The Philippines has reported the presence of a Chinese navy ship and 42 Chinese maritime militia vessels around Thitu island, a Philippine-occupied island in the South China Sea according to press reports by Reuters.
Thitu is the Philippines’ largest and most strategically important outpost in the disputed region. The Chinese embassy in Manila has not responded to the assertion. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has previously stated that the Philippines “will not lose an inch” of territory and has protested against China’s “aggressive activities” in the area according to press reports.
At the intersection of 17th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington D.C. stands an overlooked statue of John Paul Jones, the most recognized naval hero of the American Revolution. Some also regard Jones as the father of the United States Navy.
John Paul Jones was born simply John Paul in the Scottish village of Kirkcudbrightshire in 1747 and went to work at sea at the tender age of 13. In 1774, as a young merchant ship captain, John Paul moved to Virginia and added the Jones to his name. When the American Revolution began, he was quickly recruited as one of our first naval officers. He quickly rose to command: first of the sloop Providence, then the brig Ranger and eventually the great ship Bonhomme Richard. The Bonhomme Richard was a former French merchant ship donated and rearmed for the US Navy. Jones would name the ship for his patron, Benjamin Franklin.
Jones won his greatest victory on September 23, 1779 off Flamborough Head in Northeastern England. A Franco-American squadron commanded by Jones attacked a British convoy. During the battle, the Bonhomme Richard became locked in combat with a superior British frigate the HMS Serapis. At first, the Americans bore the brunt of the fighting with the Bonhomme Richard catching fire and flooding the bottom five feet of its hold. Convinced of an impending victory, the British Captain Richard Pearson called on Jones to surrender. Jones reportedly replied, “Surrender? I have not yet begun to fight!”
Two hours into the duel, the ships became entangled. Jones would win the battle with fighting at close quarters. After a valiant resistance the HMS Serapis surrendered. Jones would transfer his flag and his crew to the Serapis, after the battle, when the Bonhomme Richard sank from its battle damage.
Afterwards Jones was recalled to the United States to take command of the young nation’s first sailing battleship the USS America. Before he could return to the fight the war ended and the Navy was disbanded. Jones would go on to a colorful postwar career that included a stint as an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy.
Tragically, John Paul Jones would die of illness in Paris in 1792 at the age of 45. He was interred at the Paris Saint Louis Cemetery for Foreign Protestants. The French, anticipating the US government would one day wish to return Jones’s remains to America, buried him in an expensive lead casket that was filled with rum for preservation.
In 1905, after an extensive four-year search funded by the US Ambassador Horace Porter, Jones’s body was rediscovered. President Theodore Roosevelt would have Captain John Paul Jones reinterred at a specially built chapel at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Renewed interest in John Paul Jones led to Congress allocating $50,000 in June 1909 for a memorial to be built for him on the National Mall.
The memorial includes a bronze statue of Jones, 10 feet high, sculpted by Charles Henry Niehaus of New York City. It shows Jones standing with his left hand on the hilt of his sword. The rest of the memorial has a 15-foot marble pylon behind him, with two bronze dolphins on either side shooting water. This part was designed by the firm of Carrere & Hasting also of New York City.
The john Paul Jones Memorial was dedicated on April 17, 1912 which, by happenstance, was just two days after the British steamship Titanic sank. The memorial was dedicated by President William Howard Taft. The statue was unveiled by Spanish American War hero Admiral George Dewey.
Jones is also remembered by his adversaries. The quaint Scottish cottage on the estate of Arbigland, where the gardener’s son, the future John Paul Jones, grew up has been preserved as a museum. Furthermore, the British Port of Whitehaven, raided by Captain Jones during the American Revolution, decided to pardon him in 1999.
The United States Navy is one of the largest and most advanced naval forces in the world, responsible for maintaining the country’s maritime security and protecting its interests around the globe. To effectively carry out its mission, the Navy is organized into a number of commands and offices, each with its own unique responsibilities and functions.
