Johor Strait Transit

The last time the USS CURTIS WILBUR visited Singapore, we had a berth in the Singapore Navy Base. This time our repairs needed to be done at a different base, Sembawang. To reach Sembawang we entered a narrow strait. It was a little weird for me to be up on the bridge watching a warship navigate waters no wider than a large river. On one side of the strait was Singapore and on the other was Malaysia. As both countries are strong allies I do not think territorial waters came into play. Malaysia would have a role to play in a few weeks.

The strait was interesting, on one side was an industrialized nation with modern buildings, yacht clubs, resorts...etc. One the other, small shacks dotted a coastline dominated by undeveloped forest. The ship steamed past oil refineries and factories farther in and that, along with the smell, brought me back to reality. Now I know why we were told not to swim in the water. People in small boats waved to us as we passed by, they were careful to keep out of our way.

As we neared the base, I could see quite a few merchant ships but no warships. I thought that was interesting for being a naval base. I reflected on what a Chief had told me a few minutes before about why Britain and the U.S. share a base so far inside of Singapore. Apparently during WWII, the Japanese invaded Singapore by crossing the Johor Strait from Malaysia and avoided the main batteries and defenses on the coast. After WWII ended a small base was established to defend Singapore from another similar attack. This base was never intended to permanently support warships. It is an excellent place to resupply and repair ships though, thus it currently serves as a hub for the Supply Corps.

Carrier Escort

After leaving Hong Kong our mission was to escort the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON out of the South China Sea before turning back for maintenance in Singapore. This should only have taken a couple of days. The Chinese had other plans though. As we escorted the carrier back out to sea, elements of the seventh fleet and the JSDF were trying to track a Chinese submarine. They had lost it sometime after it pulled out of port and after plotting the general area it could have been in, the carrier was too close. It was decided that the CURTIS WILBUR would need to provide extra security until the carrier reached the safety of Japanese waters.

Upon reaching Japanese territorial waters, we turned around and headed for Singapore, we were a few days behind schedule for our maintenance period. What was on most of the sailors minds though was the impending port visit. Some of them had scheduled their leave period to coincide with the visit. More details to follow on the jobs done in port.

We steamed back through the South China Sea alone this time. This was the perfect opportunity to cover the port brief. We had just finished our visit to Hong Kong and that was still where some minds were. Singapore was an entirely different port, friendlier yes, but much more strict. In the meantime I was inventorying the stores I had on board and trying to plan for what I needed ahead of time. I still had vivid memories of all the problems last time the ship was in Singapore. I wanted to avoid making the same mistakes.

Hong Kong Finished

The last day of the port visit in Hong Kong found me stuck on the ship for a duty day. I had seen mostly everything I wanted so I was not put off much by this situation. I had my stores on board already and most of the crew was ashore so I settled in for a boring day. My watch was not until much later in the day, although it promised some excitement.

I was chosen to be a boat rider during the time period when curfews started ending for the majority of the crew. That meant picking everyone up from the pier on the last day of their liberty. This was not a pleasant thought, particularly with the carrier in port at the same time.

The sailors on the CURTIS WILBUR actually gave me very few problems, I was surprised by how genial they were acting. The same could not be said for several of the other ships in port. That ended up being the biggest problem for my sailors. They had trouble getting through the crowd to board the right liberty boat. I had security on the pier make several announcements while I was waiting to make sure no one missed out on a ride back. By the time I was relieved only a few Chiefs and Officers remained in Hong Kong. The views of Hong Kong at night are truly breath taking. The pictures I took on my camera do not do it justice.

Stores On-Load/Last Day in Hong Kong

Considering the last day my ship would be anchored would be a duty day for me, I had one more chance to explore Hong Kong. First though, I had a stores on-load to contend with. Up to this point all my stores on-loads had been at a pier. I had intentionally avoided any stores while at anchor because of the logistics involved. I had no choice this time as the kind of stores I would be receiving were still about half the price I would pay for them later on in the next port, Singapore. What I mostly needed were soda and Gatorade.

Pallets had to be unloaded from a boat to the floating pier lashed to the side of the ship. From the floating pier everything was inventoried and then moved up a ladder-well rolling with the waves on the floating pier. I considered this a very dangerous prospect particularly since someone had their foot rolled over the day before. I was literally praying the ship did not take some kind of freak wave while stores were still on the pier. It ended up fine, no one got hurt and all my stores were safely put away in the storerooms.

