Month: September 2023

Source: United States Navy

Students from Curtis High School, Staten Island, and High School of Graphic Communication Arts, Manhattan, met with Assistant Secretary Berger to talk about the importance of climate change to their generation and the future force, and how their dedication to service and academics, especially Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, can support future efforts to confront climate change.

“Climate change is impacting our Navy and Marine Corps, and it is important to this generation,” Berger said. “Whether in uniform or as a civilian, if you are interested in working to make sure that we take action to increase our climate resilience and reduce the climate threat and remain the world’s dominant maritime fighting force, at the Department of the Navy, we’ve got a place for you.”

In addition to their discussion with Berger, the students observed displays from the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) that included the demonstration of Hydrogen – Small Unit Power (H-SUP), Ruggedized Expeditionary Power Source (REPS), and the Family of Solar Panels technologies and learned about scholarship and other opportunities available through the Office of Naval Research and the greater Department of the Navy.

“Considering I grew up in a big city that uses a lot of electricity as we are the “City that never sleeps’, that can be a problem,” said Annie Rodriguez, JROTC Cadet, High School of Graphic Communication Arts. “To now know the military is trying to help with this global crisis is relieving, as they are not just trying to stop global threats, but help the world.”

Climate Week NYC is the largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together some 400 events and activities across the City of New York – in person, hybrid and online. Each year, business leaders, political change makers, local decision takers and civil society representatives of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world, gather to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change that is already happening.

This year Climate Week NYC will be held from September 17-24, 2023. The event takes place every year in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly and is run in coordination with the United Nations and the City of New York.

Intrepid’s history includes becoming the first aircraft carrier in the fleet to launch aircraft with steam-powered catapults. After a modernization period, Intrepid sailed in the US Sixth Fleet, deploying multiple times throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and throughout the Caribbean.

Intrepid was decommissioned in 1974 and was set to be scrapped. New York City developer and philanthropist Zachary Fisher spearheaded a campaign to save Intrepid from the scrap yard. The ship opened as the centerpiece of the Intrepid Museum in 1982.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps is focused on increasing climate resilience, reducing the climate threat, and remaining the world’s dominant maritime force.

The Department’s Climate Action 2030 strategy document is available for download here.

Source: United States Navy

The VXS-1 crew personally deployed the buoys from the aircraft on behalf of researchers working with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Hurricane Coastal Impacts (NHCI).

VXS-1 airdropped the Spotters hours before Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach, Florida at approximately 7:45 a.m. EDT. The squadron deployed the fleet of Spotters into the path of the hurricane from 1,000 feet aboard the P-3 traveling at 150 mph. The buoys observed Hurricane Idalia’s wave height, sea surface temperature, and barometric pressure in real-time between the afternoons of Monday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 30. The precisely executed drop enabled the Spotters to make direct observations near the eye wall and dangerous right-front quadrant of Idalia.

“The team pulled together quickly to execute the mission and aid the researchers with an opportunity they couldn’t lose,” said Project Director Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Peter. “Hurricane Idalia intensified quickly and we’re proud of the squadron’s readiness and ability to meet our mission as the Navy’s only research squadron.”

The 10 Spotters continue to make real-time observations of wave conditions off the northwest coast of Florida. The data collected by the buoys will contribute to and improve existing forecast models and enable better understanding of hurricane dynamics, prediction of hurricane impacts, and be used to protect coastal communities. The NHCI project is focused on creating models for the U.S. Gulf Coast, Florida Coast and Eastern Seaboard.

“Our unique mission and ability to operate around the world, enabling research for the Department of the Navy and its partners is crucial to scientific and technological innovation,” said Commanding Officer Cmdr. Aaron Roberts. “Airborne data-collection missions like the Idalia operation facilitate the next generation of scientific research and environmental prediction, keeping civilians and military members safe from extreme events.”

The NHCI program consists of numerous government, industry, and academic partner organizations. These organizations are broken into five tasks and ten teams, with each team focusing on a specific task based on the team’s expertise and the resources they have available. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)’s Marine Meteorology research team out of Monterey, California is assigned Task 0 while VXS-1 contributes operationally as demonstrated with the airdrop ahead of Hurricane Idalia.

The Marine Meteorology team uses NRL’s proprietary Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System for Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC®) and 11-member prediction ensemble system to accurately create hindcasts of hurricanes detailing the tropical cyclone track, size and intensity for retrospective analysis to contribute to atmospheric reforecasts and reanalyses. COAMPS-TC also provides real-time updates to other NHCI teams for timely prediction and operational readiness.

The NHCI aims to predict coastal impacts during hurricane seasons 2022-2024. These research-grade forecasts will facilitate innovation to better prepare coastal communities for extreme weather events. Since 1980, extreme weather events have cost the U.S. 1.8 trillion dollars and are expected to increase in intensity and frequency according to NOPP.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C., with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Key West, Florida, and Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or mailto:nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the honorable Michael Ratney, and other guests, observed flight operations from Vulture’s Row; headed below decks to the Hangar Bay to talk with subject matter experts about Marine Corps aviation capabilities; visited the well deck for a walk-through of a landing craft, utility (LCU); and paid a visit to the ship’s medical facilities.

