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John Currin

15 years in Royal New Zealand Navy

Lack of Free San Diego Dry Docks Complicates USS Boxer Repair

SAM LAGRONE APRIL 19, 2024 6:27 PM

The two dry docks large enough to accommodate a big deck amphibious warship in San Diego, Calif., are currently occupied, complicating the repairs of USS Boxer (LHD-4), USNI News has learned.

Boxer came back into port last week with one of its rudders damaged after leaving earlier this month on deployment. As of Friday, the Navy was assessing how to repair the rudder to allow the 45,000-ton capital ship to return to sea, a service official told USNI News. The service would prefer to fix the rudder underwater with the understanding that the replacement repair could take up to two to three weeks, USNI News previously reported.

Complications could arise if the big deck needs to go into dry dock. The dry dock large enough to accommodate Boxer at BAE Systems’ San Diego repair yard is occupied by an availability for Littoral Combat Ship USS Oakland (LCS-24). The nearby General Dynamics NASSCO dry dock is occupied by guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon (DDG-93), which is undergoing an availability to install the AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 3. Moving either of the warships would extend both availabilities, USNI News understands.

The Navy is considering using a dry dock in Portland, Ore., at a shipyard owned by Vigor Industrial, but the service would have to remove ten feet of the Boxer’s mast so the big deck could travel under a bridge on the Willamette River to reach the yard, two sources familiar with Navy deliberations told USNI News.

As of now, Boxer is at the pier at Naval Base San Diego.

Boxer returned to San Diego on April 11 after leaving on a delayed Amphibious Ready Group deployment with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Group.

Boxer is the flagship of the three-ship Boxer ARG, which also includes USS Somerset (LPD-25) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49). The deployment is the first for the Marine’s new Amphibious Combat Vehicles.

The deployment of the Boxer ARG and the 15th MEU has been split due to the big deck’s maintenance woes. Somerset left San Diego in January on its own with elements of the 15th MEU aboard. Harpers Ferry departed San Diego on March 19.

Having Boxer sidelined has forced the Navy and Marine Corps to retool several planned engagements in the Western Pacific, including Cobra Gold off Thailand earlier this year and the bilateral Balikatan exercise with the Philippines. Boxer was supposed to be a key asset in the drills with Manila that are billed as the largest in 30 years. This year’s exercises follow increasingly aggressive moves from China against Armed Forces of the Philippines’ resupply mission to the AFP’s base on Second Thomas Shoal, USNI News previously reported.

Typhoon Display Team shows off new 80th anniversary D-Day-themed makeover

22nd April 2024 at 4:25pm

2024 marks the 80th anniversary anniversary of the Normandy Landings (Picture: RAF Typhoon Display Team

The RAF Typhoon Display Team has shown off its new livery for the season – an 80th anniversary D-Day tribute scheme – complete with invasion stripes.

The aircraft has been painted in the RAF’s mid- to late-war European theatre colours of dark green and ocean grey over medium sea grey – the same as the Hawker Typhoons of the era.

The team at RAF Coningsby even painted black and white invasion stripes over the rear fuselage and wings – which were used to avoid friendly fire over the beaches of Normandy in June 1944 and beyond.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the Second World War.

The RAF Typhoon Display Team said on social media: “Please allow us to introduce, ZJ913, now known as Moggy.

“ZJ913 now adorned with a D-Day inspired livery, originally worn by Hawker Typhoon. Sporting the letters FM-G. FM was the lettering of 257 Sqn RAF, and the last aircraft wearing FM-G was flown by Sqn Denzil Jenkins.

“This aircraft has been designed to commemorate and celebrate the 80th anniversary of Op Overlord. We’re looking forward to displaying this new livery this season.”

Earlier this month, six RAF Typhoons were moved from Romania and were redeployed to help defend Israel.

The Typhoon is capable of dropping Paveway IV precision-guided bombs and has been used to strike so-called Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.