After the stores on-load was finished most of the Officers had left the ship but one of them had stayed behind to get a little work done. He was waiting for me to finish my stores and then we left. I had been through some of the busier sections of the city, the shops and the markets. This time we walked down one of the main streets and through some of the parks. It was nice just to take in some sights.

Towards the later part of the day, the markets started to open again and I started looking for some new items to compliment my recent acquisitions. I bought some belts, cuff links and then found a nice carved travel size chess set. We found a nice hole in the wall restaurant for dinner. After that we called it a day and went back to the ship early. I needed to catch up on a little sleep since I had duty the next day anyways.

Hong Kong Night Out

The next day after my evening out I was stuck on board since it was my duty day. I had originally tried to schedule a stores on load for today but that fell through. That left me with a fairly boring day watching various groups leave the ship while I was on watch as Officer of the Deck. I did get the chance to watch the port services like CHT collection, water and fuel delivery and trash pickup.

The next day I ended up finding a couple of Officers to go out with. They wanted to go shopping in some of the popular chain stores. I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy a few more fashionable cloths. Most of what I wear is common and starting to get old. We found a trendy store and I thought the prices were reasonable so I bought a couple of dress shirts. I was looking for a more expensive sports jacket but my size was too big for anything they carried. Just for laughs I decided to try on a suit. It actually fit me really well so I ended up buying my first suit. I now have clothing and various items from the Philippines, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong in my collection.

I put on one of the new shirts just bought for a night out in town. Hong Kong has a random assortment of all cultures. Night is completely different from being out during the day. Good luck finding a taxi though. I still do not fit in all that well in nightclubs and bars so I found them a little boring. I am always open to new experiences and visiting new places so I just sat back and took it in. After a few hours it was time to call it quits and go back to the ship again.

Liberty in Hong Kong

For once I was actually able to get off the ship on the first day we arrived in port. I went out with a group of Officers and spent the evening in the city. I did not have any goal or specific place in mind when I left so I just walked around and explored the city with my friends. We did want to get away from the pier and bar scene so we figured out how to use the trains first. They are actually easier to use than the train system in Japan.

After dinner, we ended up at a night market. These markets are established in a couple of streets where people congregate to bargain for popular items like clothing, leather, jewelry and electronics. The electronics in Hong Kong are somewhat suspect and jewelry is usually fake if bought at these markets so I stayed away from those items. The black market is huge and many of the items are knock offs of pricier American commodities.

I was looking for a couple of interesting presents since it was coming up on Christmas and I knew I would be going back to the states to spend it with family. I did end up with a nice leather wallet for myself and an interesting picture of the Great Wall. I also had a chance to test my bargaining skills again. After an hour spent listening to live music in one of the bars, it was curfew time. It was nice to be able to relax for an evening.

Hong Kong Anchorage

As the Japanese ships left to return to port, the USS CURTIS WILBUR joined the carrier strike group as an escort destroyer. Our next assignment was to guard the carrier as it steamed through the South China Sea to Hong Kong. This would serve as another show of force in the region prior to conducting a major 7th Fleet port visit. My ship was not originally scheduled to participate in the port visit but plans changed at the last minute.

I was eager to see how Hong Kong compared to the other two major cities I had seen so far, Manila and Singapore. Each major city has it's own unique flavor and history. As we pulled into the harbor, I got the sense of just how big the city was. A mountain behind the city had been leveled to provide the concrete to build much of the city. Each building was progressively bigger and more ornate. The weather was quite miserable while we were pulling in, dense fog combined with sheeting rain. We were pulling in just ahead of a tropical storm. We anchored out in the harbor since there are no piers capable of supporting warships in Hong Kong. I doubt there will be any such piers anytime in the near future.

With the carrier and several other ships in port for liberty, I knew this was going to get wild. The number of liberty boats going back and forth made for some interesting maneuvering sometimes. I was interested in possibly spending a night in Hong Kong but since our plans had changed at the last minute, hotel rooms had doubled in price ahead of the fleet arrival. I decided not to spend that much money when I could still spend the night on the ship. That did not dissuade many of the crew in finding hotel rooms though.

