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Governor-Commander Johannes de Graaff, who had only assumed his post in September and opened his colony to American ships, would welcome Dorea’s skipper, Captain Isaiah Robinson, who had arrived at the Dutch Caribbean island under orders of the Secret Committee to obtain munitions and military supplies. Robinson would leave behind a Philadelphia-printed copy of the Declaration of Independence.

First official salute to the American flag on board an American warship in a foreign port, 16 November 1776. Painting by Phillips Melville, depicting Continental Brig Andrew Doria receiving a salute from the Dutch fort at St. Eustatius, West Indies, 16 November 1776. The artist shows the “Grand Union” flag flying at Andrew Doria’s stern and foremast peak. Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C. Donation of Colonel Phillips Melville, USMC (Retired), 1977. Photo #: NH 85510-KN (color).

As described by Barbara Tuchman, The First Salute, A View of the American Revolution, 1988:

White puffs of gun smoke over a turquoise sea followed by the boom of cannon rose from the unassuming port on the diminutive Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies on 16 November 1776. The guns of Fort Orange on St. Eustatius were returning the ritual salute on entering a foreign port of an American vessel, the Andrew Doria, as she came up the roadstead, flying at her mast the red-and-white-striped flag of the Continental Congress. In its responding salute, the small voice of St. Eustatius was the first to officially greet the largest event of the century – the entry into the society of nations of a new Atlantic state destined to change the direction of history

The thing is, our story soon turned sour for many of those involved. Dorea, despite a victory at sea over the British 12-gun sloop-of-war Racehorse after a two-hour engagement near Puerto Rico on the return trip back to Philadelphia, would be burned to prevent capture during the fall of the City of Brotherly Love in 1777, and Robinson would pass under cloudy circumstances in 1781

The same year as Robinson’s death, the Royal Navy would make the Dutch pay for their salute and assistance to the Colonials, with ADM George Bridges Rodney forcing the surrender of Sint Eustatius in February 1781, saying:

This rock, of only six miles in length and three in breadth, has done England more harm than all the arms of her most potent enemies and alone supported the infamous rebellion. When I leave the island of St. Eustatius, it will be as barren a rock as the day it erupted from the sea. Instead of one of the greatest emporiums on earth, it will be a mere desert and known only by report.

As Rodney had 15 ships of the line and 3,000 sailors and marines, vs De Graaff’s 60 soldiers and 12 guns at Fort Oranje, the pillaging was a done deal and the British occupied the ravaged island for three years. De Graaff, who had been recalled to Holland to defend his actions in recognizing the American brig, would return to the island and rebuild his Graavindal estate, where he would die in 1813.

In 1939, with FDR embarked on USS Houston (CA-30) for Fleet Problem XX, the U.S. Navy and its biggest presidential champion stopped by the island and marked the “First Salute” in ceremony.

The event has often been revisited by passing U.S. Navy assets.

USS Richard K. Kraus (DD-849) during the commemoration of the first salute to the flag of the United States onboard US Brig-of-War Andrew Dorea, fired from the fort of Saint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles) on 16 November 1776. Richard E. Kraus is answering the salute of the fort, 185 years later on 16 November 1961. NHHC Catalog #: S-524-G

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The Gepard class frigate, used by the Vietnamese navy, has a standard displacement of 1,500 tons, which increases to 1,930 tons when fully loaded. The frigate’s overall length is 102.14 meters, with a waterline length of 93.5 meters, a beam of 13.09 meters, and a draught of 5.3 meters.

It is powered by a two-shaft Combined Diesel Or Gas (CODOG) system, which includes two gas turbines, each producing 29,300 shp (21,800 kW), and a Type 61D Diesel engine generating 8,000 bhp (6,000 kW), along with three 600 kW diesel alternator sets. This propulsion system enables the frigate to reach a top speed of 28 knots.

The Gepard class frigate has a range of 4,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots and can sustain operations for up to 15 days. It is manned by a crew of 98 personnel.

The frigate is equipped with various sensors and processing systems, including a navigation radar of an unspecified type, Cross Dome surface and air search radar, Pop Group SA-N-4 fire control radar, Bass Stand cruise missile target designator, and Bass Tilt AK-630 fire-control system. For underwater detection, it utilizes medium-frequency hull-mounted and towed variable depth sonar.

