The Phoenix Submarine Rescue Team deployed on board the M/V HOS DOMINATOR completed submarine rescue operations off the coast of Catalina Island, which culminated in a satisfactory Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE) by Undersea Rescue Command’s (URC) parent command (Submarine Squadron ELEVEN) to maintain certification of the operators and equipment for independent operations.
This periodic evaluation specifically certified URC and Phoenix to participate in the eighth iteration of the CHILEMAR exercise in San Diego waters and the SSN RESCUEX this fall in Alaska.
The SSN RESCUEX will be the first time that the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS) will mate with a US submarine.
Following the ORE certification and a brief in port period, the Phoenix team proceeded back to sea with URC to participate in the CHILEMAR VIII rescue exercise. Using the Phoenix designed and built Sibitzky Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), the team located and surveyed a bottomed Chilean submarine and then launched the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) to mate with and transfer personnel from the submarine to the surface.
The PRM mated with the Chilean submarine three times, and the Phoenix/URC team conducted simultaneous SRDRS and ROV operations. The team also operated the Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) portion of SRDRS as part of the exercise scenario. Final certification of TUP will occur in the near future with Phoenix assuming full maintenance responsibility.