What would we do with a survey and how could we use the results? Thoughts? I'd enjoy hearing them.

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2010 - Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell today credited the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for its disciplined response last week when an Iranian military aircraft flew within 1,000 yards of it in the Gulf of Oman.

An Iranian navy maritime patrol aircraft flew near the carrier April 21 as it had finished routine replenishment-at-sea operations, a Navy official confirmed on background. The aircraft remained in the area for about 20 minutes before it flew away.

The incident occurred as Iranian forces were preparing to conduct exercises in the Gulf.

Morrell played down the incident, saying close encounters aren't all that unusual in the narrow, heavily trafficked Strait of Hormuz. "We operate there. They operate there. Lots of people operate there," he said. "I don't think ... our crews were alarmed by it. I don't think anybody [at the Pentagon] is too worked up about it."

There's been no communication between the United States and Iran about the incident, but Morrell said if the military wanted to contact the Iranians about the incident it would find a way to do so. "But I don't think it is of concern to the Navy ... nor anybody else in this building," he said.

Morrell said the Eisenhower crew's restraint during the incident speaks volumes.

"Thankfully, our crews are incredibly well trained, incredibly disciplined," he said. "And they are very aware of the rules of engagement and the procedures that ... should be taken in circumstances like this, and do an incredible job at avoiding ... risks of accidental or incidental conflict."

1814 - USS Peacock captures HMS Epervier.
1898 - U.S. warships engage Spanish gunboats and shore batteries at Cienfuegos, Cuba.
1944 - Fast carrier task force (12 carriers) commence two-day bombing of Truk.
1975 - Operation Frequent Wind evacuation from Vietnam begins.

Groton - It will take several more months and $92.1 million to repair the USS Hartford following its collision last year with a Navy amphibious ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Navy investigators concluded the collision was preventable and that the crew of the Groton-based Hartford (SSN 768) was completely at fault. The leadership was called "ineffective and negligent" and sailors were accused of falling asleep on the job, spending too much time away from their stations and chatting informally while working.
The repairs on the Los Angeles-class submarine are under way at Electric Boat, which received the original contract to assess the Hartford and determine what repairs were needed shortly after the submarine returned to Groton in May.
The Navy awarded EB several contracts and recently finalized a single, consolidated contract, Navy spokesman Alan Baribeau said. The work is expected to be completed in November, and the $92.1 million price tag is "in line with estimates," he added.
The Hartford's sail, periscope and port bow plane were damaged.
In the aftermath of the collision, the commander of the Submarine Force ordered a review of the 11 submarine collisions and groundings that have occurred since 2001 to determine what they had in common. A heavily redacted copy of the review, obtained by The Day through a Freedom of Information Act request, states that the goal was to better understand why such accidents occurred.
The seven-member team found that past incidents had been "often attributed to individuals failing to take appropriate actions and those individuals were held accountable." But these earlier investigations did not focus on identifying "system weaknesses," the report stated.
"Trained operators are going to make some errors," it said, concluding that the Navy should try to offset these errors through "equipment design and performance, procedures, training, supervisory and backup roles and the shipboard environment."
Rear Adm. William H. Hilarides, the Navy's program executive officer for submarines, said the more recent investigations "forced us to go back and look at the systems we procure, and how well those systems support the commanding officer and the crew in keeping the ship safe."
"There's no one thing that will be changing dramatically," Hilarides said in a recent interview. "It's more of a refinement of the tools."
Sailors on the Hartford noticed a ship that would turn out to be the New Orleans at close range but misread its bearing rate, incorrectly recorded its position as farther away and failed to identify it as a warship.
The upgrades to a submarine's systems and software are designed to improve the detection of contacts, including other ships, and information flow.
The USS North Carolina (SSN 777) is the first submarine to receive the upgrades.
"They're doing the in-port testing, and when she goes out to sea she will prove out those capabilities," Hilarides said, adding that the North Carolina will be the baseline for which the changes will be implemented throughout the fleet.
The North Carolina was commissioned in 2008 as the fourth submarine in the Virginia class. The Hartford was commissioned in 1994.
The Navy will pay for the upgrades out of its annual budget to make improvements to these systems, Hilarides said.

NORFOLK, Va. - The Department of the Navy has announced a policy change that will allow women to serve on submarines. The change was considered by Congress after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates formally presented a letter to congressional leaders Feb. 19, 2010 notifying them of the Department of Navy’s desire to reverse current policy of prohibiting submarine service to women.
“There are extremely capable women in the Navy who have the talent and desire to succeed in the submarine force,” said the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy. “Enabling them to serve in the submarine community is best for the submarine force and our Navy. We literally could not run the Navy without women today.”
On July 28, 1994, Congress was notified of policy changes to expand the number of assignments available to women in the Navy. At that time, opening assignments aboard submarines to women was deemed cost prohibitive and assignments on submarines remained closed. Currently, women make up 15 percent of the active duty Navy – 52,446 of 330,700. Integrating women into the submarine force increases the talent pool for officer accessions and subsequently the force’s overall readiness, ensuring that the U.S. Submarine Force will remain the world’s most capable for ensuing decades.
“The young women that have come up to me since we announced our intention to change the policy have such great enthusiasm,” said Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations. “Knowing the great young women we have serving in the Navy, as a former commanding officer of a ship that had a mixed gender crew, to me it would be foolish to not take the great talent, the great confidence and intellect of the young women who serve in our Navy today and bring that into our submarine force.”
“Today, women earn about half of all science and engineering bachelor’s degrees,” said Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly, Commander, Naval Submarine Forces. “There are capable women who have the interest, talent, and desire to succeed in the submarine force. Maintaining the best submarine force in the world requires us to recruit from the largest possible talent pool.”
Implementing the policy change will begin by assigning three female officers in eight different crews of guided-missile attack (SSGNs) and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The assignments involve two submarines on the East Coast and two on the West Coast, each of which is supported by a Blue and Gold crew. More living space is available aboard these platforms which will require no modification, permitting the Navy to move quickly on integrating female officers in submarines.
“We need to open up the aperture for submarine officer selection to maintain our current selectivity,” said Rear Adm. Barry L. Bruner, Commander, Submarine Group Ten and leader of the Women in Submarines Task Force. “The key to making this significant change happen successfully will be correctly carrying out the plan and also ensuring that we educate the force and their families.”
SSGNs provide the Navy with an unprecedented combination of strike and special operation mission capability within a stealthy, clandestine platform, while SSBNs are specifically designed for extended strategic deterrent patrols. There are currently 14 SSBNs and four SSGNs in the Navy’s inventory, each with two crews assigned.
The female officers would be assigned after completing the 15-month submarine officer training pipeline, which consists of nuclear power school, prototype training, and the Submarine Officer Basic Course. The SSBNs are billeted for 15 officers and 140 enlisted, while the SSGNs have a crew allotment of 15 officers and 144 enlisted.
“We have created a well-thought-out plan to phase in the female officers to the selected SSGN and SSBN submarine crews,” added Donnelly. “Enabling these bright and talented female officers to serve will be a great asset to our submarine force, our Navy, and the strength of our military.”

Good night.

Enjoy!

Congratulations to our three (3) HONEYMAN Award winners.
I need more well-researched articles for upcoming issues. Remember -- researched -- not just DANFS history rewrites. Find your unique covers-- tell us about the cover, the ship, the event, the importance.

