Category Archives: US Navy

Vintage Vindy

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Here we see, some 85 years ago this month, a spick and span SB2U-3 Vindicator, on 25 April 1941. Note the “meatball” national insignia and the aircraft’s ribs showing through its fabric fuselage. The Navy’s first monoplane scout-bomber, the Vindicator, entered squadron service with the VB-3 High Hats (now the VFA-14 Tophatters) in 1937, but was soon replaced by the better SBD Dauntless.

U.S. Navy picture via the NARA 80-G-3042

The above new production SB2U-3 (BuNo 2050) was delivered to Marine Scouting Squadron Two (VMS-2) on 14 March 1941, part of just 57 such aircraft ordered for the USMC in 1939.

On 1 July 1941, VMS-2 was redesignated Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 231 (VMSB-231).

BuNo 2050 was later destroyed on the ground with six other “spare” Vindicators of the squadron when the Japanese attacked Ewa Marine Corps Air Station on 7 December 1941, the rest of the unit being sent aboard USS Lexington (CV-2) during the first week of December to reinforce some place few had heard of, far off Midway Atoll.

231’s sister Vindy squadron, VMSB-241, would give its best during the battle.

Obsolete fabric-covered SB2U-3 dive bombers of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 taking off to attack the Japanese fleet striking force on the morning of 4 June 1942, during the battle of Midway. Part of Marine Aircraft Group 22 (MAG-22), they would earn a Presidential Unit Citation for their role in the epic naval clash.

The next time VMSB-231 met the Japanese in 1942, it would be from SBD Dauntless dive bombers, as the Corps was busy divesting itself of the old Vindy. No Marine SB2U-3 remains in existence, with only a sole Navy Vindicator, SB2U-2 BuNo 1383, on display at the NNAM in Pensacola.

Now in its 107th year of service, the “Ace of Spades” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMA) 231 is still around today, transitioning from AV-8Bs to F-35s.

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

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Some 80 years ago this week. Off Istanbul, Turkey, on 5 April 1946.

Here we see the famed Iowa-class fast battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) moored in the Bosporus. She had just brought home for burial the body of the late Turkish Ambassador to the U.S., Mehmet Munir Ertegun. This visit was also aimed at influencing Russian Middle East policy. The Gearing-class destroyer USS Power (DD-839) is at left.

Note that Missouri is wearing a more peacetime solid-blue hull (Measure 22) over her wartime Measure 32/22d camouflage, which she wore through the end of WWII, just seven months prior.  National Archives. Catalog #: 80-G-702557

At right is the infamous Turkish Moltke-class battle cruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim (ex-SMS Goeben), some 36 years old at the time.

When Missouri, the light cruiser Providence (CL-82), and Power had entered the straits on 5 April, Missouri and Yavuz exchanged 19-gun salutes, two great bookends in battlewagon history.

A better look at Missouri on this cruise. Note the Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk floatplane on her catapult. Official caption: “Mediterranean Cruise 1946 of USS Missouri (BB 63). USS Missouri (BB 63) anchored in the harbor of Piraeus, Greece.” 80-GK-9343

Off Istanbul, Turkey, 5-9 April 1946. Missouri center. She had brought the body of the Late Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Mehmet Munir Ertegun, home for burial, on a mission that was also made to influence Soviet Middle East policy. USS Power (DD-839) is at left, and the Turkish Battlecruiser Yavuz (formerly the German Goeben) is at right. The Dolmabahce Mosque is in the foreground. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. 80-G-366179

The camouflaged Yavuz (Turkish Battlecruiser, 1911, formerly the German Goeben). Off Istanbul, Turkey, in April 1946, during USS Missouri’s visit there. Photographed by Lieutenant Commander Dewey Wrigley. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. 80-G-376888

Still somewhat capable of at least scratching the paint of a Soviet battleship or providing NGFS against land forces trying to close the strait, when Turkey joined NATO in 1952, Yavuz picked up a B-series hull number (B70) before she was decommissioned in 1954 after 42 years of service (40 of those to the Turks). Even while laid up, she continued to be used as a stationary headquarters for the Battle Fleet until 1960.

Offered as a museum ship to West Germany, and unable to preserve the historic 25,000-ton vessel themselves, Goeben/Yavuz was instead sold by the Turks for scrap to M.K.E. Seyman in 1971, although several relics were preserved.

Check out this great original color clip of the old girl in 1973 as she was preparing for tow to the breakers:

Neptune’s Short-Lived Kingfisher

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70 years ago today, 3 April 1956, off Virginia.

Official period caption:

The U.S. Navy’s Air-to-Surface Guided Missile Petrel is shown suspended from the wings of a P2V Neptune aircraft. Petrel was designed primarily for use against enemy ships at sea and can be launched by patrol aircraft well outside the range of the target’s air defense. The missile attacks at high speed and with devastating effect. Petrel is one of the more complex missiles, electronically and dynamically, since it has an intricate “electronic brain,” which enables it to “think” its evasive way to the target.

