www.flagshipnews.com | The Flagship | Section 1 | Thursday, April 4, 2024 1
IN THIS ISSUE
NAS Oceana announces its 2024 Air Show Get ready for the sound of freedom at the 2024 NAS Oceana Air Show, which will take place Sept. 21 -22. The show will feature the Navy’s flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, the F-35C Lightning Demonstration Team, the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and more! PAGE A3 VOL. 32, NO. 12, Norfolk, Va. | flagshipnews.com
April 4-April 10, 2024
PATAPSCO RIVER (March, 29 2024) The Chesapeake, a 1000-ton lift capacity derrick barge, the Ferrell, a 200-ton lift capacity revolving crane barge, and the Oyster Bay, a 150-ton lift capacity crane barge are in Baltimore Harbor. The barges will be used by the Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) to remove submerged portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The barges, contracted through Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) will support the U.S. Coast Guard led Unified Command in its effort to clear and re-open the channel. (U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS HANNAH MOHR)
Navy resources arrive in Baltimore to support Key Bridge efforts Courtesy Story from Navy.mil BALTIMORE — The Chesapeake, a 1000ton lift capacity derrick barge, the Ferrell, a 200-ton lift capacity revolving crane barge, and the Oyster Bay, a 150-ton lift capacity crane barge have arrived to Baltimore Harbor. An additional 400-ton lift capacity barge is on track to arrive early next week. The barges, contracted through Naval Sea
Systems Command (NAVSEA) will support the U.S. Coast Guard led Unified Command in its effort to clear and re-open the channel. The barges will be used by the Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) to remove submerged portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. SUPSALV will accomplish the work in phases. Following an overall assessment, work will focus on disassembling and removing the bridge section by section. The disassembled pieces
will be lifted onto barges, which will then be transported away. An additional 12 crane and support vessels to include tugs, survey, dive and crew boats, are in the mobilization process and will arrive to Baltimore in the coming days. SUPSALV will manage the operation and use of all assets to provide centralized oversight of all salvage operations. SUPSALV is a world leader in the ocean engineering discipline of marine salvage,
towing, pollution control and abatement, diving and diving system safety, salvage equipment procurement and underwater ship husbandry. For Navy-specific questions, please contact the CHINFO Newsdesk at CHINFONewsDesk@us.navy.mil. For general questions related to Key Bridge support efforts, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard led Unified Command at keybridgejic@ gmail.com.
Pentagon transfers authority of Red Hill to Navy to ensure its safe closure By David Vergun DOD News
The Defense Department announced yesterday that Joint Task Force-Red Hill has completed its defueling mission at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu, Hawaii, and shifted command and control of the facility to the Navy to complete the task of its safe closure. Defueling involves removing fuel from the facility’s fuel pipelines, an operation known as unpacking. In November 2021, residents of Oahu, Hawaii, faced a crisis when fuel spills at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility contaminated the Navy’s drinking water system. “Today I am pleased to announce that the Navy has assumed command and control of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement yesterday. Navy Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander of Navy Region Hawaii and commander of Navy Closure Task Force, will have overall responsibility for the final steps to ensure the continued safe closure of Red Hill, Austin said. “I’m grateful to [Navy] Vice Adm. John F.G. Wade, commander of the joint task force, for his leadership and his work with
the Hawaii Department of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and our community partners in Hawaii to complete the department’s prompt and safe defueling of Red Hill earlier this month. “The Department of Defense and the United States Navy remain deeply committed to protecting the public’s health and preserving the environment. [Navy] Rear Adm. Barnett is determined to close Red Hill safely, and I’ve directed him to continue to communicate with our personnel and the people of Hawaii candidly, frequently and transparently,” Austin said. Wade provided remarks regarding the transfer of the Red Hill fuel storage facility to the Navy during a ceremony at the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Oahu yesterday. The removal of the majority of fuel, 104 million gallons, from above the aquifer, occurred on an accelerated timeline and took a whole-of-government team approach, Wade said. “Adm. Barnett and his closure task force understand the enormity and importance of their mission to safely and expeditiously close and decommission the facility, ensure clean water and conduct the necessary long-term environmental remediation,” Turn to Red Hill, Page 2
AIEA, Hawaii (April 11, 2022) Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command contractors perform a routine inspection on a water pipe that connects to a granular activated carbon system at a well of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu, Hawaii, April 11, 2022. The Navy continues to work with federal, state and local organizations to support families and residents, conduct long-term monitoring of the Navy water system, and work toward remediating the Red Hill facility and the surrounding area. (U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS MAR’QUEON A. D. TRAMBLE)
VFA-213 Pilots and a Weapons Systems Officer participate in FAA Virtual Women’s History Month Celebration Throughout the month of March, the FAA has been sharing aviation-centric stories honoring female pilots, air crew and maintenance professionals. Women assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 participated in their annual celebration March 26. PAGE A5
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