•1908- Secretary of Commerce and Labor was authorized to patrol regattas and transfer that authority to another Department if need be. Thus the Revenue Cutter Service became the primary federal agency that patrolled regattas.
•1918- CGC Seneca saved 81 survivors from the torpedoed British naval sloop Cowslip while on convoy route to Gibraltar. Cowslip was attacked by three German U-boats.
•1993-Coast Guard PACAREA LEDETs, operating from the USS Valley Forge and USS Cleveland, boarded the St. Vincent-flagged 225-foot freighter Sea Chariot about 300 miles southwest of Panama. The boarding team discovered bales of cocaine in some of the containers aboard and then seized the vessel. The vessel was escorted through the Panama Canal to Station Miami Beach where a search of the vessel's containers turned up 11,233 pounds of cocaine.
•2001-A LEDET assigned to the USS Rodney M. Davis, with later assistance from the CGC Active made the largest cocaine seizure in maritime history when they boarded and seized the Belizean F/V Svesda Maru 1,500 miles south of San Diego. The fishing vessel was carrying 26,931 pounds of cocaine.
29 April

•1909- Burnt Island, Maine: The schooner Regina stranded five miles north of the station. The Life-Saving crew, in a small power boat, arrived at the same time as the tug Bismarck. After the tug had pulled her afloat, the keeper piloted them out into clear water.
•1992- The CGC Storis' 3-inch/.50 caliber main battery was removed from the cutter. It was the last 3-inch/.50 caliber gun in service aboard any US warship. The 3-inch/.50 was a dual-purpose weapon (surface and anti-aircraft) that had been in U.S. service since the 1930s. It was shipped to Curtis Bay where is was made inoperable and was then loaned to a VFW club
30 April

•1789- President George Washington was inaugurated in New York City as the nation's first President. His inauguration marked the beginning of U.S. Constitutional government.
•1798-Congress established the Department of the Navy on this date in 1798. Nevertheless, the United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. In 1972 Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized the recognition of 13 October 1775 as the Navy’s "official" birthday. Happy Birthday U.S. Navy!
•1818- Congress authorized use of "land and naval forces of the United States to compel any foreign ship to depart United States in all cases in which, by the laws of nations or the treaties of the United States, they ought not to remain within the United States." This was the basis of neutrality enforcement.
•1832- All commissions of naval officers in Revenue Cutter Service were revoked. Vacancies were filled by promotion for the first time.
•1875- The first Gold Life Saving Medal ever awarded was presented to Captain Lucien M. Clemens of the Life-Saving Service in Marblehead, Ohio. He was captain of one of the first life saving stations on the Great Lakes. Medals were also given to his brothers, Al and Hubbard. They rescued six crew and a female cook from the sinking schooner Consuelo in an open rowboat.
•1967- BM1 Edgar A. Culbertson gave his life attempting to rescue three boys in Duluth, Minnesota. BM1 Culbertson, along with two other members of Station Duluth, volunteered to venture out on the North Pier at Duluth to rescue three boys who had been reported to be out on the pier during a severe storm. Witnesses had seen a wave wash one of the boys away but two were apparently trapped near the lighthouse at the end of the pier. Culbertson's Coast Guard Medal citation noted: "Lashing themselves together, the three men proceeded, with hand lanterns as the only illumination, to the end of the breakwater. Despite the high waves, winds gusting to 40 knots, driving rain and 36 degree water, the rescue party diligently searched the breakwater and light but found no trace of the boys. While returning to the beach a 20-foot wave swept Petty Officer CULBERTSON off his feet and hurled him up to and over the breakwater parapet into the sea. Despite the strenuous efforts of his teammates, Petty Officer CULBERTSON perished in this gallant rescue attempt." He was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal. The other two Coast Guardsmen, BM2 Richard R. Callahan, and FN Ronald C. Prei, were also awarded the Coast Guard Medal for their heroism.

1862 - Naval forces capture Forts Jackson and St. Philip, La.
1965 - Dominican Republic intervention began.
1944 - U.S. Tank Landing Ships (LSTs) attacked during Operation Tiger.
1993 - Secretary of Defense memo orders Armed Forces to train and assign women on combat aircraft and most combat ships, but not to ground combat positions.

By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 28, 2010 10:45:11 EDT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the Navy’s decision to name an amphibious warship after Rep. John Murtha, but the formal announcement Friday added fuel to an already smoldering backlash online.

Murtha — “our dear Jack,” as Pelosi referred to him — deserved the honor as a tireless advocate for troops generally and Marines in particular, she said, and she recalled admiring his rapport with them.

“Whether on the battlefield, or on the bedside, he thanked them for their courage, listened to their concerns, and asked them for comment — and he answered their needs, and responded to their calls, whether it was for body armor, up-armored vehicles… radios, you name it,” Pelosi said. “In those minutes [together], he bonded with them especially because he would share his own personal military service with them, and cared for them as a father. They knew it, and they returned his respect.”

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who technically is the only person in the government with the power to name U.S. warships, also praised Murtha’s history of service. He unveiled an official illustration showing an amphibious transport dock marked with the hull number “26” named John P. Murtha. It will be the first in the San Antonio class not named for an American city.

Despite the encomia from Pelosi and Mabus, thousands of Web users remembered a different Murtha — the one who opposed the Iraq war and accused Marines in 2005 of killing Iraqis “in cold blood” — when reacting to the announcement about the ship named in his honor. A Facebook group called “People Against Naming A Navy Ship USS Murtha” had 1,336 members as of Monday morning, and it was becoming a clearinghouse for angry comments and homemade cartoons criticizing Murtha.

Posters on the Facebook page said Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps during the Korean and Vietnam eras, “betrayed the brotherhood,” that naming a ship for him was a “slap in the face” and that if the Navy wanted to name a ship for him, it should have chosen “a nice, stinky garbage scow.”

The Navy was getting angry responses even on its own official website, where visitors used the same page where the announcement appeared to criticize it. Visitors called the decision to name a ship for Murtha “an absolute disgrace,” “inappropriate” and said it was just as bad as naming a warship for Benedict Arnold.

“The naming of LPD 26 after John Murtha is inappropriate,” wrote David Martin. “There many men and women with greater records of valor and service to the country who deserve the honor of having a warship named in their memory before John Murtha has a warship [named] in his honor. He made sure there was an airport named after himself. What more does there need to be?”

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The House overwhelming supported a bill to change the name of the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. It seems simple enough to change the name, but the costs could be high.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) told Federal News Radio there's something the media reports are missing about all this: estimates of "millions and millions of dollars" are way off.
Jones read from a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office dated April 7, 2009:
CBO anticipates that the bill would have very little effect on most U.S. Naval or Marine Corps installations since signage, service flags, and other items bearing the emblems or names of the Navy or Marine Corps generally do not reference the Department of Navy and would not need to be replaced. In addition, since the commanding officers of U.S. military installations change on a relatively frequent and routine basis, the budgetary impact of the bill would be small if purchasing of materials, such as stationery, were coordinated with scheduled changes of command. CBO anticipates that the cost of implementing this bill would be less than $500,000 a year over the next several years from appropriated funds. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues.
So, said Jones, "the cost is very minimal."
Especially, said Jones, when the history of the Navy and Marine Corps are taken into consideration, "and yet we have one part of that team, that in the name of the department, in the name of the secretary, is missing."
Jones contends adding the Marine Corps to the name isn't a matter of sibling rivalry. "This is just a matter of recognition and respect."
Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, is expected to bring a vote to the floor on the Marine Corps Identity Bill in a couple of weeks, Jones told the Federal Drive. "We will pass it on suspension. There is no one opposed to it. I have 405 co-sponsors. We'll send over to the Senate. It will be in the Armed Services bill anyway, so this will probably be resolved sometime, if it's going to be resolved, sometime in September/October time frame."
In the meantime, Jones said the goal will be to build support. The website MarineCause.com advises citizens to call their Representatives and Senators to voice their support and sign the online petition.
In the meantime, Jones is brainstorming.
"I'm going to reach out to Tom Hanks. I doubt if he'll talk with me personally, but I'm going to try to get to his PR person to see if we can't get him behind this thing."
Hanks is producer of HBO's mini-series The Pacific.
Jones sounds as though he won't be taking no for answer: "We're going to take a try," he said.
Oo Rah!

