Navy

NUTEKPOR, GHANA — On July 14, 2023, U.S. Navy Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 and leadership from the U.S. Embassy in Accra, the Ghana Armed Forces, and South Tongu District Executive Leadership held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Nutekpor District Assembly Basic School in Nutekpor, Ghana.

NMCB 1 Seabees broke ground on March 23, 2023, starting construction on a three-room schoolhouse Engineering Civic Action Project in the Village of Nutekpor. The project consisted of removing the original foundation, placing a new 1380 square-foot foundation. The schoolhouse was constructed with over 2000 concrete masonry unit blocks along with accompanying doors, windows, and electrical appliances.

Project Crew Leader, Equipment Operator 2nd Class Alexander Brown, faced multiple challenges throughout the deployment but did not once doubt the crew’s ability to complete the project.

“Being deployed to such an austere environment posed many logistical challenges and gave us the opportunity to find myriad creative solutions throughout the duration of the project. Although it has not been easy, the challenges presented to us have been a great learning experience for everyone involved. I’m appreciative of the opportunity that I’ve been given out here, and I know that the crew will excel no matter where they go next.”

The U.S. Navy worked alongside U.S. Marines from the 8th Engineer Support Battalion on building the school. This provided an outstanding opportunity to strengthen interoperability between maritime engineering services.

The ribbon cutting ceremony kicked off with South Tongu District Assemblyman Benjamin Agbeyesu giving a brief speech on the history of the school community and how these new school rooms will bolster teaching capabilities. He was then followed by U.S. Ambassador Virginia Palmer thanking the Village of Nutekpor for their hospitality during construction and emphasis on equitable economic aid and development of the relationship between the U.S. and Ghana.

As a crewmember who has worked on the school for the past four months, Utilitiesman 3rd Class Alonzo Bulloch stated, “It is a privilege to work on this project in such an austere environment overseas. Opportunities such as this one to demonstrate Seabee skills and give back to the local community are not always available, so I take it with great honor.”

The school will to host more than 100 students each year from Nutekpor and its surrounding villages, providing students and teachers a much improved educational environment for years to come.

NMCB 1 is forward deployed to execute construction, humanitarian assistance, and theater security cooperation in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Sixth Fleet areas of operation in direct support of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68.

22nd Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) provides command and control of Naval Construction Forces in U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility in direct support of CTF 68.

CTF 68 headquartered in Rota, Spain, commands all Navy Expeditionary Forces in U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility and is responsible for providing explosive ordinance disposal operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in direct support of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. Sixth Fleet.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR.

SYDNEY- The U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, renowned for its performance in time-honored naval traditions, played a pivotal role in the momentous commissioning ceremony of the USS Canberra (LCS 30) July 22, 2023.

The event, held at the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base East, included ceremonial traditions from both nations, underscoring the deep-rooted mateship and mutual respect between the U.S. and Australian Navies. The Navy’s premier ceremonial unit, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard diligently trains to render proper respect to the nation, its leaders, and foreign dignitaries.

“The elite members of the US Navy Ceremonial Guard are keepers of tradition and reflect the very essence the United States Navy,” said Rear Adm. Nancy Lacore, commandant Naval District Washington. “Their participation in USS Canberra’s commissioning demonstrates the pride and privilege the U.S. Navy feels to conduct the ceremony in Australia.”

Commissioning ceremonies have been a U.S. Navy tradition since 1775, hoisting the commissioning pennant to signify the ship and crew are ready to fulfill their mission. In the days preceding the ceremony, the Guard spent time training alongside and integrating with Australian Navy Sailors, sharing knowledge, skills, and customs with one another.

“We are immensely honored to represent our country alongside our Australian counterparts on this distinguished occasion,” said Cmdr. Alexander McMahon, commanding officer, U.S. Navy. “It is a special opportunity to blend our traditions with those of the Australian Navy, tailoring a unique ceremony fit for a warship named for our Ally’s capital city.”

The Sailors of the Ceremonial Guard will participate in a ceremonial march in Canberra on Sunday, July 23, to celebrate the city’s bestowal of Freedom of Entry on the newly commissioned littoral combat ship (LCS).

The tradition, which dates back to medieval times, is the highest accolade that a town or city can bestow on a group or individual, and is a reflection of the trust and confidence that the citizens hold in them.

