USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79)

Navy, Coast Guard Wrap Chinese Spy Balloon Recovery off South Carolina

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.– Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb. 10, 2023. US Navy Photo

The Navy and Coast Guard have finished collecting the remnants of a Chinese high altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina, U.S. Northern Command announced Friday.

“Recovery operations concluded Feb. 16 off the coast of South Carolina,...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/17/navy-coast-guard-wrap-chinese-spy-balloon-recovery-off-south-carolina

USS Carter Hall Heading Back to Virginia as Rough Seas Anticipated in Chinese Spy Balloon Search

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 conduct pre-dive checks during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. US Navy Photo

The amphibious warship that has served as the nerve center for the recovery of the remains of a Chinese spy balloon is headed back to port to drop off what divers have recovered, a defense official confirmed to USNI News.

On Thursday, USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) was bound for its homeport at Joint Expeditionary Base...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/09/uss-carter-hall-heading-back-to-virginia-as-rough-seas-anticipated-in-chinese-spy-balloon-search

Navy Contracted Salvage Ship Underway to Collect Chinese Spy Balloon Remains

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. US Navy Photo

A contracted offshore supply vessel left Virginia bound for the crash site of the Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, USNI News has learned.

HOS Rosebud departed from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va., Wednesday afternoon, according to ship spotters. Defense officials confirmed to USNI...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/08/navy-contracted-salvage-ship-underway-to-collect-chinese-spy-balloon-remains

Navy Underwater Robots, Divers Searching for Remains of Chinese Spy Balloon; Salvage Ship Set to Deploy from Little Creek for Recovery

USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS-60) in 2016. US Navy Photo

A U.S. amphibious warship, explosive and ordnance divers and underwater robots are off the coast of South Carolina surveying about a square mile off the Atlantic Ocean for the remains of a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon a U.S. fighter shot down on Saturday, defense officials told reporters on Monday.

USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 2, USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS-60) and an unidentified tug are off the coast of...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/06/navy-underwater-robots-divers-searching-for-remains-of-chinese-spy-balloon-salvage-ship-set-to-deploy-from-little-creek-for-recovery

3 Navy Warships, FBI Now Hunting for Wreckage of Chinese Spy Balloon off South Carolina

Video stills of the Chinese Spy Balloon after it was hit with an AIM-9X anti-air missile fired from a F-22 Raptor on Feb. 4, 2023.

A trio of Navy warships, service divers and the FBI are on the hunt for the wreckage of a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that was shot down on Saturday by an Air Force F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina, Defense Department officials told reporters Saturday.

“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/04/3-navy-warships-fbi-now-hunting-for-wreckage-of-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina

NAVSEA: Cruiser Modernization Delays Biggest Hurdle to On-Time Maintenance

USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) transits the Atlantic Ocean in 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy continues to make improvements on its overall ship maintenance performance, but the cruisers undergoing modernization overhauls are running behind schedule and contributing to expected delays this fiscal year, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command told reporters today.

Vice Adm. Bill Galinis said in a Defense Writers Group event Thursday that “overall we absolutely made significant improvement in [Fiscal Year...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/navsea-cruiser-modernization-delays-biggest-hurdle-to-on-time-maintenance

Warships in Maintenance Always Face Increased Risk for Fire Damage

Fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) at Naval Base San Diego on July 12, 2020. US Navy Photo

Fires are a constant worry for any ship, and every sailor is taught from their earliest days in the service that damage control is everyone’s responsibility. However, that responsibility becomes more complex when a ship is in maintenance. Fewer sailors are typically aboard, and opportunities are greater to spark a fire from welding or other hot work.

The relationship between where the fire started on...

https://news.usni.org/2020/07/13/warships-in-maintenance-always-face-increased-risk-for-fire-damage

Fire-Stricken USS Iwo Jima Conducts Sea Trials; Investigation into Cause, Damage Assessment Ongoing

USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is currently homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. May 30, 2019. US Navy Photo

A month after a fire in a hazardous material space injured 11 sailors, amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) returned to sea last week after completing a maintenance availability at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Navy officials confirmed to USNI News.

The damage from the fire that occurred in the bowels of the ship and burned for five hours “did not impact the ship’s ability to get...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/23/fire-stricken-uss-iwo-jima-conducts-sea-trials-investigation-into-cause-damage-assessment-ongoing

Russia’s Only Aircraft Carrier Burning After Welding Mishap, At Least 1 Dead

A fire has broken out aboard the Project 11435 aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov of the Russian Northern Fleet. Admiral Kuznetsov is the largest and only aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy on Dec. 12, 2019. TASS Photo

One person was killed and about a dozen injured when Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov caught fire at a Murmansk shipyard renovating the warship, international media outlets have reported.

A source told the Russian government-owned TASS news agency that one body was...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/12/russias-only-aircraft-carrier-burning-after-welding-mishap-at-least-1-dead

11 Sailors Injured in 5 Hour Fire Aboard Amphib USS Iwo Jima; 3rd Warship Damaged in Fire During Maintenance in Last Year

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) transits the Alvund Fjord, Oct. 31, 2018. Iwo Jima is currently underway participating in Trident Juncture 2018. US Navy photo.

Eleven sailors suffered minor injuries during a fire that broke out late Thursday aboard the amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), Navy officials told USNI News.

“Sailors on board reported smoke in a cargo hold and a subsequent damage control investigation identified the fire and confirmed the fire had not...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/15/11-sailors-injured-in-5-hour-fire-aboard-amphib-uss-iwo-jima-3rd-warship-damaged-in-fire-during-maintenance-in-last-year

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