AT SEA — The Independence Class Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) is conducting enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the U.S. Fourth Fleet area of operations and has seen great success since arriving on station in October, the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet Public Affairs Office said in a Nov. 4 release.

The ship has proven to be an invaluable asset through strengthening partnerships while also improving interoperability with U.S. forces in the region. 

“U.S. Fourth Fleet is refining globally relevant processes supporting forward deployment,” said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. 4th Fleet/U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. “This team is partnered across the Navy testing new approaches that can refine and improve LCS operations.  These concepts are expanding LCS operational reach, increasing operational availability, and enhancing engagement with our partners.” 

Gabrielle Giffords recently completed a routine Planned Maintenance Availability executed by 24 Sailors from the Maintenance Execution Team deployed onboard the USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10), an afloat staging base deployed as a testbed to support new concepts for expeditionary LCS maintenance and support.  Several concepts show promise. 

“We are able to demonstrate our capabilities on a daily basis,” said Cmdr. Rion Martin, USS Gabrielle Giffords’ commanding officer. “I’m extremely proud of our efforts. This week, we were able to demonstrate our advance warfighting capabilities with the use of our Mk110 57mm gun when we conducted a sinking exercise on an unmanned vessel that was determined to be a hazard to navigation.” 

To date, Gabrielle Giffords, with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team, has seized over 2,200 of suspected cocaine worth an estimated wholesale value of $83.2 million dollars supporting enhanced counter-narcotics operations. 

Additionally, Gabrielle Giffords conducted at-sea replenishment with a partner nation oiler, and a cooperative deployment with five ships from the Salvadoran Navy in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their operations enhanced maritime domain awareness and warfighting partnership. 

Gabrielle Giffords also worked with the “Winged Warriors” of 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment to complete MH-60L Black Hawk flight deck landing qualifications in support of Joint Task Force-Bravo’s mission, ready to support humanitarian and civic assistance, counterdrug, contingency and disaster relief operations in Central America. 

Both Gabrielle Giffords and Burlington will participate in the upcoming UNITAS LXI exercise hosted by Ecuador, the longest-running multinational maritime exercise in the world, building and exercising regional maritime readiness.  UNITAS brings together like-minded nations to hone warfighting skills and ensure readiness to quickly assemble an effective team in a crisis.

WASHINGTON — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday and Mrs. Linda Gilday visited Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, Nov. 3, to meet with Sailors and civilians and see their work first-hand, the CNO’s public affairs office said in a Nov. 3 release. 

NAS Paxtuxent River, home to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) headquarters, is known as “where the future of Naval Aviation begins.” 

“The men and women here are absolutely shaping the future of naval aviation,” said Gilday. “No doubt, focused investments in unmanned platforms and advanced technologies are what will ensure we stay ahead of great power competitors and others who seek to harm U.S. interests.” 

During the visit, CNO visited several NAWCAD labs, the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system, met with students at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and presented awards to two Sailors for their recent actions. Gilday also met with NAVAIR and NAWCAD leadership as well as toured other facilities at the installation.   

“From their work with unmanned technology like Triton, to live, virtual, constructive trainers and cyber defense, it is clear what they are doing today will take the Navy far into tomorrow,” said Gilday. 

Mrs. Gilday also had the opportunity to discuss the challenges of getting childcare, including exceptional family members, and the status of privatized military housing improvements at NAS Pax River, with several spouses. 

“Taking care of our Sailors and their families is absolutely the Navy’s top priority,” she said. “Ensuring we understand issues that most affect them – childcare, housing and spouse employment – is vitally important to the strength of our Navy.” 

This was CNO Gilday’s first trip to Pax River since he assumed office in August 2019. 

WASHINGTON – Naval Facilities Engineering Command changed its name to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Nov. 3 to more accurately reflect its well-established nature and mission as the naval shore facilities, base operating support, and expeditionary engineering systems command that delivers life-cycle technical and acquisition solutions aligned to Fleet and Marine Corps priorities, the command’s public affairs office said in a Nov. 3 release. 

In addition to NAVFAC’s alignment with the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations & Environment) as the Navy and Marine Corps real estate acquisition, management, and disposal authority, NAVFAC also aligns with the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development & Acquisition) as the Navy and Marine Corps acquisition and technical authority for construction and facilities engineering programs, developing, procuring, and sustaining shore facilities and environmental solutions in order to enable warfighter lethality. 

