Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2018 U. S. N N


Navy Lays Keel of Future Littoral Combat Ship Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21)


From NAVSEA Offi ce of Corporate Com- munication


MARINETTE, Wis. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Minneapo- lis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) in Marinette, Wis- consin, Feb. 22. The initials of the ship's sponsor, Jodi


Greene, were welded onto a keel plate that will be permanently affi xed to the ship. While the keel laying has traditionally rep- resented the formal start of a ship's construc- tion, advanced modular shipbuilding allows fabrication of the ship to begin months in advance. Today, the keel laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship's components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship. "The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and


Saint Paul have a strong bond with the Navy. This littoral combat ship (LCS) will be the second ship to bear the cities' name and will reaffi rm that bond," said Capt. Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. "We are honored to lay the keel of a ship which will protect our freedom and keep us safe as our Sailors operate her on the world's seas." The ship is being built by an industry


team led by Lockheed Martin at Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette. The future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul will be approximately 388 feet in length and have a width of nearly 58 feet. LCS is a modular, reconfi gurable ship


designed to meet validated fl eet require- ments for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures mis- sions in the littoral region. An interchange- able mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weap- ons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint forces access to critical theaters.


Program Executive Office Littoral


Combat Ships is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities to the fl eet.


Historic First: F35B Lands on Wasp, Launching Era of Increased Navy-Ma- rine Corps Sea-based Capabilities in Indo-Pacifi c


From Amphibious Force 7th Fleet Public Aff airs


EAST CHINA SEA (NNS) -- A detachment of F-35B Lightning II's with Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) arrived aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) March 5, marking the fi rst time the aircraft has deployed aboard a U.S. Navy ship and with a Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Indo-Pacifi c. The F-35B, assigned under the Oki-


nawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, will provide a robust set of sea-based capabilities that will enhance Navy-Marine Corps expeditionary operations. The aircraft is equally capable of conducting precision strikes inland, supporting Marines inserted ashore or providing air defense for the Ex- peditionary Strike Group. "Pairing F-35B Lightning II's with the


Wasp represents one of the most signifi - cant leaps in warfi ghting capability for the Navy-Marine Corps team in our lifetime," said Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "This 5th generation stealth jet is extremely versatile and will greatly enhance and expand our operational capabilities." VMFA-121 Pilots are scheduled to


conduct a series of qualifi cation fl ights on Wasp over a multi-day period. Following qualifi cations, the F-35B's and 2,300 Ma- rines that make up the 31st MEU will deploy aboard ships of the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group for follow-on operations in the Indo-Pacifi c region as part of a routine patrol to strengthen regional alliances, provide rapid-response capability and advance the 'Up-Gunned ESG' concept. The 'Up-gunned ESG' is a U.S. Pacif-


ic-fl eet initiated concept that aims to provide lethality and survivability to a traditional three-ship amphibious ready group by in- tegrating multi-mission surface combatants and F-35B into amphibious operations. By adding these enabling capabilities, the am- phibious force can more eff ectively defend against adversarial threats in the undersea, surface and air domains, as well provide off ensive fi repower to strike from the sea. The 31st MEU is the only forward-de-


ployed MEU in the region. The F-35B serves as one airframe within a multitude of air capabilities of the MEU's Air Combat Element. Air, ground and logistics forces make up the MEU's Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), a composite of capa- bilities that allow the MEU, in partnership with Navy amphibious ships, to conduct a wide-range of missions from crisis response to disaster relief. "This is a historic deployment," said


Col. Tye R. Wallace, 31st MEU Command- ing Offi cer. "The F-35B is the most capable aircraft ever to support a Marine rifl eman on the ground. It brings a range of new ca- pabilities to the MEU that make us a more lethal and eff ective Marine Air-Ground Task Force."


