Page 8: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2022)

Eye on the Navy

E -USS X

D

ENVER

STILL SERVED

UNTIL SUNK

Ex-USS Denver is sunk during RIMPAC 2022

Photo from video by Petty Of? cer 3rd Class Demitrius Williams

Explosive charges aboard the ship enabled battle damage assessment (BDA) teams to respond to actual damage

By Edward Lundquist he former Austin-class amphibious transport dock “The event provided the opportunity to survey realistic blast

USS Denver (LPD 9) was sunk in a blaze of glory damage and conduct planning to utilize the Emergent Re- as a target ship during the recent Rim of the Pacif- pair Capability afforded by the Emergent Maintenance and ic (RIMPAC) Exercise 2022. The 9,600-ton, 561- Repair Container (EMARC) along with Surge Maintenance

Tfoot Denver, which was commissioned in 1968 (SURGEMAIN) Navy Reservist Sailors to plan and execute and served until being retired in 2014, had been stored with emergent repair,” Koehler said. “Divers were offered a realis- other inactive ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before being sunk tic training environment to learn how to assess battle damage about 50 miles north of Kauai in about 15,000 feet of water. and how to effectively repair the ship.”

Before going down on July 22, Denver made one more valu- “The training simulated exactly how a ship would look af- able contribution to the Fleet. Navy salvage and repair experts ter an attack or casualty and offered Mobile Diving Salvage set explosive charges aboard the ship that enabled battle dam- Unit One and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard divers a chance to age assessment (BDA) teams to respond to actual damage. work as a team to assess, repair and return the vessel back to

According to Jamie Koehler a Naval Sea Systems Command sea,” Koehler said. “Opportunities like this also identify future spokesperson, the event exercised the capabilities and limi- manning requirements, equipment shortfalls, and medical re- tations of an expeditionary group of Reservist and Regional sponse preparations that can be measured appropriately.”

Maintence Center (RMC) Sailors for emergent repair when Koehler said a similar training opportunity, the Repair Tech- paired with an emergent repair container capability. nology Exercise 2022 (REPTX), was conducted in Port Hue- Battle Damage Assessment Training aboard ex-USS Denver • Commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center (CNRMC) coordinated the availability of the EMARC containers.

• Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center provided Sailors an Engineering Assessment team support to the repair planning effort.

• SURGEMAIN provide Sailors and three Of? cers to support the assessment, planning and execution of repairs.

• MDSU-1 conducted Battle Damage Assessments (BDA) and noti? ed PHNSY of their ? ndings. Their knowledge of salvage equipment and techniques were used to complete the BDA evolution.

• PHNSY conducted Battle Damage Repair (BDR) and patch work to ? x the damaged vessel based on MDSU-1’s recommendation. Our knowledge of patches and repair techniques were used to complete the BDR evolution.

8 November/December 2022

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