Aircraft carrier USS Truman to deploy next week to Middle East

By Caitlyn Burchett  – Stars and Stripes • September 20, 2024

WASHINGTON – The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a force of 6,5000 sailors will deploy next week on a mission that is expected to take the warship’s strike group into the Middle East, Navy officials announced Friday. The Truman and the other ships in its strike group will leave early next week from Naval Station Norfolk, Va. and Naval Station Mayport, Fla., according to U.S. Fleet Forces. The carrier strike group includes Carrier Air Wing 1 with nine aviation squadrons, the Ticonderoga-class, guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, and two Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyers, the USS Stout and the USS Jason Dunham. The strike group has spent recent months training in the western Atlantic Ocean for a rare, pre-planned deployment expected to take the ship into the hostile environment of the Red Sea. U.S. sailors and allied nations have fought almost daily for months to down drones and missiles launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen as tensions in the Middle East have raged on for nearly a year. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in October 2023 was ordered to sail to the region after a deadly attack on Israel by Hamas militants. Following the attack, Iran and proxy forces have targeted maritime merchants and shipping traffic in the Red Sea. In the past year, Defense Secretary Llyod Austin has twice ordered two carriers to the region, as well as bolstering U.S. forces with an amphibious ready group and a nuclear-powered submarine. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower joined the Ford in the winter before the Ford returned to Norfolk. The Eisenhower completed an eight-month deployment to the region in July, being relieved by San Diego-based carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. In August, Austin ordered the extension of the Roosevelt as well as directed the USS Abraham Lincoln, also a West Coast-based carrier, to the Red Sea. The Roosevelt and the Lincoln’s time in the region overlapped by about three weeks before the Roosevelt was ordered to return home. The Lincoln and its strike group are still in the region. The Truman will transit to the Middle East with a strike force of 90 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, E-2D Hawkeye command and control aircraft, E/A18 Growler electronic warfare jets, and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters. “They know that they’re most likely going to be entering a weapon engagement zone,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, the leader of Navy Fleet Forces Command, said during a rare Miami Fleet Week appearance in May. The Fleet Week appearance was wedged into training ahead of what is expected to be an intense deployment. “I believe, personally, that puts higher stakes on why what we do [in training] is so important,” Caudle said in May. “For this group, this [deployment] is not with the mindset that they’re just going to go drill holes in the water somewhere — this is, ‘We’re going to be employed for combat.’” CAITLYN BURCHETT Caitlyn Burchett covers defense news at the Pentagon. Before joining Stars and Stripes, she was the military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. She is based in Washington, D.C.

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Amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) arrives pier side at Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo as part of a scheduled home port shift to Sasebo, Sept. 19.

SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 19, 2024) USS San Diego, previously originally based out of San Diego, moves to Sasebo to join the Forward Deployed Naval Forces Japan (FDNF-J) as part of a permanent change of station. Maintaining an FDNF capability with the most advanced ships supports the United States’ commitment to the defense of Japan and the security and stability of the vital Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Darian Lord)

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USCGC Polar Star Returns to Seattle

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned to Seattle, Sunday, after 285 days away from the cutter’s home port.

Following a 138-day deployment to Antarctica supporting Operation Deep Freeze 2024, the Polar Star reported directly to Mare Island Dry Dock (MIDD) LLC. in Vallejo, California, to commence the fourth phase of a five-year Service Life Extension Project (SLEP).

The work completed at MIDD is part of the in-service vessel sustainment program with the goal of recapitalizing targeted systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems, as well as effecting significant maintenance to extend the cutter’s service life.

Polar Star’s SLEP work is completed in phases to coordinate operational commitments such as the cutter’s annual Antarctic deployment. Phase four began on April 1, 2024, targeting three systems:

• Boiler support systems were recapitalized, including the electrical control station that operates them.
• The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system was refurbished through the overhaul of ventilation trunks, fans and heaters that supply the cutter’s berthing areas.
• The flooding alarm system was redesigned, providing the ability to monitor machinery spaces for flooding from bow to stern.

Additional work not typically completed every dry dock included removing and installing the starboard propulsion shaft, servicing and inspecting both anchor windlasses, inspecting and repairing anchor chains and ground tackle, cleaning and inspecting all main propulsion motors and generators, installation of an isolation valve to prevent seawater intrusion into the sanitary system, and overhauling the fuel oil purifier.

Phase four of Polar Star’s SLEP took place over approximately 140 days and represented a total investment of $16.8 million. By replacing outdated and maintenance-intensive equipment, the Coast Guard will mitigate lost mission days caused by system failures and unplanned repairs. The contracted SLEP work items and recurring maintenance is taking place within a five-year, annually phased production schedule running from 2021 through 2025.

The Coast Guard is investing in a new fleet of polar security cutters (PSC) that will sustain the service’s capabilities to meet mission needs in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The SLEP allows Polar Star to continue providing access to the Polar regions until the PSCs are operational and assume the high latitude missions. Polar security cutters will enable the U.S. to maintain defense readiness in the Polar regions; enforce treaties and other laws needed to safeguard both industry and the environment; provide ports, waterways and coastal security; and provide logistical support – including vessel escort – to facilitate the movement of goods and personnel necessary to support scientific research, commerce, national security activities and maritime safety.

“Completing a dry dock availability is a positive milestone, and despite challenges due to being away from home port, our crew’s energy and resilience inspires me every day,” said Capt. Jeff Rasnake, Polar Star’s commanding officer. “The amount of time and effort put into Polar Star and its mission is truly remarkable. The dedication and teamwork displayed across all stakeholders exemplifies the Coast Guard’s flexibility and commitment to ensuring the continued success of Operation Deep Freeze as well as strengthened partnerships among nations invested in the Antarctic latitudes. I look forward to observing how this crew will continue to grow as a team and to discovering what we can accomplish together.”

Along with the rigorous maintenance schedule, Polar Star held a change of command ceremony on July 8, 2024, in Vallejo, where Rasnake relieved Capt. Keith Ropella as the cutter’s commanding officer. Rasnake served as the deputy director for financial management procurement services modernization and previously served as Polar Star’s executive officer. Ropella transferred to the office of cutter forces where he will oversee the management of the operational requirements for the cutter fleet and develop solutions for emerging challenges facing the afloat community.

Polar Star is the Coast Guard’s only active heavy polar icebreaker and is the United States’ only asset capable of providing year-round access to both polar regions.

Commissioned in 1976, the cutter is 399 feet, weighing 13,500 tons with a 34-foot draft. Despite reaching nearly 50 years of age, Polar Star remains the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker with the ability to produce up to 75,000 horsepower. Polar Star’s SLEP is important to the survival of the Antarctic mission and crucial to the well-being and success of Polar Star and crew during these long missions.

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