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John Currin

15 years in Royal New Zealand Navy

Troubled USS Boxer Returns Home 10 Days into Deployment Due to Maintenance Issue

USS Boxer (LHD 4) conducts flight quarters while transiting the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 6, 2023. (Evan Diaz/U.S. Navy)

The maintenance-embattled USS Boxer is heading back to San Diego just 10 days after deploying due to an engineering issue, as first reported by USNI News and confirmed to Military.com by Navy officials.

Sailing as the big deck, or lead ship, of its amphibious ready group, the Boxer had already been delayed by months when it deployed April 1. Its return further comes on the heels of an announcement by the Navy’s top leader earlier this week that the service is investigating the ship’s prolonged maintenance issues

“USS Boxer is returning to San Diego to undergo additional maintenance in support of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region,” Lt. Cmdr. Jesus Uranga, a spokesperson for the Navy’s 3rd Fleet in the Pacific, told Military.com in an email.

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The Boxer had departed for its “Indo-Pacific deployment and was conducting integration exercises with the MV-22 Osprey in the 3rd Fleet area of operations,” when it was forced to return, Uranga said.

While further details were not provided regarding the nature of the malfunction, Uranga said the ship would return to its deployment “in the near future.”

Marines and aircraft with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit were onboard the Boxer and have already been offloaded, officials told USNI News, although the ship had not yet made it back to port as of Thursday evening. 

On April 8, the Navy’s top leader, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, said that she had ordered a “deep dive” into numerous maintenance and readiness issues faced by the ship.

“I think there’s some good lessons learned with Boxer,” Franchetti told reporters at the Navy’s annual Sea-Air-Space conference earlier this week.

Meanwhile, last month, the Boxer was given seven Navy-wide awards for “sustained superior performance,” including the Battle Effectiveness Award and the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award, according to the service.

Franchetti’s inquiry will be led by three-star admirals in the Navy’s operations and plans and policy offices, she said, adding she anticipates they will come to her with initial recommendations on how to proceed “in the May timeframe, and that will start to outline the shape of the the deep dive going forward.”

While the investigation’s timing may seem coincidental, the four-star admiral said Monday that the branch was trying to be proactive and keep delays to just the Boxer.

“We’re seeing some potential delays on [the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp],” Franchetti said. “We’re trying to look ahead to make sure that we can, I want to say, nip this in the bud.”

The Wasp, which is the same class of ship as the Boxer, departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in early March only to return shortly afterward. A spokesperson for Surface Force Atlantic told Military.com following the incident that “during the underway, the ship discovered an engineering irregularity” and “returned to port to effect repairs.”

The ship got underway again at the end of March without issue.

A defense official told Military.com in March that the Boxer had originally been slated to deploy late last year, but it was held up thanks to a series of delays and mechanical issues that were driven, at least partly, by poor leadership aboard the ship.

Two previous command investigations conducted on at least three different engineering breakdowns showed “a lack of procedural compliance, substandard supervisory oversight, and general complacency by the crew,” according to the ship’s strike group commander.

Those breakdowns, information on which was released to Military.com as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the ship had experienced damage to two “forced draft blowers” on Nov. 8, 2022. A separate investigation into that incident, also provided to Military.com via FOIA request, faulted “poor quality craftsmanship, lack of industry repair skill set/capabilities” and a “lack of supervisory oversight” from the Navy offices overseeing the work.

Then on May 14, the ship had a “boiler safety” breakdown. That investigation “once again revealed a lack of procedural compliance and overall complacency of all personnel involved,” documents from the strike group commander revealed.

The two other ships that the Boxer commands, the USS Somerset and USS Harpers Ferry, both have successfully deployed. The Somerset and its contingent of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently in the waters off India, according to a Marine Corps press release from April 4.

The Somerset deployed in January, and the Harpers Ferry in mid-March.

— Konstantin Toropin contributed to this story.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/04/12/troubled-uss-boxer-returns-home-10-days-deployment-due-maintenance-issue.html

HII delivers another San Antonio-class ship to the US Navy

Ingalls Shipbuilding division completes delivery of Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29).

Harry McNeilApril 12, 2024

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced the delivery of the amphibious transport dock Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) to the US Navy – the 13th vessel of the San Antonio-class ships built by Ingalls.

The US Navy acquired the San Antonio-class amphibious ship from HII in 2006. According to GlobalData’s “US Defence Market 2023-2028” report, the US Navy has 12 active units. 

Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said: “The LPD 29 delivery demonstrates how our shipbuilders are enabling our combined Navy and Marine Corps team.”

LPD 29’s completion is the culmination of craftsmanship but also serves as a prelude to Ingalls Shipbuilding’s shift towards the production of the LPD Flight II line. Two Flight II LPDs are currently under construction, and plans are in place for future endeavours.

HII continues to bolster the US Navy’s fleet with San Antonio-Class amphibious transport dock ships. The eighth vessel, Arlington (LPD 24), was delivered in December 2012. Following suit, HII delivered Somerset (LPD 25) in October 2013. Moving on, the US Navy witnessed the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) commissioning in July 2022. 

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Concurrently, construction of Harrisburg (LPD 30) began, introducing Flight II LPDs designed to replace older classes. Initiatives like the fabrication of USS Pittsburgh (LPD 31) and the advance procurement contract for LPD 32 demonstrate HII’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the US Navy with such capabilities.

The San Antonio-class ships, including LPD 29, play a role in the US Marine Corps’ Force Design construct, offering capabilities for crisis response, special operations, and expeditionary warfare missions. With the ability to operate independently or as part of larger task forces, these vessels maintain regional stability and safeguard national security interests.

Royal Navy ships to fit DragonFire laser weapon system soon

After demonstrable success at the beginning of 2024, the UK Ministry of Defence announced its intention to install DragonFire on its surface combatants.

John Hill April 12, 2024

Following the successful demonstration of the UK’s new DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the programme will accelerate to be installed on Royal Navy (RN) ships.

The next stages of this development will include further live firings and the manufacture and installation of weapon systems onto RN platforms.

DragonFire was manufactured by a trilateral industrial partnership of Britain’s foremost defence suppliers: MBDA UK, Leonardo UK and QinetiQ.

The first successful demonstration took place at the MoD’s Hebrides range off the north-west coast of Scotland in January. These test firings were the culmination of several years of work, with the programme unveiled in 2017.

With the new security climate jolting nations into stockpiling munitions, DragonFire provides a highly cost-effective alternative. While the programme cost the MoD £100m ($125m), the Government noted that the cost of operating the laser is typically less than £10 per shot.

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Following years of research and development, LDEWs are now rapidly transitioning from the sphere of experimental technologies to the actual battlefield as they reach a sufficient level of maturity to warrant deployment.

Indian Navy Submarine, INS Vagir To Reach Fremantle, Australia Today

The Indian Navy submarine, INS Vagir, is on an extended-range deployment. The deployment which commenced in June 2023, will reach Fremantle, Australia today. The submarine, which is the Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2023 and is based in Mumbai.

During her stay in Australia, INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia. At present on the East coast of Australia, Indian Naval ships and aircraft are involved in Exercise MALABAR 23 from the 11th to the 21st of  August and AUSINDEX 23 from the 22nd to the 24th of August. During the ongoing deployment, basic, intermediate, and advanced-level Anti-Submarine exercises are scheduled. In addition, the RAN submarine and Indian Naval P8i aircraft are scheduled to exercise with INS Vagir. This deployment will further augment the cooperation and synergy between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.

The extended range deployment, 67 maiden deployment by the Indian Navy submarine to Australia showcases the capability and professional acumen to undertake sustained operations at extended ranges from the base port for prolonged durations.

USS Antietam shifts homeport from Japan to Hawaii

By Diana Stancy

The guided missile-cruiser Antietam passes the USS Arizona memorial while arriving to its new homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, April 5, 2024. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gavin Arnoldhendershot/Navy)

The cruiser Antietam has moved from Japan to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, as part of a “planned rotation of forces” in the region.

The shift is part of a broader rearrangement of ships in the West Pacific — including swapping the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan with the George Washington. The GW previously served in Japan from 2008 to 2015.

The Antietam left its previous homeport in Yokosuka, Japan, in January, and participated in the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative mission to augment the Coast Guard’s maritime law enforcement operations in Oceania while en route to Hawaii.

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Yokosuka Naval Base previously hosted the George Washington from 2008 to 2015.

By Diana Stancy

The cruiser, based in Japan since 2013, also conducted port visits in Suva, Fiji and Apra Harbor, Guam, during its transit across the Pacific.

