Category Archives: US Navy

Shiloh gone as Ticos, and Civil War namesakes, fade away

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The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) was honored in her homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam with a formal decommissioning ceremony yesterday, marking 34 years of continued service at sea and a revered naval legacy.

U.S. Navy Chief Interior Communications Electrician Deja Washington, assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), left and led the crew in disembarking Shiloh for the final time at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Sept. 30, 2026. Shiloh was decommissioned after 34 years of continuous service. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire M. Alfaro)

With Shiloh’s inactivation, that only leaves five of 27 completed Ticos in the fleet: USS Princeton, Robert Smalls (ex-Chancellorsville), Gettysburg, Chosin, and Cape St. George.

All of these are scheduled to retire in the next few years.

Speaking of which, check out this sad batch of Ticonderogas awaiting disposition on “Red Lead Row,” the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) in Philadelphia, image taken on September 20th, 2026.

They include

  • USS Monterey (CG 61)
  • USS San Jacinto (CG 56)
  • USS Hue City (CG 66)
  • USS Anzio (CG 68)
  • USS Vella Gulf (CG 72)
  • USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55)
  • USS Philippine Sea (CG 58)
  • USS Normandy (CG 60)
  • USS Vicksburg (CG 69)

Done with Civil War names?

The U.S. Navy of the late Cold War was replete with Civil War references, from battle names to the fighting men who fought there —on both sides. The Ticos alone had USS Vicksburg and Antietam, along with the aforementioned Shiloh, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Even sub-tenders were involved in the act (Dixon and Hunley). The Fig-7s took a break from 1812 and WWII heroes to name one for a Confederate officer (Capt. Duncan Ingraham, defender of Charleston Harbor).

Now, with Shiloh gone, we have Gettysburg and Smalls remaining; the latter is named for a Civil War-era figure who went over to the North with the CSS Planter, then later served as a pilot for the Union fleet, including the ironclad USS Keokuk, during the Second Battle of Fort Sumter.

Of the great Union admirals and heroes, just two names endure, both on destroyers:

Admiral David “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Farragut, commander of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron famous for forcing Mobile Bay, is on the fifth torpedo-carrying vessel to have his name: USS Farragut (DDG 99)

Farragut, a Goula Boy, has long had a banner across from the Jackson County Courthouse.

USS Farragut’s quarterdeck while in Mobile for Mardi Gras 2026 earlier this year, by Chris Eger

RADM David Dixon Porter, commander of the Mississippi Squadron, which handed Vicksburg to Grant, and later the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which took Fort Fisher. As with his adoptive brother. Farragut is also on his fifth torpedo-carrying vessel, USS Porter (DDG 78).

Both Admiral Farragut and Porter, brothers, were remembered on a joint postal stamp along with their closely associated flagships– including Powhatan

USS Porter (DDG 78) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Juan Sua/Released) 200329-N-CR843-0264 

These storied names are gone from the fleet:

RADM John A. Dahlgren, the “Father of American Naval Ordnance” and later commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which met Sherman in Savannah without destroying it. He had three TBs and DD/DDGs named for him, the last decommissioned in 1992.

RADM Louis M. Goldsborough, who gave Burnside Roanoke Island, closing the coast of North Carolina. As with Dahlgren, he had a TB, a DD, and a DDG named in his honor; the last was decommissioned in 1993.

RADM Samuel Phillips Lee, Robert E. Lee’s cousin, commanded both the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and the Mississippi Squadron at times; a destroyer (DD 310) and a research vessel (T-AGS-31) were named after him, with the latter leaving service in 1974.

RADM John Ancrum Winslow, who bested the commerce raider CSS Alabama off the French coast from the helm of the USS Kearsarge, later commanded the Pacific Squadron and had only two ships named after him. The last, DD-53, was paid off in 1922. Alabama’s pirate leader, Raphael Semmes, had two as well; the last was decommissioned only in 1992.

Capt. John A. Winslow (3rd from left) and officers on board the U.S.S. Kearsarge after sinking the C.S.S. Alabama, 1864

RADM John Marston, who cut his teeth on USS Constitution during the War of 1812, sailed with Perry to China, and commanded the USS Roanoke at the Battle of Hampton Roads– where he ordered the unproven USS Monitor to enter the battle against CSS Virginia— was described as “one of the most efficient officers of the United States Navy during the Civil War,” but he has never had a ship named for him.

