JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, UNITED STATES
The U.S. Navy led a successful group sail July 22, during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024.
The United States and 16 other nations’ ships participated. Vessels from Brunei, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States participated. There were a total of 36 ships and submarines including destroyers, frigates, oilers, and the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
“The U.S. Navy and our partners come to RIMPAC to build relationships, to enhance interoperability and proficiency and, ultimately, contribute to the peace and stability in the vitally-important Indo-Pacific region,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. “Steaming alongside our partners represents the skillful integration of our forces for this exercise, and our preparedness for any contingency, crisis, or humanitarian mission.”
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Mark Kim, submarine operations officer, said the planning and coordination between partner nations that went into this operation was critical. “There were multiple planning conferences that took place to prior to the start of RIMPAC and during the exercise to fully prepare all partners,” said Kim.
“The group sail showcases the combined strength and cooperation of maritime partners from across the globe,” said Kim. “Within RIMPAC, it was an opportunity to practice operating together at sea, which included maneuvers and communication between many ships.”
“Despite all of us coming from different nations, cultures, and languages, we tap into our common seafaring traditions that unify us as sailors and mariners in how we operate at sea,” said Kim.
“Communication is an enormous planning piece,” said Kim. “We plan out not only the communication methods ships are using to talk to one another, but also to maintain constant contact with the helicopters flying overhead.”
All the ships in formation need to be in the right place and sailing at the right speed.
“We strive to disseminate information early and efficiently so that everyone involved understands the plan and can easily anticipate what the next move will be,” said Kim. “We also take into account the weather conditions, wind and wave patterns, and sun position to minimize any adverse effects of the maritime environment on the formation.”
The primary consideration for everything involving the group sail operation was safety. It was important to understand what participants could control and what they couldn’t. Staying safe and working through checklists helped to determine the final “go” or “no-go” decision.
“We conducted safety briefings and used clear communication before and during the operation,” said Kim. “Our planning covered emergency contingencies like man overboard and a ship in formation losing communication.”
The Harbor Phase included a rehearsal of the group sail in a large auditorium during which ship commanding officers and their staffs, stood in place of their ships to understand their relative location during the sail.
“Commanding officers have the power to maneuver as necessary if there are concerns about safety,” said Kim. “They are in constant communication with the ships behind them when it comes to sailing in formation, ensuring the right speed and distance, and breaking away safely at the end.”
Watch standers also played a crucial role in ship positioning.
“Watch standers are required to know their own ship’s position in the formation along with the required positions of all the other ships,” said Kim.
“We meticulously orchestrated a formation breakaway plan to safely disaggregate the formation. Each ship in every column in the formation was instructed exactly where they should break off and how to do that safely,” said Kim.
“We are very pleased that our planning and training over several months went well and led to a successful operation with our multinational partners in the vital Indo-Pacific region,” concluded Kim.
Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971.