Photo 330-PS-7783 (USN 687384)

The Fairchild AUM-N-2 Petrel, also known as Kingfisher C and AUM-2, entered service in 1956 and was only in arsenal for three years before being withdrawn and repurposed, sans warhead, as a target drone.

A hefty boy, at some 3,800 pounds, Petrel ran 24 feet long and had a 13-foot wingspan when deployed. Powered by a Fairchild J44-R-24 turbojet, the warhead was a Mk 41 homing torpedo for use against surface targets, and the missile had a 20~nm range.

Literally a torpedo with a rocket and wings…

Seen with a Naval Aviation Ordnance Test Station (NAOTS) Chincoteague Neptune in the above images, Petrel was only operational with VP-834, a USNR unit out of Floyd Bennett Field.

At least one engine was floating around on Facebook Marketplace in Wisconsin a while ago for $3,500.

George Neal takes to the water

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Back in early March, I visited Pascagoula and saw Ingalls’s dry dock uncharacteristically empty and a land-locked DDG, possibly the future USS George M. Neal (DDG 131), nudging very close to the ramp behind PCU USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129). 

Then, on 26 March, the dock was filled with Neal!

(To the far left by the mud lumps between Ingalls’ West Bank and Singing River Island). Photo by Chris Eger

Now, I can report that the fourth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Ingalls is waterborne, launched on 1 April (no fooling).

DDG 131 is named for AMM3 George Milton Neal, a Korean War veteran who earned the Navy Cross for his heroic actions with HU-1 while attempting to rescue a fellow service member under enemy fire.

As noted by Ingalls:

“Launching DDG 131 is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of our Ingalls shipbuilders,” said Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager. “Seeing the ship reach the water for the first time is a proud moment for everyone involved and a real testament to the people who make this work possible for our U.S. Navy.”

As a Flight III Arleigh Burke‑class destroyer, DDG 131 represents the next generation of surface combatants for the U.S. Navy, featuring the Flight III AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, designed to counter threats well into the 21st century.

Stirring news from the Great North!

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Updates from Ice Camp, 1 CRPG, and the Marines in Norway.

So much great content has been coming from Ice Camp 26 (Boarfish), which is running for three weeks in the Beufort Sea with the surfaced USS Delaware (SSN 791) and Santa Fe (SSN 763)— marking the 100th American ice surfacings, along with personeel from U.S. Marine Corps, Air National Guard, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, French Navy, Royal United Kingdom Navy, Norwegian Defence Research Institute, and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

Beaufort Sea, Arctic Circle – Operation ICE CAMP 2026 participants from Arctic Submarine Lab, Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center Detachment San Diego, Underwater Construction Team (UCT) TWO, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Science, and various U.S. Navy commands pose for a photo at ICE CAMP Boarfish 2026, Mar. 17. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jacob D. Bergh)

Add to this the stuff coming from the 2,800-mile snowmobile-borne High Arctic sovereignty patrol of the Yellowknife-based 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG/GPRC), which is visiting 17 remote communities across the country’s arctic regions. The patrol has reached Naujaat and Hudson Bay, and is finally turning South.

1 CRPG GPRC Canadian Rangers Long Range patrol at Kugaaruk radar station

1 CRPG/GPRC Canadian Rangers Long Range patrol at the long abandoned circa 1903 NWMP barracks, on Hudson Bay’s Cape Fullerton

Finally, check out this great U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Noah Masog highlighting Exercise Cold Response 26 in Norway.

Godspeed, Artemis (which is filled with Hornet drivers)

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NASA/Bill Ingalls

It looks like we are closer than ever to NASA’s 322-foot-tall Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to lift off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.

Commander (Navy Capt.) Reid Wiseman, Pilot (Navy Capt.) Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, along with Mission Specialist (RCAF Capt) Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, are set for a 10-day mission around the Moon and back.

Interestingly, three of the four (all but Koch) are F-18 pilots, with both Glover and Wiseman being Naval Aviators who logged combat hours with VFAs from carriers. Meanwhile, Hansen stood QRA with the RCAF’s now-disbanded 441st TFS on NORAD tasking out of Cold Lake. Of note, the RCAF motto is Sic Itur Ad Astra (“Such is the pathway to the stars”), which tracks.

Two with Wings of Gold! Official crew portrait for Artemis II, from left: NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Wiseman, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Josh Valcarcel/NASA

They have a heady task ahead.

It will be the first time Artemis and Orion are on a manned mission.

It will be the largest moon mission in terms of crew, with the Apollo trips having three members.

Although they are just sling-shotting around it and not landing, it will be the first time a spacefaring crew has gone to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972– back when analog technology and slide rules were standard.

NASA expects that on 6 April, Artemis II will break Apollo 13’s record of 248,655 miles from Earth, making its four humans the furthest-traveled in known history.

Finally, when they come back home, they will reenter the atmosphere in excess of 25,000 mph, the fastest humans have done such a feat. Now that last tidbit is the pucker factor in an expedition filled with pucker factors.

