Dec 17 Daily Shipmate

Published on December 17, 2025

Wednesday, 17 December 2025

Welcome to the last week of Daily Shipmate before the Holiday Stand Down. Daily Shipmate will deliver for the last time of 2025 on Friday, 19 December. The product will return on 5 January 2026.

Today in Navy, Marine Corps

and USNA Memorial Hall History

1927 - While surfacing off Provincetown, Massachusetts, the submarine S-4 (SS-109) collides with the Coast Guard cutter Paulding. S-4 goes down with the loss of all 39 crewmen despite rescue efforts by Navy divers, including Chief Gunner's Mate Thomas Eadie, who receives the Medal of Honor for rescuing a fellow diver who becomes entangled in an airline. The submarine is later raised and recommissioned, serving until 1933.

1941 - VADM William S. Pye '01, USN becomes Acting Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, relieving ADM Husband E. Kimmel '04, USN.

1992 - LCDR James Boyle '77, USN was lost when the F-16N fighter jet he was piloting crashed near Twin Falls, Idaho. He was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 126, which was the Pacific Fleet adversary fighter squadron for the Top Gun program. James had more than 3,600 flight hours and 600 carrier landings; 71 of those hours were in combat during the Gulf War. A native of Chicago, Illinois, James was president of his high school class and a member of the football team. He played varsity football at the Naval Academy, too. He earned his wings in 1979 and married his wife in December 1981. Together they had a daughter; he was survived by them, his stepson, parents, two brothers and a sister.

Photo Highlight

In what could become an annual Army–Navy tradition, USNA AA&F President and CEO Jeff Webb '95 rejoined 13th Company for the 126th Army–Navy Ball Run—his second run with his former company. USNA AA&F followed along and shared behind-the-scenes moments on social media as the runners made their way through Severna Park, Maryland, where they were greeted by cheering students from St. John the Evangelist Elementary School. Be sure to visit the Run to Honor Shared Interest Group (SIG) social media accounts for additional photos and video.

Academy & Graduate happenings

Navy's new Rapid Capabilities Office pursues disruption, with caution

As the Navy's new Rapid Capabilities Office hustles to identify and field urgently-needed technologies at a speedier pace than ever before, senior leaders recognize how the plans have potential to introduce or magnify security, operational and ethical risks that can accompany experimental acceleration. “I actually think we have to be more disciplined,” VADM Seiko Okano '94 told DefenseScoop last week. “If we're going to go fast, then we can't do this recklessly — because, ultimately, if we do have catastrophic failures, that actually slows us down much more than if we were going to just go at our normal speed.” A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Okano was recently appointed as the NRCO's first chief by Navy Secretary John Phelan.

Landon Robinson Named First-Team All-American by the Associated Press

Navy senior nose guard Landon Robinson '26 has been named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press. Robinson is the first Navy player to be named an All-American by the AP in 40 years (Napoleon McCallum in 1985) and the first defensive player in 50 years (Chet Moeller in 1975). Ironically, Robinson (Fairlawn), McCallum (Cincinnati) and Moeller (Kettering) are all from Ohio. Robinson, who was also named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, has recorded 58 tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for a loss, a team-high 6.5 sacks and a team-high seven hurries for the Mids this season. He is second in the American in sacks per game, which is highly unusual for an interior defensive player.

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Meet the University of Oklahoma's new Police Chief - A Naval Academy alum

It's only been two months, but Derek Fuller '89 is making himself right at home at the University of Oklahoma. As the new police chief at the university since 13 October, Fuller provides leadership for all police and public safety functions across OU in collaboration with deputy chiefs on each campus. Fuller describes his past decades of experience as "very broad," and that might be a modest understatement. He's a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has served as a naval flight officer.

Government & Military News

Navy Has 20,000 Gaps at Sea Due to Training Backlog, Past Recruiting Shortfall

Despite a historic recruiting year, the Navy will need to continue to bring in more junior sailors to fully man at-sea billets, a problem that will likely continue into the next two to three years and is compounded by delays in the training pipelines, a Navy official told USNI News. The Navy has a total of 20,683 gaps-at sea as of 3 December, Stacee McCarroll, a service spokesperson, told USNI News on Monday. The majority of the gaps at-sea are in the apprentice level, which covers E-1 through E-3. At the apprentice level, there are 16,369 gaps at-sea, followed by 3,301 among journeyman sailors (E-4 to E-6) and 1,013 in the supervisor level, which includes sailors at ranks E-7 and above, McCarroll said.

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Future USS Idaho Delivered to U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the Submarine Force's newest fast attack submarine, the future USS Idaho (SSN 799), from General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) Dec. 15, marking the second delivery of a Virginia-class fast attack submarine this year. The delivery represents the official transfer of the submarine from the shipbuilder to the Navy. The submarine and crew will continue to undergo a series of tests and trials before being commissioned into active service, which is expected to take place in the spring. “Idaho represents the hard work and tenacity of shipbuilders, industry partners and Navy personnel to deliver the best undersea warfighting platform to the fleet,” said CAPT Mike Hollenbach '97, Virginia-class submarine program manager. “With each delivery, the Navy reinforces our Nation's superiority in the maritime domain.”

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Local, Education & other academy news

Remembering…RADM James Henry Flatley III USN (Ret.)

RADM James H Flatley III USN (Ret) '56, affectionately known to friends, colleagues and family as Jim, Skipper, Admiral and Pops, passed away in his sleep on December 12, 2025, weeks before celebrating his 92nd birthday. Born on January 9, 1934 in San Diego, CA to parents, James H Flatley Jr and Dorothy May McMurray, Jim lived a life devoted to his country, his community and most importantly to his family. As a decorated naval aviator, esteemed leader, devoted family man, he leaves behind a legacy of courage, sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to service. During his 31 years of active military service, he logged 4,460 flight hours in over thirty different aircraft and the first to complete 1,608 carrier landings. One of his most notable contributions to naval aviation occurred in 1963 when he impressed the community by successfully executing multiple carrier landings aboard the USS FORRESTAL (CV-59) while piloting the C-130 Hercules, the largest aircraft to ever land on a carrier.

Introducing BlueMagnet—a network built for Naval Academy grads

December 16, 2025

Introducing BlueMagnet—an invite-only network built exclusively for Naval Academy graduates, presented by Cedric Williams '20

Dec 18 Daily Shipmate

December 18, 2025