U.S. Navy LCAC Makes Surprise Landing Near Myrtle Beach

 

Maritime Executive: Video: U.S. Navy LCAC Makes Surprise Landing Near Myrtle Beach  

Local residents and media outlets were surprised to see a U.S. Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) come ashore on a public beach in Cherry Grove, South Carolina on Thursday morning. 

The deafening arrival of a 180-ton, turbine-powered hovercraft surprised onlookers as the LCAC transited slowly through the surf zone and turned at an angle to the beach. 

Photos taken after its arrival show its forward ramp lowered for cargo operations and a small skiploader leveling the sand in front. 

Police lines appear to have been set up later, after the craft startled beachgoers with its sudden appearance.   

Read more .... 

Update #1: LOOK: Navy hovercraft comes ashore in Cherry Grove area (WMBF) 

Update #2: North Myrtle Beach sees Navy resupply ship arrival as Chinese balloon recovery continues (Aol.com/SUN News)  

WNU Editor: The US Navy hovercraft came ashoe to pick up supplies.

Senior U.S. Navy Commander Says The US Navy Should Be Ready ‘To Fight Tonight’

 

Defense News: Worried China might seize Taiwan sooner, Navy chief pushes readiness  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has adopted a “fight tonight” mentality as both China and Russia grow more aggressive, the chief of naval operations said, meaning the service must become more ready and more lethal for a near-term conflict. 

Adm. Mike Gilday said he stands by prioritizing readiness, then lethality and then growing the size of the fleet, but said during remarks at the Atlantic Council Wednesday the potential for a conflict with China in the next couple years makes it important to do all three.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: No one in the US (civilian and military) is ready to "fight tonight". 

Senior U.S. Navy Commander Says The US Navy Should Be Ready ‘To Fight Tonight’. Must Prepare Now For China Invasion Of China  

China’s Accelerated Timeline to Take Taiwan Pushing Navy in the Pacific, Says CNO Gilday -- USNI News  

US Navy chief warns China could invade Taiwan before 2024 -- Financial Times

Navy's top admiral won't rule out Chinese invasion of Taiwan within months -- Washington Times  

US must prepare now for China invasion of Taiwan: admiral -- AFP 

Navy leader ‘can’t rule out’ Chinese invasion of Taiwan even earlier than 2027 -- Breaking Defense  

US Navy should plan for an invasion of Taiwan this year, fleet chief says -- SCMP  

US Navy should be ready ‘to fight tonight’ – top admiral -- RT

US Navy Is Stumped On Why The Water On The USS Abraham Lincoln Looks And Smells Strange

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) sails by the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Javier Reyes)  

Business Insider: The US Navy found water that looked and smelled weird on an aircraft carrier last month, and it still has no idea why 

* The Navy discovered last month that the water on the USS Abraham Lincoln looked and smelled strange. 

* Testing found E. coli in the water, but Navy officials said it was unrelated to the odor and cloudiness. 

* Nearly a month later, the Navy still has no idea what caused issues with the ship's water. 

Nearly a month after the US Navy discovered that the water aboard one of its aircraft carriers looked and smelled strange, the service still has no idea what caused the issue. 

Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln first noticed on September 21 that the water they drink and bathe in had an "odor and cloudy appearance." 

A Navy official told Insider on Tuesday that it's "not yet known" why the potable water on the ship had characteristics beyond what would traditionally be associated with safe, clean water.  

Read more ....  

Update: Tests Found E. Coli in Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln’s Potable Water System (USNI News)  

WNU Editor: This is not the first time it has happened .... Yet another Navy aircraft carrier has a water contamination problem (Task & Purpose).

US Navy Planning To Fill Its Carriers With Drones

An MQ-25 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in December 2021. US Navy/MCS3 Hillary Becke  

Insider: 80 years after launching the first drone from an aircraft carrier, the US Navy is planning to fill its flattops with them 

* The US Navy is investing heavily in unmanned aircraft to operate aboard its aircraft carriers. 

