SEATTLE — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mellon (WHEC 717) returned to their homeport July 7 after completing the final patrol for the 52-year-old ship, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a July 20 release. 

The 150-person crew left Seattle April 17 to conduct missions throughout the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea. 

During the patrol the crew conducted 38 law enforcement boardings, four search and rescue cases, and enforced federal regulations governing Alaska’s $13.9 billion commercial fishing industry. 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mellon crew instituted protective measures to ensure crew safety and the safety of the commercial fishing fleet and Alaskan public. 

The Mellon is one the last remaining 378-foot high-endurance cutters built for extended offshore patrols. Its capabilities span from helicopter operations to pursuit boat operations and served as a key asset for the Department of Homeland Security and humanitarian missions at sea. 

The Mellon was the third of the 378-foot high-endurance class to be completed and the first cutter to be named after Andrew W. Mellon, the 49th secretary of the treasury, who served between 1921 and 1932. The cutter’s keel was laid July 25, 1966, and the ship was launched Feb. 11, 1967.  It was commissioned 11 months after its launching on Jan. 9, 1968. The construction cost for the vessel totaled approximately $14.5 million. 

Its namesake, Andrew W. Mellon, was born in 1855 in Pittsburg and was a successful businessman and banker prior to his appointment as secretary of the treasury by President Warren G. Harding in 1921. Mellon actively worked for tax reform in order to reduce public debt and tax burden. The “Mellon Plan” became law as the Revenue Act of 1924 and successfully reduced public debt and taxes until 1930 when the depression caused debt to rise again. In addition to serving in the cabinet of President Harding, Mellon was secretary of the treasury under Presidents Coolidge and Hoover and served one year as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. 

The Mellon was originally homeported in Honolulu and spent 12 years patrolling the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to Alaska. It was then transferred to Seattle in 1981. 

The Mellon returned to Hawaii after service in Vietnam. Many rescue efforts took place during its Hawaii patrol. In 1974, crew members of the Italian supertanker Giovanna Lolli-Ghetti survived an explosion, fire and subsequent sinking of the vessel off the coast of Hawaii. The Mellon responded and played a key role in rescuing the crew members. 

The rescue was successful in two ways – first, it involved close cooperation between crews and vessels from Norway, Russia and the United States, and second, the rescue was a positive event that involved cooperation between Cold War nations. 

The Mellon and its crew also experienced tragedy and damage while stationed in Hawaii. 

The vessel was docked in the Dillingham Shipyard for repairs and maintenance on Sept. 7, 1971, when an explosion occurred aboard, which resulted in the death of a civilian who was installing insulation. Extensive damage to the vessel included buckling of the deck, hull and frame. More damage occurred in April 1972, while unmooring in Kodiak Harbor. The vessel touched bottom and sustained damage to the sonar dome and the bow thruster unit. 

Awards that the Mellon and its crew members received include the Meritorious Unit Commendation for operations conducted between June 28, 1975, and Feb. 2, 1976. 

The award was given to the Mellon crew for their response to four search-and-rescue cases, investigating and disproving allegations of violations of the Unimak Island Crab Sanctuary. Crew members of the vessel also reported the illegal discharge of oil into the sea by two Russian trawlers to authorities. Gunnery operations on the Mellon earned the unit the Commandant’s Gunnery Award in October 1999. 

The Mellon crew spent 1980 participating with the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell (WHEC-719) in search-and-rescue operations. 

Two notable rescue efforts were accomplished in 1982. The first rescue was conducted with the Boutwell crew, other military units and a merchant ship. The Mellon rescued passengers from the burning luxury liner Prindsendam off the Alaskan coast. The combined effort rescued a total of 510 passengers and crew members from lifeboats after they abandoned ship. The second rescue effort saved four crash survivors from a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft on Attu Island. 

