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A squad
of Thai Marines board a U.S. Navy CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter
for an exercise amphibious assault demonstration. |
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A U.S. Marine ordnance
technician unloads an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile from a Marine AV-8B
Harrier during exercise air operations. |
Thai Marines Review U.S. Marine Communications Equipment
Royal Thai Marine Communication Battalion personnel in Utapao familiarized themselves with U.S Marine communications equipment, including U.S. satellite communication and how it benefits COBRA GOLD operations. U.S. Marines explained the different types of networks and how they work with Thai Marines through a combined computer network.
"Having the U.S. Marines show us their communication equipment allows us to have a better understanding of today’s new technology," said Thai Marine MSgt. Pitsanu Boonboomrung. "It also shows us how the operations of the new technology work."
Damage Control at Sea
Thai and U.S. sailors trained on damage control to a ship while aboard the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). "We showed [the Thai sailors] how we do basic damage control, such as hard and soft pipe patches and how to use a perijet [eductor] and the P-100 for dewatering," said U.S. Navy Hull Technician 2nd Class (SW) Julie Morris. Eductors are jet-type pumps that move liquid from one place to another by entraining the pumped liquid in a rapidly flowing stream of water. The eductor can perform low-head dewatering operations at a greater rate of discharge than straight pumping with emergency pumps.
The Thai sailors then patched a model of a ruptured pipe attached to a fire hose for an added degree of realism. As water sprayed from the "ruptured" pipe, the Thais made the necessary repairs.
In addition to pipe patching, the training covered removing water from an area on the ship while fighting a fire and the basic operation of the P-100 pump and its uses in saving the ship.
Royal Thai Navy mine countermeasure ships and two U.S. Navy minesweepers, the USS Guardian (MCM 5) and USS Patriot (MCM 7), conducted simulated mine-hunting operations off the coast of Sattahip.
The USS Guardian located a moored exercise mine off the coast of Sattahip and employed the Mission Package Three (MP-3) explosive moored mine neutralization system. The crew lowered the ship’s remote operated mine neutralization vehicle (MNV) over the side and vectored it to the location of the mine using the onboard SQQ-32 variable depth sonar.
"It was hard to maintain [the ship’s] position that day because the winds and currents were in opposite directions," said U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Michael Cabana.
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