Ships attached to a destroyer flotilla with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy sail in formation en route to a training exercise in the East China Sea. (Wei Chenping/Chinese Defense Ministry)
ISLAMABAD — China and Pakistan on Friday wrapped up their largest bilateral naval exercise to date, marking the first time Pakistan hosted such an advanced Chinese destroyer for training.
The Sea Guardians event is the latest in series of joint maritime exercises that began in 2014, but this is the third time it took on that title. The drills take place annually, and the two countries alternate as hosts. The sea phase this month off Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
The exercise aimed to demonstrate China and Pakistan’s common aim to safeguard their shared economic corridor — a key part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative — according to Senior Capt. Qi Jian of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, who spoke during a media briefing before the drills.
Officials at the briefing also noted the exercise would help strengthen Sino-Pakistan relations and explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
Drill participants
The Chinese contingent included a Type 052DL destroyer, the latest version of the design that reportedly features anti-stealth capabilities, and a Song-class submarine. This is the first time Pakistan hosted such an advanced Chinese destroyer for an exercise.
Other Chinese submarines have visited Pakistan. In 2015, a Type 039A/Type 041 Yuan diesel-electric sub docked in Karachi, followed by a Type 093 Shang nuclear-powered attack boat in 2017.
The rest of the Chinese fleet attending this month’s exercise included two Type 054A frigates, a submarine support ship and a tanker, plus helicopters and a marine detachment.
One element of the exercise began Nov. 14 with Chinese vessels and the Pakistani Type 054A/P frigate Shahjahan sailing out of Karachi.
The Chinese destroyer Linyi and the Pakistani F-22P frigate Saif appear to have undertaken separate joint maritime drills.
Other elements of the Pakistan Navy participating in the exercise included Azmat-class missile boats and aircraft. Khalid said no Pakistani submarine attended, noting that “for the safety of participating units, normally only one submarine participates in an exercise.”
Command of the flotilla rotated to each ship, with onboard observers monitoring the organization and implementation of the drills.
The head of the Pakistan Navy’s media branch, Commodore Syed Rizwan Khalid, told Defense News the drills “simulated [a] multi-threat environment.” The training — for visit, board, search and seizure missions; air defense; anti-surface warfare; joint anti-submarine warfare; countermine operations; and special operations — helped “further enhance maritime cooperation and defense relations through mutual exchange of maritime experience and interoperability between the two navies.”
“Both navies have been regularly participating in this series of exercises, and interoperability between both the navies has significantly matured to undertake full-spectrum maritime operations together in the Arabian Sea,” he added.
The India factor
Frank O’Donnell, a South Asia expert with the Stimson Center think tank, said this month’s Sea Guardians event reemphasized “Chinese commitment to modernizing Pakistan’s Navy and expanding its presence in the Indian Ocean.”
India’s Navy, he told Defense News, was “reportedly tracking all the Chinese ships involved in the exercise, but it will be especially concerned by the Chinese selection of a Type 052 guided-missile destroyer and Type 039 diesel-electric attack submarine to participate.”
While India and Pakistan are rivals, they both have friendly relations with China. However, India and China have clashed in recent years over a border dispute.
“These ship classes are often key elements of [anti-access/area denial] strategies, which has long been Pakistan’s naval approach towards India. China-Pakistan operations involving these vessels will strengthen Pakistan’s capabilities toward expanding its A2/AD envelope against India,” O’Donnell said.
While the Song-class boat may not be China’s most advanced submarine, O’Donnell said its presence likely concerned India, as did the value it provided to Pakistan.
“In particular the Type 039 — as a predecessor class to the eight Type 041s, which Pakistan is acquiring from China, and which will likely be tasked with dual nuclear and conventional strike missions — will give Pakistan additional experience of effectively operating with a submarine very similar to the ones it is inducting,” he said.
Corporal Willie Apiata VC (right) and Royal New Zealand Navy Warrant Officer Lance Graham at the memorabilia auction in Auckland in April this year, where $200,000 was raised for for Tairāwhiti after the region was hit by Cyclone Gabrielle in February.NZDF picture
Gisborne people are among this year’s Kiwibank Local Hero Te Pou Toko o te Tau medallists.
