Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2017 U S N N


Navy to Christen Guided-Missile De- stroyer Thomas Hudner From Department of Defense


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy chris- tened the newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Saturday, April 1 during a 11:30 a.m. EDT ceremony at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The future Thomas Hudner is named in


honor of naval aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Thomas J. Hudner Jr., the last liv- ing Navy recipient of the Medal of Honor to have served in the Korean War. Georgea Hudner, wife of Capt. Hudner, and Barbara Miller, wife of retired Vice Adm. Michael Miller, former superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, served as the ships sponsors.


Hudner was awarded the Medal of


Honor for attempting to save the life of his squadron mate, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. This will be the fi rst U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Thomas Hudner. Allison Stiller served as the princi-


pal speaker during the ceremony. Stiller is currently performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Navy (research, development and acquisition). During the event, Hudner and Miller broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship time-honored Navy tradi- tion.


“This ceremony not only honored a true


naval hero but also the dedicated men and women of our nation’s shipbuilding indus- try, whose skill and diligence have brought this great warship one step closer to joining the fl eet,” said The Honorable Sean Stack- ley, acting secretary of the Navy. Thomas Hudner will be the 66th Arleigh


Burke-class destroyer, the fourth of 14 ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 pro-


America Successfully Completes Survivability Test


By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristina Young, USS America (LHA 6) Public Aff airs


PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The amphib- ious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) successfully completed the Navy’s Total Ship Survivability Trial (TSST) off the coast of California during a four-day evolution spanning from March 30 to April 2. TSST is performed only for new classes


of ships, and its purpose is to evaluate the ship’s systems and procedures following a simulated conventional weapon hit. The primary areas that are evaluated include the ship’s ability to contain and control damage, restore and continue mission capability, and care for personnel casualties. The test is also designed to demonstrate the eff ectiveness of the survivability features inherent in a ship’s design. “It is essential that we are challenged with diff erent scenarios,” said Lt. j.g. Daniel


gram. The DDG 51 class provides advanced combat capability and survivability charac- teristics while minimizing procurement and lifetime support costs due to the program’s maturity. DDG 51 destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission off ensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can oper- ate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups and underway replenishment groups. DDG 113 and follow-on DDGs are being built with Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability. The 9,200 ton Thomas Hudner is being


built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.


Espinoza, repair locker 5M locker offi cer. “We need to be challenged to think outside the box and fl ex our capabilities in the most chaotic situations. I believe changing drill scenarios keeps us out of our comfort zones and trains us to recover from chaotic situa- tions.”


During this testing process, Sailors


participated in various simulated damage control scenarios to ensure the crew could handle fi re, smoke, electrical failure, fl ood- ing, ruptured piping, and structural failure. “For the past four days we’ve been at


general quarters where we fought simulat- ed fi res in multiple spaces, in addition to restoring power during various electrical failures and combatting the ship’s fi re main pressure being down,” said Electrician’s Mate 1st Class William Isom, who served as a member of the TSST team. “Overall it was great training for the crew and I believe that our Sailors are more prepared and better trained to save the ship.” The four-day TSST evolution required Sailors to man their assigned repair lockers for a unique General Quarters experience. “This was not a normal general quar-


ters,” explained Damage Controlman 2nd Class Thomas Harrison, repair locker 4 scene leader. “There were blocked passage ways due to simulated structural damage; electrical systems were out. We had to nav- igate in pitch black working environment to combat simulated fi res, and we weren’t able to access certain vital fi refi ghting equipment and fi re bottles due to the simulated damage. Despite all these obstacles, I believe every- one rose to the challenge and accomplished our objectives with a higher knowledge than we started this underway with.” Throughout the ship, Sailors and Ma-


rines worked hand-in-hand to tackle various damage control tasks during the four-day evolution, including medical triage of per- sonnel casualties. “During TSST, the medical team was


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provided the opportunity to showcase Navy medicine and really highlight all the skillsets that we bring to the table,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Tonya Jury, assigned to Commander, Amphibious Readiness Squadron 3. “We are medically ready and have the capabilities to do [casualty evac- uation] all the way down to basic stretcher bearer training.” TSST was also the fi rst time the crew


of the America fully integrated with various Marine units, with more than 1,600 Marines standing ready to assist in any situation throughout the evolution. “So far, this integration has been a very


positive experience,” said Maj. Michael Chan, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) action offi cer. “We learn from every activity that we do, but TSST adds a diff erent element on top of our schedule. The scenar- ios were interesting and defi nitely had quite a bit of people discussing the possibility of what the Marine Corps’ role would be. We are learning to work with the Navy and TSST allows us to socialize those scenarios. As always, we welcome the challenge. It wouldn’t be any fun without it.” The benefi ts of having the America


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experience the trials that TSST brought will stand the test of time as America prepares for its maiden deployment later this year, and into the future. “It was a breath of fresh air watching


the crew come together as a cohesive unit to overcome some of the most diffi cult situations,” said Espinoza. “The realistic implementations -- multiple jammed fi t- tings, debris blocking passage ways, and fi refi ghting systems offl ine -- did not make it easy to ‘fi ght the ship,’ but we collectively planned around those obstacles and success-


fully completed all tasks at hand.” America is the fi rst ship of its class,


replacing the Tarawa class of amphibious as- sault ships and is homeported in San Diego. As an aviation centric amphibious assault ship, this platform supports Marine aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war.


The ship is currently underway with


more than 1,000 Sailors and 1,600 embarked Marines conducting Amphibious Squadron / Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration operations.


Statement from Pentagon Spokesman on US Strike in Syria From Department of Defense


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- At the direction of the president, U.S. forces conducted a cruise missile strike against a Syrian Air Force airfi eld April 6, at about 8:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 a.m., April 7, in Syria). The strike targeted Shayrat Airfi eld in


Homs governorate and was in response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack April 4, in Khan Sheikhoun, which killed and injured hundreds of innocent Syr- ian people, including women and children. The strike was conducted using Tom-


ahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) launched from the destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Ross (DDG 71) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 59 TLAMs targeted aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems, and radars. As always, the U.S. took extraordinary measures to avoid civil- ian casualties and to comply with the Law of Armed Confl ict. Every precaution was taken to execute this strike with minimal risk to personnel at the airfi eld.


The strike was a proportional response


to Assad’s heinous act. Shayrat Airfi eld was used to store chemical weapons and Syrian air forces. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that aircraft from Shayrat conduct- ed the chemical weapons attack on April 4. The strike was intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again. Russian forces were notifi ed in advance


of the strike using the established decon- fl iction line. U.S. military planners took precautions to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfi eld. We are assessing the results of the


strike. Initial indications are that this strike has severely damaged or destroyed Syri- an aircraft and support infrastructure and equipment at Shayrat Airfi eld, reducing the Syrian Government’s ability to deliver chemical weapons. The use of chemical weapons against innocent people will not be tolerated.


Taking the Heat: Navy Tests New Sub- marine Steam Suits


By Warren Duffi e Jr., Offi ce of Naval Research Public Aff airs


ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Nathan Lindner was testing the newest suit designed to protect Sailors from steam leaks on nuclear-powered sub- marines. He pulled on thick gloves and boots,


and donned a face shield for a self-contained breathing apparatus. Then he slid into the sleek, silver prototype steam suit, hoisted an air tank onto his back and connected a regulator to the breathing apparatus. Total time: a little more than two min-


utes.


Meanwhile, Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Cameron Sebastian wrestled with the current, older steam suit used Navy-wide.


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