URC Completes NATO Exercise Dynamic Monarch 2017
29 September 2017
From Lt. Rob Tiffin, Submarine Force Pacific Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii (NNS) – Undersea Rescue Command (URC) in concert with nine North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies wrapped up the submarine search and rescue exercise, Dynamic Monarch 2017, off the coast of Marmaris, Turkey September 22.The exercise was the tenth in a series of NATO-sponsored live submarine search,
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii (NNS) – Undersea Rescue Command (URC) in concert with nine North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies wrapped up the submarine search and rescue exercise, Dynamic Monarch 2017, off the coast of Marmaris, Turkey September 22.
The exercise was the tenth in a series of NATO-sponsored live submarine search, escape and rescue exercises.
The exercise was designed to demonstrate multi-national submarine rescue co-operation and to share submarine escape and rescue related knowledge amongst worldwide partners.
Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the U.S. took part in the exercise, which focused on submarine escape and rescue operations.
The exercise demonstrated the importance of cooperation for NATO-led naval missions and involved a wide array of equipment and up to 1,000 military and civilian personnel.
In total, three submarines, four submarine rescue ships, five surface ships, four aircraft, three medical teams, and one submarine parachute assistance group participated in Dynamic Monarch.
URC completed six submarine rescue chamber dives with five open-hatch matings between two Spanish and Turkish bottomed submarines.
The training included a coordinated mass evacuation exercise that featured a U.S. submarine rescue chambers flyaway system and a tri-nation NATO submarine rescue system designed to aid personnel and distressed submarines.
The exercise also practiced complex medical operations at sea. Exercise participants, representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Poland, Spain and Sweden, were invited to observe the exercise.
“With nearly 40 participating and observer nations, this exercise demonstrated and advanced relationships among our undersea warfare and submarine rescue partner nations,” said Capt. Chris Cavanaugh, commanding officer of Submarine Squadron 11. “It also enhanced our own readiness to execute a rescue, should that day come.”
URC is the Navy’s only submarine rescue-capable command and is always on call and ready to deploy around the world in the event of a Submarine emergency.
The command was originally named submarine rescue unit in the 1960's, later renamed to Deep Submergence Unit in 1989, and in 2008 renamed to present day Undersea Rescue Command. URC was recently recognized with the Battle Effectiveness award for sustained superior performance in an operational environment.
URC will participate in rescue exercises in South America next month.
For more news from the Pacific Submarine Force, visit www.csp.navy.mil.