November 7, 2023 4:15 PM • Updated: November 8, 2023 10:30 AM
USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) and His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa (FFH-341) conduct a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Yukon (T-AO-202) in the South China Sea, Sept. 25, 2023. US Navy Photo
Canada is sending three frigates a year and a replenishment vessel into the Western Pacific as part of Ottawa’s new strategy, its top admiral said Friday.
Vice Adm. Angus Topshee acknowledged the “tyranny of distance” in making the commitment to the region.
“Canada is a Pacific nation,” he said. “We’ve shifted the weight of our presence to the Pacific.”
Topshee added instead of the seven sailing days it takes for Canadian warships to reach operating stations in the Atlantic it takes three times as long to do that in the Pacific.
Speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies online event, Topshee cited the recent transit of the Taiwan Strait by its HMCS Ottawa (FFH-341) and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) as an example of Canada’s commitment to the “rules-based international order” to ensure the free flow of trade through international waters.
While the two vessels were trailed by a number of Chinese ships through the strait, they transited without incident. A submarine-hunting helicopter from Ottawa, however, was intercepted by fighters Sunday that fired flares to drive off the Canadian aircraft flying in international airspace. It was the second such incident involving Canadian military helicopters and Chinese fighters in recent days.
“We don’t have a natural region of the world” to concentrate security interests and forces. “We’re surrounded by three oceans and the United States is to our south.”
Calling the U.S. “Canada’s closest ally,” he outlined a division of emphasis in the roles and missions of Canada’s armed forces.
The Canadian Army is concentrating on possible European land warfare as part of its NATO commitment. The Royal Canadian Air Force is tied closely to the United States in the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The Royal Canadian Navy looks to the Pacific.
“We think the Indo-Pacific is a maritime theater” for the movement of trade, potential source of energy and important minerals and its fisheries.
Before assuming Canada’s top naval post, Topshee served as commander of Maritime Forces Pacific. He pointed to Canada’s recently released policy paper on the Pacific as to the role of the navy in that region in places like the Taiwan Strait.
“Canada will also continue to work with partners to push back against any unilateral actions that threaten the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, as well as the East and South China Seas.”
In the discussion, Topshee cited Canada’s Harry de Wolf-class offshore patrol vessels as important assets in meeting new missions with island nations’ coast guards in protecting their fisheries and increasing maritime awareness in the Pacific. The class can also operate as icebreakers in the Far North.
On the Arctic, Topshee said, “We don’t anticipate a war in the Arctic or over the Arctic.” He ruled out the Northwest Passage as a viable sea route for now for ocean-to-ocean commerce. “The Northern Sea Route is more accessible,” but closer to Russia. He added that 22 percent of Russia’s gross domestic product comes from its mining of Arctic minerals and energy development. It also is a region where Moscow has built military facilities for its land and air forces and continued to expand its icebreaking fleet.
By contrast, “There are only 200,000 Canadians living” in the region, he said The largest locality has a population of 7,000. As for development, there is large iron ore mine operating and some diamond mining in the Canadian Arctic, he said.
For Canadian armed forces, Topshee said the “Arctic is an expeditionary theater.” He added its deep water port “is not like Singapore” where a ship can refuel and pick up provisions. “Everything we need in the north, we have to bring with us.”
Under those conditions, “basing is a challenge.” Topshee added the Canadian Navy is looking at dual-use facilities in the Arctic rather than building something for its own use.
November 7, 2023 6:54 PM • Updated: November 7, 2023 8:06 PM
An undated photo of USS Bosie (SSN-764). US Navy Photo
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy will issue an award to overhaul an attack submarine that has sat idle for years next year, a service official said Tuesday.
USS Boise (SSN-764) has sat idle at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding since 2020 after losing its dive certificate in 2017 due to a backlog at the public shipyards.
“We are officially going to award, contract, to start the [engineering overhaul] officially in early calendar year 24,” Rear Adm. Jonathan Rucker, the program executive officer for attack submarines, said at the annual Naval Submarine League symposium,
“And we’ve worked with Newport News to lay out a contract schedule and a plan that gets us that boat back at the right time to get the right operational availability … and multiple deployments in support of what Adm. Houston needs,” Rucker added, referring to Naval Submarine Forces commander Vice Adm. Bill Houston.
