Boats, CG rescue 6 of 7 off DI

MOBILE, Ala. – Two civilian vessels rescued seven people from an overturned catamaran south of Dauphin Island, Ala., on Aug. 29. The ‘Sixth Frau’ notified Coast Guard Sector Mobile of an overturned catamaran about 17 miles south of Dauphin Island. All seven had been wearing life jackets. CGSM launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from New Orleans and a 45-foot Response Boat crew from CG Station Dauphin Island. The crew of the Sixth Frau and a 30-foot Contender were able to recover the individuals and transfer them to the CG boat crew. The boat crew transferred the seven to emergency medical services at the CG station. One of the seven was later pronounced dead at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Ala. There were no other injuries reported. (Coast Guard District Eight 08/29/15)

MSU: Tenn-Tom’s great potential

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a 234-mile system running through four southeast states, is an engine for economic development with great potential, according to Domenico Parisi, director of Mississippi State University’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) research facility. Speaking to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Opportunities Conference in Point Clear, Ala., on Aug. 27, Parisi touted NSPARC’s recent economic analysis of the waterway. The Tenn-Tom is uniquely positioned as the prime route for transporting chemical and plastic goods from Ohio River-based facilities to the Gulf of Mexico. There’s room for expansion and investment, Parisi claimed, and could be the “centerpiece of multi-state regional opportunities and become a gateway to the global economy,” For more about NSPARC, visit www.nsparc.msstate.edu. (Source: Mississippi State University 08/28/15) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Tenn-Tom impacts 17 southeastern metropolitan regions and 111 counties with a population of about 6 million people.

Ingalls celebrates graduation

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries held a ceremony Saturday for graduates of Ingalls Shipbuilding's Apprentice School. The ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of 45 students representing various crafts at Ingalls. Since 1952, the Apprentice School has produced more than 4,000 graduates in support of Ingalls' operational needs. The program offers a comprehensive two- to four-year curriculum for students interested in shipbuilding careers. More than 60 faculty and staff deliver 13 programs and over 120 course offerings to apprentices. Today more than 1,500 apprentice alumnae fill about 50 different types of jobs at Ingalls, from pipe welders to senior executives. (Source: HII, 08/25/15)

Pacific deployment for MH-60, LCS-4

The Navy plans to use an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter with the first Independence class Littoral Combat Ship scheduled to deploy to the Western Pacific in 2016. Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 based in California, will deploy with an MH-60S along with an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle with USS Coronado (LCS-4), said CAPT Ben Reynolds, deputy commander of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. So far, all LCS deployments to Singapore have used MH-60R and an MQ-8B with the Freedom class USS Fort Worth (LCS-3). MH-60S is the module of the LCS surface warfare and mine countermeasures (MCM) mission packages. (Source: Sea Power 08/24/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: USS Coronado and all even-numbered LCS hulls are built on the Gulf Coast at Austal USA's shipyards in Mobile, Ala. MCM warfare packages are developed and tested at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla.

DDG skipper, CMDCM fired

The commander and senior enlisted leader of the destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) were removed from their posts for poor job performance, according to the Navy’s Destroyer Squadron 26. Commanding Officer Cmdr. Patrick Foster and Command Master Chief Torrence Kelly were relieved of duty Aug. 21 mere months before the Norfolk-based DDG was to change homeports to Yokosuka, Japan. Capt. Brian Fort, commander of DESRON-26, fired the duo following findings of an investigation a series of decisions that reflected “poor judgment … and poor program management,” according to a Navy release. CMDCM Kelly, on the job five months, was relieved due to a substandard performance. Cmdr. Zoah Scheneman, deputy commander of DESRON 26, has taken temporary charge. (Navy Times 08/21/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: USS Barry was built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and commissioned December 1992 at the former Naval Station Pascagoula. Cmdr. Gary Roughead – who later became CNO – was the ship’s first commanding officer.

PC to study ship-channel dredging

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - Combat ships may soon be mooring at Naval Support Activity Panama City following the successful completion of a $185,000 grant for a Bay County feasibility study paid for by the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity. The grant is to determine feasibility of a dredging project to the base that would create a ship-turning basin to allow transit for larger Navy ships into and out of NSA PC. The study – that will include environmental impact - will likely take a year to complete. At issue is the depth and width of the Alligator Bayou channel. Among one of the base’s research areas is the Littoral Combat Ship’s Mine-Countermeasures warfare module. USS Independence (LCS-2) has been conducting Gulf of Mexico MCM testing this summer and using Naval Air Station Pensacola as a temporary homeport despite joint testing activities with NSA PC. The dredging project could also be a feather in NSA PC’s cap to keep it from future Base Realignment And Closure commissions. (Source: Panama City News Herald 08/22/2015) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Bay County has received some $5.5 million is Defense Infrastructure grants since 2000. Also, LCS-2 Independence is the first in class and was built along the Gulf Coast at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

