Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

The ship is named for Private First Class Robert Ernest Simanek, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding fellow Marines from a grenade at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Korean War. The Medal of Honor was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a White House ceremony in 1953.

“From christening in May 2024 to delivery, it has been an exciting time for those who spend each day preparing this ship to support our fleet,” said Tim Roberts, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The ESB ship class is a highly flexible platform used across various military operations. ESB ships are mobile sea-based assets and are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces, equipment, supplies, and warfighting capability.”

ESBs are optimized to support a variety of maritime based missions, including Special Operations Forces, Airborne Mine Counter Measures, Crisis Response Force Sea Basing, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and Unmanned Aviation Systems. The ESBs, which include a four spot V-22 sized flight deck, mission deck and hangar, are designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets. 

Follow-on ship, future USS Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (ESB 8) is under construction at NASSCO.

PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, special mission ships, sealift ships and support ships.

Source: United States Navy

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will deliver the principal address. Additional speakers include Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro; Adm. William Houston, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; the Honorable Frank Pallone and Donald Norcross, U.S. Representatives from New Jersey; Jennifer Boykin, president, HII-Newport News Shipbuilding; and Larry Runkle, vice president, Virginia-Class Submarine Program, General Dynamics Electric Boat.

The submarine’s sponsor is New Jersey resident Dr. Susan DiMarco, a retired dentist and wife of The Honorable Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As part of the commissioning ceremony tradition, she will give the order to “man our ship and bring her to life.” With the hoisting of the colors and commission pennant, Secretary Del Toro will formally place the ship in active service.

The future USS New Jersey (SSN 796) is the third naval vessel named for the state. The first USS New Jersey was a battleship commissioned in 1906 as part of the Great White Fleet that expanded the Navy during World War I. The second, also a battleship, commissioned in 1943 and earned commendations for action in World War II and the Korea and Vietnam conflicts.

New Jersey is the fifth Block IV Virginia-class submarine and is the first in its class designed and built with modifications for a gender-integrated crew. Former Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the name of this nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine at a ceremony on May 24, 2015. Its keel was authenticated on March 25, 2019, and it was christened at Newport News Shipbuilding on Nov. 13, 2021. The shipbuilder delivered New Jersey on April 25 of this year.

Each Virginia-class submarine is 7,800-tons and 377 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged. It is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time. The submarine was built under a unique teaming agreement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII-Newport News Shipbuilding wherein both companies build certain portions of each submarine and then alternate deliveries. New Jersey (SSN 796) is the 11th Virginia class submarine delivered by HII-NNS. The commissioning ceremony will be streamed live at: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/33459/.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine programs can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169558/attack-submarines-ssn

Source: United States Navy

Lacore’s visit to San Diego is her first since being sworn in as the 16th Chief of Navy Reserve, August 23, and the stop at URC is illustrative of the impact Navy Reserve Sailors have on the Navy’s submarine rescue mission. Reserve Sailors comprise more than half of URC’s overall rescue watchbill and are prepared to mobilize from civilian life within hours to support disabled submarine (DISSUB) operations anywhere in the world.

While at URC, Lacore and Hunt spoke with URC’s active component commanding officer, Capt. John Witte, and Cmdr. Michael Rocco, URC’s Reserve component commanding officer, about the vital mission carried out at URC, the Navy’s only submarine rescue-capable command, and the significant integration of the Reserve team into operations.

Lacore and Hunt observed equipment including the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM), capable of rescuing up to 16 personnel per sortie at depths of up to 2,000 feet, and the Sibitzky Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), which is the first system mobilized in DISSUB operations and is capable of assessing, clearing, and replenishing emergency life support stores. Reserve Sailors are integral to the operation of these systems.

“It’s inspiring to see the operational impact the Reserve can have with a major command like this,” said Lacore. “The rapid readiness aspect of this command is something that could be replicated throughout the force.”

Reserve Sailors and operators at URC participate in international exercises and maintain stringent proficiency qualifications as part of their service. Indeed, more than a dozen Reserve medical personnel assigned to URC are currently overseas participating in Exercise Dynamic Monarch 24 in Norway, September 9-19.