The impending contract award in 2024 comes as Boise‘s overhaul has been delayed nearly a decade due to logjams at the public shipyards. Due to aircraft carriers and ballistic-missile submarines getting priority at the public yards, the attack submarines have faced years of maintenance delays.
After Boise lost its dive certification in 2017, the Navy opted to contract a private yard to perform the maintenance overhaul. The Los Angeles-class attack submarine first entered Newport News in 2020, but has been waiting for its engineering overhaul for more than three years.
Rucker said the Navy is cutting down on the days of maintenance delays for the attack boats, but still has a ways to go.
“Since 2019, for attack submarines, we’ve decreased the days of maintenance delays by over 30 percent. Not where we need to be yet, but we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
At last year’s conference, Rucker said the service had averaged 1,500 to 1,600 days of maintenance delays in Fiscal Year 2019, but brought that number down to about 1,100 days for FY 2022. At the time, Rucker said the service wants that number to decrease to 700 days by FY 2026.
Available material for when the Navy starts maintenance availabilities on attack submarines remains the same as it was last year: 40 to 50 percent. But with help from lawmakers and across the supply chain, the Navy is still working toward a goal of 90 percent by 2026.
“We’ve improved on time performance, if you look across planning and modernization, from 18 months ago when I took the job, we were less than 50 percent for those two things. Today we’re at 92 and 96 percent,” he said.
The Navy is still trying to increase the percentage of operationally available attack submarines, but is currently at about 64 to 67 percent, Rucker said.
Naval Sea Systems Command officials have noted the service’s difficulty in getting attack submarines out of maintenance on time.
“Over the last ten years, 20 to 30 percent [came] out on time,” former NAVSEA command chief Vice Adm. Bill Galinis said last year.
Protected cruiser USS Charleston (C-22) passing through the Gaillard (late Culebra) Cut of the Panama Canal, 1917. Decommissioned in 1923, she was sold in 1930 and spent the next 30 years as a floating breakwater in British Columbia. She was eventually run ashore and abandoned.
The U.S.S. Charleston is seen in this real photo postcard from the 1910s at dry dock in Panama.
Leaving Puget Sound on 28 October 1908, Charleston served in the Far East until 11 September 1910, first as flagship of 3rd Squadron, Pacific Fleet, and later, as flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. Based on Cavite, Philippines in the winter, the Fleet moved north each summer to Chefoo, China, to continue exercises and visits to ports of China, Japan, Manchuria, and Russia, presenting a powerful reminder of American interest in the Far East. Returning to Bremerton, Washington, Charleston was decommissioned on 8 October 1910 at Puget Sound.[4]
Placed in commission in reserve on 14 September 1912, Charleston joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet, remaining at Puget Sound as a receiving ship through early 1916, aside from a voyage to San Francisco in October 1913 as flagship for the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Reserve Fleet. From 1912 through early 1916, she was receiving ship at the yard. With a new assignment as tender for the submarines based in the Panama Canal Zone, Charleston arrived at Cristobal, C.Z. on 7 May 1916, for a year of operations with submarines, reconnaissance of anchorages, and gunnery exercises.
As built, she was fitted with heavy military masts, but these were replaced by cage masts in 1909
Her keel was laid down in December 1896 at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard, and she was launched in May 1898. She was commissioned into the fleet in October 1900. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 13-inch (330 mm) guns and she had a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).
Alabama spent the first seven years of her career in the North Atlantic Fleet conducting peacetime training. In 1904, she made a visit to Europe and toured the Mediterranean. She took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet until damage to her machinery forced her to leave the cruise in San Francisco. She instead completed a shorter circumnavigation in company with the battleship Maine. The ship received an extensive modernization from 1909 to 1912, after which she was used as a training ship in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She continued in this role during World War I. After the war, Alabama was stricken from the naval register and allocated to bombing tests that were conducted in September 1921. She was sunk in the tests by US Army Air Service bombers and later sold for scrap in March 1924.
