USS Cowpens
Members from the Visit, Board, Search & Seizure (VBSS) team of USS Cowpens (a Ticonderoga Class guided-missile cruiser) coordinate with a Lieutenant of the Indian Navy (also a boarding officer) before proceeding with a joint training boarding on 06 September 2007, during Exercise Malabar 07-02.
Image Courtesy - Christopher C. Smith, Electronics Technician 2nd Class.
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USS Princeton trains with foreign navies as part of multinational exercise
[CV7F Public Affairs, 08 September 2007]
By Hermes N. Crespo Jr., Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class
Sailors aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) conducted Visit, Board, Search & Seizure (VBSS) exercises with Indian, Japanese and Australian sailors during the multilateral exercise Malabar 07-02 in the Bay of Bengal from 04 to 06 September 2007. The ships participating in the exercise were broken up into three different Surface Action Groups (SAG), each with their own responsibilities & geographic locations, as the navies trained for different operational situations. "One of the key elements of Malabar is to increase interoperability between the five nations participating," said Captain Dave Melin, USS Princeton Commanding Officer. "By conducting the boarding exercise, we were able to team up with our Indian and Australian counterparts and get some excellent training and an excellent understanding of each other." USS Princeton, as part of the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG), acted as the SAG Charlie command ship during Exercise Malabar 07-02.
SAG Charlie contained five ships representing four nations, including the Australian auxiliary tanker HMAS Sirius, the Indian frigate INS Gomati, the Japanese destroyer JDS Onami and the American destroyer USS Chafee. As part of the exercise, the VBSS team of the USS Princeton and six sailors from INS Gomati conducted an exercise boarding HMAS Sirius. While on board, sailors from the three nations conducted VBSS missions similar to real life situations. During Exercise Malabar 07-02, the USS Princeton also welcomed two cross-decking foreign liaison officers, Commander Takeshi Yoshioka from JDS Onami and Lieutenant Commander Mahesh from INS Gomati. "We have worked with the US a lot, but this is the first time with some of the other navies," said Commander Yoshioka and added, "We are all going to deepen our mutual understandings and friendships with the participating nations."
"We've been doing a lot of diverse things," said Captain Melin and added, "We've steamed a lot of miles and we've been able to make, what I believe is, a significant contribution to the Navy's mission and our country's military." The USS Princeton departed its homeport of San Diego on a regularly-scheduled deployment on 02 April 2007 and is currently deployed in the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of responsibility with the Nimitz CSG. The US Navy's 7th Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed US fleets covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 50 ships, 120 aircraft and more than 22,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given time.
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