On June 1st, 2024, the Combined Naval Exercise PASSEX “Gringo-Gaucho II” between the Argentine Navy and the United States Navy came to a close. This significant milestone in the relationship between the naval forces of both countries took place 150 miles off the coast of Mar del Plata and involved a large number of naval assets, as well as a substantial contingent of personnel. In this regard, the Argentine Navy’s Sea Fleet managed to mobilize a number of vessels as the country had not done in a long time, deploying various types of ships in the operational area, including destroyers, corvettes, and ocean patrol vessels, in addition to fast boats, helicopters, and patrol aircraft.
The activity, which lasted for three intense days, involved the following Argentine Navy assets from the Destroyer Division, Corvette Division, and Maritime Patrol Division:
- ARA La Argentina (D-11)
- ARA Sarandí (D-13)
- ARA Rosales (P-42)
- ARA Espora (P-41)
- ARA Contraalmirante Cordero (P-54)
- ARA Piedrabuena (P-53)
- ARA Almirante Storni (P-52)
On the side of the United States Navy, the following assets were deployed:
- USS George Washington (CVN-73)
- USS Porter (DDG-78)
- USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)
The vessels were also supported by their respective naval aviation components, such as elements of the 1st Naval Helicopter Squadron with an AS-555 Fennec system and two Sea Kings from the 2nd Naval Helicopter Squadron. Additionally, the United States deployed their fifth-generation F-35C Lightning II fighters from VFA-147 “Argonauts,” F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter bombers from VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers,” E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft assigned to VAW-116 “Sun Kings,” EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft from VAQ-140 “Patriots,” MH-60R Seahawk multi-purpose helicopters from HSM-46 “Grandmasters,” and MH-60S from HSC-5 “Nightdippers.”
The impressive deployment of the Argentine Navy, with its seven surface assets, required extraordinary readiness efforts in the weeks leading up to the start of the activities agreed upon by both navies, aiming to have the largest number of operational assets with embarked personnel, exceeding a thousand men and women.
The combined air-naval activities, which Zona Militar was able to follow throughout all the days of execution, began with a Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise after departing from the anchorage area off the coast of Mar del Plata. During this phase of activities, the ocean patrol vessels conducted Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) exercises with one of the MEKO 140 corvettes. On the same Wednesday, with the departure to the rendezvous area with the U.S. vessels, the transit was conducted simulating a submarine threat scenario.
By Thursday, the scheduled day for the start of the combined activity, and during the early hours, the 7 Argentine ships conducted rendezvous maneuvers with the U.S. group led by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, forming a general formation for the PHOTOEX (Photographic Exercise), with U.S. assets in the center and Argentine vessels as escorts.
After the aerial imaging session, air defense exercises followed with the overflight of F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35C aircraft, simulating an attack on surface assets. In this case, the main Argentine assets, with the coordination of their Combat Information Centers (CIC), simulated tracking and anti-aircraft defense with their integrated systems, including Aspide missiles, Bofors 40mm and 127mm cannons. Also, on this day, the first institutional exchanges took place, with the arrival of a delegation of just over 30 people on the USS George Washington via Sea King and MH-60 helicopters.
The third day of activities began with flight operations of Naval Aviation and the U.S. Navy, systems that carried out the transfer and exchange of personnel between the forces, as well as the transfer of authorities. Subsequently, the USNS John Lenthall conducted light line activity with the Argentine destroyers, followed by different configurations and maneuvers, one of them being anti-submarine exercises.
On this same day, the formation split, with the three Argentine OPVs operating with the USS Porter, carrying out a visit, board, search, and seizure exercise aboard the guided-missile destroyer. Elements of the Tactical Divers Group and the Maritime Patrol DVRC participated in this activity.
A very interesting point for the Zona Militar team that accompanied the Argentine Navy throughout all the activities was a nighttime transfer in RHIB from the ARA Sarandí destroyer to the ARA Contraalmirante Cordero patrol boat, a situation that occurred with the highest safety and professionalism standards by the institution’s personnel.
In the upcoming releases on Zona Militar, we will delve into the details of the activities of the deployed vessels and assets, always focusing on the excellent performance of the Argentine Navy during the activities conducted.
Acknowledgments: Argentine Navy, the crew of ARA Sarandí, and the crew of ARA Contraalmirante Cordero.
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