Fullbore Friday

Like we saw last FbF, the heroes are all around us if we want to look. Sid pointed my way to this event that I wish I could have made it to.

The services, presented by the USS Houston Survivors Association and the USS Houston Next Generation, honors all those who served aboard the USS Houston, living and deceased.

This year's service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday behind the Houston Heritage Society offices at Sam Houston Park, 1100 Bagby.

"To me, it just makes me realize what these men have gone through," said Venice, Fla., resident Jane Matthews, an association member who attends the services in memory of her father, John B. Stefanek.

The Japanese sunk the USS Houston on March 1, 1942, while it was trying to run the Sunda Strait into the India Ocean between Java and Sumatra.

Seven hundred of the 1,068 men onboard died.

The remaining 369 men were captured by the Japanese and used as slave laborers. Many were forced to help build the Burma Railway, known as the railroad to death.

Approximately 100 of the USS Houston survivors died before the prisoners were liberated in fall 1945.

"Dad didn't like to talk about it," Matthews said. "He didn't really talk about the beatings he must have received. It's a miracle any of these men made it through."

Today, only 28 USS Houston survivors are alive, said Pflugerville resident Val Poss, who heads up the USS Houston Survivors Association, an organization founded by survivor Otto Schwartz of New Jersey in 1948.

Six survivors are expected to attend the memorial service, along with five surviving spouses and family members.

Association members will announce the arrival of each survivor with a boatswain's whistle, the traditional signaling device used aboard U.S. Navy ships.

A sea cadet will salute each survivor and bring him "aboard" the service site.

Organizers then will sound four bells, another Navy tradition to announce that someone of importance is coming aboard.

Poss will announce each survivor by name and rank.

Service participants will lay wreaths and musicians will perform the Navy Hymn.

After a moment of silence, volunteers will sound "All Hands: Attention" on the boatswain's whistle and eight bells, the signal for end of watch.

The ceremony will end with a three-volley salute, and performances of Taps, God Bless America and Before You Go.

Poss said Before You Go, a song of thanks for older veterans, always moves her.

"Before they die, they need to know how much they mean to us," Poss said. "This entire reunion is in their honor."

Well said, and well done. There are two USS Houston (CA-30) sites here and here that are worth a visit. There is also and interview with Otto Schwarz here, and Harry Kelly here. Back when real SWO didn't need a stinking Aviator Wanna-be "Warfare Pin" to remind them they were Surface Warriors - after all - shouldn't it be assumed that all Navy Officers are - or should be? Like getting a pin for breathing? Sigh. Other mentions on this blog of the USS HOUSTON, click here.

Giants.

The Battle of Java Sea

65 years ago. At the bottom of the post you will find a video companion to my Battle of Sunda Straight post a couple of years ago.

The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in actions over several days in February-March 1942.
...
he ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter, USS Houston) and three light cruisers (HNLMS De RuyterHNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, USS Pope and USS Paul Jones. (Doorman's flagship),

The Japanese convoy was escorted by two heavy (Nachi, Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka, Jintsu) and fourteen destroyers (Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, and Ushio) under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. The ExeterHouston was armed only with six of these guns. While the carried nine 8-inchers, only six remained operable as her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.

...

The main ABDA naval force had been almost totally destroyed: 10 ships and approximately 2,173 sailors had been lost.

One thing I would like to see made into a movie by Clint Eastwood is the last 24 hours of the USS Houston and HMAS Perth.

HMAS Perth and USS Houston in Tandjong Priok

These ships were there as a result of Admiral Doorman's final order in the Battle of the Java Sea. They arrived in the morning of February 28th, and immediately tried to obtain oil and ammunition. The could get the first, although not without effort, but ammunition, that they so badly needed, was not available. At this time, the PerthHouston only 50 rounds. If they got into a fight, it was sure they wouldn't last long. They were battleready that night and left the harbor at about 1900 hours, and Captain Waller, the highest in rank, decided to sail directly to Sunda Strait, without making a curve around the invasion forces as Admiral Helfrich had ordered. This was the shortest way, but also the most dangerous. The Japanese had landed in the Bantam Bay on the north coast of Java, at Merak in Sunda Strait and at Eretan Ewan, east of Tandjong Priok. The two allied cruisers had to deal with the escorting squadron, which was devided into three groups: One was of the invasion force for Merak and consisted of the light cruiser Yura and four destroyers, the second was the invasion force at Bantam Bay and consisted of 1 cruiser and 11 destroyers and finally, the support group in the Java Sea, with the light carrier Ryujo, the heavy cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Kumano and Suzuya. Mikuma and Mogami were cruising very close to the landingsite in Bantam Bay. There was also an invasion force at Eretan Ewan, but that one took no part in the final destruction of the Allied ships. The Perth and Houston, as said, sailed at top speed directly to Sunda Strait and encountered at about 22.30 the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, which guarded the Eastern approaches. She fired her 9 Long Lance torpedo's at about 3000 yards and retreated. The cruisers now saw the invasion force in the Bantam Bay and fired on the several dozen transports there. At that time, there were two destroyers in the bay and those immediately tried to make smoke screens to protect the transports. Nevertheless, the Allied cruisers scored hits on the transports, but no ship was sunk. At this time, stronger Japanese forces were closing in on the small squadron, but the only result was hits on Japanese warships and none on the Allied. This was soon to change. Japanese destroyers fired about 28 torpedoes, of which luckily none was a hit. The Perth and Houston replied which rapid gunfire and in the case of Perth, also torpedoes and managed to score several hits on the destroyers, but were themselves also slightly damaged by gunfire. But the heavy cruisers MogamiMikuma arrived at the battleground. Their 8 inch grenades surrounded the Perth and Houston and they also fired torpedoes. At about 23.20, the allied cruisers were out of ammo and now could only hope to reach safer waters by high speed. Japanese torpedoes were flying all over the battleground, and scored one hit on Perth, later followed by another two. This resulted in heavy loss of life, especially in engineering. Waller ordered to abandon ship, but the Perth received her fourth hit, which was too much for her. She sank and took half the crew with her. By this time, also the Houston had received several hits, including vital hits. A whole gun salvo hit the aft engine room where the high pressured steam killed almost everyone. The central fire control system was down along with one of the forward 8 inch-turrets. At about 00.20, the last operational turret was hit and Captain Rooks ordered to flood the forward magazines. Without the heavy batteries, she now fought a useless battle. But she still had her 5-inch guns and her machineguns and continued the fight. At about 00.30 three torpedoes hit the Houston on her starboard side. The water entered the ship from all sides and Rooks ordered to abandon ship. Captain Rooks died when he was hit by a part of a machinegun foundation. He died in the arms of his officers. Commander Roberts noticed that the Houston still had a lot of speed and decided to wait with abandoning the ship. The guns were still firing at this time, but the ship was lying dead in the water and the Japanese destroyers took the decks under fire with their machineguns. The Houston sank and took two thirds of it's crew with her. Only about 368 of a crew of over a 1000 were taken prisoner.

Gives me shivers to this day - thought I have read the account any number of times.

Besides going over the details again (you can do that some more at the links above), I would like this chance to personalize it. You need to see the very personal, one man's son's story from the HMS Exeter(you remember her). Click here to see it. Nicely done.

Fullbore Friday

It's been half a decade since this FbF .... time to revisit - about 71 years ago ...

---

At the bottom of the post you will find a video companion to my Battle of Sunda Straight post a couple of years ago.

The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in actions over several days in February-March 1942.
...
he ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter, USS Houston) and three light cruisers (HNLMS De RuyterHNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, USS Pope and USS Paul Jones. (Doorman's flagship),
The Japanese convoy was escorted by two heavy (Nachi, Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka, Jintsu) and fourteen destroyers (Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, and Ushio) under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. The ExeterHouston was armed only with six of these guns. While the carried nine 8-inchers, only six remained operable as her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.
...
The main ABDA naval force had been almost totally destroyed: 10 ships and approximately 2,173 sailors had been lost.