* Navy officials now say that they hope to have drone aircraft compose 60% of their carrier air wings. 

* Eighty years ago, the Navy made its first crack at trying to operate drones aboard its carriers. 

The US Navy is working hard to incorporate unmanned aircraft into its aviation fleet. Service officials now say they aim for drones to compose 60% of their carrier air wings, a sizable increase from the 40% goal cited in the past. 

Leading the way on that effort is Boeing's MQ-25 Stingray, and unmanned aerial refueling drone that Navy officials say could eventually take on new roles, such as intelligence-gathering. 

The MQ-25 is expected to achieve initial operational capability by September 2025 and deploy aboard a carrier in 2026. 

It will be the first purpose-built carrier-based drone in service with any navy, but it won't be the first drone that the US Navy has operated from a flattop.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The above article puts to bed any doubts that the US Navy is now committed to drones.

U.S. Seventh Fleet Commander Says China Is Entirely Capable Of Imposing A Naval Blockade On Taiwan

New York Times  

RT: US admiral issues China naval blockade warning 

Beijing has built a large and modern fleet and can encircle the island should it wish to do so, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas has said  

Beijing has built a large and modern fleet and can encircle the island should it wish to do so, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas has said China is entirely capable of imposing a naval blockade on Taiwan, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, acknowledged in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Monday. 

“They have a very large navy, and if they want to bully and put ships around Taiwan, they very much can do that,” the admiral said.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The Wall Street Journal is reporting on this story. It is behind a pay-wall, but for those who are subscribers, the link is here .... China Is Capable of Blockading Taiwan, U.S. Navy Commander Says (Wall Street Journal).

Top Admiral For U.S. Indo–Pacific Command Says He Is Seeing The Largest Military Buildup In Chinese Army's History

Admiral John C. Aquilino, left, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), looks at videos of Chinese structures and buildings on board a US P-8A Poseidon reconaissance plane flying at the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea on Sunday March 20, 2022. A U.S. Navy plane carrying a top American military commander was threatened repeatedly by radio on Sunday to leave the airspace over Chinese-occupied island garrisons in the disputed South China Sea, but the aircraft pressed on defiantly with its reconnaissance in brief but tense standoffs witnessed by two Associated Press journalists invited onboard. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)  

Zero Hedge/Epoch Times: US Indo–Pacific Chief Sees Largest Military Buildup In Chinese Army's History 

China’s army is undergoing the largest buildup in the Chinese regime’s history since World War II, according to Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo–Pacific Command. 

Aquilino made the comment in a conversation hosted by the research institute the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on June 24 (pdf).  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Adm. John Aquilino also has an "issue" on how Congress is spending defense money .... US military chief for China shreds congressional armed services committees for junk spending  

Update #1: The priorities are elsewhere .... U.S. Navy’s Edge on China Dwindling and Lawmakers Don’t Care (Heritage Foundation).  

Update #2: Here are two good articles on the Chinese navy .... Why China’s Fujian carrier is a game-changer (Asia Times), and here .... Never mind China’s new aircraft carrier, these are the ships the US should worry about (CNN).

US Navy Is Trying To Retire All Of Its Guided-Missile Cruisers By 2027

US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam in the South China Sea. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley/U.S. Navy via AP  

Insider: The US Navy's plan to ditch its cruisers will leave it out of a small and well-armed club 

* The US Navy is trying to retire all of its guided-missile cruisers by 2027. 

* US cruisers are specialized for air defense and are among the best-armed naval ships in service. 

* Lawmakers are dismayed by the Navy plan, believing it will reduce US firepower as China's navy grows.

In April, the US Navy presented an ambitious plan to decommission all 22 of its Ticonderoga-class cruisers by 2027. The move is not surprising. 