“This change better reflects the full spectrum of critical work that NAVFAC does to enable warfighter lethality, and it helps current and potential future supported activities understand the technical and procurement authority assigned to NAVFAC,” said Rear Adm. John Korka, commander of NAVFAC and chief of Civil Engineers. “In addition, this name change brings NAVFAC in line with the naming convention of other Navy systems commands, including Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, Marine Corps Systems Command, and their associated warfare centers and field activities.” 

The name change commenced Nov. 3 with an official announcement to the command’s leadership and is being implemented as quickly as possible across the enterprise. 

NAVFAC is the oldest of the Navy’s systems commands, having been established as the Bureau of Yards and Docks (BuDocks) in August 1842. At its creation, BuDocks supported a shore establishment of seven ship repair yards, four ordnance magazines, and five naval stations. Its officers are commissioned in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, which came into being in March 1867. During the 1966 reorganization of the Department of Navy, BuDocks became the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. 

The Navy’s systems commands are materiel agencies who are responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of assigned military systems. Systems commands provide full life-cycle support for a specific category of military hardware or software, including research and development, design, procurement, testing, repair and in-service engineering and logistics support. 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries has received an un-definitized contract award from the U.S. Navy to shift the delivery strategy for the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) from a two-phase delivery to a single phase, the company said in a Nov. 2 release. 

The contract action revises the two-phased delivery approach originally planned for the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers. It comes as a result of extensive collaboration with the Navy to support legislative requirements for Kennedy to be delivered with its complete warfare system, including F-35 Joint Strike Fighter capabilities, before the ship is commissioned into the fleet. 

The contract action has a potential total value of up to $315 million, provides initial funding for the procurement of long-lead material and planning, and is expected to be definitized next year. 

“We are pleased to have worked with the Navy to adopt lessons learned in the construction of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) to improve cost, production and planning efficiencies on Kennedy,” said Lucas Hicks, Newport News’ vice president of new construction aircraft carrier programs. “We believe that the single-phase approach ensures the most effective build plan for all remaining work and provides the best value for the Navy by supporting its ability to accelerate operational deployment of this maritime force asset.” 

Kennedy is approximately 76% complete. The ship was launched in December 2019, and currently is undergoing additional outfitting and testing at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2024. 

Kennedy will continue the legacy of highly capable nuclear-powered aircraft carrier platforms. Ford-class enhancements incorporated into the design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island, all resulting in increased aircraft sortie-generation rates. The Ford-class also features new nuclear power plants, increased electrical power-generation capacity, allowance for future technologies, and reduced workload for sailors, translating to a smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy. 

NAS PENSACOLA, Fla. – The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, will conduct a final flight on the F/A-18 A/B/C/D “Legacy” Hornets, Nov. 04 from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, the Navy said in a Nov.2 release. The final flight of the Legacy Hornets signifies the official transition of the Blue Angels to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet platform. 
 
“We are incredibly honored to have the opportunity to salute those teams who have flown, maintained and supported this platform for over three decades of service,” said Cmdr. Brian Kesselring, U.S. Navy Blue Angels commanding officer and flight leader. “We deeply appreciate the expertise and operational knowledge Blue Angels past and present have brought to the team and we look forward to enhancing our operations as we fully transition to flying the Super Hornet.” 
 
The 2020 show season marked the end of the service life of the aircraft the team has flown for 34 years. The 2021 show season will be the Blue Angels’ first year flying the Super Hornet platform as well as the 75th anniversary of the team. 
 
“Undoubtedly, 2020 presented the team with unprecedented challenges. That said, the unique nature of this year also allowed our team to deepen our interaction with past teams, in particular, those teams that transitioned to new aircraft during their tenure,” Kesselring said. “This engagement has helped us lay the foundation for a safe and effective transition for our team’s pilots, support, and maintenance personnel as well as postured us to take on the high operating tempo of the team’s highly anticipated 2021 air show season and 75th anniversary.” 
 
The final flight will take-off and land at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola lasting approximately 30 minutes. Flyover locations include, but are not limited to: 

Orange Beach 
Gulf Shores 
Fort Morgan 
Ferry Pass 
Navarre Beach 
Pensacola Beach 
Perdido Key 
Community Maritime Park 
Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola 

The Blue Angels will be visible from many locations throughout the Pensacola area and along this route. The public is reminded to continue to follow health and safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help prevent the spread of COVID- 19. 
 
The Blue Angels are scheduled to begin their winter training syllabus over NAS Pensacola beginning Nov. 16. The team will return to its winter training facilities in El Centro, CA in January. Training will continue through April in preparation for the 2021 show season 
 
The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 500 million fans. 

