Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2017 U. S. N N


missioned warship afl oat and welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year. She defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today’s Navy. America’s Navy: Keeping the sea free for more than 200 years. Constitution’s mission today is to off er


community outreach and education about the ship’s history.


Future USS Ralph Johnson to be Com- missioned in Charleston By Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacifi c Fleet Public Aff airs


BOSTON (Oct. 20, 2017) USS Constitution is tugged back to her berth at Pier One in the Charlestown Navy Yard following the ship’s fi rst underway since 2014. USS Constitution and her crew got underway for a day cruise in commemoration of the ship’s launch, 220 years ago on Oct. 21, 1797, and the United States Navy’s 242nd birthday, offi cially observed Oct. 13th. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Casey Scoular/Released)


USS Constitution Gets Underway and Celebrates 220 Years


By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Casey Scoular, USS Constitution Public Aff airs


CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (NNS) -- USS Constitution and her crew headed underway from the ship’s berth in Charlestown, Mas- sachusetts, on Oct. 20, in commemoration of the ship’s launching 220 years ago and the U.S. Navy’s 242nd birthday. This was the fi rst underway Constitu-


tion completed since she left dry dock on July 23 of this year and the fi rst time she has been underway since 2014. Constitution started boarding guests at


8 a.m., many of them family and friends of current crewmembers. Shortly after 10 a.m., with more than 349 guests in attendance, she


departed her pier. At 11:40 a.m., Constitution performed


a 21-gun salute which was returned by the Concord Battery and 101st Field Artillery near Fort Independence on Castle Island. Fort Independence is a state park that served as a defensive position for Boston Harbor from 1634 to 1962. The ship also fi red an additional 17


shots at 12:15 p.m. as she passed the U.S. Coast Guard Station, the former site of the Edmund Hartt shipyard where Constitution was built. Each round of this salute honored the 16 states that comprised America when Constitution launched in 1797 and one in honor of the ship. The ship returned to her berthing, Pier 1 of the Charlestown Navy Yard, at 1 p.m. Constitution is the world’s oldest com-


Maine Fishermen’s Forum Announces


Two $5,000 Scholarships from Anonymous Donor A $10,000 donation from a fi sherman who wishes to remain anonymous has been received


by the Maine Fishermen’s Forum. His generous gift kicks off the 2018 Forum Scholarship opportunities for students from Maine fi shing families. Candidates can apply now for a chance at a scholarship. To qualify, students must be enrolled in at least their second year of a college program as of September, 2017 and must have an immediate family member actively participating in Maine’s seafood industry. Qualifying students must fi ll out a scholarship application form and send it to PO Box 288,


Bath, ME 04530, along with a transcript or letter of current attendance. Applications must be submitted prior to March 2, 2018. Winners will be announced at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum annual Saturday evening banquet. Please visit the forum website: www.mainefi shermensforum.org, or contact Chilloa Young (207) 442-7700 or by e-mail at Coordinator@mainefi shermensforum.org for more information.


2018 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION


The Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors offers a scholarship fund to benefit immediate family members (son/daughter, or a grandson /granddaughter) or legal dependent of someone actively involved in Maine’s seafood industry, regardless of financial need or academic achievement. Undergraduates attending a two or four year college who are in at least the second year of their programor students who are in at least the second semester of their Certificate Program will be eligible. Applications will be accepted through March 2, 2018. Scholarships will be awarded by a random drawing to be held during the 43rd annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum.


You qualify for the scholarship drawing ONLY IF you check all 4 items below..


Do you qualify? (Check all that apply) 1. __ Are you a sophomore, junior or senior right now? You must be at least a sophomore in college to apply. 2. __ Do you have an immediate family member actively participating in Maine’s seafood industry?


What do you need to apply? (Check all that apply) 3. __ Complete this application and send to the address at the top. 4. __ Provide an official transcript or Registrar’s letter of current standing along with the application.


Please note that previous winners are not eligible.


STUDENT INFORMATION Student Name____________________________________________________________________________________________ Street/Mailing Address_____________________________________________________ Home Phone_____________________ City______________________________ State_____ Zip Code________ Email: _____________________________________ SCHOOL INFORMATION College/University Name_____________________________________________ Expected Year of Graduation: ____________ Location of College _________________________________________________ Your Major __________________________


**School Standing as of Sept 2017 (circle one) Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior


MAINE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY FAMILY MEMBER INFORMATION Name____________________________________________________________ Relationship____________________________ Street/Mailing Address_____________________________________________________ Phone__________________________ City______________________________ State______ Zip Code_________ Email: ___________________________________ Vessel Name or Commercial License Number __________________________________________________________________ Describe participation in the Maine seafood industry_____________________________________________________________


SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- On Oct. 19, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-mis- sile destroyer, Pre-Commissioning Unit Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), will be commis- sioned during a ceremony Saturday, March 24, 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina. Ralph Johnson, commanded by Cmdr.


