MIAMI — The Coast Guard intercepted two illegal voyages Nov. 22 off the coast of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a Nov. 24 release. 

Puerto Rican Border Patrol (FURA) detected a 20-foot vessel with 12 migrants aboard, 11 Dominican Republic and one Guatemalan migrant — including 11 adult males and one adult female — approximately four miles west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier (WPC-1115)crew embarked the migrants and safely transferred them to the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos (WPC-1118) crew.  

FURA detected a second 20-foot vessel with 13 migrants aboard, nine Dominican Republic and four Brazilian migrants, including 12 adult males and one adult female, approximately 1 mile northwest of Punta Borinquen, Puerto Rico. The Joseph Tezanos crew arrived on scene and embarked the migrants who were later transferred to the Dominican Republic Navy. 

“The close collaboration and efficient coordination between the Puerto Rico Border Patrol and fellow Caribbean Border Interagency group partner agencies resulted in two successful interdictions and the safe removal of all 25 migrants,” said Lt. Anthony Orr, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos.“With the consistent danger these smuggling ventures present, our crews remain vigilant to protect lives and enforce U.S. law.” 

The Coast Guard has interdicted approximately 101 Dominican migrants so far this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2020. In fiscal year 2020, the Coast Guard crews interdicted 1,117 Dominican migrants who attempted to illegally migrate via maritime means. These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. 

All migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention once aboard a Coast Guard cutter. Throughout the interdiction Coast Guard crewmembers were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. 

NORFOLK, Va. – The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New York (LPD 21) arrived at Naval Station Norfolk, Nov. 22, 2020 concluding the ship’s homeport shift from Mayport, Florida to Virginia, The U.S. Second Fleet said in a release. 

The arrival of New York is part of a series of planned homeport shifts set to occur over the next few years, which will consolidate Mayport-based amphibious ships in the Hampton Roads area in exchange for increasing the number of guided-missile destroyers in the Mayport area. This plan will support extended maintenance availabilities at local shipyards in both fleet concentration areas and, personnel changes from the planned homeport shifts are assessed to have a negligible economic impact to either community. 
 
“On behalf of the New York’s crew, I would like to personally thank the community of Naval Station Mayport and the city of Jacksonville for hosting us these past seven years,” said Capt. Pete Kennedy, New York’s commanding officer. “It has been an honor and a pleasure for our sailors and marines to call Mayport home. We are, however, looking forward to our new home in Norfolk where the New York will continue to carry out our powerful legacy of the World Trade Center attacks by playing a crucial role in the security and prosperity of our nation.” 
 
New York’s commanding officer thanked the crew’s family and friends for their support and gave a “Bravo Zulu” to the ship’s crew of nearly 400 Sailors and Marines for their hard work. 

“The Sailors and Marines onboard New York deserve the utmost praise for their unrelenting commitment to keeping our ship operational and battle-ready,” said Kennedy. “I am incredibly proud and honored to serve alongside some of the most dedicated men and women of this country. I would also like to thank our families and friends that have never failed to support us during these uncertain times of multiple deployments and a global pandemic. It is because of the love and care of our families and friends, the sailors and marines of the New York are the best this country has to offer.” 
 
New York is one of three amphibious transport dock ships named in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The ship’s bow stem was cast using 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center. The Navy named the eighth and ninth ships of the class Arlington and Somerset, in honor of the victims of the attacks on the Pentagon and United Flight 93, respectively. The ship maintains a close tie with its namesake, and most recently visited New York City in May 2019. 
 
Several memorials to its namesake can be found throughout the ship including uniforms from the first responders of the 9/11 attacks, the original name plate from the previous ship to bear its name, and memorabilia from various Broadway musicals and New York City sports teams. These serve the crew as daily reminders of the ship’s deep, patriotic heritage. 
 