ARLINTON, Va. — The U.S. naval force in 2045 — reflected in a forthcoming force structure study called Battle Force 2045 — will reflect a more closely integrated Fleet and Fleet Marine Force to meet the challenges of the future operating environment.  

In an Oct. 29 webinar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies sponsored by the U.S. Naval Institute and Huntington Ingalls Industries, Marine Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, commander, Marine Corps Combat Development Center and deputy commandant for Development and Integration, and Vice Adm. James W. Kilby, deputy chief of naval operations for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities, discussed the integration needed between the two services to support each other in support of combatant commanders in a joint environment. 

Asked by moderator retired Vice Adm. Peter Daly to offer any insights on the forthcoming Naval Force Structure Assessment and the subsequent fleet assessment by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Smith said, “The most importance from my perspective is the need for a balanced fleet. … You can’t choose pieces, parts, and look at the easiest way to get to X or Y number. You have to look at the totality of the fleet, and its capability, of which the Marine Corps is a proud part.” 

“In our force structure assessment process, we typically took a 10-year view, and this year we went farther to 2045,” Kilby said. “The farther you go out into the future, the less sure are in what is going to be. We had different expressions of what Red [enemy forces] could be and what Blue [friendly forces] could be, but I think it is consistent with what we’ve talked in many forms where we had a more distributed force.” 

During a recent wargame at Quantico, Virginia, “we able to establish our own ability to have effects if we don’t have the full national technical means available to us,” Kilby said. “We looked at some specific platforms and [noted that] they’re as impactful as we thought they were.” 

He said the wargame showed that the amphibious warfare force structure probably needed “some new elements to help us with Expeditionary Advance Base Operations, supporting littoral operations in a contested environment.  

“When you see the results that come out, there will be more work for us to do,” Kilby said, noting in particular the need for amphibious warfare force structure to align to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger’s Force Design 2030. 

BREMERTON, Wash. – The Navy’s first Yard Tug (YT) 808 class tug recently was delivered to Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton Annex, the Program Executive Office – Ships said in an Oct. 29 release.  Only 17 days after delivery, YT 808 was in the water assisting USNS Richard Byrd (T-AKE 4) as it moved away from the dock at Naval Magazine Indian Island.  

“Narrowing the gap between delivery and providing operational support is a priority for our team,” said Mike Kosar, program manager of Support Ships, Boats, and Craft Program Office within Program Executive Office Ships (PEO Ships). “It’s impressive that almost immediately after delivery YT 808 is at work and contributing to our fleet readiness.” 

YT 808 is the lead craft of six total tugs on the Navy’s contract with Dakota Creek Industries, awarded in July 2018. YT 808 is the first Navy vessel constructed to meet EPA Tier 4 marine diesel engine emission standards.  

The vessels are designed after the Navy’s existing YT 802 Valiant-class tugs and are built to commercial American Bureau of Shipping standards. The 90’x38′ tugs have a top speed of approximately 12.5 knots and a bollard pull of approximately 43 long tons allowing them to effectively perform towing and ship-handling duties for carriers, surface ships, submarines and barges. 

“YT 808 class tugs are replacing legacy single-screw YTB tugs built between 1964 and 1975,” said Kosar. “The new tug provides significantly improved capabilities, safety, and comfort for tug crews executing Port Operations missions in the Northwest Region” 

The tugs are outfitted with a hydraulic hawser winch and staple on the forward deck for towing, and an “H” bitt installed on the aft deck with an adjacent hydraulic capstan for tightening lines. Similar to the previous 802 Class, the new YT 808 Class tugs have an improved articulating hydraulic brow installed aft of the deckhouse to allow personnel transfers to and from alongside ships or submarines. A selective catalytic reduction system uses Diesel Exhaust Fluid to clean the exhaust for compliance with EPA Tier 4 marine diesel emissions requirements. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy is bullish on the future Constellation-class guided-missile frigate (FFG) and said it may be a possible candidate for sale to the nation’s allied and partner navies. 

In an Oct. 28 webinar discussion with retired Rear Adm. Frank Thorp IV, president and CEO of the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite sees the potential for service in many nations’ navies for the FFG, liking the potential of sales to the large number of customers for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.  

“Why can’t we create a Joint Strike Frigate?” Braithwaite mused. “Why can’t we take that same platform and offer it to our allies and partners around the world? After all, it is an amalgamation of an Italian-U.S. joint effort to build that ship in a U.S. shipyard. It’s already got an international footprint.”  

Thorp pointed out a comment Oct. 26 from National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, where the Constellation, will be built, that building two frigates would not be enough. 

