ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of defense said March 18 that he has ordered the U.S. Navy to prepare its two hospital ships for activation to take pressure off the nation’s hospitals battling the COVID-19 virus pandemic. At a Pentagon news conference, Secretary Mark T. Esper referred…
NOAA: New Progress on Mapping U.S. Ocean, Coastal, Great Lakes Waters
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the first annual report on the progress made in mapping U.S. ocean, coastal and Great Lakes waters, the agency said in a release. Knowledge of the depth, shape…
Coast Guard Cutter Alert Returns After Counter-Drug Patrol, International Exercise
ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard Cutter Alert returned home to Astoria on March 15 following a 69-day eastern Pacific Ocean counter-drug deployment, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a release. The crew patrolled international waters off the coast…
USS Delbert D. Black Completes Acceptance Trials
Pascagoula, Miss. — The future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 19) completed acceptance trials on March 12, returning to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division after spending two days at sea in the Gulf of Mexico. During acceptance trials, the ship’s…
Simple Unmanned Systems Could Impose ISR Tax on Adversaries, Marine General Says
WASHINGTON — One of the ways to counter rivals in the Great Power Competition is to impose costs on a potential adversary. An effective way to do that is with a big, unmanned inflatable boat, according to a top Marine…
HELIOS Laser Weapon Takes Step Toward Ship Integration
MOORESTOWN, N.J. — Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy moved one step closer to integrating a laser weapon system onto an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after successfully conducting a critical design review (CDR) for the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system, the company said in…
Ribcraft Wins $43 Million Navy Contract for Rigid Inflatables
MARBLEHEAD, Mass. — The U.S. Navy has awarded Ribcraft, a manufacturer of rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) for law enforcement, safety professionals and military agencies, a five-year indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $43 million, the company said in a release. Under the contract, Ribcraft will build and…
Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma Returns Home after $12.5 Million Drug Bust
BOSTON — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma returned to Kittery, Maine, on March 12 after a 70-day counter-drug patrol in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 1st District said in a release. Tahoma’s crew seized about 700 pounds of cocaine, valued…
Coronavirus Outbreak Could Have Lasting Impact on Sea Services’ Supply Chain, Official Says
WASHINGTON — In addition to imposing immediate travel restrictions on personnel and forcing U.S. Navy ships at sea to self-quarantine between visits to foreign ports, the worldwide coronavirus outbreak could be an “impacting element” on acquisition and sustainment programs, a…
CNO Calls Unmanned MQ-4C Triton ‘Game-Changing’
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s top officer said the high-altitude, high-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is providing support to the fleet on its first deployment that was not available before. “We’re still committed to the [MQ-4C Triton],” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said, responding to…
