20 Jan Daily Shipmate

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Photos of the day

Midshipmen from Colorado and Wyoming came together with cadets from West Point and the Air Force Academy at the 43rd annual Colorado and Wyoming All Service Academy Ball. The event was held at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield, Colorado on 30 December 2025 and was hosted by the West Point Parents Club. Deacon Joe Nowak '80, provided a moving invocation, and the featured guest speaker was COL Sean Williams, '95, USA. After the end of the dinner and ceremony, attendees enjoyed dancing, socializing and a casino night. The 44th annual Ball will be hosted by the Colorado Wyoming USNA Parents Club.

 

Photos:
Above left: MIDN Liam Pilarowski '28 offers a toast for the Navy and the Marine Corps.

Above right: MIDN Piper Adams '28 receives her challenge coin.
Below: All midshipmen and cadets in attendance.

1914 - The Navy's modest aviation force, which consists of nine officers, 23 enlisted personnel and seven aircraft, arrives at Pensacola, Florida, to establish the first aeronautic station. Facilities at the recently closed navy yard are in a state of disrepair, and tent hangars are erected on shore to protect the flying machines against the Florida sun.

 

1943 - Brennan (DE-13) becomes the first destroyer escort commissioned. Though its activity is confined to duty as a training ship off Miami, Florida, its successors see action with Atlantic convoys and hunter-killer groups, and fight with distinction at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944.

 

1968 - The second battle for Khe Sanh began when Marines from the 3d Battalion, 26th Marines attacked a North Vietnamese battalion between Hill 881 South and Hill 881 North. More than 100 of the enemy were killed.

 

1977 - LTJG Frederick Caesar, III '73, USN was lost when the Coast Guard HH-52 Seaguard helicopter he was piloting crashed into the Illinois River after striking electrical transmission wires while on an aerial ice patrol. He was an exchange officer with the Coast Guard, but there are conflicting reports if he and the crew were flying from the Coast Guard Air Station Chicago or Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois. A native of Clark, New Jersey, “Rick” allegedly spent “more time in sick bay and the ward than any USNA doctor ever has.” He was survived by his parents.

Academy & Graduate happenings

CAPT Ryan Easterday '01, USN, officially relieved CAPT Robert Smith as the commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Monterey during a ceremony in the base chapel on 5 December 2025. Easterday is a native of Davis who graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in history. Easterday, whose naval career has spanned numerous assignments at sea and ashore and sixteen cumulative years overseas, comes to NSAM from North American Aerospace Defense Command's Joint Operations Center, where he served as a Command Center Director. His previous command assignments include command of the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), and command of the Patrol Coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC-6).

BlackSea Technologies awarded SHIELD IDIQ contract

BlackSea Technologies is pleased to announce it was awarded a contract for the Missile Defense Agency Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling of 151 billion dollars. This contract encompasses a broad range of work areas that allows for the rapid delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter with increased speed and agility. BlackSea Technologies is a maritime and autonomous systems company specializing in the design, production, and deployment of unmanned surface vessels and modular mission solutions in support of U.S. and allied defense requirements. BlackSea's CEO is USNA alum Bob Pudney '98.

“When the sun sets early, the wind bites cruelly and the long winter stretch between Yuletide and Spring Leave weighs heavy upon the soul… the wise and weary know it is time. Time for the ancient and honorable rite known as THE DARK AGES DINNER. There shall be food fit for kings, drink worthy of sailors and tales both heroic and highly suspect. Laughter is expected. Camaraderie is mandatory. Hosted by the Greater Southern Maryland Chapter of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association. To secure thy seat at the table, render tribute by scanning the sacred QR code in the proclamation above or clicking the link below."

From the Podcast Fleet

Sing Second & Anchors Aweigh Joint Podcast - Special Live Taping from Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis

We got the old gang together for a special live taping of the Anchors Aweigh podcast from Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis, one of our loyal sponsors. Producer Chris Servello and John Schofield from the Sing Second pod provide support as we interview spring sports coaches Joe Amplo (men's lacrosse), Cindy Timchal (women's lacrosse) and Chuck Ristano (baseball). We start off the pod by talking to Paul LaRochelle, vice president of Sheehy Lexus of Annapolis and a huge supporter of Navy Athletics.

