BELOIT, Wis. — Fairbanks Morse has completed the build and testing of the two main propulsion diesel engines for the U.S. Coast Guard’s offshore patrol cutter (OPC), the company said in a release. Fairbanks Morse was awarded contracts by the prime contractor, Eastern Shipbuilding Group, to build the two main engines for OPC Nos. 1 and 2. 

“We are incredibly pleased to have successfully completed testing for our OPC engine,” said George Whittier, CEO of Fairbanks Morse. “We are particularly proud to work with Eastern Shipbuilding and support them in their successful build of the first new generation of patrol cutter. Together we are proud to do our part in helping the U.S. Coast Guard keep our borders safe.” 

The OPC is a 360-foot vessel that will be powered by two FM | MAN 16V 28/33D STC diesel engines, with each engine rated 7,280 kWm (9,763 brake-horsepower) running at 1,000 revolutions per minute. These engines will be delivered to Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida. The first OPC engine has been built and was delivered in January 2020. Fairbanks Morse has completed testing on the PTO engine, which is expected to be delivered to Eastern Shipbuilding this month. 

Joey D’Isernia, president of Eastern Shipbuilding, congratulated Fairbanks and said, “Today marks another successful milestone in the OPC program. Our team continues to execute, and we are very pleased and excited to take delivery of and install these engines in USCGC Argus. This highly durable and reliable engine will support USCG missions for the next 40 years.” 

The OPC will provide a capability bridge between the national security cutter, which patrols the open ocean in the most demanding maritime environments, and the fast-response cutter, which serves closer to shore. The OPCs conduct missions including law enforcement, drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, and other homeland security and defense operations. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Another novel coronavirus outbreak has been reported on a U.S. Navy warship in port: the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall.

The Carter Hall’s crew of 400 was being tested for COVID-19 as a proactive measure to ensure its Sailors were a healthy, surge-capable response force for the upcoming hurricane season when several tested positive for the virus on May 23, Lt. Commander Amelia Umayam, a Fleet Force spokesperson in Norfolk, Va., confirmed in an e-mailed statement. As a matter of Defense Department policy, Umayam declined to confirm the number of cases detected on the dock landing ship.

“The crew moved ashore to begin a restriction of movement (ROM) per current Navy guidance. The crew members who have been moved ashore are being checked on each day by their leadership and are receiving deliveries of food and essential items,” according to the statement.

As of June 4, the Navy still stood as the U.S. military service with the largest number of COVID-19 cases at 2,520. That compares to 6,919 for all other services and Defense Department agencies combined. The U.S. Marine Corps has had 581 cases. The Navy reported 728 active cases among uniformed personnel, only one hospitalized and 1,791 Sailors who have recovered from the virus. The Pentagon said it anticipates providing updated numbers only until August, when it will evaluate whether such reporting is still necessary.

The 609-foot, 16,700-ton Carter Hall, which can carry a complement of 400 Marines and two air cushion landing craft, remains at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia.

“A portion of the crew remains on board the ship to clean and maintain in port watchstanding requirements, and they’re enforcing social distancing, minimizing group gatherings, wearing PPE, and cleaning/sanitizing extensively as well as reporting up their chain of command, if they feel ill,” the statement continued.

Meanwhile, the first Navy warship to experience a COVID-19 outbreak while at sea, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, on June 4 left Guam — where it had been sidelined for more than two months — to continue its scheduled deployment in the 7th Fleet area of operations in the Indo-Pacific.

COVID-19 was detected on board the carrier in late March, 15 days after the ship made a port call to Da Nang, Vietnam. Stopping at Guam for a scheduled visit on March 27, most of the nearly 5,000 crew were disembarked to self-isolate or receive medical treatment, while about 700 remained on board to clean the ship from bow to stern. About 1,100 crew members became infected and several were hospitalized. One Theodore Roosevelt Sailor, Aviation Ordnanceman CPO Charles Thacker Jr., died of complications from the virus.

Testing the entire crew for COVID-19 was completed in mid-May, and they began returning to the carrier in waves after 14 days of isolation and twice testing negative for the virus. Despite those efforts, at least 14 returning Sailors tested positive again.

