March 2017 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 9. U S N N


Seabees Commence 75th Anniversary Celebrations


January 19, 2017 PORT HUENEME, Calif. (NNS) -- U.S. Navy Seabees from around Naval Base Ven- tura County gathered at the Seabee Museum, Jan. 18, to kick off a series of celebrations throughout 2017 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Naval Construction Force, March 5, 1942. From 30th Naval Construction Regiment Public Aff airs The event also marked the start of cel-


ebrations recognizing the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps, as well as the 175th Anniversary of Naval Fa- cilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) this year. In attendance were Rear Adm. Bret


Muilenburg, commander, NAVFAC and chief of civil engineers; retired Rear Adm. David Nash, chairman, Seabee Historical Foundation; retired Rear Adm. Samuel Cox, director, Naval History and Heritage Command; Lara Godbille, Seabee Museum director; Capt. Mike Saum, commodore, Naval Construction Group (NCG) 1; Capt. Jeff rey Kilian, commodore, 30th Naval Construction Regiment; and many other distinguished guests and Seabee veterans. Providing the opening remarks for the


ceremony, Muilenburg spoke about the contributions Seabees have made through- out each American confl ict since the Naval Construction Force’s founding. Muilenburg also took time to recognize active and retired Seabee veterans in attendance, and he thanked individuals and organizations which have contributed to the Seabee legacy. A painting titled “We Build, We Fight”


by artist James Dietz was unveiled, and attendees enjoyed a dramatic solo perfor- mance of “The Complete History of the Seabees (abridged)” by Joseph Gallo. Utilitiesman 1st Class Jennifer Neal,


whose portrait was depicted along with other Seabees in the painting by Dietz, spoke about the honor of being included, as well as her own contributions to Seabee history. “You don’t really realize it until you


look back and realize you can say, ‘I was absolutely a part of that (Seabee history),’” said Neal. “’I was over there in Iraq, (and) I was over there in Kuwait.’ To be in a painting that celebrates 75 years of Seabee history is huge to me.” Also during the event, retired Carpen-


ter’s Mate 1st Class Macy Coffi n, a World War II Seabee veteran and the oldest Seabee in attendance, joined Construction Me- chanic Constructionman Recruit Andrew Staple -- the youngest Seabee -- along with museum director Godbille and other event participants in the unveiling of a new gallery at the museum illustrating the historical contributions of the Seabees during World War II, as well as during the Cold War. At the conclusion of the ceremony,


guests were invited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s collection. The Seabees were created March 5th,


1942, after then Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Yards and Docks, recognized the need for a militarized construction force. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Navy approved the forma- tion of the fi rst naval construction battalions. Naval Facilities Engineering Com-


mand, established in 1842, is the Navy’s oldest systems command. The Navy Civil Engineer Corps was established in 1867 following the Civil War.


Naval Oceanography Draws Crowd to First US Underwater Glider Workshop By Jenni T. Ervin, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Public Aff airs STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (NNS) -- The fi rst U.S. Underwater Glider Work- shop drew more than 90 glider operators from federal agencies, universities, and industry to see naval oceanography glider operations and build a more cohesive na- tional glider network. “Astonishing!” and “I’ve never seen so


many gliders in one place!” were just a few of the exclamations overheard when Glider Task Team members of the Interagency Ocean Observing Committee (IOOC) toured the Glider Operations Center at the Naval Oceanographic Offi ce (NAVOCEA- NO) during the workshop held Jan. 18-19 at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. As the nation’s largest owner and oper-


ator of unmanned systems including gliders, Naval Oceanography, headquartered at Stennis Space Center, is part of the IOOC’s Glider Task Force. Dr. Bill Burnett, deputy commander of


the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC), provided introductory remarks to the group explaining NMOC’s unmanned systems experience and future initiatives. Touring the 24/7 Glider Operations


Center and the Glider Lab, both one-of-a- kind entities operated by NAVOCEANO, was a primary draw for holding the event at Stennis Space Center. For more than 20 years, naval oceanog-


raphers, operating more than 100 unmanned systems, have collected information from more than 250,000 miles of physical bat- tlespace which directly supports submarine, mine, special operations, and expeditionary warfare.


NMOC Commander Rear Adm. Tim


Gallaudet released his Unmanned Systems Strategy last year, which calls to expand Naval Oceanography’s use of unmanned systems, enable the fl eet and joint forces’ use of unmanned systems, and engage stake- holders to accelerate development of future systems. The workshop is one of the ways the command can share its two decades of


Keel Laid for Future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002)


From Team Ships Public Aff airs


BATH, Maine (NNS) -- A keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) was held Jan. 30 at General Dynamics-Bath Iron


Tiny Barge Transport, Inc.


Making affordable delivery & pick-ups to/from Muscongus Bay area. If it fits...we can deliver it to your island. Up to 16,000 lbs.


(207) 380-0006


www.tinybargetransport.com Friendship, Maine


BATH, Maine (Dec. 16, 2016) The future USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) successfully com- pleted acceptance trials after spending two days underway off the coast of Maine. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)


experience with other unmanned systems operators, and generate ideas which could drive future development. Burnett explained the command’s plans


to develop a Navy range complex along the Mississippi Sound which is instrumented for expeditionary, hydrographic, and interop- erability testing and training in deep water, littoral, and riverine environments. The command has also partnered with


the University of Southern Mississippi for an unmanned underwater systems certifi - cation program which will ensure its pilots, scientists, and technicians are qualifi ed to operate and maintain the systems. Learning from each other’s accom-


plishments and working to develop stan- dards were key goals of the workshop, which organizers believe was a success. Burnett believes as Naval Oceanogra-


phy continues to grow its unmanned systems capabilities, future collaborations will be vital.


Commander, Naval Meteorology


and Oceanography Command (COM- NAVMETOCCOM)directs and oversees the collection, processing, and exploitation of accurate, relevant, and timely ocean- ographic, meteorological, hydrographic, precise time, and astrometric information. COMNAVMETOCCOM is assigned as Commander, Task Group 80.7 under U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and is part of the information forces. Naval Oceanography includes approximately 2,500 globally dis- tributed military and civilian personnel.


Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. The keel was authenticated by former


President Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughters and ship co-sponsors, Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson, by welding their initials into the keel plate. “We’ve made tremendous progress on


this ship, and although we’re celebrating an early production milestone, we’re nearing 60 percent completion on the future Lyn- don B. Johnson,” said Capt. Kevin Smith,


Continued on Page 21.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32