The Mellon operated in areas 150 miles from the Soviet Union to areas off the coast of California after it was recommissioned. It patrolled areas in the North Pacific from the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands into the Bering Sea. It spent three months of the year engaged in extensive training and exercises with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Southern California. 

In January of 1990, the Mellon was the first of five Coast Guard cutters to become fitted with an anti-ship missile. The cutter also received an antisubmarine warfare suite that included the AN/SQS-38 sonar and Mark 46 torpedoes. The suite and anti-ship missile served as proof of capability for all Coast Guard cutters; however, they were later removed due to budget constraints. 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The newest littoral combat ship, the Freedom-variant the future USS St. Louis (LCS 19) arrived in Mayport, Florida, July 17, Naval Station Mayport Public Affairs said in a July 19 release. 

After leaving from the shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, St. Louis will officially join the fleet in August when it is commissioned in Mayport. 

“After a long journey from Marinette, we are excited to bring St. Louis home to Mayport. The crew’s skill, hard work and perseverance saw her safely through one of the most difficult navigational challenges any ship can experience,” said Cmdr. Kevin Hagan, commanding officer, St. Louis. “To say I am proud of this crew would be an understatement!” 

Homeported in Mayport as the Navy’s 22nd littoral combat ship and the 10th Freedom-variant, St. Louis was designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation, to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. 

The St. Louis, designated LCS 19, honors Missouri’s largest city. It is the seventh ship to bear the name. 

The first St. Louis was a sloop of war commissioned in 1828. It spent the majority of its service patrolling the coasts of the Americas to secure interests and trade. In addition, it served as the flagship for the West Indies Squadron working to suppress piracy in the Caribbean Sea, the Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico region. 

As part of the surface fleet, LCSs have the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants. Paired with advanced sonar and mine-hunting capabilities, LCSs provide a major contribution, as well as a more diverse set of options to commanders across the spectrum of operations, according to the Navy release.

As an LCS mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package (MP) ship, St. Louis will have MCM operations through the employment of aviation assets and unmanned surface, semi-submersible and submersible vehicles that are equipped with an array of sensors and systems to detect, localize and neutralize surface, near surface, in-volume and bottom mines. These systems are designed to be employed while the LCS remains outside the mine threat area. The MCM MP also provides the capability to sweep mines, detect beach zone and buried mines. 

“The St. Louis crew has been working diligently with our LCS shipbuilding team and industry partners to deliver LCS 19 to the Navy and sail her from Wisconsin to Florida,” said Capt. David Miller, commodore of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two. “We are excited to add the ninth LCS to the Mayport waterfront and look forward to formally placing her in commission next month.” 

NORFOLK, Va. — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) arrived at its new homeport, Naval Station Mayport, July 19. The ship has completed its five-year forward deployment to Rota, Spain, as part of Destroyer Squadron 60, the U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs said in a July 20 release. 

This marks a return for Carney as Naval Station Mayport served as the ship’s original homeport before the ship departed to Rota, Sept. 25, 2015. While in U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, the ship played a vital role in strengthening U.S. relationships with NATO allies and regional partners through NATO missile defense, full spectrum maritime security operations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral training exercises, and other operations and deployments, according to a Navy release. 

On the ship’s seventh and final patrol in U.S. 6th Fleet in spring of 2020, Carney conducted a Tactical Control (TACON) shift from 6th to 5th Fleet in support of national tasking alongside the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). While transiting back to Rota, Spain, Carney became the most recent ship in naval history to circumnavigate Africa instead of transiting north through the Suez Canal. 

The ship began its transit back to Mayport last month, after it was replaced by the Mayport-based Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer, USS Roosevelt (DDG 80). 

“I could not be more proud of the crew as we make our return to Mayport after five years forward deployed to Spain,” said Carney’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Chris Carroll. “The determination and professionalism of the crew during large-scale multinational exercises and maritime security operations with real-world strategic implications in the 6th and 5th Fleet areas of responsibilities is a clear demonstration of what it means to be a part of ‘505 Feet of American Fighting Steel.'” 