Frigate to be decommissioned

When USS Simpson (FFG 56) decommissions Sept. 29 at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., the Navy will be left with only one active frigate on the books – the 218-year-old USS Constitution. Simpson, the last active Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate – or “Fig 7” - is being prepared for decommissioning prior to being sold through the Foreign Military Sales program. Previously, the U.S. has sold frigates - including the Pensacola, Fla.-decommissioned USS Jesse L. Brown - to Bahrain, Egypt, Poland, Turkey and Pakistan. The Coast Guard has been harvesting weapons system components - at a current cost savings of $24M - from decommissioned frigates for its Famous-class cutters. Some of those components include MK 75, 76 mm/62 caliber gun mounts, launchers, and junction boxes. (Source: NNS, 08/19/15) Gulf Coast note: Lt. Cmdr. Casey Roskelly became the new commanding officer of FFG 56 during a change of command ceremony July 17. Roskelly earned his commission from Officer Candidate School in March 2000 at Pensacola, Fla. Frigates are being replaced by redesigned Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) that will be called new frigates. Currently, the Independence class LCS is built at Austal USA's shipyards in Mobile, Ala.

LCS 24 will be named Oakland

The next Independence variant Littoral Combat Ship will be named USS Oakland (LCS 24), according to an announcement by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. The ship will be named to honor the long-standing history its namesake city has had with the Navy. The LCS can perform a variety of missions in areas such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. LCS 24 will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. It will be 419 feet long and be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 40 knots. (Source: NNS, 08/20/15)

2 Austal LCS to be based in SD

Two of the newer Gulf Coast-built Littoral Combat Ships - Gabrielle Giffords and Omaha – are to be home-ported in San Diego along with the future destroyer Zumwalt, according to the Navy. There are four LCS at Naval Station San Diego. The announcement also indicates there will be at least 10 based there in the future. Giffords and Omaha were built at Austal USA shipyards in Mobile, Ala. (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune 08/13/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: Austal USA christened USS Giffords (LCS 10) in June. The keel-laying for the future USS Omaha (LCS 12) was in February. The Zumwalt (DDG-1000) was christened in 2014 in Bath, Maine. It will be the Navy's largest destroyer.

New Orleans completes INSURV

SAN DIEGO - The amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) completed a material inspection by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) at Naval Base San Diego. The three-day assessment of the entire ship was evaluated by dozens of subject-matter experts. "All of the hard work and long hours paid off," said Capt. Douglas Verissimo, New Orleans' commanding officer. "We are now able to operate as a more capable warship, with our Marine counterparts, as we enter our integrated phase." INSURV was established to ensure ships’ readiness. INSURV inspection tests in New Orleans included testing of the aqueous film forming foam sprinkler systems, anchoring equipment, engine inspections, berthing inspections, and a detect-to-engage evolution. "INSURV challenged us all, but in the end,” said Lt. Christine Tomko, the INSURV coordinator aboard New Orleans, “the ship is in the best shape it has been in years." (Source: USS New Orleans 08/10/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: USS New Orleans, the second vessel in the San Antonio class of amphibious transport dock (LPD) warships, was built at the then-Northrop Grumman Shipyard in New Orleans. The ship was commissioned on March 10, 2007, in New Orleans.

CG calls off search near DI

MOBILE, Ala. – Coast Guard Sector Mobile suspended its 22-hour search Thursday at 9:35 p.m. for a missing swimmer near Dauphin Island. CG crews covered more than 480 square miles during the search after receiving a report that 30-year-old Daniel Sewell had gone missing from Fort Gaines on the island where he had planned to go swimming. Participating in the search were small boat crews from CG Station Dauphin Island, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from CG Air Station New Orleans, Alabama Marine Police and Dauphin Island Police. (Source: Coast Guard District 8 08/07/15)

Defending the Panama Canal

MAYPORT, Fla . – Rear Adm. George Ballance, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and the Navy's 4th Fleet presided over closing ceremonies here Aug. 5 for PANAMAX 2015, a multi-national training exercise focused on ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal and crucial to the unrestricted flow of global maritime commerce. More than 50 partner-nations participants – from 16 countries - came to Naval Station Mayport to assist with operations and crisis action planning. Forces conducted a series of simulated exercises at Southern Command’s Mayport HQ and within its areas of responsibility. Exercises helped prepare the U.S. and partners with protecting the passage of traffic through the canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. The exercise was designed to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions. Participants: U.S. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and United Kingdom. (Navy News Service 08/06/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: For American seaports on the East and Gulf coasts, the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2016 holds the promise of significant gains in business, some of it long dominated by California. Gulfport, Houston and New Orleans will likely be the major players among Gulf of Mexico ports.

