NAVSEA Participating in Bold Monarch 2011

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is participating in Bold Monarch 2011, a NATO submarine rescue exercise, through June 10.

The exercise, held every three years, began May 30, off the coast of Spain near Cartagena.

The United States Navy's contribution to this year's Bold Monarch is the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System's (SRDRS) Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) Falcon, and the associated topside equipment and systems.

"Preparing for Bold Monarch 2011 has been a multi-month long effort that involved people from my office, NAVSEA's Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the Deep Submergence Unit," said Capt. Gary Dunlap, Advanced Undersea Systems Program Office program manager.

One of the most important efforts during the exercise will be certifying the Russian Federation Navy's Kilo-Class submarine Alrosa (B-781).

"In April, NATO asked NAVSEA to send a team to Sevastopol, Ukraine, to conduct a rescue seat certification on the Russian Federation Navy's submarine Alrosa," said Dunlap. "This marks the first time that we have certified Falcon to mate to, and rescue submariners from, a Russian submarine and the first time that a Russian submarine will take part in a NATO exercise."

Bold Monarch 2011 brings together submarines and rescue capabilities from around the globe. During the exercise, submarines from Russia, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey, will bottom themselves on the ocean floor to allow rescue assets from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Sweden, France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway, to conduct rescue operations.

"With the addition of the Russian Navy to Bold Monarch, we are taking a great step in making submarine rescue truly international," said Capt. David Duryea, deputy commander, Undersea Warfare.

The SRDRS provides one of the most responsive and capable systems in the world for submarine rescue. Based at the Deep Submergence Unit located at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, Calif., the system is designed to be rapidly deployable and able to mate with a disabled submarine anywhere in the world in 72 hours.

The SRDRS consists of the Atmospheric Dive Suit 2000 (ADS2000) – manned, one-atmosphere dive suit that is used to inspect bottomed submarines and clear away debris that could cover an escape hatch, associated topside equipment and systems, and the PRM Falcon. Falcon is a tethered, remotely-operated submersible that is launched and controlled from the deck of a surface ship and transfers up to 16 submariners from a disabled submarine per dive.