From a record-breaking number of nominations, a panel of independent judges have selected 100 “legends and leaders” as medallists.
Bevan Chapman, Daryl Gowers, Hoana Forrester, Laura Watson, Linda Coulston and Willie Apiata are listed as the local hero medal winners.
Radio host Bevan Chapman slept in his studio through the days of Cyclone Gabrielle, providing a crucial 24/7 broadcast to keep his listeners informed. With no phones or internet, people started delivering handwritten notes for Chapman to read out on air like a constant community noticeboard. “In many ways, his actions represent everyday community heroism, selflessly sacrificing his own comfort and safety to ensure the people of Tairāwhiti could be informed of vital Civil Defence updates, and offering a much-needed morale boost to local listeners,” the citation read.
Daryl Gowers was nomnated for his support of the local Cancer Society after his sister’s battle with breast cancer. A quarter of a million dollars later, Daryl has dedicated the past six years to fundraising through low-cost whiteware collection and recycling services.
“Operating from his home, Daryl also organises sponsored walks and collects fundraising items like daffodils for Daffodil Day. His profound impact is no mean feat, and he has inspired many with his selfless dedication to a cause that matters,” the citation said.
Hoana Forrester was recognised for her ingenuity in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. When the cyclone cut off access to local schools, Hoana transformed her carport into a makeshift classroom.
“Faced with impassable bridges and a disrupted education system, she opened her doors to cyclone-affected children, determined to ensure their learning wouldn’t be halted,” the citation said.
Laura Watson is recognised for her role as catchment coordinator for the Waimata Restoration Project, Laura has transformed it into one of New Zealand’s leading on-farm biodiversity projects.
“In the face of Cyclone Gabrielle and subsequent weather challenges, Laura spearheaded the Waimatā Catchment recovery effort, securing over $100,000 in self-generated funding to get farmers back on their feet,” the citation says.
Linda Coulston, who recently left her job as manager of SuperGrans, was recognised for her role with the organisation, which is dedicated to sharing generational skills and knowledge to empower communities.
“Over the past 11 years, she has moved through all facets of SuperGrans services, showcasing great commitment and organisational skill,” the citation said.
Willie Apiata assembled a group of former New Zealand Defence Force colleagues, who raised over $200,000 for Tairāwhiti iwi impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
A live and silent auction held in Auckland featured valuable items, including Apiata’s Victoria Cross medallion, a copy of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral programme signed by Victoria Cross recipients, and a special air service book and brooch.
Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich emphasised the significance of celebrating these contributions.
“If there has ever been a time to celebrate those who’ve made outstanding contributions to the well-being of our country, it’s now. It is a real privilege to honour the creativity, selflessness, and visionary people that help make us proud to call Aotearoa home.”
The medallists are now in the running for the 2024 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Award Te Pou Toko o te Tau.
The U.S. Navy repair ship USS Vestal (AR-4) photographed circa the early 1920s.
The U.S. Navy repair ship USS Vestal (AR-4) anchored off New York City (USA), circa 17-20 December 1918, while still painted in World War I disruptive camouflage. Ship in the distance, beyond Vestal´s stern, is the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4).
The U.S. Navy repair ship USS Vestal (AR-4) beached on Aiea shoal, Pearl Harbor, after the Japanese raid. She is listing from damage caused by two bombs that hit her during the attack.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Dec. 7, 2004) – U.S. Marines, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group Two Four (MAG-24), stand at parade rest prior to a twenty-one gun salute on the USS Vestal mooring quay. Vestal, a repair ship, was moored outboard of the battleship USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was hit by two bombs and further damaged when Arizona’s forward magazines exploded. Repaired over the next few months, she was transferred to the South Pacific in August 1942, where she mended many combat-damaged ships during difficult times of the Guadalcanal and Central Solomons campaigns.Vestal served in both World Wars. She was damaged during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and received two battle stars for her World War II service.
