WebProNews

Tag: u.s. navy

  • Female Four-Star Admiral: Michelle Howard Makes U.S. Navy History

    On Tuesday, Michelle Howard became the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the Navy’s 236-year history. She was promoted to the title at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial held near the Pentagon. She will now be serving as the vice chief of naval operations.

    During the ceremony, Howard said, “If you don’t believe today was a first, when I called to order four-star shoulder boards for women, they didn’t exist. You folks are seeing the first set in the United States Navy,” she said.

    Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said that choosing Howard to serve as the vice chief of naval operations was a simple choice, as she was the best officer.

    Adm. Jonathan Greenert said, “She will bear the burden of a role model and she is ready to bear that very well. And I am very excited about that because we need lots more women in the Navy.”

    Since she was a young girl, Howard aspired to become a military officer. After high school, she joined the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

    Becoming a four-star admiral is not Howard’s first big success in her 36-year career. In 2006, Howard became a rear admiral lower half. She was the first female graduate of the Naval Academy to reach the rank. She was also the first in her 1982 class to reach the admiral rank.

    In 2012, Howard became the first African-American woman to be promoted to a three-star rank in the U.S. armed forces. In 1999, she was the first African-American woman to command a Navy warship, the USS Rushmore, at sea.

    In addition to all her achievements, Howard also played a big role in rescuing Capt. Richard Phillips who was the commanding officer of the Maersk Alabama, which was held by Somali pirates.

    Vice Admiral Michelle Howard Promotion Ceremony

    Image via YouTube

  • San Diego Navy Base Locked Down Over Pellet Gun

    San Diego Navy Base Locked Down Over Pellet Gun

    A Naval Base in San Diego was locked down this week over shooting fears caused by a rather harmless weapon.

    Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego was shut down early Thursday morning after the Navy received reports of men with a gun on the base. The base was locked down under a shelter-in-place warning for hours as the matter was investigated. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), FBI, and San Diego police all responded to the base.

    According to a Reuters report, the quick investigation found that the scare was caused by two sailors using an Airsoft pellet gun. The men had reportedly been using the weapon to shoot at a mirror located in a parking structure on the base.

    The sailors are now in Navy custody. Though the Navy said it does not suspect the men intended to scare or injure anyone, they are “likely” to be charged over the incident. The NCIS is investigating the specifics of the case.

    Naval Base Point Loma is a large base made up of several Naval installations consolidated in 1998. The base includes a submarine base and training facilities; the Fleet Intelligence Command Pacific; and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). According to its website, Naval Base Point Loma’s mission is to “enable and sustain Fleet, Fighter, and Family readiness through consistent, standardized, and reliable shore support while preserving the critical resources necessary to secure the future of our forces.”

    This naval base shooting scare comes within months of several high-profile Naval base shootings that were not false alarms. On September 16, 2013, Navy subcontractor Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, killing twelve people. In October another shooter injured two people at a Naval base in Tennessee. Just last month two people were shot and killed aboard the USS Mahan, a ship docked at Naval Station Norfolk off the coast of Virginia.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Navy

  • Navy Railgun: Futuristic Weapon Will Undergo Sea Trials in 2016

    A high-speed electromagnetic weapon is something you would think only exists in your dreams. Yet, the U.S. Navy has finally designed an inexpensive futuristic gun that has brought science fiction to life.

    According to Reuters, the railgun can fire “23-pound (10-kg) projectile at seven times the speed of sound using electromagnetic energy.”

    An electromagnetic energy known as the Lorenz Force creates a magnetic field that can fire the projectile with the lowest possible recoil.

    Compared to a missile, this new weapon’s projectile only costs $25,000. A missile usually ranges from $500,000 or more.

    Unlike a missile, the railgun carries a magazine that never runs out.

    Chief of Naval Research, Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, says this is definitely the weapon the U.S. military will need to defeat enemies in war.

    “It will help us in air defense, it will help us in cruise missile defense, it will help us in ballistic missile defense,” he said. “We’re also talking about a gun that’s going to shoot a projectile that’s about one one-hundredth of the cost of an existing missile system today.”

    The electromagnetic railgun-which the Navy hopes to officially implement in 2018-has already been tested on land and now is being prepared for sea trials in 2016.

    Two prototypes by BAE Systems and General Atomics have been used for testing. The Navy has decided to use BAE’s railgun for the second phase in trial and development.  

    The railgun’s projectile consists of 32 megajoules of force, which one official says one of those can “move a one-ton object at about 100 mph.”

    Klunder later told sources: “That … will give our adversaries a huge moment of pause to go: ‘Do I even want to go engage a naval ship? You could throw anything at us, frankly, and the fact that we now can shoot a number of these rounds at a very affordable cost, it’s my opinion that they don’t win.”

    Check out the railgun blow up stuff: 

    Image via YouTube

  • USS Mahan Shooting Leaves Two Dead

    USS Mahan Shooting Leaves Two Dead

    A shooting aboard the USS Mahan has left two people dead and is raising questions about the Navy’s security procedures.

    According to the U.S. Navy, one male sailor was shot and killed aboard the Mahan at around 11:20 pm Monday night. The man suspected of shooting the sailor was also shot and killed by Navy security forces.

    The base was put on lockdown for a short while following the incident as a precautionary measure. No other injuries were reported and the base was released from lockdown after 45 minutes.