You can watch the launch live on NASA’s YouTube channel with a targeted launch time of 6:24 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

Bonefish, found

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Gato-class fleet boat USS Bonefish (SS-223) returning to the submarine base in Fremantle, Australia, at the end of her 4th war patrol on 30 May 1944

In company with her fellow fleet boats Tunny and Skate, USS Bonefish (SS-223), commanded by T/CDR Lawrence Lott “Larry” Edge (USNA ’35), departed Guam on 28 May 1945 to conduct her eighth war patrol. She is still on that patrol, and until last week her final resting place was known only to God, sunk by Japanese surface forces near Toyama Wan on or about 18 June.

(Photo: Chris Eger)

Last week, Tiburon Subsea CEO Tim Taylor and the Lost 52 Project announced that the wreck of Bonefish had been discovered during surveys in 2025.

Beyond Bonefish, Tiburon’s current expedition located the lost Sumner-class destroyers USS Drexler (DD-741) and William D Porter (DD-579), and the Japanese merchant ship Konzan Maru.

More here.

Welcome Back, Big Maime!

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The Navy commissioned the 25th Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) in a traditional ceremony held Saturday, 28 March, in Boston Harbor. Delivered to the Navy last November, she is the 6th commissioned warship on the Navy List to carry the name of the Commonwealth.

As the Navy welcomed its seventh Flight VI Virginia to the fleet, the crew of its oldest warship, the frigate USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), honored the moment by rendering a historic salute to her joining the fleet, complete with flintlocks and carronades.

The USS Constitution sails past the Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) during Massachusetts’ commissioning in Boston, on March 28th, 2026. Massachusetts is the newest fast-attack submarine and the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lucas J. Hastings)

BOSTON (March 28, 2026) Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) stand at attention aboard the boat as the USS Constitution prepares to render a salute during Massachusetts’ commissioning ceremony in Boston Harbor, March 28, 2026. Massachusetts is the newest fast-attack submarine and the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaitlin Young)

“From wooden hulls and sail power to nuclear propulsion and advanced undersea warfare capabilities, this moment reflects the enduring strength, innovation, and readiness of the United States Navy.”

The Realm of the Valkyries

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Official caption: “A sailor assigned to the USS Thomas Hudner attaches chains to an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter during flight deck operations as part of Operation Epic Fury in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, 16 March 2026.”

Note the four-pack of AGM-114 Hellfires, which entered Navy service in 1998.

VIRIN: 260316-N-NO146-1066M (Released).

CENTCOM officials claim to have destroyed, sunk, or seriously damaged over 100 and possibly as many as 130 Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N) naval vessels since the beginning of Epic Fury. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the smaller vessels were bagged via Hellfire.

An Atlantic Fleet Flight IIA Burke, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), has been seen with MH-60s from the Jacksonville-based Valkyries of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50 aboard, with a big .50 cal on the starboard side and a four-pack of Hellfires to port.

AN MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50, departs Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) during flight operations while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 27, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

A U.S. Sailor, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50, performs clear and safe checks on a .50 caliber machine gun on an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 27, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect

A U.S. Sailor, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50, refuels an MH-60R Seahawk during flight deck operations aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 26, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

Pascagoula ship spotting

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On my most recent trip back to the old childhood stomping grounds in Pascagoula, I made my regular pilgrimage to The Point (the rough site of the old USCG station and Pascagoula River Lighthouse) and gazed out upon HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding to see who is in the water.

Looking out to the Ingalls West Bank, which was created in the 1970s for the Spruance class DDs, Tico class CGs, and Tarawa class LHAs. Photo: Chris Eger

In the water at the mouth of the Pascagoula River under the big bird crane is PCU USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), a Flight III Burke, which launched on 25 March 2025 and is fitting out. Note another Burke behind her, perhaps the future USS George M. Neal (DDG-131), which is nearing launch later this year. Photo: Chris Eger

Next, afloat in the Pascagoula River proper, is the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8), the first Flight I America-class Lightning carrier. There has been a building LHA or LHD in this stretch of the river my entire life, and I am in my 50s! Photo: Chris Eger

The big 45,000-ton ‘phib began construction in 2018, has been in the water since 2019, and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in August 2026. Needs lots more topside work on that island before then. Photo: Chris Eger

Then there is the future USS Harrisburg (LPD 30), the first Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. Laid down in 2022, she took to the water last January and is fitting out. Photo: Chris Eger

Further upstream is the scratch-and-dent old spaceship, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), looking very rough just months before her 10th birthday as a “commissioned” warship. Note, her forward Advanced Gun Systems house has been removed to clear space for four launchers intended for the Dark Eagle Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) missile, with each canister capable of holding three missiles. Photo: Chris Eger

And in the old WWII-era East Bank, in one of the circa 1960s submarine berths, is the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128), a Flight III Burke scheduled to be commissioned this Fall in Whittier, Alaska. Photo: Chris Eger

Also, Kevin’s Corner is still making great burgers.

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