We are in Rota, Spain now... but let me tell you about Rhodes, Greece where we came from about a week ago... Somehow I always seem to have duty on the first day upon pulling into port. This isn't so bad however because that isthe best day to have it in my book. You aren't allowed to leave the ship so you can get some work finished that you don't normally have time to do and work on those quals, get some extra sleep, do that dirty laundry, and by golly maybe just watch a movie. So, I didn't mind spending the first day onboard in Greece as well as now in Spain. Rhodes is a beautiful place and one of the islands of Greece. I had 2 full days there. I took a tour the first day scheduled through the MWR onboard and saw the "the Old City" theAcropolis on Mt. Philerimos, also the presumed location of the Collosus of Greece where currently there are 2 towers in a harbor, and old amphitheater and colloseum, as well as the Palace of the Grand Master. This was all very cool and old. Definitely reminded me of those old Greecian war movies..with the old walls and cobblestone streets. The tour was only the morning. That afternoon we had gyros and some divine gelato. We spent the afternoon shopping in the Old City among the winding streets. We came back to dump our stuff on the ship and the plan was to go out later.. but I fell asleep.Thank goodness I set my alarm for before quarters the next day. The second day morning I shopped some more in the Old Town. I had a crepe filled with bananas and nutella. That stuff was super popular there for some reason. I personally thought it was hilarious... It made me reminesce of 2nd grade when that was kind of cool to have a nutella sandwich at lunch. We had some superb iced coffee drinks to put a jump start to the day too. We made our way through the old section and to the new section of the city. Here we decided to conclude our shopping and hoofed it back to the shuttle bus to the ship. I bought so much stuff in Greece. We then dropped off our stuff and packed our bags to go to Lindos,Greece. We were very lucky to receive a lift from no other than the Greek Abassador to America and the American Ambassador to Greece who were rolling by in a lovely black mercedes after spending the morning with the CO of my ship. They graciously took us to the ATM on the other side of the city and set us up with a wonderful taxi driver to take us all the way to Lindoswithout getting ripped off. I was told that where I was sitting in theMercedes not even a week ago the Commander of European Naval Forces had sat as well as the Assistant Secretary of State! The first taxi driver didn't know much English and we, unfortunately didn't know much Greek. Needless tosay that 1 hr and 25 min taxi ride down the coast to the historic town of Lindos, Greece was uneventful conversationally. The landscape, however, was magnificent. It was stereotypical Greek land I guess you could say. Somevery rocky mountains and random goats crossing the road with glimpses of theMediterranean off to the side of the road. Upon arrival to Lindos we grabbed some more gyros for a late afternoon bite to eat. These were much better than the first ones for some reason. Lindos is a little town of white stucco buildings all built along the base and up the mountain where this old Acropolis structure stands. It looks like a castle and it is the highest part on the horizon. There is a little cove with beaches there too. Therewere some resorts but not obnoxious American type. More like the smallromantic type of setting. The town of Lindos had even more narrow streets than the Old Town in Rhodes. We decided not to walk to the top of the mountain so we hitched a donkey ride instead. Yes, I rode on the top of a donkey up a mountain. When we got to the top the view was very picturistic and a "Kodak Moment"... we decided to walk down the mountain since the ride up was a little sketchy. What was left of a cobblestone pathway was extremely slick due to the hundred/ thousands of years of wear so the donkeys would loose their footing along the cliff edge. After the mountain trip we headed down to the beach for some R&R. We rented some chairs and a thatched umbrella, bathroom and changing room services for 2 Euros. Pretty good deal. There were some restaurants on the sand so we got hooked up with some drinks and baclava. Divine. We finally got a rideback to the Old City from Lindos around sundown and had a wonderful taxidriver. He had good English skills and had been driving for about 22 years.He said literally all the taxi drivers knew him in Rhodes... we asked b/c he kept waving at everyone. We verified this later by asking the taxi driverto the ship if they knew "Yani"... it was funny. We ordered a "Greek platter"... which was a spread of traditional food just like we wanted...Their liquor they were known for is Ouzo and it tastes like black licorice. Its the kind that is good for about 2 sips worth and then is very strong. We concluded with more gelato...It was a wonderful time in Greece. Very beautiful... I can see why there were about 9 different cruise ships thatpulled in and out during our time in port there. Definitely recommend going... try to combine it with some other isles though. I'm in Rota, Spain now.

-So I've seen about 5 shooting stars the past few days in the middle of the night.....
-Been through the Suez Canal... with Egypt on both sides.... Got a pic of the "Welcome to Egypt" Sign in English and Egyptian...saw some cool statues along the way...got up close and personal with some cargo vessels...
-Survived a swarm of circling helos at 0100 that very well could have been hostile.. They engaged CIWS due to an unidentified aircode... (no IFF, Comms, anything.... 4 circling for 2 hrs!)....currently working on 3 hrs of sleep from last night....
-AND... I'm in Rhodes, Greece.. in the Mediterranean... with 3 cruise liner ships next to ours-- beautiful mountains with a castle and the Acropolis waiting for me tomorrow... you can see Turkey across the water...