RADM John Lorimer Worden, who commanded Monitor at Hampton Roads, then went on post-war to lead the European Squadron, became the first president of the USNI, and superintendent of Annapolis (where his Tiffany sword hangs), had four vessels named for him (DD 16, DD 288, DD 352, and CG 18), the last decommissioned in 1993.

Commodore William D. “Dirty Bill” Porter, David Porter’s (and by extension Farragut’s) brother who ably commanded the USS Essex during the war, has only ever had one ship named for him, an unlucky Fletcher-class destroyer.

As a sort of consolation prize, Admiral George Dewey (USNA 1858), before he became famous at Manila Bay against the Spanish, served as executive lieutenant on USS Mississippi, a steam paddle frigate assigned to the Union West Gulf Blockading Squadron during the Civil War. Currently a Burke, DDG-105, the third destroyer to carry his name, continues his legacy.

At least for now, anyway.

HST out, JFK (almost) in

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With a $20 billion outlay of taxpayer dollars this week, the Navy is getting two flattops, kinda.

This week, the service issued a big-fat Refueling and Complex Overhaul award to HII in Newport News for USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was built at Newport News over 54 months, from November 1993 to June 1998, for $4.5B at the time.

Her RCOH, which will give her another 25-30 years of life, is expected to run (at least) 48 months until November 2031 and cost just under $5.2B.

Per DOD

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $5,099,973,132 fixed-ceiling incentive contract for the accomplishment of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) refueling and complex overhaul. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $5,183,380,744. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia and is expected to be completed by November 2031.Fiscal 2026 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $547,826,087 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1), this contract was not competitively procured. Only one responsible source, Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, has the knowledge, experience, and facilities required to accomplish this without an unacceptable disruption of Navy-wide overhaul and repair schedule. Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-26-C-2175).

JFK, inbound

Also this week, HII announced that it had achieved preliminary acceptance of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Ford-class carrier, and, so far, has cost $13.2B.

Preliminary acceptance, the final step before formal delivery to the U.S. Navy, allows the Navy to begin underway test and evaluation of Kennedy’s unique systems and for the crew to gain operational proficiency. CVN 79 successfully completed acceptance trials in August.

JFK is expected to commission in March 2027.

Where are the other carriers?

The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group with CVW-11 aboard just got underway from the West Coast, bound for the Middle East, replacing her sister, the exhausted Abraham Lincoln, which has been underway for over 300 days.

USS George H.W. Bush and sister USS George Washington remain in and around the 5th Fleet’s AOR, conducting operations against Iran.

USS Carl Vinson is in San Diego and just completed her eight-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in July. Expect her to deploy soon.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) is working up along the Virginia Coast, and recently lost a VAQ-130 Growler but not its crew.

Nimitz, the grand old lady, has officially finished her last cruise but is still “around” for training tasks out of Norfolk as she heads towards deactivation. Expect her to remain loosely available but running on two angry electrons duct-taped inside her reactors until JFK commissions.

Offline: 

USS Ronald Reagan is wrapping up a major 18-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) maintenance period at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where she has been since last Spring.

USS Gerald R. Ford, suffering from a brutal deployment and a fire that was apparently bigger than anyone knew, just started her own at least eight-month PIA at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

USS John C. Stennis is still mired in her RCOH at Newport News, which she started back in May 2021. Her expected redelivery is targeted for late 2026 / early 2027.

A South of the Border Option for the Marine Rocket Batteries?

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Polo in the Pacific, which crossed over Baja California, the Mexican Navy has dispatched a relief force to include the 2,933-strong Brigadas de Respuesta a Emergencias and the camouflaged Buque de Apoyo Logístico (Logistics Support Vessel) ARM Isla Tiburon (BAL-01), complete with an Fuerza AeroNaval Mil Mi-8 “Hip” aboard, of which the service owns 22.

