Austal launches US Navy’s expeditionary fast transport USNS Point Loma
September 5, 2024, by Aida Čučuk
Austal USA has launched the U.S. Navy’s 15th expeditionary fast transport (EPF) USNS Point Loma at the company’s shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama.
According to Austal, during the launch process, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) lifted the ship almost three feet and moved it approximately 400 feet onto a deck barge moored adjacent to the final assembly bay. The barge then moved the ship downriver to Austal’s West Campus repair yard where it was placed in a floating dry dock. The ship was submerged in the dry dock, enabling it to float for the first time, and was returned back upriver to Austal’s new construction facility.
The EPF USNS Point Loma is now docked pier side for final outfitting and system activation in preparation for sea trials later in 2024.
Dave Growden, Austal USA’s Vice President of New Construction Programs, said: “The continued success of this launch process is a testament to the value of teamwork and applying lessons-learned to everything we do. Our test and activation, crane and rigging, and safety teams work methodically alongside our Navy partners and key vendors such as Berard Transportation and E.N. Bisso & Son tug services. These partnerships allow us to continually examine our process, identify opportunities for improvement, and more effectively achieve these major ship milestones.”
To remind, the ship, which is the second of the Spearhead-class EPF Flight II configurations and one of 16 EPFs the US Navy has contracted Austal to build, was christened at a ceremony in Mobile at the beginning of August 2024.
EPF Flight II provides a Role 2E (enhanced) medical capability which includes, among other capabilities, basic secondary health care built around primary surgery, intensive care unit, ward beds and limited x-ray, laboratory and dental support.
Roosevelt deployment extended in Middle East, US to keep 2 carrier strike groups in the region
The Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group transits the Pacific Ocean in 2020. (Jason Isaacs/U.S. Navy)
By CAITLYN BURCHETT STARS AND STRIPES • August 26, 2024
WASHINGTON — The Middle East deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has been extended following a weekend of Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah trading heavy fire, the Pentagon said Monday. “Given the tensions in the Middle East and given our commitment to continue to support Israel’s defense and deter potential aggression, the secretary did order an extension of Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the top Pentagon spokesman. The Roosevelt and its strike group will remain in the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and its escorts. The announcement marks the second time the U.S. has positioned two carrier strike groups in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday on the social media platform X that two strike groups would be postured in the region. Ryder said Monday that the decision was made “over the weekend” but declined to say if the decision came before or after tensions between Israel and Hezbollah came to a head Saturday. It is unclear how long the Roosevelt, which has already been deployed for eight months, will be extended, with neither Austin nor Ryder indicating a timeline for the extension. Historically, carrier deployments have been extended in 30-day increments. “We will do everything we can to ensure we can meet our national security commitments, while also at the same time managing the finite resources that we do have around the world,” Ryder said. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Aug. 10, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy) Israel fired preemptive strikes Saturday, with Hezbollah launching drones and missiles after weeks of cease-fire negotiations and a hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The U.S. provided information, surveillance and reconnaissance support to Israel in tracking incoming Hezbollah attacks over the weekend, Ryder said.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt transits in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Aug. 10, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy)
But the U.S. did not participate in the firefight; Ryder said Israel was able to defend itself with its own capabilities. “Should there have been a need for us to do that, certainly, we are posed and ready to go,” he said. The Roosevelt deployed in January from San Diego for an Indo-Pacific region deployment. The aircraft carrier and its strike group were redirected in late June to the Middle East to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also in the region is the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and its group. “We remain well postured to support Israel’s defense against any aggression from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah or other actors, as we’ve been from the start,” Ryder said. CAITLYN BURCHETT Caitlyn Burchett covers defense news at the Pentagon. Before joining Stars and Stripes, she was the military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. She is based in Washington, D.C.
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-08-26/aircraft-carrier-middle-east-israel-iran-theodore-roosevelt-14981819.html?
Dragging Stern – Here we see this amazing shot, some 80 years ago this week, of the Ruler (Bogue) class Royal Navy escort carrier HMS Nabob (D 77) as she doggedly returns to base, very well trimmed aft, her stern low down in the water, after being hit by a German torpedo on 22 August 1944.