Carney arrived in the U.S. 2nd Fleet area of operations after joining the Bataan ARG on its return transit from deployment. U.S. 2nd Fleet exercises operational authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and the Atlantic. 

“We are extremely happy to welcome Carney back to the Mayport Basin,” said Capt. Jason Canfield, Naval Station Mayport’s commanding officer. “The men and women onboard and their families have come back to the best base in the Navy, and I know Jacksonville and the surrounding beaches communities are happy to have them back as well.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Leonardo DRS Inc. has received a contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command to provide engineering design and test hardware for AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasure (DAIRCM) advanced aircraft protection systems, the company announced in a July 20 release. The mixed cost-plus-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price, contract is worth $120 million. 

This contract follows the previous Joint Urgent Operational Needs program that resulted in the system being fielded on U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy platforms. This Engineering and Manufacturing Development program will continue to develop, integrate and test improved capabilities to keep pace with enhanced and future threats. 

Under the newly awarded follow-on contract, Leonardo DRS will provide non-recurring engineering to design, develop, integrate and test engineering development models as well as production representative models of weapons replaceable assemblies for government testing. The system has an open and scalable architecture that allows it to be optimized for various type/model/series aircraft. The low size, weight and power design of the system supports a range of rotary and tilt-wing aircraft throughout the services, including application to the emerging future vertical lift programs. 

“Leonardo DRS is proud to provide these state-of-the-art systems to enhance aircraft protection throughout the fleet,” said John Baylouny, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Leonardo DRS. “This continued strong partnership with our customer has produced technologies that will offer advanced capabilities, including combat survivability for flight crews while supporting their ability to accomplish diverse mission sets for years to come.”  

The AN/AAQ-45 DAIRCM is at the forefront of aircraft defensive protection technology and was developed by Leonardo DRS through three of its business units: Airborne & Intelligence Systems, Daylight Solutions, and Electro-Optical & Infrared Systems. As missile and other anti-aircraft threats continue to evolve and expand around the world, frontline helicopters will require a small but capable system to defeat these threats. 

Work on this contract will be performed in the Leonardo DRS facilities in Dallas, San Diego, and Fort Walton Beach and Melbourne, Florida, and is expected to be completed in 2024. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday announced a series of investigations into the disastrous fire that severely damaged the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego this week. 

Following a July 17 tour of the damage aboard the ship, Gilday held a press conference in the afternoon to discuss the events and to praise the ship’s crew and the hundreds of other firefighters from other vessels and fire departments that came to the aid of the Bonhomme Richard, the sixth ship of the Wasp class. 

Gilday said there would be a safety investigation to determine the cause of the fire and any ancillary issues in the realm of safety. This investigation, to be conducted by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), will be kept confidential to allow for free flow of testimony.  

A second investigation, also routine in such incidents, will be conducted by the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, to determine if the fire was caused by any malfeasance or criminal activity, the CNO announced. 

Gilday said the Navy also will conduct a third investigation that will look into several echelons of command to determine if the correct procedures were in effect during the emergency, if the Navy reacted properly to the fire, and if measures should have been in place that were not, among other factors. 

“Make no mistake,” the CNO said. “We will follow the facts of what happened here. We will be honest with ourselves. We will get after it as a Navy.”  

He also said the ship’s structure will be assessed, as will any mechanical and electrical damage, so the Navy can determine whether the amphib can be repaired. Experts from the ship’s builder, Huntington Ingalls Industries, will be involved in the assessment, as will those of NAVSEA and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. 

Gilday said four-star fleet commanders will send detailed messages to all ships in all fleets, mandating that within five days their commanding officers assess personnel training levels, see if equipment is adequately operable — “in terms of placement and in terms of numbers” — and to “red-team” their procedures “to make sure they’re adequate.” 