On May 21, the Theodore Roosevelt began a short shakedown cruise to recertify aviation activities for Carrier Air Wing 11, which was completed June 2. After returning to Guam to pick up remaining Sailors who had tested negative for COVID-19, the carrier departed Guam’s Apra Harbor, flying the iconic “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag from the port yardarm.

Sailors who did not meet the return-to-work criteria and still require additional time ashore to recover will remain in isolation on Naval Base Guam, according to Commander J. Myers Vasquez, a spokesperson for the commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “Once recovered, air transportation will be coordinated to move the Sailors onboard Theodore Roosevelt or to their final duty station once TR departs the area on mission,” Vasquez said in a June 3 statement.

The Roosevelt returned to service while Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday mulls the fate of the carrier’s former skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier, who was relieved of command on April 2 after a letter he wrote to Navy leadership — pleading for faster intervention from the chain of command to assist his crew — was leaked to a San Francisco newspaper and subsequently received worldwide media attention. The Navy investigated the command climate in the Pacific and how it could have contributed to the handling of the outbreak and Crozier. The results of that investigation have been delivered to Gilday.

Lessons learned from the Theodore Roosevelt outbreak were cited by Pentagon officials among the reasons for the swift response to an outbreak on the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd — none of whose crew needed hospitalization.

The Kidd was participating in counter-narcotics operations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Pacific in late April when several of its Sailors began exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper has directed that U.S. military personnel assignments in some Middle East countries be unaccompanied, with families now in place ordered gradually withdrawn by 2022. The Pentagon policy, however, does not affect U.S. Navy crews forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain, a Navy official said. 

In a June 2 announcement, Esper directed that tours under control of combatant commanders in the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq be unaccompanied and set at 12 months — except for Navy personnel in Bahrain, whose tour lengths will be 18 months. Families in Bahrain will be withdrawn as tours end, with withdrawal completed by August 2022. 

“This step is a byproduct of the department’s continuous reassessment of personnel policies worldwide, not just in the Middle East,” the announcement’s fact sheet said. “It is intended to ensure the operational readiness and deployment flexibility of U.S. forces’ mission support to operations in the region. A gradual drawdown of personnel will ensure mission-critical elements of the force continue to execute training and operations in the region with little disruption.” 

“Over the next two years, DoD military personnel who fall under Title 10 authority will transition to one-year unaccompanied tours, with some exceptions,” the fact sheet said. “This will be a gradual drawdown of dependents over two years as people regularly rotate in and attrite out of duty assignment in the Arabian Peninsula.” 

In a June 3 e-mail response to Seapower, Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and commander, U.S. 5th Fleet, said that the policy change would affect Navy personnel on shore duty in Bahrain but not the crews of the ships forward-deployed there. 

The crew members of the 10 coastal patrol ships and four mine-countermeasures ships operating from Bahrain already serve 18-month unaccompanied tours. The civilian mariners assigned to the expeditionary base ship USS Lewis B. Puller and other ships of the Military Sealift Command already serve unaccompanied tours and are not entitled to dependents in Bahrain. 

U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat crews of the Patrol Force Southwest Asia based in Bahrain also are rotational. 

Rebarich said that the “policy does not impact DoD civilians” and that sponsored U.S. military dependents currently in the region will be able to remain through the end of [their] sponsors’ tour and the Bahrain school will remain open.” 

“The change will not hinder deployed U.S. forces and capabilities to support missions, trainings and operations in the region, especially for U.S. 5th Fleet,” she said. “The Kingdom of Bahrain has been a gracious host to U.S. 5th Fleet for three decades. The U.S. Navy appreciates the support of our friendship and partnership with Bahrain.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Defense Department has named seven U.S. military installations as the latest sites where it will conduct 5G communications technology experimentation and testing, the department said in a release. 

The installations are Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Pendleton, California; and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. 

This second round, referred to as Tranche 2, brings the total number of installations selected to host 5G testing to 12. Tranche 2 builds on DoD’s previously announced 5G communications technology prototyping and experimentation and is part of a 5G development roadmap guided by the Pentagon’s 5G Strategy. 

5G technology, the fifth generation of cellular network technology, is vital to maintaining America’s military and economic advantages. Pentagon’s efforts focus on large-scale experimentation and prototyping of dual-use (military and commercial) 5G technology that will provide high speeds, quicker response times and the ability to handle many more wireless devices than current wireless technology. 

