Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson G. Brown
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 3rd Class Shane Cohen, a Leesburg, Florida, native joined the Navy because it is a family tradition.
Now, three years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Cohen serves aboard an avenger-class mine countermeasures ship (MCM), USS Dextrous, tasked to search and dispose of enemy mines in the world’s most dynamic maritime region as the leading-edge of the Navy.
“My favorite part of this job is being able to go out and do my job in the ocean,” said Cohen. “It is challenging because of the number of people we have onboard but it is exciting to hunt for mines and neutralize them.”
Cohen, a 2016 graduate of Tavares High School, is a mineman aboard the Manama, Bahrain-based ship, one of four MCMs forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf in the Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet operating under Task Force 52.
Task Force 52 plans and executes mine warfare operations in support of U.S. 5th Fleet’s operational objectives.
Cohen credits success in the MCM force, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Leesburg.
“Hard work always pays off,” said Cohen.
USS Dextrous is 224 feet long, 39 feet wide and weighs over 1,300 tons. Four diesel engines, designed to have very low magnetic and acoustic signatures, help push the ship through the water at 16 miles per hour.
As mines threaten maritime traffic indiscriminately, the U.S. and partner nations are committed to taking all action necessary to reduce the risk of mines to support the continuous free flow of commerce and freedom of navigation throughout the region. MCMs are outfitted with the means to detect and disable them, ensuring sea lanes remain open for military, commercial and civilian vessels. These ships use a variety of novel and conventional sweeping measures, including sonar and video systems, cable cutters and remote control mine-detonating devices.
“Mines are inexpensive to deploy and they can cause a lot of damage,” said Cohen. “If a single line is laid no ships can go through that area until we clear them. It is our job to keep the waters safe.”
The Navy’s mine countermeasures in the U.S. 5th Fleet are divided between three separate legs, consisting of airborne, surface and underwater methods. These consist of the MCMs such as USS Dextrous, MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 15, and unmanned underwater vehicles, as well as expeditionary explosive ordnance disposal teams. All three legs work together to hunt and neutralize mines.
The Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of ocean, and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 20 countries, includes three critical choke points; the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
“I’m incredibly proud to serve with each of our Sailors, Coastguardsmen and Marines forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations,” said Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, deputy commander for NAVCENT/ U.S. 5th Fleet. “They represent the very best of our country and serve as volunteers in a complex and dynamic region that’s vital to our security. I am honored to work alongside these warriors.”
“I love serving in Bahrain,” said Cohen. “It allows me to meet people I would never have had the opportunity to meet. The people here are very nice, and we can explore a lot of things to do on such a small island.”
Serving in the Navy means Cohen is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Cohen is most proud of graduating boot camp in October 2016 graduating mineman school in May 2018.
“Mineman school for us is very challenging because we learn many jobs in addition to our own,” said Cohen.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Cohen and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing to the Navy the nation needs
“It means that I know when I go to sleep, my family is safe,” said Cohen. “I am able to serve my country and follow in the footsteps of people I love.”