Operation Tailisman Saber Part I

So I have spent the last few months mentioning this operation, the USS CURTIS WILBUR's schedule for the last half year was built around performing an important role in this event. I will break it down by the set up process, events that took place over the course of a couple of weeks and then the concluding ceremonies.

As an ally of a foreign nation, we follow their laws and customs while in their territorial waters. Australia had some unfamiliar restrictions and observances. The largest impact upon the Supply Department was in how we disposed of trash. In the open ocean, paper and metal is periodically dumped over the side. It quickly degrades in the ocean and no harm is done. A weight is tied around the refuse before being dumped over the side to ensure the waste sinks and does not foul our props. Plastic is compacted into discs and stored until they can be unloaded by a supply ship or port. In Australian waters, the locations of the dumps needed to be reported, many areas were protected because of impact on reefs.

One more additional duty was imposed on the ship. Upon sighting any marine mammals, i.e. dolphins, porpoises and whales or sea turtles, we were required to identify the animal, describe it's activity observed and record the location of the sighting. We did end up seeing one whale although the sighting was fast. There were two official videos describing this process shown to the watchstanders. One was from the US and the other was Australian. No comments on which was better.

The ship positioned just north of Darwin, Australia, not to be confused with the frigate that was still in the task force. Much of the time we could actually see land. There were several in-briefs given to the Officers prior to the operation's start. Much of the operation would be simulated given the need for a large amount of resources and manpower. The simulation and real life operations modeled themselves to represent a current threat that might be faced in the near future. With territorial laws established, the ship in the right position and the briefs done, the operation was about to begin.