RIMPAC 2022 SINKEX #2

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Aiko Bongolan, Petty Officer 2nd Class Louis Lea, Petty Officer 2nd Class Maria Llanos, Petty Officer 1st Class Andre Richard

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet

July 26, 2022 | 1:33

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 26, 2022) Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 military forces fired upon and sunk the decommissioned ex-USS Denver (LPD 9), July 22, during a sinking exercise (SINKEX) to gain proficiency in tactics, targeting and live firing against a surface target at sea. SINKEX vessels are put through a certified cleaning process, including removing all environmentally harmful material including trash, floatable material, mercury, fluorocarbon and petroleum. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29-Aug 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy video edited by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andre T. Richard. Contributing videographers include: MC2 Louis Lea, MC2 Maria Llanos, and MC2 Aiko Bongolan)