Photo By Chief Petty Officer Janweb Lagazo | ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 23, 2016) Quartermaster 3rd Class Jalen Mcgraw, right, trains...... read more read more
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By Seaman Janweb B. Lagazo, USS Mason (DDG 87) Public Affairs
ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 24, 2016) The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), assigned to Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG), participated in a multi-ship Naval Undersea Warfare Training Assessment Course (NUWTAC) during the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for an upcoming overseas deployment.
NUWTAC assesses IKE CSG’s ability to perform Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) as a strike group. During the exercise, Mason deployed a 610-foot, Multi-Functional Towed Array (MFTA) listening device attached to a 5,600-foot cable in order to find and track submarines.
“This (undersea warfare) battlegroup certification is important,” said Sonar Technician 1st Class Christof Bessler. “It proves we can do ASW as a team and not just as individual ships.”
Undersea threats are one component of COMPTUEX, which also tests Mason and the CSG’s abilities to evaluate and respond to surface, air, and cyber threats.
“This is our final ASW practice operating with the rest of our strike group in preparation for our deployment,” said Sonar Technician 1st Class Andrew Hamann, petty officer in charge of MFTA.
Hamann explained that his job is not just about “ensuring the proper deployment of MFTA,” it also involves “maintaining the safety of personnel and gear and communicating with the bridge for safe navigation.”
Chief Sonar Technician Justin Northup praised his team’s “outstanding execution of ASW procedures and tactics.”
Fighting submarines while escorting convoys through the Atlantic during World War II made the second USS Mason (DE 529) famous. It has the distinction of being the first U.S. Navy warship manned with a predominantly black enlisted crew. This was the first time black Americans Sailors were permitted to train and serve in ratings other than cooks and stewards.
Along with Mason, which is led by Cmdr. Christopher J. Gilbertson, IKE CSG includes aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, the guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and USS Monterey (CG 61), and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 with its associated ships: USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).
Join the conversation with Mason on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MASONDDG87/.
Find more information about Mason at www.navy.mil/local/ddg87.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2016 16:23 |
| Story ID: | 193514 |
| Location: | USS MASON , ATLANTIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 507 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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