BELOIT, Wis.– January 24, 2023 – Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has been awarded a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) requirements contract by the U.S. Navy. The agreement makes FMD the sole source for engineering and technical support of the main propulsion diesel engines on the Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program.
FMD will provide global maintenance and repair services and OEM parts to improve engine performance and increase operational availability. Additionally, the defense contractor’s Factory-Certified technicians will conduct essential training so that Navy sailors are also equipped to support emergent repair needs for these critical pieces of equipment.
“Supporting our nation’s fleets requires a finely tuned balance of service and speed of delivery. This is something that Fairbanks Morse Defense has mastered over more than a century of configuring the delivery of every customer engagement,” said FMD CEO George Whittier. “We manufactured and delivered the main propulsion diesel engines for the LCS Freedom-class vessels, and no one else knows these engines better than our service team. We stand ready to provide the essential services that ensure our fleet is always mission-ready.”
The U.S. Navy has turned to FMD for a full array of marine technologies and ship service systems for nearly 100 years. Approximately 80% of U.S. Navy ships with a medium-speed power application are powered by Fairbanks Morse Defense.
SECNAV awards Navy Cross to retired Korean War veteran
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 20, 2023) — (from left) Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, and Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell render honors during a ceremony awarding Williams with a Navy Cross Jan. 20. Del Toro was in San Diego for various fleet engagements, awards ceremonies and ship events.
SAN DIEGO — Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro awarded the Navy Cross to retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams for his exploits during the Korean War at a ceremony at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, Jan. 20.
The Navy Cross is an upgrade of the Silver Star Medal previously awarded to then-Lt. Williams on May 7, 1953, while assigned to the ”Pacemakers” of Fighter Squadron (VF) 781, for combat action against seven Soviet Mikoyan Gurevich (MiG) 15 aircraft.
“Royce Williams was a Lieutenant in the United States Navy when he took the lead of an incredibly critical mission during the Korean War, resulting in the protection of Task Force 77 from enemy attack,” said Secretary Del Toro. “His actions almost 70 years ago earned him recognition, and he was awarded the Silver Star Medal. However, as the Secretary of the Navy, I have the authority to consider proposals to upgrade awards. Among the many cases I have reviewed, Captain Williams’ case stood out. It was very clear to me that his actions were extraordinary, and more closely aligned with the criteria describing a higher award…and sir, what a tremendous honor it was to tell you in person, that after all these years, your courageous actions would finally get the recognition they deserve.”
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams was flying with two other members of VF-781 from Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CVA 34) when they encountered seven MiG-15 aircraft. Before they could engage, the team’s flight leader had to return to Oriskany due to a fuel pump issue, leaving only Williams and his wingman. After Williams downed the first MiG, his wingman chased the falling aircraft, and Williams found himself alone in air-to-air combat with the remaining MiGs.
“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job…I was only shooting what I had,” said Williams in a previous account of the fight. “They had me cold on maneuverability and acceleration – the MiG was vastly superior on those counts to the F9F. The only thing I could do was out-turn them.”
Out-manned and piloting what was considered an inferior aircraft to the MiG-15, Williams engaged the enemy for 35 minutes, shooting down four of them in the longest dogfight in U.S. military history. Additionally, no other American fighter pilot has ever shot down four MiG-15s in one fight.
The Navy Cross is only awarded to service members who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force, and is the U.S. Navy’s second-highest military decoration. Williams retired from the Navy in 1980, and his medals include the Navy Cross and two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Marine Corps, Navy Cease Administrative Actions to Dismiss COVID Vaccine Refusers
5/12/22: Covid Vaccine – Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark Forrey administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Navy Seaman Micah Dayoub aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, in Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 9, 2022. The Ronald Reagan, Carrier Strike Group 5’s flagship, is the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier. (Photo By: Navy Seaman Natasha Chevalier Losada)
********************
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have halted administrative actions to discharge Sailors and Marines for refusing mandatory vaccination against the COVID-19 coronavirus variant.