One thing I would like to see made into a movie by Clint Eastwood is the last 24 hours of the USS Houston and HMAS Perth.

HMAS Perth and USS Houston in Tandjong Priok

These ships were there as a result of Admiral Doorman's final order in the Battle of the Java Sea. They arrived in the morning of February 28th, and immediately tried to obtain oil and ammunition. The could get the first, although not without effort, but ammunition, that they so badly needed, was not available. At this time, the PerthHouston only 50 rounds. If they got into a fight, it was sure they wouldn't last long. They were battleready that night and left the harbor at about 1900 hours, and Captain Waller, the highest in rank, decided to sail directly to Sunda Strait, without making a curve around the invasion forces as Admiral Helfrich had ordered. This was the shortest way, but also the most dangerous. The Japanese had landed in the Bantam Bay on the north coast of Java, at Merak in Sunda Strait and at Eretan Ewan, east of Tandjong Priok. The two allied cruisers had to deal with the escorting squadron, which was devided into three groups: One was of the invasion force for Merak and consisted of the light cruiser Yura and four destroyers, the second was the invasion force at Bantam Bay and consisted of 1 cruiser and 11 destroyers and finally, the support group in the Java Sea, with the light carrier Ryujo, the heavy cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Kumano and Suzuya. Mikuma and Mogami were cruising very close to the landingsite in Bantam Bay. There was also an invasion force at Eretan Ewan, but that one took no part in the final destruction of the Allied ships. The Perth and Houston, as said, sailed at top speed directly to Sunda Strait and encountered at about 22.30 the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, which guarded the Eastern approaches. She fired her 9 Long Lance torpedo's at about 3000 yards and retreated. The cruisers now saw the invasion force in the Bantam Bay and fired on the several dozen transports there. At that time, there were two destroyers in the bay and those immediately tried to make smoke screens to protect the transports. Nevertheless, the Allied cruisers scored hits on the transports, but no ship was sunk. At this time, stronger Japanese forces were closing in on the small squadron, but the only result was hits on Japanese warships and none on the Allied. This was soon to change. Japanese destroyers fired about 28 torpedoes, of which luckily none was a hit. The Perth and Houston replied which rapid gunfire and in the case of Perth, also torpedoes and managed to score several hits on the destroyers, but were themselves also slightly damaged by gunfire. But the heavy cruisers MogamiMikuma arrived at the battleground. Their 8 inch grenades surrounded the Perth and Houston and they also fired torpedoes. At about 23.20, the allied cruisers were out of ammo and now could only hope to reach safer waters by high speed. Japanese torpedoes were flying all over the battleground, and scored one hit on Perth, later followed by another two. This resulted in heavy loss of life, especially in engineering. Waller ordered to abandon ship, but the Perth received her fourth hit, which was too much for her. She sank and took half the crew with her. By this time, also the Houston had received several hits, including vital hits. A whole gun salvo hit the aft engine room where the high pressured steam killed almost everyone. The central fire control system was down along with one of the forward 8 inch-turrets. At about 00.20, the last operational turret was hit and Captain Rooks ordered to flood the forward magazines. Without the heavy batteries, she now fought a useless battle. But she still had her 5-inch guns and her machineguns and continued the fight. At about 00.30 three torpedoes hit the Houston on her starboard side. The water entered the ship from all sides and Rooks ordered to abandon ship. Captain Rooks died when he was hit by a part of a machinegun foundation. He died in the arms of his officers. Commander Roberts noticed that the Houston still had a lot of speed and decided to wait with abandoning the ship. The guns were still firing at this time, but the ship was lying dead in the water and the Japanese destroyers took the decks under fire with their machineguns. The Houston sank and took two thirds of it's crew with her. Only about 368 of a crew of over a 1000 were taken prisoner.

Gives me shivers to this day - thought I have read the account any number of times.

Besides going over the details again (you can do that some more at the links above), I would like this chance to personalize it. You need to see the very personal, one man's son's story from the HMS Exeter(you remember her). Click here to see it. Nicely done.

Fullbore Friday

This week I'm going to bring back again a classic FbF from a decade ago to honor the men of ABDA Force destroyed at the opening of the Pacific Theater of Operations in WWII.

I bring them back as news came out this week that should bring a pause to all Sailors - these men have been victimized by grave robbers.

Three Dutch warships sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942 have largely disappeared from the sea bed, defence minister Jeanine Hennis has told MPs in a written briefing. The wrecks of cruisers HNLMS De Ruyter and HMLMS Java and destroyer HMLMS Kortenaer were found by divers in the waters off Indonesia in 2002 and declared a war grave. However, the two cruisers have vanished, as has part of the destroyer, the minister told MPs on Tuesday. The discovery of the illegal salvage was made by divers during preparations for next year’s 75 year anniversary commemorations, Hennis said. The battle, involving Dutch, British, American and Australian ships, took place on February 27, 1942 and proved disastrous for the allies. Some 2,200 people died, including 900 Dutch nationals and 250 people of Indonesian Dutch origin.

It appears that it isn't just the Dutch who have this problem;

The Guardian says it has seen 3D images, showing large holes in the seabed where HMS Exeter, HMS Encounter, the destroyer HMS Electra, as well as a US submarine, used to be.

Experts say salvaging the wrecks would have been a huge operation.

There were reports a few years ago that the grave robbers have been to the USS HOUSTON (CA-30) as well.

I like to think that I am not a superstitious man, but all Sailors can be a bit superstitious and in that light I hope that those people who disturbed their graves in such a crass and thoughtless manner are brought to justice if not by man, but then by Mother Ocean.

So, in their honor, let's revisit The Battle of The Java Sea;

---

65 (now almost 75) years ago. At the bottom of the post you will find a video companion to my Battle of Sunda Straight post a couple of years ago.

The Battle of the Java Sea was a major naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in actions over several days in February-March 1942.
...
he ABDA force consisted of two heavy cruisers (HMS Exeter, USS Houston) and three light cruisers (HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java, HMAS Perth), and nine destroyers (HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, USS Pope and USS Paul Jones. (Doorman's flagship),
The Japanese convoy was escorted by two heavy (Nachi, Haguro) and two light cruisers (Naka, Jintsu) and fourteen destroyers (Yudachi, Samidare, Murasame, Harusame, Minegumo, Asagumo, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Yamakaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, and Ushio) under the command of Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. The Japanese heavy cruisers were much more powerful, armed with ten 8-inch (203 mm) guns each and superb torpedoes. The Exeter & Houston were armed only with six of these guns. While the carried nine 8-inchers, only six remained operable as her aft turret had been knocked out in an earlier air attack.
...
The main ABDA naval force had been almost totally destroyed: 10 ships and approximately 2,173 sailors had been lost.

One thing I would like to see made into a movie by Clint Eastwood is the last 24 hours of the USS Houston and HMAS Perth.