Royal Navy’s sixth Astute-class submarine officially named ahead of launch

22nd April 2024 at 4:00pm

HMS Agamemnon Royal Navy officially named BAE Systems’ Submarines Barrow in Furness 220424 CREDIT BAE SYSTEMS
HMS Agamemnon is the sixth Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine of the Royal Navy and takes her name from the ancient Greek king (Picture: BAE Systems)

The sixth of seven Astute-class submarines being built has officially been named Agamemnon at BAE Systems’ Submarines site in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.

She takes her name from the ancient Greek king and is due to be launched later this year, ahead of being commissioned into the Royal Navy. 

At the ceremony, Agamemnon was blessed and christened with a bottle of beer from the local Ulverston Brewing Company, which was smashed against her hull.

Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said: “HMS Agamemnon will play a vital role in defence of the nation, providing our Armed Forces with a competitive edge for decades to come. 

“The Astute-class programme continues to support tens of thousands of jobs, with these submarines being a leading example of our commitment to investing in British sovereign capabilities.”

Five Astute-class submarines are already in service, while work is also well underway in Barrow on the seventh and final boat.

At 97 metres long and weighing 7,400 tonnes, advanced nuclear technology means the Astute-class submarines never need to be refuelled.

They can manufacture their own oxygen and fresh water from the ocean and are able to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing.

Equipped with world-leading sensors, the Astute-class submarines carry both Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM) and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes.

Steve Timms, managing director of BAE Systems’ Submarines business, called it a “key milestone for Agamemnon and the UK nuclear submarine programme”.

He added: “It contributes to the Government’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, which underpinned the importance of our business and Barrow in delivering this national endeavour.  

“The Astute-class submarines are a vital component of our nation’s defence capabilities and we are fully focused on completing the remainder of Agamemnon’s programme so she can join her sister submarines in service with the Royal Navy.”

The first Royal Navy vessel to bear the name Agamemnon saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar and is remembered as Vice Admiral Lord Nelson’s favourite ship.

Royal Navy finds uninhabited Henderson Island has been marked on charts in the wrong place for 85 years

Sky News – March 12, 2022·2 min read

The Royal Navy has found a remote uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean has been in the wrong place for 85 years.

British sailors have discovered that Henderson Island, which is one of four Pitcairn Islands, is a mile south of the position marked on charts, which have been used by seafarers since 1937.

On Thursday evening, the HMS Spey confirmed the error during efforts to check and update charts regarding British Overseas Territories around the globe.

Sailors used radar and GPS satellites to get new images of the island’s exact position and when they were compared with existing charts, it was found the island was in the wrong place.

“In theory, the image returned by the radar should sit exactly over the charted feature – in this case, Henderson Island,” Lieutenant Michael Royle explained.

“I found that wasn’t the case – the radar overlay was a mile away from the island, which means that the island was plotted in the incorrect position when the chart was first produced.

“The notes on the chart say that it was produced in 1937 from aerial photography, which implies that the aircraft which took the photos was slightly off in its navigational calculations.”

Henderson Island is uninhabited and is about the size of Oxford.

It is one of four islands in the remote Pitcairn chain, with Chile 3,600 miles (5,793km) to the east and New Zealand 3,200 (5,149km) miles southwest.

The island was last visited by the Royal Navy in 2018 by HMS Montrose during an environmental survey to study the impact of plastic waste in the oceans.

Currents from the Pacific Ocean dumb masses of debris – an estimated 270 objects a day – on the shoreline of Henderson Island, earning it the title of “most polluted island in the world”.

Northland sailor finally gets to Gallipoli to pay respects

Chief Petty Officer David Tapene has been serving with the Royal New Zealand Navy for nearly a quarter of a century and is now at the Gallipoli Peninsula in Türkiye to pay his respects to those who served there during the 1915 battle.

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22 APRIL, 2024

Chief Petty Officer Tapene, from Hikurangi, north of Whangārei, enlisted in 2001. He specialised in communications and has since deployed throughout Asia, Hawaii, the Gulf of Arabia and Australia.

