Kiln unit earns family readiness award

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department honored guard and reserve units Feb. 26 for their top-notch support of family readiness efforts that ultimately strengthen the nation, said Stephanie Barna, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. Six units of the reserves, National Guard and Coast Guard units were winners of the 16th Annual Reserve Family Readiness Awards. The Coast Guard Reserve winner was Port Security Unit 308 based at Kiln, Miss. (Source: Defense Media Activity 02/26/16)

CGL-Mobile earns mod contract

Ten companies, including Central Gulf Lines Inc. of Mobile, Ala., were awarded a U.S. Transportation Command modification to previously awarded contracts for international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Central Gulf Lines Inc. was awarded an additionally estimated $12,247,421, which would bring the cumulative face value of their contract to $162,285,296. Work will be performed worldwide as specified by each individual order, with an expected completion date of Aug. 31, 2016. (Defense Department 02/25/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Central Gulf Lines is a subsidiary of the Mobile-based headquarters of International Shipholding Corp.

CG helo crew rescues La. boaters

NEW ORLEANS – A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew rescued and hoisted two people from a boat taking on water near Lafitte, La., on Feb. 25. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office notified the CG about the boat Thursday evening. When the helo crew appeared overhead, the boat was almost completely submerged in the Lafitte bayou. The boaters, neither of which were injured, was brought to CGAS New Orleans. (Source: CG 8th District 02/25/16)

LCS decision may bust 1 of builders

The Navy is doing “the best” it can with short-fall funding available for its ship-buying plans and the down-selection for Littoral Combat Ships, acquisition chief Sean Stackley told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee. He claimed SECDEF’s decision to cut 12 ships from the LCS/Frigate program (52 to 40) and selection of only one of the two builders was “budget-driven”. That decision will likely cause one of the two builders – Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., or Marinette (Wis.) Marine – to go out of business, he indicated. (Source: US Naval Institute News 02/25/16)

LCS 4 completes survivability test

The Gulf Coast-built USS Coronado (LCS 4) successfully completed the Navy's Total Ship Survivability Trial (TSST) off the coast of California in late January. The realistic damage control training scenarios assisted the crew in preparation its first deployment later this year. "Initial indications are that Coronado's performance met, and in multiple cases exceeded, the survivability requirements for this small surface combatant," said Capt. Tom Anderson, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program manager. TSST is designed to evaluate a ship's systems and procedures following a simulated conventional weapon hit. A Full Ship Shock Trial is scheduled June 2016, which is a component of the Live-Fire Test and Evaluation program. Coronado is the second Independence-variant, built by Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., to be home-ported in San Diego. (Source: Navy News Service 02/11/16)

HII amphib has home port

SAN DIEGO – The Navy announced Feb. 10 that San Diego will be the home port of the new amphibious landing ship USS John P. Murtha, named for the former Pennsylvania congressman and Vietnam War veteran. Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps, became the first Vietnam vet elected to the House of Representatives. He died in 2010 at age 77. The San Antonio-class amphib is scheduled to be stationed at San Diego Naval Base following its commissioning this summer from the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune 02/11/16) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: USS Portland (LPD 27), the final ship of the current San Antonio class, had its keel laid in August 2013 and is under construction at HII-Pascagoula.

Weeks Marine dredging contract

Weeks Marine dredging pact Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, La., was awarded a $9,048,625 contract with options for renting one fully equipped and crewed cutterhead dredge for Southwest Pass maintenance dredging on the Mississippi River. Work will be performed in New Orleans with an estimated completion date of May 15, 2016. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 02/10/16)

LCS to get Hellfire ship-killers

The Defense Department’s proposed FY 2017 budget requests - which cuts $7 billion, a Littoral Combat Ship and plans for the loss of 6,300 sailors - is ramping up its surface fleet with major purchases of anti-ship and cruise missiles. Even the lesser-armed LCS is getting a ship-killer missile. The reason for the new push is China and Russia’s naval missiles’ modernization that can outrange U.S. ships. The Air Force and Navy want to throw $341.5 million into development and purchasing of an initial 30 Long-Range Anti-Surface Warfare Missiles. LRASM extends ships’ anti-surface range to 500 nautical miles. The Navy also wants to buy 100 Hellfire missiles for LCS’ anti-surface warfare mission package to add to its short-range 57-mm gun. To pay for things, the Navy cut one of its three planned LCS buys for FY-17. (Source: War Is Boring 02/10/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class variant of LCS. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., works closely with the LCS program office on its mine-countermeasures warfare package.