In accordance with updated guidance from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, “Commanders will immediately discontinue administrative separation processing of Marines solely for declining to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” Capt. Ryan Bruce, a Marine Corps spokesperson, told Seapower in a Jan. 20 email.
A Marine administrative message (MARADMIN) signed Jan. 18 by Lt. Gen. D.J. Furness, the Marine Corps deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations directed commanders to, “immediately suspend any new or ongoing adverse administrative actions associated with declining the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The MARADMIN also instructed commanders to cease any ongoing reviews of requests by current service members for a religious, administrative, or medial exemption, including pending appeals.
Furness’s directive came a week after similar guidance for Navy commanders issued by Vice Adm. Richard J. Cheeseman, Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for Personnel, Manpower, and Training, N1.
Cheeseman told all commands to discontinue administrative separation processing of vaccine-refusing Sailors and, “suspend immediately any new adverse administrative actions associated with refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Thousands of Sailors and Marines have been separated from the sea services for vaccination refusal, following Austin’s Aug. 24, 2021 memo making COVID vaccination mandatory for all active duty and Reserve members of the armed services and the National Guard.
Austin said the vaccination mandate was necessary to protect the force and maintain readiness. However, language in the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), enacted in late December, required the defense secretary to rescind the mandate, which had sparked complaints from lawmakers and lawsuits from service members.
The legislation stopped short of requiring the Pentagon to reinstate troops who were dismissed for refusing the shot. It also did not mention giving them back pay.
However, on Jan. 17, Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters, “Right now, we are not currently pursuing back-pay to service members who were dismissed for refusing to take the COVID vaccination.”
As of Dec. 20, 2022, the latest Defense Department COVID-19 statistics, almost 2 million service members have been fully vaccinated, including 389,177 in the Navy and 200,186 Marines.
General Dynamics NASSCO Christens the Third Ship in the T-AO Fleet Oiler Program for the U.S. Navy
SAN DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO christened the future USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), the third ship for the U.S. Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program, today. Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro, served as the principal speaker at the ceremony, in addition to remarks from NASSCO and U.S. Navy representatives. Following brief remarks, the ship’s sponsor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, christened the ship with the traditional champagne bottle break alongside the hull.
“Along with its namesake, this majestic vessel will be instrumental in shaping the future of our nation. The shipbuilders of NASSCO are proud to have ensured Earl Warren’s legacy will live on in this ship,” said David Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “On behalf of the 48-hundred employees of General Dynamics NASSCO, I am proud to present the USNS Earl Warren for christening to our sponsor the Supreme Court Justice, Elena Kagan.”
The ship honors Earl Warren, 14th Chief Justice of the United States of the Supreme Court. During his 16 years as Chief Justice, a period of time when the Supreme Court was known as the “Warren Court”, civil rights and civil liberties were dramatically expanded, marking this period as one of the most important periods in the history of American constitutional law.
“Indeed, the ship’s motto could not be more appropriate: ‘I Will Find a Way or I Will Make One,'” said Del Toro. “That’s exactly what a young Earl Warren did when he overcame obstacles to joining the Army during the First World War, and that’s what he continued to do in the fight for equality, democracy, and social justice throughout his life.”
General Dynamics NASSCO was awarded with a contract to design and build the first six ships, T-AO 205 – T-AO 210, by the U.S. Navy for the next generation of fleet oilers, the John Lewis-class in 2016. In 2022, the Navy awarded NASSCO with a contract modification for the construction of two additional John Lewis-class fleet oilers (T-AO 211 and 212), with the option for the Navy to procure an additional oiler, T-AO 213 which was included in the 2023 defense budget.
In addition to the christening of this ship, two ships in the T-AO class fleet oiler program for the U.S. Navy – the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208) and the future USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209), – are currently under construction. The second ship, the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) will be delivered to the Navy later this year. The lead ship, the USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205) was delivered to the Navy in 2022.
The 742-foot-long oilers are designed to transfer fuel to U.S. Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea and have the capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil, a significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and up to a speed of 20 knots.