New York most recently deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BAT ARG), returning to Mayport in July 2020. During the deployment, BAT ARG, Amphibious Squadron 8 and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted exercises and operations in the U.S. 2nd, 6th and 5th Fleet areas of operations. Highlights of the ship’s employment included working with partners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to coordinate multiple complex training evolutions on the uninhabited Karan and Kurayn islands in the Arabian Gulf and serving as the sea base for Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters during a dynamic live-fire exercise in Bize, Albania. 
 
The ship was commissioned on Nov. 7, 2009 in New York City and its initial homeport was Naval Station Norfolk, until it moved to Naval Station Mayport on Dec. 6, 2013. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered two more Surface-to-Surface Missile Modules (SSMMs) for integration into the Surface Warfare Mission Package of the littoral combat ships, bringing to four the number of SSMMs on order. 

The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. a 10.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for two additional SSMM systems for delivery by November 2022, a Nov. 20 Defense Department contract announcement said. 

The SSMM is a modular weapons system that fires Lockheed Martin-built AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles from launchers built by Teledyne Brown Engineering. Each launcher houses a total of 24 missiles. A prototype launcher has demonstrated the capability to defend against multiple swarming Fast Attack Craft/Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FAC/FIAC). During one test, a volley of six missiles were launched in rapid succession from an LCS, successfully destroying a swarm of six high-speed targets. 

More than 100 missiles have been fired to date with a greater than 90% successful engagement rate.  

The SSMM achieved Initial Operational Capability on the Freedom-variant LCS in February 2019 and was deployed on USS Detroit in November 2019. 

Northrop Grumman is under contract to build four SSMM systems so far. The Navy has a requirement for 12 SSMM systems. 

WARWICKSHIRE, U.K. — GE’s Power Conversion business has been awarded a $40 million contract to supply the power and propulsion systems for two National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), GE said in a Nov. 23 release. This new class of purpose-built ships will be used primarily to provide cadets with at-sea training on operational vessels. 

GE was selected as the single-source vendor for the ships’ propulsion system, which includes the integration of the diesel engines, generators, switchboards, transformers, main propulsion drives, propulsion motors, and auxiliary support systems. While prior training vessels used steam propulsion plants, the new ships will have an all-electric system, enabling students to be trained on the latest technology being used in the commercial marine industry.  

“GE Power Conversion is honored to be selected to provide the power and propulsion systems for the two National Security Multi-Mission Vessels and are equally honored to be partnering with the U.S. Government and MARAD [Maritime Administration] on these vessels,” said Gagan Sood, CEO of GE Power Conversion North America. “We will bring our long history and strong expertise to ensure the U.S. Government and MARAD are training cadets on the latest technology available.” 

In addition to introducing cadets to the work of a merchant mariner, the ships also will serve critical national security interests, including missions in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief throughout the world. Cadets may also benefit from learning about and working with the latest electric ship systems, gaining valuable insights in how electrification is impacting ship performance and emissions. It is an opportunity to get practical experience of GE’s electric ship technology, learning in a real, safe environment. 

The new ships will accommodate up to 600 cadets and instructors and provide comprehensive, instructional spaces and a full training bridge. The vessels have roll-on/roll-off (RORO) capabilities and container storage capacity as well as a helicopter landing pad, enabling them to support humanitarian aid or disaster relief if needed. The NSMV will be powered by Cummins Inc. using Wabtec’s latest 16V250 Series diesel engines, which meet the EPA’s stringent Tier 4 emission standards without using urea-based after-treatments.  

MARAD plans to contract for a total of five NSMVs, with power systems contracts estimated at more than $100 million. The first two vessels are scheduled to enter service in 2023 and 2024, The NSMVs will replace current training ships at the State Maritime Academies. 

TOTE Services, an industry leader in ship management, marine operations and vessel services, is the project’s vessel construction manager. TOTE Services chose Philly Shipyard, Inc. of Philadelphia, for construction of up to five NSMVs, with South Korea’s DSEC overseeing the ships’ detail naval architecture design.  

