FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest amphibious transport dock ship, USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), on July 30 in its namesake Florida city, Commander, Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs said July 30. 
 
“To the Sailors and Marines who will serve aboard USS Fort Lauderdale, thank you and your families in advance for the service you will fulfill and sacrifices you may endure,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, who spoke at the event. “The moment you bring this amphibious transport dock to life, you will strengthen the integrated deterrence capability of our entire joint force.” 
 
Guest speakers for the event also included Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding; Gen. Eric Smith, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantlis. The principal speaker was U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida). 
 
“It is such an honor to be involved in the commissioning of the USS Ft. Lauderdale. It’s another chapter to the momentous history, friendship, and respect that the city has with the U.S. Navy,” Schultz said. “As chair of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, my support for our military is unwavering. I will always stand by our service members and veterans, and honor those who continue to serve.” 
 
Ship sponsor Meredith A. Berger gave the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life.” 
 
“The Navy names ships for people, places, and ideas that are special. The Navy certainly picked a special place when naming the USS Fort Lauderdale,” she said. “I am honored to be the sponsor for this incredible ship.” 
 
Built by the Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Fort Lauderdale was launched March 28, 2020, and christened Aug. 21, 2021. The ship was delivered to U.S. Navy Nov. 30, 2021. 
 
“Finally, if there is one thing that history has shown us from the days of antiquity it is that the stakes of the competition for control of the seas are high and for our part, USS Fort Lauderdale stands ready to deliver on any day, and at any time,” said Capt. James Quaresimo, the ship’s commanding officer. “And those that may wish to challenge us — they should pause. For we are equipped with America’s unstoppable secret weapon that our enemies will never be able to duplicate and that is the fierce, dedicated and unstoppable, men and women of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.” 
 
The ceremony marks the official transition of the USS Fort Lauderdale into the fleet and caps a weeklong series of events celebrating the ship and its namesake city. 
 
Amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions.

USS Fort Lauderdale will be homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. 

MELBOURNE, Fla. — L3Harris Technologies, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, will demonstrate how unmanned surface vehicle technologies can provide critical support for traditional maritime forces during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2022, the company said Aug. 1.

RIMPAC is being held June 29 through Aug. 4 off the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

The Navy will operate its medium-displacement unmanned surface vehicle, Nomad, outfitted with numerous L3Harris autonomous technologies that enable it to perform strategic missions safely and accurately without the need for onboard support staff. The technology includes L3Harris control, electro-optical and communications systems. 

Nomad supports different maritime missions, including information, surveillance and reconnaissance, and maritime domain awareness missions It can operate in an autonomous mode, including maintaining vessel awareness and complying with international collision avoidance guidelines and can be remotely piloted from an onshore or ship-based ground control station. 

“RIMPAC provides a great opportunity to demonstrate how unmanned autonomous technology can support maritime forces,” said Rosemary Chapdelaine, president of Maritime at L3Harris. “Lessons learned from this exercise will enable us to continue developing and integrating autonomous capabilities in collaboration with the Naval Sea Systems Command, Unmanned Maritime Systems.” 

Twenty-six nations, surface ships, submarines, national land forces, aircraft and nearly 25,000 personnel are expected to participate in this year’s RIMPAC. 

WASHINGTON — The Navy accepted delivery of the lead ship of its new class of fleet replenishment oilers, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205) on July 27, Team Ships Public Affairs said July 29. 

T-AO 205’s delivery follows the completion of acceptance trials with the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey to test the readiness and capability of the craft and to validate requirements. 

“USNS John Lewis will provide much needed capability to the fleet as the primary fuel pipeline at sea,” said John Lighthammer, program manager of the Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office. “This is the first of a 20-ship class providing the Sailors and merchant mariners another tool to support at-sea operations.” 

The new John Lewis-class T-AOs will be operated by Military Sealift Command to provide diesel fuel and lubricating oil, and small quantities of fresh and frozen provisions, stores, and potable water to Navy ships at sea, and jet fuel for aircraft. The new T-AOs will add capacity to the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force and become the cornerstone of the fuel delivery system. 

GROTON, Conn. — General Dynamics Electric Boat announced June 29 it was awarded a modification of the previously awarded U.S. Navy contract for the repair, maintenance and modernization of the submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768).

