QUEENSLAND, Australia (July 15, 2009) Seaman Nyja Allen, a native of New York assigned to Beachmaster Unit (BMU) 1, Detachment Western Pacific, directs Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 8, assigned to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5, Detachment Western Pacific, as it transports U.S. Marines and vehicles ashore during a mock amphibious assault. BMU-1, ACU-5 and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is participating in Talisman Saber 2009, a joint exercise between the U.S. and the Australian Defense Force that includes participation from more than 20,000 U.S. and 10,000 Australian personnel. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Gabriel S. Weber

Assault Craft Unit 5, Beachmaster Unit 1 conduct successful beach landings
7/19/2009
by MC2 Gabriel S. Weber
USS ESSEX, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5 and Beachmaster Unit (BMU) 1 took a trip to the beach aboard a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) vehicle July 17.

The LCAC transit was the initial wave of an amphibious assault launched from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) as part of exercise Talisman Saber 2009 (TS09).

Moving hundreds of Marines and dozens of vehicles from ship to shore in a timely fashion requires a great deal of teamwork from Sailors and Marines.

"We usually take the BMU guys in on the first run," said Senior Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) (SW/IUSS) Steven Wise, an ACU 5 LCAC craftmaster. "Then they set up the beach for the rest of the runs."

Once the beachmasters are ashore, their mission is to secure the beachhead and prepare a craft landing zone for the remaining waves of LCACs.

"We normally get in really early and conduct a foreign object debris walk-down on the staging area of the beach to make sure there is no debris that can damage the LCACs," said Quartermaster 1st Class (SW/AW) Melvin Cassidy, the senior ramp marshal for BMU 1.

The beachmaster Sailors are also responsible for the safety of personnel already on the beach, including local civilians.

"It's our beach," said Seaman Dominique Hagans, a BMU 1 ramp marshal. "We set it up; we control it. When we were in Cambodia, there were thousands of people surrounding us while LCACs were flying in and out on a small beach. We kept everybody back and brought the LCACs in safely."

Even as one LCAC is offloading personnel and machines to the beach, other ACU 5 crews are conducting their own runs to and from the ship.

"We've got three craft out here," said Wise. "So we're running loads non-stop. We're on the beach, in the water and in the ship's well deck all at the same time."

Coordinating simultaneous trips between Essex and the beach requires vigilant and accurate communications across the board.

"We need to have really good communications with the BMU guys, for their safety and ours," said Wise. "We also talk to well deck control and the ship's combat information center pretty much non-stop while we're flying."

ACU 5 and BMU 1 are embarked aboard USS Essex while participating in TS09, a biennial, combined training activity designed to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined operations, which will help improve combat readiness and interoperability between Australian and U.S. forces.

Essex, commanded by Capt. Brent Canady, is the lead ship of the only forward-deployed U.S. amphibious ready group and serves as the flagship for Combined Task Force 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force commander. CTF 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with a detachment in Sasebo, Japan.