HMAS Perth and USS Houston in Tandjong Priok

These ships were there as a result of Admiral Doorman's final order in the Battle of the Java Sea. They arrived in the morning of February 28th, and immediately tried to obtain oil and ammunition. The could get the first, although not without effort, but ammunition, that they so badly needed, was not available. At this time, the PerthHouston only 50 rounds. If they got into a fight, it was sure they wouldn't last long. They were battleready that night and left the harbor at about 1900 hours, and Captain Waller, the highest in rank, decided to sail directly to Sunda Strait, without making a curve around the invasion forces as Admiral Helfrich had ordered. This was the shortest way, but also the most dangerous. The Japanese had landed in the Bantam Bay on the north coast of Java, at Merak in Sunda Strait and at Eretan Ewan, east of Tandjong Priok. The two allied cruisers had to deal with the escorting squadron, which was devided into three groups: One was of the invasion force for Merak and consisted of the light cruiser Yura and four destroyers, the second was the invasion force at Bantam Bay and consisted of 1 cruiser and 11 destroyers and finally, the support group in the Java Sea, with the light carrier Ryujo, the heavy cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Kumano and Suzuya. Mikuma and Mogami were cruising very close to the landingsite in Bantam Bay. There was also an invasion force at Eretan Ewan, but that one took no part in the final destruction of the Allied ships. The Perth and Houston, as said, sailed at top speed directly to Sunda Strait and encountered at about 22.30 the Japanese destroyer Fubuki, which guarded the Eastern approaches. She fired her 9 Long Lance torpedo's at about 3000 yards and retreated. The cruisers now saw the invasion force in the Bantam Bay and fired on the several dozen transports there. At that time, there were two destroyers in the bay and those immediately tried to make smoke screens to protect the transports. Nevertheless, the Allied cruisers scored hits on the transports, but no ship was sunk. At this time, stronger Japanese forces were closing in on the small squadron, but the only result was hits on Japanese warships and none on the Allied. This was soon to change. Japanese destroyers fired about 28 torpedoes, of which luckily none was a hit. The Perth and Houston replied which rapid gunfire and in the case of Perth, also torpedoes and managed to score several hits on the destroyers, but were themselves also slightly damaged by gunfire. But the heavy cruisers MogamiMikuma arrived at the battleground. Their 8 inch grenades surrounded the Perth and Houston and they also fired torpedoes. At about 23.20, the allied cruisers were out of ammo and now could only hope to reach safer waters by high speed. Japanese torpedoes were flying all over the battleground, and scored one hit on Perth, later followed by another two. This resulted in heavy loss of life, especially in engineering. Waller ordered to abandon ship, but the Perth received her fourth hit, which was too much for her. She sank and took half the crew with her. By this time, also the Houston had received several hits, including vital hits. A whole gun salvo hit the aft engine room where the high pressured steam killed almost everyone. The central fire control system was down along with one of the forward 8 inch-turrets. At about 00.20, the last operational turret was hit and Captain Rooks ordered to flood the forward magazines. Without the heavy batteries, she now fought a useless battle. But she still had her 5-inch guns and her machineguns and continued the fight. At about 00.30 three torpedoes hit the Houston on her starboard side. The water entered the ship from all sides and Rooks ordered to abandon ship. Captain Rooks died when he was hit by a part of a machinegun foundation. He died in the arms of his officers. Commander Roberts noticed that the Houston still had a lot of speed and decided to wait with abandoning the ship. The guns were still firing at this time, but the ship was lying dead in the water and the Japanese destroyers took the decks under fire with their machineguns. The Houston sank and took two thirds of it's crew with her. Only about 368 of a crew of over a 1000 were taken prisoner.

Gives me shivers to this day - thought I have read the account any number of times.

Besides going over the details again (you can do that some more at the links above), I would like this chance to personalize it. You need to see the very personal, one man's son's story from the HMS Exeter(you remember her). Click here to see it. Nicely done.

Anniversary of the Battle of Sunda Straight

48 hours ago you were the best warship of a multi-national Strike Force of two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and 10 destroyers.

You now find yourself alone with one other badly damaged cruiser, trapped in the Java Sea on the bloody loosing end of a failed attempt to stall the Japanese advance on Dutch East Indies, no air cover, no chance to fully refuel or rearm, and only one way to escape to Australia and safety – The Sunda Strait.

Already sunk, or soon to be finished off are your former Strike Group ships HMS Exeter; HNMS De Ruyter, HNMS Java, HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNMS Witte de With, and HNMS Kortenaer.

The only surviving destroyers, USS John D. Edwards, USS Paul Jones, USS John D. Ford, USS Alden, out of torpedoes and low on ammo and fuel, were detached from the Force the day before and are trying to escape on their own.

After a quick stop in Batavia to get HMAS Perth enough fuel to make it home, the exhausted cruisers make the run; the USS Houston had about 50 rounds each for her six operative 8" guns while HMAS Perth had only 20 rounds for each of her 6" guns.

The weather couldn’t be better for a night action, if you were Japanese: Clear/night, full moon 6 or 7 miles/calm seas.

They never even made it to the strait. The battle was fought just in sight of the Sunda Straight. The Battle of Sunda Straight started at about 2230, and though fought well and honorably on both sides, but in little more than two hours, both ships were lost.

At 11.55pm PERTH started to turn to make a run for Sunda Strait. At the same time SHIRAYUKI, MURAKUMO, HARUKAZE and HATAKAZE all fired torpedoes toward her. PERTH was hit by four torpedoes over the next 15 minutes, 3 on the port side and one on the starboard. She also received numerous shell hits. At 0025 on 1st March 1942, she finally sank a few miles ENE of St Nicholas Point not far from the entrance to Sunda Strait. HOUSTON now received all the attention and sank at 0045, not far from PERTH. In all, the Japanese had fired over 90 torpedoes at our ships.

Japanese losses were four transports, SAKURA MARU, HORAI MARU, RYUJO MARU, TATSUNO MARU and the minesweeper W2 ( Photo). All these ships were believed to have been sunk by the torpedoes fired by MIKUMA that missed the two allied cruisers.

Of the Houston’s 1,060 Sailors, 368 survived the battle and 278 the prison camps to return home.

Of the Perth’s 682 Sailors, only 331 survived the battle and 229 the prison camps to return home.


Sometimes you have to fight a battle with the Navy you have, not the Navy you wished you had.



The lessons here are legion. How not to run coalition operations, the dangers of fighting in a non-Joint environment, not having a full understanding of your weapons capabilities, wasting limited ammunition, underestimating your enemy. There is a lot to remember as well. Bravery, honor, dedication, and what happens when peace time leaders take charge of a wartime fleet.

BTW, Friday March 01, 2002 was U.S. Navy Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day. Perhaps every March 1st should.


Update: SleeplessMind has a pic of two USS Houston survivors at the USS Houston monument back on 05 MAR.

Diversity Thursday

Is it #3 or #4? Clarity for Orwell's fleet is a must!

