Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2015 U. S. NAVY NEWS


Final Flight of the East Coast P-3C Orion


By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Smith, Naval Support Activity Bahrain Public Affairs


BAHRAIN (NNS) -- The Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 “Tridents,” based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, are currently conduct- ing missions in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. This is the Navy’s fi nal active duty deployment of the P-3C Orion aircraft from the East Coast.


The Navy is in the process of replacing the decades-old Lockheed Martin P-3C tur- bo-prop aircraft with the new multi-mission maritime aircraft P-8A Poseidon, a modifi ed Boeing 737-800ERX. Historic events aren’t new to the Tri-


dents. VP-26 was the Navy’s fi rst opera- tional P-3 squadron when they received the fi rst production of the P-3B, which replaced the P2-V Neptune in January 1966. Then, in 1979, VP-26 transitioned to the P-3C aircraft used today.


Even in the fi nal missions of the P-3C


fl ights, VP-26 continues to work with joint and coalition forces in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. During this deployment, VP- 26 has worked with British and French naval vessels and successfully executed combined operations with the Bahraini Coast Guard. Today’s P-3 is equipped with the latest Command, Control, Communications and Computer (C4) technologies to enable it to integrate with other forces and to facilitate network-centric warfare. The P-8 is de- signed to take these capabilities to the next level.


“The P-3 is an icon of Cold War an- ti-submarine warfare and it has proved ex- tremely fl exible, adapting to meet a variety of missions assigned by forward fl eet com- manders in the 25 years since,” said Cmdr. Gregory A. Smith, commanding offi cer, VP-26. Transition to a new aircraft goes beyond utilizing the physical capabilities of the air- craft and its technology. “This fl exibility is one of the hallmarks of U.S. Naval service, however, it is not the airframe that provides this fl exibility,” Smith said. “It is the people. The same peo- ple who are making P-3s succeed on station will be the ones who make the P-8 succeed on station. The airframe will change, but the culture and legacy of excellence in maritime patrol and reconnaissance will remain.” Personnel are already preparing for the road ahead. Sailors will have to adjust, retrain and in some cases, fi nd a different


career path in the Navy. “My training is P-3 specifi c and there’s not actually a spot for the in-fl ight technician in the P-8,” said Naval Aircrewman (Avi- onics) 2nd Class John McDaniel, in-fl ight technician assigned to VP-26. “So, I will be switching platforms. I will be going to the EA-6B Prowler and will have to attend another “A” school. I have been with P-3s for fi ve years. I feel pretty good and feel it’s time to do something new.”


All maintenance Sailors will be re- quired to attend the P-8 general familiariza- tion course, which is between fi ve to 10 days. They will also be required to attend P-8 rate training. Upon completion, they will be as- signed to Fleet Replacement Squadron, VP- 30, in Jacksonville, and work in their rating specifi c area to become qualifi ed collateral duty inspectors (CDI) and plane captains on the P-8 for approximately six months. All current VP-26 operators (aircrew)


identifi ed for transition will return home and complete Category II training at VP-30, which lasts approximately six months. Upon completion of training, they will receive their new respective navy enlisted codes (NEC) and begin their fi rst P-8 inter-deploy- ment readiness cycle. “You either ride the waves of change or drown beneath them,” said Command Master Chief James B. Daniels Jr., command master chief, VP-26. “The point is change is going to happen whether you like it or not. The P-8 is a new, more capable aircraft, and as we did with the P-3, we will maximize the use of it to further the Navy’s mission.” The new P-8 aircraft is expected to arrive in Bahrain in approximately one year. “I am extremely proud of what the men


and women of VP-26 do every day,” said Smith. “They make complex and challeng- ing evolutions seem routine. We don’t set out every day to make history; we set out to do the little things the right way, the fi rst time, to the best of our ability. Being a part of a “fi rst” or a “last” makes it sound more special, but what is really special is the way Team Trident works together to overcome a challenge or rallies behind a shipmate who needs extra support. To me the last (P-3) deployment from the East Coast will always imply the additional work and sacrifi ces required to do more with less, and meeting mission in spite of those challenges; the way VP-26 has always done before.”


Naval Diving’s Heritage, Service to America Recognized at Ceremony From Naval Diving and Salvage Training


Center Public Affairs


PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NNS) -- The mayor of Panama City recognized the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) and the Year of the Military Diver (YOTMD) with a proclamation, May 4, as part of a series of events honoring military diving and its history.


Mayor Greg Brudnicki presented the YOTMD Proclamation to Rear Adm. Mike White, commander of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), announcing that the city will celebrate military diving alongside its military members and families. White accepted Brudnicki’s proclama- tion, recognizing the Bay County communi- ty leaders and staff who were in attendance. Also during the event, Women Diver Hall of Fame members retired Capt. Bobbie Scholley and retired Capt. Marie Knafelc presented a plaque to NDSTC to commem- orate 40 years of women in Navy diving. “The Naval Diving and Salvage Train-


ing Center, since 1975, has been incorporat- ing women because they were looking for the right person to do the job,” said Knafelc. “Held to the same standards of excellence and professionalism, because they knew that person had to be there for their shipmates to do all the work that has to be done in the water and out of the water. We would like to commend the training center for all it’s done to lead the way within the military incorporating women, and (we) thank you Admiral White for allowing that to happen.” The event concluded with Mayor Brudnicki and Bay County civic leadership touring NDSTC, the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) facilities. As part of the Year of the Military Diver commemorations, NDSTC will recognize 35 years of training as of 2015 and note the 100th anniversary of the Mark V dive helmet.


Additional YOTMD events in the month of May include a chance for the public to visit Naval Support Activity (NSA) Pana- ma City May 6 to learn about military diving past and present, and the Copper Collar 5K Run at St. Andrews State Park will be held May 16. For more information on these and other YOTMD events, visit the NDSTC web page:http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ ceneoddive/ndstc/


Commissioned in 1980, NDSTC is the


largest diving facility in the world and trains more than 1,200 divers from all services in the Department of Defense, including allied partners and other government agencies.


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Navy to Christen Sixth Joint High Speed Vessel


From U.S. Department of Defense Offi ce of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will christen the future joint high speed vessel USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) May 9 during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Alma B. “Lee” Booterbaugh will serve as the ship’s sponsor. “We will celebrate the christening of the future USNS Brunswick - a modern marvel - just like the incredible shipyard that built it,” said Mabus. “More than 4,000 American craftsmen have made this ship possible and the partnership they have with our uniformed men and women, our Navy civilians, the shipbuilding industry as a whole, and the American people, is one of the great strengths of our system. Through- out its life, as it serves around the world, this ship will represent the American spirit of hard work and patriotism the people of Brunswick exude.”


Named for a seaport city located on the southeast coast of Georgia, Brunswick is the fourth ship to bear the name. The fi rst was a lightship [http://www.history.navy.mil/ research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/ brunswick-i.html?source=GovDelivery] that served in the Navy during World War I. The second Brunswick was a patrol frigate [http://www.history.navy.mil/research/his- tories/ship-histories/danfs/b/brunswick-ii. html?source=GovDelivery] that escorted convoys across the Atlantic during World War II. The third ship to bear the name was a salvage and rescue tug [http://www.history. navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/ danfs/b/brunswick-iii.html?source=Gov- Delivery] that served the U.S. Navy from 1972 to 1996.


The 338 foot-long aluminum cata- maran is under construction at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSVs) are ideal for fast, intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles, supplies and equipment. These ships are capable of transporting 600 short tons 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots with berthing space for up to 104 personnel and airline-style seating for


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