Haze Gray & Underway Naval News Photos

Haze Gray & Underway

Naval News Photos

Archive - 2000

The thumbnail images and captions are linked to screen-sized images; larger images are linked to the words "Hi-Rez Image".

December 24 - USS Cole refloated. After installation of a temporary patch over the hole resulting from the October 12 terrorist attack, Cole was floated off Blue Marlin. For more photos, see our related special feature: The Attack on USS Cole.
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December 13 - USS Cole (DDG 67) returns to the US. Two months after the suicide bombing that killed 17 sailors and seriously damaged the ship, Cole has arrived at Ingalls Shipbuilding for repairs. For more photos, see our related special feature: The Attack on USS Cole.
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Early December - Iwo Jima (LHD 7) sea trials. The last major milestone prior to delivery, Iwo Jima's sea trials were carried out in the Gulf of Mexico. LHD 7 is the last of the Wasp class ships; LHD 8 will feature a new gas turbine propulsion system. This change means Iwo Jima will almost certainly be the last oil-fired steam-turbine ship delivered to the US Navy.

December 7 - Wisconsin (BB 64) moves to Norfolk waterfront. The mothballed battleship Wisconsin, seen here on 31 May 2000 under tow to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, arrived at her new home on the Norfolk waterfront on 7 December. She will be partially opened to the public as a museum in April, 2001.

December 7 - Wisconsin (BB 64) moves to Norfolk waterfront. Here Wisconsin is seen moving down the Elizabeth River as fireboats salute her.
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December 7 - Wisconsin (BB 64) moves to Norfolk waterfront. In this view Wisconsin is being maneuvered to her new berth alongside Nauticus, on the Norfolk waterfront.
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December 7 - Wisconsin (BB 64) moves to Norfolk waterfront. The day after her arrival, Wisconsin is seen in her new berth.
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December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day. The Arizona Memorial remembers the sailors who died on December 7, 1941.

December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day. The crew of USS Hopper (DDG 70) man the rail as the ship passes the Arizona memorial on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2000.
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December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day. The carrier Coral Sea (CVA 43) is seen passing the Arizona memorial in 1968.

November 28 - Harry S Truman Deploys. The carrier Harry S Truman (CVN 75) and her battle group departed Norfolk for a Mediterranean deployment. They will relieve the George Washington battle group, which will be home for Chistmas.
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November 22 - Shoup (DDG 86) Launched. The new AEGIS guided missile destroyer Shoup was floated off the drydock at Ingalls Shipbuilding, moving one step closer to her February, 2002 delivery. She wil be christened early in 2001.
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November 12-15 - South Korean ships visit Vancouver. The South Korean destroyer Kwanggaeto (DD 971), frigate Chung-Ju (FF 961), and replenishment ship Dae-Chung (AOE 58) visited Vancouver, BC, from November 12th to November 15th. These ships are among the newest and most powerful in the South Korean Navy.
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November 12-15 - South Korean ships visit Vancouver. This view from Kwanggaeto's superstructure looks forward over her Mk48 vertical-launch missile system and 5" (127mm) gun.
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November 12-15 - South Korean ships visit Vancouver. This view shows Chung-Ju's bridge, dual 40mm gun, and 76mm gun.
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November 11 - Ronald Reagan's island is installed. Installation of the 650-ton island structure is a major milestone in the carrier's construction. Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) features a newly designed island, which eliminates one deck level found in previous CVNs, and adds a second mast for radars, to eliminate the free-standing radar mast found on other US carriers.
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November 11 - Veterans Day / Remembrance Day / Armistice Day Remembering and honoring the Veterans of all our wars.

November 9 - Lt. Gen Lejeune statue unveiled at Camp Lejeune. The statue was unveiled on the of the Marine Corps 225th Birthday, honoring Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune, the 13th Commandant of the Corps.
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November 7 - Ships arrive for MCOPLAT 2000. This is an annual multi-national minesweeping operation in Latvian waters, this year including ships from Sweden, Norway the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, in addition to local forces from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. In this view a fast combat boat/landing craft is unloaded from the Swedish support ship Sleipner (A343). The multinational force will spend the next 10 days locating and neutralizing old mines and other explosives off the Latvian coast.

