Photo By Peter Clute | Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport celebrates Detachment Pacific 50th...... read more read more
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Throughout the past 50 years, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport’s Detachment Pacific has become a cornerstone of U.S. naval undersea dominance. From undersea weapons sustainment to submarine modernization support, the detachment plays a critical role in ensuring the operational readiness and technological superiority of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet.
Established in 1974 as the Quality Evaluation and Engineering Laboratory’s Fleet Support Division at the Naval Ammunition Depot in Lualualei, Oahu—under the command then known as Naval Torpedo Station Keyport—the detachment started out small.
"DETPAC’s journey has paralleled a human life, in that in its infancy it was a very small element that evolved to a mature and robust activity providing vital technical support to the warfighters," said DETPAC Director Chuck Minnich.
In 1979, when NTS Keyport was rebranded as the Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station, the Hawaii division became known as NUWES Detachment Hawaii.
In 1992, with the establishment of the Navy Warfare Centers, the detachment was renamed again, this time to NUWC Division, Keyport, Hawaii Detachment.
One of the detachment’s most significant achievements came in 2001, when the Pacific Submarine Force Torpedo Intermediate Maintenance Activity combined with the Hawaii Detachment and thus went from a fleet-managed activity to a Naval Sea Systems Command-managed activity, said Minnich.
Minnich added that this merger coincided with two additional milestones: the reestablishment of Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 in Guam, and Pacific Detachment’s development of in-service engineer on-site repair capabilities to support submarines homeported in Guam, as well as deployers.
With the merger, the Hawaii Detachment became known as Pacific Detachment to reflect the support provided throughout Hawaii, Southern California, Guam, and the Western Pacific.
Starting in 2003, the detachment began relocating from Lualualei to the historic Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. The move was executed in phases and completed by November 2005.
The detachment’s Guam presence has seen especially remarkable growth in recent years, according to Steve Jordan, site manager of NUWC Division, Keyport’s Guam On-Site Office.
“We have seen abundant growth over the past 20 years in Guam,” said Jordan. “We started with one on-site representative and have now grown to 13 government positions and two contractors.”
Jordan added that Guam OSO boasts one of the Navy’s eight Shipboard Electronic Systems Evaluation Facilities, which provide critical electromagnetic systems testing and evaluation for fleet assets.
Now known as Detachment Pacific, the detachment is headquartered on Ford Island and maintains multiple facilities on Oahu and remote operating sites on Kauai, Guam and Japan, allowing it to support a wide range of naval operations and missions throughout the Pacific region.
“DETPAC’s influence spans the Indo-Pacific region and Pacific Rim, delivering a level of professional expertise and technical acumen to an eager and competent Warfighter, where times are tumultuous and our critical skillsets are leveraged more than ever,” said Cmdr. James Barclay, DETPAC Officer in Charge. “Detachment Pacific has had the watch 24/7 for 50 years, and stands ready for the next five decades.”
During a ceremony recognizing the detachment’s 50th anniversary, Rear Adm. Tom Dickinson, Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center and Naval Undersea Warfare Center, spoke to an audience comprised of more than 200 current and former employees.
“You provide ‘tip of the spear,’ multi-faceted support to the world’s largest Fleet, the Pacific Fleet, and that is no small task,” he said. “I know this workforce will remain committed to enabling our warfighters and supporting expeditionary repair in the future, ready to respond throughout the region to ensure NUWC Division, Keyport, our United States Navy, our Nation, maintain a permanent presence in the Pacific area of operations for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Minnich further underscored DETPAC's key role in supporting the warfighter.
“DETPAC’s roles have always been keenly focused on warfighter support,” he said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say our team’s efforts have directly impacted fleet success across a wide spectrum of mission areas. My hope is that DETPAC will continue its fleet-focused emphasis and continue to lead NAVSEA toward the most effective and efficient solutions enabling our warfighters while in peacetime and also preparing for conflict.”
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NUWC Division, Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2024 20:31 |
| Story ID: | 473299 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 284 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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