Academy Insider: Midshipman pay and taxes

This episode explores midshipman pay at the Naval Academy, breaking down the financial side of academy life for midshipmen and their families. Learn how base pay is calculated, what you actually receive each month and the truth about the ACE “loan.” We explain how to read your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), understand personal deductions totaling $160 per month and use legal residence strategies to save on taxes. While midshipmen can't contribute to TSP, they can open IRAs. Whether you're a current midshipman, parent or future family, this episode clarifies finances and offers practical strategies to maximize benefits.

Government & Military News

New documents show the crew on board the United States' newest aircraft carrier are growing increasingly frustrated by design flaws that lead to regular failures in the ship's toilet system. The USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for seven months since it left Norfolk in June. The carrier is currently at the center of the Trump administration's flotilla of Navy ships in the Caribbean. Since the raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the carrier continues to work with the Coast Guard as the U.S. interdicts oil tankers tied to Venezuela. On board the carrier, the crew is battling a toilet system that the General Accountability Office reported in 2020 was undersized and poorly designed. The system continues to fail during deployment, forcing the crew of 4,600 sailors to live with a system that randomly breaks down during their months at sea.

China's plan to sink Navy aircraft carriers boils down to three words

China's evolving anti‑access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy aims to make it dangerous for U.S. aircraft carriers to operate in its near seas, especially around Taiwan and the first island chain. Beijing's approach boils down to three words: submarines, missiles, drones — combining advanced ballistic and naval strike missiles like the DF‑21D/DF‑26 and new YJ series, quieter submarines and swarming unmanned systems to threaten carrier strike groups. China is also building a “drone wall” of unmanned vessels and aircraft to complicate U.S. operations. This layered defense could push U.S. carriers farther out and challenge American intervention plans in a conflict.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) entered the Malacca Strait late Sunday local time en route to the Indian Ocean, according to ship spotters. Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) entered the Malacca Strait around 11 p.m. local time, having cleared the Singapore Strait, Marine Traffic shows. A photo posted on social media by a local ship spotter confirmed the track.

The U.S. Navy is investing $448 million to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy into shipbuilding to modernize and streamline production across its maritime industrial base. The funding supports development of the Shipbuilding Operating System (Ship OS), which uses advanced AI software to aggregate data, identify bottlenecks, and optimize workflows for shipyards, suppliers, and engineers. Early pilot results show dramatic efficiency gains, such as reducing submarine schedule planning from 160 manual hours to under 10 minutes and cutting material review time from weeks to under an hour. The initial focus is on the submarine industrial base, with future expansion planned to broader ship programs.

Local, Education & other academy news

Get ready, graduates — your career takes off 19–20 February in Atlanta! The Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) is where ambition meets opportunity. Two explosive days of career fairs, powerhouse networking, expert sessions, resume revamps and pro headshots put YOU in front of the people ready to hire proven leaders. Don't just plan your year — own it, dominate it, make it happen. This is where your next big move starts. Show up. Stand out. Launch your future.

Air Force has suspended men's basketball coach Joe Scott indefinitely amid an investigation into the treatment of cadet‑athletes, the academy announced. No details about the nature of the probe have been released. Scott said he will fully cooperate and refrain from further comment until the matter is resolved. Assistant coach Jon Jordan will serve as interim head coach as Air Force prepares to host Nevada. The Falcons are struggling this season at 3–14, and Scott is in his sixth year of his second stint leading the program with an overall record of 97–183.

Trump plans executive order to block postseason football from overlapping Army-Navy Game

President Trump plans to sign an executive order protecting the annual Army‑Navy football game by blocking other games from airing during its traditional December timeslot. He wants the second Saturday in December to belong exclusively to Army‑Navy, creating a four-hour broadcast window free from competing postseason or playoff games. Trump framed it as preserving a patriotic American tradition threatened by playoff expansion and TV interests. Legal enforceability and impact on existing broadcast contracts remain unclear.

Naval Academy Athletics News & Results

Upsetted-minded Mids push No. 11 Tufts in 6-3 loss

The 15th-ranked Navy squash team (17-3) dropped a 6-3 decision to #11 Tufts (8-4) Sunday afternoon in what marked the Mids' first home loss of the 2025-26 season. An extremely competitive match between the two programs, four of Navy's losses went into extra games, including two that were decided in five.

None

The Star Series schedule will return to the Daily Shipmate schedule 2 February as there are no Star matchups in January.

USNA and AA&F Events