“I am 100% confident that our defense industry can put this ship back to sea, but, having said that, the question is, ‘should we make that investment in a 22-year-old ship?” he said. “I’m not going to make any predictions until we take a look at all of the facts, and we follow the facts, and we can make a reasonable recommendation on the future steps.”  

Gilday inspected the damage to the Bonhomme Richard down to four decks below the flight deck and up to the superstructure and spoke to many of the firefighters. He was told that the wind coming off the bay helped the fire spread out of control, up elevator shafts and into the ship’s exhaust stacks. 

There also were a series of explosions — one of which could be heard 13 miles away — that led the ship’s CO to withdraw firefighters for their safety. At one point, an explosion blew debris across the pier to another ship, Gilday said. 

“I think that the situation was very tenuous,” he said. “I think that the commanding officer made some very sound decisions in terms of how to attack the fire very deliberately.” 

The fires, which started on the morning of July 12, burned for four days. The amphib, which is based in San Diego, was being upgraded to operate F-35B Lightning II strike fighters, among other modernizations. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. interests in the Arctic Ocean and its connections to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans might be better served as a dedicated fleet’s area of responsibility, rather that divided between the U.S. 2nd, 3rd and 6th Fleets, a Navy expert on the Arctic said. 

Dr. Walter Berbrick, associate professor at the Naval War College and director of its Arctic Studies Group, was speaking July 16 during a webinar, Arctic East vs West: US Strategy in the Atlantic and Pacific Arctic, sponsored by CNA, a think tank in Arlington. 

Berbrick said the lessened ice coverage of the Arctic Ocean is inviting to nations seeking to reduce maritime transit time between continents, especially considering that maritime commerce is expected to double over the next 20 years. 

The Northern Sea Route along the Russian northern shoreline cuts 40% of the transit distance between Europe and the Far East, a route of considerable interest to China. The Northwest Passage, between the Bering Strait by Alaska and the Davis Strait by Greenland, is less viable, given the shallowness of the water and the narrow straits. More attractive, should the ice melt more, is the Transpolar Route, directly across the geographic North Pole from any direction, so far navigable only by submarines. 

He said the current forecast of when the Transpolar Route might be navigable for surface ships by anywhere between 2035 and 2050 out to 2060.  

He noted that Russia is increasing its military presence in the Arctic region with modernizing old air bases, installing air-defense missile batteries, increasing submarine activity and building polar icebreakers armed with cruise missiles. 

Berbrick said the heart of China’s Arctic strategy is use of the Arctic sea routes and gaining access to ports in northern Europe for maritime commerce. He said China’s increasing naval deployments away from home waters are likely to extend to the Arctic regions eventually, including Chinese subs making transits to the North Pole.   

Regarding U.S. policy toward Arctic presence, Berbrick said the U.S. Coast Guard has done more than any other service to step up and dominate the discussion, but that this also means closer integration between the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy in the Arctic.  

“What capabilities do we need to deter and, if necessary, to respond to any military by any nation or navy?” Berbrick asked rhetorically. “What forces do we need to assure our allies and partners in the region? How do we posture our forces to keep Arctic sea lines of communication free and open? What kind of naval power do we need [in the region] project from the Arctic to potentially gain an advantage in other places like the Pacific and the Atlantic?” 

He noted that the U.S. Navy is designed for high-end fighting in warm waters. 

The Navy also would need days or weeks to respond to a crisis in the Arctic, he said, given the distance from U.S. deep-water ports.  

The 2nd, 3rd and 6th Fleets all have responsibilities in the region, he noted, with the Navy “facing a time/space/force problem in the Arctic,” with too many other challenges around the world. 

“Perhaps we should think outside the box and create a new fleet, an Arctic fleet,” Berbrick said, saying that a total Navy battle fleet sized more toward 400 ships rather than 355 would be needed, which would allow for a fleet “permanently spread out across the Arctic region.” 