In terms of electronic warfare and decoy capabilities, the Guepard class frigate is equipped with two Bell Shroud passive intercept systems, two Bell Squat jammers, and four 16-barreled Pk-16 countermeasure rocket launchers.

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USNI News Graphic

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Nov. 16, 2023, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. This post has been updated to include more information on deployed and underway ships.

Ships Underway

Total Battle Force	Deployed	Underway
291 (USS 232, USNS 59)	106 (USS 73, USNS 33)	85 (55 Deployed, 30 Local)

In Sasebo, Japan

Firefighters from Commander Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire and Emergency Services Sasebo fire department transport a rescue mannequin with simulated injuries on a stretcher during a major shipboard fire drill aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18) at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS) Nov. 15, 2023. US Navy Photo

USS America (LHA-6) is in Sasebo, Japan, according to ship spotters.

In the Philippine Sea

Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Noah Hurtado, left, from Miami, and Aviation Support Equipment Technician 2nd Class Adeboye Olunuga, from Jacksonville, Fla., use a portable exothermic cutting unit in the metalsmith shop during the damage control (DC) Olympics aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 13, 2023. US Navy Photo

The Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway in the Philippine Sea.

Carrier Strike Group 5

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Marlon Pacheco, from Gilford, N.H., assembles a radio in the portable communications repair lab aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), in the North Pacific Ocean, Nov. 15, 2023. US Navy Photo

Aircraft Carrier
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

Carrier Air Wing 5

Lt. Cmdr. Lyle Tomaszewski, from Milan, Mich., signals the launch F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the ‘Diamondbacks’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, on the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), in the Philippine Sea on Nov. 14, 2023. US Navy Photo

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, is embarked aboard Ronald Reagan and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments:

• The “Royal Maces” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 – from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
• The “Diamondbacks” of VFA-102 from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Eagles” of VFA-115 from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Dambusters” of VFA-195 from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Shadowhawks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Tiger Tails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30 – Detachment 5 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
• The “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 – from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.
• The “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 – from Naval Air Facility Atsugi.

Cruisers

• USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
• USS Antietam (CG-54), homeported in Yokosuka.

Destroyer Squadron 15

Damage Controlman 3rd Class Gyovanny Perea, from Oxnard, Calif., prepares M50 gas masks for issue during a damage control training aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG-86) Nov. 16, 2023. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 15 is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and elements of the CDS-15 staff are embarked on the carrier.

• USS Shoup (DDG-86), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to the ‘Warhawks’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97, recovers on the flight deck aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2023 on Nov. 15, 2023. US Navy Photo

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group deployed on Oct. 12. The CSG is operating in the Philippine Sea.

“Naval forces from Australia, Canada, Japan, and the U.S. have joined together to conduct multilateral exercise Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2023 in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 11, 2023,” U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.
“Led by CSG-1, U.S. Navy units participating in ANNUALEX include aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City (SSN-759), Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Hopper (DDG-70), USS Sterett (DDG-104) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1, Henry J. Kaiser-class Fleet replenishment ship USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO-199), motor tanker ship MT SLNC Goodwill (T-AOT-5419); and nine squadrons of embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2.”

Carrier Strike Group 1

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Samara Ortizgonzalez, a native of Arroyo, Puerto Rico, uses a needlegun aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2023 on Nov. 13, 2023. US Navy Photo

Carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 2

• The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
• The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
• The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
• The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
• The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island
• The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island

Cruiser

• USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Destroyer Squadron 1

An MH-60S Knight Hawk, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, flies over Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2023 on Nov. 11, 2023. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.

• USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
• USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
• USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

In the Philippines

Marines with 3d Littoral Logistics Battalion, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, Philippine Marines with 4th Marine Brigade, and service members with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, prepare for a combined convoy operation during KAMANDAG 7 at Camp Cape Bojeador, Philippines, Nov. 12, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

Service members from the United States, Philippines, Japan and the Republic of Korea, along with observers from the U.K., began training exercise KAMANDAG 7 on Nov. 9 to improve multinational military readiness, partnership and mutual capabilities. The bilateral KAMANDAG exercise has occurred annually since 2016.

At yesterday’s ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Jakarta, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Philippine defense chief Gilberto Teodoro that the U.S. “stands shoulder to shoulder … in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone.”

