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Navy Expeditionary Combat Command in the News is a service of the NECC Public Affairs
Office and is used to provide senior leadership and interested NECC personnel around the Fleet
with news about the Navy’s expeditionary forces. Please do not repost the Clips to any publicly
accessible website since we must maintain the integrity of copyrighted material.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Coastal Riverine Sailors Injured in Training Mishap
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73373
By Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs
CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – Three Sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10
were injured in a training accident when their 34-foot patrol boat ran aground near Charleston
Harbor April 13.
Navy Divers Recover Sunken Patrol Boat
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73479
By EOD Group 2 Public Affairs
CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit
(MDSU) 2 and contracted salvage personnel successfully raised and returned to shore a sunken
patrol boat (PB 502), April 18.
NMCB 15 arrives in Afghanistan
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105057/nmcb-15-arrives-afghanistan
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Garas
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction
Battalion (NMCB) 15, headquartered out of Belton Mo., arrived in Afghanistan earlier in April
to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
Navy Divers, EOD Promote Science and Aquatic Technology at SeaPerch
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73382
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese, Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Group 2 Public Affairs
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) – Local Navy Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
technicians supported dozens of middle and high school students in the first Tidewater District
NAVY EXPEDITIONARY COMBAT COMMAND
IN THE NEWS

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SeaPerch Challenge held at the aquatics center in the Brittingham-Midtown Community Center
April 13.
Coastal Riverine Group One holds change of command
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105295/coastal-riverine-group-one-holds-change-
command#ixzz2QoYjxHZe
Story by Lt. Cmdr. Donnell Evans
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. – Capt. Chris Peterschmidt relieved Capt. Eric Moss as commander
of Coastal Riverine Group 1 during a change of command ceremony at Naval Outlying Landing
Field, Imperial Beach, Calif., April 12.
Coastal Riverine Sailors Injured in Training Mishap
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73373
By Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs
CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – Three Sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10
were injured in a training accident when their 34-foot patrol boat ran aground near Charleston
Harbor April 13.
The injured Sailors were transiting the boat into the Charleston Harbor as part of routine training
when the incident occurred at 9:41 p.m.
The Sailors were transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where they
are in stable condition.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
CRS 10 is a Navy Reserve unit based in Jacksonville, Fla. Coastal Riverine Force Sailors
conduct port and harbor security, high value asset protection, offensive combat operations and
maritime security operations in rivers, harbors and coastal waterways
Return to Top Stories
Navy Divers Recover Sunken Patrol Boat
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73479
By EOD Group 2 Public Affairs
CHARLESTON, S.C. (NNS) – U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit
(MDSU) 2 and contracted salvage personnel successfully raised and returned to shore a sunken
patrol boat (PB 502), April 18.

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Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 10, a Navy Reserve unit based in Jacksonville, Fla., was
conducting a routine training event sailing from Jacksonville to Charleston when one of their
patrol boats transiting into Charleston Harbor ran aground on a jetty on the south side on the
channel entrance at 9:41 p.m., April 13.
"Salvage operations like this are quite common, we train to respond to all types of incidents from
planes going down to boats sinking and each one brings up its own unique challenges," said
Chief Warrant Officer John Sullivan, MDSU2 operations officer-in-charge of the salvage
operation.
The 34-foot patrol boat was surfaced Thursday morning by Navy Divers from approximately 20
feet of water and was towed to shore by a contracted salvage company.
The 8-person Mobile Diving and Salvage (MDS) Company, MDS Co. 2-4 based in Virginia
Beach, Va., arrived in Charleston Tuesday and worked with local Coast Guard and maritime
officials to determine how to safely recover the submerged vessel by using another similar patrol
boat ashore as a model.
MDSU2 Divers then performed a site survey to determine the extent of damage to the vessel. On
Wednesday and Thursday Divers installed lift points, placed belly bands on the submerged
vessel prior to rigging for lift and recovery, and attached salvage lift bags capable of lifting
22,000 pounds. Once secured, the vessel was carefully brought to the surface Thursday morning
by the lift bags and checked for stability.
"I thought my team did outstanding. This is what we train for," said Sullivan. "We developed a
plan. We executed it, and I thought my team did outstanding."
PB 502 was then towed to the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Tradd Street.
Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 2 is conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the
incident.
MDSU 2 is homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Beach,
Va. and has successfully conducted salvage operations to support TWA Flight 800, Swiss Air
Flight 111, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge
collapse in Minnesota, the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, and recovery of a downed F-16
Fighting Falcon off the coast of Italy.
Return to Top Stories
NMCB 15 arrives in Afghanistan
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105057/nmcb-15-arrives-afghanistan
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Garas
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction
Battalion (NMCB) 15, headquartered out of Belton Mo., arrived in Afghanistan earlier in April