Last year, the department announced the selection of the Tranche 1 bases: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Naval Base San Diego, California; and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, as the first U.S. installations to host testing and experimentation of 5G. In May, the Pentagon announced Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, had also been chosen. 

The bases were selected for their ability to provide streamlined access to site spectrum bands, mature fiber and wireless infrastructure, access to key facilities, support for new or improved infrastructure requirements and the ability to conduct controlled experimentation with dynamic spectrum sharing. 

DOD recognizes industry will play a key role in the development of leap-ahead 5G technology for both military and civilian uses. In the coming weeks, the department will issue requests for prototype proposals from industry partners. The new round of opportunities will focus on the following areas: 

•        Shipwide/Pier Connectivity at Naval Station Norfolk 

•        Enhancing Aircraft Mission Readiness at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam 

•        Augmented Reality Support of Maintenance and Training at Joint Base San Antonio 

•        Wireless Connectivity for Forward Operating Bases (FOB) and Tactical Operations Centers (TOC) at the NTC at Fort Irwin and Fort Hood, Texas   

•        Wireless Connectivity for FOBs and TOCs at Camp Pendleton 

•        DOD 5G Core Security Experimentation Network at Joint Base San Antonio and multiple remote locations 

•        Bi-directional Spectrum Sharing-DOD/Commercial at Tinker AFB

SAN DIEGO — More than 3,000 catapult launches and landings using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) have been completed aboard USS Gerald R. Ford, said the systems’ manufacturer, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). 

The milestone is significant for the carrier and its crew, as the Navy moves toward a goal of 8,000 launches and landings at sea scheduled through the end of 2020. 

“EMALS and AAG continue to perform as expected as the ship ramps up evolutions towards achieving combat operational readiness,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “Both systems’ capabilities are being rigorously exercised to meet the daily objectives for cats and traps in support of the various squadrons undergoing carrier qualification and training aboard CVN 78. In addition to marking the 3,000 milestone, on May 19, the ship performed 167 successful launches and recoveries in a single day, breaking the previous record of 135.”  

“Since January, CVN 78 has multiplied the total expected number of launch and landing evolutions by a factor of four,” Rolf Ziesing, vice president of programs at GA-EMS, added. “We’ve seen EMALS and AAG put through the paces day and night on CVN 78, utilizing a range of aircraft, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds, EA-18G Growlers and T-45C Goshawks.”  

GA-EMS is building the launch and landing systems for two future carriers, USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise. Cost savings are realized through multiple ship production contracts, which minimize production gaps while maximizing planning, scheduling and delivery to support all three Ford-class carriers.

WASHINGTON — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday recorded a video message on June 2 to Sailors regarding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting unrest across the country. 

The Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck was charged on June 3 with a new, more serious count of second-degree murder, and the three other officers on scene during Floyd’s May 25 apprehension and killing were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. 

The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet also issued a “letter from leadership” about “respect, dignity and inclusion” on June 3. The text of the 6th Fleet statement is here.

And Marine Corps leadership, the commandant and the sergeant major of the Corps, are out with a joint message, also dated June 3, which is here.

In part, the Marine leadership message reads: “Only as a unified force, free from discrimination, racial inequality, and prejudice can we fully demonstrate our core values, and serve as the elite warfighting organization America requires and expects us to be.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Boeing has delivered the first Super Hornet test aircraft for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration squadron, the company said in a June 3 release. 

The unpainted aircraft now enters the flight test and evaluation phase at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Boeing expects to deliver a total of 11 aircraft for the squadron this year. 

“The Super Hornet is an iconic representation of excellence in naval aviation,” said retired Adm. Pat Walsh, vice president of U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Services for Boeing. Walsh flew with the Blue Angels from 1985 to 1987 as the Left Wingman (No. 3) and Slot Pilot (No. 4). “As Boeing continues to support the operational fleet of Navy Super Hornets, we are excited to see this platform enter a critical phase of its journey to joining the team.” 

The flight demonstration squadron has flown Boeing or Boeing-heritage aircraft for more than 50 years, starting with the F-4J Phantom II in 1969, and then moving to the A-4F Skyhawk. The team operates the F/A-18A-D Hornet today. 

