ASTORIA, Ore. — United States Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-623) returned to homeport in Astoria on Saturday, June 18, following a 55-day counter narcotics deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 13th District said in a release. 

The 210-foot medium-endurance cutter and crew covered more than 11,000 miles conducting law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations in international waters off Central America from Mexico to Costa Rica. 

The Steadfast deployed with an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter and aviation crew from Air Station Port Angeles, Washington, and with additional Coast Guard members from the Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific, Electronics Support Detachment Detroit, Base Galveston and three Coast Guard Academy cadets. 

The crew of the Steadfast also worked with Mexican law enforcement assets on two occasions, to locate, track, and interdict fast-moving drug smuggling vessels, resulting in the seizure of 2,747 kilograms of cocaine by Mexican authorities, valued at $109 million. 

While transiting south of Mexico, Steadfast’s bridge team sighted a disabled and adrift open-hull vessel with two Mexican adult males waving life jackets. Steadfast approached the vessel to investigate and determine the nature of distress. The imperiled mariners stated that they were fishermen who had been adrift for 23 days after their vessel had been beset by weather. Steadfast embarked both persons, provided meals and medical care, and returned them safely back to Mexico. 

This was the last patrol for Cmdr. Craig Allen Jr., who has served as the Steadfast’s commanding officer since July 2020. A change-of-command ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 22 in front of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. 

Steadfast is a 54-year-old Reliance-class cutter that has been homeported in Astoria since 1994. Previously, Steadfast was homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she earned the nickname “El Tiburon Blanco” (‘the White Shark’), from drug smugglers for her notoriety in counter-narcotics operations in the Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will commission the future USS Montana (SSN 794), the newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, during a 10:00 a.m. EST ceremony on Saturday, June 25, at Naval Station Norfolk, the Defense Department said June 24. 

Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana will deliver the principal address. Additional speakers include U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia’s 3rd District; Undersecretary of the Navy Erik Raven; Adm. James Caldwell, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; and Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. 

The submarine’s sponsor is Sally Jewell, former Secretary of the United States Department of Interior. Montana was christened at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, in Newport News, Virginia, on Sept. 12, 2020. Jewell will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life.” 

The future USS Montana (SSN 794) honors the Treasure State and will be the second commissioned warship bearing the name. The first USS Montana (ACR-13), an armored cruiser, was also built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in July 1908. ACR-13 served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, landed Marines during unrest in Haiti in 1914, and escorted convoys during World War I. The Navy decommissioned the first USS Montana in 1921, and two other vessels named after the state never saw commissioned service. 

“This boat is a true treasure of the U.S. Navy, and will play an integral part in protecting and promoting American prosperity and security abroad,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “I am so proud of the brave men and women who will man this submarine, and I look forward to their success on the high seas.” 

Montana is the third Block IV Virginia-class submarine to enter service, designed to carry out the core missions of the submarine force: antisubmarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare. These capabilities allow the submarine force to operate anywhere, at any time, and contribute to regional stability and the preservation of future peace. 

Montana is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. It has a crew of approximately 136 Navy personnel. 

The ceremony will be live-streamed at: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/28926. The link will become active at 9:45 a.m. EST. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will christen its newest expeditionary sea base, the future USS John L. Canley (ESB 6), during a 9:00 a.m. PDT ceremony Saturday, June 25, at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (GD-NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego, the Defense Department said June 24. 

The principal speaker is Lt. Gen. Michael Langley, commanding general, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, and commander, Marine Forces Command and Marine Forces Northern Command. Additional speakers include Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations, Energy, and Facilities Robert Thompson; Vice Adm. Ross Myers, commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/commander, U.S. 10th Fleet; Thomas Kiss, director of ship management, Military Sealift Command; Sgt. Maj. David Wilson, command sergeant major, First Marine Division; and David Carver, president of GD-NASSCO.    

In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsor, Patricia Sargent, daughter of Sgt. Maj. Canley, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. 

The ship is named for Medal of Honor recipient, retired Sgt. Maj. John L. Canley. Canley, who served in the Marine Corps for 28 years, was awarded the nation’s highest honor 50 years after his actions while serving as Company Gunnery Sergeant, Company A, First Battalion, First Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam during the Battle of Hue City. Initially awarded the Navy Cross for his actions, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2018. Canley passed away on May 11, 2022. 

“Tomorrow we christen the future USS John L. Canley, recognizing a pioneer in the Marine Corps and a devoted patriot, who earned our nation’s highest honor for his gallant actions in the Battle of Hue City,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “Sgt. Maj. Canley is an example to the men and women who will proudly serve aboard this ship and he will be remembered every day ESB 6 operates.” 

ESBs are highly flexible platforms used across a broad range of military operations, supporting multiple operational phases and directly contributing to American prosperity and security abroad. Acting as a mobile sea base, they are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to provide prepositioned equipment and sustainment with adaptable distribution capability. 