Important Expertise

DSEC, in turn, awarded the power systems contract to GE, with GE’s Korea team providing global support during the bidding process. “This project award is the culmination of global collaboration within GE, with the Republic of Korea team working closely with DSEC, and the U.S. team supporting Philly Shipyard,” said Steve Mankevich, who led Power Conversion’s U.S. team on the project. 

Ultimately, GE won the power systems contract with its low-risk but high-performance commercial solution. With more than 100 electric and hybrid references with 15 navies globally, GE is one of the top electric propulsion providers to navies around the world.  

“We are proud to be selected for this project and will strive to ensure success by offering proven commercial technology that will de-risk the overall program,” Mankevich said. “We’re the recognized experts, and our knowledge and competence absolutely set us apart.” 

Major win for U.S. manufacturers 

The U.S. Congressional Pennsylvania delegation was particularly adamant that U.S.-based manufacturers such as GE would be used for the ships’ construction. The R&D, engineering, and manufacturing of GE’s Power Conversion equipment for the two NSMVs will be located out of GE’s facility in Pennsylvania, according to Steve Mankevich, who led Power Conversion’s U.S. team on the project.  

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) said, “This federal order will create job opportunities and economic growth in Western Pennsylvania. In my letter to U.S. Maritime Administrator Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, I advocated for contracts awarded by the Maritime Administration for its National Security Multi-Mission Vessel Program to include American manufacturers to the maximum extent and consequently strengthen U.S. manufacturing and contribute to our Nation’s economic recovery. I have long supported GE and I am pleased to see that the GE Power Conversion employees in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania have been awarded this opportunity.” 

In addition, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania), said, “Congratulations to GE Power Conversion for winning the contract for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessels. This award will not only mean jobs in Western Pennsylvania but will help our military achieve its operational goals. Too often when people think of national defense, bullets, shells, and missiles come to mind. In reality, the technologically advanced products of GE Power that allow ships to operate in field at a high level over substantial lengths of time are just as crucial. The awarding of this contract will allow our sailors to train on the most advance American built equipment and be ready to defend our nation on the high seas.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Despite mitigating actions that have prevented any widespread outbreaks since March, the novel coronavirus COVID-19, continues to vex the U.S. sea services, with the destroyer USS Michael Murphy the latest vessel to report personnel testing positive for the disease.

Navy officials confirmed that an outbreak was reported on the  Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer in the Pacific Fleet Nov. 4. Under Defense Department policy, officials do not reveal specific COVID-19 numbers on individual ships or bases. However, no Sailors from the Michael Murphy were admitted to the hospital, according to a Navy spokesperson.

“Personnel who tested positive for COVID-19 were placed in isolation. Out of an abundance of caution, all close contacts and non-essential crew members are undergoing a two-week self-isolation period in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines,” Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokesperson for Naval Surface Forces Pacific, said in a statement to Seapower Nov. 20.

She said most of the crew that had been in self isolation “will be coming out over the weekend and will be back to work next week.”

The ship, currently in its basic phase training cycle, was cleaned in accordance with strict protocols, Schwegman said. She declined to discuss future operations of the ship due to operational security requirements.

The test positive cases on the Michael Murphy were the latest small outbreak on Navy vessels, most of them dockside, including the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, where “a small number of Sailors” tested positive for the novel coronavirus in October. None of those outbreaks have come close to the ordeal of the Roosevelt, the first U.S. warship to battle a COVID-19 outbreak at sea in March. The carrier  was sidelined in Guam for months as scores of Sailors became ill and more than a thousand tested positive. The ensuing controversy over how the incident was handled cost the ship’s captain and the acting Secretary of the Navy their jobs.

The latest figures released by the Navy on Nov. 18 showed 14,947 uniformed personnel have tested positive for COVID-19. Of that number, 12,715 have recovered. Only 11 cases currently require hospitalization, and only Sailor, from the Roosevelt, has died since the pandemic began last winter.