“We’re going to need two, three, four frigates built a year to get to the numbers of where we want to be,” O’Brien told employees during a visit to the shipyard, reported Paul McCleary in the Breaking Defense website. “This yard has the capability to build two or three of them itself.” 

“It’s great to have that kind of support in the White House and I’d love to see us build [more],” Braithwaite said. “I’m a huge fan of that ship. It is an incredibly capable vessel. … I spent a lot of time picking the name for that ship to make it fit into the culture piece of who we are and what we are as the United States Navy. 

Braithwaite noted that the Navy’s FFG program of record calls for 20 to be built but predicted that “we’ll build more than 20 of those.” 

He also noted that many navies operate ex-U.S. Navy Knox- and Perry-class frigates, which could be replaced by new frigates.  

Just like any city or town, Sailors on ships or Marines ashore generate trash. Getting rid of rubbish isn’t always as simple as filling the dumpster in the back of the building or rolling the bins down to the curb once a week. The days of burning trash in smelly, smokey incinerators are over, and we no longer “dump all trash clear of the fantail.”

A small company, Hanover, New Hampshire-based Creare, Inc., has come up with a solution that turns the problem upside down.

The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) and Navy Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) expressed an interest in technologies applicable to a forward operating base (FOB) or a remote location to efficiently dispose of its garbage. 

Dr. Jay Rozzi, Creare’s principal investigator for the effort, said “Solid waste disposal is an ongoing problem for the Department of Defense. So, we turned solid waste into useful energy.”

Creare partnered with Cogent Energy System of Merrifield, Virginia, which had developed an innovative and scalable gasifier to cleanly and efficiently process waste. Cogent’s Heliostorm uses  multiple stacked electrodes to fill the 3,800 cubic-inch  gasifier with an energized plasma field. Waste is fed directly into the plasma field that can reach up to 10,000 degrees Celsius — hotter than the surface of the sun.

The result is what Rozzi called “complete vaporization of the waste into its constituent elements,” resulting in the “full ionic conversion of waste into surplus energy.” 

Unlike plasma-assisted gasification technologies, the Heliostorm produces very little residue because waste is placed in direct contact with the plasma. Glass and metals  turn into inert  slag that can be used as construction material. Everything else becomes a very pure syngas.

“Once conditioned, we have high-quality syngas containing only hydrogen and carbon monoxide for reformatting into electricity or hydrogen-based fuel,” Rozzi said. “We turn waste to value.”

Creare designed the waste handling system, which can handle between one and four tons of waste per day, as well as a way to capture the resulting syngas from the vaporization process to power a diesel generator that provides the electricity to run the system. The result is a compact waste-to-energy (WTE) system.

Creare has received funding from the Navy’s Small Business Innovation and Research program to develop the process. The company is seeking opportunities to conduct a demonstration at a military installation with an operational prototype. According to Paul Movizzo, Creare’s DoD business and commercialization development manager, the company wants to transition the system out of the lab and into a representative operating environment to better understand how much it costs to run, how many people are required to operate it, what the mean-time-between failure will be for the different components, and how to refine the design towards more compact production systems.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The second Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) will be named for the state of Wisconsin, the secretary of the Navy said during an Oct. 28 webinar. 

In a discussion with retired Rear Adm. Frank Thorp IV, president and CEO of the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite took the opportunity to announce that the second new SSBN would be named USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827). 

The SSBN will be the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Wisconsin, the 30th state.  

The first USS Wisconsin (BB 9) was an Illinois-class pre-dreadnought battleship, commissioned in 1901. The ship served as flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and later joined the U.S. Asiatic Fleet. It participated in the second leg of the Great White Fleet’s circumnavigation of the globe. It was put in reserve status in 1910 and became a training ship in 1912. BB 9 was decommissioned in May 1920 and scrapped.  

The second USS Wisconsin (BB 64), an Iowa-class battleship, was commissioned in April 1944. The battleship served in the Pacific Fleet in the last year of World War II, using its 16-inch guns for shelling enemy installations and its smaller guns to protect carrier task forces. The ship was decommissioned in 1948 but recommissioned in 1951 to serve in the Korean War, used to shell enemy positions in Korea. The ship was decommissioned for the second time in 1958. 

Thirty years later, as part of the Reagan Administration naval build-up, the Wisconsin was modernized with Tomahawk missiles and recommissioned in 1988. The ship served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, striking Iraqi targets. The Wisconsin was decommissioned for the last time in September 1991. The ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 2006 and in 2010 was donated to Norfolk, Virginia, as part of the Nauticus Museum.