The Navy has tried to rid itself of its cruisers for years, but Congress has consistently rejected its proposals, largely out of concern that decommissioning them would take away a much-needed weapon as China's naval force continues to grow. 

With the retirement of the last battleships nearly 20 years ago, cruisers are the largest surface combatants — a category that generally doesn't include aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships — in service.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Concerns on where the US Navy is going are rising .... Fleet weak: Navy’s shipbuilding plan could lose a war in the Pacific (Seth Cropsey, The Hill).

US Navy Orders Safety Pause For Entire Submarine Force

Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut in the Pacific Ocean with a US Navy HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter and aircraft carrier USS George Washington and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga, November 17, 2009. US Navy/MCS1 John M. Hageman  

Business Insider: US Navy orders safety pause for entire submarine force after attack sub ran into underwater mountain in South China Sea 

* The US Navy has ordered a safety stand-down for the submarine force following an incident last month. 

* Last month, attack sub USS Connecticut ran into an uncharted seamount. 

* An investigation into the incident suggested the accident was preventable. 

The US Navy ordered a safety stand-down for the entire submarine force on Wednesday in response to the results of an investigation into an incident last month in the South China Sea. 

On October 2, the powerful Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut collided with an object, the Navy said in a statement five days after the incident as the damaged $3 billion submarine limped into port in Guam.

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: US Navy is describing this training as a stand-down and that the submarine force will continue to operate and deploy.

In A Decades Long Fraud Metallurgist Admits Faking Strength-Test Results For Steel In US Navy Submarines

Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut in the Pacific Ocean, 2009. US Navy/MCS1 John M. Hageman 

Business Insider: Employee of US military contractor admits faking strength-test results for steel in Navy submarines, a decades-long fraud 

* A worker faked hundreds of steel-strength tests at a foundry that supplies parts to Navy submarines. 

* Elaine Marie Thomas pleaded guilty to fraud and faces up to 10 years in jail. 

* The steel her firm produced failed strength tests but she faked results so they were used in subs.

A metallurgist has pleaded guilty to decades of fraud after she admitted faking the results of strength tests of steel used to make US Navy submarines. 

Elaine Marie Thomas, the former director of metallurgy at Bradken Inc., pleaded guilty in a recent court hearing, per an announcement from the Department of Justice.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Metallurgist admits faking steel test results for US Navy subs (BBC)  

Update #2: Metallurgist admits faking steel-test results for Navy subs (13 News Now)  

WNU Editor: OMG! She falsified reports for over 3 decades. Even though she is 67 years old, 10 years in jail is not enough.

US Navy Names Ship After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk

 

Daily Mail: US Navy names ship after gay rights leader Harvey Milk: Transgender health expert smashes champagne on bow with sister vessels set to be christened after RFK and Rep. John Lewis 

* Replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk was christened on Saturday in San Diego 

* Named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy 

* Milk was one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office 

* He was assassinated in 1978 by former San Francisco official Dan White 

* Step was hailed, amid separate claims that armed forces are now too woke 

A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy before being forced out, was christened by a transgender veteran and launched in San Diego Bay on Saturday. 

Milk was one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office. 

He was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978 when a former political colleague, Dan White, assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall. 

The replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk slid down the shipyard ways after a bottle of champagne was smashed on the bow by former Navy officer Paula M. Neira, clinical program director for the John Hopkins Center for Transgender Health.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The main stream media is ignoring his past .... Harvey Milk Was An 'Evil Man' Who Raped Teenage Boys, Unworthy Of Postage Stamp: Matt Barber (Huffington Post). More here .... Woke US Navy names ship after accused pedophile Harvey Milk (The Post Millenial). 