UNCLASSIFIED//
PASS TO ALL OFFICE CODES:
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS//
TO NAVADMIN
UNCLAS//N01000//
NAVADMIN 071/09
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS/MAR//
SUBJ/CALENDAR FOR AMERICA 2009//
POC/RICK xxxx/CDR/DIRECTOR NAVCO/LOC: MILLINGTON, TN/TEL: 901-874-xxxx/EMAIL:RICHARD.xxxx@NAVY.MIL//
RMKS/1. THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THE 2009 CALENDAR FOR AMERICA (CFA), LISTING THE NAVY'S LARGE-SCALE CONUS OUTREACH EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR. EVENTS INCLUDE NAVY WEEKS, FLEET WEEKS, DIVERSITY EVENTS, BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOWS, SHIP COMMISSIONINGS, AND KEY RECRUITING EVOLUTIONS AMONG MANY OTHERS.
2. THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS (CNO) HAS A STRONG DESIRE TO TELL THE NAVY STORY TO AMERICA AND HAS DIRECTED A MORE STRATEGIC APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF THAT MESSAGE. CNO INTENT FOR CFA 2009 IS AS FOLLOWS:
A. VISION: EDUCATE AND INFORM KEY AUDIENCES TO ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING -- ESPECIALLY IN NON-FLEET CONCENTRATION AREAS -- OF OUR MISSION AND EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE IN SUPPORT OF OUR NATION AT WAR.
(1) USE TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY RELATIONS TACTICS, AMPLIFIED BY LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, AUGMENTED BY SOCIAL NETWORKING AND NEWS MEDIA.
(2) COORDINATE A SERIES OF ENGAGEMENTS HIGHLIGHTING OUR SAILORS, FLEET CAPABILITIES, AND PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
(3) UTILIZE PUBLIC SPEAKING EVENTS, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, CAPABILITY DEMONSTRATIONS, AND CREATIVE MECHANISMS.
(4) REFINE AND EXECUTE A CALENDAR OF NAVY ENGAGEMENTS THAT LEVERAGES EXISTING
COMMUNITY EVENTS, TO OPTIMIZE NAVY PERSONNEL INTERACTION WITH CIVILIAN MEDIA AND INFLUENCERS.
(5) INCLUDE SENIOR FLAG LEADERSHIP AMONG ALL ECHELONS OF COMMAND AND RANKS OF PERSONNEL.
B. KEY TASKS:
(1) FIRST AND FOREMOST, EDUCATE AMERICANS ABOUT THE MARITIME STRATEGY.
(2) HIGHLIGHT THE COURAGEOUS AND DEDICATED SERVICE OF OUR PERSONNEL. DEMONSTRATE NAVY CAPABILITIES USING THE BLUE ANGELS, TACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS, LEAP FROGS, NAVY BANDS, AND MYRIAD RECRUITING ASSETS AMONG OTHERS.
(3) CONSIDER SPECIFIC RECRUITING NEEDS, BUT FOCUS BROADLY ON EDUCATING AND
INFORMING THE U.S. PUBLIC AT LARGE.
(4) DIVERSITY THEMES SHALL BE KEY IN OUR MESSAGE.
(5) EMPHASIZE SHIPS' NAMESAKE CONNECTIONS, SAILORS' HOMETOWN TIES, CULTURAL
UNIQUENESS AND INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS AS WELL AS OTHER LOCAL MARKET UNIQUENESS.
C. NAVY WEEK EMPHASIS: CNO IS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE NAVY WEEK PROGRAM.
NAVY WEEKS, OUR FLAGSHIP MIDDLE-AMERICA OUTREACH ACTIVITY IS LED BY CHINFO'S
NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH (NAVCO) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NAVY RECRUITING
DISTRICTS. CNO HAS ASKED MORE SENIOR FLAG LEADERSHIP TO ENGAGE. ACCORDINGLY,
THIS EFFORT WILL REQUIRE INCREASED SUPPORT FROM THE FLEET IN TERMS OF LEADERS
TO SEA VISITS (SUB, SURFACE, AND CARRIER) AND EXPANDED HOMETOWN NEWS COVERAGE
FROM FORWARD DEPLOYED SHIPS AND UNITS, AS WELL AS INCREASED NAMESAKE SHIP VISITS TO NAVY WEEK CITIES. NAVY WEEK RELATIONSHIPS WILL PROVIDE INCREASINGLY STEADY-STATE AND CONSISTENT ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE NAVY WEEK 2009 PROGRAM EMBRACES THE EXPEDITIONARY MINDSET, WITH NEARLY 50 PERCENT OF THE NAVY WEEK SCHEDULE BEING IN FIRST-EVER NAVY WEEK LOCATIONS. ALL WILL EMPHASIZE KEY THEMES SUCH AS MARITIME STRATEGY, SELFLESS SERVICE, AND DIVERSITY.
3. LARGE-SCALE OUTREACH EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED AS FOLLOWS (READ IN FOUR COLUMNS):
CITY EVENT DATE (NOTES)
PHOENIX, AZ LEAP FROGS JUMP MAR 7-14 (6)
PHOENIX, AZ SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE MAR 14 (11)
NAF EL CENTRO, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR 14 (9)
PUNTA GORDA, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR 21-22 (9)
LAS VEGAS, NV NATL SOCIETY OF BLACK MAR 25-29 (7) ENGINEERS (NSBE)
TYNDALL AFB, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR 28-29 (9)
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA LEAP FROGS JUMP MAR 31-APR 2 (6)
TUSCALOOSA, AL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR 4-5 (9)
PHILADELPHIA, PA LEAP FROGS JUMP APR 6-10 (6)
NAS CORPUS CHRISTI, TX BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR 18-19 (9)
DES MOINES, IA NAVY WEEK APR 20-26 (1)
ST. LOUIS, MO NAVY WEEK APR 20-27 (1,6,7)
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB, NC BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR 25-26 (9)
PORT EVERGLADES, FL FLEET WEEK APR 27-MAY 2 (2)
SAN DIEGO, CA ASSN OF NAVAL SVCS OFFICERS APR 28-MAY 2 (7) (ANSO)
NEW ORLEANS, LA LEAP FROGS JUMP APR 30-MAY 3 (6)
CHARLESTON, SC USS TRUXTUN (DDG 103) APR 25 (8) COMMISSIONING
NAS NEW ORLEANS, LA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 2-3 (9)
DALLAS, TX LEAP FROGS JUMP MAY 4-9 (6)
DENVER, CO NAVY WEEK MAY 4-10 (1)
DALLAS, TX SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE MAY 9 (11)
SPOKANE, WA NAVY WEEK MAY 11-18 (1)
HOUSTON, TX FED ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN MAY 11-15 (7) COUNCIL (FAPAC)
BALTIMORE, MD LEAP FROGS JUMP MAY 15-16 (6)
MCAS BEAUFORT, SC BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 16-17 (9)
NEW YORK CITY, NY FLEET WEEK MAY 19-27 (3)
ANNAPOLIS, MD BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 20 and 22 (9)
PAX RIVER, MD BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 23-24 (9)
JANESVILLE, WI NAVY WEEK MAY 24-31 (1)
ROCHESTER, NY NAVY WEEK MAY 25-31 (1,6)
JANESVILLE, WI BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 30-31 (9)
TBD USS INDEPENDENCE (LCS 2) JUN (8) COMMISSIONING
SAN DIEGO, CA SOC OF AM INDIAN GOVT JUN 1-5 (7) EMPLOYEES (SAIGE)
CHATTANOOGA, TN NAVY WEEK JUN 5-13 (1)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN 6-7 (9)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK NAVY WEEK JUN 12-20 (1)
DENVER, CO BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN 13-14 (9)
PITTSBURGH, PA NAVY WEEK JUN 14-21 (1,6)
PITTSBURGH, PA LEAP FROGS JUMP JUN 15-21 (6)
WASHINGTON, DC WOMENS LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM JUN 18-19 (7) (SSLA)
PITTSBURGH, PA SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE JUN 20 (11)
PITTSBURGH, PA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN 20-21 (9)
GRAND FORKS, ND LEAP FROGS JUMP JUN 26-28 (6)
NORTH KINGSTON, RI BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN 27-28 (9)
BOSTON, MA NAVY WEEK JUN 30-JUL 6 (1)
BINGHAMPTON, NY BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 4-5 (9)
DETROIT, MI BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 11-12 (9)
NEW YORK CITY, NY NAACP CONVENTION JUL 11-17 (7)
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA LEAP FROGS JUMP JUL 17-18 (6)
PENSACOLA, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 18 (9)
HOUSTON, TX NAT'L NAVAL OFF ASS'N CONF JUL 20-24 (7) (NNOA)
SIOUX FALLS, SD BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 25-26 (9)
SEATTLE, WA SEAFAIR JUL 25-AUG 2 (7)
SEATTLE, WA LEAP FROGS JUMP JUL 31-AUG 2 (6)
SEATTLE, WA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG 1-2 (9)
SALINAS, CA NAVY WEEK AUG 2-9 (1)
SEATTLE, WA LEAP FROGS JUMP AUG 3-9 (6)
SEATTLE, WA SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE AUG 8 (11)
SALINAS, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG 8-9 (9)
CHICAGO, IL LEAP FROGS JUMP AUG 13-16 (6)
SAN DIEGO, CA LEAP FROGS JUMP AUG 15 (6)
FARGO, ND BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG 22-23 (9)
OMAHA, NE NAVY WEEK AUG 23-30 (1)
OFFUTT AFB, OMAHA NE BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG 29-30 (9)
COLUMBUS, OHIO NAVY WEEK AUG 31-SEP 6 (1,6)
SAN DIEGO, CA USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD 8) SEP (8) COMMISSIONING
NEW YORK, NY USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) SEP (8) COMMISSIONING
TBD USS DEWEY (DDG 105) SEP (8) COMMISSIONING
KNOXVILLE, TN NAVY WEEK SEP 1-7 (1)
YORK, PA NAVY WEEK SEP 4-13 (1)
TORONTO, CANADA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP 5-6 (9)
NAS FALLON, NV BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP 11 (9)
DETROIT, MI LEAP FROGS JUMP SEP 13-20 (6)
RENO, NV NAVY WEEK SEP 14-20 (1)
RENO, NV BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP 19-20 (9)
DETROIT, MI SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE SEP 19 (11)
REDDING, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP 26-27 (9)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA FLEET WEEK OCT (5)
SAN DIEGO, CA FLEET WEEK OCT (5)
PHILADELPHIA, PA USS WAYNE E. MEYER (DDG 108) OCT (8) COMMISSIONING
MCAS MIRAMAR, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 2-4 (9)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM NAVY WEEK OCT 3-11 (1,7)
GREENVILLE, SC NAVY WEEK OCT 5-11 (1)
HAMPTON, VA FLEET WEEK OCT 7-13 (3)
KAILUA KONA, HI LEAP FROGS JUMP OCT 7-12 (6)
LONG BEACH, CA HISPANIC ENG NAT'L ACH AWARDS OCT 8-11 (7) (HENAAC)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 10-11 (9)
OAHU ISLAND, HI LEAP FROGS JUMP OCT 13-15 (6)
LONG BEACH, CA SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENG'RS CONF OCT 15-17 (7) (SWE)
KANEOHE, HI LEAP FROGS JUMP OCT 16-18 (6)
NAS OCEANA, VA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 17-18 (9)
FT. WORTH, TX BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 24-25 (9)
HOUSTON, TX NAVY WEEK OCT 24-NOV 1 (1)
KITTERY, ME USS NEW HAMPSHIRE (SSN 778) OCT 25 (8) COMMISSIONING
WASHINGTON, DC SOC OF HISPANIC PROF ENG'RS OCT 28-NOV 1 (7) (SHPE)
LAS VEGAS, NV SOC OF MEXICAN AM ENGRS AND OCT 29-31 (7) SCTS (MAES)
HOUSTON, TX BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 31-NOV 1 (9)
FT. PIERCE, FL LEAP FROGS JUMP NOV 6-7 (6)
JACKSONVILLE, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW NOV 7-8 (9)
NAS PENSACOLA, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW NOV 14-15 (9)
NEW ORLEANS, LA NAVY WEEK NOV (1,7)
PHILADELPHIA, PA LEAP FROGS JUMP DEC 12 (6)
4. NOTES. CALENDAR EVENTS ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF REFINEMENT. SOME MAY CHANGE AS WE MOVE THROUGH 2009. ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDER LARGE-SCALE EVENTS NOT YET SCHEDULED AND/OR CONFIRMED (SUCH AS TACDEMO PERFORMANCES) WILL BE PUBLISHED BY THOSE SPECIFIC SPONSORING STAKEHOLDERS SEPCOR. MODIFICATIONS TO INFO IN PARA (3) WILL BE NOTED AT WWW.NAVY.MIL/NAVCO. CONTACT COGNIZANT STAKEHOLDERS FOR SMALLER-SCALE EVENTS AND DETAILS. LEAD ACTION OFFICES FOR THE EVENTS ABOVE IN PARA (3) ARE AS FOLLOWS:
(1) NAVY WEEK, NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH, (901) 874-xxxx.
(2) FLEET WEEK, COMMANDER, NAVY REGION SOUTHEAST, (904) 542-xxxx.
(3) FLEET WEEK, COMMANDER, NAVY REGION MID-ATLANTIC, (757) 322-xxxx.
(4) FLEET WEEK, COMMANDER, NAVY REGION NORTHWEST, (360) 396-xxxx.
(5) FLEET WEEK, COMMANDER, NAVY REGION SOUTHWEST, (619) 532-xxxx.
(6) NAVY PARACHUTE TEAM (LEAP FROGS), (619) 206-xxxx.
(7) CNP DIVERSITY (N134), (703) 695-0820.
(8) SHIP OR SUBMARINE COMMISSIONING, COMMANDER, NAVAL SURFACE FORCES, (619) 437-xxxx, OR COMMANDER, SUBMARINE FORCE, U.S. ATLANTIC FLEET,(757) 836-xxxx.
(9) BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW, (850) 452-xxxx.
(10) NAVAL TACTICAL AVIATION DEMONSTRATIONS (TACDEMO), (619) 545-xxxx.
(11) SEAL FITNESS CHALLENGE, NAVY RECRUITING COMMAND, (901) 874-xxxx.
5. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CFA 2009, CONTACT CDR RICK xxxxx AT THE NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH, RICHARD.xxxx@NAVY.MIL, 901-874-xxxx (DSN 882) OR VISIT WWW.NAVY.MIL/NAVCO.
6. RELEASED BY VICE ADMIRAL J. C. HARVEY JR., DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF.

