May 29, 2015
SOUTH POTOMAC PILOT NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUTH POTOMAC DEFENSE COMMUNITY
Memorial Day - Fallen of Charles County Recognized By Barbara Wagner Staff Writer
Link directly to the NSASP Facebook page on your smart phone
INSIDE:
PRESORT STD US POSTAGE PAID SO. MD. NEWSPAPERS PERMIT #1
Women’s Health Month Page 2
Despite the gusty winds that blustered across the steps and the blazing sun shining down on the crowds, residents gathered at the La Plata Town Hall on Memorial Day to remember their fallen brothers and sisters from not only Charles County, but of the nation. With the placing of wreaths and a somber reading of the names of the fallen, the town took time this Memorial Day to honor those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. Following an invocation by the Reverend Charles M. Long from Grace Lutheran Church and School, The Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) of La Plata High School presented the colors for the day. The Veteran’s Home Brass performed the national anthem, followed by the pledge of allegiance, lead by La Plata Mayor Roy Hale. Hale introduced Capt. Mary Feinberg, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) as the ceremony’s guest speaker. Feinberg’s
U.S. Navy photo by Barbara Wagner
The La Plata High School Navy JROTC retires the colors following a Memorial Day ceremony that took place in La Plata, Md. on May 25. Capt. Mary Feinberg, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, was the ceremony’s guest speaker. words were a reminder to those in attendance of the
long standing local tradition of military service and
how Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines at Naval
Support Facilities (NSFs) Dahlgren and Indian Head continue to stand in defense of freedom. Feinberg explained that Memorial Day was a day born of both compassion and sympathy. During the Civil War the mothers, wives and family members of the fallen in Columbus, Miss., were caring for the graves of their Confederate soldiers when they noticed that the graves of Union soldiers remained unkempt. In a moment of understanding, these grieving souls knew that those graves too, contained the cherished loved ones of families and communities far away. In an act of compassion, they took the time to clean and decorate the graves of the all of the fallen and took a step towards healing a nation ripped apart by war. In 1866, following the War Between the States, a businessman in Waterloo, N.Y. closed his drug store for the day on May 5 and encouraged others to do the same in an effort to honor the Union and Confederate dead - whose
See Memorial, Page 3
Have You Served on an LCS - Lately? By Barbara Wagner Staff Writer
Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) have played a central role in the U.S. Navy’s efforts to keep international waters and airspace open in the western Pacific, a task which has received much attention lately in national news coverage. A presentation on May 21 at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren about the LCS and its recent integration into the Atlantic Fleet was therefore timely. Though the evolution of the LCS concept has not been without controversy, its growing pains have resulted in a more capable, more effective platform, according to officers familiar with the program. Cmdr. Michael Brand, LCS Squadron TWO chief staff officer, and Lt. Wayne Lileks, the squadron’s communications officer, traveled to Dahlgren
from Naval Air Station Mayport, Fla. to increase understanding of LCS, its operating and support concepts, and the road ahead for integration into the Atlantic Fleet. The LCS is well known among members of NSF Dahlgren’s largest tenant command. A team of scientists and engineers from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division recently received an award of merit in recognition of their work on the Surface Warfare (SUW) Mission Package for USS Independence (LCS 2) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). The LCS has two variants: the Freedom-a steel monohull ship utilizing gas turbine engines that are capable of propelling the ship to speeds in excess of 40 knotsand the Independence-also with gas turbine and diesel engine (ECS) but with an aluminum-based trimaran monohull capable of landing
U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Conor Minto
The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) conducts routine patrols in international waters of the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands as the People’s Liberation Army-Navy [PLA(N)] guided-missile frigate Yancheng (FFG 546) sails close behind. two helicopters on its deck. Lileks summed the vessel up as a “ FFG (guided missile frigate) sized vessel, with DDG
(guided missile destroyer)like system complexities and a MCM (mine counter measures)-sized crew.”
The key feature of these ships is the agile response and handling that is based on water jet propulsion, not unlike a jet ski. With its low profile and ability to maneuver in the shallower depths of the shoreline, the LCS is a mission-focused vessel and is able to engage in near shore environment and extract quickly with speeds of over 40 knots. The LCS is also able to engage in the open ocean environments independently or as part of a carrier strike group. With an almost “plug and play” modular simplicity, the LCS is able to swap out different mission packages within a week according to Lileks and turn the vessel back out on its new mission quickly. The LCS current mission packages are mine counter measures (MCM), AntiSubmarine warfare (ASW) and Surface Warfare (SUW). How-
See LCS, Page 3
FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES E-mail nsasp_pao_dlgr@navy.mil or Call (540) 653-8153