The history of USS Vestal (AR-4) began when Erie (Fleet Collier No. 1) was authorized on 17 April 1904; but the ship was renamed Vestal in October 1905, well before her keel was laid down on 25 March 1907 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Launched on 19 May 1908, Vestal was placed in service as a fleet collier, with a civilian crew, at her builders’ yard on 4 October 1909.
Vestal served the fleet as a collier, operating along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies from the autumn of 1909 to the summer of 1910. After a voyage to Europe to coal ships of the Atlantic Fleet in those waters, the ship returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was taken out of service at the Boston Navy Yard on 25 October 1912. The ship underwent nearly a year’s worth of yard work and was commissioned as a fleet repair ship in 1913 under the command of CommanderEdward L. Beach, Sr., USN (father of submariner CaptainEdward L. Beach, Jr.).
After fitting out, Vestal departed her conversion yard on 26 October for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she conducted her shakedown between 29 October to 10 November. After touching at Key West, Florida, for coal on 14 November, Vestal moved on to Pensacola, Florida, her base for operations as a repair ship for the Atlantic Fleet. She was attached to the Atlantic fleet and served along the east coast and in the West Indies until spring of 1914 when she was dispatched along with other ships for the occupation of the Mexican port of Vera Cruz. The auxiliary vessel provided repair services at Vera Cruz from 2 May to 20 September before she sailed for Boston, escorting the cruiser Salem to the navy yard there for overhaul. As of December 1914, Commander U.T. Holmes was the commanding officer and Lieutenant Commander L.J. Connelly performed as executive officer, Lieutenants E.G. Oberlin and F.M. Perkins serving as staff officers.
Following the U.S. entry into World War I, Vestal was deployed to Queenstown, Ireland, where she provided services for ships of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. She stayed there for the duration of the war and beyond, finally returning in 1919. For the next six years Vestal served the Scouting Force and Battle Fleet. During the navy-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, Vestal was classified as a repair ship, AR-4.
In 1925 she underwent modification that changed her from a coal-powered ship to an oil-fired one. Soon thereafter, on 25 September, the submarineUSS S-51 was rammed and sunk by SS City of Rome and Vestal was called to help recover the submarine. Vestal conducted her salvage operations from October to early December 1925 and again from 27 April to 5 July 1926. During the latter period, the submarine was raised from the bottom. Following the completion of recovery, Vestal was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1927.
The Pacific Fleet was shifted to a new base at Pearl Harbor following Fleet Problem XXI in the spring of 1940. Vestal also made the move. After returning from the west coast for an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, Vestal resumed her duties. On 6 December 1941, she was moored alongside USS Arizona, at berth F 7, off Ford Island, to provide services to the battleship during her scheduled period of tender upkeep between 6 and 12 December.
USS Vestal beached and listing after being hit in the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941
On December 7 shortly before 08:00 Japanese carrier-based aircraft swept down upon Pearl Harbor. At 07:55, Vestal went to general quarters, manning every gun. At about 08:05, her 3-inch (76 mm) gun commenced firing.
At about the same time, two bombs – intended for the more valuable battleship inboard on Battleship Row – hit the repair ship. One struck the port side, penetrated three decks, passed through a crew’s space, and exploded in a storage hold, starting fires that necessitated flooding the forward magazines. The second hit the starboard side, passed through the carpenter shop and the shipfitter shop, and left an irregular hole about five feet in diameter in the bottom of the ship.
The 3-inch (76 mm) gun jammed after three rounds, and the crew was working to clear the jam when an explosion blew Vestal’s gunners overboard. Thereafter, maintaining anti-aircraft fire became secondary to saving the ship.
At about 08:10, a bomb penetrated Arizona‘s deck near the starboard side of number 2 turret and exploded in the powder magazine below. The resultant explosion touched off adjacent main battery magazines, exploding the forward part of the battleship and literally clearing Vestal‘s deck of her crew.
Among those blown overside was her commanding officer, Commander Cassin Young. He swam back to the ship, and countermanded an abandon ship order given by another officer by coolly saying, “Lads, we’re getting this ship underway.” Fortunately, the engineer officer still had the “black gang” getting up steam.
