Forward Deployed Minesweepers Leaving Trail of Success
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS050316-13
Release Date: 3/16/2005 3:34:00 PM
By Chief Electrician's Mate (SW) Noel B. Corneja, USS Patriot Public Affairs
ABOARD USS PATRIOT, At Sea (NNS) -- Both USS Patriot (MCM 7) and her sister ship USS Guardian (MCM 5) achieved the lowest magnetic signatures of the Navy's Avenger-class minesweepers during the semi-annual Forward Area Combined Degaussing and Acoustic Range (FACDAR) at the Akasaki Fuel Depot's Magnetic Ranging Facility in Sasebo, Japan, March 10.
The FACDAR is a transportable range providing the capability to measure and analyze the magnetic and acoustic signatures of forward deployed ships, allowing for precise degaussing adjustments for the geographical area, as well as the collection and processing of acoustic data.
"Fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field activate many of today's mines," said Cmdr. Kurt E. Hedberg, commodore, Mine Countermeasures Division (MCMDIV) 11. "The lower the magnetic signature a ship radiates, the probability of activating a mine decreases and the capability of safely neutralizing the mine increases."
Patriot and Guardian helped lower their magnetic signatures by successfully minimizing their magnetic presence through a "magnetic offload."
"[During a magnetic offload, the crew] removes non-essential equipment that amplifies the magnetic signature of the ship," said Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Nate Moran, Guardian crew member. "We then remeasure the magnetic signature to ensure the reduced levels are within safe operational requirements."
The FACDAR came after both crews received above average marks in the arduous and congressionally mandated Board of Inspection and Survey Assessment (INSURV), and the highly successful MINEX-EODEX 2005 off the coast of Shimonoseki, Japan.
Patriot and Guardian are the only forward deployed mine-countermeasures ships in the Pacific Fleet and operate out of Sasebo, Japan.
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