ASC 4 Det heralds SSC arrival

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Ten sailors from Assault Craft Unit Four (ACU 4), based in Little Creek, Va., have arrived at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWCPC). The sailors will spend the next few years in Panama City as ACU 4 Detachment Panama City to make preparations for the arrival of the Navy’s next-generation Landing Craft Air Cushion - the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) – and conducting various types of testing, according to Officer in Charge, Master Chief Stephen Lowe. The first wave of temporarily-assigned ACU 4 DET sailors’ came in August in preparation for 20 more sailors in the coming months. These personnel are the advanced team preparing to accept the SSC crafts in December, and the arrival of more civilian and contract support. The DET will also serve as the operational and maintenance crew for SSC’s acceptance and operational trials to be conducted in the Gulf of Mexico within test ranges off the coast of Panama City Beach and Eglin AFB, Fla. (Source: NSWC Panama City 11/09/17)