Milius Named Top Pacific Fleet Sub Hunter

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Taylor M DiMartino | PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 16, 2019) Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Dontreal Brown, from Leesburg, Fla., stands watch as an acoustic sensor operator during an anti-submarine warfare exercise in the sonar control room aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 19. Milius is participating in ANNUALEX 19, a bilateral exercise which further develops coordination and interoperability of the premier alliance between the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor DiMartino)  

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

06.10.2020

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Leitner 

Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Commander, Naval Surface Forces announced that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) was awarded the 2019 Bloodhound Award for the Pacific Fleet, March 18.

The Bloodhound award is presented to one Pacific Fleet and one Atlantic Fleet ship annually for exceptional performance in the area of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) proficiency, preparedness, and training.

The criteria for winning this award spans the entire warfare area from the technical proficiency of Milius’ watchstanders to the readiness of equipment and operators throughout the ship.

“I'm utterly humbled to receive the Bloodhound Award in 2019 after achieving runner up in 2018,” said Lt. Mark Choi, the ship’s ASW officer. “The award is a testament to the effort my Sailors and I put forth through two years of unpredictable patrol schedules in which we partook in numerous multilateral ASW exercises as well as direct encounters with real submarines.”

Milius’ ASW team began their undersea warfare qualifications in January 2018 and were fully certified by March 2018.

As part of Forward Deployed Naval Forces Japan, the crew operated exclusively in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. They participated in numerous multinational ASW exercises that required coordination with air, surface, and undersea assets in dynamic combat scenarios. Throughout all operations, they executed procedural compliance with standing guidance from their operational commanders.

“My Sailors won this award by knowing their job inside and out,” said Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) Bobby Richey Jr. “ASW is a difficult field to be in. Most of the watches take place in classified spaces separate from other watch teams, so they don’t get much attention and recognition from the crew. Additionally, long times spent in port can negatively affect the retention of knowledge required for accurate and effective tracking. One way the team helped to mitigate this was by conducting regular training on specific acoustic attributes in 7th Fleet.”

Milius, currently homeported in Japan, will fly the ASW Bloodhound pennant until next year.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2020
• Date Posted: 06.11.2020 12:53
• Story ID: 371903
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US