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USNS John Ericsson, Singapore Navy Wraps up Training Exercise

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080116-10
Release Date: 1/16/2008 1:20:00 PM

By Edward Baxter, Sealift Logistics Command Far East Public Affairs

USNS JOHN ERICSSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) completed a three-day underway replenishment training exercise with the Singapore navy on Jan. 12.

This was the first time the two participating Singapore frigates, RSS Steadfast (70) and RSS Stalwart (72) along with their crews had ever practiced underway refueling operations, as their country doesn't have a fleet oiler in its inventory.

This summer, Steadfast will conduct a refueling at sea with an MSC oiler as part of the Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, multi-national naval exercise off the coast of Hawaii.

"The Singapore navy was extremely well prepared for the exercise and was very responsive," said Capt. Robert Wiley, Ericsson's civil service master.

The exercise began Jan. 10 with a series of dry runs conducted pierside at the Republic of Singapore's Changi Naval Base. For these evolutions, Ericsson was positioned directly across the concrete pier from Stalwart. With civil service mariners from Ericsson's crew aboard the frigate to assist, Stalwart's crew practiced hooking up lines and hoses.

On Jan. 11 and 12 Ericsson and Steadfast conducted four at-sea evolutions, including one practice emergency breakaway and one actual fueling. Crew members from Stalwart, which was originally scheduled to do the underway training but experienced engine trouble, and a third frigate from Singapore's fleet were aboard Steadfast to observe the evolution.

"The Singapore naval personnel showed superb seamanship and learned very quickly," said Art Davis, Ericsson's cargo mate.

Davis and two other civil service mariners from Ericsson were aboard Steadfast, carefully instructing their Singapore counterparts on safety procedures, communications, line handling and signaling.

"We learned a great deal from the U.S. Navy, and from this confidence-building exercise, we added a new capability in terms of operations," said Singapore navy Capt. Kin Ho, Steadfast's communications officer.

Ericsson is one of MSC's 14 fleet replenishment oilers. The ship is more than 677-ft. in length and has a crew of 87 civil-service mariners and four U.S. Navy personnel. MSC operates the U.S. Navy's fleet of more than 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that deliver combat equipment to troops, re-supply Navy ships at sea, chart the ocean floor and perform a variety of other missions for the Department of Defense.

For more news from Commander Task Force 73, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/clwp/.