    The shooting took place as the USS Mahan was docked at Naval Station Norfolk on the coast of Virginia. The Mahan is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was conducting routine operations in the Atlantic.

    According to a Navy Times report, the shooter was a civilian, but was authorized to be at Naval Station Norfolk. A spokesperson has stated that the Navy cannot say whether the suspect was authorized to be aboard the Mahan. The Navy has also stated that it will release the names of both the sailor and the alleged shooter following the notification of their families.

    News of the incident was first reported via Naval Station Norfolk’s Facebook page. The post indicates that the Navy is currently investigating the shooting.

    Post by Naval Station Norfolk.

    The Navy Times report also states that the shooting suspect disarmed a petty officer before the shooting. The alleged shooter also reportedly did not have a weapon of his own.

    The shooting comes just months after the Washington Navy Yard shooting in September 2013. That incident left 13 people dead, including the shooter, Aaron Alexis. According to reports Alexis was a former Navy Reserve sailor who had receive a defense service medal but was known for misusing firearms.

    Image via U.S. Navy

  • Navy Seal Dies, Seven Injured at Fort Knox

    Navy Seal Dies, Seven Injured at Fort Knox

    A Navy SEAL was killed and seven other soldiers have been injured in a training accident that occurred this week in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

    According to a Louisville Courier-Journal report, 23-year-old Navy SEAL Jonathan Kaloust died Wednesday after his Humvee flipped during training exercises. Seven other soldiers who were injured in the incident have been treated for minor injuries and released.

    Kaloust was assigned to the Navy SEAL team in Forty Story, Virginia. According to the Courier-Journal, Kaloust was from Massapequa, New York and attended State University of New York Binghamton University before joining the Navy in 2011.

    This is not the first military training death to happen in 2013. Earlier this year, two Navy divers accidentally drowned during training exercises in a test pond at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

    Though Fort Knox is most well-known as the location of the U.S. Treasury’s Gold Bullion Depository, the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division, and the 3rd Recruiting Brigade of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command are all located at the facility, in addition to several other divisions.

  • 2 Navy Divers Drowned in Aberdeen “Super Pond”

    It’s a given that joining the military can mean putting one’s life in danger. However, that danger isn’t generally assumed to be great while training on home soil.

    Two U.S. Navy divers recently proved that even training is dangerous, and even fatal, as they drowned while training in a Maryland test pond. According to a Baltimore Sun report, Diver 1st Class James Reyher and Diver 2nd Class Ryan Harris accidentally drowned at a test pond at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in February. Details of the incident have not been released.

    Another soldier, an engineering technician, also died at the test pond in January while performing maintenance. The facility has now been closed indefinitely.

    The pool where the soldiers drowned is, according to the Sun, also known as the “Super Pond.” The structure is 1,070 feet long and 150 feet deep. It is used by the U.S. Defense Department and researchers for training and to test the effects of explosives on marine vessels.

    The investigations of the soldiers’ deaths are still ongoing, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has stated that more information about the incidents could be released in the future, when the office issues its final report.

  • Sub Boss Faked Death, Says U.S. Navy

    One month ago, U.S. Navy Commander Michael Ward II was assigned to administrative duties while Navy officials investigated whether or not Ward had faked his own death. This week, a Navy report has surfaced that indicates Ward did indeed send an email to his mistress stating that he had died. The report was obtained by the Associated Press (AP) through a Freedom of Information Act request.

    The New London Day reported on August 14th that Ward, who has a wife and children, had been having an affair under the guise that he was separated. When he was named commander of the USS Pittsburgh, he sent his mistress an email from a fictitious co-worker named Bob. The email stated that Ward had died, but the woman didn’t believe it. When she showed up at Ward’s former residence, she was informed that Ward had moved to Connecticut for his new position. She then turned over the email and other evicence to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

    The AP reports that on September 5th, Ward was found guilty of Uniform Code of Military Justice violations. A Navy spokesperson stated Ward has received a letter of reprimand for the violations, which include adultery, unbecoming conduct, and dereliction of duty.

    (Photo Courtesy the U.S. Navy)

  • U.S. Ship Fires at Indian Fishing Boat in the Persian Gulf

    U.S. ship fires at what authorities describe as a “small, white pleasure craft” after repeatedly telling its occupants that the vessel was too close for comfort, according to CNN. After issuing multiple warnings to those aboard the fishing boat, the military supply boat fired several shots in an attempt to disable the target. In the process, at least one person was killed, while others sustained injuries as a result. Officials in the United States have expressed their condolences on the matter. An investigation is reportedly underway.

    “In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the USNS Rappahannock used a series of nonlethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force,” the Navy explained in a statement. “The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel’s operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun.”

    The Navy’s reaction to such a scenario, which took place about 22 miles from Dubai, is considered standard operating procedure. Whenever a small vessel gets too close, multiple warnings are given before the order is given to attack the offending boat. Although officials have said that the ship in-question engaged in a “series of maneuvers”, the Navy is refraining from saying anything else until a proper investigation has been completed.

    The Los Angeles Times reports the United States has beefed up their presence in the Persian Gulf to keep an eye on Iran, who may attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz following any trouble regarding the country’s nuclear program. Although some have stated that Iran’s navy has been courteous of the U.S.’s presence in the area, some are concerned about Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary group which is known to fire missiles from speedboats.