Thus:

While she looks like a WWII-era LST, Isla Tiburon and her sister, ARM Isla Holbox (BAL-02), are fairly new, built in 2010-13 at ASTIMAR in Oaxaca.

At 3,600 tons and 327 feet overall, they are the largest Mexican Navy ships built domestically.

Powered by twin 1,750 BHP diesels, they can make 12 knots and remain underway for 60 days. Carrying two LCVPs in addition to a bow ramp for beach landings, they have a large central helipad for a decent-sized helo or two (see previously mentioned 12-ton Hip).

They have an 80-man crew and sufficient weight and space to carry five WWII-vintage 40mm L60 Bofors for self-defense.

Note the LCVPs alongside her stern and her bow ramp in a very shallow sand beachline, along with three helos on deck. 

The country has a long history with LSTs, having acquired three LST-542/LST-491-class ships (ex-USS Park County, Clearwater County, and Megara) from the U.S. surplus in the early 1970s, which they operated for 30 years. They still run two 1970s-vintage Newport-class LSTs they picked up in 2003: ARM Rio Papaloapan (A 411), ex-USS Newport (LST-1179), and ARM Usumacinta (A 412), ex-USS Frederick (LST-1184).

Currently, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with a Dutch (Damen) design for the first of up to 35 very similarly sized LSMs to schlep Marine Littoral Regiments around the Nine-Dash Line in the near future. A program sure to be a boondoggle if NAVSEA has its way, and it historically has.

The Damen LST 100 design, which was picked last December to be the Navy LSM– coming to a shipyard near you

Perhaps a proven design from south of the border could be a better option.

Scratch another Fig-7

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Gaze upon this beautiful new “long hull” Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Klakring (FFG 42) underway on 28 June 1983 during her builder’s trials off Maine prior to commissioning later that August.

Gotta love that “one-armed bandit” launcher on her bow.

Bath Iron Works Corp. photo via National Archives, Identifier 6405085, Navy Assigned Identifier DNSC8605676

The first naval vessel named for famed WWII submarine skipper and Yankee Wolfpack leader RADM Thomas Burton “Burt” Klakring who earned three (3) Navy Crosses and a Silver Star during WWII, the frigate herself made a bit of history, participating in Earnest Will/Prime Chance during the Iran-Iraq War, made 20 overseas deployments, was one of the first ships to vet the MQ-8 FireScout VTOL-UAV at sea, and in seizing 3,850 gallons of liquid cocaine while on JTF-South/4th Fleet tasking in 2013.

Decommissioned and stricken in 2013, she has been in mothballs for the past 13 years and, as part of Op Atlantic Thunder 2026, was expended during a SINKEX on 21 September 2026 by the U.S. and Royal Navy in deep water (+1,000 fathoms) some 150 miles off the coast of the Hebrides in Scotland.

The Flight IIA Burke-class destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) opened the engagement with an SM-6 fired at its maximum (undisclosed) anti-surface range. The 140-pound frag warhead is seen doing a good bit of damage and would probably have been an effective “mission kill” on its own against the 4,000-ton FFG.

The Type 23 (Duke) class frigate HMS Portland (F 79), fresh out of a mid-life LIFEX overhaul, fired a Naval Strike Missile (NSM). Of note, Portland is only the second RN ship to carry NSM.

A Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter launched an MBDA Sea Venom/ANL, the first time the Royal Navy’s new light (275-pound) anti-ship missiles have been fired at a real warship.

USAF F-15E Strike Eagles also struck the target with undisclosed ordnance before the Virginia-class submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) administered the coup de grace with a Mk 48 (or higher?) torpedo.

For this sinking, the UK Defence Journal noted, “Particular interest is placed on uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) able to perform underwater battle damage assessment after the strike.”

Of the 71 FFG-7s completed for the U.S. and allied fleets, 35 are still in service overseas (both Turkey and Taiwan, for instance, have eight apiece), with just five laid up stateside in the NISMF, awaiting disposal.

  • ex-USS Taylor (FFG-50)
  • ex-USS Elrod (FFG-55)
  • ex-USS Simpson (FFG-56) (The final U.S. Navy FFG-7 to decommission)
  • ex-USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)
  • ex-USS Kauffman (FFG-59)

The snuff film of Klakring being taken out, with terrible music, is below from Navy Lookout.

