FORMIDABLE IN HAWAII

Sailors and airmen on board the RSS Formidable share their experiences, as the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) frigate leads four other warships in this year's Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.

RSS Formidable berthed at Pearl Harbour, during the shore phase of RIMPAC.

Row upon row of warships, with their towering grey masts, lined the basin of Pearl Harbour. A quick count of those in view put the number at 10.

But in fact, more than 40 warships, six submarines, 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel from 22 participating nations gathered in Hawaii, United States (US), for the biennial RIMPAC exercise from 27 Jun to 7 Aug.

Most significantly for the RSN, this year's version of the world's largest maritime warfare exercise saw the RSS Formidable commanding a Combined Task Unit (CTU) comprising four other warships from Australia, Canada, Japan and the US - the HMAS Darwin, HMCS Ottawa, JDS Myoko and USS Paul Hamilton respectively.

CPT Han (right) discussing drills with crew from the other ships of the same CTU at Pearl Harbour.

Planning for success

In preparation for the increased responsibility, the RSN started work as early as December last year. Much of the ground work fell on the shoulders of Major (MAJ) Edwin Chen and Captain (CPT) Esmond Han, both Operations Officers on board RSS Formidable.

According to CPT Han, they began with planning for training serials the CTU had to execute. RIMPAC begins with several serials of various naval warfighting drills before transiting into war games. The duo also looked into details such as communications protocols and information links between the CTU ships.

"Each naval force has its own way of executing certain things, so we really had to find the best ways to conduct each serial," explained CPT Han, who was overall in charge of the planning.

"Having interacted with some of the foreign navies before in other exercises made things easier, but there was still much to do."

While active participation of naval helicopters within the CTU enhanced detection and surveillance capabilities, there was the added element of risk which air operations brought.

"We were very concerned about air safety measures, not just for our own helicopters, but for all our CTU ships so that everyone could have a safe exercise," said CPT Han.

It was decided that the RSS Formidable would conduct flight-deck familiarisation briefings for the foreign pilots who would be landing on the frigate over the course of the exercise.

On 6 Jul, a half-day briefing session gave foreign pilots and their air crew a thorough understanding of various procedures unique to the RSN.

"There was a lot of information which needed to be understood by all the ships in our CTU," explained MAJ Chen.

This included getting to know one another's limitations and capabilities, as well as how each of the warships could participate in the various serials.

Prepared at sea

The thorough preparations were put to the test over 24 days from 10 Jul as the CTU conducted combined anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air exercise serials.

Whenever the serials were under way, the Combat Information Centre (CIC) on board RSS Formidable was abuzz with activity as principal warfare officers seamlessly directed and coordinated other CTU ships to neutralise simulated threats.

The exercise saw the inaugural participation of the S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter. During the anti-submarine serial, the S-70B's dipping sonar, an advanced underwater detection capability, was used to complement the RSS Formidable's on-board sonar systems.

"The crew performed very well, coming from the shore to the sea phase of RIMPAC. We prepared well and this showed during the conduct of the serials," said Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Ong Chee Wei, Commanding Officer, RSS Formidable.

Two on target

Another feather was added to the RSN's cap with the successful live firing of two Harpoon Surface-to-Surface missiles on 14 Jul. As they received news that both missiles had hit their target, the usually silent CIC broke into cheers.

A complex operation which involves the entire ship, firing two missiles at the target increases the chances of a direct hit as opposing forces will have less time to deal with multiple incoming missiles.

Again, planning played a pivotal role in the successful live firing. MAJ Chen and his team of warfare officers had conducted training sessions to prepare themselves for possible scenarios.

Together with his team, he spent a total of about three months working through contingency plans and preparing for the live firing.

Though the CIC would be the nerve centre during the live-firing operation, every single crew member had to know what was happening. "We needed everyone to be familiar with the various measures and activities on board so that we could have a successful and safe live firing," explained MAJ Chen.

The thorough preparation certainly paid off, as LTC Ong commented: "The actual firing was very much like the rehearsals that we had carried out over and over. The crew was well-drilled and knew what was going on every step of the way."

Tight ship

Each time the S-70B helicopter took off or landed, there would be a team of both Navy and Air Force personnel supporting the operation on the flight deck. This included Military Expert (ME) 2 Beh Yong Heng, a Sensor Supervisor from 123 Squadron.

"Other than the colour of the uniforms we wore, it was very difficult to tell Navy and Air Force people apart," said ME2 Beh, who operates the helicopter's sonar system to hunt for and deter submarines from foiling the CTU's missions during RIMPAC 2012.

The need for close coordination was also seen on the bridge of the RSS Formidable where the ship is steered. It was also where Full-time National Serviceman Corporal (CPL) Justin Lim, a Radar and Navigation Specialist, kept a close eye on any potential dangers, such as other vessels and underwater obstacles, while the ship was in motion.

He recalled times when the RSS Formidable had to traverse difficult stretches of sea such as the Balabac and Surigao straits, near the Philippines, en route to Hawaii.

"The sea lanes were tight and there was a high density of ships in those shallow straits," explained CPL Lim, who was tasked to take photographs of navigational markers such as buoys, so that they could share the information with other RSN ships.

Then there were those who looked after the health of the ship from within, such as Military Expert (ME) 2 Jasmine Ang. An Electrical Control Systems Supervisor, ME2 Ang and her team are responsible for virtually all the electrical systems on board, ranging from the weapon systems to the air-conditioning.

For RIMPAC 2012, she had to ensure that there were enough spares on board to deal with defects. "Because of the extended sailing period, we planned for spares which would last us for about three months, including those that needed regular maintenance."

Said ME2 Ang of life on board: "The ship is like a small moving island and everyone has to take care of one another."

RIMPAC 2012 concluded on 7 Aug, and the RSS Formidable will return to Singapore in early September.