Naval Oceanography Executes Mine Warfare Countermeasures at RIMPAC 2016

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Throughout the month of July, civilian personnel from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) worked alongside a military detachment from the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC) to support mine warfare countermeasures at the 2016 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in San Diego.

NAVOCEANO civilians and NOMWC Sailors worked together both afloat and ashore, providing tactical environmental updates to on-scene mine countermeasures commanders.

According to NOMWC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Jody Powers, "The teams' contact fusion and change detection recommendations directly contributed to the reduction of mine clearance timelines."

Throughout the exercise, NOMWC personnel deployed from Naval Base Point Loma on rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to conduct a survey of San Diego Harbor using unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to collect sidescan sonar data. NOMWC can utilize up to four UUVs in multiple locations within the survey area simultaneously, with each UUV collecting data for 4-6 hours before being recovered.

Meanwhile, naval oceanography personnel from both NAVOCEANO and NOMWC manned the centralized data fusion cell on Point Loma, processing the survey data as it was collected to update tactically relevant databases. The mine-like contacts were fused with existing contacts collected by other assets, and changes were detected by comparing the newly collected data to historical data and imagery. Recommendations were then made on which contacts required further engagement, such as diver identification.

In addition to work conducted at Point Loma, representatives from NAVOCEANO and NOMWC were embarked on amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) and littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) throughout RIMPAC conducting the same type of analysis on survey data collected at sea.

Both commands, working under the operational leadership of Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at John C. Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi, often work side-by-side during exercises such as RIMPAC.

"NAVOCEANO's civilian workforce was an integral part of the tactical mine warfare operations conducted during RIMPAC," said NAVOCEANO Commanding Officer Capt. Greg Ireton, who leads a predominantly civilian command of nearly 800 personnel. "The data fusion cell has been a game changer in the way we process data -- a testament to the successful operational partnership between naval oceanography's civilian and military components supporting the warfighter."

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