A multidisciplinary team of U.S. Navy Medicine personnel published a comprehensive analysis of the Roosevelt’s COVID-19 outbreak in the New England Journal of Medicine on Nov. 11. The paper provided an epidemiological description of the outbreak that includes all 4,779 crew members.  

Over the course of the outbreak, 1,271 sailors (27% of the crew) tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). More than 1,000 infections were identified within five weeks after the first laboratory-confirmed infection. An additional 60 crew members had suspected Covid-19.

The paper’s authors found that COVID spread quickly among the predominately young crew (mean age 27). Transmission was facilitated by close-quarters conditions and by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infected crew members. Nearly half of those who tested positive for the virus never had symptoms. Additionally, a history of using a medication to control high blood pressure (an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor), respiratory disease and obese body mass index were associated with an increased risk of infection, according to the paper.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The official in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in charge of coordinating interoperability of the combat systems between the Navy’s ships, submarines, aircraft and their sensors said the service needs to “resist the urge to drive up complexity.”   

Kelly McCool, acting director, Digital Warfare Office (DWO), in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, speaking Nov. 19 in the Virtual Combat Systems Symposium sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers, was addressing the Navy’s Fully Integrated Combat Force concept. 

“We’re not focused on a single integrated combat system on a single platform. We need a force that’s fully integrated and distributed,” McCool said.  

“The first challenge I see is that we don’t write requirements to buy a fully integrated force,” she said. “We write requirements and develop systems [with] interoperability as a second thought, as an after-thought, as a fall-out. We’re learning some of those lessons with our unmanned systems where we did not pay enough attention to the networking, and now we’re doing the corrective actions to make sure the network can support our unmanned systems.  

“We’re going to fight on the network, so we have got to value and resource and set requirements that are associated with the networks and the data that is needed to make the timely decisions and the tools that are needed to make those timely decisions,” she said. 

She said that with the surface, subsurface, aviation and expeditionary resource sponsors, the information warfare/intelligence sponsor, and all of their stakeholders “there’s the potential to drive up the complexity.”  

McCool said “the second challenge we all are faced with here is we really need to resist the urge to drive up the complexity in this problem so that we are not faced with another ForceNet or some effort that just becomes too complex, [with] too many stakeholders. In my experience, when you have a lot of stakeholders, we sometimes don’t make those hard decisions about what is the most important. We add everybody’s voice in and then you have some competing requirements. This drives complexity. It drives to the frustration that the acquisition timelines become long.” 

McCool, who spent most of her career so far on the acquisition side but now works on the resourcing side, said that she has strong interest in wanting to make sure we approach the requirements in a way that allows us to grow and evolve with the technology, and not be so complex and so prescriptive that we lock ourselves in too early and force some major acquisition development program. That said, there definitely is this space a need for the government to set some parameters.”  

She said that she was “really doubling down on the networks, getting the requirements right for our Naval Tactical Grid, getting the requirements right for the data, the decision support tools and the architectures we’re going to need across the board and doing that in parallel with the Integrated Combat System development so that we’re loosely coupled but we’re not creating this development upon development that becomes a snowball that’s unachievable. 

“So, there’s some black art there and we’re going to have to work through that,” she added.      

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy recently achieved several important milestones for the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer Flight III upgrade, representing significant progress toward delivering critical Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability to the fleet, Program Executive Office Ships Public Affairs said in a Nov. 20 release. 

The DDG 51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AMDR/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) system that provides improved capability over earlier DDG 51 class ships by enabling Flight III ships to simultaneously perform anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense.  To support this upgrade the Navy is testing and integrating ship systems at existing land-based facilities. 

“This has been an extremely exciting few weeks for the DDG 51 Aegis shipbuilding program,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 program manager. “The program remains on track to deliver this tremendous capability to the fleet. Completion of these most recent milestones is a significant accomplishment and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Flight III team.” 