Chaplain Admiral: Navy Growing Chaplain Force by 90 to Staff Destroyers
PEARL HARBOR (July 7, 2022) U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains, Rear Adm. Gregory Todd speaks to partner-nation members during the International Chaplaincy Symposium at Joint Base Pearl Harbor as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Royal Australian Navy LSIS Kylie Jagiello)
*******
ARLINGTON, Va. —The U.S. Navy’s chief of chaplains said the service expects to increase the number of serving chaplains by 90 over the next five years in order to provide chaplains to the guided-missile destroyer (DDG) fleet as those ships deploy.
Two years ago the commander, Naval Surface Forces, requested that the Navy provide chaplains to DDGs. Previously, sea-going billets for chaplains were typically limited to ships — such as aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare ships — that had large crews.
Rear Adm. Gregory N. Todd, chief of chaplains, speaking in an online conversation with retired Rear Adm. Frank Thorp IV, President and CEO of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington as one of the memorial’s SITREP Speaker Series events, said the program to assign chaplains to deploying DDGs is in place and is showing good results.
“The data that is coming as a result of that is a reduction in a lot of the bad behavior—NJP [non-judicial punishment, low morale issues, retention issues,” Todd said. “It’s apparent that the chaplains on board are change agents. Can we pinpoint exactly how that change happens? Not yet. But we do know that there is some sort of concurrent effect of attending to people’s spirituality or spiritual readiness within that [DDG’s] command, creating a venue where it’s okay and then its resultant impact on some of their negative behaviors.”
First Increase in Chaplains Since Cold War
Todd overseas a force of about 1,100 chaplains — active and reserve — plus enlisted religion affairs specialists that provide service to 570,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen and their families.
The increase in the number of chaplains is the first time the force has grown since the end of the Cold War, Todd said.
“The Navy is hiring, and I’m trying to beat the bushes to the religious organizations of America,” the admiral said. “Send us your best. It’s a great opportunity; it’s a great place to work.
“If I were to hold up what’s unique about this ministry, it’s the interaction with 18-to-25-year-olds,” he said. “We’re just immersed in a world of leadership. … It’s operating in the public square, not confined to the church on the corner. Here we are, interacting with the whole Navy trying to impact the institution for the better.”
Todd said the Coast Guard “has put us on notice that they intend to ask for more [chaplains], and the Marine Corps as well is looking at the question of adding more chaplains. So, right now, there is a realization that spiritual readiness does have an impact on the operational forces. If you attend to individual readiness in the aggregate, you’ll also build the readiness of the unit and the team.”
Earlier in his career, Todd served as Chaplain of the Coast Guard and Chaplain of the Marine Corps.
T-6B Training Aircraft Crashes in Alabama
*******
ARLINGTON, Va. — A U.S. Navy T-6B Texan II training aircraft crashed near Foley, Alabama, Jan. 17. The instructor pilot and student naval aviator ejected successfully.
The T-6B crashed at approximately 10:50 CST in an unpopulated area near Barin Naval Outlying Field near Foley, the Chief of Naval Air Training Public Affairs Office said in a release. The two flyers were treated for minor injuries.
The T-6B was assigned to Training Air Wing Five at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Florida. The T-6B is flown by three training squadrons at Whiting Field, VT-2, VT-3 and VT-6, to train naval aviators for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and some foreign militaries. The aircraft also is flown by two training squadrons — VT-27 and VT-28 — assigned to Training Air Wing Four at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.
The aircraft loss was the Navy’s first in calendar 2023 and the first loss of a Navy T-6B since October 2020, when another — also assigned to Training Air Wing Five — crashed near Foley.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
SECNAV Names Future Destroyer after MoH Recipient Capt. Thomas G. Kelley
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer DDG 140 will be named USS Thomas G. Kelley, named after the Medal of Honor recipient retired Capt. Thomas G. Kelley, pictured above signing a young Sailor’s book. U.S. NAVY / Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Hartland
WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced during the Surface Navy Association Symposium that future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer DDG 140 will be named USS Thomas G. Kelley (DDG 140), the Navy said in a Jan. 12 release.