ISLAMABAD -- The United States is all set to provide Pakistan with a 64.77 million dollar guided missile frigate. The USS McInerney will be given to Pakistan under Foreign Military Funding.
A spokesman for the Pakistan Navy says that a contract has been signed between the United States and Pakistan, which will allow the transfer of the ship.
He said that it is important to mention that Pakistan will not have to pay a single dollar for the guided missile frigate.
According to his statement, the spokesman says that the United States will not only hand over the ship, but will also refurbish the vessel, provide ammunition and train the ship's crew.
Under the agreement, the USS McInerney will be handed over to Pakistan on the 31st of August in Florida. The ship will be renamed and then commissioned as the PNS Alamgir.

Reporting from Seoul -- The image is chilling: A submersible suicide bomber set loose by North Korea destroys a South Korean warship and kills at least 40 crew members.
Each day, the mystery over the fate of the 1,200-ton patrol boat Cheonan deepens — with the speculation taking on what some analysts say is a fantastic, James Bond quality. The Cheonan split in two and sank March 26 on a mission at the disputed sea border between North and South.
The Korean peninsula is always tense, but the specter of war has increased in recent weeks as investigators point to possible North Korean involvement in the sinking, suggesting the Cheonan was struck by either a floating mine or enemy torpedo.
North Korea has denied responsibility, but South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is under pressure to respond with force if Pyongyang is found to be the culprit.
As salvagers over the weekend raised the bow section of the ship, a team of civilian and military investigators probing the mishap blamed a "non-contact external explosion" beneath the warship rather than a direct hit.
Quoting unnamed naval sources, South Korea's largest newspaper recently published claims that the attack was carried out by a specially trained team of "human torpedoes" in retaliation for a November sea battle that reportedly killed at least one North Korean sailor.
Additionally, at least one North Korean defector and an activist in Seoul have provided details of the elite unit of 13 commandos in mini-submarines, according to the newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
The activist, Choi Sung-yong, head of a group that seeks the return of abductees taken by the North, said in an interview that he was told of the program by a major in a North Korean special-forces unit.
He said he contacted the major about the remains of his father, who had allegedly been kidnapped years ago by North Korea, and he mentioned the Cheonan disaster.
Choi said that in an April 15 telephone conversation he taped, the major said North Korea had developed an elite mini-submersible commando team. He quoted the North Korean major as saying he had not heard of the sinking of the Cheonan, but suggesting that the North was responsible, using "a new weapon that had fired one shot."
The major did not specifically say the Cheonan was hit by a "human torpedo." Choi said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited naval commanders after the November skirmish and said the country must retaliate.
The North Korean defector, Jang Jin-sung, who once worked within Pyongyang's spy network, said he is also convinced the Cheonan was hit by a so-called human torpedo.
Jang said that he saw the program firsthand as a veteran of the North's ministry in charge of espionage operations, before defecting in 2004.
The human torpedo units "are treated better than the submarine crew and their training focuses on suicide bombing attacks," Jang wrote on his blog.
"The first thing Kim Jong Il sees when inspecting the Navy Command is the suicide bombing training of soldiers in this unit," he wrote.
Chosun Ilbo said in addition to suicide bombing tactics, North Korean crews also launch attacks using semi-submersible vessels equipped with light torpedoes or other explosives, which are fired or placed on their targets at close range.
This month, a South Korean lawmaker proposed a slightly different scenario to the National Assembly — that of a Seal Delivery Vehicle, or SDV, a semi-submersible piloted by a three-man crew that can fire a missile.
One South Korean military official discounted the theory.
"SDVs are very slow and there is a low possibility that such vessels were used in an attack," Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told lawmakers.
Officials said they planned to employ computer simulation analysis to determine the Cheonan's fate. The boat was struck in the dark and quickly sank. Fifty-eight crewmen were rescued and authorities have recovered 40 bodies. Six are still missing.
Some analysts here say they don't buy the human torpedo theory.
Daniel Pinkston, a North Korean expert for the International Crisis Group think tank, said that Washington officials who are following the Cheonan case told him they would be "absolutely astounded" if it turns out the ship was hit by a torpedo.
"They're giving more credibility to a mine," Pinkston said. "There seems to be a hole in each of the scenarios being looked at. Some of it sounds like stuff from a James Bond film."

The hospital ship Mercy will dock at Pearl Harbor on May 8 for a two-day visit before traveling to four Pacific Rim nations to carry out humanitarian missions this summer.
The Mercy is part of a six-ship flotilla that will take a contingent of military medical, dental and engineering personnel, and civilian volunteer specialists to Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
Joining the Mercy on missions to Vietnam, expected on May 31, and Cambodia will be a Japanese Oosumi-class amphibious ship.
When the Mercy docks in Indonesia, it will be met by an Indonesian ship, KRI Dr. Soeharso.
The Mercy will be the solo vessel at Timor-Leste.
An Indonesian news service, Antara, said the Mercy will support the "Surya Baksara Jaya" health services operation, which will be conducted at seven villages in Ambon and Maluku July 29-Aug. 3. The floating hospital will offer its health services at Mamala, Morella, Liang, Waai, Tulehu, Passo and Hutumuri villages on the island of Ambon.
Two other Navy ships will visit Papua New Guinea and Palau. The Pearl Harbor-based frigate USS Crommelin and Australia's HMAS Manoora will visit New Guinea, while the USS Blue Ridge will lay over at Palau.
This summer's humanitarian mission is the fifth in a series of annual U.S. Pacific Fleet civic endeavors, known as Pacific Partnership 2010, to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia.
Navy Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said, "The world we live in today is more interconnected than before, and we have learned that by working together we are better prepared to overcome challenges such as natural disasters. Partnership and cooperation are key to success in a crisis."
The Navy said that during the past four years, Pacific Partnership has provided a variety of medical, dental, educational and preventive medicine services to more than 150,000 patients in 10 countries. More than 70 engineering projects in more than a dozen countries have included school refurbishment and construction of entirely new clinics for remote villages.
However, unlike past missions, civilian physicians, nurses and dentists from the Aloha Medical Mission will not be participating.
Mercy, one of two hospital ships in the Military Sealift Command, is commanded by Merchant Marine Capt. David Bradshaw. The Mercy's sister ship -- USNS Comfort -- remains in Haiti, providing hospital and medical capacity for that shattered nation.
This year's medical missions will be led by Capt. Lisa Franchetti, who commands Destroyer Squadron 21 in San Diego. Navy Capt. Jeffrey Paulson, a medical officer, will command the military treatment facility aboard Mercy.
The 894-foot-long, 69,000-ton ship is a former oil tanker converted into a floating hospital. It is equipped with a helicopter flight deck, specialized laboratories, 12 operating rooms, an 80-bed intensive-care unit and enough beds for 1,000 patients.

It's no secret that Jacksonville's a Navy town. But it's missing one thing such a town should have, says Jake Hankins of the Mayport Navy League: a Fleet Week.
During such events the Navy shows off its vessels and personnel with thousands of people touring vessels in places such as San Diego and New York.
Now a group of volunteers led by Hankins is trying to create such an event in downtown Jacksonville in October.
"We've got some really nice stuff happening," Hankins said, with interest from the Maritime Administration and sponsorship agreements with several defense and maritime industry companies.
One difference compared to most other Fleet Weeks is that the event, which Hankins is calling "Jacksonville Salutes the Sea Services," includes nods to all the maritime services. Participants would include the merchant marines, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.
Having the merchant marine involvement is particularly important in Jacksonville, Hankins said, because of the importance the shipping industry plays to the local economy.
Accordingly, organizers are hoping tugboats and other industry displays will share space with the military ships making up the core of the downtown event.
Among the possibilities are naval ships as well as vessels from the Coast Guard and the Military Sealift Command and the Marine Corps' combat vehicles and silent drill team.
Hankins is trying to get one of the Navy's new littoral combat ships.
Most of the services won't confirm if vessels will be available until September, Hankins said.
Navy ships have proved to be a potent draw downtown in recent years, attracting thousands of people, said Christina Langston, spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Special Events Division.
"Anytime you can highlight a vessel like that and provide an opportunity to tour it, it becomes a high point of the weekend," Langston said.
Such tours could be particularly interesting to the 500 Navy League members planning to have their national convention downtown during the Oct. 21-24 event.
Many league members have not served in the Navy and so appreciate the chance to spend some hands-on time with a ship, said Dan Branch, the group's national president.
"The chance to see a ship really brings home what they're supporting," Branch said. "It gives them a whole different feeling about the military."
Just to increase the options of things to do, that's the same weekend Jacksonville Naval Air Station is putting on its air show.