At the Land-Based Engineering Site (LBES) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania efforts are focused on testing the Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) equipment required to facilitate the increased power and cooling requirements for the radar.  The Navy recently achieved “light-off” of the Flight III electrical plant at LBES, representing completion of the Flight III HM&E equipment installation and marking the beginning of land-based HM&E system integration testing of the Flight III power system.   

Concurrent to these efforts the Navy also recently accepted and installed a new AMDR array for land-based testing of the Flight III combat system at the Combat Systems Engineering Development Site in Moorestown, New Jersey.  This array, along with the rest of the power distribution equipment, will be used for integration testing with the Aegis Combat System. 

With Flight III ships under construction at shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls – Ingalls Shipbuilding Division in Pascagoula, Mississippi and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, completing the test programs at both engineering sites is critical to successfully integrating these complex systems. This is particularly true for the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the first Flight III under construction, as it moves towards its own activation and test programs. Just last week, the second of four AMDR radar arrays was installed by HII-Ingalls in the deckhouse of the Jack H. Lucas, a significant construction event.   

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, with 68 ships delivered to the Fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security. 

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence returned to homeport in Pensacola Friday after a 47-day Caribbean Sea patrol, the Coast Guard 8th District said in a Nov. 20 release.  

Diligence performed counter-drug operations in support of the U.S. Government’s Joint Interagency Task Force–South, which conducts detection and monitoring operations in the Caribbean to facilitate the interdiction of illicit trafficking in support of national and partner nation security.  

The U.S. Coast Guard works alongside interagency and international partners to prevent and respond to dangerous and illegal maritime smuggling from Central and South America. Diligence supported these efforts by patrolling the Southwestern Caribbean Sea in an effort to detect and deter maritime smuggling in the region.  

During the patrol, Diligence intercepted a vessel with approximately 150 gallons of suspected liquefied cocaine and detained four suspected smugglers. Additionally, Diligence received from other U.S. law enforcement agencies more than 7,700 pounds of narcotics and six additional smugglers apprehended and orchestrated the successful transfer of the cases to U.S. authorities for prosecution. The 47-day patrol was also critical in allowing Diligence’s crew to work on shipboard training, qualifications and proficiency to maintain operational readiness. 

“This patrol presented several unique and dynamic challenges,” said Diligence Commanding Officer Cmdr. Luke Slivinski. “Characteristic of a seagoing service, we never know what adventures lay ahead. I am immensely proud of and impressed by Diligence’s crew for their steadfast ability to adapt to the task at hand and carry out the mission with professionalism and proficiency.” 

The cutter Diligence is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Pensacola with a crew of 75. The cutter’s primary missions are counter drug operations, migrant interdiction, enforcing federal fishery laws, and search and rescue in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The recent successful intercept of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target by a ship-launched SM-3 IIA missile proved the missile could compensate for track error built up over time, the Missile Defense Agency director said.  

An SM-3 Block IIA missile, launched on Nov. 16 from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) positioned northeast of Hawaii, intercepted and destroyed an ICBM-representative missile launched from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, located on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director, Missile Defense Agency, speaking Nov. 19 at the Virtual Combat Systems Symposium of the American Society of Naval Engineers, said the Flight Test Aegis Weapon System-44 (FTM-44) was particularly challenging because of the distance involved and the scant sensor coverage of the target missile’s flight path, which induces some drift in the fire-control solution that requires the SM-3 IIA missile to correct its course during flight. 

The destroyer used engage-on-remote capabilities to intercept the ICBM target, with the ships own sensors not used for targeting. Target track data was passed to the ship through the Command-and-Control Battle Management Communications (C2BMC) network. 

After launch, when the SM-3 IIA missile “opens it eyes, it’s going to be dealing with a lot of error it the track” Hill said. “It’s got to divert — our terminology for maneuvering — so it’s got to maneuver to collide, because we do kinetic-energy intercepts.” 