More News On The US Navy Naming An Oiler After Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk  

Navy launches ship named for gay rights leader Harvey Milk -- Navy Times/AP  

NASSCO christens and launches the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) -- Naval News  

US Navy launches ship named for gay rights activist Harvey Milk -- CNN  

US Navy launches ship to commemorate gay rights activist Harvey Milk -- The Hill  

The US Navy just launched a ship named after Harvey Milk - nearly 70 years after the gay rights icon was discharged from the service due to his sexuality -- Business Insider  

New US Navy ship named after gay rights icon & christened by transgender veteran receives mixed reception -- RT

U.S. Navy Hit By Another Multi-Million Dollar International Bribery Scandal

Navy defense contractor Frank Rafaraci is accused scamming the branch out of $50million. Among the schemes involved one in which he charged $231,000 for or 'port authority fees' to allow the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (pictured) to dock at Manama, the capital of Bahrain, in 2015  

Daily Mail: Navy contractor 'scammed $50 million by overcharging on port fees for US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and inflating other charges' 

* US officials are trying to extradite Frank Rafaraci, CEO of Multinational Logistics Services from Malta on bribery and corruption charges 

 * As chief executive of MLS, Navy's largest foreign port contractor, he is accused of scamming the Navy out of $50million by overcharging for services 

* He is also accused of money laundering and bribing Navy officials for insider information on upcoming Naval contracts 

* Among the accusations was that he charged the Navy $231,000 for 'port authority' fees to allow the USS Carl Vinson to dock at Manama 

* Manama's port charged only $12,686 for the vessel to allow the vessel to dock 

* Rafaraci, a dual Italian-American citizen, is currently in Malta, where authorities have been struggling to extradite him 

The federal government is seeking to extradite a defense contractor to the US over allegations that he scammed the Navy out of roughly $50million by overcharging port fees. 

US authorities are seeking to have Frank Rafaraci, 68, chief executive of Multinational Logistics Services, or MLS, brought to the US from Malta, where he was arrested last week, and charged with overcharging for various services and bribing Navy officials for insider information, according to an arrest warrant viewed by the Washington Post.  

Read more ....  

Update: U.S. Navy hit by another international bribery scandal (Washington Post)  

WNU Editor: Good luck on trying to get this suspect .... Alleged $50 million US fraudster will not be rearrested, Malta judge decrees (Times of Malta).

The US Navy’s Costly Plan To Upgrade Aging Submarines (US Navy)

Submarines are the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy's strategic plan to patrol the world's oceans, but cost overruns and supplier problems could slow down the pace of production. https://t.co/Tj6lohOASx pic.twitter.com/7wxJVWfNBI

— CNBC (@CNBC) July 25, 2021

33 US Navy Sailors Hospitalized After Possible Diesel Exhaust Exposure At Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

USS Michigan (SSBN-727)  

Kitsap Sun: Submariners taken to hospital for diesel exhaust exposure at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 

BREMERTON — Thirty-three sailors assigned to the USS Michigan submarine were taken to the hospital Monday following potential exposure to exhaust from the boat's diesel engine during maintenance work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. 

The sailors were transported "out of an abundance of caution," according to Lt. Cmdr. Ben Anderson, a spokesman for Bangor-based Submarine Group 9. 

Two sailors had mild respiratory distress symptoms following exposure to the diesel exhaust, and they were evaluated and released. "All sailors were evaluated and released" from the hospital, he said. 

Read more ....  

Update: 33 Navy sailors hospitalized after possible exposure to exhaust (FOX News)  

WNU editor: This could have ended very badly.

The Aircraft Carrier USS Ford Heads To Shock Trials

A C-2A Greyhound powers down its engines on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford in September 2020. Ford is on track to deploy in 2022. (MC3 Zack Guth/Navy)  

Forbes: Despite Promises, USS Ford Heads To Shock Trials With 4 Broken Elevators 

Full ship shock trials on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) are set to begin within weeks. Commissioned in 2017, but with key systems incomplete, U.S. Navy leaders have repeatedly assured Congress and the public that the USS Ford would be ready before the forthcoming shock trials. But with four of the USS Ford’s seven critical lower-stage weapons elevators still unready for service, naval credibility is at stake. If the shock trials go forward, testing an incomplete ship, the Navy stands to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully validate the battle-hardiness of America’s future carrier fleet in real-world conditions.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Aircraft carrier Gerald Ford finishes post-delivery tests and trials (Navy Times)  

Update #2: U.S. Navy’s new aircraft carrier validate capability to defend itself and its crew (Defence-Blog)  

WNU Editor: The elevators will be fixed after the "shock trials" .... Elevators aboard USS Gerald R. Ford to be fixed after shock trials (UPI).