“The exercise, scheduled from November 9 to 20, will be conducted at various training sites throughout Luzon, Batanes, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan. During KAMANDAG 7, approximately 950 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and 850 U.S. Marines from across I and III Marine Expeditionary Forces will train alongside the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Marines,” reads a statement from the Marines. “The United Kingdom Armed Forces will bring observers to KAMANDAG 7. Participation from the JGSDF, the Republic of Korea, and observers from the U.K. in this year’s iteration underscores the global importance of maritime security, demonstrating our combined commitment to maintaining stability and peace across the Indo-Pacific region.”

Marine Rotational Force Southeast Asia, headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA, will lead the Marine Corps’ participation in KAMANDAG 7.

In the South Pacific – Near the Solomon Islands

Marshallese port cargo operators load pallets of food onto a landing craft for transport to the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, during mission supply onload in support of Pacific Partnership 2024-1 Nov. 13, 2023. US Navy Photo

USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) concluded its first stop in the Republic of the Marshall Islands for Pacific Partnership 24 and is underway.

In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

An E/A-18G Growler, attached to the ‘Gray Wolves’ of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, prepares to land on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 6, 2023. US Navy Photo

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and its escorts are underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean is meant to deter Hezbollah, Iran and other actors from joining the war between Hamas and Israel. Hamas is a State Department-designated terrorist group that started ruling the occupied territory Gaza after Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin extended the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment in the Mediterranean.

Also in the Eastern Mediterranean is U.S. 6th Fleet command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20).

San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Bravo Command Element are in the Mediterranean Sea. Mesa Verde is part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), the other two ships in the Bataan ARG, are currently operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet.

Carrier Strike Group 12

An MH-60S Knight Hawk attached to the ‘Tridents’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 conducts a vertical replenishment-at-sea aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), Nov. 4, 2023. US Navy Photo

Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 8

F/A-18 Super Hornets, attached to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 6, 2023. US Navy Photo

• The “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Blacklions” of VFA 213 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Golden Warriors” of VFA 87 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Tomcatters” of VFA 31 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
• The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.

Cruiser

• USS Normandy (CG-60), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Destroyer Squadron 2

Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) holds a line during a man overboard drill, Nov. 7, 2023. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 2 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Ford.

• USS Ramage (DDG-61) homeported at Norfolk.
• USS McFaul (DDG-74) homeported at Norfolk.
• USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), homeported at Mayport, Fla.

In the Gulf of Oman 

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Red Sea, Nov. 5, 2023. US Navy Photo

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct 28. and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.

U.S. Central Command said that an Ohio-class submarine arrived in its area of responsibility. The submarine was later confirmed as USS Florida (SSG-728). These SSGNs carry up to 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles.

On Nov. 8, Houthi rebels shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea, a defense official confirmed to USNI News. The defense official did not give additional details on the MQ-9 or potential recovery efforts. The Air Force has long used Reapers for surveillance and strike missions in the region.

Earlier in October, USS Carney (DDG-64) shot down a number of Houthi-launched missiles and drones that were headed in the direction of Israel. But the Pentagon could not confirm the targets, USNI News previously reported.

The DoD attributes the attacks to Iran-backed or Iranian proxy groups. The Pentagon said they are not connected to the Israel-Hamas war, although the strikes against U.S. forces started 10 days after Hamas invaded Israel and killed 1,400 Israelis, while kidnapping 240 more. In retaliation, Israel has invaded Gaza to eliminate Hamas.

According to DoD, “U.S. Military forces conducted precision strikes on Nov 12 on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. The strikes were conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively.”

Carrier Strike Group 2

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Loren Rayner, left, and Lt. Cmdr. Sean Griener signal the launch of an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to the ‘Fighting Swordsmen’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, during flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Red Sea, Nov. 5, 2023. US Navy Photo

Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 3

• The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
• The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.

Cruiser

USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 4, 2023. US Navy Photo

• USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

Destroyer Squadron 22
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.

• USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
• USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
• ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591), homeported at La Spezia, Italy

In the Red Sea

Guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) transits the Suez Canal July 14, 2023. US Navy Photo

Destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), operating in the Middle East, shot down a Yemeni drone in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the Pentagon said in a statement.