The missile’s nose section is equipped with four small rockets firing sideways to alter the missile’s terminal course to make the intercept. 

Hill explained that kinetic-energy intercepts are necessary because, with a potential weapon of mass destruction, “the best way to take it all out is with imparting kinetic energy — a direct hit.” 

The missile’s own video data link to the ship, as well as a space-based sensor, confirmed the destruction of the target. 

Hill said the factors involved — “precision guidance from the Aegis Combat System [on the destroyer]; a missile that has the ability to seek and divert to run right into the ICBM. That was a big challenge coming into FTM-44.”     

“FTM-44 was the sixth flight test of an Aegis BMD-equipped vessel using the SM-3 Block IIA guided missile. FTM-44, originally scheduled for May 2020, was delayed due to restrictions in personnel and equipment movement intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the Navy said in a release. 

An animation of the test, test video, photos, and additional information about all elements of the U.S. Missile Defense System can be found at https://www.mda.mil. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced Nov. 17 that two future Virginia-class attack submarines will be named USS Tang and USS Wahoo. 

USS Tang (SSN 805) and USS Wahoo (SSN 806) will carry the names of two storied World War II submarines. 

“The success in battle both previous namesakes endured will undoubtedly bring great pride to the future crews of USS Tang and USS Wahoo,” said Braithwaite. “Along with the previously named USS Barb (SSN 804), these boats will honor the strong traditions and heritage of the silent service.” 

This will be the third time that the name Tang and Wahoo will be used for U.S. Navy submarines. 

USS Tang (SS-306) was a Balao-class submarine and the first U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Tang, a surgeon fish popular in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. She was built and launched in 1943, and under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Richard H. O’Kane, she was credited with sinking five enemy ships during the boat’s first war patrol. In her five patrols, Tang is credited with sinking 31 ships, totaling 227,800 tons and damaging two for 4,100 tons. Tang received four battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations for her service during World War II, and O’Kane received the Medal of Honor for Tang’s final, heroic actions. 

A second USS Tang (SS-563), the first ship in the Navy’s Tang-class of Diesel submarines, was commissioned in October 1951. She was among the first post-WWII submarines designed under the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY). She went on to complete multiple patrols supporting the Vietnam War, and later became a training vessel in Groton, Connecticut, before decommissioning in February 1980. Tang earned four battle stars for service in Vietnamese waters. 

USS Wahoo (SS-238) was a Gato-class submarine and the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the wahoo fish, a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Construction on the submarine started before the U.S. entered World War II, and commissioned after the U.S. entered the war. On October 11, 1943, Wahoo, under the command of the renowned Lt. Cmdr. Dudley Walker “Mush” Morton, was sunk with all 79 hands onboard by air and surface attack as she was attempting to exit the Sea of Japan via La Perouse Strait. At the time of her loss, Wahoo was the most storied boat in the fleet. In her seven war patrols, she earned six battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. The boat would be credited with sinking 20 Japanese ships, 19 of them during her last five war patrols. Morton was later awarded the Navy Cross and the destroyer USS Morton (DD-948) was named in his honor. 

The second USS Wahoo (SS-565), a Tang-class submarine, was commissioned on Memorial Day in 1952. After training exercises in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands, Wahoo embarked on tours of duty in the western Pacific as part of Seventh Fleet. She then completed two tours of duty in support of the Vietnam War and was decommissioned in June 1980. Wahoo was also recognized for her actions in Vietnamese waters. 

Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. Attack submarines, for example, were once named for fish, then later for cities and states. However, Braithwaite supports naming future submarines after past vessels with historic naval legacies. 

“Naming Virginia class submarines is a unique opportunity to reclaim submarine names that carry inspirational records of achievement,” Braithwaite added. 

Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces; carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare. For more information about attack submarines, visit https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169558/attack-submarines-ssn/