US Navy to Name Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard will continue to explore the oceans long after I am gone.”Ballard was born in 1942, growing up in San Diego, Calif. After he graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1965, he earned an Army Reserve Commission, ultimately requesting and transferring to the United States Navy when called to active service in 1967. Assigned to the Office of Naval Research as a liaison officer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, Ballard worked extensively with deep-submergence vehicle Alvin (DSV-2). After transitioning to the Naval Reserve in 1970, he completed
Back to the Future: Blended Wing Gliders Could Redefine Undersea Warfare
accommodating a range of sophisticated sensors, and can remain in situ for weeks, months, or even years, enabling persistent observation and collection of a wide range of hydrographic data.These capabilities, as well as their inherent stealthiness, also make them ideal for defense applications. The United States Navy, for example, currently operates a fleet of Slocum gliders - Littoral Battlespace Sensing Gliders (LBS-Gs) - which are used for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence preparation of the operational environment (IPOE).Like their scientific counterparts, LBS-Gs also collect hydrographic
US Eyes 100-strong Mideast Sea Drone Fleet
The United States Navy and security partners will patrol Middle East waters with 100 unmanned vessels next year to improve deterrence against attacks, like those presented by Iran, the U.S. Fifth Fleet commander said on Monday.The region is vital for global trade, especially oil supplies that flow out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz.There have been high-seas confrontations between U.S. and Iranian forces with attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters in 2019. Sanctions-hit Iran denied accusations of responsibility.Last year the U.S. Navy established a new task force to integrate drone systems and
Trends in Marine Services for Subsea Telecoms
vessels planned. Orange Marine recently announced the construction of a new vessel, C/S Sophie Germain, specially designed to optimize the repair of submarine cables. Notably, the new vessel makes a nod to the increasing importance of environmental footprint in the ship operation’s arena. The United States Navy has awarded contracts for the design of a replacement for their only dedicated cable ship, the USNS Zeus, and Kokusai Cable Ship (KCS) is building a vessel optimized for the installation of both power and optical telecommunications cables.Over the last 10 years, the industry has seen a significant
Divers Find Deepest Known Shipwreck USS Johnston
feet (115 meters) long with a beam of 39 feet. The ship was sunk during an intense battle against vastly superior Japanese forces off the coast of Samar Island during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, widely cited as the largest naval battle in history. “In no engagement in its entire history has the United States Navy shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in the two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar,” wrote Rear Admiral Samuel E. Morison in his History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Upon the commissioning of the ship, the destroyer’s ¾ Native American Captain
INTERVIEW: RDML John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
Recently the United States Navy and NOAA signed an agreement to jointly expand the development and operations of unmanned maritime systems in the nation’s coastal and world’s ocean waters. RDML John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, shares his insights on the direction and pace of the use of unmanned maritime systems for the Navy’s future.How and when you realized that yours would be a career dedicated to Oceanography?Interesting, I never started out to have a career in Oceanography, but rather in Broadcast Meteorology. At NY Maritime College
Interview: RDML Gallaudet Steers NOAA’s Path Toward Uncrewed Maritime Systems
NOAA and the United States Navy recently signed a new agreement to jointly expand the development and operations of unmanned maritime systems in the nation’s coastal and world’s ocean waters. Headlining MTR’s Autonomous Vehicle Operations coverage this month is our interview with retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, for insights on the direction and pace of the use of unmanned maritime systems for NOAA’s future.When did you realize that yours would be a career dedicated to Oceanograph
U.S. Navy, NOAA Strike Deal to Fast-Track Unmanned Maritime Systems
The advent of autonomy in the maritime and subsea space has received a significant boost with the announcement that a pair of U.S. government titans, the United States Navy and NOAA, have inked an deal to jointly expand the development and operations of unmanned maritime systems.“With the strengthening of our ongoing partnership with the Navy, NOAA will be better positioned to transition unmanned maritime technologies into operational platforms that will gather critical environmental data that will help grow the American Blue Economy,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D.
Phoenix Bags $97m SUPSALV Contract
Phoenix International Holdings Inc. (Phoenix) won a $97 million (maximum value) contract to provide diving and diving related services to the United States Navy. The primary purpose of this contract is to deliver operational, engineering and technical support to the Navy's air, mixed gas and saturation diving services program overseen by the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Office of Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV).The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
February 2024
