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Navy Expeditionary Combat Command in the News is a service of the NECC Public Affairs

Office and is used to provide senior leadership and interested NECC personnel around the Fleet

with news about the Navy’s expeditionary forces. Please do not repost the Clips to any publicly

accessible website since we must maintain the integrity of copyrighted material.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Coastal Riverine Sailors Injured in Training Mishap http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73373

By Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – Three Sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10

were injured in a training accident when their 34-foot patrol boat ran aground near Charleston

Harbor April 13.

Navy Divers Recover Sunken Patrol Boat http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73479

By EOD Group 2 Public Affairs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

(MDSU) 2 and contracted salvage personnel successfully raised and returned to shore a sunken

patrol boat (PB 502), April 18.

NMCB 15 arrives in Afghanistan http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105057/nmcb-15-arrives-afghanistan

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Garas

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction

Battalion (NMCB) 15, headquartered out of Belton Mo., arrived in Afghanistan earlier in April

to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

Navy Divers, EOD Promote Science and Aquatic Technology at SeaPerch http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73382

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese, Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Group 2 Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) – Local Navy Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)

technicians supported dozens of middle and high school students in the first Tidewater District

NAVY EXPEDITIONARY COMBAT COMMAND

IN THE NEWS

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SeaPerch Challenge held at the aquatics center in the Brittingham-Midtown Community Center

April 13.

Coastal Riverine Group One holds change of command

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105295/coastal-riverine-group-one-holds-change-

command#ixzz2QoYjxHZe

Story by Lt. Cmdr. Donnell Evans

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. – Capt. Chris Peterschmidt relieved Capt. Eric Moss as commander

of Coastal Riverine Group 1 during a change of command ceremony at Naval Outlying Landing

Field, Imperial Beach, Calif., April 12.

Coastal Riverine Sailors Injured in Training Mishap

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73373

By Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – Three Sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10

were injured in a training accident when their 34-foot patrol boat ran aground near Charleston

Harbor April 13.

The injured Sailors were transiting the boat into the Charleston Harbor as part of routine training

when the incident occurred at 9:41 p.m.

The Sailors were transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where they

are in stable condition.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

CRS 10 is a Navy Reserve unit based in Jacksonville, Fla. Coastal Riverine Force Sailors

conduct port and harbor security, high value asset protection, offensive combat operations and

maritime security operations in rivers, harbors and coastal waterways

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Navy Divers Recover Sunken Patrol Boat http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73479

By EOD Group 2 Public Affairs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit

(MDSU) 2 and contracted salvage personnel successfully raised and returned to shore a sunken

patrol boat (PB 502), April 18.

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Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10, a Navy Reserve unit based in Jacksonville, Fla., was

conducting a routine training event sailing from Jacksonville to Charleston when one of their

patrol boats transiting into Charleston Harbor ran aground on a jetty on the south side on the

channel entrance at 9:41 p.m., April 13.

"Salvage operations like this are quite common, we train to respond to all types of incidents from

planes going down to boats sinking and each one brings up its own unique challenges," said

Chief Warrant Officer John Sullivan, MDSU2 operations officer-in-charge of the salvage

operation.

The 34-foot patrol boat was surfaced Thursday morning by Navy Divers from approximately 20

feet of water and was towed to shore by a contracted salvage company.

The 8-person Mobile Diving and Salvage (MDS) Company, MDS Co. 2-4 based in Virginia

Beach, Va., arrived in Charleston Tuesday and worked with local Coast Guard and maritime

officials to determine how to safely recover the submerged vessel by using another similar patrol

boat ashore as a model.

MDSU2 Divers then performed a site survey to determine the extent of damage to the vessel. On

Wednesday and Thursday Divers installed lift points, placed belly bands on the submerged

vessel prior to rigging for lift and recovery, and attached salvage lift bags capable of lifting

22,000 pounds. Once secured, the vessel was carefully brought to the surface Thursday morning

by the lift bags and checked for stability.

"I thought my team did outstanding. This is what we train for," said Sullivan. "We developed a

plan. We executed it, and I thought my team did outstanding."

PB 502 was then towed to the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Tradd Street.

Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 2 is conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the

incident.

MDSU 2 is homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Beach,

Va. and has successfully conducted salvage operations to support TWA Flight 800, Swiss Air

Flight 111, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge

collapse in Minnesota, the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, and recovery of a downed F-16

Fighting Falcon off the coast of Italy.

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NMCB 15 arrives in Afghanistan http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105057/nmcb-15-arrives-afghanistan

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Garas

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction

Battalion (NMCB) 15, headquartered out of Belton Mo., arrived in Afghanistan earlier in April

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to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

As the International Security Assistance Force continues to drawdown, NMCB15, operating

under the recently coined name “Task Force True Grit”, is spearheading engineering retrograde

operations.

“We just won’t be in one forward operating base,” said Commander Anthony Spinler, NMCB

15’s Commanding Officer. “Whether it is a squad of twelve or a large detachment of 100 or

more, we tailor ourselves to the task at hand. That’s one of the things that make Seabees unique.”

