#OTD in 2012, thousands of spectators watched as USS Iowa passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Pacific on her final voyage. The venerable battleship was towed from the San Francisco Bay to the Port of Los Angeles where she became a floating museum.

Just to be clear. Joe Biden’s Gaza pier debacle has resulted in American “Boots on the Ground”.

Naval Statecraft and the Navy Needed

The nation needs a strong maritime industry to convey trade, which today relies >99% on others’ ships. At the same time a strong navy is required to ensure those ships can come to our ports, defend Americans and secure our national interests.

Well this isn’t good but just as Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴‍☠️ and I predicted. You can’t build pier units alone. You need breakwater and spare tugboats for in-climate weather conditions.

Unfortunately Trump’s secretary of defense Archive: Dr. Mark T. Esper sold off most of the Army Watercraft, tugs snd

BREAKING: This morning four U.S. Army vessels supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in Gaza were affected by heavy sea states.

The vessels broke free from their moorings and two vessels are now anchored on the beach near the pier. The third and fourth vessels are

Above average…

In response to PLA’s military exercise, Taiwan’s 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 just released two footages taken from its F-16’s Sniper Pods. The footage show F-16 monitoring a J-16 fighter jet & H-6 bomber, which entered TW’s ADIZ. This is the 1st time the TW defence ministry release such videos.

I sat in a meeting the other day and was told by a senior staffer that the #Houthi attacks were not having an impact on commercial shipping, particularly inflation.

Yet the evidence points to the contrary.

Barge Tow Hits Mooring on Ohio River During High Water Conditions: NTSB Report
gcaptain.com/barge-tow-hits…

23 MAY Red Sea Update
 
At approximately 7:26 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 23, Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. 
 
This continued malign and

Showdown Asia?

Chinese military now almost 12hrs into a major exercise that appears to be a rehearsal for a blockade of Taiwan. But China’s military calling out four outlying Taiwan islands for the focus of this drill - could be something else.

Several Ships of the Republic of China Navy including the Ching Chiang-Class Patrol Ship, ROCS Jin Chiang (PGG-610) and Tuo Chiang-Class Corvette, ROCS Hsu Chiang (PGG-621) conducted an “Emergency Departure” last night from their Port in Taiwan. The Readiness of the Taiwanese

BREAKING:

Last night, Russia removed the light buoys delineating the border between Russia and Estonia in the Narva river.

This happened after previous reports stating that Russia intends to unilaterally change its maritime borders with Finland and Estonia.

🇷🇺🇪🇪🇫🇮 is

The number of Chinese vessels at Second Thomas Shoal during resupply missions has increased substantially since 2021, while Philippine ship counts have remained consistently low. See what the data says about China-Philippine tensions at AMTI: cs.is/3SjnTCP

Climate Change and Red Sea Turmoil to Boost Arctic Shipping
gcaptain.com/climate-change…

Chinese state TV primes the public for war with Taiwan

BREAKING:

France takes a major leap in its tactical nuclear capability after test-firing an air-launched nuclear missile from a Rafale fighter jet for the first time.

The upgraded supersonic nuclear-capable ASMPA cruise missile has a speed of Mach 3+ and a range of 500+ km

🇫🇷