US Navy submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) carried out “operation AJAX” in Pearl Harbor, demonstrating submarine replenishment capabilities during a scheduled port visit.
Emory S. Land worked with the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) to demonstrate its capabilities on May 20.
Operation AJAX demonstrations included launching force-protection units in rigid-hull inflatable boats, taking a submarine alongside, a medical resupply, weapons handling, and more.
“The ship is demonstrating its expeditionary mission skills,” said Capt. Douglas A. Bradley, USS Emory S. Land’s commanding officer. “We’ve already conducted a number of training events with the different capabilities of our ship; exercising skills that we would need to perform to tend units in more remote places. All of those events have been successfully conducted.”
Upon completion of Operation AJAX and departure from Pearl Harbor, Emory S. Land is scheduled to undergo a mid-term availability for preservation and maintenance on the West Coast.
Guam is home to the US Navy’s only submarine tenders, USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40), as well as four Los Angeles-class attack submarines. The submarine tenders provide maintenance, hotel services and logistical support to submarines and surface ships in the US 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation.