NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008 3
● Wild Geese return... A CH 46E Sea Knight of HMM-774 prepares
to set down on Ark after picking up US Marines from ashore
LAST year it was Lusty.
from HSC-26 (that’s Helicopter Sea Combat) Sqn, Having practised a full-scale helicopter assault delighted with his time alongside the Brits.
This time around the honour of being the
better known as the Chargers. (End of acronym- – including the tricky task of finding a lone “The knowledge that the ship’s staff possess
launchpad for US Marines fell to her sister HMS
filled bit.) serviceman left behind – Ark then carried one out, and the professionalism of each and every
Ark Royal as she headed to the Eastern Seaboard
This is all getting a bit American. So you’ll be putting the entire USMC company ashore. member of the ship’s company have ensured that
for war games with the Americans.
pleased to know that there were 600-plus Brits There can be a lull after that initial assault. So all our training was first-rate.
And that means lots of Americanisms, acronyms
aboard as Ark’s ship’s company, plus the men and to keep the carrier’s crew on their toes, they had “Working with the Royal Navy on the Fleet
and other idiosyncracies from across the Pond, so
women of 854 NAS and their airborne surveillance to deal with a substantial number of ‘prisoners’ flagship has been a success in every area.”
please bear with us...
and control Sea Kings. brought from the mainland... and a substantial If conducting a major multinational exercise was
One hundred and forty men of 3/9 India Coy,
After embarking the Americans at Norfolk Naval number of ‘casualties’. The odd fire and flood was not quite enough for the Ark team to deal with, 40
USMC, (that’s India Company, III Battalion 9th Station – the world’s largest naval base – Ark thrown in for good measure. staff from the Fleet Operational Assurance Visit
Marine Regiment) called Ark – or R07 as the headed out to sea to join the rest of impressive And while the sailors worked their socks off flew on board to check that the carrier’s team
Americans quite often like to refer to her – their JTFX force. below decks, the aircraft handlers and Flyco were capable of taking the ship into harm’s way if
home in July for Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFX) She linked up with the USS Iwo Jima worked their socks off on the flight deck: during necessary. They left thoroughly satisfied.
08, a major naval war game stretching from the expeditionary battle-group; like Ark, Iwo Jima is the US forces’ stay on board, helicopters took off And although Capt Mansergh took Ark across
shores of Virginia to Florida. a springboard for launching men and material or landed 540 times in just a week. the Pond, he didn’t bring her back to Portsmouth;
On top of the Semper Fi guys – fresh out of boot ashore, except that she’s twice the size. For good “The exercise provided a very realistic training he handed over command of the ship after two
camp – the carrier was joined by two American measure, the group had two more assault ships, environment for both Ark Royal and Coalition forces years to Capt John Clink.
helicopter squadrons (start of acronym-filled bit): the new USS San Antonio and the older USS – one which closely replicates the operational Now back from summer leave, his ship’s
CH-46 Sea Knights (mini, naval Chinooks) of the Carter Hall, plus an escort of cruisers, destroyers challenges routinely encountered around the company are gearing up to lead Joint Warrior
‘Wild Geese’ – HMM-774 (that’s Helicopter Medium and one hunter-killer submarine to protect them. world,” said Ark’s CO Capt Mike Mansergh. exercises (previously known as JMC and Neptune
Marine) Sqn – and two MH-60s (Blackhawks) And then the ‘fun’ began. India Coy’s CO, Lt Col Dan Greenwood, was Warrior) off the Scottish coast next month.
● A naval airman guides a Sea Knight on to Ark’s fl ight deck and (left) a ‘Bagger’ Sea
King of 854 NAS warms up with a Black Hawk and Sea Knight behind it
pictures: la(phot) gregg macready, hms ark royal
0003_NN_Sept.indd 103_NN_Sept.indd 1 118/8/08 17:39:138/8/08 17:39:13
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