Jtf Katrina/uss Bataan

[VMI 1991]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Myself and everyone else in USS BATAAN are sitting off the coast of Mississippi completely involved in DR/HA operations.
I had the watch as TAO on Sunday when the first phone calls from NORTHCOM came in to CIC. Ever since, we have been at a full sprint doing everything possible to lend assistance to the disaster relief efforts.
We were returning to Norfolk after completing PANAMAX 05, so we had a LCU onboard, four MH-53s and 2 MH-60s, and a Fleet Surgical Team onboard. Once we offloaded the gear in Ingleside, we started heading home. We thought we might even make it back for the holiday weekend.
We were wrong.
The AGs had been briefing KATRINA when it was still in the Atlantic and by the time it crossed over Florida into GOMEX, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm. This was about the time when we pulled into Ingleside. When we left, it started increasing in strength and we started considering the possibility of remaining in the area in case we were needed.
Once the storm reached Cat 5, we recalled the -53s, which were on their way home and got them out to the ship. And as I said earlier, starting on Sunday, once everyone saw the flooding in New Orleans start, we knew we were going to be here for a while.
The helos were the first assets we could use to help, and they have been going continuously for the past five days. HM-14, HM-15, and HSC-28 have been doing amazing work pulling people off burning rooftops and delivering supplies whenever and where ever possible.
Until yesterday, we were the only navy unit at sea. Our watch standers were taking calls from everyone from NORTHCOM to the local coast guard. The watches I have stood over the last five days have been the busiest in 14+ years. Yesterday, we embarked a PHIBGRU commander and some of his staff and they are very welcome onboard.
We now have three LCACs and one LCU. Those of you who have been on LHDs know that they won't all fit in the well deck. The LCU has been underway operating IVO New Orleans, and we are getting ready to start using the LCACs for relief missions.
We are at 1A (Well deck ops/Ballasting detail) right now. To say that the situation and the plans change on an hourly basis is an understatement. Earlier this week it seemed like they were changing by the minute. But with the group staff on board and a lot of other senior staffs stood up on the beach, things are really starting to flow.
I'll update everyone when possible. I don't know how often that will be. It took me five days to get this posted...
Please pray for the people on the Gulf coast. They are in desparate straights.

 

[Mongo the Mutterer]

Thank you for your service and the update.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Thank you.

I wish I knew what half of those letters meant.

 

[Moondoggie]

Hey VMI, I hope YOUR chow is holding out OK!

Last time I put to sea on an emergency situation right after tying-up our gator ship had depleted it's stores in anticipation of going into drydock. We subsisted on a boiled potato & 2 hotdogs 3X per day for 10 days. "They" declined to vertrep our chow for such a "short" period...what a morale builder! That was on the messdeck, the wardroom & CPO mess were stocked considerably better..another morale builder (also incentive to make rank ).

Take care & thank you for your service! Semper Fi!

Henry...intrepretation provided by a retired Marine:

CIC=Combat Information Center (this is the nerve center aboard ship where info is gathered for the commander to use in decision making, and also to disseminate his decisions to subordinate units/activities)
TAO= Tactical Air Operations Center (assigns missions and monitors location/status of aircraft assigned to that unit)
LCU= Landing Craft, Utility (A shallow draft motor boat with a ramp on the front)
LCM=Landing Craft, Mechanized (A bigger LCU that can handle a truck or more troops)
LCAC= Landing Craft Air Cushion (A huge flying raft capable of hauling a main battle tank)

HL= Helicopter Light (Huey's)
HM= Helicopter Medium (CH-46 Sea Knight or maybe Blackhawks...-60's)
HH= Helicopter Heavy (CH-53 Sea Stallion)

Hope that helps!

The HM-15 or whatever denotes a particular helicopter squadron.

 

[erikm]

VMI: Good luck and keep up the good work!

I kind of wonder if it was some of you Super Stallions that were seen by Interdictor

Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/44498.html

In a somewhat relevant aside, my country (the Netherlands) has decided to offer (and send) help, even though the formal request hasn't quite been made yet. Since the frigate in question (the Van Amstel) should will be leaving from the Netherlands Antilles, (4-5 days transit) that isn't seen as too big a problem. It'll be carrying small boats, helicopters and marines. People from the dutch ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management are also being prepped to go. Given dutch experience with flooding and water management, I'm expecting them to be asked over PDQ.

(http://www.nu.nl/news/584318/22/Nederland_stuurt_fregat_naar_New_Orleans_(video).html(dutch) article on the subject)

Cheers and good luck,
ErikM

 

[atk]

VMI,

Thanks for posting the update. For those of us who aren't able to come help - or, at least for me - it makes the worry just a little bit less, knowing good people are doing their best to help the situation down there.

 

[GunGoBoom]

OKDK (Okey-Dokey). Don't speak that language. But thanks for your service!

 

[carebear]

The Dutch Marines are good to go. Glad to see the allied responses.

 

[VMI 1991]

Acronyms

Mr. Bowman,
I apologize for descending into Navy speak. Moondggie was spot on in his translations with one minor exception. TAO = Tactical Action Officer. The TAO is the only other person aside from the Commanding Officer who has weapons release authority.

Moondoggie,
The food in BATAAN is excellent. We got down to about five days but were resupplied via VERTREP by HSV-2 SWIFT.

I will update this thread when I can as long as people are interested.

 

[TallPine]

where are the nuclear powered carriers...?

 

[Greg L]

VMI - thanks for the update

Moondoggie - thanks for the translation, this old Army REMF was scratching his head over the Navyspeak .

 

[Titus]

You can go to:
http://www.navy.mil/view_photos_top.asp

for pages and pages of pictures of all the stuff all the armchair quarterbacks say isn't happening...

 

[Fu-man Shoe]

Tallpine: As for the USS HARRY S TRUMAN (CVN-75), we are enroute as I
type this. We left yesterday, after being given about 36 hours notice.

Titus: Good link! Those pictures were taken this very morning during our
unrep with the USNS SUPPLY.

Fu-man shoe

 

[Johnny_Yuma]

My cousin was on the Bataan until a few months ago

You boys on the Beast have been busy the last couple of years. I'm glad to see LHD5 is on the job. Good luck to you all down there.

Johnny