The future USS Thomas G. Kelley will honor retired Captain Thomas G. Kelley, a Medal of Honor recipient. The name selection follows the tradition of naming destroyers after U.S. naval leaders and heroes.
In 2020, former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer announced his intention to name a ship after Kelley but had yet to dedicate the name to an assigned hull number. Today, Del Toro assigns the name to DDG-140, which was appropriated in the fiscal year 2023 budget.
“It is with great admiration and great pride that I am announcing the naming of the DDG-140 after Captain (retired) Thomas Gunning Kelley,” said Del Toro. “May we all, especially the future men and women assigned to this ship, always be inspired by Kelley’s brilliant leadership, bold initiative, and resolute determination.”
Kelley was born in 1939 and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1960 and was commissioned in the Navy. His early assignments as a Surface Warfare Officer included time aboard USS Pandemus (ARL-18), USS Davis (DD-937), and USS Stickell (DD-888). Kelley then volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a lieutenant commanding River Assault Division 152.
Riverine Action
On June 15, 1969, Kelley led river assault craft boats when they fell under attack. Kelley, while severely wounded, continued to protect and lead his men to safety. For this gallant effort, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Kelley, despite his injuries, continued his naval career, taking on the position of executive officer of USS Sample (DE-1048) and commanding officer of USS Lang (FF-1060). While serving, Kelley earned his master’s degree in management from the Naval Post Graduate School and completed the Armed Forces Staff College course in Norfolk, Va. Kelley retired from naval service as a Captain after thirty years, ending his tour as the director of legislation in the Bureau of Naval Personnel.
After his military service, Kelley became the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services commissioner and was named Secretary of the Department in 2003. In 2011, Kelley retired from public service and focused on charitable pursuits. He is close with the Medal of Honor Society, previously serving as president, Holy Cross’ O’Callahan Society, Arlington National Cemetery, the Homebase Program which treats veterans and active military with the hidden wounds of war, in partnership with the Boston Redsox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital. He also serves on the board of directors of the USS Constitution Museum.
‘Tremendous Honor’
“It is a tremendous honor and I am truly humbled, especially as a Surface Warfare Sailor,” Kelley said. “I trust that those who sail in this ship will be reminded of service to their shipmates and that they will be carrying on a tradition greater than themselves.”
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, built around the Aegis Combat System, are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet providing protection to America around the globe. They incorporate stealth techniques, allowing these highly capable, multi-mission ships to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface domains. These elements of sea power enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad.
Coast Guard, Navy Competition for Ship Availabilities to Increase: USCG Official
The Coast Guard Yard at Curtiss Bay, Maryland, is the service’s main cutter maintenance facility. U.S. COAST GUARD
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard will be in “closer competition than we ever have before” with the U.S. Navy for dry dock and dockside availabilities for their ships, a Coast Guard official said during a panel on maintenance at the Surface Navy Association Annual Symposium on Jan. 12.
Bob Thomas, U.S. Coast Guard deputy assistant commandant for engineering and logistics (CG-4D), said that the Coast Guard is competing for resources with both the industry and the Navy as retention and recruiting struggles. persist throughout the military. Along with maintenance areas that the Coast Guard hasn’t historically dealt with, such as cyber, that creates an intensely competitive environment, he said.
The Coast Guard has seen many of the same recruiting and retention challenges as the other services, Thomas noted.
“The workforce has almost become a migrant workforce,” he said. “They’ll shift to where the work is, [or] who’s paying the most. […] That drives the cost way up when people are competing for limited resources. You get to pay more for the same thing, or sometimes it’s not available.”
Collaborating to Retain Workforce Numbers
However, he added that the Coast Guard is working closely with the Navy to help mitigate some of these issues, mentioning a number of collaborative efforts that he thinks are “going to pay off huge for the Coast Guard.”
