9 Mar Daily Shipmate

Monday, 9 March 2026

1847 - Supported by 14 warships of the Home Squadron, forces under the command of General Winfield Scott land at Veracruz, Mexico. “The tall ships of war sailing leisurely along under their topsails, their decks thronged in every part with dense masses of troops whose bright muskets and bayonets were flashing in the sunbeams,” were words used by one participant to describe the scene. All told, more than 8,600 men are put ashore in the amphibious operation.

 

1862 - The Union ironclad Monitor and the Confederate ironclad Virginia engage in an epic four-hour engagement at Hampton Roads, Virginia, the first clash between ironclad warships. With their crews fighting in the extreme heat and poor ventilation of their iron encasements, the two ships exchange fire and at one point draw close enough for Virginia to attempt ramming its Union counterpart. In addition, a direct hit on the pilothouse of Monitor blinds its skipper, Lieutenant John L. Worden, as he peers through one of the viewing slits. Yet, the Union vessel continues to pound away at Virginia, which runs aground. The battle ends in a draw, the only casualty on both sides being Worden.

 

1955 - 1LT Charles Troppman '52, USAF was lost when the H-19B helicopter he was piloting crashed “about 10 minutes after taking off from Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base for its base in Frankfurt on a routine training flight.” The three other crewmen aboard were also killed. He was recently assigned officer in charge of pararescue missions at Rhine-Main Air Base. A native of Wenatchee, Washington, Charles had a year at junior college. At the Naval Academy he was known as “Troop,” and was a member of the fencing team, sailed dinghies, and was on the Public Relations Committee. He was married in April 1953 and was survived by his wife and their one-month-old daughter. (The Alumni Association has lost contact with the family. If you know how to contact them please email [email protected].)

Academy & Graduate happenings

Last Friday, Daily Shipmate shared on 3 March 2026, Congress passed a resolution recommending the Medal of Honor for Col John Ripley '62, USMC (Ret.), for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. On 2 April 1972, then-Capt. Ripley repeatedly climbed beneath the Dong Ha bridge under heavy enemy fire for nearly five hours, placing explosives by hand to destroy the crossing and slow a major North Vietnamese offensive moving south of the Demilitarized Zone. The daring act blunted the invasion and earned him the Navy Cross. When approved by President Trump, Ripley will become the first Naval Academy graduate to receive the Medal of Honor since VADM James B. Stockdale '47, USN (Ret.) received the honor on 4 March 1976. Read more about the battle, the decades-long effort behind this recognition and Ripley's lasting legacy at the link below.

The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation is proud to announce the 2026 Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) ceremony and recognition events will be held on the following dates:

We will be recognizing and honoring the following 2026 DGA recipients with their loved ones and the 4,400 members of the Brigade of Midshipmen The DGA program honors living U.S. Naval Academy graduates who have made a distinctive contribution to their field or community and have demonstrated sustained, active support for the Naval Academy, Naval Academy Alumni Association, Naval Academy Foundation or affiliate groups. Each year up to four graduates are chosen from a field of candidates nominated by their alumni peers for this, the highest honor the Alumni Association bestows on a living graduate and selected by the DGA Selection Panel, chaired by ADM John Richardson '82, USN (Ret.). For more information on the nomination and selection process for the DGAs, and a list of past honorees, please visit the link below.

Col Robert “Bob” Springer '64, USMC (Ret.)'s future launched from humble roots in northern Ohio to a life defined by flight – first in the cockpit of military aircraft and later aboard a NASA shuttle.

 

“I kept my mind open to the opportunities that came along – and I didn't hesitate when something popped up,” the 83-year-old former NASA astronaut told The Dispatch from his home in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

That open-mindedness that he credits for his sky-bound trajectory led him through a career ranging from flying hundreds of combat missions in Vietnam to ultimately working as an astronaut for NASA, where he logged hundreds of hours during space missions to advance the United States' understanding of space travel. Springer was born in St. Louis, but said he considers Ashland, Ohio, his hometown since his family moved there when he was in the sixth grade. He graduated from Ashland High School in 1960. After finishing high school, Springer was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in naval science in 1964. After obtaining his degree, he commissioned into the United States Marine Corps and completed basic training in Quantico, Virginia.