BOSTON — Coast Guard Cutter Campbell’s crew returned home to Newport, Rhode Island, June 23, following an 80-day, multi-mission patrol in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in support of the Coast Guard 7th District’s Operation Southeast Watch and the U.S. Navy’s Composite Training Unit Exercise, the Coast Guard 1st District said in a release.  

Amidst the largest surge in maritime migration in nearly two decades, Campbell patrolled the Windward Pass and South Florida Straits, tasked with the disruption and interdiction of dangerous and illegal migrant ventures departing from Haiti and Cuba.   

On April 10, within hours of entering the South Florida Straits, Campbell’s crew intercepted a wooden sail freighter with 67 Haitians aboard. The group, which included minors as young as five months, departed the north coast of Haiti nearly a week prior, and ran dangerously short on food, water, baby formula, and other essential supplies. The crew embarked the distressed migrants, providing care and medical attention before transferring the case to the Royal Bahamian Defense Force.    

Throughout April and May, Campbell interdicted five additional migrant vessels that departed from Haiti and Cuba. In one notable case, Campbell interdicted a 50-foot, power-driven vessel carrying 212 Haitians south of Turks and Caicos. In total, Campbell’s crew rescued and cared for 528 Haitians and 21 Cubans during the patrol.   

In June, Campbell shifted focus and joined a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group for COMPTUEX, a joint training mission off the North Carolina and Florida coasts. The training exercise, which serves as the Navy’s capstone prior to overseas deployment, included live-fire weapons exercises, formation steaming, and multi-day at-sea combat simulations.  

The Campbell, a 270-foot Cutter with a crew complement of 100, is homeported in Newport, Rhode Island. The crew’s missions include search and rescue operations, counter-drug, migrant interdiction and living marine resources protection. 

KEY WEST, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis (WMEC 910) crew returned to homeport in Key West, June 21, after a 77-day counter-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean Sea, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area said in a release.  

The Thetis crew repatriated 88 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti, after they were reported to be on an unseaworthy sailing vessel in the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti. 

An embarked U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment disabled a smuggling vessel transporting an estimated 1,323 pounds of cocaine in the Central Caribbean.  

The Thetis’s crew assisted with a search and rescue case of 14 mariners that went into the water after their commercial ship began taking on water in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.  

“While on a counter-narcotics patrol, our crew quickly shifted gears to help locate and provide situational awareness during an unfortunate search and rescue case,” said Cmdr. Justin Nadolny, the commanding officer of the Thetis. “Working alongside our international and commercial partners showcased the can-do spirit of mariners and our universally shared duty of assisting those in distress and ensuring safety of life at sea.”  

The Thetis’s crew strengthened international partnerships while in Cartagena, Colombia, hosting Colombian naval officers aboard to gain a deeper understanding of maritime activity in the region and to develop relationships with international maritime partners operating in Caribbean waters. 

The Thetis, a 270-foot Famous-class cutter homeported in Key West and has a crew of 104. Their primary missions are counter-drug operations, migrant interdiction, the enforcement of federal fisheries laws, and search and rescue in support of U.S. Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced June 22 the following assignments: 

Rear Adm. Grafton D. Chase Jr. will be assigned as commander, Defense Logistics Agency – Distribution, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Chase is currently assigned as director, Joint Reserve Forces, J9, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. 

Capt. Michael L. Baker, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as senior defense official/defense attaché – India, New Delhi, India. Baker is currently serving as International Affairs Branch head, N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

BOSTON — Sea Machines Robotics Inc., a developer of autonomous command and control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries, has unveiled AI-ris, a new marine computer vision navigation sensor designed to improve safety and performance while vessels are underway, the company said June 21.

The company revealed this new technology during Seawork2022, the largest European commercial marine exhibition. Sea Machines’ AI-ris, (artificial intelligence recognition and identification system) uses digital cameras and AI-processing to detect, track, classify and geolocate objects, vessel traffic and other potential obstacles in the majority of operational conditions, day or night, to equip crew with best-in-class situational awareness. Computer vision helps improve safety for vessels and is also a critical technology for the advancement of autonomous command and control systems.

Boats and ships operate in the planet’s most dynamic environment and the limitations of conventional navigation sensors leave the bulk of perception work to the human eye and brain for continuous scanning of the waterway. Fatigue, distraction, and confusion can lead to misses and mistakes. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that in 2020, 36% of boating accidents were collisions and allisions, with the primary cause being improper lookouts and operator inattention. The commercial marine industry suffers from similar challenges. Sea Machines designed AI-ris to be ever alert, with the ability to deliver predictable operational results that can improve vessel reliability, as well as eliminate liabilities caused by human error.

“Sea Machines is dedicated to building the future of ocean mobility. We envision a future with fewer accidents at sea. We are revolutionizing marine navigation with data-driven intelligence, autonomy and connectivity,” said CEO Michael G. Johnson, Sea Machines. “AI-ris enables a tremendous performance and safety increase. The superior capabilities of computer vision and AI will ensure a safer, more productive voyage.”

