According to information published by the US DoD on November 8, 2022, Naval forces from the United States, United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completed a weeklong maritime exercise called Nautical Defender in the Persian Gulf.
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Mine countermeasure ship USS Devastator, front, and guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black sail in formation with Royal Saudi Naval Forces ships during exercise Nautical Defender. (Picture source: US DoD)
The multilateral training event involved U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet, UK’s Royal Navy, and observers from regional nations.
Partners focused on maritime security, vessel boarding procedures, explosive ordinance disposal, and other training drills ashore in Saudi Arabia and at sea.
In addition to personnel from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Coast Guard, participating U.S. ships included USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), USS Devastator (MCM 6), USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) and USCGC Robert Goldman (WPB 1142).
NAVCENT is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, and includes maritime forces operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and Bab al-Mandeb.
About the USS Devastator
USS Devastator (MCM-6) is an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship of the United States Navy. Construction of Devastator began on 9 February 1987 when her keel was laid at Peterson Shipbuilders in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Construction was finished and the vessel was launched on 11 June 1988. Devastator was commissioned into the US Navy on 6 October 1990.
The hulls of the Avenger-class ships are constructed of wood with an external coating of fiberglass. The wood used is oak, Douglas fir and Nootka Cypress because of their flexibility, strength, and low weight. This construction allows the hull to withstand a nearby blast from a mine, and also gives the ship a low magnetic signature.
The Avenger-class ships are equipped with four Waukesha-Pearce diesel engines (MCM 1 and 2) or Isotta-Fraschini ID 36SS6V diesel engines (remainder), which are designed to have very low magnetic and acoustic signatures.
Each engine develops 600 horsepower (447.4 kW) (combined 1.79 MW) sustained power, providing a cruising speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) with controllable pitch propellers.
