13th MEU finishes first at-sea training - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

13th MEU finishes first at-sea training

SAN DIEGO — More than 4,000 Marines and sailors assigned to the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group have concluded their first integrated at-sea workups this week.

The amphibious assault ship Boxer led the seven-ship strike group, which includes the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton, Calif., for the first of three pre-deployment exercises off the Southern California coast. The San Diego-based strike group is scheduled to deploy early next year after completing a composite training unit exercise and final certification exercise for the MEU.

More than 900 Marines with the 13th MEU trained with sailors aboard the Boxer in the launch and recovery of helicopters and Harrier assault jets, simulated beach assaults, damage control exercises and mass casualty drills, ESG officials said in a news release.

The ships tested coordination and defenses during a strait transit exercise that simulates narrow areas such as the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route in the Middle East.

“This was the crawl stage in our preparations for deployment,” Capt. Peter Dallman, the strike group commander, said in the release.

The at-sea training gave many of the Marines, some of whom have deployed overseas to Iraq, their first chance to spend time at sea aboard ships.

“We’re just taking the first steps toward making seagoing Marines out of them,” Col. David W. Coffman, who commands the 13th MEU, said in the release.

The integration with the Navy gives both sailors and Marines “a definite respect for one another,” said Sgt. Maj. Enrique X. Hines. “Some sailors have no idea what Marines do when they leave the ship, and Marines get an appreciation of what it takes to run a vessel of this size.”

Along with Boxer, the strike group includes:

• Dock landing ship Comstock.

• Transport dock ship New Orleans.

• Guided-missile destroyers Chung-Hoon and Milius.

• Guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain.

• Coast Guard cutter Boutwell.

Joining them also are:

• Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21.

• Naval Beach Group 1.

• Assault Craft Units 1 and 5.

• Beach Master Unit 1 and Fleet Surgical Team 5.

The 13th MEU includes:

• Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 1st Marines.

• Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (reinforced).

• Combat Logistics Battalion 13.