Last modified Wed., February 23, 2005 - 05:59 PM
Originally created Thursday, February 24, 2005

From The Baltic To The Med

By Lt.j.g. Lucas Y. Tomlinson, USS McInerney PAO and Lt.j.g. Kylen Roberts, HSL-48 PAO

USS McInerney (FFG 8) passes under the train bridge of Rendsburg, Germany. McInerney visited Rendsburg during the frigate's transit from Poland to Malaga in support of the NATO Response Force (NRF) One. The role of the NRF is to provide an integrated and fully interoperable sea, land and air capability, under one command, wherever the North Atlantic Council requires.
-Photo courtesy of Frank Behling

Not many ships have seen the ports that USS McInerney (FFG-8) has made in the past few weeks. Copenhagen, Denmark and Gdynia, Poland are the latest visits made by the Bulldogs and her embarked helicopter detachment from HSL-48 ''The Det. 4 Playmakers.'' McInerney has sailed through the North Sea, through the Danish straights to the Baltic, through the Kiel Canal (bisecting Germany), back to the North Sea, across the English Channel, down the Bay of Biscay, through the perilous straights of Gibraltar and finally to the Mediterranean Sea. It has been a real adventure for the crew. At press time, McInerney has sailed over 18,000 miles.

The Bulldogs continue joint multi-national exercises with allies from NATO Reaction Force Standing Naval Maritime Group One (SNMG1). Training in all warfare areas, McInerney has participated in a myriad of operations including a large anti-submarine warfare exercise off the Norwegian coast. Training with allied ships, submarines and aircraft from Norway, Poland, Netherlands, and Canada has been a rewarding experience-necessary to keep the NATO alliance strong.

The Playmakers and her helo, Venom 512, contributed to the ASW (anti-submarine warfare) exercise by trapping a Norwegian diesel submarine just off the Fjords. Venom laid a sonobuoy pattern close to the sub, which helped McInerney and her playmates gain the advantage during the nighttime mission. The U.S. Navy emphasizes the littoral fight, and the sub hunting in the shallow water just off the coast proved a valuable experience for all involved. ''It was a tremendous opportunity to hone my skills on a live diesel submarine,'' said AW3 Matt Daly, who prosecuted the sub on Venom. ''Our potential adversaries ride in diesels, so this is something we need to be good at.''

Although ASW exercises have dominated the early operations, SNMG1 and McInerney have trained to repel small boat attacks and low-slow fliers, the asymmetric threats that present the biggest danger to NATO. Other exercises included AAW (anti-air warfare) exercises with Polish fighters and ASUW (anti-surface warfare) exercises with SNMG1 battling the Polish Navy. The time at sea has been hectic and fast paced, providing valuable training for the different warfare areas of the ship. The port calls to Copenhagen and Gdynia were vital in recharging the batteries. The visits to major metropolitan cities were a welcome surprise to the Florida crew.

Copenhagen was a great opportunity for McInerney to host a reception, inviting Ambassadors, Diplomats, Admirals and members of SNMG1 to the ship for a memorable reception. There was a big league spread of shrimp, wings and other finger foods, giving the world a taste of the First Coast. Other highlights from Copenhagen included tours to various medieval castles throughout the region as well as a visit to the Danish Royal Palace, similar to England's Buckingham Palace. Soon after visiting Copenhagen, the group sailed to Gydnia to train with the Polish Navy, and then it was time to hit the town.

''Poland was gorgeous,'' said SN Andrew Irvin. ''The people were friendly and I enjoyed walking around. Gydansk [outside Gdynia] was unbelievable! It is hard to imagine World War II started here.'' Well researched by SN Irvin is the fact that on September 1, 1939 German warships and airplanes shelled Gydnia and Gydansk in order to establish a naval base in this strategic location, beginning the next five years of World War II. During the war, over 100 ships and submarines were built for Hitler's Navy in Gydansk. Back to the subject at hand, ''Poland was very scenic. There were a lot of picture taking opportunities,'' said SN Matthew Hill, who carries a digital camera everywhere to let his friends back home share in his enjoyment.

Not only has the McInerney crew trained hard, but they have also conducted themselves professionally in the various European cities. In each city, the ships of the group have socialized and interacted, strengthening the bonds of their alliance. Learning from each other is the mission of the SNMG1 deployment. So far, McInerney has gained valuable knowledge during multinational operations.

USS McInerney stands ready to heed the call to sail in harm's way at a moments notice. The Inter-deployment Readiness Cycle prepared the crew well, especially in the damage control and anti-terrorism areas. The warships of SNMG1 train to work as one composite force in order to deal with foreign threats. This training will not only help the force today, but it will continue to strengthen the NATO alliance for years to come.