ABOARD THE USS NEWPORT NEWS -- This silent killer lies 650 feet below the sea's surface with enough nuclear power to keep it submerged for at least 20 years.
But the U.S.S. Newport News, an attack nuclear submarine loaded with 17 torpedoes and two Tomahawk simulators, surfaced Monday in time for Fleet Week.
The Navy got 8,000 requests for public tours, but only a lucky 630 visitors will get to explore the inner workings of the $1 billion Norfolk, Va.-based vessel while it's tied up at port Everglades. Luck also was on submariners' side Sunday as Newport News prepared for its 200-mile trek here from Port Canaveral, surrounded by playful dolphins, which are used in servicemen's insignia and are a sailor's symbol of good luck.
Still, as always, a watchful gunner stood atop the submarine, at the ready to take out potential enemies as Newport News set out to sea.
Commander J. Carl Hartsfield assumed leadership of the 6,900-ton submarine on April 20 — just days before reaching Fort Lauderdale Monday, his maiden voyage on the Newport News. Hartsfield, 40, has been in the Navy for almost half his life.
"This is the pinnacle of my career right here," he said. "I'm extremely proud of my crew. They're top performers. The only reason I still do this job is to watch people succeed."
While these submariners are excited about showing off the Newport News, they're also anxious to get on land to enjoy Fleet Week, given the cramped conditions they cope with the rest of the time.
Detachment from the outside world, especially loved ones, probably is the toughest adjustment to make, said Dylan Young, 24, a communications radioman from California who says being aboard means "you never get off work, essentially."
Communication with the outside world is limited. Crew members can send and receive e-mail only when the sub is no deeper than 60 feet, and its antenna juts out of the water.All the sunlight submariners see comes through two periscopes. And when they can't see if it's day or night, time is measured in meals. Their entertainment comes from prerecorded Ultimate Fighting Championship fights, card games, their iPods and Xboxes.
The entire ship is masked in wood tones and hues of gray and blue. If you're looking for vibrant color, look to the orange, grape and lemonade slushy machines near the galley and the diesel engine recently painted black-and-gold by a New Orleans Saints fan.
With space limitations, maneuvering onboard is very much like an impromptu dance. Sometimes sailors break out into the "submarine shuffle," said Harlie Williams, 35, a sonar technician from South Miami-Dade County.
"It's always been a challenge. Life on a submarine can be summed up by taking a 10-pound bag and trying to fit it into an 8-pound space," he said.
There's so little personal space on a submarine that respect is a necessity, officers said. And crew members of the Newport News will have even less of it as they get ready to welcome more than a dozen officers in training, who will be on board for up to five weeks following Fleet Week.
"Space is an absolute premium on this ship," Executive Officer Nirav Patel said.
Case in point: Seven bathrooms for the entire fleet and a board room conference table that doubles as an operating table.
Racks — or the crew's tight sleeping quarters — are best described as bookcase shelves, just over 6 feet long. About 45 crewmen sleep in the torpedo room, underneath loaded missiles.
And then there are "hot rackers," the guys who take shifts sharing a bed. The only crewmember with the luxury of his own room is the sub's commander whose bed also doubles as a table.
Stephen Lowman, 20, looks at it on the bright side: "If you're hot racking, somebody's already warmed up the bed for you."

Out of the teeth of Monday morning's storm they emerged, gliding in turn through the inlet to Port Everglades: seven massive military vessels bearing some 2,500 sailors and Marines.
Fleet Week had begun, celebrating its 20th year of calling at Fort Lauderdale, which has become one of the Navy's most popular shore leave destinations.
Monday's fierce storm delayed matters somewhat, as sailors struggled in driving rain to secure mooring lines, unfurl flags and set up lighting. The weather deterred the typical crowd from cheering on the vessels' stately procession through the inlet; in some cases it also prevented sailors from manning the rail, standing at crisp attention along the deck.
Navy spokesman Paul Taylor blamed the weather for the lack of family members who typically greet their relatives in the service. "There were no families here," Taylor said.
Also not appearing, due to "operational commitments," was the Canadian ship HMCS Montreal. It was to be one of three frigates, joining American and German frigates in this year's flotilla. Other vessels were the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, frigate USS Halyburton, destroyer USS Porter, submarine USS Newport News, Coast Guard cutter Key Biscayne and German frigate FGS Hessen.
But the most notable arrival was the USS Independence

The next USS Missouri is only weeks away from heading to open water and getting under it.
The SSN780, a Virgiinia-class submarine, will be the first Navy ship to carry our state’s names since the fabled BB-63, the World War II-built battleship that was in service through the first Gulf War and is now a privately-operated museum at the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii.
Rear Admiral Mike McLaughtlin, commander of the Navy’s Submarine Group Two, has briefed Governor Nixon and reporters on preparations for the ship’s commissioning on July 31. “You will be proud of Missouri when she is finally commissioned,” he said, and promised she would be around for a “good 33 years.”
McLaughlin says the Missouri will head out for sea trials next month or in June, during which time the crew will “wring out” the sub and make sure it performs properly. The Missouri not be armed during that trip. Its missiles and torpedoes will be loaded once it is considered a commissioned ship and the Navy takes control of it.
McLaughlin ways the crew has been with the ship for some time and is now honing its skills either on board or in shore-based stimulators he says can simulate about all at-sea conditions.
The submarine was christened in early December in Groton, Connecticut.

David has designed two cancels for the commissioning. One for Groton CT and one for Jefferson City MO. David has reduced the size of the cancel so it will not be as large as the one for the christening. Size will be 1-3/8" high by 2" wide.

1921 - U.S. Naval Detachment left Yugoslavia after administering area around Spalato for two years to guarantee transfer of area from Austria to new country.
1952 - USS Hobson (DMS 26) sinks after colliding with USS Wasp (CV 18); 176 lives lost.

Off to WESTPEX this morning to see what I can find and for my talk on the USS San Francisco. It's almost too bad, the weather is wonderful and I hate to be inside all day.

1918 - USS Stewart (DD 13) destroys German submarine off France.
1934 - In the first Navy movement through the Panama Canal, more than 100 ships transited.
1945 - In only U.S. use of guided missiles in World War II, two BAT missiles release at Balikpapan, Borneo.
1956 - Project Vanguard, earth satellite launching program, assigned to Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air).

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at http://www.history.navy.mil.

Another inch

The more postings we get, the faster it scrolls off.

Environmental Professionals Spend Earth Day Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
Story Number: NNS100422-05
4/22/2010

By Lt. Greg D. Raelson, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Public Affairs

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hosted 10 guests from various environmental agencies April 21 to share a day-in-the-life at sea and discuss the future of environmental protection and the Navy mission.

The visitors arrived on board the ship via a C-2 Greyhound aircraft and were greeted by the ship's commanding officer, air wing commander and command master chief before being whisked away to a full day of tours, discussion forums, a personal briefing with Carrier Strike Group 9 Commander, Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini, and interaction with the ship's company.

During the visitors' stay, the ship not only demonstrated its capabilities as one of the mightiest warships on the seas, but also showed how far the Navy has come with their environmental programs.

One stop on the tour was the ship's trash compactor and waste disposal room, where ship's company removes recyclables from wet and dry trash.

