Singapore Salutes Lincoln Strike Group

By PETER E. ATKINSON, Deputy Editor

Council, Local Americans Thank Crews Following Tsunami Relief Effort

After what was described as “spectacular humanitarian service” in response to the Indian Ocean tsunamis, members of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ALCSG) were recognized for their efforts during a port visit to Singapore, thanks, in part, to the Navy League’s Singapore Council.

The Singapore Council, the American Association of Singapore, the American Club and several other American community organizations coordinated a reception and barbecue to welcome back the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and some of its escorts, according to Singapore Council President Jack Miller. The strike group contingent stopped in Singapore as it made its way back to the United States following the conclusion of its deployment.

Commanding officers from the Abraham Lincoln and support ships USS Shiloh and USS Shoup, both guided-missile cruisers, joined 150 sailors and 150 civilian hosts at the barbecue. U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin attended, and spoke of the amazing relief efforts of the U.S. Navy at many locations in the Indian Ocean, Miller said. The ALCSG also includes the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, and the supply vessel USNS Rainier.

In addition, American community members hosted 80 sailors, in small groups, for in-home and in-restaurant meals as part of the American Association’s Home Hospitality Program, Miller said.

The sailors were clearly emotionally affected by their round-the-clock operation, Miller said, and the impact it had on victims whose lives were most definitely saved because of the efforts. It was an experience in their Navy careers that most sailors will never have, and that these sailors will never forget.

Following the Dec. 26 tsunamis that devastated the coastlines of Indonesia, India, Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other nations in the region, the ships of ALCSG were ordered south as they left a holiday port visit in Hong Kong. On New Year’s Day, sailors from the ALCSG began to deliver vital food, water and medicine to help stabilize life-threatening situations, as well as provide helicopter transportation for displaced persons.

Helicopters from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 2, Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light 47 and Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 11 carried out missions into Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and along the Sumatran coastline, which had been rendered inaccessible by the waves.

From Jan. 1 – Feb. 4, ALCSG aircraft flew 1,747 missions in support of Operation Unified Assistance, carried 5.7 million pounds of supplies, including 16,308 gallons of water, and transported 3,043 passengers, according to statistics provided by the Navy. Of the supply total, about 3 million pounds were purchased and/or processed by Navy commands in Singapore. Medical personnel from Abraham Lincoln also treated 259 people and more than 200 patients were medically evacuated for further treatment.

Following the Singapore visit, Abraham Lincoln was scheduled to make brief stops in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and San Diego before returning to its homeport at Naval Station Everett, Wash., on March 4.

Oak Harbor Council Gets X-Craft Preview

Thanks to its new community affiliate, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, the Oak Harbor, Wash., Council got a preview of the Navy’s newest class of warship, the FSF-1 (Fast Sea Frame-1), formerly known as the X-Craft, prior to its christening.

Fifty-three council members were given a tour of the ship Feb. 1 at the Nichols Brothers’ shipyard on Whidbey Island. The three-hour outing was arranged by outgoing Council President Beth Munns, and hosted by Nichols Brothers President Matt Nichols.

The 262-foot, high-speed catamaran features a large mission bay that can hold up to a dozen 20-foot mission modules. The vessel’s flight deck can accommodate two H-60 helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles.

“I was impressed with all the new technology that leads to safety for the crew, and that this (ship) was built in our own backyard — by one of the community affiliates,” said Munns, who is being succeeded as council president by Joseph Mosolino.

On Feb. 5, many Oak Harbor Council members returned to the Nichols Brothers’ shipyard to see the FSF-1 christened Sea Fighter. In attendance was Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England; U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; his wife Lynne, the ship’s sponsor; the precommissioning crew of 26 Navy and Coast Guardsmen; and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brandon S. Bryan, the Sea Fighter’s prospective commanding officer.

An onboard reception and post-christening tour of the ship followed the event. At a brief ceremony during the reception, Munns presented Lynne Hunter with an engraved silver bowl from the Oak Harbor Council.