Oil from the ruptured tanks of the Arizona caught fire in the explosion, which in turn set Vestal ablaze aft and amidships. At 08:45 men forward cut her mooring lines with axes, freeing her from Arizona, and she got underway, steering by engines alone. The naval tug Hoga, whose tugmaster had served aboard Vestal just a few months before the attack, pulled Vestal‘s bow away from the inferno engulfing Arizona and the repair ship, and the latter began to creep out of danger. In spite of slowly assuming a list to starboard and settling by the stern, she anchored in 35 feet (11 m) of water off McGrew’s Point at 09:10.
Continued flooding caused Vestal to settle by the stern and increased the list to six and one-half degrees. At the direction of Commander Young, Vestal got underway again at 09:50, less than an hour after the Japanese attack ended. Vestal intentionally ran aground at Aiea Bay soon thereafter. Commander Young explained his order to run aground in his after-action report: “Because of the unstable condition of the ship…”, Young explained in his after-action report, “…(the) ship being on fire in several places and the possibility of further attacks, it was decided to ground the ship.” Commander Young was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in saving Vestal.
Despite being damaged herself Vestal participated in some of the post-attack salvage operations, sending repair parties to the overturned hull of the battleship Oklahoma so that welders could cut into the ship and rescue men trapped there after the battleship capsized.
In the days following the attack, Vestal‘s men repaired their own ship because yard facilities were at a premium. Within a week of the raid Vestal‘s crew had pumped out the oil and water that had flooded the compartments below the waterline and cleared out the damaged and gutted holds – all work that had to be completed before the rebuilding process could begin.
After repairs and alterations and operations at Pearl Harbor Vestal received orders on 12 August 1942 to proceed to the South Pacific. She set sail for Tongatapu in the Tonga Islands. She arrived there two weeks later, on 29 August, less than a month after the launching of Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the Solomon Islands. Over the months that followed the Japanese would contest the Americans and their Australian and New Zealand allies with skill and tenacity.
During Vestal‘s 60 days at Tongatapu she completed 963 repair jobs for some 58 ships and four shore activities. Included were repairs to warships such as Saratoga (torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 on 31 August); South Dakota (damaged from grounding at Lahai Passage, Tonga Islands, on 6 September); and North Carolina (torpedo damage suffered on 15 September).
One of the more difficult jobs was the one performed on South Dakota. The battleship had run aground on an uncharted reef and put into Tongatapu for emergency repairs. Vestal‘s divers commenced their work at 16:00 on 6 September and began checking the ship’s seams. With only six divers working, Vestal‘s party operated until 02:00 on 7 September and reported the damage as a series of splits extending along some 150 feet (46 m) of the ship’s bottom. By the next morning, 8 September, Vestal‘s skilled repairmen, together with men of the battleship’s crew, managed to mend the damage sufficiently to allow the ship to return to the United States for permanent repairs.
When Saratoga put into Tongatapu after being torpedoed by I-26 on 31 August, Vestal‘s divers combined forces with USS Navajo to inspect the damage and later trim and brace the hole. Pumps managed to clear the water out of the flooded fire room and tons of cement were poured into the hole to patch the damaged area. Within 12 days of her arrival at Tongatapu, Saratoga was able to return to the United States.
Nouméa and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands[edit]
Vestal subsequently sailed for the New Hebrides on 26 October, though a change of orders brought her to New Caledonian waters instead, and she reached Nouméa on 31 October. Her arrival could not have been more timely, as the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands had taken place just days before, from 25 to 27 October. South Dakota and Enterprise, two of the most heavily damaged ships in the battle, were at Nouméa.
A bomb hit on the latter had buckled a 30-by-60-foot (9.1 by 18.3 m) section of the flight deck, aft, bulging it about four feet above deck level. In addition, the hit flooded the after elevator machinery room and blew out bulkheads and damaged furniture in “officer’s country.” Ordered to sea before the damage was completely repaired, the carrier took with her two Vestal officers and a large repair party of 75 Seabees, who continued work even when Enterprise went to battle stations. Those Vestal men were included in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to Enterprise.
