Category: United States of America

Source: United States Navy

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s (PHNSY & IMF) workforce successfully docked Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) on Sept. 4 in preparation for a depot modernization period (DMP).

“North Carolina is approaching the midway point of her planned life cycle and it is important to conduct repairs and state of the art upgrades to ensure she is combat-ready and equipped to conduct all assigned tasking well into the 2030s,” said Cmdr. Tad Robbins, North Carolina commanding officer.

Robbins added that the crew was looking forward to the refurbishment and upgrade period after North Carolina went on three Pacific deployments in the last six years.

During the DMP, the shipyard project team and ship’s crew will perform structural inspections and repairs, overhaul and replacement of existing complex mechanical and electrical systems, paint and coatings repair and replacement, system modernization, and nuclear work.

“We are all aligned and working together as one big Ohana to achieve the goal of getting the boat back to the fleet as soon as possible,” said Kevin Alford, project superintendent, PHNSY & IMF. “And while it’s definitely hard, dirty, challenging work, with the right team it can also be a lot of fun. I definitely have the right team.”

North Carolina will spend time in the dry dock, then undergo a 10-month period of testing systems and certification of the boat’s crew. At its peak, there will be more than 600 people working daily on the project.

The Navy’s Pacific submarine force has unique access to a critical undersea domain. The ability to rapidly deploy is a key component to the Pacific Fleet’s ability to deter and respond to crisis and conflict throughout the Indo-Pacific region. While underway, the submarines conduct combat readiness training and employ undersea warfare capabilities in support of a wide range of missions. The shipyard’s ability to complete complex maintenance operations and deliver submarines back to the fleet on time, ensures that our submarine force remains ready and responsive for any tasking.

North Carolina was commissioned May 3, 2008, and is the fourth navy vessel and first submarine named after the state. North Carolina is homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and has a crew of approximately 140 Sailors and officers representing almost every state in the nation.

PHNSY & IMF is a field activity of NAVSEA and a one-stop regional maintenance center for the Navy’s surface ships and submarines. It is the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawaii. Strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, it is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East. Its location places it about a week’s steaming time closer to potential regional contingencies in the Indo-Pacific.

Source: United States Navy

HMAS STIRLING, Western Australia, Australia (Sept. 10, 2024) — The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) departed HMAS Stirling today, marking the conclusion of a historic submarine maintenance period in Western Australia. As part of the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) Pillar 1 effort, Royal Australian Navy personnel assigned to submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) worked alongside their U.S. Navy counterparts to make repairs on the U.S. Virginia-class SSN in Australia during a multi-week Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period, or STMP.

“This is the first time since World War II that the U.S. has conducted submarine maintenance in Australian waters, and certainly the first instance in history of a joint American-Australian team performing maintenance on a nuclear-powered attack submarine,” said Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, U.S. Navy AUKUS Integration and Acquisition program manager. “The importance of this event cannot be overstated. These last few weeks provided essential maintenance and stewardship experience for our Australian partners in advance of establishing a sovereign SSN force in Australia.”

The STMP represents a significant step toward achieving the AUKUS Pillar 1 objective of delivering a sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarine capability to Australia. During the STMP, the crew of Emory S. Land and Hawaii performed routine and emergent maintenance and conducted training that included diving operations to inspect the torpedo tube muzzle doors, towed array system, and the simulated movement of a large pump weighing more than 3,500 pounds from within the boat. Royal Navy Sailors observed the STMP maintenance events to integrate learning opportunities for future U.K. SSN port visits to Western Australia.

The maintenance period also featured nuclear stewardship exercises, as well as firefighting exercises and drills. These training evolutions allowed Australian radiological controls policy makers to observe how the U.S. Navy safely handles simulated low-level radiological material as a means to increase their knowledge and enhance their understanding of radiological stewardship.

“Successfully completing the STMP means the Royal Australian Navy has taken a major step forward in our ability to maintain and sustain SSNs,” said Rear Adm. Matt Buckley, Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability within the Australian Submarine Agency. “For the first time, Australian personnel undertook maintenance on a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarine in our own waters. As we continue to conduct more frequent SSN visits to HMAS Stirling the amount of work conducted by Australians will grow as we build our sovereign capabilities.”

