Sam LaGrone

The Littoral Combat Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) suffered an in-port fire on Wednesday while in port at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., USNI News has learned. Seven sailors were taken to area hospitals, treated for minor injuries and released. “All have since been released and cleared to return to the ship that same afternoon. The cause of the incident is being reviewed,” reads a statement from U.S. Naval Surface Force Atlantic to USNI News. The fire began around 11:30 a.m., and the ship’s company and Mayport Fire and Emergency Services responded and extinguished the blaze, according to the statement. Mayport is home

Two U.S. warships and Air Force cargo aircraft are headed to Venezuela to support a U.S. State Department relief mission following two earthquakes on Wednesday. U.S. Southern Command is dispatching USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) and the Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings (LCS-15) in addition to Air Force C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, the command said in a statement late Thursday. “These forces will provide specialized mobility services and support to U.S. government personnel, search and rescue teams, and U.S. interagency partners as they assess damage, locate the injured, and deliver critical, life-saving assistance,” reads the statement. “SOUTHCOM will continue

A billionaire’s ship designed to find the most famous lost ships of World War II has reemerged as a U.S. Navy survey ship, USNI News has learned.

Amphibious warship USS San Antonio (LPD-17) departed Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Monday as part of an extended deployment after a brief maintenance period, USNI News has learned. A U.S. 2nd Fleet spokesperson confirmed San Antonio left Norfolk for a deployment but did not provide additional details on the mission. San Antonio returned in April from a 258-day deployment as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group mission to U.S. Southern Command. San Antonio deployed on Aug. 14, along with USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD- 28). Iwo Jima

The network of Bollinger shipyards in Louisiana wasted no time starting work on their Coast Arctic Security Cutter, beginning fabrication of the first planned U.S. hull two months ahead of the finalized contract, Bollinger president Ben Bordelon told USNI News this week. This week, the Coast Guard finalized an award to Bollinger for $2.2 billion in contracts for four ASC hulls while Finnish shipbuilder partner Rauma was awarded $1.1 billion for two hulls to be built in Finland, the Department of Homeland Security told USNI News in a Friday statement. “America’s future in the Arctic demands strength, capability, and resolve,”

‘They’re Here, We Might as Well Train’

Fleet Exercise 250 Combined 32 Ships from 15 Navies in a Once-in-a-Generation Naval Exercise

Three Saronic Corsair unmanned surface craft were used in a Sunday attack on an Iranian port, U.S. Central Command announced on social media. In the 25-second video posted Monday on X, the Corsairs approach an Iranian pier at Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz with what appears to be a Ghadir-class midget submarine suspended from a gantry out of water. “Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” reads the X post. “Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first

Two companies that were passed over for the U.S. Navy’s Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program are taking the service to court over the decision, USNI News has learned. Saildrone and Blue Water Autonomy filed suit in late June in the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., with two separate complaints alleging the Navy didn’t follow its own rules in how it selected contenders for the first generation of larger autonomous vessels. In May, the Navy tapped seven out of about two dozen companies to build a prototype for the MUSV program that would test the vessels by

Robot boat builder Saronic Technologies has tapped a site in Brownsville, Texas, for its ambitious Port Alpha $3.2 billion shipyard after securing a tax abatement deal from the local government. The 835-acre site in Cameron County is in the Port of Brownsville, home to the majority of the country’s shipbuilding industry. Speaking to reporters this week, Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas said the greenfield site could employ up to 10,000 people over the next 10 years and would focus on both commercial and defense shipbuilding. Construction is set to begin this year. A facility is expected to be ready to build