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The U.S. Navy is facing challenges in getting ships to sea to meet the demands of its operational commanders, according to the San Diego-based admiral who took the reins of the service’s surface forces last year. But Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener said Thursday he is encouraged by recent improvements.
Problems with the Navy’s littoral combat ships, faulty new technology and the loss of the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard to fire in San Diego last year have stressed a fleet already under scrutiny in the wake of two deadly ship collisions in 2017.
“We’re still not meeting goals,” said Kitchener, the commander of Naval Surface Forces, about the push-and-pull between the demands of operations and the needs of ships to undergo maintenance in port. “It’s something we need to continue to work on.”
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Firefighters combat a blaze aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, July 14, 2020. (Jessica Paulauskas/U.S. Navy)
The Navy has hired a cadre of fire marshals to evaluate firefighting training and protocols in ports and shipyards in response to the devastating fire last year aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, the commander of Naval Surface Forces said Thursday.
“They re out there, ensuring that the waterfront maintenance people, along with the private contractor, and the ship s crew are doing their proper safety inspection,” Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener said during a conference call with reporters.
The amphibious assault ship was undergoing maintenance at Naval Base San Diego when it caught fire July 12, 2020. The blaze seared through 11 of the ship’s 14 decks, destroyed its forward mast and damaged the superstructure before being put out four days later.
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Published July 19. 2021 12:05AM
Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO In the four years since two deadly ship collisions rocked the U.S. Navy, the service has been looking for ways to address problems in the fleet that its own investigators said contributed to the deaths of 17 sailors.
Former senior Navy officials have said their warnings about poor maintenance, shoddy technology and a relentless pace of ship deployments went unheeded for years before the 2017 collisions of the guided-missile destroyers Fitzgerald and McCain with container ships, just weeks apart.
Now the Navy is trying to address some of those issues with a new 130,000 square-foot surface ship training center on Naval Base San Diego. The center, the first of two that are planned, is preparing to graduate its first class of surface warfare officers. The $40 million Mariner Skills Training Center Pacific will be fully up and running by the end of the year, according to the center’s commanding office
Hugs, kisses, cheers and seven new babies greeted the officers and crew of the USS Thomas Hudner on Saturday as they returned home to Naval Station Mayport from the ship s maiden deployment
The Thomas Hudner was the first of a trio of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers scheduled to arrive over three days at the Navy base.
Shavon Echols drove from Athens, Ga., to welcome home her daughter, Shatoya Echols, a culinary specialist returning from her third deployment since joining the Navy in 2008.
Echols and her sister Yvette Mathis held up a homemade brightly colored banner reading Welcome Home We Missed You, Shatoya!!! that was decorated with a hand-drawn house. The sign was made by Mathis young daughter who stayed up till 2 a.m. to finish it, Echols said.