South Dakota, like Enterprise, had suffered major damage. She had taken a bomb hit on one of her 16-inch (410 mm) gun turrets, had been torn by shrapnel, and had collided with the destroyer USS Mahan during the battle. The destroyer had not only holed the battleship’s starboard side but had left an anchor in the wardroom. Even though Vestal repair parties were busy with Enterprise‘s urgent repairs they also went to work on the damaged South Dakota, listing her over to patch the hole on the battleship’s starboard side at the waterline. Her craftsmen repaired the wardroom (removing Mahan‘s anchor in the process), patched shrapnel holes, and put sprung hatches and damaged fire mains in order. She was back in action in just five days.
During her time at Nouméa, Vestal completed 158 jobs on 21 ships; she departed that port on 13 November; reached Espiritu Santo three days later; and began a year’s schedule of repair service. During the next 12 months, Vestal tackled some 5,603 jobs on 279 ships and 24 shore facilities. Some of the outstanding repair jobs were on ships damaged during the bitter naval engagements in the Solomons in late 1942 and early 1943. There were: San Francisco, ripped by heavy caliber hits during the night battle off Savo Island on 13 November 1942; New Orleans and Pensacola, the latter with a torpedo hole measuring 24 by 40 feet (12 m), a flooded after engine room, and two propeller shafts broken; the New Zealandlight cruiserHMNZS Achilles – already famous for her part in the 1939 Battle of the River Plate and the subsequent sinking of the German pocket battleshipGraf Spee – which, besides shrapnel and collision damage, had taken a direct hit on her after turret; and the torpedoed and fire-damaged cargo ship Alchiba.
In addition, she performed repairs on the torpedoed light cruiser St. Louis, the torpedoed Australian light cruiser HMAS Hobart; the bomb-damaged transport Zeilin; and others, including Tappahannock and HMNZS Leander. She also corrected battle damage to and performed alterations on 12 LST‘s and a large number of miscellaneous lesser ships. Only once during that time, from 27 May to 2 June 1943, did the ship herself undergo repairs.
One of the most outstanding pieces of salvage work performed by Vestal was for the heavy cruiserPensacola, heavily damaged at the Battle of Tassafaronga. A torpedo had caused such extensive damage aft that her stern was barely attached to the rest of the ship and swayed gently with the current. A few frames, some hull plating, and one propeller shaft were practically all that still held the aftermost section to the rest of the ship. As Vestal‘s commanding officer later recounted, “Never had an AR (repair ship) been presented with such a task; no records on how it should best be done were available.”
By trial and error, and relying on previous experience, Vestal workers turned-to. The hole was plugged and braced for stability, compartments that could be were sealed and pumped out; three propellers of about seven tons each were pulled off to reduce drag. “One has to be something of an artificer”, her commanding officer recounted, “… to realize the problems that came up to do with this job, such as underwater welding and cutting, which was still a fairly new thing.” Vestal’s force used a dynamite charge to jar one propeller loose and had to burn through the shaft of another to get it off.
After Pensacola came Minneapolis, torpedoed amidships and with 75 feet (23 m) of her bow missing. Vestal put her in shape, too, for a trip to a stateside yard where permanent repairs could be made. “So it went”, continued the commanding officer, “… one broken, twisted, torpedoed, burned ship after another was repaired well enough to make a navy yard or put back on the firing line.”
On 18 November 1943, Vestal departed Espiritu Santo, bound for the Ellice Islands, and reached her destination, Funafuti, on the 22nd. During her brief stay there the repair ship completed some 604 major repair tasks for 77 ships and for eight shore activities. Her outstanding job during that tour was her work on the light carrierIndependence.
Underway for Makin on 30 January 1944, Vestal‘s orders were changed en route. The ship proceeded instead for the Marshall Islands, reaching Majuro atoll on 3 February. The big repair job awaiting her there was that for the battleship Washington, which had suffered heavy collision damage forward with the Indiana. Although estimates called for it to be a 30-day job, Vestal, often working 24-hour shifts, completed the task in only 10 days. After that, Washington sailed for Pearl Harbor to receive permanent repairs.