"Our Sailors work very hard to ensure that all paper and plastics are separated and that no hazardous material is discharged overboard," said Lt. Bernardino Rodriguez, Lincoln's industrial hygiene officer and assistant safety officer. "We are able to compact 30 large plastic bags into one pizza-pie sized disc. These discs are maintained on board until we can properly recycle them in port."

Additional highlights of the tour included a briefing on the Navy's Protective Measures Assessment Protocol, marine mammal protective measures and appropriate hazardous material disposal.

The visitors left the ship on Earth Day, April 22, and will return to their home towns to share their recent experiences aboard the ship.

USS Abraham Lincoln is currently underway off the coast of southern California conducting tailored ship training assessments in preparation for a deployment later in 2010.

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The Navy's first littoral combat ship (LCS), USS Freedom (LCS 1), will arrive in San Diego April 23, after completion of her maiden deployment.

Freedom departed Mayport, Fla., Feb. 16 for operations in the U.S. 4th Fleet and U.S. 3rd Fleet Areas of Responsibility (AOR).

The ship conducted counter-illicit trafficking operations, making four successful interdictions that netted more than five tons of cocaine, seized two "go fast" drug vessels and took nine suspected smugglers into custody.

In addition to independent operations, Freedom successfully integrated with USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group for high-speed operations, re-fueling at sea, surface gunnery events and visit, board, search and seizure evolutions.

Freedom also conducted joint maneuvers with USS McInerney (FFG 8) and Fire Scout, the frigate's embarked unmanned aerial vehicle.

During the deployment, Freedom completed theater security cooperation port visits to Cartagena, Colombia; Panama City, Panama; and Manzanillo, Mexico. In each port, the crew conducted several community outreach events and participated in numerous professional exchanges with partner nation navies.

The LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused ship that demonstrates the latest in naval technology. The ship is specifically designed to defeat threats in shallow, coastal water regions, including surface craft, diesel submarines and mines. LCS features an interchangeable modular design that allows the ship to be reconfigured to meet mission requirements.

Crew members are part of an innovative manning construct that reduces crew size, demanding each Sailor maintain high levels of proficiency in multiple fields. These "hybrid" Sailors are part of two rotational crews, "blue" and "gold" that optimize ship operability. Detachments embarked during deployment to supplement the core crew include the Surface Warfare Mission Package; Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, Detachment 2, based in Norfolk, Va.; and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment.

Freedom will help provide deterrence, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the sea and humanitarian/disaster response within U.S. 3rd Fleet's 50-million square mile AOR in the Eastern Pacific, as well as supporting the nation's Maritime Strategy when forward deployed.

.

In addition Crosby covers have also been posted for LEXINGTON & OKLAHOMA. There is also an ARIZONA cover. On the last 3 covers the USCS will realize 100% of the sale.

I sell as cva58.

Where is everybody??

1796 - Congress authorizes the completion of three frigates.
1861 - Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia is abandoned and burned by Union forces.
1914 - In the first call to action of naval aviators, a detachment on USS Birmingham sailed to Tampico, Mexico.
1915 - The first Navy contract for lighter-than-air craft is awarded.
1942 - USS Wasp (CV 7) launches 47 British aircraft to reinforce Malta.
1947 - Navy Capt. L.O. Fox, supported by 80 Marines, accepted the surrender of Lt. Yamaguchi and 26 Japanese soldiers and sailors, two-and-a-half years after the occupation of Peleliu and nearly 20 months after the surrender of Japan.
1953 - USS New Jersey (BB 62) shells Wonsan, Korea, from inside the harbor.
1964 - USS Henry Clay (SSBN 625) launches a Polaris A-2 missile from the surface in the first demonstration that Polaris submarines could launch missiles from the surface as well as from beneath the ocean. Thirty minutes later, the submarine launched another Polaris missile while submerged.

NORFOLK -- After a laborious two-year overhaul beset by delays, cost overruns and unforeseen problems, Navy officials said Monday that the military's oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is once again ready for war.
The 49-year-old Enterprise, which has been docked at Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard since April 2008, was originally slated to return to service six months ago. That plan changed after repair crews discovered damage and decay - from rotted pipes to fried electronics - far beyond what they'd anticipated.
As the list of repairs grew, so did costs, to nearly $700 million from an initial estimate of $450 million.
That's led critics to question whether the money was worth it: The Navy plans to deploy the Big E just two more times before decommissioning the carrier in 2013.

1783 - George Washington proclaims the end of hostilities with Great Britain.
1861 - President Lincoln orders the blockade of Southern ports from South Carolina to Texas.
1955 - USS Albany (CG 10) and USS William Wood (DD 715) begin to provide disaster relief to citizens of Volos, Greece.

NORFOLK -- The 16-inch guns of the battleship Wisconsin fired shells weighing more than a ton in the Pacific in 1944 and 1945. The vessel survived a typhoon that sank three destroyers.
She again departed Norfolk to fight in the Korean War, and in 1991 joined other U.S. ships in firing the opening volley of Tomahawk missiles in the Persian Gulf War.
The Wisconsin has been peacefully moored in a cove downtown next to Nauticus for the past 10 years. But she came to life again Friday, exactly 66 years from the day she was commissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, as the Navy ceremoniously transferred ownership of the vessel to the city.
The bell of the battleship rang clearly. Red, white and blue streamers were launched into the air and tugboats on the Elizabeth River sprayed water as Vice Admiral David Architzel joined Mayor Paul Fraim, other city and military leaders, and former crew members on deck.
"Today we celebrate the rebirth of a piece of American history," Architzel said.
The ceremony included a 21-gun salute on the shore of the Elizabeth River and a video message from retired U.S. Sen. John Warner, who helped bring the battleship to Norfolk.
"The Wisconsin has become an enduring example of the values of public service and sacrifice," Fraim said.
Architzel presented Fraim with a long glass, a ceremonial Navy tradition.
The transfer means that several interior areas of the vessel - never before seen by the public - will be open for tours starting in late summer or fall.
The ward room, captain's cabin, combat center, flag bridge and navigation bridge will be opened. Currently, the public can tour the deck of the ship.
W.T. "Doc" Shoop served as a petty officer first class aboard the Wisconsin in 1947 and was among the former crew members at the ceremony.
He's seen the ship's interior and predicted the tours will be "awe-inspiring."
The Environmental Protection Agency is testing air quality inside the Wisconsin to make sure it's safe.
The interior will be opened in three phases, said Harry "Hank" Lynch, the executive director of Nauticus.
"There will always be something new to see. There will always be stories to tell," he said.

PORT CANAVERAL — Shipping containers bobbed in the ocean, fires raged just onshore and chaos reigned as the USNS Grasp reached Haiti as one of the first ships to arrive in the impoverished, earthquake-devastated island nation.
After weeks in Haiti helping restore cargo operations at the nation's main seaport -- grueling work during which crews rarely got to leave the ship -- the vessel is in Port Canaveral for a month of scheduled major maintenance work valued at nearly $1 million.
It's what Chief Engineer James Sullivan calls "a major tune-up."

If you attending on Sunday, the USCS will be having a meeting and a presentation on the USS San Francisco CA-38, A Gallant Warrior by Steve Shay. The meeting is at 1 PM. Come enjoy the show and hear about the service of the USS San Francisco as told through naval covers.

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2010 - The U.S. military's role in Haiti is slated to further decrease by June, with the 2,200-strong U.S. force currently there expected to drop to about 500 members, the former top American commander in Haiti said today.

Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command, answers a question during a Pentagon news conference April 19, 2010. Keen provided an update on continuing earthquake-relief efforts being provided to the people of Haiti. DoD photo by R.D. Ward
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, who stepped down yesterday as the commander of Joint Task Force Haiti, told Pentagon reporters the military drawdown was prompted by the expanding role of civilian agencies.

"I expect us to -- on or about 1 June -- to be able to stand down the Joint Task Force," Keen said. "We will be able to do that, because of the capability that's being built up and has [been] built up by civilian organizations, ... [and] as they build up that capacity and get into more of the recovery and reconstruction phase, the need for our military diminishes."

