Sailors assigned to Submarine Squadron 11’s Undersea Rescue Command (URC) participated with partner nations in a sports day during exercise Pacific Reach (PACREACH) at Fleet West Base in Western Australia, Nov. 6.
PACREACH Sailors from the United States, Republic of Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and Singapore competed against one another in volleyball and soccer tournaments to foster teamwork.
“Sports day was a lot of fun. I think it was a great opportunity for us to be out in the field, kick off a little steam and be competitive,” said Lt. Cmdr. Cole Gary, URC’s engineer. “Days like today are important because it really gives us an opportunity to better understand our international counterparts. In a real-life scenario, if a submarine were to go down, the rescue is an international event, so it is important for us to enhance our relationships in order to maximize our capabilities. This allows us to grow together as a whole submarine rescue enterprise.”
While the day was filled with healthy competition, wearing a little more pride than the rest were Team Australia, the winners of the soccer tournament, and Team Malaysia, the winners of the volleyball tournament.
“Today has been amazing,” said Able Seaman Electronic Warfare – Submarines Dallas Kelley of the Royal Australian Navy. “Sports are always good fun and it’s good to integrate with other nations to see how they interact with their fellow Sailors. Overall, it’s good relationship building for not only ourselves but for our international counterparts. I feel like today we all came together as one team.”
At the conclusion of the harbor phase, the participating nations will participate in the at-sea phase of PACREACH, in which they will demonstrate regional Submarine Abandonment and Escape Rescue (SAER) capabilities by conducting simulated submarine rescue missions utilizing the Submarine Rescue Diving Recompression System (SRDRS) and Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM).
“Today was a very good experience for us, with all units coming together to get to know each other better,” said Lt. Cmdr. Abdulrazak Mohdfaiz of the Royal Malaysian Navy, the head of engineering reserve. “In order to have a better understanding of one another during the exercise, it is helpful to have as much communication and interaction as possible prior to executing the mission.”
Since 1996, participating nations have alternated hosting the PACREACH exercise. PACREACH is a triennial, multi-lateral submarine rescue exercise sponsored by the Asian Pacific Submarine conference between partner nations, promoting proficiency and interoperability.
For more news from Commander, Submarine Squadron 11, visit www.navy.mil/local/css11/
For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.