In need of repairs herself, especially new evaporators, Vestal departed Majuro and sailed, via Pearl Harbor, for the Mare Island Navy Yard. Upon conclusion of those repairs, the addition of new equipment, alterations, a general overhaul, and a vari-colored paint job, Vestal departed Mare Island on 8 September, bound for the Carolines. Her voyage took her via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok. There she picked up tows for the remainder of her voyage, a cement barge, Chromite, and the Navy ammunition barge YF-254. She reached Ulithi on 15 October 1944.
During the ship’s sojourn at Ulithi, Vestal completed 2,195 jobs for 149 ships – including 14 battleships, nine carriers, five cruisers, five destroyers, 35 tankers, and other miscellaneous naval and merchant ships. Her biggest repair job of that time was the light cruiser Reno, torpedoed off San Bernardino Strait by Japanese submarine I-41 on the night of 3 November. Once again, Vestal‘s workers performed their tasks quickly and efficiently, having Reno on her way in a short time for permanent repairs in a stateside yard.
Underway for the Marianas on 25 February 1945, Vestal arrived at Saipan two days later, to commence what would be over two months of service there, principally repairing amphibious craft used for the Iwo Jima invasion. While Vestal lay at anchor at Saipan, the Okinawa invasion commenced on 1 April 1945. Less than a month later, Vestal sailed for Kerama Retto, a chain of islands off the southwestern tip of Okinawa, and arrived there on 1 May.
During May, Vestal went to general quarters 59 times as Japanese planes made suicide attacks on the ships engaged in the bitter Okinawa campaign. Experience proved that the best defense against the suiciders was a smoke or fog screen produced by all ships that blended into one gigantic mass of low-hanging clouds. For that purpose, Vestal had two boats equipped with fog generators and several barrels of oil. Besides the fog generators, smoke pots would be thrown over the bow of the ship to emit a dense, white, sickly-smelling smoke for about 15 minutes apiece. Besides the danger posed by suiciders, deck sentries kept a sharp lookout for any enemy who might attempt to swim out to the ships with mines or explosive charges.
At Kerama Retto, Vestal‘s big job was repairing destroyers. Her jobs included the kamikaze-damaged Newcomb and Evans.
Vestal remained at Kerama Retto through mid-June before she got underway on the 23d for Nakagusuku Wan, later renamed Buckner Bay, arriving there later that same day. The repair ship remained in that body of water for the remainder of the war. At 20:55 on 10 August 1945, a pyrotechnic display burst forth as word arrived telling that Japan was entertaining thoughts of surrender. “So great was the display of fireworks and so immense the feeling of victory that once the tension had been broken, the true peace announcement received at 0805, 15 August 1945, caused hardly a ripple of enthusiasm: nevertheless the spirit of victory was uppermost in the hearts and conversations of all hands.”
The main danger to the fleet after Japan surrendered was typhoons. Vestal had sortied twice from Buckner Bay before “V-J Day” — once on 19 July and once on 1 August. On 16 September, Vestal sortied for the third time on typhoon evasion, returning to the harbor the next day after having ridden out 68-knot (126 km/h) winds and heavy seas.
Vestal carried out storm-damage repairs over the ensuing days before another typhoon – the fourth for the Ryūkyūs that year – swirled in from the sea on the 28th. Upon receipt of orders from Commander, Service Division 104, Vestal weighed anchor and headed out to sea at 15:00, her stem sluicing seaward from Buckner Bay. “The glassy sea, humid atmosphere, and falling barometer portended the approaching engagement between ship and her relentlessly violent foes, sea and wind.”
The merchantmen Fleetwood and Kenyan Victory took positions 800 yards (730 m) astern and in single file with Vestal leading the way, steaming westward and away from the threatening blackness massing to the east of Okinawa. Overhauling a four-ship convoy, Captain H. J. Pohl, Vestal’s commanding officer, assumed command of the now seven-ship group. The ships met the fierce winds head-on to lessen the roll and steered to take the surging seas on the quarter, maneuvering skillfully to prevent damage or, worse, loss. By late in the afternoon of the third day, Pohl, the convoy’s commodore, had his ships back in Buckner Bay, safe and sound.