This week he is part of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent in Türkiye taking part in the commemoration services for the Gallipoli campaign.

“I was fortunate to be picked as a kairākau – the holder of the ceremonial rākau (staff) – and as a kaihaka as well, or a performer.”

He was not aware of any immediate family ties to Gallipoli, but said family on the East Coast and Northland may have served there.

Chief Petty Officer Tapene said it was important for him to attend the Gallipoli commemorations, because the generation of servicemen who landed at Gallipoli put Kiwis and Aotearoa on the map.

“These guys put their lives straight on the line. Out of respect for that you have got to go and give them a thank you, a haka of thanks.”

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CHIEF PETTY OFFICER DAVID TAPENE HAS BEEN PERFORMING CEREMONIAL ROLES AT VARIOUS SITES ON THE GALLIPOLI PENINSULA AHEAD OF THIS YEAR’S ANZAC DAY COMMEMORATIONS IN TÜRKIYE

Most of the 40-strong NZDF contingent arrived in Türkiye about a week before the 25 April anniversary to acclimatise and rehearse before various commemorative events.

Battlefield tours were part of the programme so that members could not only learn more about their predecessors but, to a certain degree, follow in their footsteps.

“It’s another level. This terrain is unreal and to actually walk it seems special. We are very lucky to be here.”

The contingent visited the site of the Maori Pah, which was rededicated last year. The 477-strong Māori contingent of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was mostly based there during the Gallipoli campaign.

Now, more than 100 years after the ill-fated campaign, the NZDF’s Māori Cultural Group has sung an uplifting song at the solemn site.

“We could perform a haka, but I thought we’d sing a song to uplift the wairua (spirit) and get them standing up too,” Chief Petty Officer Tapene said.

USS Forrestal (CVA-59) (later CV-59, then AVT-59), was a supercarrier named after the first United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Commissioned in 1955, she was the United States’ first completed supercarrier, and was the lead ship of her class

Forrestal in 1955, shortly after commissioning
An RF-8A and a pair of F-8C Crusaders overfly Forrestal during her 1962–63 Mediterranean cruise
Forrestal in the Mediterranean, 1957 during her first deployment to the Sixth Fleet.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) underway at sea while preparing for her fifth deployment. Forrestal, with assigned Carrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea from 3 August 1962 to 2 March 1963. Note that the carrier has McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II jet fighters of Fighter Squadron 74 (VF-74) “Be-Devilers” in her air group. This was the first operational deployment of the Phantom

. The other carriers of her class were USS Saratoga, USS Ranger and USS Independence. She surpassed the World War II Japanese carrier Shinano as the largest carrier yet built, and was the first designed to support jet aircraft.

The ship was affectionately called “The FID”, because her namesake was the first Secretary of Defense, FID standing for “First In Defense”. This is also the slogan on the ship’s insignia and patch.

Forrestal served for nearly four decades in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific. She was decommissioned in 1993, and made available as a museum. Attempts to save her were unsuccessful, and in February 2014 she was towed to Brownsville, Texas, to be scrapped. Scrapping was completed in December 2015.

British Royal Navy Ship HMS Tamar’s first visit to Tonga strengthens long-standing friendship between two Commonwealth Kingdoms

British Royal Navy Ship, HMS Tamar, in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. April 2024. Photo: BHC

The Royal Navy ship HMS Tamar paid her first visit to the Kingdom of Tonga from 8 to 13 April. Upon its arrival, their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku’aho were welcomed on board by Tamar’s Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Jim Langley, British High Commissioner Her Excellency Lucy Joyce, Lieutenant Colonel Sophie Waters, the United Kingdom’s Defence Advisor to Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, and Acting Deputy High Commissioner Tina Redshaw.

Strengthening the UK-Tonga partnership, Tamar hosted members of Tonga’s Legislative Assembly and regional Commonwealth partners and opened her gangway to Women in Uniform and school groups, furthering efforts to uplift and inspire marginalised and underrepresented groups.