“AI-ris is always scanning for obstacles and can alert the operator of potentially dangerous situations. It also labels objects very small in size, like swimmers, kayakers or animals, to those very large, like another ship,” said CTO Trevor Vieweg, Sea Machines. “With the ability to detect, classify and geolocate such targets via optical sensors, AI-ris augments and surpasses the capabilities of existing marine sensor technologies, like radar and automatic identification system, enabling greater performance and achieving the highest levels of safety. In the future, this technology may also help responders detect marine oil spills.”

AI-ris is commercially available now and can be installed aboard existing vessels, as well as new builds.

BELOIT, Wis. — Fairbanks Morse Defense, a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has finalized an agreement with The Ideal Electric Company, an American manufacturer of high-power, specialty electric motors, generators, and related equipment, to serve as IDEAL’s exclusive naval field service provider, FMD said in a June 21 release.

FMD will provide maintenance and global field services for The Ideal Electric Company’s motors and generators that are already installed or will be installed on naval ships worldwide.

“Fairbanks Morse Defense is constantly seeking new opportunities to expand the range of turnkey services that we can offer our marine defense customers and teaming up with The Ideal Electric Company to service their motors and generators while we’re already on board servicing our engines and other equipment makes this a great value add for the Navy,” said Jamie McMullin, president of FMD Services.

The agreement reinforces FMD’s ability to build, maintain, and service naval power and propulsion systems worldwide through six strategically located domestic centers and resources deployed globally.

“Fairbanks Morse Defense’s extensive field service network and focus on supporting naval customers coupled with The Ideal Electric Company’s legacy of rotating electric expertise and American-made product range is a perfect match for us. We are excited to leverage this in-place capability and provide unparalleled support to our customers when and where they need it,” said Nic Phillips, vice president of IDEAL. “We see this as a great fit with two American manufacturers coming together, strengthening the domestic defense industrial base, and we feel confident that our customers will be well-served by FMD.”

MOBILE, Ala. — Austal USA was awarded the detailed design and construction contract on June 17 valued at $128 million for the U.S. Navy Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium (AFDM). The competitively awarded contract marks Austal USA’s second steel vessel program for the U.S. Navy and demonstrates the shipyard’s growing capability to meet the Navy’s needs for aluminum and steel vessels.   

The AFDM will be constructed in Austal’s modern steel panel line in Mobile, Alabama. The design incorporates features to improve operability and maintainability based on the company’s experience and lessons learned from owning, operating, and maintaining a similar dry dock at its repair facility at Austal West Campus. 

“I am proud of our Austal USA team for developing a winning proposal,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. “Combined with our contract for the T-ATS program, the AFDM award is evidence of our expanding capability and focus on delivering a diverse portfolio of solutions to our customers, from combatants to dry docks. We are looking forward to providing the U.S. Navy with an exceptional floating dry dock using our lean manufacturing approach.”  

The AFDM is a “Rennie”-type floating dry dock with an 18,000-long ton lifting capacity and a clear deck working area of 90,800 square feet. The craft has an overall length of 694 feet, overall pontoon breadth of 157 feet, and a height of 65 feet from baseline to wing deck.   

KIEL, Germany — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday traveled to Kiel, Germany June 15-18 for the conclusion of BALTOPS 22, The CNO’s Public Affairs office said June 18.

In its 51st iteration, BALTOPS is an annual coordinated exercise that reinforces interoperability with allies and partners and provides collective maritime security in the Baltic Sea.

Gilday visited the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) at sea during the final days of the exercise.

“Our Sailors are our asymmetric advantage against any threat,” said Gilday. “Watching the incredible multi-domain coordination with our international partners, and seeing Sailors in action, is always inspiring.”  

This year, 14 NATO allies, two NATO partner nations (Finland and Sweden), more than 45 ships, 75 aircraft, and approximately 7,000 personnel participated in BALTOPS 22.

“The United States’ strong defense relationships with our Northern European allies and partners constitute our greatest strategic advantage in the region,” said Gilday. “BALTOPS achieves a multitude of objectives by demonstrating NATO interoperability, interchangeability, and readiness.”

He added that naval forces are participating in this exercise and are focused on interoperability with Sweden and Finland, as well as the other allied nations of NATO. “We are trained, proficient and ready, BALTOPS demonstrates just that and our commitment to defending NATO is ironclad.”

While in Kiel, Gilday met with Vice Adm. Jan Kaack, chief of the German navy, as well as Vice Adm. Frank Lenski, vice chief of the German navy, to discuss operational areas of mutual interest, NATO operations, and Transatlantic security.

“I sincerely welcome the continued commitment of the U.S. Navy in Europe. Since 1972, the BALTOPS exercise has been taking place in the Baltic Sea under US leadership — this year for the 51st time,” said Lenski. “Our ties with the U.S. Navy are strong and will remain so because the Baltic Sea is part of NATO’s northern flank. It is our vital interest to guarantee freedom and security in this area.”

The trip culminated with a BALTOPS reception aboard the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), where Gilday met with U.S and foreign naval leadership as well as members of the local community. This was Gilday’s first visit to Germany.