Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. –
The Navy oiler – a tanker designed to refuel other ships while at sea – shuddered from the hit. Almost immediately, water began to flood into the engine room and at least one of the ship’s rudders was out of service. The damage and flow of water proved challenging for the crew. As the only US Navy fuel ship in the area capable of supporting a carrier strike group came to a stop, the vulnerability of the thin lifeline of American afloat logistics became apparent. How would an entire carrier strike group remain operational without fuel for its planes and escorts? With one stroke, the hitting power of a substantial portion of the U.S. Navy was reduced.
For Want of an Oiler: The Fragile State of America’s Afloat Logistics Fleet
Tag: US Pacific Fleet
China Ignorance on the Hill
As the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing drew on, the claims about China grew more and more unhinged, writes Megan Russell.
Notes:
Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission + Notes
It was the Philippines that rammed the CCG!* US-funded Rappler** doesn’t mention the other soldiers who were injured.
Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission
Meanwhile, a Philippine government release from the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea stated that ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy, China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia performed “dangerous maneuvers.” However, there is no mention of injury to Philippine personnel in the release. The statement also claimed that Chinese forces rammed and towed Philippine vessels, although it’s unclear to what extent the latter occurred during the incident. This is the first reported instance of China towing – defined as pulling, pushing or hauling – Philippine vessels in their South China Sea disputes.
Related:
Read More »Manila’s persistent claimjumping efforts display the extent of its avariciousness
Manila’s persistent claimjumping efforts display the extent of its avariciousness
The latest incident in the waters adjacent to China’s Ren’ai Reef [AKA Second Thomas Shoal], in which there was slight collision when an illegally intruding Philippine supply ship dangerously approached a China Coast Guard vessel, is the latest in a series of risky encounters between Chinese law enforcement vessels and Philippine vessels near Ren’ai Reef in recent months due to the Philippines’ brazen land-grabbing antics.
Such incidents have occurred with increasing frequency as the Philippines has stepped up its efforts to ship construction materials to an aging warship it deliberately ran aground on the reef so it can make it a permanent facility, thus driving in its stake to claim the reef as its territory.
…
With new procedures coming into effect on June 15, the China Coast Guard will be equipped with more forceful legal measures to enforce maritime law and advance China’s maritime legal governance in its territorial waters, including detaining foreign ships that have illegally entered China’s waters.
Related:
China and Philippines Quarrel over South China Sea Collision
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned China’s “aggressive, dangerous” maneuvers in a post on X, saying the collision had “caused bodily injury.”
…
In response, the Philippine coastguard said on Monday it has ordered the deployment of two vessels to patrol and ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal – a second flashpoint about 640 km (345 nautical miles) away from Second Thomas Shoal.
Separately, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement it had concluded a two-day joint maritime exercise with the militaries of Canada, Japan, and the Philippines’ within Manila’s EEZ in the South China Sea.
[2021] Littoral Combat Ships for Maritime COIN
The LCS has just what the Navy needs to defend freedom of the seas in the first island chain.
Littoral Combat Ships for Maritime COIN
Previously:
Littoral Combat Ship Still Fighting to Prove Its Worth
Bringing Vietnamese Counterinsurgency To The Philippines And South China Sea (Part I) – Analysis
Littoral Combat Ship Still Fighting to Prove Its Worth
The Littoral Combat Ship was meant to start the Navy’s operational renaissance. But a chorus of naysayers and critics have put service leaders on the defensive, insisting that the troubled program has turned a corner.
Littoral Combat Ship Still Fighting to Prove Its Worth
They’ve increased the crew size and have been training them to maintain the ships themselves rather than relying on the original contractors.
Related:
The Littoral Combat Ship: How We Got Here, and Why (PDF)
USNI Proceedings Podcast – Littoral Combat Ships: How the Navy is Employing Them (Ted LeClair, Marc Crawford, Mark Haney)
Previously:
The Inside Story of How the Navy Spent Billions on the “Little Crappy Ship”
The Navy just launched a brand new ship it doesn’t even want
New SWOBOSS Wants More Directed Energy Weapons on Warships as Low-Cost Threats Expand
ARLINGTON, Va. – The new head of Naval Surfaces Force wants to accelerate the installation of directed energy weapons on surface warships, as the Navy grapples with low-cost, long-range attack drones proliferating widely in places like the busy commercial shipping lanes of the Middle East.
New SWOBOSS Wants More Directed Energy Weapons on Warships as Low-Cost Threats Expand
None of the 14 Navy Officers Named in Red Hill Toxic Fuel Spill Disaster Were Fired, Suspended, Had Pay Docked or Reduced in Rank
Almost two years after the Navy’s massive jet fuel spill from the 80-year-old Red Hill underground fuel tank facility and one month before the October 16, 2023 defueling begins of the 104 million gallons remaining in 14 of the 20 massive fuel tanks, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has finally held 14 Navy officials “accountable” for the Red Hill disaster, but he did not fire, suspend, dock the pay or reduce the rank of any of the 14 for the toxic contamination of the drinking water of 93,000 and the pollution in the aquifer for the city of Honolulu!!!!
None of the 14 Navy Officers Named in Red Hill Toxic Fuel Spill Disaster Were Fired, Suspended, Had Pay Docked or Reduced in Rank
Related:
WATCH: Fuel Spewed ‘Full Blast’ Into Red Hill Tunnel In November
The Inside Story of How the Navy Spent Billions on the “Little Crappy Ship”
Littoral combat ships were supposed to launch the Navy into the future. Instead they broke down across the globe and many of their weapons never worked. Now the Navy is getting rid of them. One is less than five years old.
The Inside Story of How the Navy Spent Billions on the “Little Crappy Ship”
Updated: US Navy mistakenly celebrates Independence Day with Russian Twitter graphic
A Twitter post from the US Pacific Fleet celebrating American Independence Day has backfired after a graphic shared by the account appeared to show a Russian jet and ship.
US Navy mistakenly celebrates Independence Day with Russian Twitter graphic
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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