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Shark Tank 2010 Culminates with Live Fire Exercise aboard USNS Yukon

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100826-13
8/26/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, Calif. (NNS) -- Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 1 Reserve Sailors the inaugural field training exercise series Shark Tank 2010 Aug. 25 with a live fire exercise aboard Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon (T-AO-202).

Six Reserve detachments from Texas and San Diego gathered on San Clemente Island Range Complex to complete two weeks of training on expeditionary warfare.

The Helicopter Sea Combat Support (HSC) 85 High Rollers flew Shark Tank students in teams using MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. The teams were divided to cover the four stations aboard Yukon, and over the course of four hours, were challenged to target and eliminate a remote-control target drone provided by the U.S. Coast Guard's Port Security Unit 311.

Crew serve weapons instructor Gunner's Mate 1st Class Chad Simmons said this was a new endeavor for the squadron.

"The goal here is to give shooters a chance to shoot a moving target from a moving platform out to sea instead of a stationary target on a stationary position," he said. "This is ideal training for us, it's something we've never gotten to do before, and it'll give our guys a better grasp of what they're going to be doing in future deployments."

Shark Tank student Engineman 2nd Class Manuela Adame said engaging a moving target was something she appreciated.

"It's good to get the feel of shooting live rounds to an actual target," Adame said. "It was challenging, because sometimes you could barely see it go in and out of the waves. Out there, if we get a boat or a dhow coming towards us, this teaches us how to gauge it, shoot it, or how to engage it or just scare it away."

Simmons emphasized the importance of becoming comfortable working on a platform like Yukon.

"This plays directly into embarked security missions," he said. "We'll put a 12 to 15-man team aboard a Military Sealift Command vessel or a contracted ship and provie security for them while they transit through choke points; the Straits of Hormuz, Suez Canal, the Gulf of Oman and such."