Dynamic Monarch/ Kurtaran Media Day is Held

Exercise Dynamic Monarch / Kurtaran-21, hosted by Turkish Naval Forces, is being conducted by submarines, surface and air assets under the command of COMSUBNATO between 12-24 September off the coast of Aksaz / Marmaris. The media day is held on September 20th, and distinguished visitors day will be held tomorrow. 

Turkey is the host country where the USA, Canada, Italy and Greece are contributors. Qatar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Spain and Indonesia are observant countries.

Media day started with the briefing held at Aksaz naval base. Journalists embarked on TCG ALEMDAR Submarine Rescue Mother Ship (MOSHIP). They headed towards the exercise area to see the rescue procedures.

According to the exercise scenario, a submarine sank, some mariners surfaced and gave the emergency signal to locate themselves. An aircraft reached the area with Submarine Parachute Assistance Group (SPAG) on board. Their primary role is to establish a communication line with the distressed submarine and relay information back to headquarters for rescue planning.

The rescue team reached the mariners and carried them to the ship for medical treatment. The medical problems associated with rescuing the distressed submarine crew are taken care of first at the ship. Submariners received treatment for hypothermia and rapid changes in pressure. They were taken to pressurised rooms.

Submariners who did not suffer from rapid pressure changes but could be taken to hospital from air platforms are diverted to helicopters. An AS-532 search and rescue helicopter landed on the helideck and took a patient to a hospital.

As the second part of the drill, a submarine was laid on the sea bed at 92-meter depth. The Alemdar sent its Rescue Operating Vehicle (ROV) to transfer the crew from the submarine to the vessel.

Gür Class TCG Çanakkale (S-358), Preveze Class TCG Anafartalar (S-356) Italian ITS Todaro U-212A Class submarine at the drill. TCG Gemlik (Gabya Class / former Perry class), TCG Bayraktar (Amphibious Landing Ship/ command and control ship of the drill), TCG Akın Submarine Rescue and Towing Ship, Tuzla Class Patrol Boat I-2, Aydın class TCG Akçakoca minehunter ship are participant surface ships. Turkish coast guard command has a coast guard boat on the sea.

CASA/P-235 Meltem 2 maritime aircraft, SeaHawk SH-70 ASW helicopter, AS-532 Cougar search and rescue helicopter, C-130 military transport aircraft are Turkish air platforms. US Navy P-8 Poseidon naval patrol aircraft for ASW takes place at the drill.

The building of the TCG ALEMDAR started in 2011. It was designed by the Turkish company SEFT based on the SNR-MOSHIP. Istanbul Shipyard built it in Tuzla, Turkey. TCG Alemdar entered service with the Turkish Naval Forces Command in January 2017.

The ship is intended for several surface and underwater missions, such as search and rescue of submarine personnel, towing broken down. Wrecked surface ships, removal of underwater debris, and underwater repair works.

MOSHIP provides life support to the personnel of a distressed submarine with the National and NATO deep water rescue vehicles and enables the rescue of submarine personnel up to the 600-meter depth and undertaking surface ship rescue missions and underwater operations wreckage removal work.

Even though its main mission is to save the crew from a sinking submarine, the ship can detect very deep underwater vehicles (submarines, aeroplanes, ships). It can save all personnel by providing life support up to 72 hours and 600-meter depth.

Alemdar MOSHIP design and features

The Alemdar MOSHIP is constructed following military standards and class rules and features a steel monohull structure. Its bulbous bow reduces drag, increasing speed and fuel efficiency. The main deck features a 650m2 clear aft deck area.

It can transport up to 130 people, including crew members, rescue personnel, and crew in distress. It can hold 48 tonnes of freshwater, 21 tonnes of JP-5 jet fuel, and 863 tonnes of marine naval fuel.

The Turkish Navy’s MOSHIP is installed with the various navigation and communications systems, including the ASELSAN inertial navigation system (INS), navigation radar, communication systems, gyrocompass, sonar systems, and underwater acoustics capability.

Additionally, ASELSAN electro-optic (IR/LLTV) sensors have been installed to provide the crew with 360° reconnaissance and surveillance in all lighting conditions.

These include HARDSUIT atmospheric diving suits (ADS), personnel transfer capsules (PTC), a McCann submarine rescue chamber (SRC), launch and recovery system (LARS), and a towed side-scan sonar system.

It also features transfer-under-pressure equipment, dive systems, a NATO submarine rescue system (NSRS), a US submarine rescue diving and recompression system (SRDRS) and post-modern decompression/recompression pressure chambers.

Additionally, there is a submarine ventilation system, a pressurised breathing air system, and a HeO2 mixed gas system.

The vessel is equipped with two interconnected L-type SRV connectible pressure chambers to accommodate up to 32 survivors.

A flight deck is installed behind the bridge structure amidships to accommodate helicopter operations. In contrast, the aft deck features a hydraulic/telescopic crane for rescue system deployment and recovery.

Additionally, the MOSHIP is equipped with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), and two rescue boats to aid in rescue operations.

Propulsion and performance of MOSHIP

The rescue vessel offers a maximum speed of 18k and an optimum speed of 14k. It can travel to a range of 4,500nm at 14k speed with a 30-day autonomy period.

Russian submarine Kursk sank in 2000 September, killing 118 Russian submariners. This is how the submarine rescue cooperation idea was born. In 2003, NATO established the international hub of submariners. It can go anywhere to save a life. Italy, the USA, Turkey, the UK have rescue chambers and rescue mini-submarines. Each system has its own benefits. It depends on the conditions, with submarine rescue chambers. They are very good at working in shallow water. In deeper, more difficult conditions are in limited use. You need a proper rescue vehicle. France, Norway and the UK established a hub using NATO’s systems to save mariners in 72 hours anywhere in the world. This rescue vehicle can rescue submariners from depths up to 600 meters

General Information