USS Patriot departs for extended patrol

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Doolin | Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler King, mineman, takes his family ashore before departing on a five-month deployment aboard the mine counter-measures ship USS Patriot. During her deployment Patriot will visit 14 ports in eight countries, conduct several exercises with foreign navies and undertake numerous community service projects.  

SASEBO, NAGASAKI, JAPAN

01.19.2010

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Doolin 

U.S. Navy           

SASEBO, Japan - The mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot departed Sasebo for a five-month patrol, Jan. 19th, an extended deployment for a small ship.

Patriot is scheduled to complete one of the longest open ocean transits attempted by a minesweeper, 2,522 nautical miles from Sasebo to Sattahip, Thailand. This will take Patriot 10 days, and involve a refueling-at-sea, said Quartermaster 3rd Class Wesley George.

Patriot is going to Thailand to participate in Exercise Cobra Gold. During the course of her five-month deployment Patriot plans to conduct exercises with the navies of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh.

"We plan do an array of events together to build cooperation and interoperability between navies," said Lt. Cmdr. Walter Mainor, Patriot commanding officer. "Bilateral exercises such as these enhance regional stability."

Patriot will also be doing a lot of community service projects during her patrol as well. Provided there is time for an engagement, the ship plans to do a community service project in every port they visit.

Currently, Patriot Sailors are scheduled to do community service projects in Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, said Mineman 2nd Class Tyler King, assistant community service project co-coordinator.

Sailors began their five-month, eight-country, 14-port odyssey with a mixture of emotions: sadness at leaving family behind, but excitement at the prospect of seeing new countries and meeting new people.

"It's kind of daunting, a little bit. Cause it's a five-month deployment. It's the first time for a lot of people, first time for me," said Mineman 3rd Class Kyle Rose. "But I'm excited about the ports we get to visit."

Patriot is one of four minesweepers permanently forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan. They are led by Rear Adm. Richard Landolt, commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet, whose headquarters is based in Okinawa, Japan.

• Date Taken: 01.19.2010
• Date Posted: 01.19.2010 21:20
• Story ID: 44146
• Location: SASEBO, NAGASAKI, JP