PHOTOEX

At the end of our mock fleet battles, with the carrier strike group claiming victory. All the American and Japanese ships came together for group photos. This was to be largest fleet formation in anyone's recent memory. There was the carrier, two cruisers, two submarines, a supply ship, and about twenty five destroyers and frigates. In the air were helicopters and fighter planes doing fly overs. Considering that one destroyer carries enough fire power to decimate a small country, you can imagine how impressive it was.

The USS CURTIS WILBUR was chosen to be in the third line of five, three ships back. That put us in the exact middle of the formation. The maneuvering prior to setting up the formation was dangerous. There were warships packed tightly into operating boxes while others where still steaming in groups. I was conning during this time during last watch and pitch black seas. My attention was wavering between the navigational radar and taking bearings on a Japanese destroyer in front of us. All I could see of the destroyer was it's stern light. I was making minor course and speed adjustments all night to stay exactly behind it at the distance required.

When all the ships were positioned correctly a helicopter flew by and took pictures of the formation. All hands were required to stay below decks until the exercise was finished. I was relieved just prior to lining up the formation so I quickly went back to the flight deck to take a look at all the ships around us before going below. It really was an awesome sight, one I may never see again.

U.S. NAVY 7TH FLEET and JSDF

While I was performing my duties as a new Conning Officer, a much more interesting exercise was taking place. The Japanese force we had joined was conducting mock operations against the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON carrier strike group. This would hone both forces battle skills and knowledge. The other major factor being tested was the ability to cooperate during wartime conditions. With a U.S. warship operating within the Japanese fleet, we were able to exchange information and capabilities.

The Japanese fleet was somewhat outmatched to begin with. We had no way of combating the air power that the carrier was using. They had a easy time finding and tracking us. That meant the destroyer escorts could pick us off with harpoon missiles long before we had found them. We were able to score some hits on the destroyers though.

Every time we were hit, we would raise our battle standard flag to indicate that we had been killed. At that point we would leave the engagement and imitate going back to base. Having left the engagement, when we returned we were good as new with all weapons and abilities restored for the next round. This would repeat over and over again for different elements of the exercise.

Since most of the operation was simulated, up on the bridge we were left to wonder what was going on until we were told to change our course or put up the battle standard. We could hear jets screaming over head and a few messages from the Japanese ships but that was about it. I would learn what had transpired at the evening intelligence brief.

Conning Officer

Less than a week after departing from Yokosuka, a new watch bill was adopted. My Supply Officer fought to keep me off the underway watch rotation but we were out of Line Officers. My new watch would be as a Conning Officer. This is the first watch any Officer takes on the bridge. There are normally three Officers on the bridge at all times. The Officer of the Deck (OOD) has the ultimate authority over bridge operations unless the Commanding Officer is there. He decides our course and speed or any other adjustments or decisions that need to be made. The Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) is basically in training to become an OOD. He/She is capable of doing everything the OOD can but needs more practice. The Conning Officer (CONN) issues orders to the helm mostly consisting of course and speed changes. These changes can be issued by either the OOD or by the CONN. The helm can only respond to the CONN's orders though. This is critical and keeps the helm from being confused by multiple sets of orders.

In the couple of weeks I served as Conning Officer, we were mostly steaming in formation with Japanese warships. The most important aspects of this new position were in maintaining speed and course. Distance between ships was very important and adjustments were being at regular intervals. I took distance readings by shooting bearings off the Japanese ships. Most changes were by a few degrees or knots unless the formation was turning. Then the lead or corpen was marked by when she started her new course and followed with our turn in making the change.

Specific commands need to be made based on the degree of the course change or by how many knots the ship will be using. The helm will not respond to incorrect commands and will question mistakes. After a correct command is given, a response is required or the CONN will repeat the order. After the speed or course change has been accomplished the helm repeats the correct course and speed back to the CONN and the CONN acknowledges it. The helm is required to repeat current course and speed until acknowledged by the CONN. The Conning Officer is not allowed to receive calls and must keep his/her eyes forward at all times. It is their responsibility to ensure there is nothing in front of the ship that might not show on the radar.