Lawmakers: Slow LCS deployments

A pair of bi-partisan U.S. senators on the Armed Services Committee is urging Navy leadership to “reevaluate the deployment strategy” of new Littoral Combat Ships until more successful testing of its plug-in warfare packages. Six LCS, of a planned 40 to be delivered, have “practically no LCS mission capabilities proven” on any of its three warfare packages, Sens. John McClain and Jack Reed wrote in a Feb. 5 letter to the Navy Secretary and Chief of Naval Operations. In the Obama administration’s “pivot to the Pacific,” the Navy has deployed one LCS to Singapore, and plans to have two there by December - four by 2018. The deployed USS Fort Worth has been sidelined since a major crew-caused maintenance failure in January. There’s no timeline for declaring the LCS combat-ready for its top mission of mine-clearing, the senators wrote, and are “still years away from an LCS anti-submarine warfare” initial capability. In December, SECDEF Ash Carter directed the Navy to cut 12 ships from an initial 52-ship buy mix of original LCS and better-armed and upgraded variants. Twenty-six are under contract. The ships’ surface warfare system has “significant unresolved deficiencies,” the senators wrote, and lacks the ability to take out enemies from long range. (Source: Bloomberg News 02/08/16) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Austal USA Shipyard at Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class variant of LCS. The mine counter-measures (MCM) warfare package is currently being tested with USS Independence in the Gulf of Mexico. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., works with the LCS program office in development and testing of the MCM package.

Combo incentive includes shipyard

The Mississippi Legislature has agreed to borrow $274 million, and provide millions in tax breaks, to land a tire plant in Hinds County and a shipyard in Gulfport. Continental Tire plans to build a five million-square-foot plant beginning in 2018 and eventually employ 3,500. The TopShip shipyard, on the Industrial Seaway in Gulfport, is part of the state port’s planned “inland port” expansion. Topship makes service and supply vessels for offshore oil and gas exploration rigs. The company plans to complete construction by 2018 and eventually producing 1,000 jobs. Gov. Bryant called the “combo” projects the biggest single day in economic development in history. The state will borrow $263 million for the tire plant and help with site acquisition and prep work. Hinds County will pay off $20 million of the debt. The state will borrow $11 million for the Gulfport project to help with infrastructure coupled with $25 million in federal port money. (Source: Clarion-Ledger 02/05/16)

LCS reduce-weight sonar award nears

The Navy plans to announce within weeks a final design for two reduced-weight sonar systems for deployment with Littoral Combat Ships to hunt submarines. In 2015, the Navy awarded contracts to Raytheon, Advanced Acoustic Concepts and L-3 Communications to reduce the weight of two core systems - variable depth sonar and passive multi-function towed array sonar from LCS’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission module - to 105 metric tons. The firms have submitted their weight-reduction proposals. Navy is “very close” to exercising one or multiple options for the final design, said Capt. Casey Moton, program manager for the LCS mission modules. Moton is hoping that “it’s anywhere from a few weeks to a month.” Once awarded, the ASW module will move into its engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase. Industry is slated to deliver the EDM-version of the ASW mission module in 2017. The award will have implications not only for the LCS, but the multi-mission frigate version of LCS. All 20 frigates would be permanently equipped with the sonars. (Source: Defense Daily 02/01/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: The Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence variant of LCS.

CG dual rescues off Dauphin Island

MOBILE, Ala. – The Coast Guard rescued nine people from two separate incidents in the Gulf of Mexico on Jan. 30. Coast Guard Sector Mobile was notified of a 36-foot recreational fishing vessel, with five people aboard, that was taking on water 47 miles south of Dauphin Island. Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island launched a response boat and crew, and an Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft to assist. The boat crew arrived and transferred a dewatering pump to assist the vessel operators. During escort of the fishing vessel to Orange Beach, Ala., CGS Mobile was notified of another vessel taking on water 30 miles south of Dauphin Island. The initial boat crew diverted to the new distress call. ATC Mobile’s HC-144 dropped a life raft to the pleasure craft. The four aboard abandoned the vessel for the raft as the boat was capsizing. The CG boat crew arrived and also brought those bpaters to Orange Beach. There were no reported injuries; and all nine were wearing life jackets. (Source: Coast Guard 01/30/16)

LCS struggles to fend swarm boats

Littoral Combat Ships have struggled in at-sea drills to fend against swarms by smaller attacking vessels, expending large quantities of ammunition, and firing disruptions, according to a report to Congress from the Defense Department’s chief weapons tester. Those swarm-boats were eventually beaten back by USS Coronado (LCS 4) in three mock combat scenarios last summer to test guns and targeting equipment. In two exercises, attackers penetrated Coronado’s “keep out” zone, Michael Gilmore’s annual report concluded. The report adds to vulnerability and reliability questions about LCS. LCS is built in two variants at Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., and Marienette (Wis.) Marine. Core mission functions of Freedom LCS, and mission package operations are “unreliable,” Gilmore wrote. Data collection of the Independence-class built at Austal USA is incomplete, but many of its systems “have significant reliability problems,” Gilmore wrote. (Bloomberg News 01/29/16)

2 Freedom LCS are down

Two Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship have been sidelined with engine problems over the past month. The Navy is expected to complete a report on the problems, Lockheed Martin's vice president of LCS systems said Jan. 30 before christening LCS Sioux City. LM builds the Freedom class variants at Fincantieri’s Marinette (Wis.) Marine shipyard. USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) lost propulsion off the coast of Virginia on a trip from the shipyard to its home port in San Diego. USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) was sidelined in Singapore on Jan. 12. (Source: Military.com 02/01/16) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding Note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class - a second variant of LCS.