Anchors aweigh! The USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship transporting US Marines, was recently in the Baltic Sea supporting Allied defence exercises.
Synopsis
The USS Kearsarge recently supported Allied exercises in Estonia and the Baltic Sea, demonstrating NATO’s amphibious power in a strategically vital region.
The Kearsarge, a US Navy amphibious assault ship, entered the Baltic Sea with the amphibious troop carriers USS Arlington and USS Gunston Hall on 13 May 2022 with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked. Off the coast of Estonia, the group participated in Exercise Siil (Hedgehog) 22, a semi-annual Estonian national defence drill. The ships also participated in Neptune Shield 22, a series of maritime drills held by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, or STRIKFORNATO, a Portugal-based Allied maritime headquarters, and the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet.
The Kearsarge docked in Tallinn on 27 May.
Boasting AV-8B Harrier fighters, attack helicopters, hundreds of riflemen and the ability to get them ashore via sea or air, the 22nd MEU represents a powerful means of projecting military might ashore. The US Marines frequently practise amphibious landings in Europe.
Footage includes shots of the USS Kearsarge in Tallinn and an interview with Captain Josiah J. Ricke, AH-1Z pilot, United States Marine Corps.
Transcript
(00:00) VARIOUS TIMELAPSE SHOTS – EXTERIOR OF USS KEARSARGE DOCKED IN TALLINN, ESTONIA
(00:19) WIDE SHOT – KEARSARGE DOCKED
(00:23) WIDE SHOT – KEARSARGE ISLAND AND RADAR MAST
(00:28) WIDE SHOT – KEARSARGE WITH ESTONIAN AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAGS IN FOREGROUND
(00:36) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS – KEARSARGE DOCKED
(00:54) WIDE SHOT – SAILOR MOVING THROUGH WELL DECK OF SHIP
(01:01) VARIOUS SHOTS – HANGAR DECK WITH AV-8B HARRIER ATTACK JET
(01:24) WIDE SHOT – MV-22 OSPREY TILTROTOR AIRCRAFT ON KEARSARGE FLIGHT DECK
(01:27) WIDE SHOT – SH-60 SEAHAWK HELICOPTER ON FLIGHT DECK
(01:31) WIDE SHOT – OSPREY ON FLIGHT DECK
(01:35) WIDE SHOT – VARIOUS ROTARY-WING AIRCRAFT ON FLIGHT DECK
(01:39) WIDE SHOT – HELICOPTERS ON FLIGHT DECK
(01:43) VARIOUS SHOTS – OSPREY ON FLIGHT DECK
(01:54) VARIOUS SHOTS – US MARINES AND VEHICLES ON FLIGHT DECK
(02:05) WIDE SHOT – UH-1 VENOM HELICOPTER (FOREGROUND) AND AH-1Z VIPER ATTACK HELICOPTER (BACKGROUND)
(02:10) WIDE SHOT – AH-1Z VIPER ATTACK HELICOPTER
(02:16) WIDE SHOT – FLIGHT DECK OF KEARSARGE
(02:24) SOUNDBITE (English) CAPTAIN JOSIAH J. RICKE, AH-1Z VIPER PILOT, 22ND MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT, US MARINE CORPS
“What we give to the MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] commander, we provide offensive air support, utility support, armed escort and airborne supporting arms coordination. We can do it day or night under all weather conditions through joint, expeditionary or combined operations. So whatever the commanders need, whatever the commanders ask for, we’re able to reach out and be there for him. For the guys on the ground, that means that somebody always over their shoulder, kind of having their back. The punch we pack is pretty significant.”
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