Huntington Beach, Calif., Native serves aboard USS John S. McCain while conducting operations in the South China Sea

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Markus Castaneda | Operations Specialist 2nd Class Chance Coogle, from Huntington Beach, Calif, stands watch in the combat information center aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56). McCain is assigned to Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (DESRON 15), the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Markus Castaneda)  

SOUTH CHINA SEA

01.12.2021

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Markus Castaneda 

Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron 15

SOUTH CHINA SEA – A Huntington Beach, Calif., native and 2017 Edison High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS John S. McCain (DDG 56).

Petty Officer Second Class Chance Coogle is an Operations Specialist, or OS, serving aboard John S. McCain, homeported out of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.

Operations specialists maintain the combat information center displays and provide strategic plotting for air and surface warfare as well as operating surveillance radars, identification and communications equipment.

“We are essentially the eyes of the ship,” said Coogle. “We conduct surveillance by monitoring air and surface contacts in order to provide the overall tactical picture. An integral part of the surface Navy mission, which cannot be done without OSs”

John S. McCain has participated in integrated operations with the French Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force where they focused on anti-submarine warfare tactics between the three navies, the Royal Australian Navy and JMSDF for the first phase of Malabar 2021, and transited to the Andaman Sea through the Strait of Malacca with the Royal Australian Navy.

Coogle stands watch in the combat information center as a tactical information coordinator, in charge of establishing communication with air and surface contacts within the ship’s vicinity.

“When we conduct multinational exercises with partner nations, I get the opportunity to communicate with our counterparts and that’s one of the things I enjoy,” said Coogle. “It brings me a different perspective because I am actually involved in the mission.”

With the recent Navy-wide advancement results, Coogle was promoted to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. Being in a supervisory position, Coogle is ready to showcase his talents and mentor junior Sailors.

“I’ve always looked up to my superiors, I see them as the standard of good leadership,” said Coogle. “Now, I am in a similar position and junior OSs may be looking at me for guidance. It’s an opportunity for me to lead and I am excited for it.”

John S. McCain also worked as part of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and operated in the South China Sea, East China Sea, Indian Ocean and Philippine Sea.

While on deployment, John S. McCain has contributed to various critical missions in support of regional peace and prosperity. Most recently, John S. McCain transited the South China Sea to conduct a Freedom Navigation operation, upholding the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging excessive maritime claims.

U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict.

• Date Taken: 01.12.2021
• Date Posted: 01.13.2021 04:57
• Story ID: 386817
• Location: SOUTH CHINA SEA