Fleet Timeline
Deployment to Western Pacific
When I reported to Bates, I was told we were to deploy to the Western Pacific for six months in September. No crewmember, except me years ago in USS Sargo, had ever operated in the Pacific, so it was going to be a challenge for all of us. The crew did have a significant amount of operational experience including special operations in the Atlantic, so there was a core competency in the types of operations we would be expected to accomplish. Our challenge was to get ready to deploy.
The ship had a number of material challenges including a contaminated hydraulic system as well as operational challenges in learning the COMSUBPAC processes and protocols for operations. Prior to deploying, a ship must be certified as operational ready to deploy by the parent squadron. That includes attack teacher sessions as well as an at-sea operational period during which many capabilities such as weapons employment, surveillance techniques, sonar search and attack or track, minefield avoidance and others are demonstrated. The skills and teamwork of the Bates crew came through and we were certified to deploy on schedule.