1. USS Nassau LHA 4 (one of the great Tarawa class Big Deck Amphibs) is set to decommission on March 31. She provided 32 years of honorable service, with thousands of sailors and marines calling her 'home' on multiple deployments. She is a capitol warship in the United States Navy, lead ship of her ready group.
2. USS Nassau's relief is Precomissioning Unit America LHA 6, now under construction in Mississippi, but not set to commission for at least 2.5 years.
3. USS Kearsarge LHD 3 launched Harriers from her deck this past weekend to support the military action in Libya. Navy blogs are openly wondering why a US Navy carrier wasn't in the area for this action, and there's much back and forth on this. Along with USS Kearsarge LHD 3, the French are deploying De Gaulle, and the Italians the carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi
4. As you may have followed, the USS Ronald Reagan CVN 76 Strike Group continues to provide humanitarian support, and the USS Essex LHD 2 Amphibious Ready Group arrived last weekend to provide additional support. It appears we have 20 ships operating in Japanese waters.
5. There has been a voluntary evacuation of US Military dependants out of Japan, as Secretary Gates has authorized money for families to relocate due to radiation concerns, and Carrier Air Wing 5 was repositioned to Guam
6. March 19 represents another anniversary of sorts for the families of USS Franklin CV 13 sailors. USS Franklin CV 13 was hit on March 19, 1945 having maneuvered closest to Japan of any Essex class carrier, and it cost her. Two bomb hits from one aircraft, which was immediately shot down by other ships in the task group. 724 sailors are still 'on deployment', but the effort to save Franklin goes down in the annuals of US Navy damage control as one of the most heroic ever. She was completely restored, but never served again.
7. USS Florida SSGN - the first time a former ballistic missile submarine converted to a guided missile submarine, was used in combat. This has to be historically significant, because no ballistic missile submarine has ever fired a shot in anger going back to the 60's, so while she was converted out of that role, it doesn't change the fact that this is the first time this hull type fired in war.
8. USS Bataan LHD 5 Amphibious Ready Group is set to deploy 3-5 months sooner than planned, likely this week due to the situation in Libya.
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