“Our Reserve team serves alongside our active counterparts at every level of the submarine rescue mission, from divers and system operators to corpsmen and support personnel,” said Rocco. “If the call goes out, the Navy Reserve will answer it.”

Source: United States Navy

The ship honors United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. He was killed in action during the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone is the only enlisted Marine to be honored with both the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor.

The sponsors of DDG 122 are Ryan Manion and Amy Looney, the president and vice president of the Travis Manion Foundation, which empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations. The co-sponsors will lead the time-honored Navy tradition of giving the order during the ceremony to “man our ship and bring her to life!” At that moment, the commissioning pennant is hoisted and USS John Basilone becomes a proud ship of the fleet.

DDG 122 will be the second ship named in honor of Basilone.

Following its commissioning, USS John Basilone will depart New York City for its homeport assignment of Naval Station Norfolk.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and submarine.

The future USS John Basilone (DDG 122) commissioning ceremony will be livestreamed at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/35147. The webcast will begin at 9:45 a.m. EST and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST, November 9.

The mission of CNSP is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore.

For more news from Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, visit https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/.

Source: United States Navy

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Zachery Tucker, from Ellenton, Florida, assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), returned from a deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), May 17, 2024. Though it was not his first deployment, this one was special, as the ship’s crew included his older brother, Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Anthony Tucker.

The brothers grew up in Mount Vernon, Washington, and have always had a close relationship. Two years apart in age, they bonded over activities like hiking and supported each other through trials including a difficult move to Houston during their high school years. Zachery joined the Navy in August 2020 as he always planned. Anthony on the other hand did not anticipate joining the Navy, but after seeing how well his younger brother was doing in the fleet, he was encouraged and decided to enlist in December 2020.

Being temporarily assigned to the Leyte Gulf was something Anthony had been trying to convince his younger brother to do for a while. Zachery was assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) at the time and decided to route a special request chit to go on the upcoming deployment with his brother. To their surprise, the request was approved and the brothers set out on deployment together, Jan. 28, 2024.
“It made deployment so much fun, we were truly lucky to share this experience,” Anthony said. “We both have our own spaces, so we weren’t in each other’s hair too much, but at the end of the day we would hang out or hit the gym together.”

Throughout the four-month-long deployment, the ship’s crew would notice their similar features and ask if they were related. The brothers even received a shout-out from the commanding officer during a Sailor of the Day 1MC announcement. But the highlight of their memories was made once they checked out as liberty buddies. Their favorite moments included scuba diving in Jamaica and visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While underway, the brothers had the honor of undergoing the Shellback ceremony together after crossing the earth’s equator. Leyte Gulf also made port stops in Guantanamo Bay, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Miami for Fleet Week. The deployment was the ship’s last before decommissioning in September 2024 and operations included seizing 6,470 kilograms of illicit drugs, a semi-submersible, and conducting theater security cooperation visits in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility.

Although the brothers enjoyed their overseas adventures together, the deployment did not come without its challenges. They had their share of sibling conflict and personal issues while being underway. Further, their father was experiencing health complications at home and they supported each other through it.
“It meant a lot that we could be there for each other through those struggles and have someone who understood to talk to,” Zachery said.

When they had deployed separately, the brothers would talk about problems they were experiencing but would feel powerless to help each other since they were not there to help. However, this time was different. When faced with the stressors and arguments they had, the brothers overcame each one by talking it out and reconciling. They came back from the deployment with a stronger relationship than ever.

“At the end of the day, he is my best buddy and we got to experience some irreplicable moments together,” Anthony said. “I would recommend anyone take the chance to deploy with a family member if they have it and deeply cherish it.”

After returning from deployment, Zachery reported to Makin Island. During his projected time aboard the ship, he hopes to earn his Enlisted Surface Warfare pin and see another deployment, this time to the Western Pacific (WESTPAC).

Makin Island is currently under a selective restricted availability while homeported in San Diego.