There was only one day that got my nerves fried, I walked up to bridge one morning in the middle of a thunderstorm. Visibility was measured in meters and I could only occasionally see the ships in front and beside us. Shooting bearings was sometimes impossible since water droplets reflected the laser beam. Navigational radar was off since that sends out an electronic signal that can be tracked by other warships. I could sometimes see the ships and sometimes not, they would fade in and out of dense fog. I learned to look for mast, stern and navigational lights. The navigational lights were important since that would tell me if one the ships were changing course. I was happy when the other line Officers started returning to the ship, bridge duty is definitely not my cup of tea.

Underway

The stores on load this time was coordinated a little bit better than Operation Talisman Saber. The other dominant factor was that I was not trying to fill my storeroom to the brim. I did purchase a number of new items for the crew to try, a little bit of a risk so most quantities were small. Given the fact that the ship was not scheduled to be underway for that long, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out some new items.

As we departed from Yokosuka, there was a noticeable lack of warships left in port. The carrier and its escort group had left several weeks earlier for sea trials after a maintenance period. They would be finishing those trials before we caught up to them but we had no plans of joining the escort, the exact opposite actually. We joined a group of Japanese warships, they represented a significant portion of the JSDF. We were the only American ship in the group. A couple of Japanese Officers joined the crew for the duration of the exercise. We loaned two American Officers to one of the Japanese Destroyers.

Our mission was to attack the carrier strike group. We were to support the Japanese fleet in first preventing the carrier from supporting an amphibious landing and then attacking the amphibious units including the USS ESSEX. Given the fact that many of the junior Officers were attending various classes in the U.S. and back in Japan, manning the watches became difficult. The only two options came down to assigning new Officers to watches or merging the sections. Merging sections would have meant more watches for the remaining Officers. I was selected for my first watch underway, Conning Officer.

Rest and Recuperation

The trip back to Japan was uneventful, we pulled back into port in the morning and most of the crew was able to take the afternoon off. We were scheduled to remain in port for the next few weeks and that would give us some time to rest. I started working on a couple of qualifications I would soon need for my warfare pin including Small Boat Officer.

I was not the only one working on qualifications so a day was scheduled for rhib training. The rhib is a small rigid hull inflatable boat used for both common and special operations. There are two on the deck of every destroyer. It is lowered into the water using a slewing arm davit with the use of lines and pulleys. After the rhib had been placed in the water, I was instructed to climb down a rope ladder from the flight deck to join the boat. One salute to the bridge upon passing and we were off. The rhib is designed to be fast and highly maneuverable. It can turn on a dime but is very difficult to flip. After about an hour of various training situations like deploying a rescue swimmer and docking, we came back to the ship and I climbed back up the ladder. I would need several more rides in the rhib for my qualification to be finished but this gave me a great start.

I started a preliminary count of what the store would need for the next deployment. We were not scheduled to spend that much time at sea. The main goal for the upcoming deployment would be to refurbish the ship for an upcoming inspection called INSURV. I will comment more on this in later posts. I needed to strike a balance between the days we would be at sea and in a foreign port. I also wanted to continue to introduce new items for the crew.

The rest of the time in port was spent documenting areas of the ship in need of repair. Most of these efforts centered on lagging. Lagging is insulation that surrounds piping and bulkheads, it absorbs high temperatures and keeps the systems or bulkheads protected. Over time much of the lagging had deteriorated, fixing it is fairly difficult, my ship has neither the training nor the materials on hand to work those types of jobs. Thus we would be going back to Singapore to have most of the work done there.

At-Sea Operations

After my visit to the museum, I went back to Osan for the evening. It was my birthday after all. I had no wish to spend it sitting on the ship. There was an ulterior motive though, I wanted another blanket. It ended up being a quiet evening, which was fine with me and we did not have any where near as much fun getting back on board the ship that night.

After the crew had stuffed blankets into every nick and cranny of the ship, we received a couple of guests from the South Korean Navy. Unfortunately for me, with most of the staterooms still occupied with senior Officers, I temporarily lost my stateroom. It was only for a few days though. The port visit ended with me handing over a treasury check for port fees.

The South Korean Navy wanted to test their ability to coordinate a fleet exercise. They also included their new aegis destroyer in the mix, it is modeled after American destroyers. The exercises went well, I will not comment on exactly what we did but after a few days out at sea we returned to Pyongtaek and anchored out again for a day. Our South Korean guests departed with my Captain for one last meeting ashore and then operations were completed. It was time to go back to Yokosuka, Japan.