The good people of Morgan City, La., will be hearing a lot of “Who Dat?” in the coming weeks, as dozens of Iraqi naval sailors arrive later this month to learn to operate their new patrol boats. They’ll miss Mardi Gras, but son of a gun, they’ll have big fun on the bayou! The first Iraqi Swift Boat PB 301 made its first machinery runs last week. Manufactured by Swiftships Shipbuilders LLC, the 35-foot Swift Boat achieved an average speed in excess of 34 knots (39 mph) at 84 percent installed power. The boats also have six 30mm gun weapons systems, machine gun…
Author Lance Bacon
Lance Bacon
A Navy brat who spent eight years in the Marines (two years aboard the carrier Independence). Worked in journalism in Eastern North Carolina through the latter part of the 90s, then became editor of Air Force Times in 2000. Stayed there five years, then took a break to finish some school. Now back in the game with Navy Times.
The U.S. Navy is not the only one requiring carrier upgrades. Once on the verge of being sold for scrap, the Admiral Kuznetsov — the flagship of the Russian Navy — will be given new life and numerous upgrades in a five-year dry dock starting in 2012. The replacement of a defective propulsion unit tops the overhaul list. The steam turbines will give way to a gas-turbine,or perhaps even a nuclear propulsion unit. The distinctive ski-jump will remain, but the carrier also will receive catapults. The hangar area will be expanded to accommodate more fixed-wing aircraft. In addition, anti-ship cruise-missile…
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead recently visited Africa and the Middle East to strengthen maritime partnerships and spend time with sailors in the region. During his visit to the destroyer Cole, Roughead described the ship as symbol of strength. “Remember the special heritage that this ship has,” he said. “It represents the resiliency of our Navy, and it represents the spirit of our Navy – in ways that other ships simply do not.” In Djibouti, he toured Camp Lemonnier, telling IAs / GSAs that “this is a different way for us to use our Navy.” The Navy has…
Master Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Covington, command master chief of U.S. Fifth Fleet, kicks off the Southwest Asia Chief Petty Officer Association picnic. (Photo by MC2 Class Jason T. Poplin) Maybe he made you scrub the deck for no apparent reason. Maybe he has a permanent scowl on his face. But it’s the chief’s 117th birthday, so wish him well! Did you know that some of the first chiefs made only $70 per month? Or that there were more than 200 chief ratings after World War II? If you want to hone your goat locker knowledge, here is a good…
Today on its Facebook page, the Navy announced a new and unprecedented partnership with the U.S. Air Force on the next aircraft carrier. According to the release: “The next Ford class aircraft carrier will be jointly crewed by both Navy and Air Force personnel becoming the first fully joint warship. In the spirit of this partnership the ship will be named the “James Doolittle” after Lt Col. James Doolittle that famously led a raid on Tokyo in April 1942. In the spirit of environmental efforts in the Navy, the ship will include a new ‘Green Flight Deck’ designed to Air…
The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 can really pack a punch. When they catch a break from ops in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, they focus on hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat techniques taught in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Two Seabees endured three months of gruelling, accelerated training to become instructors. One is EA2 Erik Kennerson, who wants to award at least 18 tan belts before rotating this summer. You can read about their efforts here. The tan belt requires two hours of training a day, four days a week. Students learn punches, throws, chokes, weapons of opportunity…
Fewer than 24 hours after Navy Times broke the news that a smoking ban on submarines is in the works, folks in the smokeless tobacco industry have fired up the marketing machines. First out of the gate is Smokefree Innotec, Inc., which provides “smokefree alternatives.” Its press release offers “the world’s first totally smokefree hi-tec cigarette.” And they aren’t just blowing smoke. This cigarette-like nicotine delivery device contains the nicotine and aroma equivalent to one regular cigarette. The company hopes its product will keep the smoking lamp lit (but smokeless) for the foreseeable future. And with good reason. The military…
Scoop Deck blogger Lance M. Bacon just completed a 24-hour embark aboard the carrier Harry S Truman. This is the play-by-play. Brown shirts and officers from the HS-7 Dusty Dogs prepare their Seahawks for service in anticipation of a busy day. (Photos by Lance M. Bacon) 0830 Scoop Deck is hanging out on Vulture’s Row, watching the crew ramp up for the day’s business before we catch the COD. Though we’ve spent only a few short hours with this crew, it is not hard to understand why they are back-to-back Battle E winners. These sailors and officers will soon cover…
Scoop Deck blogger Lance M. Bacon just completed a 24-hour embark aboard the carrier Harry S Truman. This is the play-by-play. 0600 Reveille, reveille! All hands heave out and trice up. Reveille! Truman’s 65-ton rudders are cutting through some choppier waters. It makes for a gentle rocking motion that invites one to remain in the rack. But Scoop Deck has claimed one of the 18,150 meals that will be prepared aboard Truman today, and we plan to enjoy it on the enlisted mess decks. There’s no way we’re going to miss that. Capt. Joe Clarkson has been at Truman’s…
Scoop Deck blogger Lance M. Bacon just completed a 24-hour embark aboard the carrier Harry S Truman. This is the play-by-play. 2200 “Taps! Taps! Lights out! All hands return to their racks and maintain silence about the decks. Taps.” Scoop Deck makes one more trip to Pri Fly to see how the evening’s quals are going. So far, so good. Tonight, the pilots will wrap up two days of carrier landings. Tomorrow, they will shift into cyclic flight operations, which are mission oriented. We’re about 50 miles east southeast of the Outer Banks. As such, the fighters will take advantage…