Government & Military News

Marines will have to tread water for longer and learn more swimming strokes under new, tougher rules for the service's water survival program. All Marines must already pass a basic water survival test to graduate from basic training, which covers a series of floatation and swimming skills designed for water emergencies. Many Marines must also requalify each year, often with tougher tests. The new rules further expand those requirements.

 

“While basic water survival skills are introduced during recruit training, the new order places a strong emphasis on continuous training and qualification opportunities for Marines throughout their careers,” said Capt Colton Martin, a spokesman for Training and Education Command.

 

“The goal is for every Marine to consistently improve their aquatic skills whenever possible.”

The Trump administration's campaign to end “wokeness” in the military is reshaping its relationship with U.S. higher education, breaking off longstanding ties with prestigious universities that have trained generals and admirals while building new bonds with Christian schools and public universities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forged ahead last week with his realignment, expelling more than a dozen elite colleges from a military fellowship that serves as a pipeline to the upper ranks of leadership. So far he has honed in on graduate degrees and certificates while preserving a much broader program that helps cover tuition for roughly 200,000 active-duty or reserve service members. That program, known as Tuition Assistance, allows service members to get financial help pursuing studies at nearly any U.S. college. The funding flows to hundreds of campuses, including the highly selective ones Hegseth says have “gorged themselves” on taxpayer money. About 350 members of the military used Tuition Assistance to attend Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University and the other schools targeted by Hegseth's cuts, according to the AP analysis of 2024 data. By contrast, more than 50,000 studied at the American Public University System, a for-profit education company that offers online degrees and has a graduation rate of just 22%.

The Sailors, ships, squadrons and staffs of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) successfully completed Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) 5 March 2026. The exercise brings together all elements of a carrier strike group to operate as a cohesive, multi-domain fighting force under realistic conditions through simulated scenarios, live, virtual, and constructive training and the full integration of squadrons and surface platforms, resulting in CSG 4 deployment certification recommendations for U.S. Fleet Forces Command. For CAPT Robert Bibeau '97, USN commanding officer, USS George H.W. Bush, the completion of COMPTUEX reflects a crew prepared to answer the nation's call.

 

“This ship exists for one purpose: to project decisive combat power wherever our nation requires it,” Bibeau said. “Our Sailors have trained to the highest standards, and they have shown the flexibility and the adaptability that's necessary to be successful in our mission.”

Local, Education & other academy news

CAPT Robert Bibeau, '97, USN is a native of Windsor, Connecticut, and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace and Systems Engineering. He completed a Technical Fellowship at the CharlesStark Draper Laboratory and received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999. He earned his naval aviator wings in Kingsville, Texas, in 2001 and is a 2005 graduate of United States Naval Test Pilot School as a member of Class 129. He completed Navy Nuclear Power training in 2018.

When a new ship is launched into seawater, microscopic organisms immediately begin to build up on the hull. Within hours, this layer of bacterial biofilm starts to secrete sticky substances. The thin, slimy coating continues to grow, making it easier for algae and plant-like growth to accumulate on the surface in fuzzy patches. The result is an uneven, rough surface on the ship's hull that increases drag and resistance, drives up fuel consumption, generates noise and vibrations and clogs or obscures sensors. To advance the fundamental knowledge of the science of biofouling and its interaction with naval and marine vehicles at sea, the Office of Naval Research has awarded $9 million to a multi-university partnership as part of the agency's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives program (MURI). Led by Virginia Tech, the five-year project includes researchers from Cornell University, the George Washington University, Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval Academy. The team will conduct landmark experimental measurements, develop datasets and deliver novel instrumentation and techniques that will be scalable and easily adapted for wide use across Navy facilities and laboratories. Mike Schultz of the U.S. Naval Academy is widely regarded as the leading authority on flows over biofouling, conducting extensive experiments with both simulated and real growth. Midscale experimentation will take place in the U.S. Naval Academy's Boundary Layer Water Tunnel, to capture the full range of turbulent boundary layer structures, including large-scale motions that interact with biofouling and compliant surfaces.

Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello '99…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the U.S., across the seas and around the world. This week…an expanded edition of the CavasShips Podcast. First up: war in the Middle East, as Operation Epic Fury pits the U.S. and Israeli militaries against Iran. Former U.S. Navy Central Command force commander, VADM John Fozzie Miller '79, USN (Ret.) will be here with his insights to how the war is being fought. Then noted commercial shipping analyst Sal Mercogliano is back to talk about the war's effect on merchant shipping, the Strait of Hormuz and expanding worldwide efforts to rein in the so-called Shadow Fleet of illegal tankers.

1/C MIDN Jackson Nguyen '26 is from Huntsville, Al., and plans to become a Navy pilot. During his time on the men's cross country and track teams, he experienced significant growth in his running career—entering the program as a walk-on and finishing as team captain, which reflects the program's commitment to developing the talent it has each year. His experience included achieving all-time marks, earning medals, winning Army–Navy meets and competing in conference championships, along with memorable moments like bus rides, team dinners and the lifelong friendships he built along the way. One of Nguyen's favorite traditions was the team's altitude camps in Flagstaff, Az., each summer before the academic year. Above all, he values the opportunity the Athletic and Scholarship Programs (A&SP) gave him to prove he could succeed as a high-performing midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy—as a student, athlete and future officer. Nguyen believes it truly takes a village to succeed at USNA and A&SP played a vital role in helping him get there and thrive. His advice to others is to take a genuine interest in the lives, interests and goals of teammates, classmates and mentors, because those relationships ultimately define the journey.

Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $35,522,069 in federal funding for the Annapolis City Dock Resiliency and Revitalization Project. This federal investment includes a long-awaited $33,000,000 Hazard Mitigation Grant for which the City first applied in 2023, and a newly awarded $2,522,069 Hazard Mitigation Grant. These funds will support the construction of flood barriers along approximately 1,200 feet of the Dock Street waterfront, a pump station, and other stormwater management infrastructure improvements to protect against frequent tidal flooding. “Rising tides won't wait – and neither will Team Maryland. I'm thrilled to help deliver this federal funding after decades of partnership and collaboration across all levels of government. Today, we are marking an important step in preserving our capital city's deep history, supporting the world-class Naval Academy, and addressing the very real impacts of climate change. This funding for City Dock is deeply meaningful to Annapolitans – past, present, and future – in preserving our culture and remembering our history,” said Congresswoman Elfreth.

Naval Academy Athletics News & Results

The Naval Academy prepares its midshipmen to rule the seas. Its men's basketball team, under the direction of head coach Jon Perry, is conquering a very different terrain this season. "I talked to them about the 'Law of Mount Everest,'" Perry said of his first team meeting. "Every game's a little bit higher on the climb, every game gets a little bit harder. We're now to the point where we're at Base Camp 4 of Everest -- as they call it the 'death zone' -- and that's the Patriot League conference tournament. So if you lose you go home. "And the hardest part of the climb on Everest is getting to there and finishing, right? Getting to the top." John C. Maxwell's "Law of Mount Everest" states, "As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates." It should be no surprise that Navy has tremendous teamwork. What might come as a surprise is that Navy is in the midst of its best season since David Robinson called the Yard home, all while under the direction of a first-year head coach and boasting one of the sport's best defenses thanks to an assistant coach who was out of the game completely a year ago.

After a plea for help from the highest levels of college athletics, President Donald Trump on Friday said he will write an executive order within a week that will "solve all of the problems" brought forth in an unprecedented meeting at the White House to address the future of college sports. Trump, who was joined in the East Room by about 50 people from varied backgrounds, hosted the first "Saving College Sports" roundtable with vice chairs Secretary of State Marco Rubio, New York Yankees president Randy Levine and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The group included other politicians, sports celebrities, media executives, conference commissioners, and university presidents, chancellors and athletic directors. Those who spoke delivered a similar message: College sports needs federal legislation to restore order in the NIL space and its overall economics. "I will have an executive order within one week, and it will be very all-encompassing," Trump said. "And we're going to put it forward, and we're going to get sued, and we're going to see how it plays, OK, but I'll have an executive order, which will solve every problem in this room, every conceivable problem, within one week, and we'll put it forward. We will get sued. That's the only thing I know for sure."

USNA and AA&F Events

USNA AA&F resources & Links

Login to MyUSNA | Daily Shipmate Archives | USNA AA&F Obituaries