....and the only group that we don't thinks needs to be treated with insulting paternalism is .....

Hat tip LBG.

Fullbore Friday

Usually for Fullbore Friday, I take a moment to either put out some good shipboard Gun Pr0n, find a little historical pearl, or tell again of those who fought at sea so maybe we can remember and learn what otherwise ordinary Sailors do to rise to the occasion to become extraordinary heroes. By remembering them and what they do, we keep the currency of their honor in circulation.

On thing about history that I have always found a bit sad, is that for each story we do know, there are millions that we do not. Lost to history, lost to the who took their stories with them to their reward.

In the comments section awhile back, a reader mentioned the Gunboats of WWII. I remembered that comment when I was reading another bit on the Battle of Java Sea the other day and I remembered the USS Ashville (PG-21).

She was such a beautiful ship, as many of the Gunboats were. They looked more like a Robber Baron's yacht than a warship - but warships they were. Showing the Flag and serving in a Diplomatic role the Navy has always has. The USS Ashville had a great career, a great life that started towards the end of one World War, and would end at the start of another;

The first Asheville (Gunboat No. 21)—a single-screw, steel-hulled gunboat—was laid down on 9 June 1918 at the Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard; launched on 4 July 1918; sponsored by Miss Alyne J. Reynolds, daughter of Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, MD, a prominent citizen of Asheville; and commissioned on 6 July 1920, Lt. Comdr. Elliot Buckmaster—who would later command the carrier Yorktown (CV-5) during World War II—in temporary command.

She had a storied, but normal Gunboat life in Central America and China until WWII broke out. This is the tragedy.

Following the Japanese attacks on the Phillipines, Admiral Hart sent Asheville, and other surface ships, south from Manila Bay to the "Malay Barrier." By and large, only tenders and submarines remained in Philippine waters. Asheville stood out of Manila Bay a half hour into the mid watch on 11 December 1941, and, steaming via the Celebes Sea and Balikpapan, Borneo, ultimately reached Surabaya, Java, three days after Christmas of 1941.

She was eventually based at Tjilatjap, on Java's south coast. When Japanese planes bombed and heavily damaged Langley (AV-3) south of Java on 27 February 1942, Asheville was one of the ships sent to her assistance; she returned to port soon thereafter, the seaplane tender's survivors being picked up by other ships.

As the Allied defense crumbled under the relentless Japanese onslaught, however, the Allied naval command was dissolved. On the morning of 1 March 1942, Vice Admiral William A. Glassford, Commander, Southwest Pacific Force (formerly the U.S. Asiatic Fleet) ordered the remaining American naval vessels to retire to Australian waters.

Asheville—Lt. Jacob W. Britt in command—cleared Tjilatjap on 1 March 1942, bound for Fremantle. At 0615 on 2 March, Tulsa sighted a ship, and identified her as Asheville—probably the last time the latter was in sight of friendly forces. During the forenoon watch on 3 March, Asheville radioed "being attacked," some 300 miles south of Java. The minesweeper Whippoorwill (AM-35), heard the initial distress call and turned toward the reported position some 90 miles away. When a second report specified that the ship was being attacked by a surface vessel, however, Whippoorwill's captain, Lt. Comdr. Charles R. Ferriter, reasoning correctly that "any surface vessel that could successfully attack the Asheville would be too much" for his own command, ordered the minesweeper to resume her voyage to Australia.

