Tag Archives: USS Bonhomme Richard
PHOTEX: HMAS Sirius conducts replenishment at sea with USS Bonhomme Richard
130718-N-VA915-124 CORAL SEA (July 18, 2013) The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Australian Navy replenishment tanker HMAS Sirius (O 266). Bonhomme Richard is the flagship for the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and is participating in the biennial exercise Talisman Saber 2013 in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Jerome D. Johnson/Released)
Joint US-Australian combat logistics force supporting Talisman Saber 2013
This is a great story… except it would difficult to conduct a RAS with “light crusiers” HMAS Perth (D29) and HMAS Sydney (D48) because Perth was lost to Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942 and Sydney was lost to a German raider in 1941.
Do you think it’s possible that the whoever compiled this MSC press release simply copied the wrong Perth & Sydney data from Wikipedia? No… that could never happen… could it? {groan}
The current HMAS Perth and HMAS Sydney are frigates.
Combat Logistics Force Ships underway for Talisman Saber exercise
Story Number: NNS130720-06Release Date: 7/20/2013 7:11:00 PM
CORAL SEA (NNS) — Navy Combat Logistics Force ships USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) and USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) are steaming off the coast of northeastern Australia this week, providing vital logistics support to U.S. and Australian ships participating in Talisman Saber 2013.
Thousands of U.S. and Australian military forces took to the air, land, and sea in and around northeastern Australia for the two-week exercise. Operating as a Combined Joint Task Force, Talisman Saber 2013 focuses on combined operations, as well as responding to humanitarian emergencies or natural disasters. The exercise includes both live and computer-simulated scenarios.
CLF ships are shadowing vessels from the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group and USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, which will conduct bilateral training with ships from the Royal Australian Navy.
USNS Charles Drew conducted its first underway replenishment operation with Australian fleet replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius (O-266) July 18. CLF ships are also scheduled to resupply Royal Australian Navy light cruisers HMAS Perth (D-29) and HMAS Sydney (D-48).
CLF ships’ role in the exercise will conclude July 29.
Personnel from Singapore based Military Sealift Command Far East’s logistics directorate work closely with counterparts from Australia’s navy throughout the exercise. MSCFE’s Combat Logistics Force officers – who operate a centralized, one-stop shop for Navy combat logistics force ships – manage the delivery of commodities to both U.S. Navy and Australian ships at sea.
Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and ADF headquarters Joint Operational Command, Talisman Saber 20l3 will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, the ADF, as well as other government agencies from each country.
MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, U.S. Navy civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
Oops! USMC aircraft unload bombs near Great Barrier Reef
Please note:
- inert training bombs, not live munitions
- jettisoned, not dropped
- “not far from” rather than “on top of”
That being said, if you’re going to jettison anything with the word “bomb” in it from an American military aircraft then you should probably do it somewhere where the press, environmentalists, and conspiracy theorists won’t have ammunition (pun intended) to attack you.
U.S. military jettisons bombs near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is composed of more than 3,000 individual reefs interspersed with more than 600 topical islands.
(CNN) — Two U.S. military aircraft jettisoned four bombs not far from the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast last week, the U.S. Navy says.
The two Marine planes had to abandon the bombs Tuesday in the national park containing the natural wonder because they were running out of fuel and could not land with the amount of ordnance on board, the Navy said. The two Marine aircraft were launched from a Navy ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard.
Two of the projectiles were explosive bombs that were disarmed before they were dropped. They did not explode, the Navy said.
The other two were inert, or non-explosive bombs, the Navy said.
The pilots chose an area away from the reefs, which contain 400 types of coral. The area was also deep enough to prevent passing ships from running into the bombs, the Navy said.
The reef is home to 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 kinds of mollusks, according to the United Nations’ World Heritage Convention.
It is also a habitat for animals threatened by extinction and is protected as a World Heritage Site.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/21/world/asia/australia-reef-u-s-bombs
Exercise Talisman Sabre 2013
Exercise Talisman Sabre is a biennial joint Australian and United States military exercise. The inaugural exercise took place in 2005 and exercised have continued biennially, focusing on “regional contingencies” and the War on Terrorism.
Exercise Talisman Saber 2013 begins
The USS Blue Ridge arrives at Sydney Harbour for a port visit prior to Exercise Talisman Saber 2013.
More than 28,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and women will be taking to the sea, land and sky in northern Australia as part of Exercise Talisman Saber 2013.Talisman Saber is a biennial training activity jointly sponsored by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Operations Command and the US Pacific Command to train the United States 7th Fleet and Australian Deployable Joint Headquarters staffs as a designated Combined Task Force.
Australian Talisman Saber 2013 spokesman Brigadier Bob Brown, said the training activity would see US and Australian forces mobilise to react to a fictional scenario.
“The scenario will be a peace enforcement mission, that sets the conditions for the task force to hand over to a United Nations peacekeeping force,” Brigadier Brown said.
“The forces will operate in military training areas in central and south-east Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Coral, Timor and Arafura seas. Shoalwater Bay Training Area will be used predominantly, with a large staging area at Defence Base Rockhampton.
“This year Talisman Saber sees further practice and progression of Defence’s emerging amphibious capability. The exercise will be the third block of training for the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment’s Amphibious Ready Element Landing Force.
“Talisman Saber is a unique and invaluable opportunity to exercise combined and joint Defence capability between Australia and the US.
“As with the previous Talisman Saber exercises, this activity is a major undertaking reflecting the Australian and US alliance and the strength of the military-to-military relationship,” Brigadier Brown said.
Approximately 21,000 US and 7000 Australian Defence Force personnel will be involved in the exercise, along with other Australian Government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, AusAID, Australian Federal Police, and Australian Civil-Military Centre.
The ADF has conducted a full environmental impact assessment on the Shoalwater Bay region and strong measures have been put in place for participants to respect and protect the marine environment.
Talisman Saber 2013 runs from 15 July until 6 August 2013.
http://www.defence.gov.au/defencenews/stories/2013/jul/0715.htm
Naval Matters 