Grab the Joe pot, boys (but never wash the cup)

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A kapok-clad crewman on the Sims-class destroyer USS Wainwright (DD 419) brings coffee to the open bridge during the escort for the ill-fated Arctic Convoy PQ-17, July 1942.

LIFE Magazine Archives – Frank Scherschel Photographer.

LIFE Magazine Archives – Frank Scherschel Photographer.

Various events have been held, called Coffee Day or National Coffee Day, with many of these on or around September 29.

Cups up, gents.

Warlocks hang up their last Orion, Final LANT P-3

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The Lockheed L-188 Electra airliner made its first flight on 6 December 1957, and within two years, a variant pitched to the Navy as an armed maritime patrol aircraft joined it. Soon to be accepted as the P-3 Orion, the first of 757 production models rolled off the assembly line in April 1961. Ironically, just 170 Electras were made, with its military sister much more prolific.

Now, an extremely respectable 65 years later, one of the last of the Navy’s handful of operational Orions, BuNo 158912, the sole NP-3C of the “Warlocks” of Scientific Development Squadron ONE (VXS-1) out of Pax River, tasked with supporting the Naval Research Laboratory, has flown into the sunset, replaced by two Super King Airs.

She was the last Atlantic Orion, with the service’s final trio of birds flying with the VX-30 “Bloodhounds” at NBVC Point Mugu. VQ-1 got out of the Orion game last year.

Lockheed Orion BuNo 158912 (MSN 285A-5584) was born as a P-3C-145-LO and accepted by the Navy on June 28, 1973, serving with the NATC. She was later converted to the P-3C-III standard in July 1991 with VX-1, then re-rated as a NP-3C in May 2013 with VXS-1.

As noted by VXS-1 on social media:

While most know the P-3 for hunting submarines during the Cold War, VXS-1’s own NP-3C flew a different but equally demanding mission set. Outfitted with specialized equipment for the Naval Research Laboratory, she supported Project Perseus in Iraq with Task Force ODIN hunting IEDs, conducted aerogeophysical mapping in Afghanistan, performed critical “Red Force” testing with PMA-226, and flew into hurricanes Idalia and Francine to track their fury.

Born from the Lockheed Electra airliner, this rugged, loud, and tireless bird became the backbone of Navy maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. Its unmistakable MAD boom, long endurance, and the distinct sound of those four Allison engines (and that screaming APU) will be missed by everyone who ever flew, fixed, or supported her.

And as that familiar whine of the APU finally falls silent, we send our Orion off with this final poem:

There once was a mighty P-3,
Whose props spun for decades at sea.
Now the sun’s going down
On this old sub-hunter’s crown,
As the Orion flies off into history.
Fair winds and following seas, old girl.
You’ve earned your rest.

Who’s left?

This just leaves three with VX-30 in the Navy’s inventory: BuNos 150521 (a 1963 vintage NP-3D, originally a P-3A), 162999 (1987 vintage P-3C AIP+), and 163291 (1989 vintage P-3C AIP+ ARTR).

NOAA also has two 50-year-old WP-3D Orions, the famed N42RF (BuNo 159773) “Kermit” and N43RF (BuNo 159875) “Miss Piggy” hurricane hunters.

NASA has a sole P-3B (BuNo 152735, N426NA) airborne laboratory based out of Wallops, while DHS has its own fleet of 16 assorted P-3 LRTs and P-3 AEWs, which have been very busy in interdiction work in the Eastern Pacific.

Air Spray and Buffalo Airways are still operating a baker’s dozen L-188 Electra cargo and firefighting planes in Canada and the U.S.

Then, of course, there are over 150 P-3s in operation (and probably at least that many in storage) with a dozen militaries around the world, a flexible figure depending on how you count the airframes with the IRIAF left over from the Shah’s era.

Bo Bo is Back Baby!

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The new and more permanent (the old 1951 pact was only in effect as long as NATO existed) three-way military agreement between Greenland, Denmark, and the U.S. has a couple of big takeaways.

