Category: Navy

Today marks the 241st birthday of the US Navy when the Continental Congress decided it needed a force to protect the harbors and defend the coasts of the new nation on October 13th, 1775. The first warships were built at Whitehall, New York on October 11th, 1776 under the direction of Benedict Arnold for an assault up Lake Champlain. Arnold built 16 ships and confronted the British at Valcour Island, New York where he delayed the British long enough that they abandoned their plans to invade the colonies from Canada for a year.

From Fox News;

On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress established an official naval force, hoping a small fleet of boats would be able to offset the seemingly intractable sea power of the British.

The early Navy was not formed to wrest control of the seas from Britain, but instead to wage tactical raids against the transports that supplied British forces in North America. The Continental Congress subsequently purchased, converted, and built a fleet of small ships that included brigs, sloops, and schooners.

These navy ships sailed alone or in pairs, hunting British commerce ships and transports.

The Navy was disbanded after the Revolution, relying on the Revenue Cutter Service (the Coast Guard) for damper security but the Navy was reestablished in 1794 in response to the Barbary pirates, half a world away.

Bobo sends us a link from the Navy Times which tells the story of how the Navy went around the force to eliminate their ranks and ratings system. Basically, it was pretty cowardly. They made a guy who was retiring make the tough choices for them, and then announced the changes after he was gone;

Beyond a small working group, convened this past summer and led by then-Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Mike Stevens, next-to no one in the Navy saw this change coming, sources with knowledge of the decision-making process say. And it’s been received with near universal contempt by sailors past and present. Stevens, who retired in September after four years in the top enlisted post, has discussed that process at length with Navy Times going back to the summer. Stevens said he had full support from the service’s top admiral, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke.

“I felt it was not optional,” Stevens said, “but my duty to lead this effort, knowing all along that there would be controversy attached to it.” The former MCPON, as the position is known throughout the service, says he believes the move is necessary and that now Navy leaders “must follow through.”

So it wasn’t the result of someone taking charge or showing leadership, it was a bunch of ass-covering political stuff. It worked out for me because I don’t have to Google “Turd-Chaser First Class” to figure out the rank of folks anymore, but the process was devoid of anything you Navy guys can be proud of – and pretty much indicative of what it’s like to work in the Obama Administration Pentagon.

Fox News reports that Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Mason was attacked by Houthi rebels while the ship was in international water off the coast of Yemen. The missiles they used didn’t damage the ship;

Though the American warship wasn’t struck, the ship was definitely targeted, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. This dramatic escalation comes a week after the U.S. Navy sent warships to the area when a United Arab Emirates flagged auxiliary ship was destroyed off the coast of Yemen by the Houthis.

“We assess the missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen,” Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis said.

From Military Times;

An American defense official said the Mason used onboard defensive measures after the first missile was fired, but it wasn’t clear if that caused the missile to splash harmlessly into the sea. The destroyer at the time of the missile fire was north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the incident that haven’t been made public.

Thanks to AW1Ed for the link.

Bobo and Mick send us links to the story of the end of Capt. Anthony Simmons’ career in the Navy. From Pilot Online they report that he didn’t lose his job as commander of Destroyer Squadron Two because of his behavior in a bar, but because he lied to investigators about his behavior in a bar;

According to a 40-page investigation received by The Virginian-Pilot through the Freedom of Information Act on Thursday, Capt. Anthony L. Simmons cast his visit to a Chesapeake Wild Wing Cafe as a 20-minute stop to pick up a take-out order during which he had a beer, spoke with the sailor and bought her and one other person a drink, all while his wife waited in the car.

But investigators found that Simmons entered the restaurant alone, dressed in civilian clothes around 6 p.m. Aug. 5 and went to the bar. His take-out food sat there for nearly an hour after he initiated conversation with the female sailor from a few seats away. As other patrons arrived at the restaurant, Simmons moved closer to her and attempted to buy her a drink.

Investigators describe an interaction that is occasionally marked by laughter from both parties but appeared to take an awkward turn at the end.

He told investigators about the conversation that he had with his wife, but video footage showed that his wife wasn’t with him. From the Navy Times;

“These actions demonstrate both a lack of integrity and a lack of professional recognition of a Commanding Officer’s vulnerability to the vanity of command,” the investigator wrote.

[…]

“Capt. Simmons went before Rear Adm. Kelley during Admiral’s Mast on Aug 31 and was found to have violated UMCJ Article 107 (Making False Official Statements) and Article 133 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman),” according to a statement from SURFLANT. “Capt. Simmons was awarded a punitive letter of reprimand.”

Simmons was commissioned through the OCS program in 1990.

Mick sends us a link to 13 News Now which reports that the Navy is gearing up for disaster relief in the Caribbean. USS George Washington and USS Comfort are on their way to Haiti in response to that government’s request for assistance;

U.S. Southern Command has also redeployed nine Marine helicopters and 100 personnel from Honduras to Grand Cayman to prepare for relief operations, according to a SOUTCOM release.

Members from Joint Task Force-Bravo and Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Southern Command boarded CH-53E Super Stallions, CH-47 Chinooks, and UH-60L Blackhawks and shipped out early Tuesday, according to the release, and are standing by for “heavy-lift support,” according to the release.

“Our country is a compassionate nation with a long history of helping countries impacted by natural disasters like this,” said SOUTHCOM boss Adm. Kurt Tidd in the release. “We’re ready to support USAID, if needed, to save lives, alleviate human suffering and provide aid to those afflicted by this storm.”

The Christian Science Monitor worries that there is some kind of insurrection afoot among the troops because two (that’s 2 – 1,2 – 2) members of the Navy posted their refusal to stand for the anthem on social media. There are currently about 2.1 million members of the active and Reserve forces in uniform, so yeah, 2 is a worrying number.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and a growing number of athletes have been called “unpatriotic” for their refusal to stand during the national anthem. But now, the form of protest may be spreading in the military – an entity where respect to national symbols is expected and such an act holds much more controversy.

Since August, at least two cases have occurred where black members of the military posted public accounts of themselves refusing to stand or salute to the national anthem, an obligation for enlisted troops in the US military that can be enforced by disciplinary actions.

Members of the military are the products of their environment – it’s not like they’re grown and raised on special soldier farms away from cultural influences. Two mealy-mouthed, uneducated junior enlisted people do not a vast movement make. These two ladies would be happy to live under the restrictions of al-Shabab, but not the restrictive confines of the US Constitution. Al-Shabab “got my back as a black woman”, just ask ’em.

We should give them that opportunity. They are not, however, representative of the majority of members of the military. If I was their supervisor, I’d send them on the next thing smoking for Afghanistan so they can make the comparison of cultures for themselves. I’m sure they would prefer Afghanistan to Florida or Hawaii.