Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalUS Navy Destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) Christened
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) christened pre-commissioning unit Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) at the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss.
The new 513-foot-long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the first of the Flight III variants and 75th overall in the class. It is expected to be commissioned in 2023.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
Jack H. Lucas, a longtime resident of Hattiesburg, Miss., was the youngest Marine and youngest service member in World War II awarded the Medal of Honor. During a close firefight with Japanese soldiers, Lucas saved the lives of three Marines when he unhesitatingly placed himself on two grenades.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-navy-destroyer-jack-h-lucas-ddg-495363
Salvors Will Try to Refloat Ever Forward on Tuesday
Salvors will attempt to refloat the Ever Forward on Tuesday following a week of dredging to free the grounded containership outside the Port of Baltimore.
According to the port's executive director William Doyle, a team of five tugs, including two pushing on the ship's starboard side, two pulling from port side and one long pull from stern, will aim to dislodge the 1,095-foot ship, which went hard aground outside of the Craighill Channel near Gibson Island on March 13.
During the refloat attempt, the current 500-yard safety zone around the ship in the Chesapeake Bay will be temporarily extended to 1,000 yards, closing the navigation channel to commercial traffic from noon Tuesday through midnight, the U.S. Coast Guard said. One-way vessel traffic could resume at reduced speeds as soon as midnight or at the discretion of the Captain of the Port, the Coast Guard said.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/salvors-try-refloat-ever-forward-tuesday-495367
Philippines Slams Chinese Ship's 'Close Distance Maneuvering'
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday reported a recent incident of "close distance maneuvering" by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the disputed South China Sea that "constrained" the movement of a Philippine ship sailing nearby.
The March 2 incident took place during the PCG's maritime patrol operations around the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, the PCG said in a news release.
It was yet unclear whether the Philippines had lodged a diplomatic protest for the incident. The PCG said it had to wait for the go-signal from the country's National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea before making the incident public.
The incident involved a CCG vessel with bow number 3305 that conducted close distance maneuvering over an area of approximately 21 yards (19.2 m) in the direction of Philippine vessel BRP Malabrigo, the PCG said.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/philippines-slams-chinese-ships-close-495361
Quincy leaders hope restoring Quincy Bay will attract wildlife and visitors
The federal government has approved $33 million for restoring Quincy Bay along the Mississippi River in Illinois, a project that has been decades in the making.
The city is hoping the plan will bring more wildlife and visitors to the area and boost economic development efforts. The bay is an 8-square-mile backwater of the Mississippi River just north of the city of Quincy.
“What we’re trying to accomplish is to restore some of those original depths which provide a lot of habitat. This will also provide more recreational opportunities,” said Mike Klingner, an engineer who has been advocating for river repair in Quincy for more than 30 years.
Quincy Bay has lost 70% of its depth over the past century, mostly due to erosion and use of the river as a major shipping route.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2022-03-28/quincy-leaders-hope-restoring-quincy-bay-will-attract-wildlife-and-visitors
Culver House faces destruction if Powell Hall expansion wins preservation board approval
The St. Louis Preservation Board will meet today to review the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s plans for a $100 million renovation and expansion of Powell Hall.
Preservationists are opposed to a key part of the project, one that would demolish Culver House, a historic home next to Powell Hall.
The 19th-century, Queen Anne-style home at 3514 Delmar Blvd. in Grand Center sits on the space the orchestra has included in its $100 million renovation project. A 65,000-square-foot expansion would include a new entryway, rehearsal areas, interior additions and a new lobby.
“We're really excited that we're preserving our Powell Hall for future generations, expanding the access to our community,” Yolanda Alovar, a spokesperson for the orchestra said. “We've been developing a salvage plan to preserve the cultural and historical architectural elements of the building (Powell Hall) and we'll share those plans with our communities as soon as they become available.”
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/culture-history/2022-03-28/st-louis-preservation-board-to-review-if-slso-can-demolish-the-culver-house
No Irish language act before Stormont election - Lewis
The British government has confirmed that it will not deliver on a promise to Sinn Féin to introduce an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland at this stage.
Northern Secretary Brandon Lewis had given a commitment that Westminster would introduce the law if the Stormont Executive failed to do by October last year.
The legislation was to have been part of a cultural package that would also have included Ulster Scots.
The election campaign will officially get under way at midnight, when the Assembly is dissolved. Voters go to the polls on 5 May.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2022/0328/1288987-northern-ireland-language/
Reintroduction of public health measures sought amid Covid-19 surge
The Emergency Department Taskforce is to request that public health measures are reconsidered by the Government.
It follows a meeting of the taskforce this afternoon to discuss the pressures on emergency departments in hospitals.
The taskforce includes representatives of hospital groups, the Department of Health, patient advocates, staff bodies and the HSE.
RTÉ News understands a letter will be sent to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly recommending that he urgently convenes a meeting of public health advisors to consider any and all measures that may now be appropriate to protect the health services.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0328/1288855-covid-ireland/
Kenneth Branagh brings the Oscar home for Belfast on a night of high drama
Belfast writer-director Kenneth Branagh won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, saluting his hometown and "the fabulous Island of Ireland" in his acceptance speech.
Branagh's win was one of the heart-warming highlights of a ceremony that was later rocked by an onstage incident involving Best Actor winner Will Smith and award presenter Chris Rock.
Collecting the award for Best Original Screenplay, Branagh said: "This is an enormous honour for my family and a great tribute to an amazing city and fantastic people."
https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2022/0328/1288821-kenneth-branagh-brings-the-oscar-home-for-belfast/
Ireland withdraws from bidding process for America's Cup
Ireland has withdrawn from the bidding process to host the 37th America's Cup sailing competition in 2024.
In a statement, the Department of Tourism and Sport said it had spent the last six months assessing the feasibility of Ireland hosting the event.
"However, the Ministers have, following consultation with party leaders and colleagues across Government, accepted the recommendation from their officials not to proceed with a bid."
The Department said that while Cork harbour is "potentially a great venue for the event", based on the technical assessment carried out the "necessary infrastructural and planning arrangements would not be in place to host the event in 2024".
https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2022/0328/1288988-americas-cup-munster/
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 28
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 28
Mason Clark and George Barros
March 28, 4:30pm ET
Ukrainian forces recaptured Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 28. Ongoing Ukrainian counterattacks around Kyiv will likely disrupt ongoing Russian efforts to reconstitute forces and resume major offensive operations to encircle Kyiv. Ukrainian forces additionally repelled Russian attacks toward Brovary, east of Kyiv, in the past 24 hours. Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine remain stalled and did not conduct offensive operations against Chernihiv, Sumy, or Kharkiv in the past 24 hours. Russian forces continue to make grinding progress in Mariupol but were unable to secure territory in either Donbas or toward Mykolayiv.
Key Takeaways
Russian forces have not abandoned their objective to encircle and capture Kyiv, despite Kremlin claims that Russian forces will concentrate on eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces recaptured the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on March 28. Ukrainian forces will likely seek to take advantage of ongoing Russian force rotations to retake further territory northwest of Kyiv in the coming days.
Russian forces conducted unsuccessful attacks toward Brovary and did not conduct offensive operations toward Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv. Russian operations in northeastern Ukraine remain stalled.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-28
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