One is the green light for the U.S. to modernize and expand its activities in Pituffik Space Base (the old Thule AB from 1951-2023, formerly Bluie West-6 Air Field from 1943-1946), as well as “to be allowed to establish an additional Defense Area at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig in accordance with modalities and technical details to be mutually agreed by the Parties.”

The thing is, we’ve been there before.

Bluie West One Memories

Starting with 14 U.S. Coast Guardsmen recently “discharged” from the service who took up newly established positions as uniformed security guards on the staff of the Invigtut cryolite mine, delivered by the USCGC Comanche in May 1940– just a month after Germany occupied Denmark– the U.S. military established no less than 26 bases dotted around the Greenlandic coastline by 1945.

One of the larger bases was Bluie West One (BW-1) on the island’s southern tip. With construction that started in June 1941, before the end of the war, the base housed 4,000 personnel and was the key waypoint along with Bluie West Eight (Sondre Stromfjord / Kangerlussuaq) in the “Blue Spruce” northern ferry route, which saw aircraft leave from RCAF Gander/Goose Bay in Newfoundland/Labrador and make it to Scotland using Greenland and Iceland as refueling stops. More than 10,000 Allied aircraft crossed the Atlantic that way during the war.

The HQ of the Greenland Command, BW-1 was just 776 miles from Gander to the southwest and 748 miles from Meeks Field (later Keflavik AB) in Iceland to the southeast, the perfect midway point, making it possible for even P-38 and P-39 fighters to self-deploy across the Atlantic.

Of course, there were challenges, as the base was located essentially in a bowl.

Circular infrared photo from weather station at Narsarssuak, Greenland, shows entire airfield, 1943. Note the B-24 on deck. Sloping hills at left and right are actually parts of the same mountain. (U.S. Air Corps Number 27837AC)

Panorama of West Bluie One, Army Airfield, Greenland August 1942 80-G-0061961

As noted dryly by DANS-VP:

“Operational conditions from the field were primitive, with 4,000-foot mountains on either side of the runway and the Narasarssuak Fjord at the far end. Flying conditions were frequently IFR, with the installation of radar sets on the aircraft in 1943 a welcome addition.”

VPB-6 (CG)

Further, it proved ideal to base a PBY unit there to help cover convoys across the North Atlantic; only the Navy was cool with somebody else doing it.

On 6 August 1943, Patrol Bombing Squadron (VPB) 6, manned entirely by Coast Guardsmen, began operating from BW-1.

Bombing 6, commanded by USCG CDR Donald B. “Bo Bo” McDiarmid, was to earn a reputation as one of the busiest and most effective in Coast Guard aviation history.

VPB-6 at BW-1. The unit arrived at Narsarsuaq with ten aircraft (one designated as a spare), 22 officers and 145 enlisted, including eight enlisted pilots.

Like every other Coast Guard unit in Greenland, “Bo Bo’s Flying Circus” had to “do a little of everything.” Its PBY-5A Catalinas searched for U-boats and German weather stations, escorted convoys, delivered mail, reported on the movements of the ice, and, on several dozen occasions, guided rescue parties to crashed Army and Navy aircraft.

By November 1944, Bombing 6 had flown 638,998 miles in 6,325 flying hours, searching more than 3 million square miles of ice cap and ocean, and BW-1 had become known as NAF Narsarsuak.

Original caption: May 19, 1944. “Over the barren expanse of the 2,000-foot-high Greenland Ice Cap speeds a Coast Guard PBY Flying Boat. Thousands of years old, the Ice Cap looms as a forbidding menace to fliers. One of the most daring plane rescues in history was recorded in the winter of 1942, when Coast Guard Lieutenant John A. Pritchard, Jr., of Burbank, Calif., landed his PBY on the treacherous surface of the Ice Cap and took off successfully to rescue two of three Army fliers, stranded there when their Flying Fortress crashed. The next day, attempting to rescue the third Army airman, Lieutenant Pritchard’s plan was wrecked. The pilot, his co-pilot, and the Army flier were killed.” NARA 26-G-05-19-44(2)

“Eyes of the Arctic,” 9.26.1944 Coast Guard PBY Greenland 026-g-024-006-001

Original caption, 23 February 1944: “A bearded U.S. Coast Guardsman clears snow from the wings of a PBY patrol plane assigned to a Coast Guard-manned air base on the bleak coast of Greenland. The plane is kept in top running order for its sky sweeps against enemy craft daring to penetrate into the northern wastes.” NARA 26-G-02-23-44(6)

VPB-6 (CG) was ordered back home on 10 July 1945, and the much-reduced NAF was disestablished on 5 February 1951, transferring it to the USAF to operate as Narsarssuak Air Base until November 1958, when it was turned over to the Royal Danish Navy who in 1988 turned it over to the Greenlandic government.

