Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS June 2018 U. S. N N


(SSBN 739) along with the U.S. Navy's Stra- tegic Systems Programs (SSP) conducted successful test fl ights of two Trident II D5 Missiles, March 26. The unarmed test missiles were


launched as part of Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) 28 in the Pacifi c Test Range off the coast of Southern California. The missiles were launched as a dou-


ble mission test and were the key element of DASO 28, which marked the 166th and 167th successful test fl ights of the Trident II D5 missile since its introduction to the fl eet in 1989. The primary objective of the DASO is to evaluate and demonstrate the readiness of the SSBN's strategic weapon system and crew before operational deployment follow- ing midlife refueling overhaul. SSP, along with Naval Ordnance Test


Unit, oversees the DASO certification process and provides integrated testing and evaluation capabilities, while various other organizations provide support. More than 130 special guests were invited aboard USNS Waters (T-AGS 45), a Military Sea- lift Command (MSC) vessel, to witness the event and learn more about SSP and the DASO process. "The successful completion of DASO


28 was not only an important milestone in USS Nebraska's return to service, but also an important demonstration of the reliable and credible sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent triad," said Capt. Mark Behning, deputy director, SSP. Waters is an MSC vessel that provides


support during the DASO launch as part of its mission. Instrumentation and personnel, such as engineers and scientists, are em- barked aboard Waters to track the submarine and missile throughout the launch process. Capt. Mike Elmstrom, commanding offi cer, Strategic Weapons Facility Pacifi c (SWF- PAC), and his crew took part in the design modifi cations of the D5 missiles and plan- ning the test.


Guests who watched the launch aboard


Waters said it was a once-in-a-lifetime ex- perience. USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) is the 14th


submarine of the Ohio-class of ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), and the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Assigned to Submarine Group 9, Nebraska is one of eight ballistic-missile submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, WA.


Keel Laid for Future USS Daniel Inouye From Team Ships Public Aff airs


BATH, Maine (NNS) -- The keel of future guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel In- ouye (DDG 118) was ceremoniously laid, May 14, at the Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard. Irene Hirano Inouye, the ship's sponsor


and wife of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, was in attendance to authenticate the keel. During the ceremony, authenticators etched their initials into the keel plate to symbol- ically recognize the joining of modular components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship. "We are honored to have Mrs. Hirano


Inouye authenticate the keel of the future USS Daniel Inouye," said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Offi ce (PEO) Ships. "We wish the men and women who sail this exceptionally capable ship the same courageous spirit the late Senator Inouye embodied." The ship's namesake, Daniel Inouye,


served as a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Inouye received the Medal of Honor for his heroism while serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment in Italy during World War II. During an assault April 21, 1945, he lost his right arm but continued to fi ght until the regiment's position was secured. DDG 118 will be built in the Flight


IIA confi guration with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System, which includes Integrated


Air and Missile Defense capability. This system delivers quick reaction time, high fi repower, and increased electronic counter- measures capability for anti-air warfare. These multi-mission surface com-


batants serve as integral assets in global maritime security, engaging in air, undersea, surface, strike and ballistic missile defense, as well as providing increased capabilities in anti-submarine warfare, command and control, and anti-surface warfare. BIW is also currently in production


on future destroyers Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), and Har- vey C. Barnum (DDG 124) - with start of construction on DDG 124 set to ceremo- niously begin later this week - as well as future Zumwalt-class destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). As one of the Defense Department's


largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the develop- ment and procurement of all destroyers, am- phibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft.


NPS Physics Professor's Patent Could Have Signifi cant Applications in Treat- ment of Cancer By Matthew Schehl


MONTEREY, Calif. (NNS) -- A Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) applied physics associate professor has just been awarded a patent that could potentially revolutionize the treatment of cancer. Dr. Emil Kartalov received the patent,


March 20, for work he did at the University of Southern California (USC) to use a bio- chemical method - microfl uidics - to mark the DNA of mutated cancer cells. "In other words, it's like taking a tiny


little pencil to write down the coordinates on the exact piece of DNA so that it can later be analyzed," Kartalov explained. "We can tell how many of them there are and where they came from by these coordinates, and suddenly we have an enormous amount of information to work with." Time is a critical component in fi ghting


cancer, and Kartalov says this process can dramatically reduce the gap between initial diagnosis and successful treatment. Currently, targeted therapies are quite


eff ective at decimating cancerous cell popu- lations. The problem, however, is that nature always fi nds a way ... 99 percent might be eradicated, but that remaining one percent can lead to a resurgence which overwhelms the patient. "The few mutants that are resistant have


