Tag Archives: Cruiser

Navy Sees No Easy Answer to Balance Future Surface Fleet

Navy Sees No Easy Answer to Balance Future Surface Fleet

USS Spruance (DDG-111) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) line up in a formation prior to a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO-199) on March 12, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – Based on the Navy’s current vision of its future fleet, the service will be too top-heavy in the coming years, having more large combatants than it says it needs and not enough small combatants. But many attractive options exist today to add lethal capabilities to these large combatants and to extend their lives, and fewer options exist to speed the growth of the small combatant fleet, leaving the Navy pondering how best to invest in its surface force, the service’s top requirements officer told USNI News. Read More

Navy: Affordability, Commonality Needed To Address Near, Long-Term Shipbuilding Challenges

Navy: Affordability, Commonality Needed To Address Near, Long-Term Shipbuilding Challenges

The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), front, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), the Republic of Korea navy destroyer ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH 972), and the Ulsan-class frigate ROKS Jeju (FF 958) participate in a joint photo exercise during Foal Eagle 2015. Both the DDGs and LCSs are under construction now but will need replacement programs beginning in the mid-2030s. US Navy photo.

The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), front, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) and USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), the Republic of Korea navy destroyer ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH-972), and the Ulsan-class frigate ROKS Jeju (FF-958) participate in a joint photo exercise during Foal Eagle 2015. Both the DDGs and LCSs are under construction now but will need replacement programs beginning in the mid-2030s. US Navy photo.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy is in the midst of a massive shipbuilding spree, with 65 ships across eight shipyards under contract or in construction today – but maintaining that pace in the short-term and trying to replicate or even accelerate it for the next generation of surface combatants presents the Navy and industry with some serious challenges, officials said. Read More

WEST: Navy Wants Congressional Mandate Preventing Decommissioning Modernized Cruisers

WEST: Navy Wants Congressional Mandate Preventing Decommissioning Modernized Cruisers

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), right, steams alongside USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in November 2015. US Navy photo.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), right, steams alongside USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in November 2015. US Navy photo.

SAN DIEGO — When the Navy once again asked Congress to approve a years-long phased modernization plan for its unmodernized cruisers – a request that has been denied for several years now – service leaders included two provisions to allay lawmakers’ ongoing fears: More than half a billion dollars to fund cruiser operations and modernization and legislation that would force the Navy to return the cruisers to the fleet. Read More

Modernized Cruiser Chancellorsville Leaving for New Homeport in Japan

Modernized Cruiser Chancellorsville Leaving for New Homeport in Japan

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) pulls out of San Diego Harbor for a training exercise in March 2013. US Navy photo.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) pulls out of San Diego Harbor for a training exercise in March 2013. US Navy photo.

The guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) departed San Diego today for its new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan, rejoining the Forward Deployed Naval Forces and bringing an improved anti-air warfare capability to the Asia-Pacific region. Read More

Mabus: Navy Would Sign Contracts Now if Congress Allows Cruiser Phased Modernization

Mabus: Navy Would Sign Contracts Now if Congress Allows Cruiser Phased Modernization

The guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) is underway during ship maneuvering exercises between Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Croatian navy ships in February 2015. US Navy photo.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69) is underway during ship maneuvering exercises between Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Croatian navy ships in February 2015. US Navy photo.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus pushed back against the logic that led the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) to adopt a two-year cruiser modernization schedule, saying there were ways the Navy and Congress could work together to implement the Navy’s preferred phased modernization plan while overcoming the trust issues in Congress. Read More

What the U.S. Navy Could Learn from Danish Frigate Design

What the U.S. Navy Could Learn from Danish Frigate Design

The Danish frigate, Iver Huitfeldt (F-361). Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

The Danish frigate, Iver Huitfeldt (F-361). Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

As the U.S. Navy’s requirements and engineering communities look at upcoming ship classes and attempt to build in flexibility, they first need to decide what it means to be a “flexible ship” and how much to prioritize that flexibility, one admiral said.
Read More