Free Republic

Past fears that carriers were vulnerable to new technologies weren’t proven right… nor were they proven wrong. Over at The National Interest this week, former Naval Diplomat shipmate — U.S. Marines say there are no former Marines, just Marines; are there former shipmates? — Bryan McGrath wades into the debate over Tom Ricks’s Washington Post column urging the U.S. military to get smaller to get better. Let me wade in as well; the water’s fine. Ricks takes aim at the U.S. Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in particular. He cites the expense of CVNs, but Bryan zeroes in mainly...

SNIPPET: "Two U.S. planes have flown radical Muslim preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri and four other suspected terrorists to the United States, hours after Britain's High Court cleared the way for their extradition. The planes departed a Royal Air Force base immediately after the British High Court rejected last-minute appeals by Hamza and the others. The five had raised legal questions about human rights and prison conditions they expected to face in the United States. In rejecting the appeals, the British court cited an “overwhelming public interest” in seeing the extraditions carried out. Hamza is wanted on U.S. charges that include...

<p>It could dive deeper than any other submarine, and when it reached the ocean floor, the one-of-a-kind U.S. navy vessel could roll on wheels with lights illuminating the depths outside its windows.</p> <p>The nuclear-powered NR-1, launched in Groton in 1969, was one of the most secretive vessels in the U.S. undersea force.</p>

President Barack Obama’s Facebook page on Saturday posted a message honoring the dead from Pearl Harbor—accompanied by a picture of Obama descending the stairs next to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. The picture barely fits the name of the Arizona Memorial so it can frame Obama in the foreground. The post's statement reads: Today, with solemn pride and reverence, let us remember those who fought and died at Pearl Harbor, acknowledge everyone who carried their legacy forward, and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the ideals for which they served. President Obama

GREENVILLE, SC — The last surviving member of the crew that rescued John F. Kennedy from an island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II died Wednesday. Greenville native Jack Gardo was 87. He died in his sleep at his home on Farrs Bridge Road, his daughter-in-law Brenda Gardo said. Gardo enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 16, two years younger than the legal age, because he wanted to serve his country. In 1943, Gardo’s PT 157 was sent to rescue the survivors of PT 109, which was cut in half by a Japanese ship. The crew...

Two explosions were heard near the US Air Force base located near the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Japanese police and US officials reported that remnants of two IED's (Improvised Explosive Device) had been found in the area. No caualties...

Environmentalism: Forget Navy blue. The U.S. fleet is turning green. That might make the eco-left happy, but it'll be an unnecessary burden for taxpayers with no advantages for the military. Reports tell us that the Navy continues to "invest" in a green-fuels future, paying startups to develop fuels from algae, switchgrass, wood chips, old cooking oil, even household garbage. This program hit the high seas in the summer of 2012, when the Navy launched its Great Green Fleet demonstration. The official line said "alternative fuels, including nuclear power" were to be "used in an operational setting, fueling helicopters and jets...

The crew of the USS Dewey have honored the dying wish of a Pearl Harbor survivor by allowing him on board the latest version of the destroyer he served on in the Second World War. Electrician’s Mate Second Bud Cloud was due to begin hospice care, when his friend Jennie Haskamp reached out to the Dewey's crew and asked if he could see the ship in San Diego. But when they arrived at the dock, the sailors carried the 90-year-old veteran on board and attentively listened as he shared his memories from the war.

The Navy has christened its newest aircraft carrier, which will join the fleet in 2016. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship in the Navy’s next class of aircraft carriers. It was christened Saturday at the Newport News shipyard where it was built.

The Navy Jack is the ‘don’t tread on me’ flag, one that has earned a revered place in America’s naval history and a beloved place in sailor’s hearts, through its use for over two centuries. This symbol of America’s naval ferocity has spanned our country’s entire existence, flying from the masts of the Continental Navy during the war of independence, to today’s War on Terror. In fact, an amendment to the Navy code called SECNAV Instruction 10520.6 clearly states that as of 31 May 2002 all ships are to fly the flag throughout the duration of the War on Terror....

