CBR-765

If the Navy can’t successfully introduce smaller ship classes of ships, why does it think it can succeed with the largest surface combatants since World War II?The Navy has announced a new class of guided missile battleships, the USS Defiant [BBG(X)] or the Trump-class, as the centerpiece of a new “Golden Fleet.”  BBG(X)s would be 840 to 880 feet long and have a full load displacement of more than 35,000 tons.  They would be the largest surface combatants built since World War II, and cost an estimated $17.5 to $22 billion each.  The Navy wants 15 of them.  Because of its size and complexity, Defiant will undoubtedly be more challenging than most new ships the Navy has introduced.

Technology companies and shipyards are vying for attention as the US unmanned navy grows in size and sophistication.No too long ago, US Navy Secretary John Phelan said: “If the last few years of conflict have taught us anything, it is that we will not win the wars of the future with the platforms of the past.” The nation’s ability to deter future conflict or to prevail, if necessary, will benefit from high quantities of low-cost air, surface and subsea unmanned systems. These will be used for close-range reconnaissance or one-way strike missions along with lower numbers of high-cost sophisticated systems with surveillance and/or mid- to long-range strike capability.

Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) and TOTE Services were selected to deliver the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV). TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), and HPSI will build the ships at its Philadelphia shipyard.The MRIV will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively. The selection of a VCM for the MRIV program comes as the federal government sharpens its focus on rebuilding the U.S. maritime industrial base, with shipbuilding capacity now recognized as a major national security priority.

Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels were hit by projectiles of unknown origin on Monday while sailing off the coast of Oman.The re-escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran is again threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian forces target vessels and the U.S. moves to enforce its blockade of the country's ports.Dynacom said Kavomaleas — a Malta-flagged Panamax-sized tanker — was struck by two projectiles, causing a fire in its engine room and forcing its evacuation."After deploying the shipboard fire suppression system, the master made the decision to evacuate the vessel," it said in a statement.

Cadeler has taken delivery of Wind Ace, its 11th offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) and the second of three A-class newbuilds.Built over the past two years at the COSCO Shipping Offshore shipyard in Qidong, China, the vessel was delivered on schedule and within budget, according to Cadeler.Following mobilization, Wind Ace will prepare for deployment on ScottishPower Renewables' 960 MW East Anglia TWO offshore wind farm in the UK, where Cadeler will transport and install both the project's foundations and wind turbines.