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Congressman John Lewis Attends Keel Laying of Namesake Ship

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 seawaves

May 13, 2019 – Employees of Military Sealift Command, General Dynamics NASSCO of San Diego and dignitaries from across the country celebrated the keel laying of MSC’s newest ship, USNS John Lewis at the NASSCO shipyard San Diego today. Kevin Graney, NASSCO president welcomed ship namesake, Rep. John Lewis (D Ga.), and ship’s sponsor, actress Alfre Woodard who attended the ceremony. “I am absolutely thrilled to be here today in the capacity of sponsor to this great ship,” said Woodard in her remarks. “As a leader, John Lewis is a…

US Navy Contract Announcements May 3, 2019

May 3, 2019 seawaves

Valiant Global Defense Services Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded $15,913,990 for firm-fixed-price task order M67854-19-F-7884 under previously award contract M67854-19-D-7876 to provide support services for the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Training Support Service (MTSS), MAGTF Staff Training Program (MSTP). Services will include pre-deployment training programs to Marine Corps operating forces, as well as command, control, communications, and computer mobile training team training at the functional and executive level to commanders and battle staffs, and technical training for operators and information managers. Work will be performed in Quantico,…

Boxer ARG Deploys

May 2, 2019 seawaves

May 1, 2019 – Sailors and Marines from Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) departed their homeport of Naval Base San Diego, May 1, for a regularly scheduled deployment. While deployed, the Boxer ARG/11th MEU team will conduct maritime security operations, crisis response operations, theater security cooperation and forward naval presence operations. “It has been incredible to see the interoperability of the Boxer ARG/11th MEU as they have come together to form a cohesive team, operating from all ships within the ARG,” said Capt. Brad…

USS Decatur Returns From deployment

April 2, 2019 seawaves

April 1, 2019 – USS Decatur (DDG 73) returned to San Diego April 1, following a deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet areas of operation. “This deployment highlighted every capability that dynamic force employment provides,” said Cmdr. Bob Bowen, Decatur’s commanding officer. “We were successful on deployment, providing the fleet commanders with a well-trained and equipped surface combatant capable of executing any mission assigned.” Decatur participated in multiple exercises and operations while deployed, including conducting maritime security operations, and rendering assistance to seven distressed mariners in the…

U.S. Navy Awards BAE Systems $41 Million Contract for USS Anchorage Upgrades

March 28, 2019 seawaves

March 27, 2019 – BAE Systems has received a $41.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy to perform routine maintenance and modernization of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23). The Anchorage will undergo 12 months of restorative work at BAE Systems’ shipyard in San Diego. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $48.4 million. “Our team looks forward to working with the Navy and our repair partners to perform important upgrades that ensure the Anchorage remains a very capable amphibious combatant…

New Book Celebrates 50th Anniversary of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School

March 16, 2019March 16, 2019 seawaves

March 8, 2019 – When American fighter jets were being downed at a disturbing and unprecedented rate during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy turned to a young lieutenant commander, Dan “Yank” Pedersen, to figure out a way to reverse their dark fortune. Pedersen, aka “the Godfather of Topgun,” was the Hollywood image of a fighter pilot, seldom appearing without his Ray-Ban sunglasses, when a report about the shocking casualties foiling Navy air operations in Vietnam prompted a wholesale reevaluation of American fighter strategy. On a shoestring budget and with…

Carlos Aguayo Promoted to General Manager of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ San Diego Shipyard

March 15, 2019 seawaves

March 4, 2019 – Huntington Ingalls Industries announced today that Carlos Aguayo has been named general manager of the HII San Diego Shipyard. He will replace Daniel Flood, who is retiring after 40 years in the ship repair and defense contracting industry. Aguayo will be responsible for the overall operation of the shipyard business, including strategy development and execution, customer relations, quality, production, resource management, human capital development, process improvement, and finance/accounting. Throughout his 35-year career on the San Diego waterfront, Aguayo has held numerous, diversified positions increasing in scope…

Essex Amphibious Ready Group Visited Pearl Harbor

February 21, 2019 seawaves

February 20, 2019 – USS Essex (LHD 2), other ships of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) visited Pearl Harbor, Feb. 18-20. “Pearl Harbor is rich in military history and its strategic location places it center stage in the Pacific,” said Capt. Gerald Olin, commander, Amphibious Squadron 1. ” The harbors and bases the Navy uses here are among the very best in the world and help ensure that naval forces in the Pacific are trained and ready to respond to any contingency.…

SPAWAR Systems Center Names Change to Naval Information Warfare Centers

February 13, 2019 seawaves

February 13, 2019 – Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) announced it will change the names of its Echelon III systems centers, SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina, and SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, to Naval Information Warfare Centers Atlantic and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, respectively. The changes will be effective Feb. 18. The new language “Naval Information Warfare Center,” with the acronym NIWC, (pronounced N’ wick) will apply to the names of all Naval Information Warfare Center sites falling under NIWC Pacific and…

SPAWAR Improves Speed and Quality of Communications for Warfighters at Sea

February 5, 2019 seawaves

February 1, 2019 – Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) successfully concluded a rapid prototyping effort in December of 2018 for the Office of the Secretary of Defense to explore the use of 4G LTE technology as a communications system for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications. Efforts included fleet experimentation, field testing, in-lab testing, rapid prototyping and a mixed reality technology demonstration led by the Naval Medical Center in San Diego (NMCSD) Tele-Critical Care Unit (TCCU). SSC Pacific supported NMCSD TCCU during a virtual critical…

Navy to Commission Destroyer Michael Monsoor

January 28, 2019 seawaves

January 23, 2019 – The Navy will commission its newest destroyer, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), Saturday, Jan. 26 during a 10 a.m. (PST) ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, where the ship will be homeported. The second ship in the Zumwalt-class of destroyers, DDG-1001 is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 29, 2006. Scott Peters, U.S. Representative from…

US Navy Contract Announcements January 23, 2019

January 24, 2019 seawaves

General Atomics, Electromagnetics Systems Group, San Diego, California, is awarded $19,682,252 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001919F2406 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0006). This order provides for the manufacture, assembly, inspection, integration, test and delivery of Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) spare parts in support of the CVN-78 prior to the Advanced Arresting Gear and EMALS material support dates. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (37 percent); Boston, Massachusetts (18 percent); Tupelo, Mississippi (10.7 percent); Aston, Pennsylvania (5.8 percent); Guilford, Connecticut (4.4 percent); San Leandro, California (3.5…

General Dynamics NASSCO Commissions New Panel Line

January 16, 2019 seawaves

January 11, 2019 – General Dynamics NASSCO held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to commission its new panel line, which expands steel production capabilities for the construction of commercial and government ships in San Diego. The new panel line enables distortion-free welding of plates as thin as five millimeters to produce lighter, more energy efficient ships. The cutting-edge facility uses hybrid laser arc welding and numerically controlled robots to mill, seam and weld steel panels in a highly automated production line. These features improve capacity, quality, accuracy and cycle time, and…

BAE Systems to Modernize USS Shoup Under $78 Million Contract

January 2, 2019January 3, 2019 seawaves

January 2, 2019 – BAE Systems has received a $78.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy for the maintenance and modernization of USS Shoup (DDG 86), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG). The value of the competitively awarded contract could reach $87.6 million if all options are exercised. “Our team is experienced with the DDG class and ready to get to work to ready the Shoup for service in the fleet for many years to come.” “The Shoup availability is a large, complex repair job,” said David M. Thomas Jr., vice…

DDG 1001 Arrives in San Diego

December 8, 2018December 10, 2018 seawaves