Asheville, presumed lost, was stricken from the Navy list on 8 May 1942. Not until after World War II, however, did the story of her last battle emerge, when a survivor of heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30), told of meeting, in prison camp, Fireman 1st Class Fred L. Brown. Brown, 18 years old, had been in the gunboat's fireroom when a Japanese surface force (Vice Admiral Kondo Nobutake) had overtaken the ship on 3 March 1942. Destroyers Arashi (Commander Watanabe Yasumasa) and Nowaki (Commander Koga Magatarou) overwhelmed Asheville, scoring hits on her forecastle and bridge; many men topside were dead by the time Brown arrived topside to abandon ship. A sailor on board one of the enemy destroyers threw out a line, which Brown grasped and was hauled on board. Sadly, Asheville's only known survivor perished in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp on 18 March 1945.

We will never knew the story of her men, what they did for each other and for their ship - as they were all killed before they had a chance. The experience and stories by LT Britt and his crew will never be known - but think about that crew - because that is all they and the rest of the "Forgotten Fleet" of the Asiatic Fleet would want us to do. From the well known USS HOUSTON to the USS ASHVILLE. They all did their duty while the rest of their nation woke up to finish the job that had to be done.

---

CAPT'n George didn't know the full plan this week - I think - but there is another good reason to give FbF the Flag Day Week over to the Gunboats. One of the best movies of all time, The Sand Pebbles, has the best Flag Day Speech of all times. You can hear LT Collins' speech here. What he said.

What a great movie overall though - I know as a kid it got my attention. Come on, who wouldn't want to lead Sailors ashore armed to the teeth while wearing your Chokers? Who wouldn't want to lead your Sailors in battle with your sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, wearing the same?

Diversity Thursday

Stick with me - this is actually, I think, a move in the right direction - the Diversity Bullies are trying to hide their racialist agenda. As we usually do on DivThu ... let's use their own words against them.

So, this line is interesting.

THIS SETS FORTH THE 2012 CALENDAR FOR AMERICA (CFA12), DETAILING THE NAVY'S LARGE-SCALE OUTREACH EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR.
...
THE PRIMARY GOAL OF NAVY OUTREACH IS TO GAIN AMERICANS' UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NAVY IS A WARFIGHTING FORCE, OPERATING FORWARD, READY TO FIGHT AND WIN TODAY AND EVERY DAY. ACHIEVING THIS GOAL IS A PARTICULAR AND UNIQUE CHALLENGE. THE NAVY'S MEN AND WOMEN MAKE UP ONLY A FRACTION OF ONE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL U.S. POPULATION. INDIVIDUAL CONNECTIONS, WHICH CAN BE THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL ONES, ARE NOT AS PERVASIVE TODAY AS IN THE PAST. BECAUSE NAVAL FORCES AND PERSONNEL ARE BASED PRIMARILY ON BOTH COASTS, THE NAVY IS CHALLENGED TO COMMUNICATE ITS MISSION AWAY FROM FLEET CONCENTRATION AREAS. IN 2012, THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE WAR OF 1812 PROVIDES A POWERFUL PLATFORM FROM WHICH TO LAUNCH AN INFORMATIVE OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.

Sounds real good, reasonable and the right attitude to take to reach out to all Americans throughout our nation. Wide geographic reach, both urban and rural, etc. Right?

Well .... mostly. There is something not quite right in the mix ...

When I look at the full message, my initial reaction is thus: our Navy thinks ....
1) You enjoy being patronized like a serf.
2) You are fine being lied to.
3) You are happy to be in a Navy who sees you first by your race and/or ethnicity. You know - just like the racist idiots in the KKK.

It is a good rule of thumb in life that when people cannot accurately describe what they are doing, or wrap it in words that are not reflected in the action being taken, either something wrong is being done and/or the people doing it are too ashamed or embarrassed at what they are doing to accurately tell you.

In the case of this message, we have both.

What we have is something, in a way, that is kind of funny. The racialists in their pursuit of their Cultural Marxist goal of division and sectarianism are trying, Popular Front like, to fold in their fetid mess inside legitimate exercises. In the below - note the bold. Those are actually legitimate inclusive events.

The non-bold? Those are sectarian and racialist organizations and activities that we continue to support. Amazing - we continue to send money and good will to organizations that look at people at the most superficial way possible - retrograde in the extreme.

Full message is here.

R 191906Z Jan 12
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS//
TO NAVADMIN
BT

NAVADMIN 023/12

MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS/JAN//

SUBJ/CALENDAR FOR AMERICA 2012//

REF/A/DOC/OPNAV/28MAY09//
REF/B/MTG/CHINFO/08NOV11//
NARR/REF A IS OPNAVINST 5726.8 OUTREACH: AMERICA'S NAVY. REF B
IS THE 2012 CALENDAR FOR AMERICA PLANNING CONFERENCE.
POC/KIM [redacted]/CDR/DIRECTOR NAVCO/LOC: MILLINGTON, TN/TEL:
(901) 874-[redacted]/EMAIL:KIM.[redacted](AT)NAVY.MIL//

RMKS/1. THIS SETS FORTH THE 2012 CALENDAR FOR AMERICA (CFA12), DETAILING THE NAVY'S LARGE-SCALE OUTREACH EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR. EVENTS INCLUDE NAVY WEEKS, FLEET WEEKS, DIVERSITY EVENTS, WAR OF 1812 BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS, BLUE ANGEL AIR SHOWS, SHIP COMMISSIONING CEREMONIES AND KEY RECRUITING EVOLUTIONS AMONG OTHERS.

2. PER REF A AND AS DISCUSSED REF B, RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS SHOWN THAT WHILE AMERICANS LIKE AND APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR NAVY, THEY DO NOT TRULY UNDERSTAND THE NAVY'S MISSION AND ITS IMPORTANCE. NAVY OUTREACH EFFORTS MUST BE STRUCTURED AND EXECUTED TO EDUCATE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ON THE NAVY'S CAPABILITIES AND RELEVANCE TO NATIONAL SECURITY. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF NAVY OUTREACH IS TO GAIN AMERICANS' UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NAVY IS A WARFIGHTING FORCE, OPERATING FORWARD, READY TO FIGHT AND WIN TODAY AND EVERY DAY. ACHIEVING THIS GOAL IS A PARTICULAR AND UNIQUE CHALLENGE. THE NAVY'S MEN AND WOMEN MAKE UP ONLY A FRACTION OF ONE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL U.S. POPULATION. INDIVIDUAL CONNECTIONS, WHICH CAN BE THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL ONES, ARE NOT AS PERVASIVE TODAY AS IN THE PAST. BECAUSE NAVAL FORCES AND PERSONNEL ARE BASED PRIMARILY ON BOTH COASTS, THE NAVY IS CHALLENGED TO COMMUNICATE ITS MISSION AWAY FROM FLEET CONCENTRATION AREAS. IN 2012, THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE WAR OF 1812 PROVIDES A POWERFUL PLATFORM FROM WHICH TO LAUNCH AN INFORMATIVE OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.

3. TO FURTHER HELP GAIN AMERICANS' UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR NAVY, PARTICULARLY INTO AREAS OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE NO SIGNIFICANT NAVY PRESENCE, THE NAVY WILL IMPLEMENT A NEW PROGRAM IN 2012 THAT WILL MATCH 50 SENIOR OFFICER, CIVILIAN AND ENLISTED LEADERS WITH 50 CITIES ACROSS AMERICA. THE "NAVY 50-50" PROGRAM WILL SEND NAVY
LEADERS TO THEIR ASSIGNED CITY FOR 2-3 DAYS OF HIGH-LEVEL ENGAGEMENTS WITH CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, CIVIC LEADERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS, NON-PROFIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND SENIOR EDITORS AND JOURNALISTS FROM THE MEDIA. MORE INFORMATION ON THIS NEW INITIATIVE WILL BE FORTHCOMING SEPCOR.

