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Patriot Prepares for Underwater Mine Threats

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071107-07
Release Date: 11/7/2007 3:08:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Joshua J. Wahl, Fleet Public Affairs Center Det. Sasebo, Japan

USS PATRIOT, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors aboard the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) conducted M5-A straight-tail mine sweep operations, Oct. 29, to train the crew and improve operational readiness.

The M5-A sweep utilizes a straight electromagnetic coaxial cable, paid-out nearly 2,000 feet from the fantail of the ship, which creates a magnetic field used to cause magnetically actuated mines to prematurely detonate.

According to Ensign Jalon Fonseca, Patriot's first lieutenant, the cable's electromagnetic pulse is powered by the ship's magnetic minesweeping gas turbine generator (MMGTG), which gives electrodes on the sweep cable the energy to pulse out the electrical current.

Mine warfare concepts like the M5-A sweep, highlight the Navy's goal to provide effective, proactive mine countermeasures that seek and destroy mine threats from vital waterways during all phases of forward-deployed operations.

Patriot Commanding Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Shultz, was pleased with the success of the training and the stellar performance of his crew.

"This was highly effective training because we completed everything we would do in an actual minefield – from deploying the gear, to pulsing the tail with an electrical current, to running tracks in a simulated minefield," Shultz said. "We also worked on an emergency recovery to practice our skills in case of a casualty."

During the exercise, Patriot Sailors focused on safety, minesweeping efficiency and operational readiness. As the crew wrapped up the daylong training evolution, they were happy for the opportunity to improve their skill sets as mine hunters.

"We don't do the magnetic sweep all the time, so everybody involved needed to maintain focus and keep their head straight," said Mineman 2nd Class (SW) Shawn McFall. "The significant part of our successful evolution is the training we give the younger guys experience. That also helps those of us who have been doing these operations for awhile, to keep our skills up on the job."

Sailors new to the Patriot team found hands-on operation of the equipment to be a valuable and memorable learning tool.

"This was my first real mine sweep training since A-school, so I didn't know what to expect," said Electrician's Mate Fireman Samir Alfaro. "After today, I know what to look forward to and feel I will be more prepared for next time we do this operation."