That particular storm-evasion sortie proved only to be a realistic exercise compared to what came next. On 6 October, Vestal received warnings of Typhoon Louise (1945) — a tropical storm 400 miles (640 km) in diameter with winds of 100 knots (190 km/h) near the center, moving west-northwest at 17 knots (31 km/h).
At 00:15 on the 7th, Vestal and all ships present in Buckner Bay received word to prepare to execute typhoon plan “X-ray” upon one hour’s notice. By mid-afternoon, those orders arrived; and the fleet began stirring itself to action for its survival. Among the first vessels to get underway was Vestal, the venerable repair ship clearing the harbor entrance at 16:00, steaming due east. Ultimately, Beaver and the merchantmen Hope Victory, Grey’s Harbor, and Esso Rochester joined her.
Rising seas, increasing winds, and a plummeting barometer ushered in Monday, 8 October, but Vestal and her brood maintained their eastward course through the next day, 9 October – the day when the typhoon struck Okinawa with unparalleled force. At that time, Vestal was steering a “crazy-patch course”, eluding the storm that included seas up to 40 feet (12 m) high and winds registering between 50 and 65 knots (120 km/h). Hoping for a possible entry into Buckner Bay on Wednesday, 10 October, Vestal headed westerly, bucking strong head winds.
At 14:05 on 10 October, while Vestal headed back to Buckner Bay, a signalman on the flying bridge called out: “Life raft on port bow.” “Second life raft on port beam”, came another cry only a few moments later. Barely perceptible several thousand yards to port were tiny specks, rising with the waves – specks which turned out to be the survivors of the sunken USS LSM-15 that had gone down in the fury of the typhoon during the previous night.
Ordering the other ships to proceed independently, Vestal put about to port and shortly thereafter swung to windward of the nearest life raft. In the lee thus formed, the repair ship lowered a motor whaleboat; that craft picked up 17 men from the first raft. Ultimately, 15 more survivors clambered up the boarding nets to safety; a total of two officers and 30 men were recovered from the sea.
Entering Buckner Bay at dusk, Vestal witnessed the savage typhoon’s aftermath with the dawn of the 11th. Once again, Vestal immediately turned to the task of repairing the battered ships of the fleet.
The Vestal mooring quay memorial at Pearl Harbor
Subsequently, Vestal performed her vital service functions supporting the occupation of China and Japan, before she sailed back to the United States. Her disposal was delayed in order to allow the ship to perform decommissioning work on other ships referred to the 13th Naval District for disposal, Vestal was ultimately decommissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 14 August 1946. Struck from the Navy List on 25 September of the same year, she lay inactive for the next two and one-half years before stripping began on 20 May 1949. Her hull was sold on 28 July 1950 to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently scrapped.
Vestal (AR-4) received two battle stars for her World War II service.
The Bozena 4 is capable of withstanding anti-tank mines with a blast resistance rating of 9 kg TNT equivalent, making it suitable for high-threat contamination zones. (Picture source: Way Industries)
As reported on September 8, 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces already deployed a Bozena 4 remotely-controlled mine-clearing vehicle for demining operations in an unspecified area of Ukraine.
The Bozena 4 is a remotely controlled demining system developed by Way Industry in Slovakia, designed for mine clearance and Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) tasks. It has been in service for over 15 years and is recognized for its reliability in mine clearance operations. One notable feature is its blast resistance, capable of withstanding anti-tank mines with a blast resistance rating of 9 kg TNT equivalent, making it suitable for high-threat contamination zones.
The Bozena 4 is remotely controlled with a range of up to 5,000 m, allowing operators to maintain a safe distance from hazardous areas. The system is designed to clear various types of mines, including anti-personnel (AP), and anti-vehicle (AV) mines, as well as pressure and tripwire-fused mines.
The Bozena 4 is capable of clearing up to 2,500 square meters per hour, facilitated by a flail unit operating at rotating speeds ranging from 350 to 500 RPM, a width clearance of 2.2 m, and a depth of up to 250 mm. Additionally, it can remove tripwires and vegetation up to a height of about 4 m.