A new U.S. Navy directive mandates that SEALs replace the traditional “Don’t Tread On Me” Navy Jack on the sleeves of their uniforms with the American flag. The original Navy Jack was made up of 13 horizontal stripes — seven red and six white. A rattlesnake was later added diagonally across the flag, along with the words, “Don’t Tread On Me,” on the lowest white stripe. More recently, the jack was replaced with white stars on a field of blue, with the number of stars representing states in the union, like the American flag. After the 9/11 attacks, all U.S....

MILLINGTON, TN - (WMC-TV) - It is confirmed that at least two people have been shot near the Millington Navy Base. Both victims are reported to be in non-critical condition. The base is currently on lock down, but the shooter is in custody. Photos sent in to Action News 5 show crime scene tape and several medics on the scene. The U.S. Navy put out the following tweet to its Twitter account: #BREAKING: #USNavy can confirm incident near Naval Support Activity Midsouth in #Millington. Details to follow. Action News 5 has crews on its way. Stay with WMCTV.COM for the...

Here’s a penny for your thoughts: One red cent could’ve landed you the Navy’s first supercarrier, the decommissioned Forrestal. The U.S. Navy sold the 1,067-foot behemoth to a Texas company, All Star Metals, to be dismantled, scrapped and recycled, Navy officials announced. It's an inauspicious fate for a ship with a colorful — and tragic — history. It's perhaps best known for a 1967 incident in which stray voltage triggered an accidental explosion that struck a plane on the flight deck whose cockpit was occupied by a young John McCain. A chain reaction of blasts and fires ultimately killed 134...

The NAVY's first supercarier, The U.S.S Forrestal is officially heading for the scappers as the NAVY awarded the contract to All Star Metals of Brownsville Texas. All Sta Metals won the bid to scrap the former carrier with a 1 cent bid and will more than likely town her away from her Philadelphia's Former NAVY Yard Berth by year's end for Brownsville Scrap Yard.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy is being rocked by a bribery scandal that federal investigators say has reached high into the officer corps and exposed a massive overbilling scheme run by an Asian defense contractor in exchange for prostitutes and other kickbacks. Among those arrested on corruption charges are a senior agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and a navy commander who escaped Cambodia’s “killing fields” as a child only to make a triumphant return to the country decades later as the skipper of a U.S. destroyer. The investigation has also ensnared a navy captain who was relieved...

BATH, ME -- After embarrassing troubles with its latest class of surface warships, the Navy is hoping for a winner from a new destroyer that's ready to go into the water. So far, construction of the first-in-class Zumwalt, the largest U.S. Navy destroyer ever built, is on time and on budget, something that's a rarity in new defense programs, officials said. And the Navy believes the ship's big gun, stealthy silhouette and advance features will make it a formidable package.

The USS Virginia and the USS Minnesota will be the first two gender-integrated fast-attack submarines, the Navy announced Tuesday. Six women — four nuclear-trained officers and two supply corps officers — will report to the subs by January 2015, after completing the nuclear submarine training pipeline, according to the Navy. Women are already serving aboard the ballistic missile subs the USS Wyoming, USS Louisiana and USS Maine, and the guided missile subs USS Florida, USS Georgia and USS Ohio. The Navy in 2010 officially changed the policy that had previously prohibited women from serving aboard submarines. Since then, 43 women...

In the wake of the government shutdown, despite provisions in the Pay Our Military Act, Catholics at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia are being denied religious services. The Catholic priest who serves this community has been prohibited from even volunteering to celebrate Holy Mass without pay, and was told that if he violated that order, he could be subject to arrest. Protestant services continue to take place. Only Catholic services have been shutdown.

It’s made for Hollywood: the story of an average American family man, captain of a cargo ship in dangerous waters, his vessel overtaken by armed Somali pirates demanding ransom, saving his crew by allowing himself to be removed from the boat and taken hostage. All of this is the basis for “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks as the titular, real-life hero. The only problem, say some members of the real Capt. Phillips’ crew, is none of it is true. Capt. Richard Phillips, they say, is no hero, and the film is one big lie. “Phillips wasn’t the big leader like...

(CNN) -- U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six pulled out during a raid to capture suspected Al-Shabaab leader Ikrima when it became clear that he couldn't be taken alive, a senior U.S. official told CNN. "Their mission was to capture him. Once it became clear we were not going to able to take him, the Navy commander made the decision to withdraw," said the official, who has direct knowledge of the entire Somalia operation but declined to be identified publicly.