USS Nebraska and USS Connecticut, 1909
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USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) was the lead ship of the Pennsylvania class of super-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1910s.
The Pennsylvanias were part of the standard-type battleship series, and marked an incremental improvement over the preceding Nevada class, carrying an extra pair of 14-inch (356 mm) guns for a total of twelve guns. Named for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, she was laid down at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in October 1913, was launched in March 1915, and was commissioned in June 1916. Equipped with an oil-burning propulsion system, Pennsylvania was not sent to European waters during World War I, since the necessary fuel oil was not as readily available as coal. Instead, she remained in American waters and took part in training exercises; in 1918, she escorted President Woodrow Wilson to France to take part in peace negotiations. During the 1920s and 1930s, Pennsylvania served as the flagship of first the Atlantic Fleet, and after it was merged with the Pacific Fleet in 1921, the Battle Fleet. For the majority of this period, the ship was stationed in California, based in San Pedro. Pennsylvania was occupied with a peacetime routine of training exercises (including the annual Fleet problems), port visits, and foreign cruises, including a visit to Australia in 1925. The ship was modernized in 1929–1931. The ship was present in Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941; she was in drydock with a pair of destroyers when the Japanese launched their surprise attack on the port. She suffered relatively minor damage in the attack, being protected from torpedoes by the drydock. While repairs were effected, the ship received a modernized anti-aircraft battery to prepare her for operations in the Pacific War. Pennsylvania joined the fleet in a series of amphibious operations, primarily tasked with providing gunfire support. The first of these, the Aleutian Islands Campaign, took place in mid-1943, and was followed by an attack on Makin later that year. During 1944, she supported the landings on Kwajalein and Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands and the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, including the Battles of Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, and Battle of Angaur. During the Philippines campaign, in addition to her typical shore bombardment duties, she took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, though due to her inadequate radar, she was unable to locate a target and did not fire. During the Battle of Okinawa, she was torpedoed by a Japanese torpedo bomber and badly damaged, forcing her to withdraw for repairs days before the end of the war. Allocated to the target fleet for the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in 1946, Pennsylvania was repaired only enough to allow her to make the voyage to the test site, Bikini Atoll. She survived both blasts, but was badly contaminated with radioactive fallout from the second test, and so was towed to Kwajalein, where she was studied for the next year and a half. The ship was ultimately scuttled in deep water off the atoll in February 1948. from JC's Royal New Zealand Navy and other Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/sKlMxOP via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/mp5Hlz0 May 04, 2024 at 03:44PM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/
UPDATED: 30 Sailors, Marines Injured After LCAC Collision During Wasp ARG, 24th MEU Training Off Florida
MAY 2, 2024 8:37 PM – UPDATED: MAY 3, 2024 7:13 PM This post has been updated with additional information from U.S. 2nd fleet. One sailor remained hospitalized Friday for treatment of injuries sustained after two Navy air-cushioned landing craft, or LCACs, collided during a training exercise off Florida Wednesday evening, injuring left 30 sailors and Marines, Navy officials said Friday afternoon. The service is investigating the mishap, which happened off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., during a pre-deployment Composite Training Unit Exercise with amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1), amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD-21) and the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, U.S. 2nd Fleet officials said a statement Friday afternoon to USNI. There were 18 sailors and 20 Marines aboard the two LCACs when the craft collided, and 30 of them were injured. “Both LCACs involved in the incident remained afloat and have since returned to their ships,” Lt. Cmdr. Kristi Johnson, 2nd Fleet deputy public affairs officer, said in a statement. One LCAC came from Wasp, the other from New York. “A third LCAC rendered immediate assistance and transported all 38 sailors and Marines” to the two ships, where medical personnel evaluated them for treatment, Johnson said. “One sailor remains under medical care at a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, and our primary focus is on our sailor’s health and well-being,” Johnson said. “We will continue to provide updates as information is available. The incident remains under investigation. “Five sailors who were injured were medically evacuated for further care at Savannah Memorial University Medical Center, and four have been released from the hospital after treatment, Navy officials said. Other sailors and Marines with minor injuries were treated aboard Wasp and New York. Fleet officials provided no further details about the incident. Wasp is the lead ship for the Norfolk, Va., based Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which has embarked the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for scheduled training ahead of a planned overseas deployment. “The recovery and investigation processes are ongoing, and more information will be provided by U.S. 2nd Fleet once available,” 2nd Fleet said. The incident, first reported by Navy Times, is the latest to affect the Navy’s amphibious fleet that the Marine Corps counts on to support deployment of its sea-going Marine expeditionary units. Last month, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti hinted that the scheduled start to Wasp’s deployment might be delayed from its scheduled start of the deployment because of maintenance backlogs across the fleet. Engineering problems forced the San Diego-based USS Boxer (LHD-4) to return to port at Naval Base San Diego after it deployed with part of the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 15th MEU but then suffered steering issues requiring major repairs to its rudder. from JC's Royal New Zealand Navy and other Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/Zgpf1qF via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/WzuX7es May 04, 2024 at 03:19PM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/
Test
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Royal Navy’s Wildcats fend off fast attack craft on Exercise Tamber Shield
Claire Sadler 2nd May 2024 at 9:27am The Royal Navy’s 815 Naval Air Squadron is honing its warfighting capabilities as it practises fending off fast attack craft in the Norwegian fjords near Bergen. Wildcat helicopters, P2000 patrol vessels and Norwegian ships are hunting for enemy vessels as part of British-led Joint Expeditionary Force Exercise Tamber Shield. The topography of the region, with its deep and narrow inlets, offers fast-attack craft the perfect hiding place.
Commanding Officer of 815 Naval Air Squadron, James Woods, told Forces News, “We’re essentially practising fighting against anything from small, fast attack craft, all the way through up to frigates and destroyers. “The west coast of Norway provides a really useful training ground for us from challenging geography, all the way through to a really capable host nation and partner that we’re training with and against to hone our skills.” Although just an exercise, these are important tactics being developed as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to increased security concerns in the High North, the territories of Nordic countries which include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. The role of 815 Naval Air Squadrons is to carry out warship detection, surveillance and intelligence gathering, so if Britain is called upon to help defend this coastline, they have experience of the topography. The Wildcats also tested out their new “lethal claws” – Martlet and Sea Venom missiles. Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Fleet, Captain Aspen Rasmussen, said: “Having time to exercise together brings us really forward, both nations.” He added: “The geography has changed a little bit here in Norway, with Finland and Sweden joining Nato, which makes it much more important to be able to receive allied support here in the West Coast. from JC's Royal New Zealand Navy and other Naval, Maritime or Military News https://ift.tt/cvw43I2 via IFTTT via Blogger https://ift.tt/VXvY40E May 03, 2024 at 01:29PM See all posts in full - click here https://jcsnavyandmilitarynews.blogspot.com/ |
AuthorJohn Currin served 15 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy and has retained an interest in naval, marine, military and happenings around the world. Archives
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