He said the supporting shore structure would require reactivating old bases in the Aleutian Islands and Greenland and establishing a port in Nome, Alaska, for example, he said.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Cyber Apprenticeship Program (P-CAP) has launched at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) to advance cybersecurity capabilities, the university said in a July 16 release. 

The launch at NSWC Crane comes after months of collaboration between the Warfare Center Division and Purdue to design and develop learning outcomes for the apprenticeship program that align with Department of Defense guidelines for cybersecurity staff. The alignment with the DoD will allow for implementation across Naval Sea Systems Command’s Warfare centers. 

The P-CAP-registered apprenticeship program supported by the U.S. Department of Labor is being launched to support the rapidly expanding demand for cybersecurity professionals across the nation. 

The Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration awarded the job-training grant to Purdue to develop a pathway to higher education for at least 5,000 cybersecurity apprentices by 2023. 

The program offers online degree programs through Purdue and its education partners, along with industry-recognized certifications, a leadership academy, and on-the-job-training for U.S. citizens and green card holders who are at least 18 years old. 

By leveraging the P-CAP program, NSWC Crane will train its current and future workforce for critical cybersecurity jobs. The apprenticeship program model uses Purdue’s highly ranked education, faculty, and academic rigor.  

“By becoming a Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship provider, NSWC Crane will have access to P-CAP candidates from across the nation,” said Patricia Herndon, department director, Expeditionary Warfare, NSWC Crane. “I am also pleased to serve on the Women and Minority Advisory Council for the program to support the advancement of underrepresented individuals in cybersecurity.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s top enlisted leader said the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching the sea service that personnel need as much focus as machines as the Navy works its way to separate processes that work from those that need to be cast aside. 

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith spoke July 15 during a webinar, NatSec 2020: Coronavirus and Beyond, co-sponsored by the Navy League of the United States, the Association of the United States Army and Government Matters. 

“We knew going in that we were going to find some better practices, some efficiencies with the way we do business,” Smith said. 

He noted that the Navy’s recruit training center at Great Lakes, Illinois, “has had [fewer] cases of pneumonia, severe flu and hospitalizations than we’ve ever had right now, even in COVID, because of the way we’ve handled people and the way we’ve prevented that inter-exchange of colds and things that all happen when so many people from so many different parts of the country all come together and start sharing their germs.” 

“The way we handled things from a hygiene perspective and some other efficiencies that we certainly learned in this process of bringing [recruits] in will probably stick,” he said.  

“That’s the COVID writ large for us as a Navy,” he said. “We’ve absolutely learned some things that we stopped doing because of COVID that we probably won’t start doing again. Some things we’ll have to go right back to doing as soon as we can, but there are some things — by not having to do them for a while — as an efficiency, we probably don’t need to go back to doing [them].”  

“Where there is challenge, there is opportunity,” said Navy League Executive Director Mike Stevens, Smith’s predecessor as MCPON, also speaking in the webinar. “What I’ve seen in both the private sector and in [the Department of Defense] taking the challenge, looking for these new opportunities, and, primarily where we capitalize on these opportunities in the areas of technology, I think those thing are going to stick.” 

“We’ve learned how to work efficiently from places other than our normal places of duty or work,” Stevens said. “We’re much more effective than I thought we would be.”  

Smith pointed out that the Navy is an expeditionary service, “and when we immediately moved to nearly everyone teleworking, we found out how much our basic services lack the agility that they require for us to dis-aggregate and work remotely. We have to be able to do that far better than we do today. A lot of these forced processes made us catch up quickly.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The number of personnel testing positive for COVID-19 at U.S. Marine Corps bases on Okinawa has grown to 136, according to the provincial governor of the Japanese island.

Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters in Tokyo that another 36 cases have been reported at Camp Hansen, one of the first two facilities reporting novel coronavirus-positive clusters on Okinawa, the Associated Press reported July 16.

