NUWC Division Newport Hosts Warfighters Panel, ‘Cup O’ Joe’ to Celebrate Veterans
Academy when they were paired together on a boat for the sailing team. Dean, who grew up in the Great Lakes region of Michigan and was recruited to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was the skipper, while Susan served as crew.Soon after graduating in 1998, they each ended up in San Diego, California, though on different assignments and deployments schedules. Around 2002, the Balciraks were transferred to Naval Station Newport for shore duty at the Surface Warfare Officers School, and this ended up being their last tour as they wanted to focus on starting a family.When asked how he views his
Researchers Link Antarctic Ice Loss to Subsurface “Storms”
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have identified stormlike circulation patterns beneath Antarctic ice shelves that are causing aggressive melting, with major implications for global sea level rise projections.In a paper published recently in Nature Geoscience, the scientists say their study is the first to examine ocean-induced ice shelf melting events from a weather timescale of just days versus seasonal or annual timeframes. This enabled them to match “ocean storm” activity with intense ice melt at Thwaites Glacier and Pine
Scientists Discover Six Million Year Old Ice in Antarctica, Offers Unprecedented Window into a Warmer Earth
, Christo Buizert and Jenna Epifanio of Oregon State; Valens Hishamunda, Austin Carter and Michael Bender of Princeton; Lindsey Davidge, Eric Steig and Andrew Schauer, University of Washington; Sarah Aarons, Jacob Morgan and Jeff Severinghaus of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego; Andrei V. Kurbatov and Douglas Introne of the University of Maine; Yuzhen Yan of Tongji University; and Peter Neff of the University of Minnesota.COLDEX is supported by the NSF Office of Polar Programs; the Science and Technology Center Program at the NSF Office of Integrative Activities
UFO App Logs Mysterious Underwater Sightings
; “lake,” or “beach” (≈17%), and roughly 500 of those occurred within 5 miles of a coastline (≈5.6% of the total). More than 150 reports describe objects hovering above or ascending into or descending from bodies of water. The U.S. states with the most USO reports are California (389) and Florida (306), which is not surprising, given their large coastal populations.Map of USO reports of the U.S. West Coast. © Enigm
Fascinated by Shipwrecks Podcast: Episode 13
Kathy A. Smith talks with author Rod Scher who recounts the early history of the ship, why she was on a voyage that wasn’t her typical route, and how a critical navigation error began the final voyage of the doomed ship. Rod Scher began his working life teaching English in high schools in California and Oregon; he continued teaching at the post-secondary level until 2016. In between, he worked as an editor for textbooks and magazines. Rod has built a "retirement" career as an experienced writer/editor who has annotated or edited many books and written countless magazine articles
Oil Leaking from USS Arizona Could Provide Guidance for Thousands of WWII Shipwrecks
and 2018.Researchers, led by the University of Houston and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), analyzed oil samples collected from multiple leak points on the sunken battleship, using advanced molecular fingerprinting techniques. The results confirm the oil is a heavy fuel oil refined from California crude, consistent with U.S. Navy fueling practices in the early 1940s. Despite being underwater for decades, the oil retains high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds known for their persistence and potential toxicity.WHOI Marine Chemist Chris Reddy collects oil
IMAS Technology Mitigates Risks for USVs
operating speedReduced reaction timeSea conditions and speedRecent events highlight concerning trends in USV incident rates, with collision events increasing as deployment expands and operational speeds increase. A striking example occurred on June 23, 2025, near Channel Islands Harbor off California's Ventura coast, when a Navy-operated unmanned surface vessel, apparently during a tow operation, received an unintended engine command. The USV accelerated unexpectedly and flipped the support towboat, capsizing it in the marina. Although emergency responders rescued the captain and no medical
USVs Getting Smarter, Faster and More Flexible
metres) and a large USV (75 metres). These vessels are designed for specific use cases including offshore survey, seabed warfare, and anti-submarine warfare.Further developments in USV technology are underway with the testing of unmanned and autonomous USV and UAV systems off the coast of Port Hueneme, California, in August. The series holds over a dozen demonstrations each year between June and September and provides a controlled environment for businesses to conduct field experiments.NODA AI Inc. and its autonomy software, known as URZA, were at the center of most of the demonstrations. Based out of Austin
Eco Wave Power Launches First-Ever US Wave Energy Plant
, and available right here on our coastlines. With projects like this, we are proving that wave energy is not just the future - it is here, now. So, let's celebrate this milestone together. Because today, we are not just cutting a ribbon - we are opening the door to a new era of clean energy for California and for the world,” said Inna Braverman, Founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power.The launch comes at a pivotal time for California, aligning with the state's bold climate policies and Senate Bill 605, which calls for the creation of a comprehensive wave energy roadmap.Federal support is also
August 2025