Hudson, F A (Lt) Royal Navy official photographer Imperial War Museums (collection no. 4700-01) A 25368.
She lost 21 of her crew but the survivors couldn’t quit her.
Constructed in Seattle under the name USS Edisto (ACV/CVE-41), Nabob instead entered British service on 7 September 1943, with over two-thirds of her crew being Canadian.
Less than a year later and half a world away, Nabob, loaded with Wildcat Mk V fighters and Avenger Mk.IIs from 852 and 856 Naval Air Squadrons, were in the main force attacking KMS Tirpitz in that German battlewagon’s Norwegian stronghold during Operation Goodwood.
It was then, after the first strike was recovered, that a Type VIIC U-boat on its 8th patrol, U-354 (Oblt. Hans-Jürgen Sthamer), encountered our little “jeep” carrier and pumped a spread of FAT torpedoes into her just after 01.14 hours on 22 August 1944. One hit, blowing a 32-foot hole below her waterline aft of the engine room and causing extensive flooding.
Sthamer tried to finish off the wounded carrier with a Gnat torpedo but it was instead soaked up by the Buckley-class destroyer escort HMS Bickerton (K 466), sending the greyhound to the bottom of the Barents Sea with 38 dead.
The British sloop HMS Mermaid and the frigate HMS Loch Dunvegan would in turn send U-354 and all hands to the cold embrace of the sea floor courtesy of dozens of depth charges.
Nabob, her engine room shored up against the open ocean, managed to limp to Scapa Flow some 1,070 miles at a steady ten-knot clip. She somehow even managed to get a few of her Avengers airborne when a sonar contact suggested another U-boat blocking her path.
As her galley and mess facilities were out of service, the skeleton crew that shepherded their hogging carrier back to Scotland had to get by on “short rations and rum for the five days it took to get the ship home.”
It was a marvel of damage control and was cited as an example to emulate in RN publications for years.
Declared a constructive loss as repair to her warped shaft could not realistically be accomplished she was returned to U.S. Navy custody in March 1945.
Sold for scrap the next year to a breaker’s yard in Holland, she was in fact found still serviceable and, converted to mercantile service, steamed for another 30 years.
Never doubt a Jeep carrier.
Often regarded by some as Canada’s first aircraft carrier, her ship’s bell was retained by the RCN and is in the Naval Museum of Halifax, CFB Halifax. Although her crew cut off her guns and jettisoned several of her planes to cut weight and correct trim lest water poured into her hangar deck from the stern, they couldn’t bring themselves to 86 the bell.
Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in U.S. Central Command
Sam LaGrone – August 21, 2024 7:18 PM
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) sails in the Indian Ocean on Aug. 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived in the Middle East Wednesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The San Diego, Calif., based carrier, Carrier Air Wing 9 and its escorts are headed to join the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian effort to protect merchant shipping in the region on orders from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Last week, Austin ordered Lincoln to accelerate its transit last week as part of U.S. moves to move more assets to the CENTCOM area of response following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. The U.S. and its allies are on alert for Iranian retaliation.
Lincoln is set to relieve USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which has been operating in the Middle East supporting Prosperity Guardian since June.
The carrier left the South China Sea via the Strait of Malacca near Singapore on Friday for the Indian Ocean and U.S. 5th Fleet.
Lincoln deployed in June with Carrier Air Wing 9 embarked. Pentagon officials singled out the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 314 equipped with F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters.
In addition to Lincoln, the Pentagon highlighted the presence of guided-missile nuclear submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-728) armed with 154 long-range Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. As of Tuesday, Georgia was in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Pentagon spokesperson Mag. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.
“The department’s recent adjustment to the U.S. military posture in the region have enabled us to bolster U.S. force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies,” he said.
It’s unclear how long Lincoln and Roosevelt will both be operating in 5th Fleet together.
Roosevelt and the embarked Carrier Air Wing 11 left San Diego in January and has been deployed for more than seven months.
Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) prepare to moor at HMAS Stirling
HMAS STIRLING, Western Australia, Australia (Aug. 22, 2024) – Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) prepare to moor at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia, Australia, as part of a scheduled port visit before conducting a submarine tendered maintenance period (STMP) with the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), Aug. 22. Emory S. Land is in port at HMAS Stirling to conduct the STMP as part of AUKUS Pillar 1’s effort to support Australia’s acquisition of a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Victoria Mejicanos)
August retirement: HMAS Broome (II) makes final journey before decommissioning
HMAS Broome enters Darwin harbour for the last time prior decommissioning in Darwin, NT. Photo: LSIS Ernesto Sanchez
Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class patrol boat, HMAS Broome (II), has entered Darwin harbour for the last time ahead of its official decommissioning laster this month.
HMAS Broome (II) also made a final pitstop in its namesake town of Broome in northern WA before it’s official decommissioning in Darwin on August 29.
The patrol boat, built by Austal Ships in Western Australia, was commissioned in February 2007 as a contributor to the nation’s fisheries protection, immigration, customs and law enforcement operations alongside Australian Border Force.
The Armidale Class was designed to intercept and apprehend vessels in a greater range of sea conditions than the earlier patrol boat classes, and form the primary enabler of Australian Defence Force contribution to Operation Sovereign Borders
“More than 17 years later, the boat’s final visit was another joyous affair, with the crew enjoying Broome’s sights and literally getting their skates on to engage with local youth,” according to a public statement made by the Shire of Broome.
On Friday , August 2, four crew members including the HMAS Broome Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Wardle visited The Skill Engineer program, which helps young people raise their literacy and numeracy and embark on vocational activities that can be linked to future career pathways.
“The sailors spoke with some of the program participants about life in the navy and the trade training opportunities they have received, They then toured the workshop where they were particularly impressed with the e-scooters the participants build for themselves.
“As well as teaching the young people new skills, the e-scooters provide transport for them to attend job interviews and get to job placements or employment.
August retirement: HMAS Broome (II) makes final journey before decommissioning
Naval
16 August 2024
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By: Robert Dougherty
HMAS Broome enters Darwin harbour for the last time prior decommissioning in Darwin, NT. Photo: LSIS Ernesto Sanchez
Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class patrol boat, HMAS Broome (II), has entered Darwin harbour for the last time ahead of its official decommissioning laster this month.
HMAS Broome (II) also made a final pitstop in its namesake town of Broome in northern WA before it’s official decommissioning in Darwin on August 29.
The patrol boat, built by Austal Ships in Western Australia, was commissioned in February 2007 as a contributor to the nation’s fisheries protection, immigration, customs and law enforcement operations alongside Australian Border Force.
The Armidale Class was designed to intercept and apprehend vessels in a greater range of sea conditions than the earlier patrol boat classes, and form the primary enabler of Australian Defence Force contribution to Operation Sovereign Borders
“More than 17 years later, the boat’s final visit was another joyous affair, with the crew enjoying Broome’s sights and literally getting their skates on to engage with local youth,” according to a public statement made by the Shire of Broome.
On Friday , August 2, four crew members including the HMAS Broome Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Christopher Wardle visited The Skill Engineer program, which helps young people raise their literacy and numeracy and embark on vocational activities that can be linked to future career pathways.
“The sailors spoke with some of the program participants about life in the navy and the trade training opportunities they have received, They then toured the workshop where they were particularly impressed with the e-scooters the participants build for themselves.
“As well as teaching the young people new skills, the e-scooters provide transport for them to attend job interviews and get to job placements or employment.
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“On Friday evening, about a dozen crew members visited the PCYC Roller Disco held in conjunction with the Shire’s A Sporting Chance youth diversionary program.
“They were quickly kitted out with skates to help some of the children find their feet. though in some cases the kids had to return the favour.
“Lieutenant Commander Wardle said it was a privilege to engage with both programs and to continue the bond between HMAS Broome and the Broome community on the boat’s final visit prior to decommissioning.”
In addition, HMAS Broome (II) is also famous for taking a starring role in 2008 as one of two patrol boats used as the fictional HMAS Hammersley on the Channel 9 television drama, Sea Patrol.
The decommissioning follows a similar farewell to HMAS Melville, which was decommissioned in Cairns on August 8.
Across 24 years of service, Melville steamed 575,808 nautical miles, contributed over 32,000 nautical miles of surveying and visited more than nine countries.
