HSC-28 DET ONE pilots after pulling into port: (l-r) LT Daniel “Zu Ko” Aguilera, LTJG Michael “Koopa” Swan, LT Daniel “Therapist” Moyer, LT Gerard “Junior” Dimone, LT Richard “Mush” Mehlamann, LCDR Scott “Smoke” Moak, LT Jaclyn “Mildred” Hoch. Photo taken by LT Geoffrey “Tartar” Cliff, USN.
of USS Mount Whitney …this was a perfect opportunity for a photo op. After a morning fly-by from a section of F/A-18s, the ships joined in formation. HSC-28 and HSC-6 launched with photographers for a PHOTO EX. In another coordinated effort, USS Mount Whitney, USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Nimitz all received a distress call from an unknown vessel 140 miles away. The initial report was a sinking vessel with 150 souls onboard. All three ships turned toward the vessel in distress and launched rotary wing assets. It turns out the ship calling in distress was, in fact, just requiring food and water. They only wanted supplies and all their personnel refused to disembark. Ultimately, this turned out to be one of the most expensive water deliveries in U.S. history. Supporting diplomacy was a central part of our effort during this
deployment. Once in the Black Sea, we visited ports in Georgia, Romania, and Bulgaria where the ship held receptions attended by high level dignitaries. The ship hosted mayors, governors, senior military officials, some of whom came from outside the host country or host city. Senior military officers from China and Iraq even came aboard. Each of our pilots was expected to be present, either shaking hands at the reception or manning the static display. At a luncheon pier side, a few of us ended up dancing with Romanian royalty. We got to share our operational knowledge as well. The Georgian Coast Guard visited and asked for courses in leadership. The Romanian Navy wanted to do DLQs aboard the Mount Whitney, so the Ghostriders briefed them on how our air operations worked and helped assist during the evolution. Ghostriders were interviewed by local news multiple
Rotor Review # 123 Winter ‘14
24
times; one of the news crews even wanted to know why some of the pilots and aircrew grew mustaches. In addition to unique port calls, we were treated to spectacular views through the Messina, Dardanelles and Bosporus straits. Through it all though, we never forgot that we were ultimately a military vessel in foreign waters. Immediately upon entering the Black Sea we could see various foreign ships following us as we transited, no doubt observing our operations and reporting them back to home. The Ghostriders were presented with unique challenges during this underway and excelled in true expeditionary fashion. We built relationships with other countries, made some great memories, and even snapped a few photos. We were able to serve not just as Sailors, but as diplomats – it was an experience none of us will ever forget.