The last time such a large flotilla of US warships entered the region was in 1971

[Flabbergasted]

Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=21769§ionid=351020402

Five-nation naval drill in Indian Ocean
Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:56:39


A joint naval drill kicks off with warships from India, US, Japan, Australia, and Singapore, flexing their muscles in the Indian Ocean.

The largest-ever war game hosted by the Indian Navy is to be held in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes on September 4-9.

Twenty-six warships from five countries are taking part in the Malabar series of naval exercises at 100 nautical miles west of the Andamans and 500 miles east of the Indian shores in the Bay of Bengal.

This will also be the first time when 26 warships from other nations practice not far from the Indian coastline. The last time such a large flotilla of US warships entered the region was in 1971.

It will be one of the biggest ever peacetime joint military exercises, including anti-piracy, reconnaissance and rescue missions besides honing inter-operability or coordination skills between the navies of the four nations, Indian Navy spokesman Vinay Garg said.

Though there are no official orders from the government on this, the fact is the Indian Navy has decided not to take any Indian journalist for its media coverage.

However, the American side is learnt to be taking some journalists, “mainly their own”. According to a government source, “those being taken by the American side are primarily embedded journalists”.

[slackmaster]

1. Some of them are actually fighting pirates

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=31396

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL28874603.html

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Is anyone else offended by the term war "games"??? I find it to be

extremely offensive. It makes it sound so Friday night football in nature, popcorn hotdogs and an occassional group of casualties.

[hootinholler]

6. Compared to war, they are Monday night football. n/t

[Flabbergasted]

7. What we see on TV "is" Monday Night Football.

[TomInTib]

3. I knew some guys that were in that exercise.

They were SF stationed on a Destroyer Escort with nuke sims (they were guarding said "nukes"). As they were on the starboard rail having a smoke, a Russian sub surface about 100 yards away.

That fucking sub had gone completely undetected by all of those warships.

They said the Brass was crapping in their collective pants.

I didn't believe them until I saw the pics later.

[Flabbergasted]

4. No shit? nt

[TomInTib]

5. Seriously.

Heads rolled.

In '72 I was on a DE called the USS Rathburne (since converted to something else) DE1057 (I think), escorting the USS Enterprise in WestPac and pulling the same duty as my friends were. I was on covalescent leave and that is how the Navy let me spend it, instead of going home to patch up.

The Commander was a total asshole named Chang, the first Chinese-born Commander of a US Naval warship.

Same fucking thing happened except it was not a joint exercise.

And the boat I was on had just come out of drydock in Pearl and had a state-of-the-art rubber sonar dome - the first one ever installed. The boat was the designated pinger of the Carrier Group and totally missed it.

They could've sunk the fucking Enterprise.

Chang lost his command over that one.

I want to send you a hilarious Chang story tomorrow. PM me a reminder, if you will.

[lonestarnot]

9. Sometimes subs loose themselves.

[Thothmes]

11. Ming the merciless

[Thothmes]

12. lost command

Didn't have much of an impact on his career, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and command a Cruiser Destroyer Group in the early 80s

[TomInTib]

14. Really?

He was a motherfucker.

I still have a cap (with scrambled-egg bill) I stole from him and the commissioning pennant from that boat is hanging above my desk. I walked off that stinking ship with it wrapped around my right leg. They knew I had it, but I was SEAL and untouchable.

The cap issue made him crazy.

Did you serve under that rat bastard?

[Selatius]

8. If that's true, they could've sunk a ship or two before we counterattacked

Has military capability suffered that much since the war in Iraq started?

[TomInTib]

10. Get this..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1741027&mesg_id=1741441

[Flabbergasted]

13. morning kick