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Asia-Pacific
Submarine Conference
Response to any submarine emergency in the Pacific will involve many of our collective assets. The importance of being able to work together rapidly in this area has certainly been highlighted by the Kursk tragedy. Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, USN Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet |
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Many "firsts"
were accomplished during PACIFIC REACH.
These included:
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The first multilateral submarine rescue exercise ever held in the Pacific
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The first time a RSN submarine participated in a multinational exercise
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The first time the JMSDF and ROKN submarine rescue ships, JDS Chidoya and ROKS Cheung Hae Jin, deployed overseas
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The first overseas deployment of the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC) Flyaway System
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The first use of the Atmospheric Diving System and a vessel of opportunity to support the SRC in a submarine rescue exercise
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The first mating of the USN SRC and the ROKN Navy’s Deep-Sea Recovery System with a foreign Submarine
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The first time the JMSDF Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle conducted a mating exercise with a ROKN and a RSN submarine
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The first time JMSDF and ROKN submarines visited Singapore
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The first time the JMSDF participated as a multilateral partner in an international exercise
As can be expected from conducting an exercise of this magnitude,
valuable lessons were learned in the areas of exercise planning, rescue
system inter-operability, and the command and control of rescue assets.
Lessons learned from each other were especially valuable. Rear Adm.
Lui observed that these exercises "allow the respective navies
to be familiar with each other’s operating procedures and equipment."
He continued, "And this will come in very useful should we have
to deal with any contingencies."
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