A name for DDG 1002
November 20th, 2009 | Blogs Chiefs Historical Science and technology Ships | Posted by Phil Ewing
What should the third Zumwalt-class destroyer be named? // Northrop Grumman
Maybe it’s that a three-hull class of advanced ships raises the stakes. Maybe it’s that there will be so many Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that they all start to blend together. Or maybe it’s that, with 51 more littoral combat ships that will carry only names of “medium-sized town names” (for now, anyway) people are worried they’re running out of ships to name for heroes.
Whatever the reason, people have been going after the as-yet unnamed third and last Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG 1002, with name suggestions. Not just any Navy ship — DDG 1002.
An early one was “Robert A. Heinlein,” for the science fiction author. But one Navy Times reader rejected that and instead recommended “Ernest E. Evans,” for the legendary captain of the destroyer Johnston. The latest recommendation, according to an email making the rounds on a particularly salty distribution list, is “Delbert D. Black,” for the first master chief petty officer of the Navy.
Scoop Deck was cc’d on that email, which pointed to this blog post laying out the whole case. The Navy has plenty of ships named for chiefs of naval operations, writes blogger Chris Garett, but it needs to start according the same honor to its MCPONs, starting with Black.
What do you think? Would you pick Heinlein, Evans or Black for DDG 1002, or a different name altogether?
Airborne early warning links
September 11th, 2009 | Aviation Chiefs Royal Navy Science and technology Ships Submarines Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
Much as the E-2C Hawkeyes of VAW 115, the "Liberty Bells," become a strike group's eyes in the sky, so too do today's links give early warning about what's new on the Web // MC3 Jarod Hodge/ Navy
Bow catapult launchin’, air-searchin’, combat air patrol-vectorin’, friend-or-foe identifyin’ links, orbiting high above the strike group to alert you in advance about these items on the Web:
- The reef-ization of the destroyer Arthur W. Radford, which you learned about awhile ago here on the Deck, is reportedly going to be “a big deal” for Maryland tourism.
- A Royal Navy sailor has become the first woman in that august service, and only the second woman in Britain’s military, to receive the prestigious Military Cross.
- An marine inventor claims his new light submarine “has capability greater than the U.S. Navy”
- You probably thought “leaders” was just a normal English word, but it’s actually an acronym, according to this — on a related matter, hooya, chiefs!
- Navy Times told you recently about Virginia Sen. Jim Webb’s worries about the state of the Navy’s four shipyards — looks like he’s not the only one who’s concerned.
Peace through superior slapshot
August 13th, 2009 | Carriers Chiefs Sports The Middle East | Posted by Andrew Scutro
Information Systems Technician (AW/SW) Christopher Conley, a crewman on the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, tends goal during a brief practice while on deployment in 5th Fleet. The team split a two-game series while in port in the Persian Gulf.//Photo by Sheila Vemmer, Navy Times
The San Diego-based carrier Ronald Reagan boasts a number of sports teams, including an actual ice hockey team. They are in a competitive league back in home port and they played two games during a recent port visit in the Persian Gulf. They lost the first game 12-0 against the Abu Dhabi Scorpions but came roaring back to vanquish the Dubai Mighty Camels 17-9 in the second game.
The team practices on a small patch of plastic flooring placed over the non-skid in the hangar deck. One of the goalies is the command master chief, Mark Rudes. A Lake Placid, N.Y., native, Rudes says team comes before rank on the ice. “I get pointers all the time in the net,” he said. “Our only weakness is we don’t practice enough together as a team.”
A hull tech fabricated the goal and Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class (AW/SW) Toby Snowden managed to find a space in the hangar to store their pads and gear. “It smells really, really bad in there right now,” he said.
And in case you are wondering who produced hockey players in the desert for the Scorpions and Mighty Camels, “It’s all ex-pats. Twelve Canadians, one Turk, one American, a Swede and one from Finland. Two are American Hockey League-level and one is an NCAA player,” Snowden said.
The team does not have a name, though “Hellcats” is under consideration, stemming from the ship namesake’s 1957 movie, “Hellcats of the Navy.”
Back in SecNav’s day
August 4th, 2009 | Chiefs Historical Liberty Ships The Middle East The deckplates Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
MANAMA, BAHRAIN — Navy Secretary Ray Mabus was about halfway through an all-hands call here in an auditorium packed with sailors and Marines when a new questioner approached the microphone. In Mabus’ opening remarks, the officer said, Mabus had mentioned the Navy over which he now presides was very different from the one in which he’d served out of college. In what ways?
The muscles of MCPON
July 8th, 2009 | Aviation Chiefs Photos The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC1 Jennifer Villalovos
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/SW) Rick West thought he was on a tour of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and as part of that, he thought he was going to meet sailors at the base’s Far East Cafe, but it turned out that, really, he was going to a gun show.
Squared away or sloppy. You decide.
June 26th, 2009 | Chiefs Officers Personnel The deckplates Uniforms | Posted by Andrew Scutro
U.S. Navy
A year ago, then-Surface Force Master Chief (SW/AW) Michael Schanche put out a message (second item) about a trip to the waterfront in San Diego that left him “professionally embarrassed” for the first time in his career. He expressed dismay at an overall lack of military bearing, courtesies and good appearance.
A year has passed and Navy Times decided to see if anyone got the message. We’ve collected a bucketful of responses, most very thoughtful and expressing the same dismay as Schanche.
We’re wrapping up the project and will publish the results soon. But if you still have thoughts on the issue of “sloppy sailors,” e-mail reporter Andrew Scutro at ascutro@navytimes.com.