I have duty today- OOD In-port Under Instruction.. watched all the stores, mail, and waste be taken up right after we moored. I have gotten a lot of work done this afternoon and evening. Finished the "Shiphandling" module on Division Officer at Sea software this morning while on watch in Aft Steering. I think I'm going to pic a movie and watch it tonight. Our tour is at 0800 in the morning until noon. Then the plan is to go to the beach, shopping and hit up the restaurants, bars, clubs. Should be a good day. You wouldn't believe the Suez Canal! It is about a football and a half wide and has to be dredged to be deep enough in some places for the larger ships to go through. There were armed soldiers stationed all the way along the canal about every 100 yds. We had a helo escort to begin with and then we had these large jeeps that drove alongside us on the land for security. We had the Egyptian pilots come on the ship to help drive us because they were the experts on courses to steer. We treated them and their escorts like Naval Officers and served them food on the bridge. We all liked this because routinely that is not allowed while standing watch on the bridge. We should be in Rhodes for a bit. The dates got changed because of the ships going to help with the hurricane relief in the Gulf that were supposed to come over here. So, we are probably going to have to pick up the slack for them.

The sun is just barely over the horizon in the Fifth Fleet AOR and the Boatswain’s Mate of the Watch onboard the USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) can already be heard piping and calling out, “Man the boat deck. Set gun quarters. Muster the VBSS Team (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Team) in the VBSS locker.” The ship’s Combat Information Center (CIC) and navigation team have been carefully tracking a dhow through the night to ensure a successful early morning wake-up call on this suspect vessel.

Gunston Hall was deployed in May 2005 as part of a wave of surge deployments to fight the Global War on Terrorism. It has been a busy deployment so far for the crew ensuring that they stand true to the ship’s motto, “Defending the Constitution”. When she is not escorting U.S. Navy Submarines, performing exercises with the French, Saudi Arabians, and Pakistanis, the ship is conducting VBSS operations.

“We find it an honor that we were surged for the War on Terror to the Gulf. As a member of the US Navy it is our duty to defend and ensure safety upon our land. This mission is the ultimate opportunity to express patriotism to our country. We are making the most of every day”, said Gunston Hall Commanding Officer, CDR Thomas M. Negus.

With the ever-growing concern of terrorism since 11 September, the Navy has decided to take the War on Terrorism to the Arabian Gulf and conduct Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO). The goal of MIO is to inspect 100% of all cargo vessels while collecting intelligence concerning International Terrorist Organization (ITO) shipping and high traffic area characteristics. Gunston Hall’s VBSS teams have played a pivotal role in these operations.

“Gunston Hall is the first Navy ship to effectively and efficiently launch VBSS teams on LCUs. It is an exciting concept with unlimited potential”, commented LCDR John McLaughlin, Boarding Officer for VBSS Team One.

As the two nine-man VBSS teams prepare to conduct a boarding they share the 7-meter and 11-meter Rubber Hull Inflated Boat (RHIB) on the boat deck. “One thing we have learned this deployment is that LSDs are an ideal platform for VBSS and MIO missions. The speed and maneuverability of the rhibs onboard combined with the logistical support offered by the LCUs make the job easy”, said Gunston Hall’s Operations Officer, LTjg Joseph Johansen.

The VBSS teams board dhows, the typical boat in the region used for shipping and fishing, on a regular basis, looking for any evidence of illicit cargo and/or human smuggling as well as any intelligence evidence of ties to ITO. “Gunston Hall’s VBSS teams have been able to draw actionable intelligence and develop trust with vessels it has come in contact with along the way”, said McLaughlin, also the ship’s Dental Officer. After gaining trust of the crew

“We have to balance the scales between being too aggressive in boarding vessels for inspection, and gathering important information in regards to local traffic patterns and activity. There is a fine line that you must follow in order to gain proper cooperation. They have to understand our ultimate goals can benefit them, and if possible, a rapport should be established. This actually takes quite a bit of trial an error”, commented the Intelligence Photographer from VBSS Team One, OS2 Jeb Kramer.

The process of boarding a dhow or any vessel is usually dependent upon the ship’s current mission. “If we are not operating under the guidance of specific operation, the Task Force Commander will grant permission to board vessels base on intelligence and the Commanding Officer’s recommendation.” said LTjg Benjamin Eastburn, Boarding Officer for VBSS Team Two.

“We are doing more than actively searching for International Terrorist Organization’s activities,” explained Eastburn, a Fairfield, IA native. “The VBSS teams are also ambassadors for the United States, developing good rapport and stilling trust in the fight for the people’s hearts and minds.”
At the end of the boarding another vessel has been cleared by the “World Famous” Gunston Hall, water and oranges given to the crew of the dhow, and greetings exchanged by skippers. With a friendly smile and wave the VBSS team turns back toward “home” knowing they have done their part to fight the War of Terrorism.

The USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) is currently deployed and fighting the War on Terror in the Middle East. There is much anticipation to see successful results from a new kind of Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) using the amphibious platform. If results are positive then future Naval anti-terrorist operations will be able to expand and create a more effective line of defense against terrorist organizations.