“I’m proud of the Antietam crew for their execution of the Oceanic Maritime Security Initiative during our homeport shift from Yokosuka, Japan to Hawaii,” Capt. Victor Garza, commanding officer of Antietam, said in a statement. “I thank the families for the support they give their Sailors. It is their strength that enables us to go to sea.”

The cruiser is swapping spots with the destroyer McCampbell, which returned to Yokosuka in March.

Pre-dreadnought battleship USS Oregon moored in Battleship Oregon Park in Portland, Oregon. Picture probably taken in 1938. 

USS Oregon

Oregon in January 1914
USS Oregon in 1898
USS Oregon (BB-3) in dry dock, Brooklyn Navy Yard

USS Oregon (BB-3) was the third and final member of the Indiana class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1890s. The three ships were built as part of a modernization program aimed at strengthening the American fleet to prepare for a possible conflict with a European navy. Designed for short-range operations in defense of the United States, the three Indiana-class ships had a low freeboard and carried a main battery of four 13-inch (330 mm) guns in a pair of gun turrets. Oregon and her sister ships were the first modern battleships built for the United States, though they suffered from significant stability and seakeeping problems owing to their small size and insufficient freeboard.

After entering service in 1896, Oregon briefly served with the Pacific Squadron before being transferred to the East Coast of the United States as tensions with Spain over Cuba grew in early 1898. She completed a 14,000-nautical-mile (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) journey around South America in the span of 66 days, arriving shortly after the start of the Spanish–American War. She thereafter took part in the blockade of Santiago de Cuba, which culminated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July, where Oregon contributed to the destruction of the Spanish squadron in Cuba. After the war, Oregon was deployed to the Asiatic Squadron, serving during the Philippine–American War and the Boxer Rebellion in Qing China. The ship returned to the United States in 1906, when she was decommissioned and placed in reserve for the next five years, during which she was modernized.

Reactivated in 1911, Oregon spent the next several years cruising off the West Coast of the United States, frequently going in and out of service. During the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1918, she escorted a convoy for the Siberian expedition. The ship was decommissioned in 1919 and efforts by naval enthusiasts in the early 1920s led the Navy to loan Oregon to her namesake state for use as a museum ship. After the start of World War II, the Navy decided in late 1942 to scrap the ship for the war effort, but after work began the Navy requested the ship’s return for use as an ammunition hulk for the upcoming invasion of Guam in 1944. She remained off the island through the mid-1950s before being sold for scrap in 1956 and broken up in Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oregon_(BB-3)

New minehunting mothership RFA Stirling Castle officially welcomed into service. David Sivills-McCann 11th April 2024 at 2:44pm

Watch: Duke of Edinburgh attends dedication service for new minehunting mothership

The Duke of Edinburgh joined the crew of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s newest ship to officially welcome her into the service.

A service of dedication was held on board RFA Stirling Castle while she was alongside in Leith Docks, Edinburgh.

The vessel previously operated as an oil rig support vessel, but will now operate as a mothership for the Royal Navy’s new autonomous mine countermeasures systems.

RFA Stirling Castle will work with the Mine and Threat Exploitation Group (MTXG) to help counter the evolving threat of naval mines.

She will be used to transport and launch autonomous uncrewed boats which will scan the sea for mines.

Head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Commodore David Eagles, said: “She will be the mothership for the emergent uncrewed autonomous mine-hunting capabilities.

“So traditionally to deal with the sea mine threat we put crewed ships into the danger zone where clearly there is an exposed risk to personnel and shipping.

“The Navy is investing heavily in very modern and sophisticated systems.

“We are at the cutting edge on Stirling Castle as we act as a host platform for these systems in both operations and trialling.

“As the technology evolves and the ability to go to greater depths and greater ranges evolves [we] will be at the forefront to do that work.”

Duke of Edinburgh meeting the crew of RFA Stirling Castle
The Duke of Edinburgh joined the crew on board RFA Stirling Castle for the service

RFA Stirling Castle is latest vessel to join the fleet of 11 platforms providing support to Royal Navy ships all over the world.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who is Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, met members of the ship’s crew during a tour of the vessel after the service.

Commanding Officer Captain Duncan Vernoum said: “This is an opportunity for the ship’s company to celebrate the hard work they put in, not just for today, but getting the ship to this stage.

“A lot of training has gone into making sure the ship is capable and ready to go.

“There’s still some more work to do, but this is an opportunity for us to bring the RFA family together and celebrate not just the hard work that’s been done, but obviously Stirling Castle entering into the RFA flotilla formally.”

