Free Republic

The USS Constellation, at the end of its journey from WashingtonState to International Shipbreaking Ltd. at the Port of Brownsville,Texas made its grand entrance into the BrazosSantiagoPass a few hours later than anticipated, finally clearing the jetties a few minutes after 10 a.m. on Friday.

March 7, 2007 — A former U.S. Navy sailor has been charged with allegedly passing military secrets about U.S. Navy movements through waters in the Middle East to al Qaeda-related Web sites during the spring of 2001, just months after the USS Cole was attacked in Yemen. Hassan Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, allegedly passed information about U.S. Navy warship movements in the Straits of Hormuz in April 2001 while he was a member of the Navy. The information passed along contained details about vulnerabilites of U.S. vessels — including susceptibility to small boat attacks by terrorists. Abujihaad...

Note: Click on any of the pictures in this report for a larger image. Over the 2005 Labor Day weekend we drove from Idaho to Bremerton, WA to visit my daughter and son-in-law (active duty US Navy) and our two grandsons. A secondary reason was to take a look at the US Navy reserve fleet there in Bremerton and to see any current US Navy vessels in the yards. The trip over was very beautiful and pleasant. There is a lot of very beuatiful scenary between Idaho and Washington. Here are some pictures of some of that scenary. Once we...

Investigators are trying to determine whether a San Diego sailor passed Navy secrets about security weaknesses and warship movements to a British man accused of having terrorist links, according to court documents unsealed yesterday. E-mail messages from the unnamed sailor, sent in late 2000 and 2001 before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, were found in December in computer files belonging to Babar Ahmad, who was detained Wednesday in London, according to the 31-page arrest affidavit. The computer files contained details about security arrangements and movements of the San Diego-based Constellation carrier battle group, which included the destroyer Benfold, on which...

<p>CORONADO, Calif. (AP) - One month after sailing home from war in Iraq, dozens of sailors from the USS Constellation celebrated a second homecoming Wednesday. They became U.S. citizens.</p> <p>In all, 216 Navy men and women from 42 countries took the oath of citizenship aboard the 41-year-old warship, which will be decommissioned next month. About 170 of them were assigned to the Constellation, which returned June 2 from a six-month assignment in the Persian Gulf.</p>

<p>The "Sun Kings" flew 82 combat missions over Iraq during a seven-month deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, but their latest mission was far less dangerous.</p> <p>Twenty pilots and naval flight officers from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron flew home to Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station in Ventura on Saturday.</p>

During the "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and for a while afterwards, I could access certain web pages that contained military information. Some was not too sensitive, but with the "War on Terror", it was still information. For example, there was a web page that listed the senior officers in the US Navy, and their current assignments and biographies. That is now inaccessable, along with other web sites. I really don't have a "need to know", and it really is dangerous to allow too much lead time for when a carrier might dock or where that US Navy aircraft might dock. Shortly...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- With five of six carrier battle groups deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Pacific Fleet was nearly tested to its limits. The ability to deploy the fleet's assets -- ships, subs and personnel -- quickly has given Navy leaders a great sense of pride. "That's a phenomenal undertaking," Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Walter Doran said in his historic Pearl Harbor office. "That underlines the commitment we have made over the last couple of years in short-term readiness and maintenance. And it talks very, very highly about training and the readiness capability of the sailors." However, it...

And now you sail into historyUSS Constellation Heading Home Aircraft Carrier Scheduled To Be Decommissioned SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego-based USS Constellation may soon be coming home, 10News reported. The aircraft carrier has played a major role in air strikes during the war with Iraq. However, with the focus in the region shifting, the commander of Naval forces said the carrier will be headed home soon. San Diegan 2nd Class Petty Officer Ryan Duron is stationed aboard the Constellation. His wife, Alicia, said she can't wait for him to come home and see his new baby girl. "I just...

Two Navy Battle Groups to Leave War Zone By ROBERT BURNS .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and the ships in their battle groups will leave the Persian Gulf this week and return to their home ports, a U.S. defense official said Monday. Their departure reflects a winding down of the air campaign, although the Pentagon is still sending more ground forces to Kuwait and Iraq. The USS Kitty Hawk will return to its base at Yokosuka, Japan, and the USS Constellation will return to San Diego, the official said, speaking on condition of...

