Posted on 02/09/2006 8:29:10 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
EagleSpeak Blog, run by a former Captain, USNR (ret.), notes the recent "stand-up" of Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Five (NCWRON-5) near San Diego recently. Once at full strength, 325 sailors will go to war in a fleet of speedy 34-foot, SeaARK Marine aluminum-hull boats (likely Dauntless Class) equipped with .50-caliber and 7.62mm machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers. The boats cost $500,000, and can be loaded quickly aboard Air Force C-17 transport jets for quick transport to trouble spots. SeaARK boats of these types are also in use by civilian agencies like the NYC Police and National Park Police.
Is this part of a trend? It most certainly is...
The San Diego Union-Tribune notes that Navy officials quietly started organizing the squadron in September 2004 around the lightly-used Naval Outlying Landing Field in Imperial Beach, near the Tijuana River. This was about the same time that US Maritime Force Protection Command (MARFPCOM) was stood up, with the mission of consolidating the expeditionary units the Navy deploys overseas to protect ships, aircraft and bases from terrorist attack.
In April 2005, MARFPCOM's sailors, patrol boats, underwater explosive ordnance disposal groups; Mobile Diving and Salvage Units ,(MDSU); the Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Force (NAVELSF); and Naval Construction Forces Command (NCFC, aka the "Seabees") were reorganized under a new Echelon III type command: the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) which oversees NCWRON-5.
As NECC Commander Rear Adm. Donald Bullard told the San Diego Union-Tribune, "We've had to expand to this battle space, because that's where the terrorists are... We need to interdict. We need to go find, fix and kill."
Given that mission, which will certainly involve relatively close-quarters firefights, protection such as gun shields does appear to be rather sparse. Likewise, such ships will need the kind of high-accuracy firepower overmatch that could easily sink a hostile craft like the bomb-laden suicide attackers of the USS Cole.
Other countries with similar missions and problems are taking somewhat different approaches the to firepower/protection aspect going forward. Singapore is beginning to use Spartan Unmanned Surface vessels, which will soon be armed with stabilized remote weapon mounts that may even sport Hellfire or Javelin anti-armor missiles. Israel uses larger patrol craft like its 25-meter Super Dvoras, armed with the versatile Typhoon stabilized naval remote-control weapons system for accurate firepower overmatch. Typhoon comes in different sizes, and can be fitted with machine guns, autocannon (most common), and even anti-armor or air defense missiles.
The San Diego Union-Tribune report also notes that Chief Petty Officer Napoleon Bryant handpicked each of the sailors, "looking for those with the physical and mental toughness to stand up to long patrols in small boats on rough seas." Future squadrons under NECC may benefit from the advent of fast M-Hull ships, which address that physical problem directly by significantly reducing the pounding small boat crews receive. The MS40 patrol craft is based on the same technologies used in the SEALs' 88-foot Stiletto stealth ship.
Moving to the big picture, Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Five will be part of the US Navy's renewed attention to creating a "brown water," or riverine force. This has been done before; perhaps the best-known instance in modern times was the Vietnam War's "Swift Boats" and "gator navy".
Yet sites like River Vets remind us that even the Swift Boats were just one component of the Navy's total riverine force, which included up-gunned and up-armored "Monitors" and even LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) from World War 2 and Korea. As the USS Snohomish County [LST 1126] site explains, many were recommissioned and used extensively in the Vietnam War, delivering men and equipment up-river, patrolling, and acting as "Mother ships" for Swift boats, small patrol boats, helicopters and their troops. "These Mother Ship LSTs provided a nesting area for the small crafts to replenish their ammunition, take on fuel, and needed supplies, make repairs, and perform maintenance while alongside the LST."
LSTs continue to serve in this role in modern times. Singapore is sending a Singaporean LST [RSS Endeavour] to patrol Iraq's coast, where a number of NECC's sailors are already stationed. As the MINDEF release notes, "During its deployment, RSS Endeavour will provide logistics support for coalition vessels and helicopters, conduct patrols and boarding operations, and protect the waters around key oil terminals."
Members of the Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron Five (NCWRON-5) stand in formation in front of SeaARK patrol boats during their commissioning ceremony at Naval Outlying Landing Field in Imperial Beach. NCWRON-5 will give the Navy an improved in-shore warfighting element and assist in maritime security missions. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Damien Horvath (RELEASED) 
Singaporean Navy LST Endeavor.
ping
Thanks for the post.
This is perfect for Persian Gulf operations if Iran gets to uppity.
Cute little picket boats.
Many of our potential enemies have little in the way of deep water ships – but they have some great little coastal patrol boats – armed with heavy guns, automatic cannon and missiles. I would like to see our Navy do something to answer these threats.
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BRAVO ZULU... all it needs to be perfect is a MiniGun up front and a couple TOW tubes cause they prolly have a few Stingers in the wheelhouse. I was thinking the same about the mini-gun. Just wonder how well they would endure salt water conditions.
I propose we just find and "fix" the terrorists, and turn 'em loose - the psychological effect would be priceless!
While the article refers to 1,250 ton frigates as “major” warships, their role is pretty much limited to coastal defense. We need shallow draft heavily armed coastal craft to counter these. Our airpower can easily take them out – but jets can’t hang around an area for any length of time.
How does the Coast Guard fit into all this?
A-10s?
Very funny, but hardly relevant.
Silkworm is an ANTI-SHIP missile, not designed to go after 30' speedboats. I would fire (maybe even execute) any commander who would fire a Silkworm (or similar) weapon against a 30', aluminum speedboat. You save those weapons for actual threats (like Aegis cruisers or Burke-class DD's with Cruise Missiles) or Carriers. Otherwise, it's using a sledgehammer to kill a waterbug.
Truth is, these boats are designed to bolster a capability we're lacking in (riverine ops, penetration of inland waterways, backing up the SEALS, etc). The only way to counter/defeat them is to divert assets from things like Silkworms and spend them on fighting the tiny bathtubs.
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