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CTF 76 Ships Quick to Respond as Typhoon Shanshan Approached

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060920-08
Release Date: 9/20/2006 11:16:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam R. Cole, Task Force 76 Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- Ships under Sasebo, Japan-based Commander, Task Force (CTF) 76 left the area or made typhoon preparations Sept. 15-16 as Typhoon Shanshan, a Category 4 typhoon, approached Kyushu and Okinawa islands in Japan.

Some of the CTF 76 ships had to leave their basins before the storm, while others were already out to sea. However, all the ships were safe as Shanshan swept through Sept. 17.

“The way these ships and crews react out here, no matter the situation, is a testament to the readiness we have here in Sasebo,” said Cmdr. David Allison, CTF 76 deputy commander at the time of the storm. “The moment we heard we were on an elevated Typhoon Condition of Readiness (TYCOR) status, these ships were already making preparations needed to safely make it through.”

Typhoon season regularly puts ships and personnel on alert in Japan. Typhoons Ewinar and Wukong, among others, forced similar preparations in early July and early August, respectively.

Commanding officers in Sasebo calculate adverse weather readiness in conjunction with warfighting readiness.

“This crew is up to meet the challenge at any moment, any time,” said Juneau Commanding Officer, Capt. John D. Alexander. “Our mission requires us to be at sea, so we quickly adapt when typhoons draw near.”

Though USS Patriot (MCM 7) could not get underway due to the ship’s restricted availability (SRA), Lt. Cmdr. Richard D. Brawley, the ship’s commanding officer, was pleased in the way his Sailors prepared for the typhoon.

“The crew very expeditiously got us ready to move to the wet berth and rode out the storm there with textbook perfection,” said Brawley, who was aboard Patriot in the wet berth with his crew when Shanshan struck Sasebo. “They’ve been through a lot on this ship and it was just another day for them.”

Task Force 76 is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force and is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.