On Thursday, July 28, 37 ships and two submarines belonging to multi-national forces took part in an impressive group sail photo op during the annual Rim of the Pacific exercise near the Hawaiian Islands. Before the U.S. Navy shared the impressive image, though, one Twitter user was quick to point out the cluster of satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracks off the coast of Kauai and shared the findings online ahead of the official release.
According to the U.S. Navy, 26 nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 30 unmanned systems, approximately 170 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in this year’s overall RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4. Thursday’s photo op, also referred to as a PHOTOEX, included two of those submarines and 37 of the ships after the Peruvian Navy’s BAP Almirante Guise corvette caught fire July 17 and was removed from the exercise. Online flight tracking data shared also revealed that a General Atomics MQ-9B was flying above the armada during the display. The War Zone reached out to our friend Amelia Smith, or @ameliaairheart on Twitter, who first shared the satellite AIS tracks, to ask how she managed to spot the formation.
“A friend of mine noticed a cluster of Satellite AIS tracks off the coast of Kauai, but wasn’t able to see what they were, and they were kind of out of order,” wrote Amelia Smith, a freelance analyst with a focus on defense and military aviation. “I took a look at it with a paid VesselFinder account which let me see what those satellite tracks are and saw the nice grid pattern.”
Smith also noted in her tweet that the Los Angeles class submarine USS Charlotte (SSN-766) and the Republic of Korea Navy’s Sohn Won-yil class submarine Shin Dol-seok (SS-082) were at one point leading the pack as the ships prepared the formation, but the submarines eventually fell back and flanked the fleet for the final snapshot. Leading the charge, in the end, was the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. In fact, Twitter user @whatismoo shared a helpful graphic using the photo from the exercise, that matches Amelia Smith’s AIS plot, to detail each and every vessel that participated in the grand demonstration.
The multi-national RIMPAC 2022 PHOTOEX fleet included:
- U.S. Navy’s Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
- U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles class submarine USS Charlotte (SSN-766)
- Five unspecified U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyers
- U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101)
- U.S. Navy Wasp class landing helicopter dock USS Essex (LHD-2)
- U.S. Navy Kaiser class replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187)
- U.S. Navy Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11)
- U.S. Navy Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG-53)
- U.S. Coast Guard Legend class cutter USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757)
- Republic of Korea Navy’s Sohn Won-yil class submarine Shin Dol-seok (SS-082)
- Republic of Korea Navy’s Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976)
- Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado (LPH-6112)
- Republic of Korea Navy Sejong the Great class guided missile destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991)
- Royal Australian Navy Supply class replenishment oiler HMAS Supply (A195)
- Royal Australian Navy Canberra class landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra (L02)
- Royal Australian Navy Anzac class frigate HMAS Warramunga (FFH-152)
- Mexican Navy Newport class tank landing ship ARM Usumacinta (A412)
- Mexican Navy Oaxaca class offshore patrol vessel ARM Benito Juarez (F-101)
- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Izumo class light aircraft carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183)
- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Takanami class destroyer JS Takanami (DD-110)
- Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH-331)
- Royal Canadian Navy Halifax class frigate HMCS Winnipeg (FFH-338)
- Republic of Singapore Navy’s Formidable…
Read More: Huge Armada Of Allied Ships Gather For U.S. Navy’s RIMPAC Photo Op