Like many Okinawans, Tamaki has been critical of the large U.S. military presence there, citing increased noise, crime, and aircraft accidents. He flew to Tokyo to complain to Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono that he was not getting enough information about the outbreaks among Marines on Okinawa and asked Kono to urge the U.S. military to be more cooperative.

In keeping with U.S. Defense Department policy, the Marine Corps itself will not disclose how many Marines and Sailors on Okinawa are infected, but they have been sharing that information with health officials in the Okinawa Provincial Government. A Marine official has said the numbers Tamaki has been giving to the news media have been accurate.

In addition to outbreaks at Camp Hansen and Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which the Marine Corps has acknowledged, Tamaki said others included Camp Kinser and Camp McTureous. The Kinser and McTureous cases did not constitute additional outbreaks, the Marines maintained.

The Camp McTureous case “was directly related to someone returning from the U.S. That person didn’t test positive until showing symptoms and being tested shortly after returning home. All residents of that home were isolated upon return and that was an isolated case,” Maj. Kenneth Kunze, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC), said in a statement. Likewise, the other case “involved a resident of Camp Kinser, but that case was related to the Camp Hansen cluster and was not a new or different outbreak,” Kunze said.

On July 11, MCIPAC ordered an enhanced lockdown at all Marine installations across Okinawa. That included closing all nonessential facilities and limiting mess halls, exchanges, commissaries, base restaurants and food courts to take-out service. The new restrictions apply to all uniformed and civilian Marine personnel based on Okinawa.

Meanwhile, a member of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, has tested positive for COVID-19 as well.

The infected Marine arrived with the most recent wave of Marines on July 8. All the others received initial negative results, following a strict 14-day quarantine in barracks upon arrival in Australia, according to an announcement posted July 10 on the Rotational Force’s Facebook page.

The Marine is currently under strict isolation at Royal Darwin Hospital and the Northern Territory government is providing support. All those who may have interacted with the infected Marine have been identified and placed under quarantine for a minimum of 14-days and will receive additional testing.

Medical specialists will continue to monitor the health of all Marines. Should the condition of any become serious, they will be to Royal Darwin Hospital for follow on observation, testing and treatment, the announcement said.

The Marine Corps has been deploying Marines to northern Australia for an annual six-month rotation since 2012, but this year’s deployment was postponed in March over concerns about possible COVID-19 exposure. The decision to resume in May came after Australia granted an exemption to its travel restrictions.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Firefighters have extinguished all known fires on the amphibious assault USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, the Navy announced. 

“Our fire teams are investigating every space to verify the absence of fire,” Rear Adm. Philip E. Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, said in a 1 p.m. Pacific time statement. 

“Until every space is checked and there are no active fires we will not be able to commence any official investigations. We did not know the origin of the fire. We do not know the extent of the damage. It is too early to make any predictions or promises of what the future of the ship will be. We cannot make any conclusions, until the investigation is complete.” 

Some reports outside the Navy indicated the fires were the result of an explosion aboard.  

The fires, which started on the morning of July 12, burned for four days and have severely damaged the ship, the sixth ship of the Wasp class. The ship, based in San Diego, was being upgraded to operate F-35B Lightning II strike fighters, among other modernizations. 

Sobeck said that 63 personnel — 40 U.S. Navy Sailors and 23 civilians — were treated for minor injuries such as heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. None remain hospitalized. 

“What we do know is that brave Sailors from commands all across San Diego worked tirelessly alongside Federal Firefighters to get this fire extinguished and I want to thank them for their efforts,” he said. “This was a Navy team effort. We had support from the air and sea. Three helicopter squadrons conducted more than 1,500 water bucket drops, fighting the fire and cooling the super structure and flight deck enabling fire crews to get onboard to fight the fire. Tugs also provided firefighting support from the waterline, cooling the ship’s hull. 

“The Navy continues to work together with regulators, county and state in protecting our environment and preparing to address the community’s concerns as we move forward to the next phase,” he said. “I’d like to thank our partners from state and county, the U.S. Coast Guard, and all agencies for continued support.”