies,” Capt. Matthew Thomas, the Carl Vinson’s commander, said in the release. A 7th Fleet spokeswoman, Lt. j.g. Sarah Merrill, confirmed the exercise will take place in the East Philippine Sea and said it’s an opportunity to advance the three navies’ ability to work together and improve maritime security. “Cooperating with our allies and partners enhances our ability to deter conflict and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific,” she told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday. The last multicarrier drill in the Indo-Pacific took place in August, with the USS Abraham Lincoln and the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour training together, a first for the U.S. and Italian navies in the region. The Carl Vinson strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and the guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS William P. Lawrence. The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, currently engaged in its Clemenceau 25 deployment, is escorted by the destroyer FS Forbin, frigates FS Provence and FS Alsace, fleet oiler FS Jacques Chevallier and a nuclear-powered attack submarine, USNI News reported Jan. 31. The Kaga supports a complement of helicopters. In November, the Kaga completed trials for the first of two rounds of modifications that will allow it to carry the fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II, a short-takeoff and vertical-landing stealth fighter. The training will take place three days after the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold and a U.S. P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft wrapped up an exercise with the Australian, Japanese and Philippine navies on Wednesday near the Philippines. The drills included the Australian guided-missile destroyer HMAS Hobart and a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter; the Philippine guided-missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal; and the Japanese destroyer JS Akizuki and an SH-60K helicopter, according to a 7th Fleet news release on Thursday. The operation featured surface maneuvering, line-of-sight communication checks, subject matter expert exchanges and tactics training, Merrill said. ALEX WILSON Alex Wilson covers the U.S. Navy and other services from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., he holds a journalism degree from the University of North Florida. He previously covered crime and the military in Key West, Fla., and business in Jacksonville, Fla.

Read more at: https://ift.tt/jVZzrgQ
Source – Stars and Stripes

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Heather Mongilio – January 30, 2025 2:39 PM

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and Egyptian Navy El Suez-class corvette ENS Abu Qir (F941) conduct a bilateral sailing exercise in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on Oct. 19, 2024. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO — Sailors with USS Stockdale (DDG-106) used the destroyer’s five-inch gun to shoot down a Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle, the deputy commander of Central Command said Thursday.

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper was aboard Stockdale in November, about nine weeks ago, he told an audience at WEST 2025, co-hosted by AFCEA and the U.S. Naval Institute, during a Houthi attack on the ship.

A low-flying Houthi drone came at the ship, he said. The watch stander clocked it, but it was a late detection. A kill order was given, and the sailors prepared to take it out with the five-inch guns. Cooper did not think they would hit, he said, but the guns fired and the drone went down.

“So it was an exciting moment,” Cooper said. “There was a lot going on. But it just gives, to me, it just gives you a sense of this crew is really dialed in and paying attention.”

The Houthis launched more than 140 attacks on merchant vessels and 170 on Navy ships over the 15 months of their campaign in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Cooper said. The Navy downed 480 Houthi UAVs in that time.

The Houthis have ceased action in the Red Sea due to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, although Houthi leadership said it was monitoring the deal and would resume escalatory action if Israel violated it.

But in November, when Cooper embarked on Stockdale, Houthi missiles and drones were still a regular sight in the Middle East.

Stockdale, along with USS Spruance (DDG-111) and Littoral Combat Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) were transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, going from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden.

“So it’s busy, and as we’re heading south, I would say that we were in for a fight, and everybody in the crew knew it,” Cooper said.

The crew was prepared, Cooper said. Confident but not arrogant with some anxiety mixed in.

Then the missiles came. One. Then the second. The third. The fourth.

“It was a complex, sophisticated, coordinated attack by the Houthis,” Cooper said.

The first missile was heading off-course, he said, so the sailors let it go. But the remaining three were problems.

Stockdale fired an SM-6 to take out a missile.

“And when you just think about this, it’s a bullet hitting a bullet,” Cooper said. “It’s about 5000 mile-an-hour closure speed on this.”

It is a close environment, Cooper said, adding that debris from the missile collision caused a Sea Sparrow launch. More American missiles were launched to take care of further Houthi missiles.

About 11 minutes later, a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile was detected. Aircraft from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), the aircraft carrier leading the carrier strike group, shot down the missile.

An hour and a half later, F-16s under Spruance’s control, handled a land-attack missile. F-16s also shot down drones that were part of a suicide drone attack, Cooper said.

Two destroyers – USS Frank E. Petersen (DDG-121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) – protected Abe while its aircraft launched an attack on Houthi infrastructure.

Then came the low-flying UAV, Cooper said.

Cooper did not say exactly in November when the attacks happened. Based on USNI News’ timeline of Houthi activity in the Red Sea, it likely happened around Nov. 12 to 13.

Source: currinsnavalandmaritme

Heather Mongilio – February 4, 2025 5:28 PM

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), transits the Elizabeth River, Nov. 12, 2024. U.S. Navy Photo

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) cut short an underway period and returned pierside Monday evening after experiencing issues with its seawater system, a Navy official confirmed Tuesday to USNI News.

Bush left Norfolk Naval Station on Monday with tugs and returned with tugs that evening, according to ship spotters. The ship returned under its own power, Cmdr. Dawn Stankus, a spokesperson for Naval Air Force Atlantic, told USNI News in an email.

The tugs were nearby for navigational and mooring reasons, Stankus said.

“The ship experienced an unexpected fouling of several seawater systems in the vicinity of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and the crew opted to return to Naval Station Norfolk to correct the problem,” Stankus said in her email.

The ship is currently undergoing investigations and an estimate for repairs is not currently available, she said.

Ship spotters saw the carrier head out from its berth at Naval Station Norfolk, down the James River and into the Chesapeake Bay, but turned around and headed back to the pier with the tug escort.

Bush completed a 10-month availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in November and is in the workup process to prepare for its next deployment.

The carrier, the embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 and its escorts wrapped an eight-month deployment on April 23, 2024. The carrier spent 230 days in the Mediterranean as part of the U.S. presence mission to deter Russia from expanding its war in Ukraine.

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