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to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
As the International Security Assistance Force continues to drawdown, NMCB15, operating
under the recently coined name “Task Force True Grit”, is spearheading engineering retrograde
operations.
“We just won’t be in one forward operating base,” said Commander Anthony Spinler, NMCB
15’s Commanding Officer. “Whether it is a squad of twelve or a large detachment of 100 or
more, we tailor ourselves to the task at hand. That’s one of the things that make Seabees unique.”
Upon mission tasking, the Operations Department task tailors’ each project into detachments by
supported commander priority, deploying to locations throughout the area of operations to
support a wide-variety of engineering operations.
Spinler added that this deployment will be different from a standard one in that the number of
tasks is greater and that Seabees will be continuously formed into new teams.
“The missions are a lot shorter,” said Spinler. “They may only be on a job for two weeks before
they return and then reorganize into a new build-team.”
“I think this deployment will be exciting,” said Construction Mechanic 1st Class Justin Bohaty.
“The opportunity to work on many jobs with different people will break-up the monotony and
avoid complacency.”
While deployed, NMCB 15 will be tasked with completing numerous projects in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom, including the drilling of water-wells, camp maintenance and
various deconstruction projects.
NMCB 15 is currently deployed as part of the joint U.S. Theater Engineer Brigade in
Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and is an expeditionary engineering
element of U.S. Naval forces supporting units worldwide through national force readiness,
humanitarian assistance, and building and maintaining infrastructure.
Return to Top Stories
Navy Divers, EOD Promote Science and Aquatic Technology at SeaPerch
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73382
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Randy Savarese, Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Group 2 Public Affairs
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) – Local Navy Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
technicians supported dozens of middle and high school students in the first Tidewater District
SeaPerch Challenge held at the aquatics center in the Brittingham-Midtown Community Center
April 13.

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The SeaPerch Challenge is a one-day design competition featuring student-assembled remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs) with teams of two to four students working together to build, test,
launch, and compete their ROV in the challenge.
U.S. Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 helped setup and provide
technical assistance during the competition, which was judged by volunteers from the U.S. Navy,
Newport News Shipbuilding and Old Dominion University.
"This is great for the kids because they get to use their minds and creativity to overcome the
challenges of building their own ROVs," said Navy Diver 2nd Class Shaun Krall, assigned to
MDSU 2. "We use ROVs for everything from underwater ships husbandry to safely observing
underwater mines. This is great for us too because we can look at what the future of this
technology might look like."
Technicians from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 2 Det. Yorktown were
also on hand to demonstrate the capabilities of the SeaBotix underwater reconnaissance vehicle
and answer questions about some of the practical applications for the technologies showcased
during the event.
"I think it's big for our community to be involved, because we use robotics like these a lot so to
have students able to see what they're working toward is a great opportunity for everyone," said
Lt. Jacob Loeffler, officer in charge assigned to EODMU 2 Det. Yorktown. "It's great to see
school systems investing in these programs."
The engineering and science competition featured a poster competition and a technical water
competition. During the poster competition, students introduced their graphic displays and
delivered oral presentations about their design philosophy and construction challenges, and
answered questions posed by the judges. During the technical water competition, teams
participated in two timed pool competitions featuring an obstacle course and a deep water
retrieval course.
The SeaPerch Program provides students with an opportunity to learn about science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while building an underwater ROV. Throughout the
project, students learn engineering concepts, problem solving, teamwork, and technical
applications.
MDSU 2 is an expeditionary mobile diving unit homeported aboard Joint Expeditionary Base,
Little Creek-Ft. Story in Virginia Beach, Va., and has successfully conducted salvage operations
to support TWA Flight 800, Swiss Air Flight 111, the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia,
and the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.
EODMU 2 provides operational explosive ordnance disposal capability for the location,
identification, rendering safe, recovery, field evaluation and disposal of all explosive ordnance,
including chemical and nuclear weapons.

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U.S. Navy EOD is the world's premier combat force for countering explosive hazards and
conducting expeditionary diving and salvage.
Return to Top Stories
Coastal Riverine Group One holds change of command
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/105295/coastal-riverine-group-one-holds-change-
command#ixzz2QoYjxHZe
Story by Lt.Cmdr. Donnell Evans
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. - Capt. Chris Peterschmidt relieved Capt. Eric Moss as commander
of Coastal Riverine Group 1 during a change of command ceremony at Naval Outlying Landing
Field, Imperial Beach, Calif., April 12.
Moss assumed command of CRG 1, previously titled Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 1,
in July 2011.
"Not a day has gone by during my tour, where I didn't realize and take a moment and think, that
there was a Coastal Riverine Group 1 sailor on duty, and in harm's way, somewhere in the
world," said Moss. "And it was that sailor who guided my own resolve to raise the bar on the
headquarters staff to execute our man, train and equip mission to the fullest effectiveness
possible."
Moss is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned an ensign in
1983. Moss will retire after serving 34 years in the Navy.
Peterschmidt is a graduate of Marquette University and was commissioned an ensign in 1987. He
previously served as Commander, Littoral Ship Squadron One and was directly involved in
deploying littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) on her first Western Pacific deployment to
Singapore in March of 2013.
"I'm excited to be joining this professional group of sailors and leading them in dynamic and
vital mission sets that are important to our Navy and nation," said Peterschmidt. "Having
survived a waterborne improvised explosive attack, I fully understand the nature of the threat
that we face today and how this command can serve to prevent such attacks again in the future."
Coastal Riverine Force operates in harbors, rivers, bays, across the littorals and ashore. The
primary mission of CRF is to conduct maritime security operations across all phases of military
operations by defending high value assets, critical maritime infrastructure, ports and harbors both
inland and on coastal waterways against enemies and when commanded conduct offensive
combat operations.
Return to Top Stories