USS Stockdale’s VBSS Team Stays in Shape

The visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team from the guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) participated in an anti-piracy operation exercise off the coast of Southern California Aug. 6.

After Stockdale Sailors successfully defended another vessel from a simulated pirate attack, their deck department lowered a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) into the ocean. VBSS team members maneuvered the RHIB to the vessel and simulated transferring a pirate detainee back to Stockdale.

This exercise was a little different from the VBSS team’s primary mission, which usually involves boarding and searching a compliant vessel simply to gather information.

The VBSS evolution was part of composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), the final step in certifying that the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is ready to deploy.

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Image: US Navy