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Sea Trials for Tortuga Symbolizes Successful SRA

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061213-06
Release Date: 12/13/2006 2:08:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David J. Ham, USS Tortuga Public Affairs

USS TORTUGA, At Sea (NNS) -- After completing a successful selective restricted availability (SRA) period, Sailors aboard USS Tortuga (LSD 46) brought the dock landing ship back to life Dec. 6 and set out to sea for an extensive sea trial in the vicinity of its forward-deployed home of Sasebo, Japan.

The SRA culminated what has been a long haul for Tortuga, being a primary asset in the Hurricane Katrina relief in fall 2005, before coming to Sasebo as part of a hull swap in April 2006, where it left almost immediately for CARAT 2006.

According to Tortuga’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Michael T. Talaga, the ship’s SRA period went well.

“The amount of work Tortuga was able to complete in the allotted time and with all of the compressed planning because of the recent hull swap back in April was superb,” said Talaga.

Talaga gave special credit to Ship Repair Facility (SRF) Sasebo detachment, specifically noting the excellent work of the ship’s superintendents, in a recently released message.

“The main thrust of the availability was the engineering plants and main engines, which were in need of special attention, and they got all of the work done that was needed to get this ship operational and reliable,” Talaga stated.

In addition to all the engineering work, the ship’s combat system received several upgrades to the Command and Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence (C4I) equipment. Communicating both with the embarked Marine Corps landing force and the other ships within the expeditionary strike group will be easier and more reliable with Tortuga’s newly updated systems.

Once underway the crew worked out all the kinks, getting fully up to speed by the second day of sea trials.

“The engineering department has worked hard to correct numerous, minor generator discrepancies. A lot of the work was due to the fact that the ship has been stationary for three months,” Talaga said.

By the end of sea trials, Talaga said he was very pleased.

Tortuga, previously homeported in Little Creek, Va., was hull swapped with USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) in an Exchange of Command Ceremony in April 2006.

Tortuga is part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG), operating out of Sasebo, Japan, which is a part of Task Force 76, the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force, headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.