Design work on the Illinois class of pre-dreadnought battleships began in 1896, at which time the United States Navy had few modern battleships in service. Initial debate over whether to build a new low-freeboard design like the Indiana-class battleships in service or a higher-freeboard vessel like Iowa (then under construction) led to a decision to adopt the latter type. The mixed secondary armament of 6 and 8 in (152 and 203 mm) guns of previous classes was standardized to just 6-inch weapons to save weight and simplify ammunition supplies. Another major change was the introduction of modern, balanced turrets with sloped faces instead of the older “Monitor”-style turrets of earlier American battleships.[1]
Plan and profile drawing of the Illinois class
Alabama was 374 feet (114 m) long overall and had a beam of 72 ft 3 in (22.02 m) and a draft of 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m). She displaced 11,565 long tons (11,751 t) as designed and up to 12,250 long tons (12,450 t) at full load. The ship was powered by two-shaft triple-expansionsteam engines rated at 16,000 indicated horsepower (12,000 kW), driving two screw propellers. Steam was provided by eight coal-fired fire-tube boilers, which were ducted into a pair of funnels placed side by side. The propulsion system generated a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). As built, she was fitted with heavy military masts, but these were replaced by cage masts in 1909. She had a crew of 536 officers and enlisted men, which increased to 690–713.[2]
Alabama‘s main armored belt was 16.5 in (419 mm) thick over the magazines and the propulsion machinery spaces and 4 in (102 mm) elsewhere. The main battery gun turrets had 14-inch (356 mm) thick faces, and the supporting barbettes had 15 in (381 mm) of armor plating on their exposed sides. Armor that was 6 in thick protected the secondary battery. The conning tower had 10 in (254 mm) thick sides
USS Boise 1938 Commissioned in 1938, she saw extensive service during World War II, taking part in fighting in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters. Following the war the ship was decommissioned in 1946 and lay idle until sold to Argentina in 1951. Renamed Nueve de Julio, the ship remained in service with the Argentinian Navy until 1978, after which she was taken to Brownsville, Texas and scrapped in 1983. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Boise_(CL-47)
SS INTREPID 1961. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, she was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), and then eventually became an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). In her second career, she served mainly in the Atlantic, but also participated in the Vietnam War. She was the recovery ship for a Mercury and a Gemini space mission. Because of her prominent role in battle, she was nicknamed “the Fighting I”, while her frequent bad luck and time spent in dry dock for repairs—she was torpedoed once and hit in separate attacks by four Japanese kamikaze aircraft—earned her the nicknames “Decrepit” and “the Dry I”.
Decommissioned for the second time in 1974, she was put into service as a museum ship in 1982 as the foundation of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex in New York City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Intrepid_(CV-11)
For the fourth-generation member of the CAF, remembrance is ‘deeply personal’
Ella Matteabout 11 hours ago
Lt.-Cmdr. Jordan Thwaites is currently on a mission in the Indo-Pacific onboard HMCS Vancouver. (Courtesy of CFB Esquimalt)
Lt.-Cmdr. Jordan Thwaites is a fourth-generation member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who is stationed out of CFB Esquimalt.
He was born in Halifax to a father who was a warfare officer for more than 35 years. His father was also a lieutenant commander and the commanding officer of HMCS Miramichi and HMCS Chaleur.
“He loved going to work every day,” Thwaites said about his father. “He had incredible stories of sailing around the world, meeting people, and going places that seemed to be the result of almost unlimited good luck. All of this he attributed to having chosen the world’s greatest career. I knew from the time I was fairly young that I wanted to serve in the military and, after university, I decided I would start by trying my luck with the same job that brought so many memories to my father.”
Thwaites joined the CAF in 2007, eventually being posted to HMCS Toronto in Halifax.
“I joined the ship and sailed the next day for work-ups and it was the proverbial ‘drinking from a fire hose’ experience,” said Thwaites. “We had a great group of bridge watch keepers (BWKs) under training at the time and there was certainly a healthy atmosphere of friendly competition and comradery amongst us. I spent my two years under training sailing when and where I could in Toronto and St. John’s sailing first to the Arctic and then to the Caribbean primarily.”
