Philippine Sea – SeaWaves – the BEST naval news since 1995

Wasp, JMSDF ships sail in Philippine Sea

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 seawaves

June 16, 2019 – The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ships, led by Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 182), completed a transit through the Philippine Sea, June 16. “It has been great to be out at sea with our high-end partners, increasing our interoperability,” said Capt. Jim McGovern, commander, Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) Eleven. “I continue to be impressed with the JMSDF, and their complementary capabilities with the Wasp ARG and 31st MEU.” The Wasp ARG…

Russian Navy Ship Maneuvers Unsafe, Unprofessional

June 7, 2019 seawaves

June 7, 2019 – At approximately 11:45 am on June 7, 2019 while operating in the Philippine Sea, Russian Project 1155 destroyer Admiral Vinogradov made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), closing to ~50-100 feet putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk. While Chancellorsville was recovering her helicopter on a steady course and speed when Admiral Vinogradov maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance of ~50-100 feet. This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back…

Ronald Reagan, John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Groups Operate in Philippine Sea

November 16, 2018November 19, 2018 seawaves

November 14, 2018 – The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (RRNSG) and John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (JCSSG) are conducting high-end dual carrier operations in the Philippine Sea. While steaming together, the two carrier strike groups will execute complex air, surface and anti-submarine warfare operations in international waters and airspace. “Bringing two carrier strike groups together provides unparalleled naval combat power, tremendous operational flexibility and reach across the region,” said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “It shows our forces at their best, operating confidently at sea,…

Ronald Reagan Strike Group Conducts Air Defense Exercise

August 21, 2018 seawaves

The Ronald Reagan Strike Group, including Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 and USS Antietam (CG 54), participated in an air defense exercise (ADEX) while underway in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 16. The ADEX was organized and planned by crewmembers aboard Antietam, the air defense commander for the Ronald Reagan Strike Group and Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70 staff. “Air defense exercises are the foundation from which we build our defense,” said Capt. George Kessler, commanding officer, USS Antietam. “The ADEX we ran is one in a series that improves our…

Exercise Malabar 2018 Concludes

June 23, 2018 seawaves

Trilateral maritime exercise Malabar 2018 was conducted off the coast of Guam from June 7 through June 16. Initiated in 1992 as an exercise between the U.S. and Indian Navy, Malabar 2018 is the 22nd rendition of the exercise and included the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), a regular participant since 2015. The exercise accomplished maritime interoperability training objectives among the three maritime forces, emphasizing high-end war fighting skills, maritime superiority, and power projection. This is the first year that Malabar was conducted in the Guam operation area. The two-phase…

Indian, Japanese, U.S. maritime forces to participate in exercise Malabar

May 31, 2018 seawaves

Naval ships, aircraft and personnel from India, Japan and the United States will participate in exercise Malabar 2018, in mid-summer 2018 off the coast of Guam. Malabar 2018 is the first time the exercise has been conducted off the coast of Guam, and the latest in a continuing series of exercises that has grown in scope and complexity over the years to address the variety of shared threats to maritime security. The exercise will feature both ashore and at-sea training off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea. Training…

USNS Rappahannock Delivers Fuel to French Frigate

February 6, 2018 seawaves

Fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) conducted a replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with a foreign vessel in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 3. The Rappahannock transferred fuel to the French frigate FS Vendémiaire (F734), a light patrol frigate. USNS Rappahannock is a Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC). MSC conducts hundreds of replenishments-at-sea a year supporting the U.S. Navy and partner nations. Despite a vast experience in RAS operations, the procedure is inherently dangerous. “While we don’t RAS with our partner nations as routinely as our…

Downed C-2A Greyhound located in Philippine Sea

January 6, 2018 seawaves

A team of deep water salvage experts located a C-2A Greyhound aircraft last week that crashed into the Philippine Sea en route to USS Ronald Reagan, Nov. 22. U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) deployed the team to Japan in December to embark a contracted salvage vessel and proceed to the crash site at sea. Once on station, highly skilled operators searched for the aircraft’s emergency relocation pinger with a U.S. Navy-owned towed pinger locator (TPL-25) system. The TPL uses passive sensors to “listen” for the pinger’s frequency.…