Special issue - Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce

AROUND TOWN
Updates on Community, Governmental Affairs, Workforce & Military
Continued from Page 25
USS Blackhawk, USS Devastator, and USS Shrike, and three Sea
Dragon helicopters from Norfolk-based Helicopter Mine Countermeasures
Squadron 14.
The Mine Warfare Association conference convened at the Marriott
Bay Point Resort May 7-10, co-sponsored by the Naval Mine and Antisubmarine
Warfare Command and the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Panama City. Speakers from the military and industry added insight
into development, advances and the overall status of mine warfare to
open new avenues of research and development for mine countermeasures.
The Center for Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Diving held its change
of command ceremony May 18 when Capt. Gary Windhorst was relieved
by Capt. Randall Getman. Capt. Getman’s last assignment was
Director of Navy EOD Fleet Liaison Unit in Indian Head, MD. Capt.
Windhorst’ next assignment is Commander, Task Force 56, supporting
EOD Forces in the Middle East. Headquartered in Panama City, the
CEODD encompasses the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center
here, Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal at Eglin AFB, and
training sites in Hawaii and Great Lakes, IL. The enterprise has an annual
through-put of approximately 3800 students from all four services,
the U.S. Coast Guard, and Allied Nations.
Tangled in the red tape of bureaucracy?
Habitat for Humanity of Bay County dedicated one of the two homes
constructed in what was known as “The Sea & Sky Build” on May 19.
Located on Center Avenue in Callaway, this project was so named because
both the Air Force and the Navy were instrumental in the original
blitz build, as well as volunteering on a regular basis throughout the
construction process.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City hosted the Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle Performance Demonstration, or AUV Fest,
June 4-16, 2007. The AUV Fest featured developing capabilities of
unmanned vehicles by the operational Navy, research community, and
industry. The Office of Naval Research sponsors the AUV Fest about
every 18 months, this being the first one held in Panama City. AUV
Fest 2007 was the largest ever, attracting more than 400 participants,
including 80 Fleet representatives and teams from government, industry,
academia, and foreign military personnel from Australia, Canada
and New Zealand.
The Navy Experimental Diving Unit and the Naval Diving and Salvage
Training Center were featured recently on an episode of the History
Channel’s Modern Marvels titled “Deep Sea Salvage” first airing
early in May and will likely be rebroadcast in the near future—check
your local listings!
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26 The Circuit July/August 2007