Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS November 2016 U. S. N N
on understanding and countering China’s growing maritime concerns. Andrew Erickson, professor of strate-
gy in the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), and James Kraska, professor in the Stockton Center for the Study of Internation- al Law, explained to the subcommittee the current situational framework and off ered courses of action at the committee’s hearing titled “Seapower and Projection Forces in the South China Sea.” Erickson’s testimony centered on Chi-
na’s growing involvement of their Maritime Militia, which he describes as the third mar- itime force in addition to the nation’s navy and coast guard. The Maritime Militia is a civilian force
CHESAPEAKE BAY, Md. (Oct. 17, 2016) An E-2D Hawkeye and a C-2A Greyhound as- signed to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 fl y over USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) as the ship travels to its new home port of San Diego, California. Zumwalt was commissioned in Baltimore, Maryland, Oct. 15 and is the fi rst in a three-ship class of the Navy’s newest, most technologically advanced multi-mission guided-missile destroyers. (U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt/Released)
PCU Thomas Hudner Visits Namesake By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kathleen L. Church, Defense Media Activity
BOSTON (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to Pre-commissioning Unit Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) visited with the ship’s namesake, Sept. 24. “It’s not every day that you get to meet a
Medal of Honor recipient and the namesake of your ship, so I think this is really cool and has a lot of heritage, and is really good for the junior Sailors,” said Chief Fire Control- man David Vendetti. “For our junior Sailors to see this and really understand where the namesake is coming from and meet the man, I think that is priceless.” Hudner is expected to be commissioned
in Boston in fall 2018; the ship is named for retired Navy Capt. Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who received the Medal of Honor for displaying uncommon valor during the Korean War Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Hudner was honored for actions taken after his wingman -- Ensign Jesse L. Brown, the fi rst African American naval aviator to fl y in combat -- was shot down. Under extremely adverse conditions, Hud-
ner purposefully crashed his own aircraft in an attempt to save Brown. Then he and a rescue pilot unsuccessfully attempted to free Brown from the wreckage. “This trip was pretty special, because
not many namesakes are still living, espe- cially ones that are Medal of Honor win- ners,” said Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 2nd Class Anthony Williams. “The goal for us was to see where Thomas Hudner was from, to actually meet and spend time with him. It has been a pride- and camaraderie-building trip for our new ship. We get to see who we are serving for and what that name means.” Hudner will be the 66th Arleigh Burke-
class destroyer to join the Navy, with Cmdr. Nathan Scherry as its fi rst commanding offi cer.
Naval War College professors testify on state of South China Sea By Daniel L. Kuester, U.S. Naval War College Public Aff airs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) invited two U.S. Naval War College (NWC) faculty members to testify in Washington, D.C.
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posing as fi shing boats and other noncom- batants but is clearly under the operational control of the government, according to Erickson.
“China’s irregular sea force is one of
the most important-yet most under-consid- ered-factors aff ecting U.S. security interests in the South China Sea,” said Erickson in his testimony. “Many in Washington understand that China has the world’s second-largest blue water navy, some that China has the world’s largest blue water Coast Guard. But almost no one knows that China-drawing on the world’s largest fi shing fl eet-has deployed the world’s largest Maritime Militia; and vir- tually the only one charged with advancing disputed maritime claims.” Kraska’s testimony focused on the legal
issues of the region and enforcement of the rule of law in the oceans. The events un- folding in the area have regional and global consequences, he said. “The South China Sea is the maritime
fulcrum in East Asia, where the United States has treaty commitments to Japan, Ko- rea, Thailand, Australia, and the Philippines, and legislative obligations to Taiwan,” testi- fi ed Kraska. “The rule of law in the oceans provides an important force multiplier for U.S. military operations and diplomacy. Consequently, the navigation and overfl ight rules accepted in the region have great stra- tegic consequence.” Kraska also gave the committee direc- tion on how the United States’ responses to China’s actions in the region could improve the situation in the long term. “The right to transit through some Asian
littoral areas is being eff ectively abandoned out of concern that China will react and create an incident,” he said. “But forgoing the right to be present in these areas makes it more likely that it will be impossible to reenter them later. Indeed, the cost of doing so now is higher than it would have been had the United States continuously exercised its rights; the cost tomorrow will be even greater unless action is taken now. China’s expectation and sense of entitlement to ‘own’ parts of the global commons increases each year they remain unchallenged.” Erickson also gave advice on how to
eff ectively respond to China. First, Erickson asked for the U.S. to
call out China’s Maritime Militia offi cially in public.
