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NNS021009-08 Kearsarge to Play Lead Role in Mine Countermeasures Exercise

Release Date: 10/9/2002 6:12:00 PM

By Lt. j.g. Herlinda Rojas, Commander, Mine Warfare Public Affairs

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy Mine Warfare Command (MINEWARCOM) will demonstrate its capability during a ten-day, at-sea training period in the Gulf of Mexico with Norfolk-based USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) beginning Oct. 15.

Kearsarge, acting as a stand-in mine warfare command ship, will embark airborne, surface and undersea mine countermeasures (MCM) personnel and equipment from Naval Station Ingleside and Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi during this simulated wartime scenario.

According to Rear Adm. Paul Ryan, Commander, Mine Warfare Command, mine warfare forces are expeditionary by design. Packing up and going where and when they are needed is how mine warfare was conducted prior to Desert Storm and prior to having a dedicated mine warfare command and support ship.

"This exercise will familiarize a new generation of mine warfare personnel with the details of embarking on a ship of opportunity," said Ryan.

During the exercise, MINEWARCOM will use Kearsarge as a host ship and will exercise all three legs of the MCM triad: airborne, surface and underwater mine countermeasures.

A squadron of MH-53 minehunting helicopters from NAS Corpus Christi will provide airborne MCM. Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units embarked on Kearsarge will provide underwater MCM. Three Ingleside minehunter and minesweeper ships, USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Scout (MCM 8) and USS Devastator (MCM 6), will provide the surface MCM.

Approximately 700 local service men and women will join Kearsarge for this exercise.

"We'll be utilizing USS Kearsarge the same way we utilized USS Inchon (MCS 12). We'll be hunting for exercise mines, sweeping the mines once they've been located, and using EOD personnel to neutralize designated mines," added Ryan.

When the exercise is complete, USS Kearsarge will return to Ingleside for offload before heading back to Norfolk.

Since Inchon's decommissioning in June, the Navy has been evaluating options for a permanent replacement.

"In the meantime, we're in the final stages of evaluating proposals to lease a high-speed vessel (HSV) to temporarily serve as our operational mine countermeasures command and control ship," said Ryan.

The new HSV will be used to support mine warfare exercises on both the East and West Coasts and will also deploy overseas. Ryan said it will also support Navy and Marine Corps experimentation, particularly in the areas of modular payloads and organic mine warfare.