The contract modification has a value of $697.9 million. Work will be performed at the company’s shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed in October 2026.

USS Hartford is a Los Angeles-class submarine built by General Dynamics Electric Boat and commissioned in 1994.

 “This engineered overhaul of the USS Hartford will enhance its warfighting capability and extend the ship’s service life, returning a valuable asset to the U.S. Navy submarine fleet,” said Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will commission its newest amphibious transport dock, the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, July 30, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Defense Department said July 29.

The future USS Fort Lauderdale is the first naval ship to honor the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“Tomorrow we commission the future USS Fort Lauderdale, bringing a powerful war ship with a dedicated and determined crew to life,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “This ship will play an integral part in strengthening America’s partnerships and protecting our country’s security abroad.” 

The future USS Fort Lauderdale is the 12th San Antonio-class ship, designed to support embarking, transporting, and bringing elements of 650 Marines ashore by landing craft or air-cushion vehicles. A flight deck hangar further enhances the ship’s capabilities, which can support the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  

The ceremony will be live streamed at: USS Fort Lauderdale Commissioning. The link becomes active approximately 10 minutes prior to the event (9:50 a.m. EDT). 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) announced July 28 the Unmanned Influence Sweep System, a critical component of the Navy’s suite of mine countermeasure technologies, has achieved initial operating capability, or IOC. 
 
The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations declared UISS IOC on July 22. The program completed formal testing and delivered a system with logistics and training material with appropriately trained Fleet personnel to execute minesweeping as part of the Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. 
 
“UISS’s declaration of IOC is a monumental achievement for the Navy’s Mine Countermeasures Mission Package,” said Capt. Godfrey “Gus” Weekes, LCS Mission Modules (PMS 420) Program Manager. PMS 420 is the office that oversees the Unmanned Influence Sweep System within PEO USC. 
 
Capable of being operated from littoral combat ships, shore, or vessels of opportunity, the Unmanned Influence Sweep System provides acoustic and magnetic minesweeping coupled with the semi-autonomous, diesel-powered, aluminum-hulled Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicle. The MCM USV is an integral part of the mine countermeasures mission package and serves as the tow platform for both minesweeping and mine hunting missions. 
 
Notably, this is also the first IOC of an unmanned surface platform by the U.S. Navy, marking an important milestone in the evolution toward a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned systems.

“Over the years, the program has worked tirelessly to mature and field the UISS system that will keep the Navy’s most valuable asset, our sailors, safer by keeping them out of the minefield. With this declaration, the program is inching closer toward system-wide IOC for the MCM MP,” Weekes said. 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy recently completed an unmanned aircraft system wide-area mission demonstration to assess capabilities that could benefit the fleet in the future, Naval Air Systems Command said July 27. 

The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical UAS program office (PMA-263), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division AIRWorks, and Navy Warfare Development Command led the sea-based demonstration July 11-15 aboard USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) in San Diego. 

Two vendors, Insitu Inc. and L3Harris, showcased multiple technologies designed to operate as a portable system in challenging conditions while providing the same wide-area coverage as a shore-based system. 

“This event was a great opportunity to evaluate unmanned capability in a relevant environment, learn how it can support and enhance operations, and get direct feedback from the fleet,” said Col. Victor Argobright, PMA-263 program manager. “A lot of work was done in a short time across the enterprise to make this happen.” 

Earlier this year, PMA-263 and AIRWorks teamed in collaboration with Innovation and Modernization Patuxent River, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division partner for experimentation, technology demonstrations, and prototyping, and with Navy Warfare Development Command’s Fleet Experimentation team to identify and examine a UAS capable of performing wide-area missions from a Navy surface vessel at long ranges for extended periods while relaying accurate, relevant information back to the host vessel. 

The team downselected the vendors to participate in the demonstration based on their ability to provide a system able to operate without additional support systems, deploy without dedicated launch or recovery equipment and have maximum portability, self-sufficiency and modularity across UAS hardware and payloads. 

“The USS Paul Hamilton team was pleased to be a part of this demonstration,” said Cmdr. Jake Ferrari, the ship’s commanding officer. “To see the energy put behind providing capabilities associated with UAS aboard surface vessels is exciting. I look forward to future efforts that will provide an enduring fleet capability that is integrated into sustained operations.” 