One of the most important commands within the Navy is the United States Fleet Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. This command is responsible for overseeing the training and readiness of all naval forces on the East Coast, as well as providing support for joint military operations with other branches of the armed services.
Another key command is the United States Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This command is responsible for maintaining naval operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as providing support for allied forces in the region.
In addition to these commands, the Navy also has a number of specialized offices and organizations dedicated to specific functions, such as the Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the development and maintenance of naval ships and equipment, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts investigations into criminal activity involving Navy personnel and assets.
Overall, the various commands and offices within the U.S. Navy work together to ensure that the Navy is able to carry out its mission effectively and efficiently, both at home and abroad.
United States Fleet Forces Command (formerly Atlantic Fleet) United States Naval Forces Central Command United States Naval Forces Europe – Naval Forces Africa United States Pacific Fleet Modern US Navy fleets
US Navy fleets are numbered odd in the Pacific or West, and even in the Atlantic or East:
United States Second Fleet (HQ Norfolk, Virginia) – North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, & Homeland Defense.
United States Third Fleet (HQ San Diego, California) – East Pacific
United States Fourth Fleet (HQ Mayport, Florida) – South Atlantic
United States Fifth Fleet (HQ Manama, Bahrain) – Middle East
United States Sixth Fleet (HQ Naples, Italy) – Europe, including Mediterranean Sea & Black Sea.
United States Seventh Fleet (HQ Yokosuka, Japan) – West Pacific
United States Tenth Fleet (HQ Fort Meade, Maryland) – Reactivated as Fleet Cyber Command. Formerly anti submarine warfare coordinating organization.
Expeditionary sea base USNS John L. Canley (ESB-6), Military Sealift Command’s newest ship, at its christening ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif.
The US Navy has taken delivery of USNS John L. Canley (ESB 6), an ESB-class ship designed for various military operations such as Airborne Mine Counter Measures, Special Operations Force operations, Crisis Response Sea-basing, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, and Unmanned Aviation Systems operations. The ESB-class ships have a flight deck capable of supporting MH-53E helicopters, accommodations, workspaces, and ordnance storage for embarked forces, and enhanced command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence. The ship is part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces. The future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) is currently under construction at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
Recently, naval historians confirmed the shipwreck site off the coast of Hokkaido as the USS Albacore using images provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura of the University of Tokyo.
Johnny Carano,Akron Beacon Journal
The Akron Beacon Journal has honored, Johnny Carano, an Akron teenager, left high school and joined the US Navy during World War II by lying about his age. He served aboard the USS Albacore (SS-218), which was lost at sea on November 7, 1944, after striking a mine off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. All 85 crew members, including Carano, were killed in the explosion.
The Naval History and Heritage Command’s underwater archaeology branch thanked and congratulated Dr. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck.
The US Navy has taken delivery of its fourth Lewis B Puller-class expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship, USNS John L Canley. The ship was handed over to the Navy during a ceremony at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company’s (GD-NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego. The ESB ships are designed to act as critical infrastructure to support equipment supply and deployment of forces at sea. The highly flexible vessels can perform a wide range of military operations, including Special Operations Force missions, crisis response sea-basing, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The new ship is named in honour of former US Marine Corps gunnery sergeant John L Canley.
General Dynamics NASSCO has been designing and building ships in San Diego’s industrial corridor since 1960 and is the only full-service shipyard on the West Coast of the United States.
Today, General Dynamics NASSCO has locations on both the West and East Coasts. The company specializes in the design and construction of auxiliary and support ships for the U.S. Navy and oil tankers and dry cargo carriers for commercial markets. It is also a major provider of repair services for the U.S. Navy’s global force for good, with capabilities in San Diego, Norfolk, Mayport, and Bremerton.