French Frigate Drills with U.S., Japanese Forces in the Western Pacific, U.S. Sub Tender Ready for Work on Boats in Australia
Dzirhan Mahadzir – August 16, 2024 1:16 PM
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) and the French Navy Aquitane-class frigate FS Bretagne (D-655) sail together during bilateral operations in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 13, 2024. US Navy Photo
French Navy frigate FS Bretagne (D655) is carrying out the second phase of its Indo-Pacific deployment starting with drills with the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) after conducting a crew swap in Japan. Meanwhile, submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) is preparing to carry out a joint maintenance effort with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine when it arrives in Australia, as part of AUKUS Pillar 1.
Bretagne deployed from France in May to participate in the Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC 2024) exercise, carrying out drills with India and taking part in exercises Balikatan and Valiant Shield while enroute to Hawaii.
During RIMPAC 2024, the frigate carried out 23 hours of underwater warfare exercises, seven anti-aircraft warfare exercises, a gun exercise, two days of war-at-sea exercise and three replenishment-at-sea operations, according to a French Navy release.
Following the conclusion of its participation in RIMPAC 2024 on July 23, Bretagne carried out a patrol in the North Pacific Ocean “contributing to the autonomous assessment of the situation in this region and demonstrating the attachment of France, a sovereign nation bordering the Indo-Pacific, to freedom of navigation,” stated the French Ministry for Armed Forces in its update of operations.
The frigate arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on Aug. 4, conducted a crew swap on Aug. 7 and then departed on Aug. 11 with the new crew conducting preparatory training prior to drills with the U.S. Navy and JMSDF.
On Tuesday, Bretagne and destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) conducted bilateral operations in the Philippine Sea, reads a U.S. statement.
“The U.S. 7th Fleet takes regular steps to advance our interoperability with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, as we did during this week’s bilateral operation with our longstanding French Navy allies,” said Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, in the release.
The ships conducted formation sailing, combined communication and simulated refueling at sea, according to the release.
On Wednesday, Bretagne carried out drills in the Philippine Sea with JMSDF destroyer JS Murasame (DD-101). “The JMSDF and the French Navy are deepening defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, including regular bilateral exercises (OGURI-VERNY), as well as enhancing cooperation and coordination in monitoring and surveillance activities against illicit maritime activities including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels,” read a JMSDF release on the drill.
The French Ministry of the Armed Force and French Navy have not stated how long Bretagne will remain deployed in the Indo-Pacific, though the crew swap indicates the frigate will operate in the Indo-Pacific for a significant period before returning home to France. This mirrors U.S. Navy littoral combat ship deployments to the Indo-Pacific, with a second crew relieving the initial crew that began the deployment.
In Australia, U.S. submarine tender Emory S. Land pulled into HMAS Stirling naval base, Western Australia on Friday, marking its seventh port visit in Australia since the ship left its homeport of Guam on May 17, stated a Navy release. The mixed crew of U.S. Navy and RAN personnel will take part in a submarine tender maintenance period (STMP) over the next several weeks as Australian technicians perform maintenance on a U.S. SSN scheduled to arrive for a port visit.
“The STMP marks a significant step toward Australia becoming sovereign-ready to operate, maintain, and support a fleet of conventionally armed SSNs, which is a central requirement in executing Pillar 1 of the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” read the release.
More than 30 Australian sailors will conduct the majority of planned maintenance work under the supervision of U.S. personnel, which will include the replacement of a mast in the submarine’s sail and a key hydraulic valve, along with the simulated removal of a large pump weighing more than 3,500 pounds from within the boat, according to the release.
“Both of our navies are benefiting tremendously from the interoperability we’ve been developing during this deployment, and are now better able to support each other’s fleets around the world. This STMP marks the first time that Australian workers will perform maintenance on an American SSN in Australian waters, but it’s really just the next step in a long partnership,” said Capt. Brent Spillner, commanding officer of Emory S. Land, in the release. “This is an important milestone and learning opportunity as we work together to establish Submarine Rotational Force – West, where both U.S. and UK submarines will regularly transit through HMAS Stirling, with maintenance and logistics assisted by Australian personnel, as they develop their own Intermediate-Level Maintenance capability for the eventual Australian SSNs.”
