Patriot's Underway Training Environment Tests Crew Members
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS050818-05
Release Date: 8/18/2005 12:53:00 PM
By Journalist Seaman Adam R. Cole, Task Force 76 Public Affairs/USS Patriot (MCM 7) Public Affairs
ABOARD USS PATRIOT, At sea (NNS) -- Crew members of USS Patriot (MCM 7) got underway Aug. 4 for a brief, two-day trial in preparation for an upcoming at-sea training period.
Under a summer sun where temperatures broke 92 degrees, the crew performed what the senior Patriot leaders considered a successful mine sweep evolution.
“Today, we were simply going over the ‘playbook,’ getting the new Sailors used to these important evolutions,” said Lt. Cmdr. Scott A. Carpenter, Patriot’s executive officer. “We will soon be speeding things up and adding new challenges in order to flex them to achieve the highest mission readiness standard possible.”
Patriot Sailors placed a float into the water, adhered appropriate kites (an otter and a depressor) and attached two mine cutters, the total preparation package for a proper sweep. The evolution pushed the Sailors for two-and-a-half hours as the ship made two successful tracks in order to bring any moored mines to the surface.
Mineman 1st Class (SW) Maurice Q. Perine, who oversaw the exercise, described the evolution as a smooth one.
“I think the biggest thing that these guys achieved was teamwork,” said Perine. “I can tell they’re trying to work together and help one another get through the evolution.”
Placing the float, a torpedo-like device that provides the buoyancy for the line that holds the cutters, in and out of the water is one of the most challenging aspects of the evolution. It takes precision with a stern crane. Mineman 2nd Class (SW) Simon S. Walters was proficient with this during the evolution but knows he can improve.
“We did well, but we can do better,” said Walters. “I think we all have a higher level that we’d like to get to. We know where we need to be and it’s just about practice to get there.”
Patriot also went through navigation drills on its way to the training quadrant. It went through a loss of gyro, steering causalty, and a low visibility test.
Almost every Patriot Sailor was able to take something out of the day’s training. Though it is only for training, Patriot crew members enjoy being out to sea, despite some of the long watches they may have to serve.
“This is the real thing,” said Walters, “It’s a good feeling, waking up and saying, ‘I get to do my job today.'”
Patriot is a mine countermeasures ship forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan. Patriot and USS Guardian (MCM 5) serve under Task Force 76, which serves as the U.S. 7th Fleet’s mine countermeasures arm in forward-deployed operations.
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