“The bonds of friendship and partnership between the United Kingdom and the Friendly Isles stretch back to beyond our living memory. It is fitting that those bonds have been celebrated again with Their Royal Highnesses on board HMS Tamar, as well as parliamentarians, school groups and more,” said Tamar’s Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Jim Langley.

Tamar

Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku’aho welcomed on board by HMS Tamar’s Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Jim Langley, British High Commissioner HE Lucy Joyce, Lt. Col. Sophie Waters, UK Defence Advisor, and A/DHC Tina Redshaw. Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Photo: Royal Navy © Crown Copyright

Tamar’s crew – bolstered by Officer Cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College undergoing training – helped two worthy causes while in Nuku’alofa. Teams painted shipping containers used by the Tongan Red Cross Society for disaster relief supplies to extend their lifespan and completed extensive restoration work at the home of members of the Tonga National Visual Impairment Association, fixing the roof, fitting new doors and external cladding, and rebuilding the kitchen.

British High Commissioner to Tonga, Her Excellency Lucy Joyce highlighted “The visit by the Royal Navy demonstrates the enduring strength of our relationship and the importance the UK places on its partnership with Tonga and the Pacific region. We are able to showcase HMS Tamar to many of our partners here – progressing key shared objectives on climate change, defence and inclusion while also focusing on some of the next generation of Tongans with several school groups visiting the ship.”

The visit to Tonga is part of two stints in and around Fiji for HMS Tamar, where the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) has been working with island authorities and the Royal New Zealand Navy to deal with the threat of illegal fishing. “The ambition and scope of HMS Tamar’s programme in Tonga has led to a superb range of engagements, and some memorable opportunities for the crew,” said Lieutenant Colonel Sophie Waters, the United Kingdom’s Defence Advisor to Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

Their Highnesses Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala, Crown Princess Sinaitakala, Princess Royal Pilolevu and Lord Tuita were guests of honour at a flight deck reception before HMS Tamar left the Kingdom of Tonga escorted by Guardian-class patrol boat Voea Ngahau Siliva of the Tonga Maritime Force.

Tamar

HMS Tamar. Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Photo: BHC.

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Matangi Tonga Online ref. #7894 Sponsored Media release, sponsored by Birtish High Commission, Nuku’alofa. 19April -3 May 2024.

Evening reception onboard HMS Tamar with members of the Tongan Royal Family. April 2024. Photo: Royal Navy © Crown Copyright

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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (April 17, 2024) The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during its change of homeport, April 17, 2024. Colorado commissioned in 2018, and is the fourth warship named after the Centennial State. Colorado is the fifth redesigned Block III Virginia-class submarine. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Amy Biller)

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (April 17, 2024) The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during its change of homeport, April 17, 2024. Colorado commissioned in 2018, and is the fourth warship named after the Centennial State. Colorado is the fifth redesigned Block III Virginia-class submarine. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Amy Biller)

Iconic Harriers still proving their worth as they fly from US Navy’s USS Wasp

15th April 2024 at 4:31pm

Watch: The single-engine ground-attack aircraft continues to see action

US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier IIs have been conducting flight operations aboard the USS Wasp while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, completing their integrated naval training.

The Harrier is a legacy piece of British jump jet ingenuity that is still turning heads – despite the fifth generation F-35B Lightning II fast eclipsing its military use in the US, Spain and Italy.

Its vertical or short take-off and landing capabilities mean it can operate from small aircraft carriers, large amphibious assault ships and simple forward operating bases.

The Harrier can carry up to 4,200kg of weapons, including air-to-air, air-to-surface and anti-ship missiles, as well as unguided and guided bombs. 

A series of avionics and software upgrades have allowed it to keep up with advances in technology, with the latest variant featuring the APG-65 radar – the same one that is found in an F/A-18 Super Hornet.

But the clock is ticking as the US Marine Corps slowly retires its Harriers to fully transition to the F-35 Lightning II by 2026.