USAF C-123s at Narsarssuak Air Base Greenland 1956

The old 6,000-foot airstrip is still there as the Narsarsuaq Airport. However, with Air Greenland moving its hub to the new strip 30 miles away at Qaqortoq earlier this year, Narsarsuaq is largely empty now– making it ideal for use as a military base once again!

So, logically, let’s base a rotational P-8 (or USCG HC-130J) detachment out of there and bring in occasional rotations of USAF and NATO F-16s, F-18s, and F-35s.

Um,

Kinda like what NORAD and NATO are doing right now with Operation Arctic Vanguard.

Check out this flightline last week at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (formerly Bluie West-8 during WWII and Sondrestrom Air Base from 1952-92):

United States F-16s, Danish F-35s, and Canadian F-18s sit parked on the flight line during Operation ARCTIC VANGUARD at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, Sept. 16, 2026. OAV demonstrates the Nordic Bridge concept, enhancing cooperation between United States Northern Command, United States European Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and NATO in order to expand domain awareness, strengthen deterrence, and improve interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colin Perkins)

As for Mestersvig, the Royal Danish Navy established a Sirius dog sled patrol outpost there in 1988 at the old Blyklippen zinc mine, which was active from 1956-62, and SF teams have exercised there in the past. You could definitely see it expanded to house a rotational company from the 10th Mountain or 11th Airborne a few months a year to give the island subcontinent a bit of a “fire brigade.”

U.S. Special Operations Mountain Warfare Green Berets and Danish Special Operations Forces pose for a group photograph in Mestersvig, Greenland, March 2, 2024. During Arctic Edge 24, more than 400 joint and allied Special Operators trained in extreme cold conditions to sharpen SOF readiness across unique specialties like long-range fires and movements, special reconnaissance, rapid resupply, personnel recovery, and medical care in the austere Arctic environment. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Estrada)

Nothing like that Northern Wedding

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Some 40 years ago, in the darkest stretch of the Cold War, Exercise Northern Wedding ’86 was a massive, three-week NATO maritime and amphibious exercise conducted from late August to mid-September 1986, involving 150 ships, 35,000 troops, and 500 aircraft from 10 Western nations.

The NARA has hundreds of pics from the exercise, and they really show off the might of the Western fleets at the time, including at least three carriers (Nimitz, America, and Ark Royal), the newly recommissioned battlewagon Iowa, and ‘phibs a-plenty, including LHA’s with their original 5-inch guns intact, LSTs, and LPHs.

There were FFGs. Remember how nice it was to have those?

Heck, there were even hydrofoils, with the PHMs out of Key West seen in a rare overseas deployment.

A port bow view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00986

A port bow view of the guided missile frigate USS Doyle (FFG-39) participating in an underway replenishment with the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). The ships are participating in NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86, DN-ST-87-00322

Crew members aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) secure a Helicopter Light Anti-Submarine Squadron 32 (HSL-32) SH-2F Seasprite helicopter on the ship’s fantail during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86. Of note, BuNo 161642 was a brand-new airframe, having just entered service in 1985. Rebuilt as a SH-2G by Kaman, she was stricken off charge in 2003 and is in the National Naval Aviation Museum’s collection today. DN-ST-87-00325

The No. 1 Mark 7 16-inch/50-cal. gun turret aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) is fired during a main battery firing exercise. The ship is participating in NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86, DN-ST-87-00324

An aerial port quarter view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) firing her No. 3 Mark 7 16-inch/50-cal. guns during NATO exercise North Wedding 86. DN-ST-87-03747

Officers on the bridge of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) observe the ship’s Mark 28 5-inch/38-cal. guns during a firing exercise. The ship is participating in NATO exercise North Wedding 86. DN-ST-87-00321

A port view of the patrol combatant missile hydrofoil USS Hercules (PHM-2) underway alongside the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) during NATO exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00316.