Spearhead on maritime deployment

BIG CREEK, Belize - USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) arrived in Belize on Aug. 3 to offload adaptive force packages (AFPs) for the Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15) subject matter expert exchange maritime deployment. It’s the second time Spearhead has dropped off AFPs and military equipment in Belize. SPS-JHSV 15 is a Navy 4th Fleet deployment with partner nations in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The SPS-JHSV 15’s mission is structured providing building partner capabilities, humanitarian aid and disaster relief and training, said Capt. Robert Cepek, mission commander, and to help prevent counter-illicit trafficking and to share interests and values throughout the region. (Source: Navy News Service 08/03/15) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Spearhead, built at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., was formally delivered to the Navy on Dec. 5, 2012.

Low shrimp prices make tough year

BILOXI - Mississippi fishermen remain intent on harvesting this year’s shrimp crop in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico despite low prices and a season that was paused and restarted. Dave Burrage, Mississippi State University Extension professor of marine resources at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, said the season first opened June 3 and then closed June 19 when shrimp were too small; and re-opened July 13. The season has been “an anomaly so far,” he said. Shrimpers landed 630,000 pounds of shrimp in Biloxi area during the first two weeks of this season compared to 760,000 pounds a year ago. The size of shrimp has been similar, but prices (for an average 41-50 count per pound) have plummeted from around $3 per pound to 95 cents per pound this year, Burrage said. Fisheries imports have had a significant impact on price. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 08/03/15)

VT Halter breaks ground

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Gov. Phil Bryant was in South Mississippi to break ground Monday on a $7.5 million blast and paint facility that will bring another 40 jobs to the VT Halter Marine's Pascagoula shipyard. Bryant kicked in $2 million in Hurricane Katrina funds through a Community Development Block Grant. VT Halter will invest about $5.5 million for the enclosed blast and paint facility that will be built at the north end of the shipyard at Bayou Casotte. (Sources: Sun Herald, WLOX-TV, 08/03/15)

CG celebrating 225th anniversary

The U.S. Coast Guard will celebrate its 225th anniversary of service to America on Aug. 4. The CG traces its history back to the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, who proposed building sea-going revenue cutters to collect revenue for the new Republic and serve as “useful sentinels of the law.” President George Washington signed the bill passed by the first Congress on Aug. 4, 1790 authorizing construction of 10 cutters. The Coast Guard is fundamentally a domestic armed force, but also deploys units and personnel overseas; supports both CG and national security mission-interests. (Source: Coast Guard 8th District 08/03/15) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Coast Guard District 8 HQ is in New Orleans. It is responsible for CG activities in 26 states with a majority of activity along Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle.

Pre-teen earns GoM ‘Guardian’ award

A St. Petersburg, Fla., elementary school student, working to raise money to buy acoustic tags for marine animals, was named a "Gulf Guardian" at an EPA awards ceremony July 30. Nine-year-old Cory Diaz learned about a new effort to place an array of acoustic receivers in the Gulf of Mexico from her mom, Dr. Chris Simoniello, Director of Outreach and Education for the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association. She decided to raise money for animal tags for her school community service project. She created the uTAG for iTAG campaign through CrowdRise, an online fundraising site. Tracking animals is the science of using tags to learn about species movement and behavior and gather habitat information. Research scientists and resource managers have been tagging animal species throughout the GoM for years. Now, six groups are coming together to try to expand the number of underwater receivers in the GoM and develop arrays in key areas to provide a better regional view, share tracking data and work on habitat and species restoration, especially following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Cory and Renee Hale, her teacher at Bay Point Elementary school, were recognized as first place winners in the youth environmental education category. (Source: Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System 08/03/15) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: The partnership includes, among others, Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association and the University of South Alabama.

Wicker's ocean monitoring bill

JACKSON, Miss. - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently introduced legislation in Congress to reauthorize and provide support to the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. IOOS provides scientists and researchers with vital information about the nation’s coasts and oceans. Wicker’s proposal, titled “Coordinated Ocean Monitoring and Research Act,” is co-sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The program helps improve weather forecasting, energy production, and marine navigation safety. “Mississippi’s Gulf Coast particularly benefits from the network’s important collection of coastal hazards and fisheries data,” he said. Wicker’s bill would also ensure state university research teams are equipped to continue conducting critical scientific studies. More than 50 percent of the marine data now assembled and disseminated by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center – located in Bay Saint Louis, Miss. - is from non-federal sources. Ocean modeling teams based at Stennis Space Center – Navy, Gulf Coast OOS, Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State, and NOAA - coordinate to develop the best physical and ecosystem models on the Gulf Coast. National Weather Service uses the Navy model results for their public safety hurricane forecasts. (Mississippi News Now 07/30/15)

Contract: HII, $16.6M

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $16,614,562 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-12-C-4323 to provide long lead-time material procurement, management services, and incremental level of effort for CG-47-class cruisers. The contract is for planning yard services for CG-47-class cruisers and DD 963-class destroyers. Huntington Ingalls provides necessary engineering, technical, planning, ship configuration, data, and logistics efforts for CG 47 and DD 963 lifetime support for both maintenance and modernization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by September 2016. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/31/15)