November 3 - USS Cole crew returns to Norfolk. Three weeks after a suicide attack killed 17 of their shipmates and seriously damaged their ship, 216 members of Cole's crew arrived at Norfolk, to an emotional welcome by family, friends, and Navy leadership.

November 3 - USS Cole crew returns to Norfolk. Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig is joined by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark, Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet Admiral Robert Natter, and hundreds of others in welcoming Cole's crew home.

Photo from Netmarine
November 2 - French carrier Foch (R99) departs Toulon for the last time. Foch sailed from Toulon for the last time, with a joint French/Brazilian crew, en route to Brest. She will be transferred to the Brazilian Navy as Sao Paulo on November 15th, and will undergo a refit at Brest before sailing to Brazil early next year.

November 1 - USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23) is christened. This ocean surveillance ship, originally intended to be the leadship of a class of six ships, has suffered through a slow and painful procurement process. She was ordered in early 1991, but construction work proceeded slowly, and by late 1993 it was clear the shipyard could not complete the job. The contract was cancelled, and the work transferred to Halter Marine in 1995. Although Impeccable was launched in 1998, the ceremonial christening was postponed until she was complete. She is seen here on sea trials.

October 31 - USS La Moure County (LST 1194) completes her final voyage. Following a grounding on the rocky coast of Chile on 12 September, La Moure County has been undergoing emergency repairs in Cifuncho Bay, Chile, to make her seaworthy for the 700 mile tow to Talcahuano, Chile. After getting underway on October 28th, she arrived at Talcahuano on the 31st, under tow by the Chilean icebreaker Oscar Viel Toro. This will be her final port, as repairs to her severely damaged hull and machinery were judged to be uneconomical. La Moure County will be decommissioned at Talcahuano on November 10th, where she will remain until US forces return next year to sink her as a target during the annual UNITAS exercise. She is seen here at anchor in Cifuncho Bay, where she lay from September 12th to October 28th.

October 30 - USS Cole (DDG 67) is loaded aboard Blue Marlin. Following the October 12 suicide attack that killed 17 sailors and left the ship seriously damaged, it was decided to transport her back to the United States on the deckship Blue Marlin. Cole was lifted by Blue Marlin on October 30th; this photo was taken the following day, as preparations for the trip home continued. For more photos, see our related special feature: The Attack on USS Cole.
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October 27 - Spanish frigate Alvaro De Bazan (F101) is launched by E.N. Bazan at Ferrol, Spain. Alvaro De Bazan is the lead ship of the F100 class frigates, which will become Spain's principal surface combatants. The F100 class will be fitted with the US Aegis combat system, incorporating the SPY-1D phased-array radar. Spain will become the third country to operate Aegis ships. At about 5,800 tons displacement, these "frigates" will be destroyers in all but name. Alvaro De Bazan is seen here on the building ways, just prior to launch.

October 27 - Spanish frigate Alvaro De Bazan (F101) is launched by E.N. Bazan at Ferrol, Spain. The new frigate is seen here at the end of her launching run, as tugs come alongside to take the ship in tow. Her four SPY-1D radar arrays are housed in the massive tower above her bridge.

October 27 - Spanish frigate Alvaro De Bazan (F101) is launched by E.N. Bazan at Ferrol, Spain. Alvaro De Bazan is seen pierside following her launching.

October 21 - USNS Brittin (T-AKR 305) is christened. Brittin is the seventh of eight large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships (LMSRs) contracted to Avondale Industries. She is the 15th US Navy ship to be named for an Army hero.
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October 14 - USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) is commissioned at Mayport, FL Roosevelt is named in honor of both President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. She is the 30th Arleigh Burke class destroyer, and the second of the Flight IIA variant of the class. This view shows the the details of Roosevelt's dual helicopter hangars and hangar doors; the hangars are a major addition in the Flight IIA variant.