That’s a lot of Harpoons for a 133-foot PHM! Sadly, the 48-knot (not a misprint) USS Hercules (PHM-2) was retired after not quite 11 years of active service. DN-ST-87-00313.

A port quarter view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) underway off the coast of Norway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. At the time, she shipped out with  CVW-8 (AJ tail code), including two F-14A Tomcat squadrons, two of A-7E Corsairs, one of A-6E Intruders, one of S-3A Vikings, plus Sea Kings, Prowlers, and Hawkeyes. DN-SC-87-02785

A starboard view of the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan (LHA 2) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, note her bow 5-inch Mk45. DN-ST-87-01034

An aerial starboard beam view of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) being escorted by four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters flying in formation over the ship. Note her bow 5-inch Mk45. The ship is participating in NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-88-00894

A port bow view of the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon (LPH 12) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note the little 19,000-ton helio carrier has at least seven CH-46 Sea Knights, four CH-53 Sea Stallions, and two UH-1Ns on her diminutive 592×104-foot flight deck. DN-ST-87-00975

A crew member mans an observation post aboard the tank landing ship USS Spartanburg County (LST 1192) above a Mark 32 3-inch/50-caliber twin gun mount during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00947

A port quarter view of the British light aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R-09) underway during NATO exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note the two Sea Harriers and at least five British Westland-built Sea Kings on her deck. DN-ST-87-00308

A port bow view of the British Type 42 (Sheffield) class destroyer HMS Liverpool (D 92) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-01008

A bow view of the West German Type 101 (Hamburg) class destroyer FGS Schleswig-Holstein (D 182) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Schleswig-Holstein was an old girl even at the time, having been ordered in 1958 and just eight years away from disposal. DN-ST-87-00960.

A port bow view of the West German Type 101 (Hamburg) class FGS Hessen (D 184) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note her French armament, including DCN 100 mm/L55 guns and MM38 Exocets. DN-ST-87-01016

When it comes to Marines, you have battleship MarDets pulling shot correction, and M60A1s hitting the beach with snorks, both long-extinct things.

Members of the Marine detachment from the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) act as naval gunfire spotters during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. You have to love the M81 BDUs, M65 jackets, ALICE gear, M1 helmets with cat eyes, double canteens, and the ciggy, DN-SC-87-04734

Shells fired from the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) land near the shoreline during live-fire gunnery practice for NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. DN-ST-87-03458

A Marine M-60 main battle tank is driven ashore from Utility Landing Craft 1660 (LCU-1660) during the NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. A folding snorkel is attached to the tank. DN-ST-85-00687

And you know, in a big NATO exercise conducted in Russia’s front yard, you had plenty of party crashers show up to observe, giving the Blue Team a good look at (and listen to) real-world Red Team assets.

You know the Leicas, Nikons, and Hasselblads were just clicking away.

A starboard bow view of the Soviet Sovremenny-class destroyer Bezuprechny observing NATO ships during Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-87-04745

An elevated port beam view of the Soviet Krivak I-class frigate Druzhny underway. The ship is observing NATO ships participating in Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-87-04469

A starboard bow view of the Soviet Krivak I-class frigate Zharky underway. The ship is following U.S. ships en route to exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SN-87-04476

A Soviet Tu-20/Tu-95 Bear aircraft is escorted by a U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat aircraft during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-01015

Good times.

52 Blue Water Days on a 154 footer (with more to follow)

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The USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) returns to homeport at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, Sept. 8, 2026.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mikaela McGee)

The crew of the 154-foot Sentinel (Webber) class Fast Response Cutter Joseph Gerczak (WPC-1126)  returned to Honolulu last week following a 52-day/7,500nm patrol in support of Coast Guard Oceania District’s Operation Blue Pacific.

That is a serious stint for a 150-footer.

