WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s program for its next-generation ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN), the Columbia class, is on track to start construction on time, but the program has a tight schedule with little margin for delay, the program manager said. “Our biggest risk…
Coast Guard Repatriates 82 Dominican, 5 Haitian Migrants
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Tezanos and Heriberto Hernandez repatriated 82 migrants from the Dominican Republic and five Haitians to a Dominican navy vessel on Oct. 7 following the interdiction of five illegal migrant voyages in Mona Passage, according to a Coast Guard release. Eight other Dominican migrants…
V-22 Osprey Surpasses 500,000 Flight Hours
PHILADELPHIA — The V-22 fleet of tilt-rotor aircraft built by Bell Textron Inc. and Boeing has topped the milestone of 500,000 flight hours. More than 375 Ospreys logged the hours, including the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 and the Air Force CV-22, Bell and Boeing said Oct. 7 in…
USS Hué City Inducted Into Cruiser Modernization Program
NORFOLK, Va. — After a quarter-century of worldwide operations, the guided missile cruiser USS Hué City was inducted into the cruiser modernization program on Sept. 30 at Norfolk Naval Base, entering a period of major overhaul, according to a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) release. The program shifts administrative control from Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic, to…
Kings Bay to be First Sub Base Ready for Navy’s Columbia-Class SSBN
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy’s submarine base in Kings Bay, Georgia, will be the first base to be readied for the Navy’s new Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN), a Navy admiral said. “Kings Bay will come first, so that [construction] will…
Navy to Christen Newest Attack Submarine Oregon
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy will christen its newest attack submarine, the future USS Oregon, during a ceremony Oct. 5 at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, the Defense Department said in a release. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) will deliver the ceremony’s…
Littoral Combat Ship Successfully Launches Naval Strike Missile
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords successfully demonstrated the capabilities of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) on Oct. 1 during Pacific Griffin, U.S. Pacific Fleet public affairs announced in a release. Pacific Griffin is a biennial exercise conducted in the waters near Guam aimed at enhancing…
Faller: Partnerships Vital in Countering Threats
ARLINGTON, Va. — The commander of U.S. forces in Latin America and the Caribbean Sea said that the U.S. strategy in the region is designed to secure a prosperous hemisphere and to counter threats that would undermine the security of…
HII Completes Dry Dock Work on George Washington
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division has completed the dry dock portion of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington’s refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). Following the recent flooding of more than 100 million gallons of water…
Vigor Wins Modernization Contract for Two More Navy Cruisers
SEATTLE, Wash. — Vigor has been awarded a $255 million contract for modernization of two Ticonderoga cruisers, USS Chosin and USS Cape St. George, according to a company release. The contract includes options, which if exercised would bring the cumulative value of the deal to $303.6 million. Work will include a combination…