He said the visit gave him a new appreciation for the forces working every day to maintain regional stability and the free flow of commerce in these vital waterways.

“It was an absolute honor for me to spend time with the Sailors and Marines of USS Bataan and the 26th MEU,” he said. “Walking the deck and meeting these incredible young men and women reassures me that the commitment to regional security is one our Navy and Marine Corps take seriously.”

USS Bataan and the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) arrived in the Middle East Aug. 6. Bataan ARG/26th MEU units bring to the region additional aviation and naval assets, as well as more U.S. Marines and Sailors, providing greater flexibility and maritime capability to U.S. 5th Fleet.

An amphibious assault ship can carry more than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, including MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets in addition to several amphibious landing craft. A dock landing ship also supports operations for various rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft.

The Bataan ARG departed Norfolk, Virginia, on July 10 with Amphibious Squadron 8, Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 4, Beach Master Unit 2 and the 26th MEU.

The 26th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is capable of conducting amphibious missions, crisis response and limited contingency operations to include enabling the introduction of follow-on forces and designated special operations.

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water space and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

Source: United States Navy

MANAMA, Bahrain – The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) hosted a delegation from Qatar, including the U.S. ambassador, at sea Sept. 14 for a day-long embark. The embark was an opportunity for the delegation meet Sailors and Marines deployed to the region and to better understand their capabilities.

Source: United States Navy

Vice Adm. Jim Kilby, deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, who previously served two tours aboard San Jacinto, presided over the ceremony and provided keynote remarks.

“When we serve on a ship, it becomes part of us, I mean who we are, how we think, and how we conduct ourselves.” said Vice Adm. Kilby. “San Jacinto is the most formative and significant ship I have ever served on. I worked for five consecutive commanding officers, as Operations Officers and Executive Officer. I owe San Jacinto and many of you an unpayable debt of gratitude.”

Capt. Christopher E. Marvin, who served as the twentieth and final commanding officer of San Jacinto, oversaw a crew of 30 officers and 300 enlisted members, and led the warship during their final deployment in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in support of U.S. 6th Fleet and NATO exercises in 2022.

“The professionalism and warfighting excellence San Jacinto has imparted on those that have served aboard over 35 years will provide an enduring legacy and serve the Navy and nation for years to come.”

San Jacinto is the tenth Ticonderoga-Class cruiser, and the third warship in the Navy named for the Battle of San Jacinto. The first San Jacinto was a frigate built in 1851, fought in the Civil War for the Union, and was sold in 1871. The second San Jacinto (CVL 30) was an aircraft carrier that was commissioned Nov. 15, 1943, fought in WWII and was decommissioned March 1, 1947.

The San Jacinto’s construction began Oct. 5, 1984, at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid July 24, 1985. She was launched on Nov. 14, 1986, and christened Jan. 24, 1987 by the warship’s sponsor, Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm, wife of United States Senator from Texas, Phil Gramm.

San Jacinto was commissioned on Jan. 23, 1988, in Houston, Texas, by then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, who himself served aboard the second San Jacinto (CVL 30) during World War II.

Since her maiden deployment in 1989, the warship has demonstrated the combat credibility of our Navy and has served as an exemplar for the Navy’s mission to defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free.

In August 1990, she executed short-fused deployment in support of Operation Desert Shield, where she served as Red Sea Battle Force Anti-Air Warfare Commander and launched the first Tomahawk Cruise missiles ever fired in combat during the opening salvos of Operation Desert Storm.

Other operation highlights include: directly supporting Operations Southern Watch, Inherent Resolve, and Iraqi Freedom; counter terrorism operations following the September 11 attacks; various maritime interdiction and interception operations; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts as well as a sustained focus on partnership building during multi-national, Joint, and NATO exercises.

In January 2020, she deployed as a part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group to the Arabian Sea, breaking the U.S. Navy record for consecutive days at sea at 206.

The name San Jacinto honors the April 21, 1836 battle by the San Jacinto River in Texas, where Gen. Sam Houston and his greatly outnumbered Texas soldiers won independence for the Republic of Texas, decisively defeating Gen. Santa Anna and his 1,200-1,500 man Mexican Army. Houston made an eloquent speech to his troops, closing with inspiring words, “Victory is certain! … Remember the Alamo!”

Embodying that same toughness, grit, and tenacity, San Jacinto Sailors adopted this same mantra.

“Throughout her service, San Jacinto executed 16 deployments, many availabilities, and as many training cycles. She was upgraded with the latest combat systems, her crew professionally trained over her life to continue to be a true lynchpin in our Fleet,” said Kilby. “By my rough estimates she has had over 6,000 Sailors serve on her and steamed over 500,000 nautical miles during deployments. She earned 15 Battle E’s as a testament to her sustained excellence. San Jacinto’s legacy is a tribute to her crews, all of us, she certainly lived up to her motto, “Victory is Certain.”

In the warship’s storied 35 years of service, her crew has been awarded the Chief of Naval Operations Commendation, Humanitarian Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation, Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Navy E Ribbon.

San Jacinto will be inactivated and towed to the Navy’s Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where they will be in a Logistic Support Asset (LSA) status.

For more news from Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnsp/, https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/COMNAVSURFLANT, and https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/.