Navy Rear Adm. Scott Brown, deputy commander for logistics, maintenance, and industrial operations, also said that 2022 was “not a great year” in terms of staffing at the public shipyards, stating that they were short by 1,200 personnel, with 37,000 total working in those shipyards.
“A big focus of our efforts is to improve the recruiting and incentives for folks that come into the shipyards,” he said.
Brown said he believes that, in addition to the economy, the state of the shipyards and changing demographics are the primary reasons why the Navy continues to struggle with recruiting and retention.
To offset some of those challenges, the Navy is looking not only to boost pay, but to also offer career development opportunities to sailors. For example, the Navy has introduced a program to help mechanical expert tradespeople, a promotion that keeps them “turning wrenches” while still providing advancement opportunities.
Small Torpedo Being Prototyped by Raytheon to Arm the Navy’s Submarines
YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 18, 2022) The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Springfield (SSN 761), arrives at Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a scheduled port visit, Oct. 18, 2022. Springfield is forward-deployed to Guam and routinely operates in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations and supporting national security interests. U.S. NAVY / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Travis Baley
ARLINGTON, Va. — Raytheon is building prototypes of a small torpedo that is designed to attack hostile submarines and defend the U.S. Navy’s submarines from incoming torpedoes.
The Compact Rapid Attack Weapon (CRAW) is designed to be launched from a submarine’s decoy launcher rather than the submarine’s torpedo tubes, and thus will not require a separate launcher to be installed on a submarine, said Bill Guarini, Raytheon’s director of Requirements and Capabilities for Under Systems, in a Jan. 6 interview with Seapower.
Applied Physics Design in Action
Raytheon was awarded a Navy contract in September in a down-select decision to take a data package from Penn State’s Applied Physics Laboratory’s design of its nine-foot-long Very Lightweight Torpedo, updated with Technology Insertion 1 — that addresses obsolescence issues — and develop a prototype of the CRAW. Raytheon is to build 18 CRAW prototypes and 12 turn-around kits, the latter to be used to restore used CRAW prototypes to a re-usable condition. The prototypes will be delivered to the Navy with the Technology Insertion 2 data package.
Guarini sees the CRAW as a natural fit with Raytheon’s existing torpedo business. The company builds the Mk54 lightweight torpedo deployed in surface warships and anti-submarine aircraft.
The CRAW prototypes will be built at the company’s facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Hot Production Line for Navy’s Ship-to-Shore Connectors
Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 104, attached to Assault Craft Unit 4, approaches the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) for well deck operations Dec. 1, 2022. LCAC 100 is the Navy and Marine Corps next generation landing craft designated to replace the legacy LCAC, providing a more reliable and capable high speed amphibious connector to deliver Sailors and Marines and their equipment from ship to shore. U.S. NAVY / Mass Communication Specialist Mark O. Klimenko
ARLINGTON, Va. — Three years after the first Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) was delivered to the Navy, the service has accepted delivery of six SSCs, with a total of 24 under contract, with manufacturer Textron, the program manager said Jan. 11 at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
Most recently, the Navy took delivery of LCAC 104 and LCAC 106 in June 2022 and November 2022, respectively, said Capt. Jason Grabelle, program manager for amphibious assault and connectors.
Four SSCs are currently at Assault Combat Unit 4 (ACU-4) in Norfolk, Va., he said, and a number of them are going through post-delivery testing and trials. Multiple craft are currently under construction. The next milestone will be LCAC 105 going to acceptance trials.
Past Issues Resolved
In terms of differences between the aging LCAC platform and the SSC craft that will replace it, Grabelle said the two vessels basically do the same thing. The primary differences concern the four gas turbine engines on the SSC, as well as a lower life cycle cost for the SSC.
“ACUs are not only the operators, they are the maintainers,” Grabelle said. “All the plus-ups we’ve made on the SSC are related to improving operational availability and maintainability.”
Asked whether past issues with the gearbox and blade cracking are behind the program, Grabelle said those problems were no longer an issue.
“We definitely have a steady production baseline,” he said. “We are getting more and more craft delivered to the fleet … and the production line is hot and moving along.”