“Each SSN visit to HMAS Stirling has a set of goals and objectives, with each one designed to demonstrate increasing capabilities and stewardship,” said Rear Adm. Chris Shepherd, the U.K.’s Defence Nuclear Organisation AUKUS Director and Senior Responsible Owner for the Replacement Nuclear Submarine Programme. “The STMP demonstrated the synergy we have within the trilateral partners and sets us up for future port visits.”

AUKUS is a strategic partnership that will promote a safe, free, and open Indo-Pacific, enhance national security, and uplift the industrial bases of the three nations. AUKUS Pillar 1 is assisting Australia in acquiring a sovereign conventionally armed SSN capability by the early 2030s. The AUKUS I&A Program Office is responsible for executing the trilateral partnership to assist Australia in acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines at the earliest possible date, while setting the highest nuclear stewardship standards and continuing to maintain the highest non-proliferation standard.

To read more about AUKUS, view the fact sheet at the following link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/13/fact-sheet-trilateral-australia-uk-us-partnership-on-nuclear-powered-submarines/.

Source: United States Navy

“It was incredible to see how quickly the NSMV program and Philly Shipyard have come in just a few years,” said Secretary Del Toro.  “Building Patriot State and enabling its mission to train Massachusetts Marine Academy cadets will advance our Maritime Statecraft for decades.”

Philly Shipyard is a U.S. shipbuilder pursuing a mix of commercial and government work, ranging from shipbuilding to repair and maintenance. 

Secretary Del Toro has made Maritime Statecraft and restoring the comprehensive maritime power of the United States a key component of his tenure as Secretary of the Navy. That component was advanced with Korean Shipbuilder Hanwha’s acquisition announcement of Philly Shipyard in June 2024.

“I thank all those who answered the nation’s call to service to ensure we remain the most dominant maritime force in the world,” said Del Toro. “Your contributions to our shipbuilding industry and maritime training are vital to our Maritime Statecraft.”

The christening was attended by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA 5th District), Maritime Administrator Hon. Ann C. Phillips, Massachusetts Maritime Academy President Adm. Fran McDonald, and Philly Shipyard President and CEO Steinar Nerbovik.

When it is complete, Patriot State will be a key platform to train future leaders of the United States Merchant Marine and United States Navy.

Source: United States Navy

BOSTON – The crew of USS Constitution will commemorate the tragic loss of life and the historic significance of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a ceremony aboard the ship on September 11, 2024.

The event will begin at 8:05 a.m. with remarks from commanding officer Cmdr. Crystal L. Schaefer aboard USS Constitution.

In honor of those who lost their lives that day, USS Constitution will fire four gun salutes, one for each plane that crashed.

The ceremony will also feature USS Constitution Sailors reading the names of Navy service members and people from Boston who lost their lives. 

USS Constitution will be open for public visitation on September 11, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The ship is regularly open for public visitation from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s Ship

of State. She played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively

defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.

Source: United States Navy

BOSTON – USS Constitution is scheduled to get underway for the 2024 Chief of Naval Operations’ Chief Petty Officer Heritage Training Weeks on Friday, September 13, at 10 a.m.

The ship will remain closed following the underway.

USS Constitution Sailors, alongside 120 Sailors selected for promotion to chief petty officer, will sail in Boston Harbor. During Chief Petty Officer Heritage Weeks, the crew of USS Constitution will train over 220 newly selected chief petty officers in the same skills as 19th-century Sailors, including gun drills, pike drills, sailing, and musket drills, to foster meaningful leadership development.

For over 20 years, select Sailors advancing to chief petty officer have come to USS Constitution to spend a week living aboard “Old Ironsides,” fully immersed in naval heritage.

A 21-gun salute will be fired, which can be viewed from Fort Independence on Castle Island at approximately 11:30 a.m. Additionally, USS Constitution will fire a 17-gun salute as she passes the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard, where she was built and launched on October 21, 1797. 

The cruise will be visible from the Boston Harborwalk, Castle Island, and the Charlestown Navy Yard. 

USS Constitution is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for public visitation.

USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s Ship of State. She played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.