“On Nov. 15th and while transiting the international waters of the Red Sea, the crew of the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) engaged a drone that originated from Yemen and was heading in the direction of the ship,” reported USNI News.
“Hudner‘s crew engaged and shot down the drone to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel. There were no U.S. casualties or any damage to the ship.”

Hudner is operating in U.S. Central Command, disaggregated from the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. As of Monday, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, which is under U.S. European Command rather than U.S. Central Command.

The Ford Carrier Strike Group is part of the ongoing naval buildup in the region since Hamas launched attacks in southern Israel last month. Defense Department officials say there has been an increase in the number of attacks on U.S. troops operating throughout the region since last month.

While the uptick in strikes began on Oct. 17, 10 days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel and Israel began its subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon maintains the conflict has not expanded beyond Israel and Gaza. Israeli forces have also exchanged fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, while the West Bank has seen an uptick in settler violence.

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group is in the Red Sea. Bataan and Carter Hall, with elements of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, are in the northern Red Sea as part of the U.S. naval buildup in the region.

Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) sprint to the firing line during live-fire training aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5), Oct. 30, 2023. US Marine Corps

Bataan and Carter Hall entered the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden on Friday, Oct. 27, according to ship spotters. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is embarked across Bataan, Carter Hall and Mesa Verde.

Among many missions for which Marines are trained is evacuating civilians in conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit in April during an exercise Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in North Carolina.

Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4, and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.

In the Persian Gulf

USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) conducts small boat training in the Persian Gulf, Dec. 13, 2022. US Coast Guard Photo

U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) underway. US Coast Guard Photo

USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) pulled into Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Nov. 9. Healy is conducting a circumnavigation deployment that started in Seattle, Wash.

In the Eastern Pacific

Sailors assigned to USS Boxer (LHD-4) conduct amphibious operations with Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 76, assigned to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5, as it prepares to enter the well deck as the ship steams in the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 15, 2023. US Navy Photo

USS Boxer (LHD-4) is operating off the coast of San Diego, Calif., in the Southern California Operating Areas. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is underway off California conducting carrier qualifications.

In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.

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The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine Mississippi departs Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 20, 2023. (MC1 Scott Barnes/U.S. Navy)

 ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy is pushing new technology to its undersea fleet to make it safer, smarter and deadlier, while also nearing a major step in developing its next-generation attack submarine.

Among the changes that will have the most impact is moving the Submarine Warfare Federated Tactical System to a cloud-based common computing environment. SWFTS comprises a sub’s sonar, imaging, electronic warfare and combat systems, and also ties into ship control, navigation and more.

Capt. Todd Weeks, the program executive officer for undersea warfare systems, said at the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium that this move forces the decoupling of hardware and software, which makes it quicker and easier to upgrade each.

The common computing system also comes with boosted cybersecurity and creates the bandwidth to install artificial intelligence tools for submariners.

Weeks said submariners are inundated with more sonar and electronic warfare data than they can manually analyze. An AI tool could rapidly toss out meaningless data, allowing sailors to look through a narrower set of potentially interesting information.

As the Navy begins to test these AI tools onboard submarines, it built a so-called sandbox for these applications so users can access the data generated by SWFTS without posing a risk or otherwise affecting existing systems. The Navy can experiment with apps in this sandbox before committing to their installation with SWFTS.

Weeks said the current SWFTS build has a small sandbox, which will increase in size in the coming years so multiple apps can simultaneously undergo testing.

Next-gen attack sub

The Navy intends to begin buying its SSN(X) attack submarine about a decade from now, following what would be a 35-year run building the Virginia-class boats.

Rear Adm. Jon Rucker, the program executive officer for attack submarines, said his team is conducting technology development and early design work. They’ll incorporate the best of the Virginia, Seawolf and Columbia submarine designs and focus on four attributes: speed, payload capacity, stealth and operational availability — minimizing time needed for major depot work and maximizing the time it can be out on patrol.

Rucker said Nov. 7 at the same conference that Navy leadership signed the SSN(X) initial capabilities document, which is now with the Joint Staff for final signatures and approvals.

The Navy will then begin an analysis of alternatives in 2024, he said, noting this process will help decide how to proceed — a clean-sheet design, modifying the existing Virginia-class design, or something in between.