October 15 - The WWII-era oiler Ashtabula (AO 51) is scuttled after a firing exercise. Despite the terrific pounding she suffered from a force of seven US, British and French ships on October 14th, Ashtabula remained afloat the next day. She was finally sent to the bottom by demolition charges.

October 15 - Ashtabula (AO 51) takes her final plunge after a SINKEX off San Diego. The frigate in the background is Thach (FFG 43).

October 14 - The WWII-era oiler Ashtabula (AO 51) is attacked in a target exercise. The firing exercise took place off San Diego, and included ships from the US Navy (O'Kane (DDG 77), Curts (FFG 38), and Thach (FFG 43)), Royal Navy (Sutherland (F81), Cornwall (F99) and Newcastle (D87)), and French navy (Aconit (F713)). Ashtabula had been decommissioned in 1982 and sold for scrap in 1995, but was returned to the Navy when the scrapper defaulted in 1999. The scrapping work was only about 20% completed. The old oiler is seen here after two hits from Harpoon missiles, each of which has opened a large hole in her starboard side.

October 14 - The WWII-era oiler Ashtabula (AO 51) is attacked in a target exercise. This view shows a closeup of the oiler's stern, where a Sea Skua missile scored a hit. The missile was equipped with a penetration warhead, so it exploded inside the ship, causing major internal destruction but leaving relatively little external evidence. In all, the oiler was subjected to eight Harpoon missiles, two Standard (SM-2) missiles, three Sea Skua missiles, four bombs from S-3 Vikings, and over 100 rounds of gunfire from 3", 100mm, and 5" guns.

October 13 - USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) delivered. Churchill is the 31st Arleigh Burke class destroyer, and the 18th ship of the class built by Bath Iron Works. She is the first ship to carry the new 5-inch, 62-caliber gun. Churchill is seen here returning from Builders Sea Trials in late July, following the successful test firing of the new gun. She will be commissioned at Norfolk in March, 2001.

October 12 - USS Cole (DDG 67) attacked at Aden, Yemen. Cole was attacked by suicide bombers in a small boat while she refuelled in the port of Aden. The attack killed 17 sailors, injured 39 sailors, and left the ship heavily damaged. For more photos, see our related special feature: The Attack on USS Cole.
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October 6 - Buoy Tender USCGC Ironwood (WLB 297) decommissioned after 57 years in service Commissioned on October 11, 1943, the 180-foot buoy tender Ironwood saw service in three wars, operated from eight different homeports, and steamed over a half million miles in her long career. Ironwood was the second-oldest cutter in USCG service, and was the only remaining US vessel awarded the Korean Service Medal. She is seen here just prior to her decommissioning ceremony at Kodiak, Alaska. Following decommissioning, Ironwood will be transferred to Nigeria.
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Photo from Netmarine
October 4 - French carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) arrives at Toulon for the first time. After a protracted construction and trials period, the new French carrier has finally arrived at her homeport. France is now the second country to operate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. de Gaulle replaces the venerable Foch, which has been sold to Brazil.

September 15 - The Chinese Navy visits Naval Station Everett, WA. Two People Liberation Army (Navy) ships arrived at Everett on September 15th, as part of goodwill tour to US and Canadian ports. The Chinese destroyer Qingdao (113) is seen here during the subsequent open house at Everett. She was accompanied by the replenishment ship Tai Cang (575), and was hosted by USS Bridge (AOE 10). For more photos, see our related feature: The Chinese Navy Visits Everett.

September 12 - USS La Moure County (LST 1194) runs aground in Chile. La Moure County was preparing for an amphibious landing, part of the annual UNITAS exercise, and was operating with the Chilean LST Valdivia (a sistership transferred to Chile several years ago). Something went terribly wrong in the darkness and fog, and La Moure County drove ashore on the rocky coast. Valdivia pulled her off the rocks and she anchored in Cifuncho Bay to evaluate the damage. Unofficial damage reports indicate massive damage to the hull and destruction of her propulsion systems.

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