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Monterey, Stout Conduct Towing Exercise

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060513-06
Release Date: 5/13/2006 10:32:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class (SW) Katherine Favell and Photographer’s Mate Airman Tristan Miller, USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs

CARIBBEAN SEA (NNS) -- USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Monterey (CG 61) conducted a towing exercise (TOWEX) May 8 in the Caribbean Sea as part of their unit level training cycles.

The TOWEX is designed to exercise participating ships in the process of towing and being towed in the event of a disabling malfunction. The lead ship acts as a tugboat and delivers the disabled vessel to safety. Monterey and Stout took turns towing and being towed during the nearly five-hour-long evolution.

“It’s so hard to schedule this exercise with other ships to coordinate the time and place,” said Lt. Charles Leonard, Stout’s operations officer. “We try to train as much as possible to stay proficient at towing other ships.”

The training began with Monterey towing Stout. Maneuvering into position approximately 100 yards from Stout, a Monterey gunner’s mate fired a shot line to Stout’s forecastle and passed them a messenger line, which was connected to Monterey's towing hawser. After connecting the towing hawser to their anchor chain and paying out three shots of chain (270 feet), Stout was prepared to be towed by Monterey.

Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SW) Dwayne Rooker, Monterey’s deck division leading chief petty officer, said Sailors have to be at the very top of their game during the TOWEX.

“The TOWEX is one of the most dangerous evolutions we do, in part because of how rarely we do it,” he said. “All it takes is one wrong move from one Sailor and everything will go downhill very quickly.”

Monterey took Stout under tow for a few nautical miles, and then the two ships switched positions.

“Every ship in the Navy is required to be capable of towing another vessel,” said Chief Boatswain's Mate (SW) William Eno of Stout’s deck division. “It’s done about every two years for training purposes, to maintain our capability and proficiency so we are able to tow a vessel in distress.”

The process is dangerous, and everyone has to work together to prevent any mishaps.

“The crew on both ships worked efficiently and the process went smooth. This is my second ‘tow/be towed’ with this crew,” said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class (SW) Bruno Doamaral of Stout’s deck division. “Everybody knew what their job was and what needed to be done, and that is the mark of a great crew.”

USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group Chief of Staff Capt. Michael Ullrich said the TOWEX was one of several displays of professional seamanship he had the opportunity to witness during his daylong stay aboard Monterey.

“It has been an absolute thrill to see not only the TOWEX, but every single evolution that Monterey Sailors have done today,” Ullrich said. “From the seamanship excellence on the bridge all the way down to the excellence on the foc'sle, it left an impression on me that I will not soon forget.”

Stout and Monterey are deployed with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group participating in “Partnership of the Americas,” a maritime training and readiness deployment of U.S. naval forces with countries from the Caribbean and Latin America.