Torpedoes and countermeasures

For the ships and aircraft that hunt enemy submarines, Weeks’ office is offering greater capability by developing an advanced sonar array for existing Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes. His team is also creating an advanced lightweight torpedo to leverage new sonar technology and add “significant improvement in lethality and speed and depth so that there’s no submarine in the world that is safe from our [anti-submarine warfare] forces.”

To supplement the torpedo inventory, Weeks said in his Nov. 8 speech, his office is also “in the process of developing” the Compact Rapid Attack Weapon, or CRAW, a spinoff of the anti-torpedo torpedo defensive system the Navy uses on aircraft carriers.

Weeks told reporters the Penn State University’s Applied Research Laboratory developed CRAW, which features a new warhead and fresh operational software compared to the old system. The Navy is working with several industry partners, who he declined to name, to put the system into production. He expects to sign off on its Milestone B achievement in the coming weeks, he added.

CRAW will first deploy for an offensive anti-submarine mission, and then receive a defensive anti-torpedo torpedo capability via a software update.

Weeks said CRAW will arm Virginia submarines “soon” and that the aviation and surface communities are interested in the system, which is smaller than the lightweight torpedo but has less range.

Safety gear

Vice Adm. William Houston, the commander of Naval Submarine Forces, said Nov. 7 he’s made rapid safety improvements on the Ohio-class ballistic missile and guided-missile submarines, including improved firefighting gear.

Previously, sailors would rely on hand-held thermal imagers to find their way around dark, smoky areas of the sub during an emergency. But the Ohio boats would typically only have two of these onboard, leaving many first responders unable to see how close they were to a fire.

In a few months, the Navy developed and purchased a new self-contained breathing apparatus that has a thermal imaging heads-up display built into the face mask. Now, every first responder could have thermal imaging without having to find or hold a device.

The entire Ohio class has this new apparatus, and the Virginia attack subs will get it soon, Houston said.

About Megan Eckstein

Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Defense News. She has covered military news since 2009, with a focus on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition programs and budgets. She has reported from four geographic fleets and is happiest when she’s filing stories from a ship. Megan is a University of Maryland alumna.

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Warspite bombarding defensive positions off Normandy, 6 June 1944. Note the non-operational X (upper rear) turret.

Completed during the First World War in 1915, she was assigned to the Grand Fleet and participated in the Battle of Jutland. Other than that battle, and the inconclusive Action of 19 August, her service during the war generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. During the interwar period the ship was deployed in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, often serving as flagship, and was thoroughly modernised in the mid-1930s.

During the Second World War, Warspite was involved in the Norwegian Campaign in early 1940 and was transferred to the Mediterranean later that year where the ship participated in fleet actions against the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) while also escorting convoys and bombarding Italian troops ashore. She was damaged by German aircraft during the Battle of Crete in mid-1941 and required six months of repairs in the United States. They were completed after the start of the Pacific War in December and the ship sailed across the Pacific to join the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean in early 1942. Warspite returned home in mid-1943 to conduct naval gunfire support as part of Force H during the Italian campaign. She was badly damaged by German radio-controlled glider bombs during the landings at Salerno and spent most of the next year under repair. The ship bombarded German positions during the Normandy landings and on Walcheren Island in 1944, despite not being fully repaired. These actions earned her the most battle honours ever awarded to an individual ship in the Royal Navy. For this and other reasons, Warspite gained the nickname the “Grand Old Lady” after a comment made by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham in 1943 while she was his flagship.

When she was launched in 1913 the use of oil as fuel and untried 15-inch guns were revolutionary concepts in the naval arms race between Britain and Germany, a considerable risk for Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, and Admiral of the Fleet Sir Jackie Fisher, who had advocated the design. However, the new “fast battleships” proved to be an outstanding success during the First World War. Decommissioned in 1945, Warspite ran aground under tow to be scrapped in 1947 on rocks near Prussia Cove, Cornwall, and was eventually broken up nearby.