DISCOUNT POWER TOOLS CORDED POWER TOOLS CORDLESS POWER TOOLS FUELED POWER TOOLS PNEUMATIC POWER TOOLS FASTENERS HAND TOOLS


MATERIAL HANDLING


POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES SAFETY SUPPLIES WELDING SUPPLIES


found a way around [the targeted therapy], they've short-circuited it somehow," said Kartalov. "Suddenly those guys are going to repopulate and they potentially can kill the patient.


Oncologists often chalk this up to


'acquired resistance,' but Kartalov says the resistance was already there. Mutations will always exist for any given population; the key is being able to identify them. Studying DNA sequences is the easy


part ... Since the 1980s, a process known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has been available to effi ciently make copies, like a Xerox machine, of focused segments of DNA. The diffi culty comes in when in- correct DNA gets amplifi ed through the PCR process.


"Essentially, you are trying to see only


a particular page of a book, but the Xerox machine can fail and instead start copying the rest of the book," Kartalov explained. "Then you miss the critical page." Kartalov's patent circumvents this.


Instead of replicating an entire sample, it compartmentalizes it into little volumes, al- lowing reactions to be done for each. Using


microfl uidics, coordinates are assigned to each tiny chunk so that they can be isolated and studied in turn. "Now, when you amplify the sample,


you only compete with another hundred cells rather than a hundred thousand cells," he said. "You're tilting the playing fi eld in your favor so that you can identify the par- ticular mutation much more easily." Being able to identify how many mu-


tations exist, and where they are, opens the door to a wealth of information on how the disease changes and adapts in the individual patient.


Interesting questions on this morphol-


ogy can now be addressed. What is the con- currence of diff erent mutations and where do they happen? Do they happen only in the cancer or in normal tissue? The answers to these questions and


others means more effi ciently tailored treat- ment.


"So instead of the patient being a guinea


pig, you already know which drugs are going to work and which ones are not going to work," said Kartalov. Kartalov fi led the patent a number of


years ago while an assistant professor at USC. In 2016, he came to NPS and be- came a civil servant, thus precluding any involvement in commercial development of the technology due to potential confl ict of interest. Others will take up the ideas of the patent and move the ball forward, and Kar- talov has turned to integrating his biotech background into interdisciplinary endeavors with military applications. He currently is developing insulation


for next-generation divers' suits with greater endurance and less susceptibility to hypo- thermia. On the horizon are exoskeletal suits enabling great strength and endurance to service members, not unlike Marvel Comics' Iron Man. When asked about the personal signif-


icance of his latest patent, Kartalov smiled and quoted Horace, "Exegi monumentum aere perennius," which translates to, "I have made a monument more lasting than bronze."


PCU Hyman G. Rickover Celebrates Construction Milestone


From Team Submarine Public Aff airs QUONSET POINT, Rhode Island (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy held a keel laying ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine Pre-Com- missioning Unit Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795) at General Dynamics Electric Boat, May 11. The initials of the submarine's sponsor, Darleen Greenert, were welded onto a steel plate that will be permanently affi xed to the submarine. She is the wife of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert (retired). Adm. Frank Caldwell, Jr., director of


the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, stated, "Adm. Rickover's gift to our Nation's defense - safe, reliable and militarily supe- rior naval nuclear propulsion - is as vital to our warfi ghting edge today as it was at the beginning of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program 70 years ago. The U.S. Navy and our nation are proud to honor his achieve- ments and legacy with this submarine." The submarine began construction on


Sept. 30, 2015, and is on track to continue the Virginia-class program's trend of delivering quality submarines within budget and ready for tasking by the fl eet. This will be the second submarine to be


named after Adm. Hyman G. Rickover to honor the pioneer of the nuclear Navy. The fi rst submarine named for the admiral was the Los Angeles-Class submarine USS Hy-


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