4. SIMPLE AND CONSISTENT MESSAGING IS ESSENTIAL TO HELP THE AMERICAN PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THEIR NAVY. KEY NAVY MESSAGES WILL BE PROVIDED SEPCOR.

5. SCHEDULED CFA12 OUTREACH EVENTS (READ IN FOUR COLUMNS):

DATE: CITY: EVENT: LEAD:

JAN 28 LOS ANGELES CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL & PARADE (7)
JAN 30-31 CHARLOTTE, NC US WOMEN IN NUCLEAR-REGION II CONF (7)
FEB TBD HATTIESBURG, MS KW60 OUTREACH AT AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY (14)
FEB 15-16 WASHINGTON, D.C. LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE CONF (7)
FEB 15-18 HOUSTON, TX SOCIETY OF MEXICAN AMERICAN ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (7)
FEB 16-18 PHILADELPHIA, PA BLACK ENGINEER OF THE YEAR STEM AWARDS (7)
FEB 19-25 WASHINGTON, D.C. NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (7)
MAR TBD NORFOLK, VA KW60 EVENT AT MACARTHUR MUSEUM (14) MAR TBD WASHINGTON, D.C. 1812 KICKOFF EVENT (14)
MAR 2-3 ALBUQUERQUE, NM ASIAN AMERICAN ENGINEER OF THE YEAR AND CONFERENCE (7)
MAR 5-6 NATIONAL HARBOR, MD SEA SERVICE LEADERSHIP ASSOC WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM (7)
MAR 8-10 DALLAS, TX WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL CONF (7)
MAR 10 EL CENTRO, CA NAF EL CENTRO ANNUAL AIR SHOW (8) MAR 17-18 ST. GEORGE, UT THUNDER OVER UTAH AIR SHOW (8)
MAR 26-31 PHOENIX, AZ PHOENIX NAVY WEEK (1)
MAR 21-24 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 23RD ANNUAL NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR (7)
MAR 24 GULFPORT, MS SEABEE DAY (OPEN BASE) (2) MAR 24-25 PUNTA GORDA, FL FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AIR SHOW (8)
MAR 26-27 WASHINGTON, D.C. HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES CAPITOL FORUM ON HISPANIC HIGHER EDUCATION
MAR 26-28 WASHINGTON, D.C. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BLACKS IN HIGHER EDUCATION (7)
MAR28-APR1 PITTSBURGH, PA NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS CONVENTION (7)
MAR31-APR1 TUSCALOOSA, AL TUSCALOOSA AIR SHOW (8)
APR TBD AVONDALE, LA PCU SOMERSET (LPD 25) CHRISTENING (11)
APR TBD LOS ANGELES, CA NATIONAL IMAGE INC. TRAINING CONFERENCE (7)
APR 12 WASHINGTON, D.C. NUESTRO FUTURO 2012 LATINO EDUCATION CONFERENCE (7)
APR 14-15 KINGSVILLE, TX WINGS OVER SOUTH TEXAS AIR SHOW (8) APR 16-23 NEW ORLEANS, LA NEW ORLEANS NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9) APR 18-25 TBD DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE (HOLOCAUST) (7)
APR 21-22 NEW ORLEANS, LA NAS JRB NEW ORLEANS AIR SHOW (8)
APR 25 LOS ANGELES, CA ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER SUMMIT (7) APR 25-30 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL FLEET WEEK - PORT EVERGLADES (2,9) APR 28-29 WARNER ROBINS, GA WARNER ROBINS AFB AIR SHOW (8)
APR30-MAY4 ATLANTA, GA ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER SUMMIT (7)
APR30-MAY4 ATLANTA, GA FEDERAL ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL (7)
MAY 5 BOWIE STATE UNI, MD PATRIOTS TECHNOLOGY TRAINING CENTER YOUTH SUMMIT ON TECHNOLOGY (7)
MAY 5-6 CHERRY POINT, NC MCAS CHERRY POINT AIR SHOW (8) MAY 7-13 NASHVILLE, TN NASHVILLE NAVY WEEK (1) MAY 12-13 SMYRNA, TN THE GREAT TENNESSEE AIR SHOW (8) MAY 14-20 SPOKANE, WA SPOKANE NAVY WEEK (1) MAY 19 SAN DIEGO, CA USS SAN DIEGO (LPD 22)COMMISSIONING (11) MAY 19 TORRANCE, CA TORRANCE ARMED FORCES DAY CELEBRATION (5) MAY 19-20 ANDREWS AFB, MD ANDREWS AFB AIR SHOW (8) MAY 23 NEW YORK, NY HUDSON RIVER AERIAL DISPLAY (8) MAY 23-30 NEW YORK, NY NYC FLEET WEEK-1812 CELEBRATION (3,9) MAY 26-27 JONES BEACH, NY JONES BEACH AIR SHOW (8)
MAY28-JUN1 KALMAR, SWEDEN WOMEN IN NUCLEAR (WIN)CONFERENCE (7)
MAY 29 ANNAPOLIS, MD USNA GRADUATION FLY-OVER (8)
MAY29-JUN2 NEW YORK, NY NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION (7)
JUN TBD TBD ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND HIGHER EDUCATION SUMMIT SERIES (7)
JUN TBD BALTIMORE, MD BLUE COAST SMALL BUSINESS SYMPOSIUM (13) JUN 2 GULFPORT, MS USS MISSISSIPPI (SSN 782)COMMISSIONING (11) JUN 2-3 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA VIRGINIA BEACH AIR SHOW (8) JUN 4-7 WASHINGTON, D.C. BATTLE OF MIDWAY COMMEMORATION AND WREATH LAYING CEREMONY AT NAVY MEMORIAL (14)
JUN 4-8 DENVER, CO SOCIETY OF AMERICAN INDIAN GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES NATIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE (7)
JUN 6 WASHINGTON, D.C. DOD DIVERSITY SUMMIT (7) JUN 6-10 PORTLAND, OR PORTLAND ROSE FESTIVAL (4,10) JUN 6-12 NORFOLK, VA NORFOLK HARBORFEST - WAR OF 1812 (9)
JUN 7 WASHINGTON, D.C. ASIAN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE NETWORK CAREER PLANNING CONFERENCE (7)
JUN 9-10 MANKATO, MN MANKATO AIR SHOW (8) JUN 13-19 BALTIMORE, MD BALTIMORE NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9) JUN 16-17 BALTIMORE, MD BALTIMORE AIR SHOW (8) JUN 23-24 LATROBE, PA LATROBE AIR SHOW (8) JUN29-JUL6 BOSTON, MA BOSTON NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9) JUN30-JUL1 PORTSMOUTH, NH BOSTON PORTSMOUTH AIR SHOW (8) JUL 2-4 BOSTON HARBOR, MA BOSTON HARBOR AERIAL DISPLAY (8)
JUL 4-12 HOUSTON, TX ACADEMIC, CULTURAL, TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENTIFIC
OLYMPICS AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE CONVENTION (7)
JUL 5-8 BELLEVUE, WA JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE NATIONAL CONVENTION (7)
JUL 6-9 NEW LONDON, CT OPSAIL EVENT (3,9) JUL 7-8 DAYTON, OH DAYTON AIR SHOW (8) JUL 14 PENSACOLA BEACH, FL PENSACOLA BEACH AIR SHOW (8)
JUL 16-20 DETROIT, MI FEDERALLY EMPLOYED WOMEN NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM (7)
JUL 16-22 SACRAMENTO, CA SACRAMENTO NAVY WEEK (1) JUL 19-28 SIOUX FALLS, SD SIOUX FALLS NAVY WEEK (1) JUL 21-22 SIOUX FALLS, SD SIOUX FALLS AIR SHOW (8) JUL 28-29 TWIN FALLS, ID TWIN FALLS AIR SHOW (8) JUL31-AUG5 SEATTLE, WA SEATTLE SEAFAIR (4,10)
JUL31-AUG4 LAS VEGAS, NV TUSKEGEE AIRMEN INC NATIONAL CONFERENCE (7)
AUG TBD TBD MANA HERMANITAS SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (7)
AUG TBD TBD NAVAL OFFICER MENTORSHIP ASSOCIATION NATIONAL
CONFERENCE (7)
AUG TBD TBD ASIAN HERITAGE AWARDS (7)
AUG TBD BUFFALO, NY KW60 WREATH LAYING CEREMONY AT BUFFALO'S KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL (14)
AUG 1-4 BALTIMORE, MD BLACK DATA PROCESSING ASSOCIATES (7)
AUG 1-5 SAN DIEGO, CA NATIONAL NAVAL OFFICER ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (7)
AUG 4-5 SEATTLE, WA SEAFAIR AIR SHOW (8)
AUG 6-9 SAN DIEGO, CA GOLD COAST SMALL BUSINESS SYMPOSIUM (13)
AUG 6-13 MILWAUKEE, WI MILWAUKEE NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9)
AUG 11 CHICAGO, IL BUD BILLIKEN PARADE (7)
AUG 13-16 DETROIT, MI BLACKS IN GOVERNMENT NATIONAL CONFERENCE (7)
AUG 13-20 CHICAGO, IL CHICAGO NAVY WEEK - WAR OF1812 (1,9) AUG 18-19 CHICAGO, IL CHICAGO AIR AND WATER SHOW (8) AUG 20-27 TOLEDO, OH TOLEDO NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9)
AUG 20-24 SAN DIEGO, CA ASSOCIATION OF NAVAL SERVICES OFFICER NATIONAL CONFERENCE (7)
AUG 23-25 NEW YORK, NY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS NATIONAL CONVENTION (7)
AUG 26 TBD WOMENS EQUALITY DAY (7) AUG27-SEP4 CLEVELAND, OH CLEVELAND NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9)
AUG 28-31 TBD NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN RIGHTS TRAINING CONFERENCE AND BUSINESS MEETING (7) SEP TBD TBD USS ANCHORAGE (LPD 23)COMMISSIONING (11) SEP TBD PASCAGOULA, MS PCU AMERICA (LHA 6) CHRISTENING (11)
SEP TBD WASHINGTON D.C. HISTORICALLY BLACK COLL & UNIVERSITY - WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE (7)
SEP TBD EDINBURG, TX HISPANIC ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECH WEEK (7)
SEP TBD WASHINGTON, D.C. JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE NATIONAL CONVENTION (7)
SEP TBD NORTH ISLAND, CA CORONADO SPEED FESTIVAL (OPEN HOUSE) (5) SEP 1-3 CLEVELAND, OH CLEVELAND NATIONAL AIR SHOW (8) SEP 3-10 DETROIT, MI DETROIT NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9) SEP 8-9 LITTLE ROCK, AR THUNDER OVER THE ROCK AIR SHOW (8) SEP 10-17 BUFFALO, NY BUFFALO NAVY WEEK - WAR OF 1812 (1,9) SEP14-OCT1 SAN DIEGO, CA SAN DIEGO FLEET WEEK AND AIR SHOW (5,10) SEP 15-16 OCEANA, VA NAS OCEANA AIR SHOW (8) SEP 22 GALVESTON, TX USS FORT WORTH (LCS 3)COMMISSIONING (11) SEP 22-23 GRAND JUNCTION, CO GRAND JUNCTION AIR SHOW (8) SEP 29 MANHATTAN, NY USS MICHAEL MURPHY (DDG 112)COMMISSIONING (11)
SEP 29-30 KANE'OHE BAY, HI MCAS KANEOHE BAY AIR SHOW (8)
OCT TBD OAKLAND, CA SOCIETY OF MEXICAN AMERICAN ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS SYMPOSIUM (7)
OCT 4-9 SAN FRANCISCO, CA SAN FRANCISCO FLEET WEEK (5,10) OCT 6-7 SAN FRANCISCO, CA SAN FRANCISCO AIR SHOW (8) OCT 12-14 MIRAMAR, CA MCAS MIRAMAR AIR SHOW (8)
OCT 13 WASHINGTON, D.C. 237TH NAVY BIRTHDAY (14)
OCT 20-22 WASHINGTON, D.C. HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (7)
OCT 20-21 JACKSONVILLE, FL JACKSONVILLE SEA AND SKY SPECTACULAR (8)
OCT 21 ATLANTA, GA WHO'S WHO IN ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES (7) OCT 22-28 HOUSTON, TX HOUSTON NAVY WEEK (1)
OCT 26-30 LAKE BUENA VISTA,FL HISPANIC ENGINEER NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS AWARDS CORP (7)
OCT 26-30 NEW YORK, NY THURGOOD MARSHALL LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONFERENCE (7) OCT 27-28 HOUSTON, TX WINGS OVER HOUSTON AIR SHOW (8)
NOV VARIOUS NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH (7)
NOV TBD TBD AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY CONFERENCE (7)
NOV TBD TBD WOMEN IN DEFENSE (7)
NOV TBD TBD NATIONAL WOMEN OF COLOR IN TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (7)
NOV TBD TBD GRACE HOPPER CELEBRATION OF WOMEN IN COMPUTING (7) NOV TBD TBD WOUNDED WARRIOR HIRING AND SUPPORT CONFERENCE (7) NOV 2-3 PENSACOLA, FL NAS PENSACOLA AIR SHOW (8)
NOV 8-10 HOUSTON, TX SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS CONFERENCE (7)
NOV 12 CARRIER CLASSIC - TBD
NOV 14-18 FT WORTH, TX SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (7) DEC TBD SAN DIEGO, CA HOLIDAY BOWL (5,10)

