MALLORY SHELBOURNE

JANUARY 24, 2024 11:25 AM

USS John Finn (DDG-113) performed the first Taiwan Strait transit of the 2024 calendar year on Wednesday.
“The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State,” U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement. “John Finn‘s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle. No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.”

The destroyer sailed from the north of the strait to the south, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.

The transit comes two and a half weeks after Taiwan’s presidential election, in which the island elected Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has ruled Taiwan since 2016. Lai has been the vice president under President Tsai Ing-wen since 2020.

John Finn, a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is part of the forward-deployed naval forces in Yokosuka, Japan, having moved to its new homeport in March 2023. The destroyer is part of Commander, Task Force 71 (CTF-71) and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15.

The U.S. periodically conducts Taiwan Strait transits, which China’s military frequently protests. In November, U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH-341) moved through the strait while monitored by Chinese ships and aircraft. The People’s Liberation Army at the time said the U.S. “hyped up” the transit.

The U.S. also conducts P-8A reconnaissance flights through the strait, which receive protests from China. In July, China’s Ministry of National Defense said the U.S. “hyped publicly” a P-8A transit through the strait, USNI News reported at the time. The U.S. Navy last publicly disclosed a P-8A flight through the Taiwan Strait in early December.

Chinese ships and aircraft consistently operate around Taiwan. As of 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday, five People’s Liberation Army Navy ships and seven PLA aircraft were operating around the island, according Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.

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War History online proudly presents this Guest Piece from Chris Knupp

Determining what would have been the greatest heavy cruiser would be a challenging task. Very successful designs were put to sea by a variety of nations. However, there was one cruiser that was born from all cruisers before it. This class of warship took the lessons from World War 2 and was designed around them. The vessel I speak of is the Des Moines class cruiser. A little-known cruiser due to its late introduction, the Des Moines found itself overshadowed by the emergence of ship-launched missiles. Despite serving for almost 25 years, their capabilities are largely unknown. What makes these ships the greatest heavy cruiser designs and how were they developed as such?

The Design

USS Newport News (Des Moines class) alongside USS Boston (Baltimore class). The Larger size of the Des Moines class is evident, especially her larger turrets.

The second USS Atlanta was a protected cruiser and one of the first steel warships of the “New Navy” of the 1880s. In some references she is combined with Boston as the Atlanta class, in others as the Boston class.

Atlanta was laid down on 8 November 1883 at Chester, Pennsylvania by John Roach & Sons; launched on 9 October 1884; sponsored by Miss Jessie Lincoln, the daughter of Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln and granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 19 July 1886, Captain Francis M. Bunce in command
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Atlanta_(1884)

The SS Bear was a dual steam-powered and sailing ship built with six inch (15.2 cm) thick sides which had a long life in various cold-water and ice-filled environs. She was a forerunner of modern icebreakers and had an exceptionally diverse service life. According to the United States Coast Guard official website, Bear is described as “probably the most famous ship in the history of the Coast Guard.”[3]
Built in Scotland in 1874 as a steamer for sealing, she was owned and operated out of Newfoundland for ten years. In the mid-1880s, she took part in the search for the Greely Expedition.[4] Captained by Michael Healy of the United States Revenue Cutter Service (later part of the U.S. Coast Guard), she worked the 20,000 mile coastline of Alaska. She later assisted with relief efforts after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Her services also included the second expedition of Admiral Richard E. Byrd to Antarctica, and again to the southernmost continent in 1941 to evacuate Americans at the beginning of World War II. She later served in patrol duty off the coast of Greenland for the United States Navy. Between some of these missions, she was a museum ship in Oakland, California and starred in the 1930 film version of Jack London’s The Sea-Wolf.
After World War II, Bear was returned to use again as a sealing vessel. Finally, in 1963, 89 years after she had been built, while being towed to a stationary assignment as a floating restaurant in Philadelphia, Bear foundered and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean about 100 miles (160 km) east of Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bear_(1874)