Jason Patterson, a Chicago native, is the 64th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the 30th DDG 51 class destroyer built by the Hun- tington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard. It is the fi rst warship named for Medal of Honor recipient Marine Pfc. Ralph Henry Johnson. Johnson, a native of Charleston, post-


humously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Johnson used his body to shield two fellow Marines from a grenade, absorbing the blast and dying instantly in March 1968. In early fall of 2014, the keel of Ralph


Johnson was laid down. The ship was launched on Dec. 12, 2015 and christened on April 2, 2016 during ceremonies at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Arleigh Burke (DDG 51 class) class de-


stroyers are highly-capable, multi-mission ships that conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national secu- rity. These DDG’s provide a wide range of warfi ghting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments. The ship’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense ra- dar will provide increased computing power and radar upgrades that improve detection and reaction capabilities against modern air warfare threats, as well as ballistic missile defense. The Aegis Combat System will enable the ship to link radars with other ships and aircraft to provide a composite picture of the battle space, and eff ectively increase the theater space. New ships in this class, such as Ralph Johnson, have anti-ballistic missile capabilities as well. The DDG’s all-steel construction provides a survivable platform. After commissioning in Charleston, she


will make her way to homeport in Everett, Washington.


Underwater Defense: New Ways to Pro- tect Divers in the Deep


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


ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Special op- erations divers like Navy SEALs take on life-threatening risks such as enemy com- batants and harsh environments. But another hazard is silent and unseen-oxygen toxicity, the result of breathing lethal levels of oxygen that occur at depth and pressure. A professor at the University at Buff alo,


State University of New York, is conducting a new type of research that may protect Navy divers from this deadly threat. The Offi ce of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring the work, being carried out by Dr. Blair John- son, who teaches exercise physiology at the University at Buff alo. Oxygen toxicity stems from Navy


divers’ most precious asset-oxygen itself. Breathable air consists primarily of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. While divers


need oxygen to breathe underwater, the ratio of gasses can become hazardous the deeper they plunge. “Recent evidence suggests that hor-


mone levels critical to maintaining breath- ing and heart function drop sharply when someone is immersed underwater,” said Dr. William D’Angelo, who manages ONR’s Undersea Medicine Program. “Dr. John- son’s groundbreaking research will expand on how water immersion triggers oxygen toxicity.”


Special operations divers are especially


vulnerable. They can encounter deadly lev- els of nitrogen and carbon dioxide gasses, requiring a rebreather to mitigate the toxic- ity.


The divers use a closed-circuit rebreath-


er that fi lters out the gasses in such a way that bubbles don’t appear on the water’s surface-useful when trying to avoid detec- tion by adversaries. However, this additional stealth increases how much oxygen the divers breathe and, combined with mission stress and physical exertion, can lead to seizures, convulsions, nausea, dizziness and even coma or death-all symptoms of oxygen toxicity.


Johnson’s research focuses on the hu-


man body’s sympathetic nervous system, which controls the instinctive “fi ght or fl ight” response-a physical reaction to an attack, survival threat or perceived harmful event-in order to maintain proper heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and body tempera- ture.


Johnson and his team built a special wa-


ter-immersion tank in the University at Buf- falo’s Center for Research and Education in Special Environments, where scientists can study simulated extreme environments-like breathing diff erent gas mixtures underwater. During the experiments, which started


this month, volunteers sit in the tank for four hours, with their head and one arm above water. They endure changes in water temperature, and breathe air through a re- breather that contains 100-percent oxygen. Their dry arms are outfi tted with sensors to measure vital signs. Johnson’s research is unique because


his team also sticks acupuncture needle-like microelectrodes directly into nerves-a pro- cess called microneurography. This allows them to measure real-time impulses to muscles, skin and blood vessels-and record reactions to shifts in water temperature as well as breathing high levels of oxygen and other gas mixtures. Johnson’s research is the fi rst to di-


rectly measure sympathetic nerve activity through microneurography-with someone immersed in water and breathing diff erent gas mixtures. Each of his 50 volunteers will participate in up to eight immersion ses- sions. Afterward, Johnson will evaluate the data to come up with potential preventative measures against oxygen toxicity. Warren Duffi e Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.


Navy Releases Collision Report for USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain Collisions


From Navy Offi ce of Information


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy re- leased Nov. 1, a report detailing the events and actions that led to the collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan June 17, and the collision of USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) and mer- chant vessel Alnic MC Aug. 21. “Both of these accidents were prevent-


able and the respective investigations found multiple failures by watch standers that


Continued on Page 22.


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