6. LEAD ACTION OFFICES FOR THE EVENTS IN PARAGRAPH 5 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
(1) NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH, (901) 874-[redacted].
(2) COMMANDER, NAVY REGION SOUTHEAST, (904) 542-[redacted].
(3) COMMANDER, NAVY REGION MID-ATLANTIC, (757) 322-[redacted].
(4) COMMANDER, NAVY REGION NORTHWEST, (360) 396-[redacted].
(5) COMMANDER, NAVY REGION SOUTHWEST, (619) 532-[redacted].
(6) COMMANDER, NAVY REGION MIDWEST, (847) 688-[redacted]
(7) CNP, OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (N134), (703) 695-[redacted].
(8) BLUE ANGELS, (850) 452-[redacted].
(9) U.S. FLEET FORCES COMMAND, (757) 836-[redacted]
(10) COMMANDER, U.S. THIRD FLEET, (619) 524-[redacted]
(11) OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, (703) 697-[redacted]
(12) U.S. PACIFIC FLEET, (808) 471-[redacted]
(13) SECNAV, OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS (202) 685-[redacted]
(14) NAVY OFFICE OF COMMEMORATIONS (202) 433-[redacted]

7. CFA12 WILL BE MAINTAINED AT WWW.NAVY.MIL/NAVCO, WITH CHANGES AND UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDER LARGE-SCALE EVENTS NOT YET SCHEDULED OR CONFIRMED (SUCH AS NAVAL AVIATION TACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND NAVY PARACHUTE TEAM PERFORMANCES) WILL BE PUBLISHED BY SPONSORING STAKEHOLDERS SEPCOR. SCHEDULES FOR SHIP COMMISSIONING AND CHRISTENING CEREMONIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CONTACT COGNIZANT STAKEHOLDERS FOR SMALLER-SCALE EVENTS AND DETAILS.

8. RELEASED BY VICE ADMIRAL J. M. BIRD, DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF.//

BT
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Good news? Yes. I will take this as another victory on the way to a just, non-discriminatory, and color blind Navy. The Diversity Bullies are hiding. You only hide if you have something that needs to be hid. Well, either that or we are institutionalizing sectarianism. If the latter, well congrats; "Through Division there is Unity!"

VADM Bird; does this really meet the standard of clarity, transparency, and honesty that you want associated with your name?