The systems demonstrated wide-area surveillance capability across multiple mission sets. The government will review data gathered during the demonstration to further evaluate each system’s performance. 

“Both vendors stepped up to the challenge and the crew of the USS Paul Hamilton provided outstanding support and feedback,” said Argobright. “It’s teamwork like this that’s needed to get capability in the hand of sailors as quickly as possible. We will be leveraging this effort and working with Navy leadership on the next steps to make this happen.”  

As part of a multi-phased merit-based selection process, the demonstration may lead to Insitu or L3Harris being awarded an Other Transaction Authority prototype project under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371b later this year. OTAs are used by the DoD to carry out prototype, research and production projects. 

KOROR, PALAU — The Palau phase of Pacific Partnership concluded in Koror, Palau, on July 23, Lt.j.g. Molly Sanders wrote in a July 27 U.S 7th Fleet release. 

In Palau, the Pacific Partnership 2022 team included representatives from the host nation, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

During the mission stop, the Pacific Partnership 2022 team conducted more than 100 total medical engagements including more than 50 dental events and five patient surgeries, 71 animals seen for surgical and medical care, two humanitarian assistance and disaster relief workshops with 120 personnel trained, three band concerts with more than 600 attendees, and a search and rescue exercise conducted between four participating nations. 
 
“The USNS Mercy is strengthening relationship between our countries. We greatly appreciate their presence here in Palau to further the capabilities of our local medical practitioners,” said Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. 
 
Participants said the coordination between partner nations during Pacific Partnership 2022 enhanced understanding and cooperation, as well as prepared those involved to respond in case of a natural disaster or humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Pacific Partnership contributes to regional stability and security through exchanges that foster enduring partnerships, trust, and interoperability between nations. 
 
“It has been our honor to bring Pacific Partnership to Palau,” said Capt. Hank Kim, Pacific Partnership 2022 mission commander. “We worked together to share knowledge and provide care that will instill bonds lasting long after PP22 departs Koror.” 
 
This year’s mission has included stops in Vietnam and Palau and an engineering engagement in Fiji. The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) serves as the Pacific Partnership 2022 mission platform. 
 
Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. 
 
For more information about Pacific Partnership and USNS Mercy, visit www.facebook.com/USNSMERCY, www.facebook.com/pacificpartnership, or https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/ships/mercy/. 

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The U.S. Navy exercised an option on a previously awarded L3Harris Technologies’ contract to produce enhanced submarine imaging masts and spares, the company said July 27.  

L3Harris will provide two configurations of its Type 20 low-profile mast to meet the Navy’s operational requirements. Production will be performed at L3Harris’ Northampton, Massachusetts, facility, with initial deliveries scheduled to begin in 2024.  

As the world’s largest submarine imaging system provider, L3Harris delivers precise, high-resolution optics and integrated sensor packages.  

The Type 20 mast is a modular non-hull-penetrating imaging sensor that uses a telescoping universal modular mast to deliver improved high-definition visual imaging capabilities. 

“The Type 20 low-profile mast is the next-generation imaging mast that will provide enhanced capabilities to the Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines,” said Rosemary Chapdelaine, president, Maritime, L3Harris. “Under this contract, we will deliver technology advancements to support the U.S. Navy’s mission and operational requirements, which will enable the users to see and control the submarine integrated imaging systems.” 

MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA was awarded a $156 million U.S. Navy contract option for the construction of two Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ships (T-ATS), the company said in a release. With the award, the company is now under contract for four T-ATS, having received awards for T-ATS 11 and 12 in October 2021. 

T-ATS will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support U.S. Navy fleet operations and will be a multi mission common hull platform capable of towing heavy ships. These ships will also be able to support current missions, including oil spill response, humanitarian assistance, and wide area search and surveillance. 

The contract award follows Austal USA’s start of construction on its first T-ATS ship earlier this month that was celebrated at a ceremony attended by governmental officials and local community leaders. The highlight of the ceremony had U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Alabama) pushing the plasma cutter button making the first cut of steel for the ship. 

“The T-ATS program is special to our team as it represents the start of construction of a new class of ship for our shipbuilding team. This contract is important because it provides us the backlog to really optimize production over the course of these four ships,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. “We’re honored to have this contract and it illustrates the Navy’s continued confidence in our team’s demonstrated ability to deliver capability on-time and on-schedule.”