Haiti has been the focus of an expansive international relief effort in the wake of what is considered one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas. A devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced more than a million inhabitants. At the height of the U.S. military effort there, some 22,000 forces were in or around Haiti, including 7,000 land-based troops, with the remainder operating aboard 58 aircraft and 15 nearby vessels.

Keen, who also serves as the deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the current mission in Haiti continues to be saving lives and mitigating suffering.

"While over 230,000 people died, many, many were saved, thousands were saved, because of the tremendous response medically, not just on our military and other militaries," Keen said, "but the international community [and nongovernmental organizations], as I mentioned."

Today some 2,200 troops and four aircraft are operating in the area, Keen said. Starting this month, the Louisiana National Guard will begin a five-month exercise focused on helping to rebuild Haiti.

"That will have over $2 million worth of projects focused on some of these engagement activities" such as building school classrooms, and establishing emergency operations centers to help Haitians prepare for possible future natural disasters, Keen said, in describing the forthcoming "New Horizons" exercise.

In the meantime, he added, soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division will return home next month.

The current security situation in the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince "remains calm," Keen said.

"While there have been isolated incidents of violence, if you will, it has not been to the degree that it has impacted at all on our ability to provide humanitarian assistance," he said.

Keen, who was succeeded as the top U.S. commander in Haiti yesterday by Army Maj. Gen. Simeon G. Trombitas, today reflected on the situation he witnessed in Haiti upon his departure.

"As I left Haiti, I saw lots of hope as I walked around the streets, particularly when you look in the faces of the children, the smiles on their faces, the gratitude that they have, certainly from our military's presence there, but the presence of the international community there," he said.

"But the proof of the ability to realize their hopes is going to be in how you're able to apply all of these donor nations' contributions," he added, "and how they've been able to build a strategic plan, and then how the government is able to lead forward, because this is about Haitians leading Haitians."

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/yard/8Min-EAGLE_In_Yard-HIGH.wmv

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2010 - A top Navy commander suggested yesterday that commercial vessels should arm themselves when traveling through pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast.

Navy Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa and of NATO's Allied Joint Task Force Command Naples, told Pentagon reporters that the scope of the piracy problem is too great to be policed by military vessels alone.

"We could put a World War II fleet of ships out there," Fitzgerald said, referring to the Gulf of Aden and the Mozambique Channel off the Indian coast, "and we still wouldn't be able to cover the whole ocean."

On an average day, 30 to 40 ships comprising international maritime forces monitor pirate activity in the Somali basin and the western Indian Ocean, Fitzgerald said, adding that five to 10 of these ships at any given time are American vessels.

Another issue, the admiral said, is what to do with pirates who are captured. The international community, he explained, has not yet answered the question of how to bring to justice pirates captured at sea. This issue has come to the fore with the recent capture of five suspected pirates by the crew of the USS Nicholas in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles.

"Catch and release is not a very good option," Fitzgerald said. "How do we deal with this? We've got to come to some kind of solution."

Somali-based piracy, the admiral said, will not go away until a government in Mogadishu is stable enough to confront the problem within its borders.

"Right now, we're trying to shoot the arrow instead of the archer," Fitzgerald said. He acknowledged that the prospect of a stable Somali government is unlikely in the near future.

The admiral's comments echoed remarks Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made last year after Navy SEAL snipers killed three Somali pirates while rescuing the kidnapped American ship captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship.

Gates, emphasizing the limitations of a purely military approach to piracy, said some officials have suggested bypassing the central government of Somalia and instead establishing relationships with officials of functioning local governments there.

"There is no purely military solution to it," the secretary told the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va., last year. "And as long as you've got this incredible number of poor people and the risks are relatively small, there's really no way in my view to control it unless you get something on land that begins to change the equation for these kids."

But in the near-term, Fitzgerald said yesterday, it is "incumbent upon the vessels who are sailing the high seas to either protect themselves or accept the dangers."

Asked if he would recommend that commercial ships arm themselves, Fitzgerald said: "I think they should."

"Commercial ships should take appropriate protections," he added, "because we cannot offer 100-percent guarantees of protection as the ships go through."

Fitzgerald also recommended tracking the spoils of successful piracy operations. "I think we'd be able to trace the financiers [and] the middlemen," he said.

From the Navy News Service - April 17th
1778 - The Sloop-in-war Ranger captures a British brig.

From the Navy News Service - April 18th
1848 - A Navy expedition to explore the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, commanded by Lt. William F. Lynch, reaches the Dead Sea.
1906 - The Navy assists in relief operations during the San Francisco earthquake and fire.
1942 - USS Hornet (CV 8) launches Doolittle's Army bombers for the first attack on Japan.
1988 - Navy destroys two Iranian drilling platforms and a frigate in retaliation for attack on USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58).

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval historical Center Web site athttp://www.history.navy.mil.

The Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be named for Rep. John Murtha, the long-serving Pennsylvania Democrat
who chaired the powerful House appropriations defense subcommittee before he died in February. According to a Navy memorandum
obtained by Navy Times, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus notified Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead that he had selected
“John P. Murtha” for the previously unnamed LPD 26. It’s the latest example of the Navy breaking a convention for naming its warships; the previous
ships in the San Antonio class have been named for American cities. The choice of Murtha as the namesake for an LPD 17 appeared to reflect both his
support in Congress for more of the gators and his service in the Marine Corps, which included time in Vietnam.

other type dredges
Fry - Wilmington, NC
Merritt - Wilmington, NC
Thompson - St Paul, Minn
Currituck - Wilmington, NC

Wong, Nancy L - Honolulu, HI to me
show details 2:09 PM (4 hours ago)

Coincidentally these were all cancelled yesterday and are going out today. Sorry for the delay. We received the requests in January; had to hold them, and I just didn't have anybody available until this week to perform the cancels.
One of the requests was shortpaid by quite a bit, from Mr. Dieter Lange of Germany.
I am sending his under cover and will not charge him the difference but can you please let your members know, especially from foreign countries, that they need to affix the correct return postage?

Reads Fleet Week Port Everglades and shows three signal flags and wording Broward Navy Days Station.

Navy Christens Guided Missile Destroyer William P. Lawrence

The Navy will christen the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, William P. Lawrence, April 17, 2010, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.

Designated DDG 110, the new destroyer honors the late Vice Adm. William P. Lawrence, who served nearly six years as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam and later as superintendent of the Naval Academy.

Lawrence was born Jan. 13, 1930, in Nashville, Tenn. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1951. At the Naval Academy, he played three varsity sports and was president and brigade commander, in which capacity he helped establish the Brigade Honor concept. He graduated from the Naval Air Test Center as an honor graduate and in 1958 was the first naval aviator to fly twice the speed of sound.

During the Vietnam War, as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143, Lawrence earned the Silver Star for a strike against a heavily defended target in North Vietnam. He completed his mission, but was captured after his aircraft went down. He remained a POW from June 1967 until March 1973. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership to fellow POWs.

Following promotion to rear admiral in 1974, he served as commander, Light Attack Wing, U. S. Pacific Fleet; director, Aviation Programs Division on the staff of the chief of naval operations; assistant deputy chief of naval operations (air warfare); superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; commander, U. S. Third Fleet in the Pacific; and chief of naval personnel, retiring in 1986.

Ross Perot, Texas businessman and former presidential candidate, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Diane Lawrence, widow of the ship's namesake and Vice Adm. Lawrence's daughters, Laurie Lawrence, M.D., and Capt. Wendy Lawrence, USN (Ret.) will serve as sponsors of the ship. In accordance with Navy tradition, they will break a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow and christen the ship.

William P. Lawrence, the 60th Arleigh Burke class destroyer, will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. William P. Lawrence will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to supportmaritime warfare in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," which postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Cmdr. Thomas R. Williams, II, is the prospective commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton William P. Lawrence is being built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

Additional information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers is available online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4 .

