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Contact: Edward Baxter (65) 6750-2743 Military Sealift Command Far East
2/2/2/2/2 USNS Bowditch completes joint U.S.-Vietnam oceanographic survey mission For the crew of Bowditch, it has been a rewarding experience working with the JPAC and Vietnamese liaisons to complete a mission that has so much meaning to the American people, Farrell said. Bowditch completed 15 survey missions off the coast of Da Nang City, Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri provinces in deep and shallow waters. Bowditchs embarked Hydrographic Survey Launch a 34-foot, 15,000-pound craft that resembles a commercial yacht but carries state-of-the-art survey equipment was deployed to survey waters close to shore. Three JPAC personnel and five of their counterparts from the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons embarked Bowditch for the mission and provided the data collected from underwater surveys to the government of Vietnam. The synergy amongst the U.S. and Vietnamese team has been superb, said Ron Ward, JPAC team leader embarked aboard Bowditch. The Vietnamese government has been very flexible throughout the mission in allowing us to collect as much data as possible. Once all data has been collated, JPAC analysts, including underwater anthropologists, will review the survey results. If warranted, JPAC will schedule future underwater investigations to further define the nature of the targets of interest or conduct underwater recovery operations. Bowditchs survey mission is the second JPAC-sponsored mission by a Pathfinder-class ship to Vietnam, following USNS Bruce C. Heezens search for sunken U.S. aircraft in 2009. Our survey crew was eager to participate and very proud to execute this humanitarian mission along with our Vietnamese colleagues, said Robert Delgado, the senior NAVOCEANO representative aboard Bowditch. NAVOCEANO is the largest subordinate command within the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and is responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to all elements of the Department of Defense. MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, U.S. merchant mariner-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners. ###