US, Republic of Korea Navies Enhance MCM Capabilities During Foal Eagle

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea Public Affairs

CHINHAE, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- The U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) navies conducted a successful mine countermeasures exercise March 30 - April 11 as part of Foal Eagle 2015.

The bilateral training is designed to increase readiness and interoperability in mine countermeasures operations and enhance theater security cooperation between the two navies.

"Bilateral training in mine countermeasures is critical for our strategic ROK-U.S. alliance," said Capt. Mike Dowling, commander, Mine Countermeasures Squadron 7 (MCMRON 7). "It also enhances our combined capabilities and interoperability with the ROK Navy. These live force exercises continue to support our commitment to maintaining maritime stability in this region."

Approximately 300 U.S. Navy personnel assigned to MCMRON 7, mine countermeasures ships USS Warrior (MCM 10) and USS Chief (MCM 14); along with teams from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1, Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, and Mobile Mine Assembly Group participated in the training alongside their ROK Navy partners.

"We took 'warfighting first' to heart and took advantage of every opportunity to maintain and improve our mine warfare capabilities," said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Tyree, executive officer of Chief.

During the exercise, U.S. and ROK Navy ships and explosive ordnance disposal divers practiced clearing routes for shipping and conducted training surveys for clearing operational areas. In addition to ships, remotely operated vehicles were also used to rehearse mine countermeasures operations from under the sea.

"Operating in waters near the Korean peninsula provided us the most realistic training we could hope for in preparing for contingency operations," said Tyree. "The geography and bathymetry can't be replicated anywhere else and it's good for our sonar operators, Mine Neutralization Vehicle (MNV) pilots, and Mine Warfare (MIW) evaluators to experience it firsthand."

Foal Eagle is an umbrella of regularly-scheduled, annual exercises that are the culmination of many months of planning and are based on realistic training scenarios. The naval portion of the Foal Eagle exercises take place in international waters around South Korea and features a full spectrum of maritime operations.

MCMRON 7, commanded by Capt. Mike Dowling, is a combined readiness and tactical staff responsible for mine countermeasures in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. The squadron consists of four Avenger-class minesweepers forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan, and a helicopter mine countermeasures detachment in Pohang, ROK.

Bonhomme Richard ARG Completes Deployment in US 7th Fleet

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam D. Wainwright, USS Bonhomme Richard Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) completed its deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, April 10.

During the three-month underway, the Bonhomme Richard ARG, which comprises forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) and amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20), along with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conducted theater security cooperation exercises in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, completed a certification exercise (CERTEX), participated in amphibious integration training (AIT) and worked alongside the Republic of Korea (ROK) navy and marine corps during the Korean Marine Exchange Program (KMEP).

"I can't say enough about how well this great crew responded to get BHR ready for sea and to execute our mission for the U.S. 7th Fleet," said Capt. Joey Tynch, Bonhomme Richard's commanding officer. "The hard work, dedication and commitment to duty of these outstanding young Sailors made this a successful deployment. We arrived on station ready to go and supported several key qualifications and exercises allowing BHR, and our brothers and sisters in the 31st MEU, to remain operationally ready to maintain maritime security and support our foreign allies in times of crisis."

This deployment also marked the first time Green Bay deployed with the ARG as part of the Navy's forward-deployed naval force.

"This was Green Bay's debut as a member of the Bonhomme Richard ARG and our first chance to work with the 31st MEU," said Capt. Kris McCallam, Green Bay's commanding officer. "We had a steep learning curve but quickly stepped up to the challenge, supported the Marines and met our mission requirements 100 percent throughout the patrol."

Throughout the deployment, Bonhomme Richard, Green Bay and Ashland worked hand-in-hand to successfully complete many of their certifications.

"Integrating Green Bay, and the unique operational capabilities they bring to the ARG, was an important step in the continuous improvement of our strong, amphibious presence in the U.S. 7th Fleet," said Capt. Heidi Agle, commodore, Amphibious Squadron 11. "This deployment clearly demonstrated we are ready to respond when called, in peacetime or wartime, with precision and a tremendous ability to coordinate and work together with our allies."

Ashland in particular faced unique challenges this deployment.

"One of the biggest accomplishments was getting the ship operational after being in the yards for eight months or so back in Sasebo," said Cmdr. Douglas Patterson, Ashland's commanding officer. "Whether it was getting the ship proficient in amphibious operations again or getting our new crew members accustomed to forward-deployed naval forces and how we operate the ship, it was a challenge that we stepped up and met in order to execute our mission."

Bonhomme Richard and Ashland are entering an in-port period in order to prepare for upcoming deployments. Green Bay will continue to maintain an amphibious presence at sea.

The Bonhomme Richard ARG is under the tactical command of embarked Commodore Capt. Heidi Agle and reports to Rear Adm. Hugh Wetherald, commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet, based out of Okinawa, Japan.

Undersea Rescue Command, Contractors Work to get Pressurized Rescue Module Recertified

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gerald Dudley Reynolds, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Crew members from Undersea Rescue Command (URC) and contractors from Phoenix International commenced the recertification of pressurized rescue module Falcon (PRM-1) aboard surface support ship Hornbeck Offshore Services Dominator, April 2-7.

This recertification is the first in-water test completed in two years.

The Falcon PRM is tethered and remotely operated to rescue submarines.

"Recertifying the Falcon is a very detailed but important process," said Lt. j. g. Shawn Branske, Commander, Submarine Squadron 11's URC maintenance officer. "The entire asset is torn down and examined from the nuts and bolts to the latches."

The process took several days to ensure quality checks were done correctly before going out to sea.

"Part of this recertification process is to make the rescue operations run more smoothly," said Jeremie Arnold, mechanical technician for the Falcon. "I have done recovery operations in Spain and India but there is always something we can improve on."

The Falcon is an essential part of submarine recovery and rescue. It uses 12 thrusters to maneuver the module in the water, which allow it to reach a disabled submarine within minutes.

Operators can use it to conduct rescue operations at depths of up to 2,000 feet where a pumping mechanism helps attach it to a disabled submarine and can be adjusted for mating at up to 45 degrees.

Once mated to the submarine, high-pressure pumps release water pressure through the transfer skirt. After the pressure is released up to 16 personnel can be transferred at a time.

"The rescue module is also equipped with 12 cameras and three sonars, which can be used to help locate the disabled submarine," said Arnold. "The Falcon is a very rapidly deployable asset to help all navies with a rescue."

The Falcon is scheduled to perform deep water testing later this month to finalize the recertification process.