Christie’s budget eliminates five line-item grants: $1.7 million for the Battleship New Jersey in Camden; $250,000 for the Morven Museum in Princeton; $375,000 for the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton; $405,000 for Save Ellis Island; and $75,000 for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. He wants these groups to apply for competitive grants from the commission, which this year awarded an average grant of $66,000
• The Battleship New Jersey in Camden is a "national treasure" that relies state aid to cover its $2.6 million budget. A "hub for veterans affairs," the battleship is the most decorated in the history, said its president and CEO, Jim Schuck. "We’re not a South Jersey museum. We’re a national museum

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea on Thursday lifted the stern of a naval ship that sank after an unexplained explosion near a contested sea border with North Korea to see if Pyongyang may have had a hand in the incident that killed dozens.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100415/ts_nm/us_korea_ship;_ylt=AvSVLPVUK0DyjQmXCHDYqoihOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTMyaHExYWJ0BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX2tvcmVhX3NoaXAEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM1BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDc291dGhrb3JlYXJh

Could not find a lsit of dredges, such as Judwin, Yaquina and McFarland.

Anyone know why this volume has not been updated? The Naval Institute still sells the old one.

1898 - Commissioning of the first post-Civil War hospital ship, USS Solace.
1988 - USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) strikes an Iranian mine off Qatar.
1989 - The first Navy ship arrives on scene to assist in the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup.

The Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be named for Rep. John Murtha, the long-serving Pennsylvania Democrat who chaired the powerful House appropriations defense subcommittee before he died in February.

According to a Navy memorandum obtained by Navy Times, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus notified Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead that he had selected “John P. Murtha” for the previously unnamed LPD 26. It’s the latest example of the Navy breaking a convention for naming its warships; the previous ships in the San Antonio class have been named for American cities.

U S Coast Guard Collectors Club

1847 - Naval Forces begin a five-day battle to capture several towns in Mexico.
1861 - Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
1960 - The Navy's navigation satellite, Transit, is placed into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and demonstrates ability to launch another satellite.

Movies are in the mail!

Also USNS SACAGAWEA (T-AKE 2) back, strike of a T-9 all purpose cancel with S/L daters in red on black cancel (4-6-10). Spray overcancel from Norfolk 4-7-10.

Universal Maritime Postal History Society (UMPHS)

Maritime Postal History Society (MPHS)

I couldn't agree with you more about how public Facebook and our postings are here.

Sometimes a Google search will produce postings we have made on this chat page years ago.

We need to advertise the U.S.C.S. on the front page of the New York Times.

Try it, you might like it.......

What do we have

1 and 2. An international or universal society. Two easy words.

3. We're naval but more. Coast guard, merchant marine and cats and dogs like staten island ferry. Need a broader word like ship or nautical.

4. We are postmark, cachet, and marking collectors. Most of us are a bit of each. Some are purists. We collect cards and envelopes. The best word is postal.

5. We are interested in nautical history and postal history. Steve Shay noted the problem or confusion with the term "postal history".

Let's try

Universal(or International) Nautical (or Ships') History and Postal Collectors' Society.

UNHPCS or INHPCS

Or
USHPCS. Or ISHPCS.

A bit long and a mouthful but fairly accurate description of who I think we are.

A simple answer would be NPS. Nautical Postal Society.

Or

SPS, Ships' Postal Society. Pretty vague.

Larry

1861 - The Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumter, S.C.
1911 - Lt. Theodore Ellyson qualifies as the first naval aviator.
1962 - The Navy demonstrates a new landing craft, LCVP (H), with retractable hydrofoils.
1975 - Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation from Cambodia, takes place.
1981 - First launching of reusable Space Shuttle Columbia (STS 1) with an all-Navy crew. Capt. John W. Young commanded, while Lt. Cmdr. Robert L. Crippen was the pilot. Mission duration was two days, six hours and 20 minutes. Sixteen of the shuttle's heat-shielding silicon tiles were lost and 148 damaged during reentry.
1993 - Aircraft from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and NATO forces begin enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia in Operation Deny Flight.

3. Purpose. The purpose of the Society is to promote the study of the history of the United States Navy and its ships; to promote and develop the collection and study of the postal markings of the United States Navy and other maritime organizations of the world; to disseminate knowledge relative to such material; and to foster a spirit of fellowship and cooperation among collectors.

We finally are having a robust discussion. I'm generally opposed to change but the word "cancellation" is the problem. As Dave notes Universal Ship Cover Society is also a problem. But it's an improvement. We need to build concensus because what you call yourself is crucial. Greg and John have important points.

Maybe we should always carry around an example of a "naval cancellation" in our pocket and be ready to show it to someone who is interested enough to ask "what is that?" That should make it easier to explain our society.

Sailors Mail or Postal History sound great but don't tell me what the society is about nor would it explain why some people collect anniversary cancels and cachets because those aren't Postal History as defined by philatelic exhibiting and general definitions. Postal History is real, commercial mail. Cachet material is Illustrated mail. Sailor Mail sounds like it originated from a sailor. Certainly I have thousands of pieces in my collection that never touched a sailor.

We have collectors that collect ships from foreign Navies or from commercial ships. US Naval and Coast Guard Postal History excludes those guys and Postal History would seem to exclude cacheted material unless we are going to change the meaning of Postal History in the Philatelic world.

Universal/Worldwide/International Sailors'Postal History Society

I too have tried to explain our society's purpose to non naval collectors. When I hit a road block of understanding, I just show them some covers. That usually gets an "ah I see" what you're talking about now" out of them. I remember one time when this guy thought we wanted to "cancel" ships being built, that we were against naval vessels and wanted to "cancel" them. Got good laugh out of that one when he walked away shaking his head.

Today, I want to express my deepest and sincere condolences to Polish Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich and the Polish military on the tragic deaths of their Commander in Chief as well as their Armed Service Chiefs and other military personnel who were traveling to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

Poland is one of America's closest allies, and our nations are united by a shared heritage and a shared commitment to defend the values of freedom and democracy. In this accident, Poland has lost some of its most brilliant and dedicated patriots and public servants -- citizens who have transformed their country into a model of peace and prosperity at the center of the Euro-Atlantic community.

The military personnel lost in this tragic accident in some cases had served together side by side with American forces in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Many were spearheading the transformation of the Polish Armed Forces and attended U.S. military schooling. All served with great distinction in the proud military tradition of the Republic of Poland. The United States military mourns the loss of so many cherished Brothers in Arms.

I would say she was USS MINNESOTA. VERMONT, KANSAS also left Port Said on the 5th for Villefranche

All. Just got a picture postcard of port said with a legible, pen written note from villefranche france jan 11, 09 with a 1 cent franklin booklet stamp canceled with a type 1 most of the cancel is weak but can see the the first letter "U" for uss and the last letter of the ship's name ending in an "A". And the year "1909". The circle is clear but the long name of thr ship and the month and date are not easily visible. Which GWF bb was this? Thanks. Larry

Also, the Naval History Blog deserves our support and comments. (www.navalhistory.org)

The U.S. Coast Guard participated in a keel laying ceremony for the first Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) at Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La, Friday. The 154-foot Sentinel-class patrol boat, which will be a key component of the Coast Guard's recapitalized fleet, is critically needed to replace the aging 110-foot Island-class patrol boat fleet.

Each Sentinel-class FRC will be named for one of the Coast Guard's many enlisted heroes.

The first Sentinel-class FRC will be named the Bernard C. Webber, after a coxswain from Station Chatham, Mass. On February 18, 1952, Petty Officer Webber led his three-man crew through a fierce winter storm to save the lives of 32 crewmen from a sinking freighter, the Pendleton. Petty Officer Webber and his crew were each awarded the Coast Guard's Gold Lifesaving Medal for their heroic actions in the rescue.