Boeing converts F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets into Blue Angels at the company’s Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Major modifications include the addition of an oil tank for the smoke-generation system, fuel systems that enable the aircraft to fly inverted for extended periods of time, civilian-compatible navigation equipment, cameras and adjustments for the aircraft’s center of gravity. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s Advanced Aerial Sensor (AAS) has been deployed to the western Pacific, according to a release from the squadron that deployed the AAS on its P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft. 

Patrol Squadron 45 (VP-45), based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, returned May 29 from an eight-month deployment to the western Pacific in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet. In a June 2 release announcing the return, the squadron noted its role in deploying the new radar system. 

“VP-45 had the task of being the Navy’s first global force-managed squadron to deploy the [AAS] aircraft for theater [anti-submarine warfare],” the release said. 

“Aircrew and maintenance accelerated the timeline on AAS’ role in the theater, helping operational planners prepare future deployments,” VP-45 Cmdr. Paul Nickell said in the release. “VP-45 maintainers executed over 13,000 man hours, ensuring every mission succeeded.” 

The APS-154 AAS is a development of the P-3C’s APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System for the P-8A Poseidon. The AAS is solid-state, wide-aperture, active electronically scanned array radar housed in a long pod under the fuselage. The sensor is designed to provide standoff detection and tracking of moving targets and high-resolution ground mapping. Flight tests on the first P-8A test aircraft began in April 2014. 

During its deployment, VP-45 conducted maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), theater security cooperation and anti-submarine warfare missions. The squadron flew more than 5,000 flight hours during more than 875 sorties. The squadron operated from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to northern Japan, down to southern Australia and across several Asia-pacific nations, the release said. 

The squadron also received aerial refueling on some flights, including on one that allowed for the first long-range, persistent ASW event that spanned half the 7th Fleet’s area of operations.

LONDON — Babcock International has been awarded a multimillion-pound contract extension to manufacture a further 18 tactical Missile Tube Assemblies (MTAs) for General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB), Babcock said in a June 2 release. 

It is part of the Common Missile Compartment (CMC) project for the U.K. Dreadnought-class and U.S Columbia class-submarine programs and will support more than 200 advanced manufacturing jobs at Babcock’s Rosyth and Bristol facilities in the U.K. 

This highly specialized, internationally significant work reinforces Babcock’s position as a critical supplier of MTAs, utilizing its digital manufacturing skills and expertise to support the future deterrent sub programs for both the U.K. Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy. 

“This is a prime example of the capability of our defence industry to deliver specialized and complex manufacturing in support of an internationally significant program,” U.K. Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said. “The contract extension will support 200 highly-skilled jobs in Bristol and Rosyth, building next-generation technology for our vital nuclear deterrent.” 

Since 2014, Babcock has secured competitive contracts with GDEB to manufacture 57 MTAs. The latest of these contracts included an option to supply an additional 18 MTAs, resulting in the recent contract extension. 

This brings the total number of tactical MTAs that will be manufactured by Babcock for Electric Boat to 75 and will see Babcock’s work transition from the U.K. Dreadnought to the U.S. Columbia SSBN program. 

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy awarded SAIC Corp. a contract worth about $60 million to continue providing mission engineering support by testing heavyweight and lightweight torpedoes for Naval Sea Systems Command, SAIC said in a release. 

In support of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport (NUWC), SAIC will handle testing and data collection for Mk48 heavyweight torpedoes, and Mk54 and Mk46 lightweight torpedoes. 

“For more than 13 years, SAIC has supported the testing of approximately 150 torpedoes as part of the engineering, technical, and management services we provide to the NUWC’s Propulsion Test Facility in Newport, Rhode Island,” said Jim Scanlon, executive vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems Group of SAIC. “We look forward to continuing to support NUWC with testing of torpedoes and torpedo components over the next five years.” 

As part of the single-award contract, SAIC will prepare the test facility and test torpedoes, interface the test torpedo, execute the test, and collect and process test data. Additionally, SAIC will support preparing torpedoes for testing at off-site test ranges and locations. SAIC will also provide maintenance, upgrades, and operational support for test torpedo assembly and turnaround, system and subsystem testing, data reduction, test equipment operation, and data and configuration management. 

The cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract has a one-year base period of performance with four option years.