Warspite was the sixth Royal Navy ship to bear the name. It likely originated from an archaic word for woodpecker, ‘speight’; with the implication that, during the age of sail the war-speight would peck holes in her enemies’ wooden hulls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Warspite_(03)

Many more photos and history here – HMS Warspite

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The former USS Enterprise (CVN-65) sits in port at Newport News Shipbuilding awaiting final dismantlement and disposal. (Justin Katz/Breaking Defense)

WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, the US Navy has considered the former Enterprise (CVN-65) no longer operational. In fact, since 2018, the 1,101-foot behemoth has been mostly floating pier side in Newport News, Va., awaiting final dismantlement and disposal.

Ships come and go in the Navy, but their disposal is not usually such a prolonged and complicated affair. They can be used as target practice for what the Navy calls a “SINKEX” or handed over to scrapping and salvaging companies, among other options.

But for a host of reasons, those routes are non-starters for the service’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Instead, after studying the problem for years, the service has finally settled on a path forward: enlisting commercial industry for a job it has historically done itself, and likely creating a new norm for how all nuclear-powered carriers will be disposed of going forward.

To lead that charge, Breaking Defense has learned the Navy has set up a new office just to focus on the inactivation and disposal of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. While a spokesman declined to comment on the status of the new office, the Navy believes its decision will save millions of dollars, years of man-hours in labor and crucially, precious dock space at the public shipyards.

RELATED: Ninth Of Its Name: HII, Navy Lays The Keel For Next Enterprise

Whatever the service ends up doing, both analysts and the Navy have said it will likely set precedents for future carriers facing disposal, and the clock is ticking. The longer it takes, the more likely it is the Pentagon will risk a buildup of older carriers taking up various private and public ports around the country.

Even if everything goes according to the Navy’s preliminary plans, time is not on the service’s side. Public Navy documents show that Enterprise will not begin dismantlement until 2025, and the work will continue through 2029 — meaning even if everything stays on track, the work will be ongoing when the second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), is scheduled to leave the operational fleet in 2026. The USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) will follow suit not long after.

“The Navy has really had a tough time figuring out … what’s the process we’d go about dismantling this thing,” said Bryan Clark, a fellow at the Hudson Institute and retired submariner. “That’s why the Enterprise in particular has been sitting around waiting to be dismantled. And we’re going to have the same problem with the Nimitz.”

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From   BAE SYSTEMS

‘A Lot Easier With Submarines’

The Navy is not going into this process blind. It has decades of experience rendering nuclear-powered submarines and cruisers safe. Since 1986, the service has disposed of 142 reactor compartment packages, according to Navy spokesman Alan Baribeau.

The traditional process for disposing of a nuclear-powered sub begins with defueling the boat and towing it to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., where workers cut out the section of the ship containing the propulsion plants. The spent fuel, reactors and reactor compartments are packaged and sent to various Department of Energy facilities, which specialize in long-term storage and disposal of nuclear materials, in the Pacific Northwest.

“That was a lot easier with submarines and cruisers,” said Steven Wills, an analyst at the Center for Maritime Strategy. “These [carriers] take up too much space and affect operational units that are based in Bremerton.”

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Compared to modern submarines that house just one reactor, Enterprise has eight, a remnant of the early stages of nuclear technology when construction began in 1958. The Nimitz-class, which the service started building in the 1960s, has two reactors per ship. (Baribeau noted that the design differences between Enterprise, the Nimitz and Ford-class carriers will be taken into consideration when the latter classes are prepared for disposal, but added that “lessons learned” from Enterprise will inform the Navy’s choices for its successors.)

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) cruises in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Hetherington)

Even just finding a place to dock a carrier can be challenging. Space at one of the four public shipyards comes at a premium, which is where HII, the only American shipbuilder capable of constructing aircraft carriers, comes into play.

Following the Navy’s call in 2012 to take Enterprise out of operational service, it contracted the shipbuilding company to defuel the carrier, among a list of other tasks necessary to prepare it for dismantling, work that concluded in 2018. Still, compartments of the ship that contained nuclear materials for decades have been irradiated and would pose a risk to the environment if the service were to conduct a “SINKEX.”

Since then, the Navy’s efforts to study how to dispose of Enterprise have largely been internal. It wasn’t until 2022 that the service released its first draft of a public document, called an “environmental impact statement,” in which it laid out three possible methods for disposal: The first two methods involved Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington and vary in how the reactors would be packaged and shipped off for disposal. Enlisting industry’s assistance was the third option, and the Navy made clear that was its preferred method.

