In the Military
For and about Hawaii's servicemen and womenBy Gregg K. Kakesako
See also: For Your Benefit
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Navy tugboat to bear name
of U.S. Rep. AbercrombieIs this or isn't this a perfect fit?
Some politicians get sleek submarines named after them, like the USS Jimmy Carter.
Others get mighty aircraft carriers as their namesakes, such as the USS John Stennis or the USS Ronald Reagan.
But short and stocky Hawaii Democrat Neil Abercrombie's legacy will be something else: Tugboat Neil will soon officially be part of the Navy fleet.
P&R Water Taxi's new tugboat will be christened at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Kewalo shipyard. The ASD Neil Abercrombie will be used to assist with port operations at Pearl Harbor.
The Neil Abercrombie will be servicing Navy surface ships and submarines at Pearl Harbor.
Charlie Pires, president and owner of P&R Water Taxi, was awarded the contract April 1 to operate the tug.
The tugboat was designed and built in record time in Hawaii and is the first of a new class of high-performance azimuth-steering tug designed by naval architect Donald Stoddard of Stoddard Marine Design of Hilo.
Pires named the tug after Abercrombie to recognize the congressman's support for the Hawaiian maritime industry and a strong Navy presence in Hawaii
The Navy has awarded a $35 million contract for construction of replacement housing at Pearl Harbor Naval Base.
Lend Lease Actus LLC was hired to design and construct 140 units at Ford Island and 30 units at Radford Terrace.
The contract also calls for demolition of 184 junior enlisted multifamily housing units at Radford Terrace and 74 units at Hale Moku.
The Pearl Harbor-based nuclear attack submarine USS La Jolla are among U.S. warships participating in Pacific Reach 2002, an exercise hosted by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces that allows multinational crews to come to each other's rescue.
About 300 U.S. personnel including sailors from the USS Safeguard, a rescue and salvage ship from Sasebo, the DSRV Mystic from San Diego, also are involved.
The exercise is the second such multinational submarine rescue exercise, with the first held near Singapore in October 2000.
Leilehua High School alumnus Brig. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, who has been commanding general of the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va., since August 2000, has been named as director of management and vice director of the Army Staff at the Pentagon.
At Fort Shafter, Army Reserve Col. John Y. H. Ma has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.
Ma is currently serving as the deputy chief of staff for Force Development at the 9th Regional Support Command.
He has been selected to be the next commander of the Hawaii Army Reserve's 9th Regional Support Command, replacing Brig. Gen. Bob Lee early next year.
He received his commission through Army ROTC at the University of Hawaii upon graduation in May, 1973.
Ma served six years on active duty, that included a tour in Korea and with the 25th Infantry Division.
Taguba is a 1968 Leilehua High School graduate and has served as assistant division commander of the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Jackson, S.C.
He has commanded a battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea and a brigade of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
He is a son of Tomas and Maria Taguba.
Moving Up
Pearl Harbor
>> Cmdr. Donald C. Fritts Jr. has become the new commanding officer of the nuclear attack submarine USS Pasadena, replacing Cmdr. Mark. S. Ginda.>> Capt. Peter H. Daly has been nominated to the rank of rear admiral. Daly is currently serving as executive assistant to the commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Kaneohe Bay
>> Cmdr. Tyrone Payton replaced Cmdr. M. Douglas Yancey as commander of Patrol Squadron 4.
Schofield Barracks
>> Navy Capt. Andrew M. Singer, commanding officer, of the Naval Security Group Activity, has been nominated to the rank of rear admiral.
Gregg K. Kakesako can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