Second, Erickson proposed having the
U.S. share information with countries at risk, and provide strategic reassurance to them. Last, he called for the U.S. to commu-
nicate clearly with Chinese interlocutors and make it plain that any elements that ignore repeated warnings by U.S. vessels to desist from disruptive activities will be treated as military-controlled and dealt with accordingly, to ensure self-defense and un- obstructed mission accomplishment. To view the complete hearing, vis-
it
https://armedservices.house.gov/leg- islation/hearings/seapower-and-projec-
tion-forces-south-china-sea.
Navy Scientist Named Outstanding Maritime Archaeologist
By Lt. j.g. Chloe J. Morgan, Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (NNS) -- A Naval History and Heritage Command underwater archaeologist was presented a Ben Brenman Archeology in Alexandria Award for 2016 at a city council meeting Oct. 5. City councilwoman Redella S. Pepper
presented Dr. George Schwarz with the award for his guidance in excavating and documenting an 18th century ship found in Alexandria, Virginia. “A 2016 Brenman Award for Outstand-
ing Maritime Archaeologist is presented to Dr. George Schwarz of the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch for volunteering to provide expertise and guidance in the documentation, careful excavation and preliminary stabilization of the oldest ship discovered to date in Alexandria,” said Pep- per while reading the proclamation. “And for sharing his knowledge about maritime history and the construction and use of the vessel, thereby helping make possible the eventual exhibition of this rare artifact for future generations to study and appreciate.” Schwarz led a team of NHHC underwa-
ter archaeologists to help city archaeologists measure and record the excavated timbers at a warehouse in Alexandria April 12-16. “We have the Navy team here helping
us because their eyes are so much better in terms of looking for features that are signifi - cant on a wooden ship,” said Alexandria City Archaeologist Francine Bromberg during the excavation. “We have relied greatly upon their help and expertise to get a better understanding of what the ship was like.” NHHC archaeologists used tools such
as measuring tapes, calipers and plumb bobs to measure the remains. Data collected on the curvature of the frames could reveal the shape of the hull, according to Schwarz. The recovered ship was built with thou-
sands of trunnels to connect the diff erent elements together. Also called treenails, trunnels are wooden pins that swell when exposed to moisture, contributing to water- tight integrity. “It’s a very strong, robustly built ship,
and the extensive use of the trunnels is an indication of how structurally sound this ship was,” Schwarz said. “They put a lot of eff ort into the construction because the builders had to fabricate each wood pin, drill each hole in the timbers by hand, and then plug both elements to attach the planks to the frame. It represents a lot of work.” NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology
Branch (UAB) was fi rst contacted in De- cember when the buried ship was found at the construction site of a new hotel. The branch observed the site and provided ad- vice on maritime archaeology and options for preservation. “While the ship was in position, we used
a photo scan program that allowed us to take photographs around the site itself, and then the program basically matched the pictures together and stitched diff erent points to create a photographic 3-D model,” Schwarz said.
Archaeologists believe only a portion
of the original ship was buried. After being rediscovered, the pieces of the vessel were moved to a local warehouse for further stud- ies.
Alexandria was built around a shallow
cove with two points jutting out into the Po- tomac River. In order to make Alexandria a major maritime port for ocean-going traffi c,
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