From USCG PAO:

The Joseph Gerczak crew departed Coast Guard Base Honolulu in July and traveled more than 7,500 nautical miles, making port calls in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji and American Samoa. Patrolling in support of Operation Blue Pacific, the cutter’s crew worked alongside Pacific Island partners to bolster maritime security and sovereignty, counter illicit maritime activities, and protect vital marine resources.

The Joseph Gerczak crew exercised partnerships with the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Fiji through bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements.

In total, the Joseph Gerczak crew and their Pacific partners conducted 29 bilateral maritime law enforcement boardings and eight high-seas boardings in support of Operation Island Chief, a coordinated effort to detect and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific.

Stacking FRCs deep in the Pac

Gerczak is one of three FRCs in Hawaii, with sisters USCGC Oliver Berry (WPC-1124) and William Hart (WPC-1134), all of which took part in RIMPAC last month in one way or another.

Four more FRCs are in Guam under the control of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia: Myrtle Hazard (WPC-1139), Oliver Henry (WPC-1140), Frederick Hatch (WPC-1143), and Vincent Danz (WPC-1162).

A fifth FRC slated for Guam, USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo (WPC-1163), was commissioned on September 11th in New York City.

Named for a Coast Guard Reservist (after eight years of active service) who was an FDNY firefighter who died with Staten Island’s Rescue Company 5 on September 11th, the ceremony was sincere.

Incidentally, Palazzo is the 63rd FRC in Coast Guard service. She will be the 14th stationed in the Central and Western Pacific between the Guam- and Hawaii-based cutters and the six of the newly formed Expeditionary Cutter Squadron (formerly the Bahrain-based PATFORSWA), which will be based on a rotational basis in the Philippines and points west.

Of note, the PI just picked up two surplus 87-foot Marine Protector-class WPBs from the USCG as well.

Meanwhile, at least two ECS FRCs, USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) and Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141), were recently in Indonesia to take part in Super Garuda Shield 2026.

There, the cutters hosted Joes of the 124th Division Signal Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, for the installation of gee-whiz Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) stations– which is very interesting.

Beachcombing in East Greenland

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The Danes are currently hosting 400 soldiers from 11 NATO countries in a large ground force exercise in Greenland, and just wrapped up a rare joint exercise with SNMG1 and SNMCMG1 off Iceland for Operation Reassurance, along with Op Nanook Tuugaalik with the Canadian and U.S. naval forces, with the latter including the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13), surged to the far north from sunny 102-degree Mayport.

Dutch Korps Mariniers in Greenland, finding out just how cold RIB ops can be!

Some more Dutch Korps Mariniers, with a sinking feeling their camo might not be working

Finnish special forces are in Greenland having a blast…

Meanwhile, the current batch of Greenlandic territorials, the Arktisk Basisuddannelses, are probably not loving their training. Note the new Colt Canada C8s, though…

HMCS Robert Hampton Gray performs maneuvers with HDMS Thetis and CCGS George R. Pearkes during Operation Nanook-Tuugaalik on August 21, 2026. Photo: Corporal Paquette, Canadian Armed Forces Photo

ORP Mewa and HMCS Moncton conduct a mine-screening exercise alongside FS Auvergne while sailing astern of HMCS Ville De Québec during Operation Reassurance in the North Atlantic Ocean on 16 August 2026. Corporal Gregory Cole, Canadian Armed Forces Photo

With all of this naval and coast guard ship movement, it is of interest that a shore party of tourists from a passing cruise ship (!) came upon an old Soviet naval mine in Carlsberg Fjord (Kangerterajitta Itterterilaq), north of Ittoqqortoormiit in East Greenland.

Nope. Don’t like that on your beach walk…

For reference, the closest town to where the mine was found is Scoresbysund (Ittoqqortoormiit), a 300-person hamlet just 20 miles away as the crow flies, but is about 500 miles NW by air of Reykjavík and 900 miles from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland on the opposite side of the frozen subcontinent.

A det from the Royal Danish Navy UDT group (Søværnets Dykkertjeneste) helicoptered in and zapped said mine.

As to the mine’s origin, it likely floated at least 1,200 miles across the Barents and Greenland Sea from the Northern Norwegian coast (e.g., Kirkenes) or the Kola Peninsula and could very well have been laid during WWII.

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