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Rotor Review Fall 2023 # 162 "So Others May Live"
Exercise Tarpon Springs, A Warfighting Skills Exercise Created by Aicrewmen for Aircrewmen
By AWSCS Matthew Estep, USN, CHSCWL
Photo: A Rescue Swimmer and SAR Medical Technician insert to the deck of a simulated stricken LCAC. Photo by MCSN Marie Rosales, USN
Often in the Rotary Wing Community, challenges arise when it comes to training for a current or future mission. More often than not, the mission is identified as something that needs training for proficiency, but opportunities to conduct that training are few and far between. Commander Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic (CHSCWL) Senior Enlisted Aircrewmen decided to do something about it, and Exercise Tarpon Springs was born.
In 2019, a small group of Senior MH-60S Enlisted Aircrewmen identified prior to the hurricane season that should a Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) or a Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission arise, helicopter crews throughout CHSCWL would respond to situations in which regular training did not address the skills needed to effectively operate and save lives in a disaster situation. The Senior Enlisted Aircrewmen proposed a training exercise to focus on these tangible skill sets to better prepare our community for maritime personnel recovery in a dynamic environment. This proposed exercise was dubbed “Tarpon Springs.” The initial Tarpon Springs Exercise was aimed solely at terminal area tactics in confined areas that would potentially be encountered such as live hoisting from treetops, live insertion of rescue Aircrewmen into small areas with multiple obstacles surrounding the insertion zone, and in water recovery operations in high current areas. Over the years, Exercise Tarpon Springs evolved from practicing skills aimed at HADR / DSCA operations to spearheading our community’s preparation for maritime personnel recovery dominance within the Strategic Power Competition.
The Fall 2023 Exercise Tarpon Springs was the sixth and most robust iteration yet, encompassing unit elements from the 1st Marine Division supported by elements of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, surface elements from Assault Craft Unit 4 based out of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Virginia, E-2 fixed wing elements from the “Seahawks” of VAW-126, and MH-60S rotary wing elements from the “Dragon Whales” of HSC-28 and the “Fleet Angels” of HSC-2. This iteration of Tarpon Springs was conducted over two days and was centered around a multi-day beach assault by Marine units supported by various Naval elements. The exercise took place on October 3rd and 4th and was divided between Onslow Beach, North Carolina, and the northern areas of the Chesapeake Bay.
Day One of Tarpon Springs was centered around a simulated LCAC assault and water survivor recovery exercises. While infilling Marines to the beach, the LCAC simulated striking a mine that critically damaged the vessel and caused an explosion throwing Marines from the craft into the water. Crews from HSC-2 and HSC-28, with airborne flight routing provided by a VAW-126 E-2 aircraft, carried out a long range Personnel Recovery (PR) mission, launching from Naval Station Norfolk and flying a distance of approximately 184nm to affect the recovery of survivors. HSC-28’s crew, identified as the Primary PR flight asset, was tasked with flying from Naval Station Norfolk, refueling at Elizabeth City, NC, and then flying the entirety of the mission without refueling in order to simulate the distance challenges that are anticipated in future maritime warfighting environments. During the flight, HSC-28’s Aircrewmen and SAR Medical Technicians (SMTs) conducted long range critical patient care, sharpened their medical skills, and experienced a small taste of what it would be like to keep a patient alive in the back of a helicopter over a long distance mission.
While HSC-28 focused on the long range rescues with limited fuel, HSC-2 was conducting training with the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion boat teams performing dozens of iterations of in-water survivor recovery. The focus of these evolutions was to become proficient in hoisting and recovering off small boats and in-zone patient turnover. Multiple lessons learned and training points were identified during Day One’s operations. The most valuable was identifying the need for dual internal auxiliary tanks to be installed in any MH-60S that will carry out long range PR missions. This exercise also identified the need for further integration of MH-60S and E-2 crews, outside of deployments, to practice flight routing and airborne control maneuvering due to identified communication complications between the airborne aircraft.
Day Two of Tarpon Springs simulated two LCACs performing an exfiltration from a hostile beach that became disabled due to engine fires causing an abandon craft situation that encompassed 25 survivors with multiple critically wounded personnel unable to enter the water. Flight crews from HSC-28 and HSC-2 performed recovery operations from both the decks of two LCACs and the waters surrounding the craft. The focus of these evolutions was hoisting from the deck of an LCAC as neither the MH-60S crews nor the LCAC crews had any experience in the past performing such a maneuver. The day was divided into two operational windows, with two HSC-2 aircraft flying the first window and two HSC-28 aircraft flying the second.
Day Two of Tarpon Springs simulated two LCACs performing an exfiltration from a hostile beach that became disabled due to engine fires causing an abandon craft situation that encompassed 25 survivors with multiple critically wounded personnel unable to enter the water. Flight crews from HSC-28 and HSC-2 performed recovery operations from both the decks of two LCACs and the waters surrounding the craft. The focus of these evolutions was hoisting from the deck of an LCAC as neither the MH-60S crews nor the LCAC crews had any experience in the past performing such a maneuver. The day was divided into two operational windows, with two HSC-2 aircraft flying the first window and two HSC-28 aircraft flying the second.
As the simulation began, aircrews were required to first locate the stricken LCACs. Once on scene, they assessed the situation and executed recovery operations as individual aircrews deemed necessary. Multiple casualties were located onboard the LCACs dictating the need for Rescue Swimmer and SAR Medical Technician insertion to the stricken craft for on-deck triage and recovery via multiple different rescue devices. While one aircraft performed recovery operations from a stricken LCAC, the second aircraft effected a simultaneous recovery of multiple in-water survivors and the transport of those survivors to a beach landing zone for patient turnover. Flight crews were required to perform inter aircraft de-confliction of recovery operations as well as keep track of a multitude of survivor injuries. Lessons learned from Day Two’s operations highlighted the need for a higher level of medical training for Naval Rescue Swimmers as well as the importance of training with units that we as a community do not train with as often. The likelihood of encountering people we know in wartime operations is low, and having multiple squadrons interacting with multiple LCAC crews increased proficiency in communicating with different units in the simulated high risk environment of survivors in the water.
The sixth iteration of Tarpon Springs was a great success, both in the coordination and execution of the flight crews and supporting units and in the gathering of training points to be used in future exercises and deployments. The evidence of highly trained personnel throughout the exercise was apparent to all. Tarpon Springs proved itself to be an invaluable training experience, both for the flight crews involved and all of the personnel striving to make each iteration a relevant and increasingly challenging exercise. This exercise, with all of the lessons learned and skill development gained, would not be possible without highly motivated individuals across all enlisted paygrades focused on creating and executing Tarpon Springs. Hopefully, Tarpon Springs continues to be what it is, a quarterly exercise developed by Aicrewmen for Aircrewmen aimed at the development and refinement of skills needed in the next fight. With continued motivation and an ever expanding support structure, we truly hope to cement Tarpon Springs as a cornerstone of Naval Aviation training.
