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CAR carriers are the ugly sisters of the high seas. Even their owners would admit that, with their high freeboard, they are not beautiful. But they are very functional, designed for a specific purpose — to transport automobiles and trucks. When Japanese motor manufacturers decided to go global some 30 years ago, they needed a different type of ship to transport vehicles in large volumes. Until relatively recently, this was a fairly simple business, with two main trade lanes, from Japan to the US, and Japan to Europe. Since then it has become far more complicated. Like other sectors, it...

The Alaska state ferry Lituya broke free from its moorings in Metlakatla overnight with no one aboard and ran aground a mile north on Scrub Island in Port Chester, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 180-foot vessel dislodged at its home berth in the Southeast town at about 1 a.m. to begin its phantom voyage. The vessel was spotted aground earlier today, and preliminary reports indicate the Lituya suffered damage to its keel coolers, which were leaking some antifreeze -- the quantity was not immediately clear -- and damage to the vessel's plates, said state Department of Transportation spokesman...

TOKYO — A ship commander and executive officer at Sasebo Naval Base were relieved of command due to a loss of confidence, the Navy announced Friday. Cmdr. John Zuhowski was relieved Thursday of command of the USS Tortuga, an amphibious assault ship, by Rear Adm. Richard Landolt, of Commander Task Force 76, according to a news release. Lt. Cmdr. Dennis Burke, the ship’s executive officer, was also relieved, the statement said. Both Zuhowski and Burke remain on active duty and face no loss of rank or punishment, according to Lt. Denver Applehans, spokesman for the task force. Applehans said he...

New poll shows Palin no longer Alaska's most popular politician Posted on 03 January 2009 By Dan Fagan Ask conservative Republicans across the country what they think of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and the vast majority of them will begin to gush in cult-like fashion about how wonderful she is. Palin has energized the conservative base unlike anyone since Ronald Reagan. But how is she doing in the state in which she governs? Some speculate Palin has every intention of running for president four years from now after tasting the national spotlight. She has yet to rule out a...

A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows why some military retirees and veterans could face higher out-of-pocket costs if the Obama administration and Congress take bold moves to reform the U.S. health system and to make federal health programs more efficient. Among 115 “options” presented, though not endorsed, in the CBO report, several focus on raising Tricare out-of-pocket costs for retirees and one targets families. Others would tighten access to VA hospitals and clinics, or raise VA health fees, for veterans with no service-connected conditions. Working-age military retirees will find here some of those familiar cost-saving ideas endorsed...

Got a second? Today, you'll actually have an extra one, thanks to a "leap second" being added to the world's clocks. Time measurement used to be based on the Earth's rotation; 24 hours was one day. With the invention of atomic clocks, which are more precise, it became apparent that there was a difference of about 2 milliseconds a day between the two systems of keeping time. Leap seconds can be added or subtracted to atomic clocks to keep them within 0.9 seconds of Earth's rotational time. Today's extra second will be added at the U.S. Naval Observatory's Master Clock...

Tugboats will pull the George H.W. Bush, the 10th and final aircraft carrier in the Nimitz class, to its January commissioning, the Navy and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding said Thursday. The big carrier should have sailed under its own power from the Newport News shipyard to Norfolk Naval Station for the Jan. 10 ceremony. It is not ready for delivery, said Margaret Mitchell-Jones, a Northrop Grumman spokeswoman. In the past, the Navy has delayed the ceremony, which marks the ship's official entry into the Navy fleet. But not this time. Navy Secretary Donald Winter set the date earlier this year, and...

ARLINGTON, Va. — All soldiers killed in action will receive full military funeral honors when they are laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, the Army has announced. Effective in early 2009, the change means enlisted soldiers killed in combat will receive the same honors usually reserved for officers killed in action, including a caisson, band, colors team and escort platoon, an Army news release said. "The caisson, band, colors team and escort platoon are scheduled on a first come, first served basis," Monday’s news release said. The new policy creates a "common standard" for all soldiers killed in action...

Microsoft warned Saturday of a "huge increase" in attacks exploiting a critical unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE), and said some originated from hacked pornography sites. Other researchers confirmed that attacks were increasingly coming from compromised Web sites. Microsoft noted the upswing in attacks on the company's Malware Protection Center blog late Saturday. "The trend for now is going upwards," said researchers Ziv Mador and Tareq Saadecom on the blog. "We saw a huge increase in the number of reports today compared to yesterday." Hackers have been exploiting a data binding bug in IE for more than a week ,...

For more than six years, Jesse Nieto drove to work at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in a car that left no doubt about his views. "Islam = terrorism" asserted one sticker on the back window of his maroon Scion. Another decal showed a cartoon boy urinating on the image of a turban-wearing man. A third, paraphrased to eliminate a curse word, said, Disgrace my flag, and I will defecate on your Quran. His feelings stem from a personal tragedy: His son died in a terrorist attack on the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole in Yemen in 2000. In August, base officials told Nieto,...