Will The US Navy's Next Attack Submarine Could Really Be A Game-Changer

Navy Virginia-class attack sub USS North Dakota during bravo sea trials. US Navy photo  

Caleb Larson , 19fortyfive: Why the US Navy's next attack submarine could really be a game-changer 

 * The Navy is still building and fielding its advanced Virginia-class attack submarines. 

 * But the Navy is already planning for their eventual replacement by the SSN(X), or the Improved Virginia-class. 

The United States Navy's Virginia-class fast-attack submarines are among the youngest in the Navy. 

They're nuclear powered and armed to the teeth with four torpedo tubes as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. 

The Virginias incorporate a number of new technologies and are among the stealthiest submarines in the world. 

The Navy designed the Virginias from the outset with a number of features not previously seen in other submarines, such as a fiber optic fly-by-wire control system which replaced the mechanical control system seen in previous submarines, as well as a secretive electromagnetic signature reduction system that helps keep the submarine undetected.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Here is a report to Congress on the US Navy's SSN(X) Next-Generation Attack Submarine .... Report to Congress on Navy SSN(X) Next-Generation Attack Submarine (USNI News).  

Update: these subs are not going to be cheap .... The U.S. Navy Could Spend Half Its Shipbuilding Budget On Submarines (Forbes).

Three Sailors Test COVID-19 Positive Aboard Previously-Stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt

USS Theodore Roosevelt arriving back to San Diego after the initial outbreak onboard last year 

Daily Mail/AP: Three sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt test positive for Covid-19 less than a year after a massive outbreak that led to the captain's ousting 

 * Three sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for COVID-19 

 * Navy said the three sailors have not had any symptoms and are in isolation 

 * A massive outbreak on the ship last year led to the firing of Captain Brett Crozier 

Three sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for COVID-19 less than a year after a massive outbreak on the ship sidelined it in Guam for nearly two months and led to the captain being fired. 

The Navy said the three sailors have not had any symptoms, and they and others who were exposed to them are currently isolated on the aircraft carrier, which is conducting operations in the Pacific. They tested positive Sunday. 

In a statement, the Navy said it is 'following an aggressive mitigation strategy,' including masks, social distancing, and proper handwashing and hygiene measures. 

Read more .... 

 More News On Three Sailors Testing COVID-19 Positive Aboard The Previously-Stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt 

Three Sailors Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt Test Positive for COVID-19 -- USNI News 

3 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt test positive for COVID-19 -- Task & Purpose 

Navy Reports 3 New COVID-19 Cases on Carrier that Had Massive 2020 Outbreak -- Military.com 

3 sailors on USS Theodore Roosevelt test positive for coronavirus -- The Hill 

Deployed Sailors Test COVID-19 Positive Aboard Previously-Stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt -- NBC News San Diego 

Navy Scrambles As Deployed Sailors Test COVID-19 Positive On Previously-Stricken Carrier -- Zero Hedge

Is This Submarine The Most Fearsome US Navy Weapon In The Pacific?

The guided-missile submarine USS Ohio rendezvous with a US Marines combat rubber raiding craft for an integration exercise off the coast of Okinawa, Japan this month. 

CNN: This may be the most fearsome US Navy weapon in the Pacific 

Hong Kong (CNN)Born of the Cold War and launched with enough firepower to destroy well over a dozen Soviet cities in a single salvo, the USS Ohio, the largest submarine the United States Navy has ever put to sea, has been stripped of its nuclear missiles. 

