NNS020813-03. IBU-27 Serves and Protects Our Ships
By Journalist 3rd Class Amanda Hotz, Naval Station Rota Spain Public Affairs
ROTA, SPAIN (NNS) -- There is a new addition to the Rota community, and it's called Inshore Boat Unit 27 (IBU-27).
The unit is made up of more than 30 Reservists, part of Naval Coastal Warfare Group 2 based out of Williamsburg, Va. The unit arrived in Rota in June after completing their deployment in Yemen.
"Our primary mission is force protection, defending high value assets. It is primarily harbor defense," said Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate (SCW) John Hunt, the senior enlisted advisor of IBU-27.
IBU-27 patrols the harbor in 20-foot patrol boats with weapon mounts. Any time U.S. ships come into the Rota Harbor IBU-27 helps protect the ship. The small crew is cross-trained in every job from engineering to weapons to navigation.
The unit was activated in March 2000 after the USS Cole (DDG 67) terrorist attack, and stayed in the Persian Gulf until November 2001. IBU-27 deactivated and then got called up again to help with the harbor patrols in January after the September 11 attacks.
"We are trying to prevent another situation like what happened in Yemen with the Cole," said Hunt.
IBU-27 works the hardest when the ships are in port. The unit is constantly training when there are no ships in port to defend.
"On a normal day we, start training at 6 a.m. and (the day) will end about 8 p.m.," said Hunt. "I think they do an outstanding job," Hunt said about his crewmembers.
IBU-27 is a reservist unit and they are in the process of training active duty base security personnel to replace the reservists. The reservists do not know the exact date they will be leaving but they are getting prepared for the turn over.
For more news about Naval Station Rota Spain, visit its custom Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/rota.
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