Photo By Brian Dietrick | 150504-N-VJ282-222 NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (May 4, 2015) The Military Sealift...... read more read more
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In the waters around Hawaii, Military Sealift Command ships continue to support the bi-annual maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. One of these ships, MSC’s auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) conducted tow operations, delivering targets for at-sea live fire exercises.
Grasp delivered two decommissioned Navy ships to the designated target area in preparation for sinking exercises (SINKEX); guided-missile frigate Ex-Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60) and amphibious transport dock ship Ex-Denver (LPD 9).
To ensure the pristine maritime environment around Hawaii is protected, each ship towed was prepared for the SINKEX. Items considered contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), transformers and capacitors, trash, floatable materials, mercury or fluorocarbon-containing materials and readily detachable solid PCB items were stripped from the target ship leaving nothing more than a shell. Petroleum was also cleaned from tanks, piping and reservoirs. The ships were then inspected by the Navy Sea Systems Command Inactive Ships Office in Bremerton, Wash., and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as well as an MSC tow and salvage representative before being cleared for the exercise.
Once ready for tow, the ships were fitted with towing gear and then put into “Condition Zebra” conditions, where all the watertight doors and hatches were opened to allow water to rush in at the time of sinking. All preparations were in line with guidelines set-up by the Environmental Protection Agency under a general permit the Navy holds pursuant to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.
Once the ship has been fully inspected and deemed ready for the SINKEX, Grasp’s civil service master, Capt. Joel Bruce, and several Grasp crew came on board and do a final inspection checking rudder and shaft locks, flooding alarms, below waterline spaces, lighting, towing bridles, tow jewelry, etc... The inspection also lets crew members who may be required to board the tow during an emergency get somewhat familiar with the vessel.
According to the Navy, each SINKEX area is required be at least 6,000 feet deep and at least 50 nautical miles from land. Surveys are conducted prior to the event to ensure humans and marine mammals are not in an area where they can be harmed.
As Bruce explained, deactivated navy vessels can be difficult to tow because the captain and crew do not know how the tow vessel will move in the water, as it is being pulled behind the towing ship, underway. Many of the tow vessels have been out of service and sitting in deactivated ship yards for years, so there is always a risk of them flooding once at sea. Flooding can cause more weight on the tow vessel, or in a worst case scenario, can cause the tow to sink and be lost. For this reason, alarms are set up with lights and sound signals, so the towing ship can have early notice of flooding, and to be able to trouble shoot issues. Weather can also play a part in how quickly a tow can be delivered, or how it will be towed. Like flood alarms, Grasp’s crew also monitored weather and sea conditions from the beginning and continually made adjustments to compensate for conditions, ensuring safe delivery of the towed vessels.
According to Bruce, towing operations, while common the rescue and salvage class of ships, like Grasp, there is nothing routine about them, and they require a learned skill set, and practice. Exercises like RIMPAC, give crews the opportunity to do tow operations, in different environments, which enhance crews’ skills.
“Even though towing is one of our primary missions it is not done frequently enough to keep a large pool of CIVMARs experienced with towing,” explained Capt. Joel Bruce, Grasp civil service master. “RIMPAC usually has 2 or more SINKEXs going on, that allows crew members who are unfamiliar, or haven’t towed in a while, to get multiple opportunities to connect and disconnect tows, stand watches and maneuver with tows.”
The mission did not end once the tows were delivered at the target zone, or “Box”. After Grasp disengaged from the tow and moved out to a safe area, then remained onsite to ensure the tow ship did not drift out of the box. If that had happened, Grasp would have been tasked to retrieve it and move it back into the proper area for the SINKEX.
“Grasp does not normally participate in exercises with the rest of the fleet,” said Bruce. “RIMPAC is a great opportunity for a large amount of the Fleet to see the support and capabilities the ARS class can provide.”
RIMPAC is a bi-annual multination exercise. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea-lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2022 13:03 |
| Story ID: | 426147 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 306 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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