DOGBOX Established: HSM-48 Detachment Four “Man O’ Wars” Conducts Record REXTORP Training Exercise at Sea By LT Marina Leynse, USN
O
REXTORPs during Torpedo Exercises involving the MH-60R. Lacking external recovery options, PSE and HSM-48.4 had to develop a complex plan that minimized the risks to untrained personnel and loss of a REXTORP, while maximizing training and mission accomplishment.
n 11 July 2020, HSM-48 Detachment Four (48.4) and USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) successfully conducted a Torpedo Exercise (TORPEX) during Philippine Sea’s (PSE) Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) Exercise. Together, they successfully fired and recovered 4 x MK-54 REXTORPs in rapid succession. HSM48.4’s three torpedo employments completed their AntiSubmarine Warfare (ASW) pre-deployment readiness requirements during a highly dynamic COVID-19 deployment schedule. This event marks the first time an HSM Squadron has deployed and recovered multiple REXTORPS during an at-sea work up period.
We faced many planning challenges in this exercise: weather diverts, personnel limitations, absence of backup days, and a lack of lessons to use from other exercises. PSE only had one Sailor on board that had ever recovered a REXTORP, and the ship was limited to single Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) operations at the time. I believe that the preparation we put in place prior to the event was what made this unprecedented operation successful - multiple planning sessions, training exercises, and dry-runs helped ensure that we were ready to deploy and recover the REXTORPs. The ship/air team imposed a strict schedule: all REXTORPS would be banded and staged the night prior in order to shorten load times. The hard deadline for the final shot had to be 1800L in order to ensure sufficient daylight to recover the remaining torpedo. Each recovery required at least 2 hours to complete, and the next weapon couldn’t be launched until the last was recovered. Consequently, continuous RHIB operations had to be
Executing a dynamic and multifaceted evolution in the maritime environment required extensive planning and coordination from both air and ship teams. In total, this exercise took over three months to coordinate and approximately 8 hours to execute. In order to complete the event, a total of four MK-54 REXTORPs had to be employed – three air-launched and one launched from PSE’s Surface Vessel Torpedo Tube (SVTT). For this exercise, Target Support Vessels (TSV) were unavailable – TSVs or recovery helicopters are always scheduled to recover expended
Venom 507 deploys a MK-54 REXTORP during USS Philippine Sea’s SWATT Exercise
Rotor Review #151 Winter '21
30
