Cellular Bay departed San Diego in path to U.S. seventh Fleet Jan. 3, 2022 to help maritime safety and improve regional stability within the Indo-Pacific. The cruiser served because the air and missile protection commander for CSG-3 and the first escort for the Nimitz-class plane service USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The ship participated in a mess of joint and mixed workouts within the area, together with workouts Jungle Warfare, Noble Fusion and Valiant Defend Upon returning to U.S. third Fleet space of operations, Cellular Bay took half in train Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022.
Halfway by way of deployment, Cellular Bay held a change of command at-sea and transferred the title of commanding officer from Capt. Jeremy Grey to Capt. Brandon Burkett. Burkett mentioned he witnessed an distinctive degree of efficiency from Cellular Bay Sailors all through the rest of the deployment and couldn’t have inherited a extra prepared and succesful crew.
“Cellular Bay Sailors have seldom been alone this deployment, usually working tirelessly alongside many allies and accomplice nations to perform key missions in each the Philippine Sea and South China Sea, displaying the type of interoperability that defines us as a robust Navy,” Burkett mentioned. “Their every day sacrifice and steadfast obligation fills me with admiration and the households they’ve needed to half from throughout this deployment could be justifiably happy with the unimaginable work they’ve performed defending U.S. pursuits within the Indo-Pacific.”
During the deployment, the ship’s hangar bay was house to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71. Whereas aboard, the squadron performed greater than 1,000 hours of flight operations. Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron (HSC) 14 facilitated a number of helicopter restoration and fast-rope drills onto Cellular Bay with Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Cellular Unit (EODMU) 3 launched into Abraham Lincoln.
Throughout RIMPAC 2022, Cellular Bay built-in with Sea Fight Commander Process Pressure (CTF) 170, an embarked workforce consisting of personnel from the Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal Australian Navy, U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. Making use of expertise from Cellular Bay’s South China Sea presence operations, the ship met coaching alternatives within the multi-national train with the identical distinction as actual world eventualities.
“USS Cellular Bay and HSM-71 skilled with many allies in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) throughout RIMPAC occasions,” mentioned Lt. Austin Phillips, a pilot from HSM 71. “Having already tracked submarines all through deployment, our ASW unit was properly ready for the occasions.
Working together with ships from the Japan Maritime Self-Protection Pressure, Royal Canadian Navy and Philippine Navy, in addition to accomplice nation air property, Cellular Bay and its helicopters discovered, tracked and carried out simulated kills towards U.S. submarines to efficiently full the train.”
Whereas deployed, Cellular Bay executed 50 replenishments-at-sea. Working weekly with Commander Process Pressure (CTF) 71, the ship performed a number of fueling-at-sea evolutions with three accomplice nation vessels, Abraham Lincoln and 15 army sealift command ships. In complete, Cellular Bay obtained eight million gallons of gas and 675 pallets of shops.
An integral a part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. third Fleet leads naval forces within the Indo-Pacific and offers the real looking, related coaching essential to flawlessly execute our Navy’s function throughout the total spectrum of army operations—from fight operations to humanitarian help and catastrophe aid. U.S. third Fleet works along with our allies and companions to advance freedom of navigation, the rule of legislation, and different rules that underpin safety for the Indo-Pacific area.
For extra Cellular Bay data, please go to the ship’s web site at https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/cg53/ or www.dvidshub.web/unit/CSG3.