The early 1990s and the end of Operation Desert Storm marked a new era for Naval tactics and the economy. With the objective to enforce UN oil sanctions against Iraq, the Navy created Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) Teams. The VBSS teams were initially tasked with the mission to board ships and tankers to deter illegal oil shipping.

After 11 September, however, the mission of VBSS teams has evolved to fit an age of anti-terrorism rather than simple economic sanctions. The new VBSS teams are a more sophisticated effort actively detecting, denying, and deterring International Terrorist Organizations (ITO), weapons smugglers, and people traffickers in Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO). This new focus of VBSS teams requires the effort of the entire ship for success. A timeline of training is necessary for effective development of VBSS teams within a ship.

“The USS Gunston Hall’s VBSS team spent thousands of hours in preparation prior to deployment in order to be prepared for our current mission”, stated LCDR John McLaughlin, Boarding Officer for VBSS Team One.

Starting in the Fall of 2004, Gunston Hall aggressively recruited sailors within her crew that met requirements for VBSS in preparation for their future deployment. Apart from being physically fit and advanced swimmers, the members selected encompass a wide array of specialties, ranging from engineers, deck hands, and medics, to weapon operators and photo intelligence. VBSS team members are required to be non-compliant boarding qualified under the newly developed criteria for VBSS and MIO Operations. To achieve this, team members must go through four schools prior to going to a three-week team trainer to prepare for hostile reactions to a ship boarding.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go to the non-compliant school for VBSS, due to the ship’s operational commitment to the surge deployment”, said LTjg Benjamin Eastburn, Boarding Officer for VBSS Team Two. “However, we were able to receive some refresher training from the schoolhouses and worked with ourselves conducting self-defense training and simulated boardings. We also put ourselves through a rigorous training regimen every morning to prepare for the demands of the region”.

Gunston Hall went far beyond only training a top-notch VBSS team. Next, expert navigation, operation, logistic, and communication support was assembled onboard to provide a real-time information flow to remotely located agencies. The Supply and Communications departments purchased, developed, and implemented new equipment for front-line testing.

“Our outstanding communications team is devoted to maintaining communications connectivity and creating fast ways to deliver information to our commanders, planners, and analysts in support of the Global War on Terrorism”, commented ITC Carlos Tilliman.

There is no doubt that every department plays an important roll in this mission. If there were to be one missing link, the chain of events for a successful evolution would not occur.

“VBSS and MIO operations involve a tremendous amount of total ship involvement. The boarding team is what many see as the end product of MIO. However, within the ship, you have the operations department and Bridge personnel tracking vessels, Deck department ready to launch rhibs and issue weapons, Supply ensuring the VBSS team is equipped with humanitarian assistance items, the Engineers keep the powertrain up to get us where we need to be and Medical is always on standby for the bumps and bruises”, said LCDR McLaughlin.

“ ‘Operational excellence through training readiness’ is our motto onboard the Gunston Hall. A well carried out mission is directly linked to the level of knowledge of everyone. If we are equipped for the mission we can actively detect, deter, and deny the enemy”, emphasized Gunston Hall’s Commanding Officer, CDR Thomas M. Negus.
In this new era of MIO intensive operations, “World Famous” Gunston Hall has expanded the primitive VBSS vision of small boarding teams to a 350 sailor mission within the War on Terror that covers vast areas of the ocean.

Some randomness...So I'm officially the next Combat Information Center Officer (CICO) after the current Assistant Operations Officer (AST OPS) leaves and then the current CICO will become AST OPS for the next month to help me out until he leaves. Watched "War of the Worlds" for Wardroom movie night tonight. Man-- that movie was intense.. and grotesque in places... but I thought it was good overall. Next Saturday we are watching "Fantastic 4". I'm lucky I haven't seen these yet.. it makes it that much better along with the fact that the Wardroom Mess foots the bill for candy/ popcorn/ and sodas from the ship store for the weekly event and one of the officers foots the "near beer". We were supposed to have a man-overboard drill today but the seas were to choppy, etc. to launch the 11m rhib. It has been postponed for tomorrow. Never fear-- I got some "Williamson" turns (a way to turn the ship around from the current course that is being steered when a man-overboard is called) in tonight on the midwatch because we were just going along a 10nm track back and forth the whole time. There should be 2 articles I wrote for the ship on here soon. They both talk about what we are doing in general terms. I was sick the other day for about 48 hrs. A few others were too.. symptoms of an upset stomach for "both ends". Who knows what it was. OH--- I'M SO EXCITED! So, apparently I'm sensitive to the ship water. I get dry hands that peel when being exposed to it only for short periods of time along with some mouth sores. There are a few other officers the same way onboard. MY BRITA WATER FILTER came in the mail....yes, the fam sent it! The water tastes like Dasani or something really tasty fresh from the mountains. Needless to continue saying my quality of life has increase :) Tomorrow morning is "late sleepers" where there is no reveille and nothing really is scheduled to starts until 1pm. That is of course unless we find a dhow to board in the morning. Lastly--- man I wish I were back at UVA now. College football is on 1 of the 4 channels we receive here and it is killing me knowing I am missing UVA games in the fall. The pastel popped collars... tailgates... parties... and the "sea of orange"..Have fun guys!!