Abraham Lincoln CSG Warships Participate in War Game

[ErnstBlofeld]

Navy.Mil:

Four U.S. warships from the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) participated in a war game off the coast of Hawaii Sept. 18 using modern, high-tech tactics in an exercise reminiscent of the naval battles of yore.

Guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) teamed up with guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) against destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86) and USS Momsen (DDG 92) to engage in a battle of wits and maneuvering to see who would reign supreme in an epic battle of the seas.

The pairs began the exercise on either side of the Hawaiian Islands. Each team limited the use of their radars and communications systems for stealth and began their search for the "enemy."

"We developed an in-depth plan based on enemy capabilities and limitations. Using that, we positioned ourselves optimally to maintain our stealth and execute the tactics we would expect to see used against us in an open-ocean fight." said Shoup's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Joe Nadeau, a native of San Diego.

MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters were launched from Shoup and Momsen to positively identify Halsey using their on board radar and forward looking infrared imagery. Once positive identification was made, Momsen "sunk" Halsey with a salvo of two "missiles" and continued their search for Cape St. George.

"The Air Department demonstrated their flexibility and importance in developing a detailed tactical plot," said Lt. L. A. Gonzalez, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Momsen's chief engineer and tactical action officer during the exercise. "Using our Group's helicopter detachments we were able to track the enemy at range and engage at will."

This, however, gave away Shoup and Momsen's position, and Cape St. George returned "fire," "sinking" both Shoup and Momsen to win the battle.

The four ships, along with the rest of Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, conduct regular training and perform exercises to ensure a constant state of mission readiness.

The strike group is currently underway on a scheduled deployment to the 7th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility in support of the nation's Maritime Strategy.

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the flagship of CSG 9, which consists of embarked Carrier Air Wing 2, Cape St. George and the embarked Destroyer Squadron 9, which includes Momsen and Shoup, as well as the San Diego-based destroyers Halsey and USS Sterett (DDG 104).