In September the service ruled out disposal strategies utilizing Puget Sound in the final draft of its environmental impact statement. Although the Navy has not yet awarded a contract, the impact statement says it has evaluated potential sites in Hampton Roads, Va., Brownsville, Texas, and Mobile, Ala.

A Novel Solution To A Novel Problem

While analysts said submarines were an apt analog due to the service’s history of disposing of the boats’ nuclear reactors, the Navy has looked elsewhere for comparisons in the dismantling process of a nuclear-powered carrier.

“Notably, several civilian, land-based, nuclear power plants, which are larger and more radiologically complex than Navy aircraft carrier reactor plants, have successfully been dismantled and disposed of by the commercial nuclear services industry,” the service said in a solicitation to industry earlier this year.

Clark noted the Navy’s original nuclear propulsion programs predate the civilian nuclear energy sector, meaning it was an imperative at the time for the Pentagon to have the expertise in-house to see the technology’s lifecycle through from start to finish. But, unlike when Enterprise was being built, there are now private companies capable of dismantling nuclear power plants.

“The Navy could tap into that capacity to be able to dismantle these nuclear reactors [while they’re still onboard the carrier], and dispose of the components, instead of taking the whole reactor compartment out and then disposing of the reactor compartment like we do to submarines,” he said.

Then there’s the cost.

The service estimates that using commercial industry for virtually all aspects of the dismantlement and disposal will run it between $554 and $696 million, according to the environmental impact statement. By comparison, the two alternatives involving the public shipyards have price tags ranging from $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion. The impact statement also says the commercial option will only take five years while the public shipyards would require 15 years or more to complete the job.

However, those estimates are in fiscal year 2019 dollars and are not adjusted for inflation, meaning the true costs of dismantling Enterprise, which is slated to begin in 2025, will almost certainly be higher.

Alternatively, storing the carrier indefinitely would run the Pentagon $10 million per year, according to the impact statement. It’s not clear how much of that money accounts for renting pier space at a private shipyard such as HII’s Newport News, but it does give a glimpse into how much keeping the ship in the water is costing the Defense Department annually.

Finally, by using commercial industry, the Navy hopes it will free up space at the public shipyards, which are already overburdened with the demands of maintaining the Navy’s current fleet.

Baribeau, the Navy spokesperson, added that if the service were to use Puget Sound for the disposal work, it would require infrastructure modifications at the Port of Benton and “improvements to the transport route” used to reach the Department of Energy’s facilities “due to the heavier weight and larger size of the dual reactor compartment packages.”

The commercial route will “reduce the Navy inactive ship inventory, eliminate costs associated with maintaining the ship in a safe stowage condition, and dispose of legacy radiological and hazardous wastes in an environmentally responsible manner, while meeting the operational needs of the Navy,” Baribeau said.

“Commercial dismantlement and disposal of ex-Enterprise supports the Navy prioritizing limited public shipyard resources on active fleet maintenance while realizing cost benefits to the U.S. taxpayer,” he continued.

Bradley Martin, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, predicted the Navy’s choice to contract with industry for Enterprise’s disposal will pay off down the road.

“I think this, if it works out, it’ll actually be a good model,” he told Breaking Defense. “The capacity of Navy shipyards to deal with everything they’re supposed to be dealing with is already pretty strained.”

The dismantlement process, he added, “takes a lot of time and effort and people.”

The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795) is moored pier side during a commissioning ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut on Oct. 14, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten)

The Legacy of Hyman Rickover

Hundreds of miles away from the former USS Enterprise, in Groton, Conn., the Navy in October commissioned one of its newest nuclear-powered, Virginia-class fast attack submarines. The boat is named after Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, a veritable legend in the submarine community who is credited with establishing the nuclear propulsion program that now powers much of the modern Navy’s fleet.

While the admiral was known for his strict adherence to safety protocols, Wills questioned to what extent the Navy in the late 1940s and 1950s, when Rickover was on active duty, had thought about what would occur when a nuclear vessel was no longer operationally useful.

Rickover “was a big proponent of reactor safety and safety within the operating process, but I’m not sure anybody ever got to the retirement process. You could probably argue that this is all catching up with us now,” Wills said.

“It was one thing to retire submarine reactors and smaller surface ship reactors, but aircraft carriers represent a bigger challenge,” he said.

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