Photos: Santiago Rivas, Lisandro Amorelli, US Navy
As part of the passage off the Argentine coast of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73), along with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) and the logistics ship USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189), carried out the Gringo Gaucho II exercise together with the Argentine Navy, which highlighted the Meko 360 type destroyers ARA La Argentina (D-11) and ARA Sarandí (D-13), the Meko 140 type corvettes ARA Espora (P-41) and ARA Rosales (P-42), and the Bouchard class OPVs ARA Piedrabuena (P-52), ARA Almirante Storni (P-53) and ARA Contraalmirante Cordero (P-54).
After meeting off the coast of the city of Mar del Plata on Monday, March 27, on the 28th the Argentine ships practiced boarding maneuvers from Sea King helicopters on the flight deck of the OPVs using the fast rope technique.
Subsequently, the patrol vessels ARA Piedrabuena and Storni, together with the corvette ARA Espora, carried out a SAR exercise, while the rest of the ships set sail from the anchorage on the morning of Wednesday the 29th. Once the ships were assembled, tactical maneuvers and evolutions to evaluate the preparation of the crews for the exercises to be carried out with the US ships.
An MH-60S Knighthawk flies near the destroyer ARA La Argentina.
During the anti-aircraft exercise, ARA Sarandí crew members observe the sky in search of the Super Hornet.
An S-61T Triton of the Argentine Navy takes off from the USS George Washington.
The destroyer ARA La Argentina sailing on Friday, May 31.
The ARA La Argentina approaches the USNS John Lenthall to carry out the Light Line exercise.
The ARA La Argentina with a Fennec helicopter on the flight deck.
The USNS John Lenthall from the ARA Sarandí.
The USNS John Lenthall alongside the ARA La Argentina, with the corvette ARA Spora astern.
A RECOVU (In-Flight Refueling) exercise was also carried out where a UH-3H Sea King helicopter from the 2nd Naval Air Helicopter Squadron performed in-flight refueling on the deck of the ARA Sarandí. On the other hand, the AS-555SN Fennec helicopter of the 1st Aeronaval Helicopter Squadron carried out PAYD (Practice of Anevizaje and Takeoff) on the deck of the destroyers. This aircraft operated throughout the year from the ARA La Argentina.
On the morning of the 30th, the encounter was made with the ship John Lenthall and shortly after with the USS Porter southeast of the mouth of the Río de la Plata, carrying out a communications exercise by lighthouses from the bridges of the Argentine Navy ships. and those of the US Navy, beginning preparation for Photoex, a photographic exercise where the ships would adopt a formation to take photographs from an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter of the air wing embarked on the USS George Washington.
The aircraft carrier then approached the formation, sailing at about 30 knots, to remain, after reducing its speed, between the Argentine destroyers and behind the three OPVs. The two Meko 140 corvettes were at the ends of the formation and, behind the destroyers, were the other two American ships. In addition, an MH-60R and an MH-60S helicopter flew over the sides of the aircraft carrier while four F-35C Lightning II, two F-18E/F Super Hornet and two EA-18G Growler made a formation passage, while two E-2C Hawkeye flew alongside a Beechcraft TC-12 Huron of the Naval Air Surveillance Squadron of the Argentine Navy.
An F-35C takes off from the USS George Washington on Thursday, May 30.
View from the stern of the ARA La Argentina.
UH-3H Sea King doing RECOVU of the ARA Sarandí.
An E-2C Hawkeye seen from a Beech TC-12 Huron of the Argentine Navy. Photo Argentine Navy.
Boarding of the USS Porter from the OPV RHIBs.
VRC exercise with the USS Porter, with the RHIBs of the Argentine OPVs and the MH-60S of the US Navy.
Launching the guide to initiate contact in the Light Line exercise between the USNS John Lenthall and the ARA Sarandí.
The three Argentine OPVs along with the USS Porter and the RHIBs deployed.
Observing the sky in search of targets during the anti-aircraft exercise, while measuring the distance with the other ships in the formation.
Boarding of the USS Porter during the VRC exercise using the fast rope method.