In 2011, after Thwaites completed his professional qualification, he had the opportunity to sail in the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs) Moncton and Goose Bay as a BWK. This was a special experience for Thwaites since at the time, the vessels were still primarily crewed by naval reservists.
“The officers and crews are much smaller and tight-knit compared to the large warships I was used to,” said Thwaites. “I enjoyed a lovely summer around Atlantic Canada and out on the Grand Bank getting to focus on my skills as a mariner.”
Afterward, Thwaites was sent on an exchange with the Royal New Zealand Navy, where he sailed in Wellington and Otago as a BWK and training officer. He had the great fortune of visiting essentially all of New Zealand by land and sea, with his visit culminating in a voyage to Antarctica where he had the chance to drive in Otago in great ice fields and see the most remote continent.
After Thwaites toured around New Zealand, he was selected to be an aide-de-camp for Governor General David Johnson in 2013. His two-year duty at Rideau Hall was a “career highlight,” said Thwaites.
“It has always been a career aspiration of mine to be an adie-de-camp for the governor general. I almost couldn’t believe my luck with my commanding officer at the time recommending me … while at Rideau Hall, I received an incredible education in etiquette, diplomacy, and kindness from the incredible staff who worked there.”
Thwaites, like many, joined the CAF for the adventure – a chance to see the world, experience new things, challenge themselves and do things many don’t get to do in a normal job. Now that he has been a part of the CAF for some time, helping people is the most rewarding part of his job.
“Sometimes that’s a small thing, helping someone with something small that makes their day easier, or a joke or a kind word,” said Thwaites. “Other times it’s helping them out with big things in their career or their life. Once in a while, you get to work with someone over the year or many years and get to see them succeed and come into their own and that’s great. Because we are all always learning something new, there’s ample opportunity.”
For the past 16 years, leaving home has been a normal part of Thwaites’s life.
“For me, life aboard the ship is almost as familiar as life at home,” he said. “You come to know and enjoy your routine in many ways, for me a big part of it is unwinding reading before I go to sleep. I had always been a bachelor, so now with a wife, there are new challenges, but despite the long stints away from home, we do receive large blocks of leave, especially following a deployment where we can focus on uninterrupted quality time together.”
Currently, the lieutenant commander is aboard the Indo-Pacific mission back on HMCS Vancouver. The crew moves frequently between different patrol areas responding to intelligence as it comes in. Thwaites describes it as “extremely dynamic.”
Thwaites is proud to have grown up with a family that has a proud tradition of service. His retired NWO father wasn’t the only CAF member of the family. His great-grandfather served in the First World War in the infantry from 1914 to 1918. His grandfather took part in the D-Day landings and then in Holland as part of Operation Market Garden as a tank commander.
Before Thwaites even enrolled in the Navy, he worked for Veterans Affairs Canada as a tour guide and caretaker in France at both Beaumont-Hamel, Newfoundland’s national First World War memorial, and Canada’s Vimy Ridge.
“I visited memorials and cemeteries from Normandy to Dieppe and the Somme to Ypres. It’s not nearly as hard to think of their deaths as it is to think of the lives they didn’t get to live or the lives their loved ones had to live without them. For me, remembrance is a deeply personal and spiritual experience and something so deeply a part of my life growing up and my own service now that I don’t remember a time without it,” said Thwaites.
“I’m deeply grateful for all those who have served, those who serve alongside me now, and all those Canadians who work to make our country and the world a better, safer place.”
November 6, 2023 12:53 PM • Updated: November 6, 2023 9:40 PM
USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Nov. 6, 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.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
291 (USS 232, USNS 59)
106 (USS 74, USNS 32)
76 (52 Deployed, 24 Local)
In Sasebo, Japan
From left, Takuya Kaneko, chairman of the Sasebo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Capt. Michael Fontaine, commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commandant of JMSDF Sasebo District, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Brig. Gen. Shingo Nashinoki, commander of Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, stand in review of JGSDF members during the Sasebo Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Parade in Sasebo, Japan Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Sailors reset an arresting gear wire following a landing on the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), during flight operations in support of the Multi-Large Deck Exercise with USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH-181), in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 5. U.S. Navy Photo
The Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway in the Western Pacific. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and other ships with the Reagan Carrier Strike Group recently made a port call in Manila, Republic of the Philippines, from Oct 28 to Nov. 1.
