U.S., Canadian Navies Team Up to Fight Mine Warfare at RIMPAC
(Source: US Navy; issued July 6, 2004)
PEARL HARBOR --- The U.S. and Canadian navies’ mine warfare ships have combined their might during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2004 exercise to better counter hidden, cheap and powerful explosives that could seriously damage or sink high-tech warships.
USS Avenger (MCM 1), USS Defender (MCM 2) and HMCS Brandon (MCDV 710) have expanded each others’ capabilities to accomplish tasks faster than what one side could alone, naval leaders said.
“Having them here allows us to put more neutralization assets out and clear areas about 40 percent faster,” said Cmdr. Glenn Kuffel, commanding officer of Avenger, based at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas.
The two sides have met before at sea. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the U.S. and Canadian navies joined forces with U.S. Naval Special Clearance Team 1 and Helicopter Mine Counter Measures Squadron (HM) 14, the “Vanguards,” with its MH-53E Super Stallions to clear mines from the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq. Their work allowed humanitarian aid to flow into the Persian Gulf nation.
“I really like working with those guys,” said Lt. Cmdr. Stephan King, captain of Brandon, homeported in Esquimalt, British Columbia. “They are very professional. They know their stuff. They train as they fight.”
At RIMPAC, USS Dubuque (LPD
serves as a command and control ship. When the ships leave Pearl Harbor’s channel to begin the tactical phase of the exercise, the minesweeping force, led by Brandon, will clear the channel of “explosives” as the other warships depart.
To help accomplish that mission, Brandon carries a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that hunts and disables mines. It uses a TV camera and highly detailed photographic imagery that maps the bottom of the ocean, much like a satellite photographs the earth from space.
Once the ROV finds the floating explosive, an operator on the ship can cut the mine’s cable with surgical precision. Divers blow up the mine when it surfaces.
“It’s an area of warfare that’s commonly overlooked,” King said.
U.S. minesweepers, which normally don’t have a diver embarked, will test the Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (BPAUV) during the exercise. The blunt-nosed, oversized torpedo-shaped device identifies mine-like contacts on a pre-programmed course before the ship arrives.
The combined force will also lay mines and participate in a search-and-rescue scenario. Moreover, the crews are expected to work with the twin-hulled catamaran High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) in its first at-sea refueling, and provide support in the evacuation of “residents” during a humanitarian aid mission.
“We have a very clear focus on how we are going to accomplish certain tasks,” King said.
The two navies are part of a task force of seven nations consisting of 40 ships, seven submarines and about 100 aircraft involved in the largest maritime exercise in the Pacific.
“It’s a huge learning experience, no question,” King said.
To learn more about each other, the mine countermeasure ships exchanged crew members during the run-up to RIMPAC. More than 60 sailors crossed decks between the two navies.
“They get to see how another country’s navy accomplishes the same mission,” Kuffel said. “They get to see how ships are driven (and) how ships are fought. This whole trip has been a series of firsts for us.”
“The cross-pollination was a huge success,” King said. “It just pays dividends in the long run.”
The Canadian sailors gained more than knowledge about their allies, King said.
“We have enjoyed immensely working with these guys,” said the commanding officer, who leads a crew made up entirely of Naval Reservists. “The friendships that we’ve made, I’m sure they’ll stand the test of time.”
RIMPAC 2004, the 19th since 1971, ties in with Summer Pulse 04 - a demonstration of the U.S. Navy’s ability to surge seven carriers in five theaters to give national leadership the ability to project naval power across the globe. It’s part of the Chief of Naval Operations’ Fleet Response Plan that deploys vessels quickly when needed rather than strictly on a routine deployment schedule.