1861 - Second relief convoy for Fort Sumter left New York.
1941 - Commissioning of USS North Carolina (BB 55), which carried nine 16-inch guns.
1943 - Re-establishment of Commodore rank.
1959 - Selection of first seven Mercury astronauts, include four naval aviators.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval historical Center Web site at http://www.history.navy.mil.

By Charles McMahon
Friday, April 9, 2010

KITTERY, Maine — Crew members aboard the USS San Juan (SSN-751) arrived in town early Thursday morning amid the usual crowd of onlookers that gathered along the banks of the Piscataqua River.

The submarine reached its berth at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard shortly before 10 a.m., where it is expected to begin undergoing maintenance work and several system upgrades.

Rochester resident Peggy Franceschini was one of many who gathered at Peirce Island to watch as the submarine made its way up river. Franceschini said she is a die-hard submarine fan and enjoys watching as the mammoth vessels sail into town.

"I just love them," she said.

Franceschini said she gets "all broken up" when she thinks about the sacrifice submariners make by spending months upon months away from their families and loved ones. In addition to watching the San Juan come into town on Thursday, Franceschini said she plans on attending Saturday's 47th memorial service for the USS Thresher tragedy.

East Rochester resident Bob Baker got out his 300 mm lens to take pictures of the submarine.

As the service officer for the AMVETS Post #1, Baker said whenever he gets word that a submarine is coming to town he routinely heads down to the river to take pictures of its arrival.

As the third U.S. Naval vessel to be named after San Juan, the submarine was built by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Conn., and was commissioned in 1988. The submarine is considered the first of "improved" Los Angeles Class submarines, receiving a number of improvements to its basic design including capacity for under ice operations.

The submarine's crew consists of 13 officers and 121 enlisted personnel. San Juan's commanding officer is Louisiana-native and Boston University graduate, Commander Oliver Lewis.

Shipyard officials say San Juan is "quieter," incorporates an "advance BSY-1 sonar suite combat system," and is capable of laying mines from its torpedo tubes. The sail of the submarine is strengthened and capable of breaking through ice.

During its most recent mission, the submarine conducted a six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command and Africa Command area of responsibility. Navy officials say the submarine made history during the deployment by taking part in the first-ever at-sea engagements with the South African Navy submarine force near Simon's Town, South Africa.

In January, the submarine was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" from Commander Submarine Development Squadron 12 for superior performance of duty.

The submarine's host community is expected to be Biddeford, Maine.

That's the message the U.S. Navy is sending after announcing that smoking will no longer be permitted below decks on its submarines effective December 31.

Steve. There were lots of UsN and USAF aircraft shot down by the Soviets and Chinese Communists. A lot of probing and overflights. I did a project for the naval war college. Pretty bloody. The north koreans took out an EC 121 Super Connie after Pueblo was captured. Best, Larry

http://www.coldwar.org/Histories/documents/HistoryofUSNavyFleetAirReconnaissancePartTwo.asp

about the Privateer shot down April 8, 1950. It's a forgotten piece of Cold War history.

1925 - The first planned night landings on a carrier take place aboard USS Langley (CV 1).
1950 - An unarmed Navy patrol aircraft is shot down over the Baltic Sea by the Soviet Union.
1951 - The first of four detonations occurs during Operation Greenhouse nuclear test.

A good night. A chapter meeting and Yankees beat Red Sox at Fenway. Teams are tied 1-1. A long way to October but 28 World Championships sounds great

bidding in Ed Brennecke's lists!

You remember bidding in Rose Staco's auctions!

Please consider joining the fun (and promotion of naval cover collecting)!

Just go to www.navalhistory.org, and click on Recent Posts - Naval Hospital Cover by Chief Pharmacist's Mate J.N. Lawrence.

Then check back each week, Jim plans to add a new cover every Saturday.

Just checked your email address, I have had the double 'll' in wilson for at least the last year.

Will make the correction.

Worst case, one can always use the Post Office's mail service for stamps. It works well.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

KITTERY, Maine — Crew members aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell returned home Friday following a two-month patrol of the Caribbean Sea.

While on patrol, the 270-foot Campbell conducted counter-narcotics and law-enforcement missions and prevented 2,000 pounds of cocaine — with an estimated street value of $28 million — from entering the United States on high speed smuggling boats.

Coast Guard officials say the contraband seized was part of operations conducted with the"Joint Interagency Task Force South." The drugs seized were transferred to federal agencies and suspects were transferred to federal agents for further investigation.

Officials say the bust was part of several successful law-enforcement interdictions the crew conducted during the two-month patrol.

In addition, the crew of the Campbell also conducted an international counter-narcotics exercise and professional exchange with Colombian Forces in San Andres Island, Columbia. Officials say the exercise improved interoperability in drug interdiction operations.

During a port visit in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the Campbell hosted Vice Adm. Homero Luis Laraja Sola, chief of the Dominican navy and Rear Adm. Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, deputy chief of the Dominican navy for a tour and discussion aboard the cutter.

From the Navy News Service April 4th
1776 - The Continental Navy frigate Columbus captures HM Tender Hawke; this is the first American capture of a British armed vessel.
1854 - Sailors and Marines from sailing sloop Plymouth, protect U.S. citizens at Shanghai.
1898 - Appointment of the first Civil Engineering Corps officer, Rear Adm. Mordecai Endicott, as chief of Bureau of Yards and Docks.
1949 - NATO is established.

For more information about naval history, visit the Naval historical Center Web site at: http://www.history.navy.mil.

Detlev. Enjoy the cooler Berlin weather. Manila is a tropical sauna. Hope I can find a case to take me out there soon. Best larry

1893 - Navy General Order 409 of Feb. 25, 1893, establishes the rate of "chief petty officer".
1942 - The first Naval Air Transportation Service (NATS) squadron for Pacific operations is commissioned.
1945 - More than 1,200 Navy ships and Army troops begin invasion of Okinawa.
1966 - U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam established as a command.
1967 - Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron 3 is activated at Vung Tau.

USAA’s success is because of prudent financial management and having the best members and employees in the world. Thank you for trusting USAA.

What ships are pretty reliable in returning covers? I thought it might be good to direct him to ships known to be good at returning covers rather than have him pick some random ships and find they don't return covers very often.

I'd appreciate your input.

The frigate USS Nicholas took the piracy suspects into custody after the warship sank a skiff, and confiscated a suspected mother ship, said a statement from US Naval Forces.

"While operating west of the Seychelles in international waters, Nicholas reported taking fire at 12:27 am local time from a suspected pirate skiff and returned fire before commencing pursuit of the vessel until the disabled skiff stopped," the statement said.

"At 1:59 am personnel from Nicholas boarded the disabled skiff and detained three personnel. The boarding team found ammunition and multiple cans of fuel on board."

After taking the suspected pirates on board, the Nicholas sank the disabled skiff and captured two additional suspected pirates on the confiscated mother ship.

"The suspected pirates will remain in US custody on board Nicholas until a determination is made regarding their disposition," the statement said.

The lifting of the winter monsoon in the region has spurred a fresh spate of attacks by pirates able to venture hundreds of miles from their bases and approach their prey on relatively calm seas.

The Seychelles economy relies heavily on tuna fishing and tourism and the country has had several ships hijacked since 2008.

In a separate incident, six Seychellois fishermen rescued from Somali pirates were returned home Wednesday after three days of high-seas drama which saw the Seychelles coastguard sink several pirate boats.

DOT - agreement on removal of obsolete vessels from Suisun Bay
The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a news release stating that it has entered into an agreement with various environmental advocacy groups for removal of the remaining 52 obsolete ships currently moored at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. The ships will be placed in dry-dock for removal of marine growth and flaking paint prior to be transferred for recycling. (3/31/10).

Sounds like the flooding near Providence has disrupted Amtrak service between Boston and Conn and New York. Can't remember that happening before. Usually it is the snow.