The aircraft carrier carried on board part of its embarked wing, made up of Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II aircraft from the VFA-147 Argonauts squadron, Boeing F-18E/F Super Hornet from the VFA-103 Jolly Rogers squadron, and Grumman E-2C Hawkeye from Early Warning Squadron VAW-116 Sun Kings, Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Squadron VAQ-140 Patriots, Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk Anti-Submarine Helicopters from Squadron HSM-46 Grandmasters, and MH-60S Knighthawk Utilities from Squadron HSC-5 Nightdippers .
Once the Photoex was over, the aircraft from the aircraft carrier landed on it, which moved away from the formation of ships and, from then on, operated at a great distance from them. In the afternoon, an anti-aircraft exercise began, where Argentine ships had to provide protection to the Americans against attack by aircraft from the aircraft carriers. During it, two F/A-18 Super Hornets each attacked one of the Meko 360s, operating at very low altitude to simulate an attack with conventional bombs.
In addition, refueling tasks were carried out on the Sea King helicopters from the deck of the two Meko 360s, before the aircraft retreated to Mar del Plata, while at night simulated exercises were carried out at the Combat Information Center (CIC) of ships.
On Friday, the destroyer USS Porter was deployed with the three Argentine OPVs to carry out a VRC (Visit, Search and Capture) exercise, in which a boarding of the destroyer was carried out with personnel from the Tactical Divers Group of the Argentine Navy assigned to aboard the RHIB type vessels of the OPV, while US personnel boarded the ship doing fast rope from an MH-60S.
At the same time, the USNS John Lenthall began a Light Line exercise with the destroyers ARA La Argentina and ARA Sarandí, in which contact is made between the logistics ship and the destroyers through a cape and then passing a line through from which light loads can be passed between both ships.
Approach of the USS George Washington to the formation to do the Photoex.
Ship formation with the USS Porter, the ARA La Argentina and the ARA Contraalmirante Cordero.
The destroyer USS Porter.
S-61T Triton helicopter taking off from ARA Sarandí.
Formation of ships maneuvering during the exercises prior to Photoex.
AS555SN Fennec taking off from ARA Sarandí.
The OPV ARA Piedrabuena next to the USS Porter.
AS555SN Fennec operations. It was the only aircraft deployed with the Argentine ships, since the Sea Kings cannot be stored in the hangars of the destroyers.
In the afternoon, all the ships carried out the last part of the operations, which consisted of an anti-submarine warfare exercise, in which a Seahawk launched a drone that acted simulating being a submarine and the Argentine ships had to protect the USS Porter and the USNS John Lenthall. It should be noted that as soon as the USS Porter reported the presence of a “possible submarine,” the ARA Sarandí established contact with the drone and maintained contact throughout the duration of the exercise, demonstrating the very high level of training of the destroyer crew.
On the night of May 31, the exercise finally ended about 50 miles south of Mar del Plata, with the Argentine ships beginning their return to their bases. The OPVs entered the Mar del Plata Naval Base on the morning of June 1, while the destroyers and corvettes did so at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base. The USNS John Lenthall headed to the port of Ingeniero White to resupply while the USS George Washington and the USS Porter headed to the Strait of Magellan. In a few days they will begin operations with the Chilean Navy in the Pacific Ocean.
The USS George Washington formed with the other Argentine and American ships.
Fennec helicopter taking off from the ARA Sarandí.
UH-3H Sea King helicopter doing RECOVU.
ARA Espora corvette during the last day of the exercise.
An F/A-18E Hornet and an EA-18G Growler in flight.
20 mm cannon on the ARA Sarandí, used during the anti-aircraft exercise along with the ship’s other anti-aircraft weapons.
An F-35C flies over Argentine ships at dusk.
An F-35C snags onto the deck of the aircraft carrier.
Two F-35Cs passing over the Argentine ships.
An MH-60S Knighthawk in flight over formation ships.
The USS George Washington with the ARA La Argentina and the ARA Espora behind.
Formation passage of the Super Hornet, Growler and Lightning II.
Passage of the two E-2C Hawkeye of the US Navy and the Huron of the Argentine Navy.