Following its launch at the end of February, Sea Fighter was scheduled to go to Everett Naval Station to be fitted with its armament, and then undergo two months of sea trials. The ship will be homeported in San Diego.

Mayport Council Cruises With the John F. Kennedy

More than 100 members and guests of the Mayport, Fla., Council joined the “Friends and Family Cruise” on the carrier USS John F. Kennedy Feb 25. Several youth groups, Naval Sea Cadets and Junior Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps members were among the guests.

Despite drizzly weather, Commanding Officer Capt. Dennis E. FitzPatrick and his crew provided a great day at sea, according to Pat Pumphrey, the council’s publicity chairwoman. Members of the Mayport Council were assigned a crewmember as a guide, who gave them tours of the ship from the engine room to the wardroom, she said.

The group also gathered on the flight deck to observe an air power demonstration featuring the SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter, F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets. The Sea Hawk took off first, the four Tomcats were then launched and returned to base at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. Two F/A Hornets were launched and returned several times to be re-launched before refueling in the air and returning to base.

Lunch was served all day in the hangar bay and live bands and movies entertained the crowd of more than 3,800 guests.

Oakland Council Helps Welcome Coast Guard Unit Home from Gitmo

After six months of duty providing maritime security while attached to Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, the Coast Guard Pacific Area Port Security Unit (PSU) Detachment were saluted upon returning home to Oakland, Calif., by happy family members, a band and a half-dozen cases of locally produced wine.

After being greeted Dec. 8 by nearly 100 friends and family members and a 17-piece band, the 53 returning members of the PSU Detachment were treated to a welcome-home dinner sponsored by the Oakland Council of the Navy League Dec. 9. The council donated $1,500 toward the dinner that included the PSU Detachment and their family members. In addition, the council obtained 72 bottles of wine donated from Sonoma County wineries to further enhance the dinner.

“Vendors from around the area gladly donated to this worthy cause,” said council President Robert L. Castle.

“We would have been hard pressed to have such a marvelous homecoming without the Navy League’s support,” said Brigitte Stafford, wife of Master Chief Petty Officer J.R. Stafford, and the coordinator of the PSU Detachment’s homecoming event.

The unit deployed May 31, 2004. The PSU Detachment’s primary responsibilities while in Cuba included creating and maintaining comprehensive security measures for waterborne and shore side facilities, monitoring and protecting critical shore side infrastructures, and providing escorts for transiting U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Cuban and commercial vessels.

Short Bursts

The Richmond, Va., Council was able to pass on a $1,000 check to the USS Ashland in January as part of its “Deployment Dollars” program following a donation from the Pittsburgh-based ATM Corp. of America. Council President Joseph Moschetti presented the check to Ashland Commanding Officer Gary Boardman during a shipboard visit. The Ashland is the seventh Navy or Coast Guard ship to benefit from the program. Crewmembers receive $5 chits or coupons by being selected during a daily “Deployment Dollars” drawing that can be redeemed at the ship’s store.

Navy League Councils heard riveting, first-hand experiences of survivors and eyewitnesses to two of World War II’s most tragic events at recent meetings. In late January, the Carson City, Nev., Council, hosted retired Army Air Corps Maj. Ralph Levenberg, who survived the Bataan Death March as a prisoner of war on the Philippines in 1942. Levenberg ended up being held prisoner by the Japanese for nearly four years, yet he later went on to serve with the 27th Fighter Wing during the Korean War.

In December, The Greater Kansas City Council hosted Dorinda Nicholson, author of “Pearl Harbor Child” and “Pearl Harbor Warriors.” Nicholson, who now resides in Kansas City, was a child living within sight of the U.S. Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when it was attacked by Japan on Dec. 7, 1941. So close was her family’s home to the harbor that Nicholson recalled being able to see torpedo bomber pilots in their open canopies as they flew in for attack.

Send items for “Council Digest” to:

Peter Atkinson, Deputy Editor
Seapower/Navy League News
2300 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201-3308
E-mail: patkinson@navyleague.org