MAYPORT, Fla. –  Military Sealift Command (MSC) rescue and salvage ship, USNS Grasp (T-ARS-51), got underway June 27 and headed for the Caribbean Sea, marking the beginning of Navy Diver-Global Fleet Station (ND-GFS).

About USNS Grasp:   Rescue and salvage ships like Grasp recover objects from the sea, tow stranded vessels and provide firefighting assistance. These ships are able to lift objects as heavy as downed ships and aircraft. The key advantage of these ships is their ability to rapidly deploy divers to conduct rescue and salvage operations.

Did you know…   »    In March, Grasp  recovered two U.S. Air Force F-15C fighter jets from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.  The jets collided and crashed in February.   »    The ship, formally USS Grasp, was decommissioned and transferred to Military Sealift Command on Jan. 19, 2006.   »    After the crash of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane in the Atlantic in 1999, USS Grasp took part in the rescue and salvage mission, finding the wreck of the plane.  In 1996, Grasp took part in the recovery efforts following the crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, N.Y.

Key links: »    More about USNS Grasp »    Military Sealift Command

Directed by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and implemented by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO), ND-GFS is a strategic initiative where a self-sustaining sea-base conducts regional operations through tailored and adaptive packages, and conducts a variety of engagements with partner nations within the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

This is the second GFS deployment to the area (see more on 2007 GFS deployment), which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America and surrounding waters.

“Navy Diver GFS gives us a great opportunity to strengthen maritime capabilities with our regional partners,” said Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson, Jr. “This deployment allows us to share ideas and information with those partners, and goes to show the value of the GFS deployment each year.”

Grasp will execute ND-GFS with embarked support elements from June through September 2008. Those support elements come from Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit Two (MDSU-2), Underwater Construction Team One, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group Two, and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command detachment Combat Camera Norfolk.

ND-GFS, in coordination with partner nations, will conduct specialized operational dives, recompression chamber operations, and diver equipment maintenance. Scheduled open water dive operations will include environmental underwater wreck assessment, unexploded ordinance disposal, and tailored port security dive operations.

Company 23 Commander of MDSU-2, Chief Warrant Officer Guy Inzunsa said, “We have great instructors and plan to teach the U.S. Navy’s diving methods, and hopefully our partner nations will draw toward those methods and want to use them.”

Global Fleet Station’s mission to maintain strong multi-lateral partnerships supports the U.S. Maritime Strategy’s goals of enhancing regional stability and security by promoting multi-national working relationships.

As the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM, NAVSO’s mission is to direct U.S. Naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, Theater Security Cooperation, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

For more information on NAVSO, visit http://www.cusns.navy.mil.