Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2018 U. S. N N


The ship performed convoy escort mis- sions in the Atlantic Ocean before being transferred to the Pacifi c. The ship also participated in combat operations off Balik- papan, Borneo in the summer of 1945. After conducting peacetime training and upkeep following the end of World War II, the ship was decommissioned on June 28, 1949.


Patrol Squadron 10 Conducts Search and Rescue for Argentinian Submarine By Lt. j.g. Britana Cremean, Patrol Squad- ron 10 Public Aff airs


The R/V Atlantis, a U.S. Navy owned research vessel, is loaded with the Cable-controlled Un- dersea Recovery Vehicle (CURVE-21) in Comodoro Rivadavia on Dec. 4, 2017. The CURVE is designed to meet deep ocean salvage requirements down to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet and will be used in support of the Argentine Navy search eff orts of the ARA San Juan


(S-42). (U.S. Navy photo)


the heroism of their loved one. Dr. Steve Sloan is the great-nephew of


Chaplain Schmitt. Although he never met Schmitt - who was known in the family as “Father Al” - Sloan says the story was a topic of discussion at every family holiday gathering when he was growing up. “We would talk about what happened,


how many Sailors he helped escape, and what went on - we would kind of relive it every holiday and it became a bit of a tradi- tion. So we’re very excited about the medal. I think for the older people in the family it’s a form of closure, but for the rest of us, our hope is that this is just the beginning of the story; that with the return of his remains and the presentation of the medal, his story will become known to a whole new generation.”\ According to the Navy’s Nonresident


Training Course History of the Chaplain Corps, Part 2, Schmitt was hearing con- fessions aboard Oklahoma when four tor- pedoes hit the port side of the ship. As the vessel began to list to port, the crew tried to escape. Schmitt made his way with several


others to a compartment in which an open porthole - a small, circular window in the outer hull of the ship - aff orded a means of escape. One by one, the Sailors in the space, with Schmitt’s help, crawled through the porthole to safety. When they were all out, Schmitt at-


tempted to get through the small opening. Even with the frantic assistance off ered by the men who were already out, Schmitt struggled to get through the porthole. During the attempt to escape, the chaplain became aware that others had come into the compart- ment from which he was trying to escape. Realizing that the water was rising rapidly and that even this one exit would soon be closed, Schmitt insisted on being pushed back to help others who could get through more easily, urging them on with a blessing. As water poured into the ship, she grad-


ually rolled over, and settled on the bottom of the harbor. More than 400 Oklahoma Sailors, including Schmitt, lost their lives. Named after the chaplain, USS Schmitt (DE 676) was commissioned July 24, 1943.


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Having recently supported detachments in support of Hurricane Irma humanitarian operations and Joint Warrior/Formidable Shield inter- national exercises, the Patrol Squadron (VP) 10 “Red Lancers” once again packed their bags to answer the call to serve. VP 10 launched a single P-8A Poseidon


with a full crew and support personnel, Nov. 18, to conduct search and rescue operations for the Argentinian submarine ARA San Juan that was reported missing, Nov. 15. Shortly after leaving dock, the ARA


San Juan reported malfunctions with the electrical system after water leaked through the submarine’s snorkel. Forty-four crew members were aboard the submarine as it started its transit to its homeport of Mad del Plata, Argentina. The search and rescue eff orts began after several failed communi- cation attempts with the ARA San Juan. The last known position of the submarine was several hundreds of miles off the eastern coast of Argentina. Since its disappearance, 18 countries


have sent both air and sea platforms in hopes of locating the missing ARA San Juan. Two P-8As, one each from VP 10 and VP 5, have been actively searching for the ARA San Juan by using acoustic sensors on the airplane to locate the submarine’s position. The Red Lancers have been crucial in the search eff orts, as the P-8A is capable of investigating large areas in a timely manner in order to focus the search eff orts to a more specifi c region. Lt. Garrett Middleton, patrol plane


commander of the VP 10 crew in Argenti- na, stated that, “The reason we are here is very unfortunate, but it has been extremely rewarding to work closely with the Argen- tinian navy and provide hope to the families of the missing crewmembers.” Over the course of approximately two


DISCOUNT POWER TOOLS CORDED POWER TOOLS CORDLESS POWER TOOLS FUELED POWER TOOLS PNEUMATIC POWER TOOLS FASTENERS HAND TOOLS


MATERIAL HANDLING


POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES SAFETY SUPPLIES WELDING SUPPLIES


weeks, the Red Lancers have fl own six missions for a total of 53 hours. While the detachment of Red Lancers missed Thanks- giving with their families, they answered our nation’s higher call to serve others in need.


WHOI Ship Atlantis Launches New Mission to Find Missing Argentinian Submarine Research vessel loads Navy deep-diving vehicle


The U.S. research vessel Atlantis will


launch a search-and-recovery mission for the missing Argentinian submarine ARG San Juan—equipped with a U.S. Navy re- motely operated vehicle (ROV) fl own down to Argentina. Atlantis, operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), docked Dec. 2 in the Argentinian port of Comodoro Rivadavia to mobilize the U. S. Navy’s Ca- ble-operated Underwater Recovery Vehicle (CURV) that was fl own in from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Dec. 1. Since Nov. 21, Atlantis had joined a number of ships in the area in a search for the subma- rine, which went missing Nov. 15 with 44 crew members aboard. Atlantis will load CURV aboard and is scheduled to depart on its new mission on Dec. 7. The 6,400-pound CURV is equipped


with sonar to detect targets in the deep and high-resolution camera systems. It can dive to 20,000 feet and is controlled by a cabled tether that also transmits real-time data back to the ship. If the sub is located, the CURV will conduct a close-up inspection, docu- ment its condition, and perhaps fi nd clues to determine the cause of the accident. Atlantis has often been the platform to


launch the WHOI-operated ROV Jason and is well suited to the task. “Atlantis is a very capable ship and has a very experienced crew for conducting complex underwater vehicle operations,” said Rob Munier, vice president for marine facilities and opera- tions at WHOI. Atlantis, which is owned by the U.S.


Navy, was en route to a planned oceano- graphic mission in the South Atlantic when Navy offi cials diverted it to head to the area where last communications were received from the San Juan. The ship used its sophis- ticated multibeam sonar and an underwater communications system to search areas prescribed by the Argentinian Navy. Crew members monitored the equipment around the clock—work that was demanding and emotionally laden. The port stop allowed the ship to change crews, refuel, and load CURV and its containerized control room and accompanying equipment. CURV will be operated by Phoenix


International. Phoenix and WHOI have worked together before, including on a 2010 expedition to return to explore the wreckage of Titanic. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti- tution is a private, non-profi t organization


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