On Nov 3, USS Dewey (DDG-105), a forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, conducted a freedom of navigation exercise in the “excessive claim area” near the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, with features also claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Unlike previous news releases about FONOPs near the Spratlys, U.S. 7th Fleet did not give more detail about where Dewey sailed.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) receives fuel and supplies from the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) during an underway replenishment while operating in the South China Sea, Nov. 5. U.S. Navy Photo
China, Vietnam and Taiwan require prior notification before a warship sails by the Spratlys, which violates international law, according to the release. Dewey‘s FONOP, without prior notification, was meant to challenge the claims by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” reads the release.
Dewey‘s FONOP comes the day after USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH-341) conducted a Taiwan Strait transit. The two ships were tailed by Chinese aircraft and warships, USNI News reported.
Carrier Strike Group 5
Aircraft Carrier
The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), departs Manila Bay, Philippines, after a routine port visit, Nov. 1. U.S. Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
Carrier Air Wing 5
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) Jared Scifert, from Monticello, Ind., signals the launch of aircraft on the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), in the South China Sea, Nov. 2. U.S. 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
Lt. j.g. Bryan Nguyen, from Fairfax Station, Va., stands watch on the bridge aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) in the Taiwan Strait, Nov. 2. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 15 is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and is embarked on the carrier.
USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group deployed on Oct. 12. The CSG is operating in the Philippine Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 1
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
Sailors pose for a photo during a costume contest held on the mess decks as part of a ship-wide Halloween observance while deployed underway aboard Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) in the Philippine Sea on Oct. 31, 2023. U.S. 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 Marshall Islands
U.S. Army Col. Rems Keane, Director of Operations for the 9th Mission Support Command (MSC) Honolulu, Hawaii, talks about the flight deck of the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) with Chief Hospital Corpsman Melinda Canales, right, and Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Timothy Godden, middle, as part of a tour with Pacific Partnership 2024-1 in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nov. 6, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) reached the Marshall Islands on Oct. 30 for Pacific Partnership 24.
“The arrival of Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) to Majuro, RMI, signifies the launch of the Pacific Partnership 24-1 mission, which will enable American and Marshallese participants to work together to enhance disaster response capabilities and foster new and enduring friendships,” Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific said in a news release.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Ships from the Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups (CSG), U.S. Sixth Fleet command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), and Italian Navy frigates Carlo Margottini (F 592) and Virginio Fasan (F 591) sail in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. 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).
A U.S. Marine MV-22 Osprey aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docking ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 29, 2023. U.S. Marine Corps Photo
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 U.S. 5th Fleet.
Carrier Strike Group 12
Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 8
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
Ensign Christopher Duehr, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74), uses a sound-powered phone during a replenishment-at-sea with the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) in the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 3. U.S. 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 Red Sea
The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. Navy Photo
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4 and is in the Red Sea. 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.
U.S. Central Command said on social media Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine arrived in its area of responsibility. A picture posted with the announcement appeared to show the sub in the Suez Canal, northeast of Cairo. These SSGNs carry up to 154 tomahawk missiles.
Carrier Strike Group 2
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier (CVN-69) sails in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transits through the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. Navy Photo
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, Va.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
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, Va.
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, Va.
Cruiser
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. 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
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
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.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) conduct a replenishment at sea with French logistics supply ship BRF Jacques Chevallier (A 725) in the Atlantic Ocean, Nov. 4, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
USS George Washington (CVN-73) is underway in the Virginia Capes.
In the Eastern Pacific
USS Boxer (LHD-4) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) transit the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 4, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) is operating off the coast of California in the Southern California Operating Areas. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is also underway off California.
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.