U.S. Sends Some Warplanes Home By ROBERT BURNS .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. military is beginning to pull some attack planes out of the Iraq war, now that the major ground battles are over and the focus is shifting to stabilizing the country. The air campaign is far from over, but its focus has shifted away from heavy bombing toward protective air cover for ground troops around Baghdad and in northern Iraq. Surveillance and reconnaissance missions by U-2 spy planes, unmanned Predator drones and other aircraft are continuing apace, and aerial refueling and cargo planes are...

U.S. Marine Task Force Heads to Tikrit By DAVID CRARY .c The Associated Press A Marine task force headed north from Baghdad on Sunday, seeking to destroy any Iraqi forces remaining on the route to Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. The first TV news footage of Tikrit indicated its defenses had already dissolved. The footage, aired by CNN, showed no signs of active Iraqi army defenses around Tikrit and suggested that intensive U.S. airstrikes had taken a heavy toll on the desert city's military forces. CNN correspondent Brent Sadler reported that U.S. military officers were negotiating with tribal chiefs in...

<p>ABOARD THE USS CONSTELLATION -(KRT) - Sleek and projecting power even though still, the USS Constellation's F-14 Tomcats dominate the carrier's flight deck. Originally designed to foil Soviet fighters during the Cold War, these exponents of Navy air power are probably seeing their last service in this one.</p>

EVERETT, Wash. - The Navy confirmed Wednesday that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been released from duty in the Iraq (news - web sites) war and is returning to its home port here. The carrier was relieved of duty by the USS Nimitz, spokesman Rick Huling said. No arrival date had been set, but families of crew members are expecting the ship in about a month and are planning a big welcome. It would be the first homecoming for a large unit involved in the war in Iraq. The Lincoln and its seven-ship battle group have been at...

Fox just reported that AWACS planes took off from the Constellation. Methinks they are confusing their planes.

ABOARD THE CONSTELLATION - American troops in Iraq were taking fire and called for air support. Two F-14 Tomcats from the Constellation answered the call by dropping all their bombs on the target. Then, the Tomcats dived from their high-altitude sanctuary into the lethal reach of Iraqi anti-aircraft and small arms fire to strafe the enemy with 20 mm cannon. It was the first known combat use of guns by U.S. carrier-based fighters in this conflict, which has been characterized by high-altitude air attacks with precision weapons. "It's not something we planned to do ... but when there are guys...

Barronett man aids in pilot rescue The Associated Press SPOONER -- Mary Wickland named her son after a brother who drowned in a lake, and she made sure the boy became an excellent swimmer. On Tuesday, 20-year-old Scott Daniel Wickland jumped into the waters of the Persian Gulf and rescued two pilots who had ejected from a crashed plane. Wickland, a native of Barronett in Barron County, is a crew member on a helicopter assigned search-and-rescue duties in the war with Iraq. He was in the helicopter early Tuesday when a plane veered off the deck of the aircraft carrier...

Navy's F-14A Tomcat Crashes in Iraq By ROHAN SULLIVAN .c The Associated Press ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK (AP) - A F-14 Tomcat strike fighter crashed into the Iraqi desert during a bombing mission early Wednesday after a mechanical failure caused its engines to fail, senior Navy officers said. The pilot and a second crewman ejected to safety and were rescued by helicopter. The F-14A - a type of plane that dates from the late 1960s and is among the Navy's oldest - went down in southern Iraq about 1:50 a.m. said Rear Adm. Matthew G. Moffit, commander of the...

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- They share the same long hours, the same stress of fighting in war, but those in supporting roles receive little of the glory showered on combat pilots. Still, aviators like Lt. Kyle Horlacher whose squadron has had the task of refueling the gas-guzzling supersonic jets before they go to fight over Iraq, wouldn't have it any other way, most of the time."There's a part of you that sometimes wishes you could get over there and see some action," acknowledges Horlacher. "But generally, we're happy to be doing what we need to do."It is only...

Fighter Pilots Get Help From Aviators By GEORGE JAHN .c The Associated Press ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (AP) - They share the same long hours, the same stress of fighting in war, but those in supporting roles receive little of the glory showered on combat pilots. Still, aviators like Lt. Kyle Horlacher whose squadron has had the task of refueling the gas-guzzling supersonic jets before they go to fight over Iraq, wouldn't have it any other way, most of the time. ``There's a part of you that sometimes wishes you could get over there and see some action,'' acknowledges...