RFA Stirling Castle will replace the Royal Navy’s Sandown-class minehunter fleet and will join the MTXG for more trials to understand how the ship’s technology can be used to enhance operations in and around the UK.

Former Royal Navy vessels donated to Ukraine dock at Portsmouth naval base

Tom Sables 11th April 2024 at 5:30pm

Two former Royal Navy vessels, renamed Cherkasy (left) and Chernihiv are the Ukrainian minehunters that have arrived back in the UK.
Two former Royal Navy vessels, renamed Cherkasy (left) and Chernihiv are the Ukrainian minehunters that have arrived in Portsmouth.

Two former Royal Navy vessels turned Ukrainian naval warships have docked in Portsmouth for the first time since the beginning of the conflict with Russia.

The warships, known as Cherkasy and Chernihiv, were decommissioned last year, and donated to Ukraine to assist against Russia’s invasion.

Before decommissioning, the vessels were known as HMS Shoreham and HMS Grimsby and today they are two of Ukraine’s first minesweepers.

Commodore Paul Pitcher, Commander Surface Flotilla, said: “They are fully operational and capable now.

“Ready to continue to hone their skills. We understand there is probably about 1,000 mines; Russian mines in the Black Sea laid over an area of about 800 square kilometres.

“So, the role of these vessels as post-conflict capability, to clear those mines and secure those lines of communication for maritime trade.

“We’re in the long haul whatever it takes, and who knows when they’ll be making their return to the Black Sea.”

The Ukrainian vessel Cherkasy is former Royal Navy ship HMS Shoreham.
The Ukrainian vessel Cherkasy is former Royal Navy ship HMS Shoreham

The two former Sandown-class Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMVs) have sailed down to HMNB Portsmouth from where they were previously based in Scotland to prepare for their first operational exercise, Sea Breeze 24, a joint countermeasure exercise between the Royal Navy, US Navy, and Ukrainian Navy.

Their arrival marks a significant step in the UK’s support for the Ukrainian Navy in terms of transformation and modernisation.

However, Turkey is currently blocking access to the Black Sea which means the minehunters will continue training in UK waters.

Watch: What we know about Ukraine’s ship-killing unit Group 13

“The UK is leading the way in helping Ukraine to modernise its navy,” said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

“The transfer of these ships and the excellent training provided by the Royal Navy will have a real long-term impact on Ukraine’s ability to defend its waters.

“We continue to support Ukraine as they deliver major blows to Putin’s Black Sea Fleet.”

He added: “In doing so, they are securing vital corridors to export grain and other

USS George Washington to deploy to South America

Guided-missile destroyer Porter sails alongside aircraft carrier George Washington in preparation of a replenishment-at-sea while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, on Feb. 26, 2024. (MC2 Nicholas A. Russell/U.S. Navy)

The aircraft carrier George Washington is slated to depart for South America in the coming months, marking the carrier’s first deployment in nearly a decade.

The Southern Seas 2024 deployment is the first for the carrier since it underwent its mid-life refueling and complex overhaul maintenance, or RCOH, starting in 2017 in Virginia.

Meanwhile, the carrier is also poised to return to Yokosuka, Japan, as the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier, later this year. Yokosuka previously hosted the George Washington from 2008 to 2015.

The Navy has held 10 such Southern Seas deployments since 2007, which aim to bolster maritime partnerships and counter threats in the region, the service said. The George Washington participated in several of these Southern Seas missions — including in 2008 and in 2015 to coincide with its homeport shifts to and from Japan.

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Yokosuka Naval Base previously hosted the George Washington from 2008 to 2015.

By Diana Stancy

““We look forward to building readiness and advancing training as we engage with our friends and partners in South America,” Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff, commander of Carrier Strike Group 10, said in a statement. “We also look forward to visiting several spectacular locations in South America, as U.S. Navy Sailors don’t often get to see this part of the world.”

While operating in U.S. Southern Command’s area of operations, the strike group plans to engage in passing exercises and allow distinguished visitors from partner nations to witness these operations as it sails around the South American continent.

And embarked international staff will also join U.S. sailors during the deployment to receive instruction from U.S. Naval War College professors, and operate alongside Destroyer Squadron 40 personnel – a first for Southern Seas.

These staffers hail from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.

Additionally, port visits are scheduled for Brazil, Chile, and Peru.