Proven through testing in various locations, including Croatia, Ethiopia, Turkey, Kenya, and Sweden, the Bozena 4 has demonstrated reliability and effectiveness in real-world demining challenges. Several countries, including Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka, have recognized its capabilities and deployed the Bozena 4 for mine clearance operations.
The deployment of this equipment is expected to enhance Ukraine’s demining capabilities, as the country is currently confronted with a severe landmine crisis. Landmines deployed by the Russian military have created an extensive minefield covering an area of 250,000 square kilometers, exceeding the size of the entire Korean Peninsula (220,000 square kilometers).
The urgency of demining operations in Ukraine is rooted in the context of the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Ukraine is currently confronted with a severe landmine crisis, with landmines deployed by the Russian military creating an extensive minefield covering an area of 250,000 square kilometers, exceeding the size of the entire Korean Peninsula (220,000 square kilometers).
This contamination poses significant challenges, highlighting the critical role played by mine-clearing vehicles, including both locally-made Pozhmashina PM-B and an unnamed farm tractor-based UGV, and foreign existing mine-clearing vehicles, such as the German Wisent 1, the Slovakian Bozena-5, the South Korean tank-based K600 Rhino, and the Swiss Digger D-250.
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
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.
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
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
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
“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
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.
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
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.
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.
An MK 54 Mod 0 Torpedo used for training launches from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Roosevelt in April 2014. (MC2 Justin Wolpert/U.S. Navy)
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.
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.
Chief Damage Controlman Peter Martinez, left, instructs sailors assigned to the in-port emergency team aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington. (MCSN Cory Daut/U.S. Navy)
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.
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.
The Type 055 large destroyer Zunyi of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy carries out air defense and sea assault exercises in the South China Sea in November 2023. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television
A 10,000 ton-class large destroyer newly commissioned into the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) earlier in 2023 recently carried out a combat-oriented exercise in the South China Sea, displaying its rapid capability generation in defending national sovereignty, security and maritime rights amid tensions in the region, analysts said on Wednesday.
The destroyer Zunyi recently conducted a series of realistic air defense, anti-missile and sea assault combat drills in an undisclosed area in the South China Sea, and effectively verified the ship’s solo combat capabilities in the far seas, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.
During the exercise, the Zunyi‘s early warning and detection systems found multiple suspected aerial targets, which the warship successfully intercepted by taking an advantageous position, releasing jamming rounds and firing its close-in weapon system.
In a following training session, a hostile vessel target approached the Zunyi, which responded with a fast counterattack, heavily damaging the target with its main gun.
In the drills that lasted for several days, the Zunyi was tasked to deal with complicated maritime and air emergencies and intensive training sessions. The warship completed more than a dozen training courses, including coordination with small boats, vessel-helicopter integrated search and rescue and light arms firing, CCTV reported.
The priority of this exercise was to understand the new equipment’s capabilities in-depth and accelerate its actual application in systematic joint combat, CCTV quoted Zhang Shuliang, a member of an undisclosed detachment under the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command, as saying.
“Through comprehensive training and verifying in complicated maritime and air conditions, we have explored and optimized tactics and training methods,” Zhang said.
Commissioned in April, the Zunyi is the seventh Type 055 large destroyer of the PLA Navy, according to publicly available information.
After more than half a year’s training, the Zunyi is almost ready for combat, analysts said.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Zunyi is forming combat capabilities very fast thanks to experience shared by previous Type 055 destroyers.
The Type 055 is a technically mature warship, and the Zunyi is forming systematic combat capabilities, operating solo or in a task group, Song said.
The exercise by the 10,000 ton-class large destroyer in the South China Sea came at a time when the Philippines has been stirring up trouble in the region since August, making repeated provocations toward Chinese islands and reefs in the region.
While the drills are not targeted at any party, a mighty navy operating powerful warships like the Type 055 is a stabilizer to regional peace, observers said.
China is a peace-loving country, but it must have the strength to safeguard peace, Song said, noting that the Type 055 is a part of that strength.
With the Type 055, the PLA has more confidence and capabilities in defending national sovereignty, security and development interests, Song said.
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