By Lt. Justin Lemons, USS Albuquerque Public Affairs Officer
STIRLING, Australia (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack
submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) partnered with the Australian navy in March
to strengthen its warfare capabilities through an annual joint exercise,
Lungfish 2015.
Lungfish 2015 is a tactical development exercise between the
two navies that trains and teaches tracking methods of both nuclear and diesel
submarines.
In a direct response to the U.S. Pacific Fleet's priority to
enhance anti-submarine warfare abilities, the submarine's crew participated in
two anti-submarine missions and joint submarine command courses while deployed
to Perth, Australia. The joint exercises allowed for the U.S. Navy to learn and
gain knowledge from the Australian diesel submarine HMAS Rankin.
"I'm excited for our crew's opportunity to participate
in Lungfish," said Lt. j.g. Patric Trabert, Albuquerque's damage control
assistant. "This provides a unique experience for the submarine crew to
employ and experiment with many different real world tactics."
In addition to the skills developed, the weeklong exercise
strengthened the ties between the United States and Royal Australian navies.
"There is no substitute for this experience," said
Lt. Cmdr. Chris Brown, Albuquerque's executive officer. "You can simulate
this in a trainer, but it is quite different when you have a top-of-the-line
diesel submarine being expertly operated by its crew. You really get a chance
to see how you perform under pressure."
Albuquerque is the nineteenth ship in its class and is
homeported in San Diego, California. The ship is capable of supporting a
variety of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare,
strike, intelligence collection and mine warfare.
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