Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the US, across the seas and around the world. This week…A special report, at sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON. The ship emerged in May from the longest-ever overhaul of any US aircraft carrier and is working up to return next year as the US Navy’s forward-deployed carrier in Japan. You’ll hear from the ship’s captain and others we talked to during a two-day embark at sea.
Please send us feedback by DM’ing @CavasShips or @CSSProvision or you can email chriscavas@gmail.com or cservello@defaeroreport.com.
This Week’s Naval Round Up:
Taiwan unveiled its first domestically-produced submarine on September 28 in a christening ceremony in Kaohsiung. Named HAI KUN, the attack submarine features an X-plane stern configuration similar to Dutch and Swedish subs. The HAI KUN, scheduled for delivery in late 2024, is the first of a planned eight submarines costing about US 1.5 billion dollars. The Chinese reaction to the unveiling of the submarine was dismissive. The sub, said a spokesman for the National Defense Ministry, is nothing “but a broom attempting to hold back the tide.”
The Pentagon said September 28 that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces aimed a laser at a US Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter flying in international airspace over the Persian Gulf on September 27. A statement from US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said the Iranian vessels shone a laser multiple times at the helicopter but caused no injuries. The helo is from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 flying from the assault ship USS BATAAN.
US Navy unmanned surface vessels exercised with the Japanese Navy for the first time on September 27. The Japanese frigate KUMANO joined with Ghost Fleet USVs RANGER and MARINER along with littoral combat ship USS OAKLAND for a series of maneuvers in Sagami Wan, or bay.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on September 28 issued three letters of censure to retired Navy rear admirals over the fuel leak at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu in Hawaii. Letters of instruction were issued to two other rear admirals along with non-punitive censure letters to seven Navy captains, The punishments were handed out as Joint Task Force – Red Hill prepares to defuel the huge storage facility beginning in October. The leak contaminated the aquifer below the fuel depot and led to the decision to close the storage site.
In not-really old ship news, the littoral combat ships USS DETROIT LCS 7 and USS LITTLE ROCK LCS 9 each held decommissioning ceremonies September 29 at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. The two Freedom-class ships were in service for just under seven and six years, respectively. Unusually, both ships were deployed and operating in the US Fourth Fleet until only a few days before the ceremonies. The DETROIT and LITTLE ROCK are expected to be made available for Foreign Military Sales.
And in new ship news, another littoral combat ship, the Independence-class USS AUGUSTA LCS 34, was commissioned September 30 in a ceremony at Eastport, Maine, The AUGUSTA will be homeported at San Diego.