Multi-mission guided-missile destroy-


ers USS Dewey (DDG 105), with embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 "Magicians," and USS Sterett (DDG 104), with embarked Helicopter Mar- itime Strike Squadron 49 "Scorpions," are scheduled to support a range of operations and training with the Wasp Expeditionary Strike Group for varying stretches during the patrol. The arrival of the F-35B culminates


testing and shipboard structural modifi ca- tions on Wasp that began in 2013. Wasp completed an overhaul in 2017 and subse- quently departed Norfolk to forward-deploy to Sasebo, Japan, as part of a Department of Defense eff ort to place the most advanced capabilities in the Indo-Pacifi c. "Deployment of the versatile F-35B en-


hances the full range of Expeditionary Strike Group capabilities with one of the world's most technologically-advanced air warfare platforms," said Capt. Colby Howard, Wasp commanding offi cer. "With the specifi c up- grades Wasp has received, the Navy Marine Corps team in the Pacifi c is better positioned than ever before to support our commitment to the security of Japan and the Region." The Wasp ESG is on a routine patrol in


the Indo-Pacifi c, providing U.S. 7th Fleet a rapid-response capability in the event of a contingency and working with partners and allies to increase combined capacity for regional security. Seventh Fleet, which celebrates its 75th


year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers--stretching from the In-


W. Boatworks. “At the end of the day, it was very rewarding,” said Ben. Then it was back to the shop and getting


the offi ce set up and learn more about how things are done in the shop and why. He also put up a Facebook page and was looking at making changes to the website. With the website he thought he would like to add some product demonstration videos. He ex- plained, “Do a more in depth breakdown of what each product does, what the benefi ts of it are, why you need this particular product to solve this particular problem and how it will benefi t you. There will defi nitely be some improvements or enhancements as far as our digital marketing campaign goes.” Ben was born in Bar Harbor, grew up


in Trenton, went to Mount Desert High School and graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1999. One side of his family is from Franklin and the other is from Steuben. His father graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in 1968 and was a ship captain with Texaco and on a cruise ship for about 20 years. Then in the mid-1980s he became captain of the KATAHDIN on Moosehead Lake for a year before becoming captain of


the Swan’s Island ferry for 26 years. His great great grandfather Walter Lee Holland sailed out of Steuben on schooners, one of which was the EDITH NUTE in the late 1800s early 1900s. The maritime profession was not Ben’s


fi rst choice when he was in high school, he wanted to be a golf pro. “I was originally go- ing to become a golf teaching professional,” added Ben. “Up until probably my junior year I knew I would never be good enough to play any type of competitive professional golf and make a career out of it, but I really like the game and I really like the idea or of teaching and becoming a manager at a golf course. Finally at the last minute I had some discussions with my parents and just talking to other people I said well, I could do that or I could go to Maine Maritime Academy and get a good job out of school and have plenty of time off to play golf. That is what I did and the more I committed to the industry the more I came to enjoy it. For 19 years I was sailing as captain on a 850 foot ship in the Gulf of Mexico, and it was pretty cool.” Ron still has some items he would like to see added to the line of marine hardware and Ben is in agreement. Ron said, “We have got similar things on the market, but much


EAST CHINA SEA (March 5, 2018) An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 touches down on the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) as a second F-35B makes its approach, marking the fi rst time the aircraft has deployed aboard a U.S. Navy ship and with a Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Indo-Pacifi c region. VFMFA-121, assigned under the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, will remain embarked aboard Wasp for a regional patrol meant to strengthen regional alliances, provide rap- id-response capability, and advance the Up- Gunned ESG concept. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes/Released)


ternational Date Line to the India/Pakistan border and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation en-


compasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world's population with be- tween 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th fl eet.


Nimitz Enters Drydock


By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cole Schroeder, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Public Aff airs


NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS


Continued on Page 22.


B D P R. E. T Continued from Page 5.


the same. I like to make stuff simple. If things have got 42 moving parts out on the ocean it is usually not a good thing. So how can we do this job that makes it number one safer and number two aff ordable. You try to make them just as full proof simple and rugged as you can.” So watch for a new product or two in


the future. Ron is going to do more history saying,


“Well the old-timers that came before us did a hell of a job with nothing. It interests me in what they did but it also interests me to help preserve what they did so other people 100 years from now can see because it's going to be more of a shock to them than it was to me.”


Karen is off to help the animals. Ron


added, “She usually has anywhere from 4 to 14 cats around the house that don't belong to us. We built apartment and ever since we got it done it is fi lled with cats or dogs, but we enjoy it.” They both want to tour the country a bit.


“I would like to see the West Coast and we want to take a trip across the northern states,” said Ron. “Maybe come back through Arizo- na and Missouri. We have got our little list, and I really feel good about it!”


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