Upon mission tasking, the Operations Department task tailors’ each project into detachments by

supported commander priority, deploying to locations throughout the area of operations to

support a wide-variety of engineering operations.

Spinler added that this deployment will be different from a standard one in that the number of

tasks is greater and that Seabees will be continuously formed into new teams.

“The missions are a lot shorter,” said Spinler. “They may only be on a job for two weeks before

they return and then reorganize into a new build-team.”

“I think this deployment will be exciting,” said Construction Mechanic 1st Class Justin Bohaty.

“The opportunity to work on many jobs with different people will break-up the monotony and

avoid complacency.”

While deployed, NMCB 15 will be tasked with completing numerous projects in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom, including the drilling of water-wells, camp maintenance and

various deconstruction projects.

NMCB 15 is currently deployed as part of the joint U.S. Theater Engineer Brigade in

Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and is an expeditionary engineering

element of U.S. Naval forces supporting units worldwide through national force readiness,

humanitarian assistance, and building and maintaining infrastructure.

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Navy Divers, EOD Promote Science and Aquatic Technology at SeaPerch http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73382

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese, Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Group 2 Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) – Local Navy Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)

technicians supported dozens of middle and high school students in the first Tidewater District

SeaPerch Challenge held at the aquatics center in the Brittingham-Midtown Community Center

April 13.

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The SeaPerch Challenge is a one-day design competition featuring student-assembled remotely

operated vehicles (ROVs) with teams of two to four students working together to build, test,

launch, and compete their ROV in the challenge.

U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 helped setup and provide

technical assistance during the competition, which was judged by volunteers from the U.S. Navy,

Newport News Shipbuilding and Old Dominion University.

"This is great for the kids because they get to use their minds and creativity to overcome the

challenges of building their own ROVs," said Navy Diver 2nd Class Shaun Krall, assigned to

MDSU 2. "We use ROVs for everything from underwater ships husbandry to safely observing

underwater mines. This is great for us too because we can look at what the future of this

technology might look like."

Technicians from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 2 Det. Yorktown were

also on hand to demonstrate the capabilities of the SeaBotix underwater reconnaissance vehicle

and answer questions about some of the practical applications for the technologies showcased

during the event.

"I think it's big for our community to be involved, because we use robotics like these a lot so to

have students able to see what they're working toward is a great opportunity for everyone," said

Lt. Jacob Loeffler, officer in charge assigned to EODMU 2 Det. Yorktown. "It's great to see

school systems investing in these programs."

The engineering and science competition featured a poster competition and a technical water

competition. During the poster competition, students introduced their graphic displays and

delivered oral presentations about their design philosophy and construction challenges, and

answered questions posed by the judges. During the technical water competition, teams

participated in two timed pool competitions featuring an obstacle course and a deep water

retrieval course.

The SeaPerch Program provides students with an opportunity to learn about science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while building an underwater ROV. Throughout the

project, students learn engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical

applications.

MDSU 2 is an expeditionary mobile diving unit homeported aboard Joint Expeditionary Base,

Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Beach, Va., and has successfully conducted salvage operations

to support TWA Flight 800, Swiss Air Flight 111, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia,

and the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.

EODMU 2 provides operational explosive ordnance disposal capability for the location,

identification, rendering safe, recovery, field evaluation and disposal of all explosive ordnance,

including chemical and nuclear weapons.

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U.S. Navy EOD is the world's premier combat force for countering explosive hazards and

conducting expeditionary diving and salvage.

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Coastal Riverine Group One holds change of command

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105295/coastal-riverine-group-one-holds-change-

command#ixzz2QoYjxHZe

Story by Lt.Cmdr. Donnell Evans

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. - Capt. Chris Peterschmidt relieved Capt. Eric Moss as commander

of Coastal Riverine Group 1 during a change of command ceremony at Naval Outlying Landing

Field, Imperial Beach, Calif., April 12.

Moss assumed command of CRG 1, previously titled Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 1,

in July 2011.

"Not a day has gone by during my tour, where I didn't realize and take a moment and think, that

there was a Coastal Riverine Group 1 sailor on duty, and in harm's way, somewhere in the

world," said Moss. "And it was that sailor who guided my own resolve to raise the bar on the

headquarters staff to execute our man, train and equip mission to the fullest effectiveness

possible."

Moss is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned an ensign in

1983. Moss will retire after serving 34 years in the Navy.

Peterschmidt is a graduate of Marquette University and was commissioned an ensign in 1987. He

previously served as Commander, Littoral Ship Squadron One and was directly involved in

deploying littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) on her first Western Pacific deployment to

Singapore in March of 2013.

"I'm excited to be joining this professional group of sailors and leading them in dynamic and

vital mission sets that are important to our Navy and nation," said Peterschmidt. "Having

survived a waterborne improvised explosive attack, I fully understand the nature of the threat

that we face today and how this command can serve to prevent such attacks again in the future."

Coastal Riverine Force operates in harbors, rivers, bays, across the littorals and ashore. The

primary mission of CRF is to conduct maritime security operations across all phases of military

operations by defending high value assets, critical maritime infrastructure, ports and harbors both

inland and on coastal waterways against enemies and when commanded conduct offensive

combat operations.

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