But it still may be the most fearsome and versatile US weapons platform operating in the Pacific. 

As the Biden administration is demonstrating its commitments to US allies and protecting a free and open Indo-Pacific, it has been making statements with naval hardware. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: There are only four of these guided-missile submarines in the US Navy carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles each. 

Most Expensive Aircraft Carrier Ever Built Cannot Launch Fighter Jets

An F/A-18F Super Hornet jet flies over the USS Gerald R. Ford as the Navy aircraft carrier tests its EMALS magnetic launching system, which replaces the steam catapult, in 2017 

Daily Mail: Most expensive aircraft carrier ever built cannot launch fighter jets: Electromagnetic catapult and catch system on US Navy's $13.2BN USS Ford keeps BREAKING, three years after it entered service 

 * A new assessment of the USS Gerald R. Ford was carried out by Pentagon testers

 * The testers said the trouble was with the USS Ford's new, high-tech aircraft takeoff and landing systems 

 * The systems were said to have experienced failures more often than expected 

 * The unreliability of the systems could 'adversely affect' the USS Ford's ability to carry out military sorties according to testers 

The most expensive aircraft carrier ever built - to the tune of $13.2billion - is still suffering from unreliable technology systems more than three years after it was delivered to the US Navy. 

A new assessment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, carried out by Pentagon testers, indicates that the ship's issues 'remain consistent' with those experienced in previous years of testing. 

The USS Ford's latest troubles stem from issues with its its aircraft takeoff and landing systems, according to the report. 

Read more .... 

Update: Navy’s Priciest Carrier Ever Struggles to Get Jets On, Off Deck (Bloomberg) 

WNU editor: Remember when the media blasted President Trump 3 years ago when he criticized this electromagnetic catapult .... President Trump Has A 'Beef' With The Navy's Newest System For Launching Aircraft From Carriers (May 13, 2017). More here .... Is President Trump Right About The U.S. Navy's Electric Carrier Catapults (May 29, 2017).

US Navy Drone Resupplies A Ballistic Missile Submarine At Sea

 

Navy Times: Watch a Navy drone resupply a ballistic missile submarine at sea 

Past and future collided when a drone resupplied one of the Navy’s oldest ballistic missile submarines on Monday. 

The sea service released video showing electronics technicians piloting a quadcopter-style drone to deliver a small payload to the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine Henry M. Jackson, which has been in service since 1981. The test was successful, with the drone dropping its package on the submarine’s hull and returning to operators aboard a nearby surface ship.

Read more .... 

Update: Watch: US Navy Demonstrates Path-Breaking Idea As Cargo-Drone Delivers ‘Critical Supplies’ To A Submarine (EurAsian Times) 

WNU Editor: A small glimpse into the future.

U.S. Warship Breaks Navy Record For Longest Stint At Sea

A woman photographs the USS Stout as it sails past the Statue of Liberty during the parade of ships for Fleet Week in New York City on May 20, 2015.Brendan McDermid / Reuters file

NBC: U.S. missile destroyer ship breaks Navy record for longest stint at sea

The USS Stout reached 208 days at sea Sept. 26 as the Navy has imposed restrictions on port visits to protect sailors from the coronavirus.

A U.S. guided missile destroyer ship has broken the record for the longest consecutive number of days at sea for a military surface vessel, the Navy said Tuesday, underscoring the effects of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The USS Stout reached 208 days at sea Sept. 26, spending nearly seven months in the Middle East and the North Africa area, known as the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. The previous record of 207 days, held by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS San Jacinto, was also set this year.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Navy to cancel port visits to prevent sailors from being exposed while ashore.

Earlier this year, more than 1,000 sailors were infected with Covid-19 on board the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. One sailor died and the aircraft carrier was sidelined in Guam for weeks.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: 208 days at sea. Wow! That is a long deployment.