General Dynamics NASSCO is one of three shipyards in the Marine Systems group of General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD). General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies
8 East Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92113 Main: (619) 544-3400 Fax: (619) 544-3541
USS Virginia underway in July 2004 Photo courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat Public Affairs
The future USS John H. Dalton, a Virginia Attack Boat, SSN-808 will be named after John H. Dalton, the 70th Secretary of the Navy who served on two submarines before pursuing a career in the private sector and government. Secretary Del Toro praised Dalton’s strong and principled stands against sexual assault and harassment during his tenure and oversaw the integration of female Sailors onto combat ships. The attack submarine is designed to carry out various missions such as seeking and destroying enemy submarines and surface ships, supporting battle group operations, and engaging in mine warfare.
The future USS John H. Dalton will honor John H. Dalton, the 70th Secretary of the Navy, who served on two submarines USS Blueback (SS 581) and USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN 630) before departing active duty to pursue graduate education and a career in the private sector.
“I couldn’t be prouder to name this future submarine after John Dalton,” said Secretary Del Toro. “He served as a proud submariner and as Secretary of the Navy, he took strong and principled stands against sexual assault and harassment and oversaw the integration of female Sailors onto combat ships. The changes he drove almost thirty years ago are evident in all corners of our Navy today, with women serving on, above, and below the sea. A ship bearing his name brings strength to the crew who will undoubtedly operate it with the courage and dignity of John H. Dalton.”
Industry executives at the WEST 2023 conference have emphasized the need for earlier involvement in the requirements process in order to overcome challenges faced by industry when delivering capabilities to warfighters. Setting unrealistic expectations for requirements leads to poor communication between industry partners and the military, which can be addressed by involving industry experts in the requirements-setting process. Additionally, industry representatives stressed the importance of a steady demand signal and shared commitment to speed in the contracting process, as well as the need for improved training to ensure successful integration between industry-delivered hardware and software capabilities and the sailors operating them. These comments follow criticism from Navy officials in January about the need for shipbuilders to do more with what they already have.
The Navy has released a mental health playbook to guide leaders on how to broach the subject of mental health with their sailors, and how to help them access resources for help. The playbook aims to address challenges sailors have expressed, including access to services, and encourages conversations with sailors to direct them to the available services. It also highlights the importance of preventative maintenance for people. Under the playbook, naval leaders are tasked with three roles: ensuring an environment where conversations can happen, being on the lookout for signs that sailors are at risk, and helping sailors get services while allowing them to stay in the fleet.
The aim of the Navy is preventing, mitigating, or addressing mental health issues within their commands. The playbook emphasizes the importance of creating a climate of trust and respect, recognizing mental health issues, and getting people the care they need. The three key roles of leaders are identified as setting conditions, recognizing mental health issues, and getting people the care they need, and keeping them in the team. The handbook is intended to be read thoroughly and incorporated into training, with a focus on preventative maintenance for personnel. The playbook encourages leaders to eliminate the stigma around mental health concerns and to provide warm hand-offs to clinical providers.
The members at Americans for a Stronger Navy salutes this effort and we sincerely hope the best for all.
One of the areas we feel we can help is with our “Tell Us Your Story” initiative aims to support mental health by promoting an added sense of purpose for those that serve and have served in the U.S. Navy in the past.
For examlle, the Tell Us Your Story initiative is a project launched by Americans for a Stronger Navy, which aims to shine a spotlight on the stories of those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy. The initiative provides a platform for Navy personnel to share their experiences, insights, and challenges with the broader community. By doing so, it seeks to foster a sense of connection and mutual understanding between Navy personnel and the general public.
One of the key objectives of the Tell Us Your Story initiative is to promote a sense of purpose among Navy personnel. By sharing their stories, Navy personnel can highlight the important role they play in the defense and security of the nation, as well as the broader impact of their work on society. This sense of purpose can be a powerful source of motivation and resilience, particularly in challenging times.
In addition to promoting a sense of purpose, the Tell Us Your Story initiative also seeks to raise awareness about the mental health challenges faced by Navy personnel. By sharing their stories of personal struggle and triumph, Navy personnel can help to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage others to seek support when needed.
Overall, the Tell Us Your Story initiative is an important effort to support the mental health and well-being of Navy personnel by promoting a sense of purpose and fostering a greater sense of connection and understanding between the Navy and the broader community.