NAHA, Okinawa — The Okinawa Assembly is counting on President-elect Barack Obama’s promise of change. The change the assembly wants is the scuttling of plans to move U.S. Marine air operations on Okinawa to a new air facility to be built on Camp Schwab. After winning control of the prefectural assembly in June, opposition parties to Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party passed a resolution against the project, which is part of broad realignment plans for U.S. troops in Japan. “We hope that the new U.S. administration will give a full consideration to the voices of Okinawa, who do not want...

TARAWA, Kiribati — Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett got on his knees and gently mixed his father’s ashes with sand on the Pacific beach where the elder Fawcett fought his way ashore 65 years ago. Maj. James L. Fawcett died in September at the age of 89. He wanted his ashes taken to the spot where half of the men in his 50-man platoon were killed during the first two hours of the Battle of Tarawa, one of World War II’s most brutal battles. "What a great way to end a great life," the younger Fawcett said Thursday after he...

WASHINGTON — A coalition of atheists and agnostics wants the new White House to protect young military members from what they see as rampant religious discrimination in the services. The Secular Coalition for America held a news conference Monday urging new rules against proselytizing and more training for chaplains on how to handle nonreligious troops. "When they say ‘there are no atheists in foxholes’ it’s slanderous," said Wayne Adkins, a former Army first lieutenant who served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. "To deny their existence is to deny that they serve." The coalition also wants President-elect Obama to develop...

WASHINGTON -- Juror No. 4 in Sen. Ted Stevens' federal corruption trial, otherwise known as Marian Hinnant, did not leave to attend her father's funeral in California, as she told the judge. Instead, Hinnant had a plane ticket to see the Breeder's Cup at the Santa Anita race track and didn't want to miss it, she told the judge this morning, in what sounded like completely irrational and perhaps even delusional remarks. "I just wanted to go to the Breeder's Cup," she told reporters after a hearing the judge held to find out why she left town and lost contact...

Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter has announced that the newest Zumwalt class destroyer will be named the Michael Monsoor for a SEAL who died in Iraq when he threw himself on a grenade to save two teammates. Winter made the announcement last night at a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund benefit gala in New York City, according to a Department of Defense news release. Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor earlier this year for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq in September 2006. “Michael Monsoor’s name will now be linked with one of our nation’s most visible examples of military...

The destroyer Barry ran aground Thursday as it was preparing to dock at a port in the Black Sea, the Navy confirmed Friday. The incident happened at about 10:30 a.m. local time, as the Norfolk-based ship was entering the Turkish port of Samsun. The ship ran aground in silt as it was maneuvering in the port’s turning basin, about 200 yards from the pier. A harbor pilot was on board at the time, a Navy official said. Tugs were able to free the ship with assistance from Turkish coast guard divers, and the vessel is currently moored at a Samsun...

VIRGINIA BEACH Blackbeard, meet Blackwater. Worldwide. The Moyock, N.C., company has a ship in Hampton Roads ready to begin patrolling the Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels against pirates. The company has spoken to about 10 shipping firms but as yet has no takers, said Bill Mathews, Blackwater Worldwide executive vice president. "There's definitely a need and a desire," Mathews said during a tour of the 183-foot vessel, named McArthur, on Friday. It's moored at a commercial pier at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Somali pirates in late September seized a Ukrainian ship loaded with military vehicles in the...

WASILLA — Wasilla Public Library has decided not to shelve two children’s books dealing with homosexuality donated by a gay activist in California. Michael Petrelis, a 49-year-old from San Francisco, donated the books in September after learning of Gov. Sarah Palin’s question about banning certain books when she was Wasilla’s mayor. In 1996 Palin asked Wasilla’s librarian how she would feel about banning certain books at the library. While no books were banned, Palin’s question started a brief controversy over censorship at the library. Palin reportedly took issue with the book “Pastor, I Am Gay,” by local author and now-retired...

The May fire aboard the carrier George Washington that injured 37 sailors, caused $70 million in damage and delayed the ship’s forward deployment to Japan was “entirely preventable,” according to the Pacific Fleet commander in a final report made public Friday. Adm. Robert Willard faulted the ship’s leadership for improperly handling the conditions that led to the fire. And he blamed inadequate firefighting training for the long amount of time it took to locate and extinguish the fire. Willard also aimed higher, questioning naval leaders in Hawaii, San Diego and Norfolk about “possible shortcomings” while the ship was undergoing training...

Military members will get a 3.9 percent pay raise in January, but the fiscal 2009 defense authorization nearing final passage will not support a House-passed plan to set military pay raises through 2013 a half percentage point higher than private sector wage growth. The new defense bill will protect working-age military retirees from a final try by the Bush administration to raise Tricare fees, deductibles and drug co-payments. Instead, beneficiaries of every age will see new enticements to stay healthy through no-fee check-ups, age-appropriate disease screening, smoking cessation help and other “wellness” programs. And, for a fourth straight year, the...