Bataan (LHD 5) - Naval Cruise Book

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II Glory Gator Supports Commissioned September 20, 1997, USS BATAAN (LHD 5) is the fifth ship christened into the WASP (LHD 1 ) class and serves as the flagship of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). BATAAN is the second U. S. Navy ship to bear the name BATAAN, following a Light Aircraft Carrier USS BATAAN CVL 29 which served in the Pacific theater during WWII and again during the Korean Conflict. BATAAN, with its complement of 1 ,200 Sailors, is the first U. S. Navy surface combatant ship fitted to accommodate a mixed-gender crew. Fully loaded, BATAAN weighs in at 40.500 tons and is powered by two geared turbines and two shafts capable of producing 70,000 horsepower to drive the ship in access of 25 knots. As a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. BATAAN ' s primary mission is to enable the Navy-Marine Corps Team to accomplish a seamless transition from the sea to the land battle, primarily as the centerpiece of an ARG. During Operation Enduring Freedom, BATAAN ' s ARG, Commanded by Commodore Kenneth Rome Commander of Amphibious Squadron EIGHT, consisted of USS BATAAN (LHD 5), USS SHREVEPORT (LPD 12), USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD 41), and the 26 th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). As Flagship for the ARG, BATAAN hosted a myriad of support elements to include the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, Detachment 18; Fleet Information Warfare Center representatives; SEAL Team EIGHT; and Naval Special Warfare Group TWO. Accompanying the crew were units assigned in support of the LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion vehicle) operations: Naval Beach Group TWO, Assault Craft Unit FOUR and Bcachmaster Unit TWO. On the aviation side was Marine Medium Light Helicopter Squadron 365, with its complement of six AV8 Harriers (Jump Jets), four CH-53E Sea Stallions, two UH-I Hueys, four AH-1 Cobras, and 12 CH-46D Sea Knights. In control of the ARG ' s air space was the staff from Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, along with the pilots and crewmen from Helicopter Support Squadron SIX (HC-6) assigned to BATAAN ' s Search Air Rescue unit. 2J6 itf-IK-m A BATAANs medical facilities, second only in size and capability to those aboard U S. Navy hospital ships, were fully utilized by BATAAN Sailors and Marines from the 26 th MEU(SOC) during the deployment. Its six fully-equipped operating rooms, hospital wards and the intensive care facilities were continually at the ready. The ship ' s four dental suites, medical laboratories and hospital facilities, capable of caring for up to six-hundred patients, provided routine care to 3,200 crewmembers and embarked troops. Doctors and Hospital Corpsmen from the Fleet Surgical Team FOUR embarked BATAAN to augment the ship ' s medical team during the deployment. On 6 December 2001, nine Northern Alliance casualties were received from Camp Rhino, south of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Treatment of the casualties involved 29 surgical procedures that took more than 60 hours and five days of intensive post-operative care. Six of the casualties were transferred for further care and two were returned to Kandahar. As the ARG Flagship, the Amphibious Task Force Commander, Commodore Rome; and Landing Force Commander, Marine Colonel Andy Frick fully utilized the ship ' s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) system capabilities. The 844- ' foot-long amphibious assault ship ' s flight deck saw very few no-fly days as both Navy and Marine Coips pilots and crewmen worked the flight deck at all hours of the day and night, conducting SAR (Search and Rescue), surveillance, reconnaissance and bombing missions. While maintenance and aircraft handlers below decks used the ship ' s two. 50- by 47- foot 75,000-pound capacity deck-edge aircraft elevators to bring the helos and Harriers down to the Hangar Bay where scheduled, unscheduled maintenance and periodic checks were performed. fie: The: 3ied!o BATAAN ' s well deck is 13,600 feet at the ship ' s stern and 267 feet long and 50 feet wide. By design, it simultaneously accommodates three LCACs or two conventional landing craft It can ballast more than 1 5,000 tons of sea water to allow craft to tloat in and out, or troops and their cargo can be flown out of a dry well deck aboard the LCACs. The over-the-horizon ability of the LCAC to provide high speed, ship-to-shore and ii] c sbi|

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In the air

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s Jv in size .;■ illy-equip -ffitaciln fetal suite ingfij care to 3J Operation Enduring Freedom over-the-beach amphibious support in transporting troops, weapons systems and equipment offered the Navy-Marine Corps Team and our allies a new dimension in projecting combat strength ashore. These Wasp-Class ships are the first specifically designed to utilize the Landing Craft Air-Cushioned vehicles for assaults. BATAAN ' s three high-speed heavy-lift craft, capable of carrying a 60-ton cargo from ship to shore at speeds in excess of 40 knots, were the first on shore in Pakistan. The lore Rome; ad .tf.Fncki nmonicaW ; : ne . The844- LCAC ' s cushion of pressurized air enabled it to deliver the MEU(SOC) and its heavy equipment well ashore, unaffected by shallow obstacles and surf conditions, clearing water and land obstacles as high as four feet. At 87-plus feet in length and 47 feet wide, each LCAC employs a crew of five who piloted the crafts, operated the four gas-turbine engines, and assisted in loading and unloading its 67- by 27-foot cargo area. The heavy equipment, military vehicles, and other support equipment brought to the beach by the MEU(SOC) - was tightly compressed within the ship ' s 22,000 square-feet of vehicle space and 100,000 cubic feet of cargo space. As a , team, the ship and embarked MEU(SOC) insert forces ashore via helicopters, landing craft and amphibious vehicles along with tanks, light amphibious vehicles, military and logistical vehicles, artillery, ammunition, and other supplies necessary to fully support the amphibious assault and maintain support to troops ashore for several weeks. The Assault Division operated and maintained the system that synchronized the simultaneous horizontal and vertical movement heavy equipment to and from the LC ACs. Six 1 2,000- pound-capacity-cargo elevators and monorail system employing 1 2,900 feet of track was positioned directly over the ship ' s vehicle storage and well deck to facilitate the ease of movement for loading and unloading the craft. Five 32-foot 6,000-pound capacity cargo monorail trains, traveling at speeds up to 600 feet per minute, were instrumental in loading the LCACs for the beach assault. From the ship ' s command centers and sophisticated command and control sites, the ARG and MEU(SOC) commanders coordinated task force landings and force operations as the missions unfolded. BATAAN ' s numerous air, surface, and fire-control radar painted a three-dimensional picture of the operational theater in excess of 200 miles, giving them a significant advantage during combat. While the mission goes on ashore, the BATAAN and crew work in confidence as the weapons systems in place on the ship are geared for its defense and that of its crew from anti-ship weapons fired from enemy aircraft, surface ships and land bases. These systems include the NATO Sea Sparrow point defense missile system, the rolling airframe missile system, and the Phalanx close-in weapons system. On the ship ' s catwalks are four 50- caliber machine guns and three 25-milimeter machine guns as protection against smaller craft and other more precise targets. Together BATAAN and the 26 ,h MEU(SOC) answered the call and projected its formidable arsenal ashore in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.