Canberra is the second U.S. Navy ship named for Australia’s capital and in honor of the HMAS Canberra that was lost at the Battle of Savo Island in World War II. The first USS Canberra (CA-70/CAG-2) was named at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in honor of the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra and its courageous actions during the Battle of Savo Island which took place Aug. 7-9, 1942. The new Baltimore-class heavy cruiser was renamed Canberra from Pittsburgh on Oct. 16, 1942 and was commissioned on Oct. 14, 1943.

Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The LCS is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.

Established in 1931, the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard is the official ceremonial unit of the Navy. Located at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, DC, the Navy Ceremonial Guard’s primary mission is to represent the service in Presidential, Joint Armed Forces, Navy, and public ceremonies in and around the nation’s capital. Members of the Navy Ceremonial Guard participate in some of our nation’s most prestigious ceremonies, including Presidential inaugurations and arrival ceremonies for foreign officials. In addition, the Navy Ceremonial Guard serves as the funeral escort and conducts all services for Navy personnel buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

For more information on the USS Canberra commissioning, please visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/CanberraCommissioning and http://images.defence.gov.au/S20232084.

For most fathers and sons, bonding over a weekend fishing trip or a game of catch is a cherished memory. But for this father and son duo, their bond was forged through service.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Orbich, a native from Houston, Pennsylvania, and quartermaster with the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), has been in the Navy for 24 years. His son, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jordan Orbich, a meteorology and oceanography analyst forecaster with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)), has been in the Marine Corps for three years and discovered they would be deploying on the USS Bataan together.

“It makes me proud that my son and I are going to be deployed together,” said Joshua. “I know that he is doing his part and being a productive part of society. I also get to experience his development as a Marine.”

Jordan, who was born in Jacksonville, Florida while his dad was stationed there, also had mutual feelings about being able to be with his father during deployment.

“My initial reaction to finding out my dad and I were going on deployment together was that I was pumped!” Jordan exclaimed. “It was a big coincidence but I knew it was going to be awesome because well, you know he’s my dad. Having anybody from your family on the same ship as you would be pretty cool, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Amidst the excitement also came the awareness of the risks and sacrifices that come with the military service. Nevertheless, they were eager to face these challenges together and make most of their time abroad.

“This will be my last deployment, and I’ve been on over ten deployments,” said Joshua. “I remember on my first deployment my son wasn’t even born yet, but his mother was pregnant. It was right after 9/11 so it was hard leaving family,” he recalled. “That whole timeframe was just crazy, I got married, my wife was pregnant, and then I had to leave. It all happened very quickly.”

Joshua is also the assistant navigator aboard the USS Bataan. His job is to navigate the open seas and keep the ships mission on course. He specializes in maps, charts, and oceanography. His son Jordan is a meteorology and oceanography (METOC) analyst forecaster. His responsibilities include observing, collecting, recording, validating, processing, disseminating, and assimilation of METOC data and information to formulate forecasts and environmental assessments, in order to keep a ship navigating safely.

On ships, quartermasters are responsible for navigation and maintaining the ship’s charts, while METOC provides weather and oceanographic information to help the ship navigate safely. Meaning this father and son duo will work closely together throughout the deployment.

“On smaller ships we don’t have Aerographer’s Mates (AG) which is the equivalent to my son’s military occupational specialty, so the quartermasters have to do the weather,” said Joshua. “But now we are on a bigger ship and we have AG’S and METOC Marines and they can take care of all the weather for us. It’s a big job and requires daily communication.”

As they prepare for deployment, the father and son are working hard to ensure they are physically and emotionally ready for the experience.

“My dad has been in for 24 years so he knows a lot of things, he’s shared a few tips and tricks to help me get around,” said Jordan. “The biggest one is having Velcro tapes and lights inside of your rack, that was definitely a big one right there. Just little things that make the deployment much easier.”

“Dad,” on the other hand, is preparing in other ways.

“Emotionally, you get kind of used to being away from family,” said Joshua. “It’s more for like other people that are going to miss you, you know trying to deal with the other family and friends back at home that haven’t experienced this before and making sure they’re good. And picking up a routine on ship definitely makes things go smoother.”

The excitement of deploying with a close family member is one shared by few and the Orbich’s are looking forward to the unique bond that will be formed between them as they face the challenges of military service together.

“When I was younger my dad would take me to the navigation briefs. It’s funny because whenever I was younger I didn’t think I’d ever be in that position, and now I am where I can attend these navigation briefs and not because I’m his son but because it’s a part of my job now,” said Jordan.

As they embark on their journey, they are a true testament to the strength and resilience of military families. They are proof even in the face of adversity, the bond between a father and son can remain unbreakable.