Extraction Video

[Steve Wilkins]

Steve, hscs has got it. It's not a RHIB if it has an inflatable keel.

Yea, I know what a RHIB is. I probably have more time in the RHIB than most of the aviators here have sea time. Apparently though, I didn't know what type of boat was in the video. When I watched it the first time, I thought I saw a distinctive V bow that is characteristic of RHIB's. But after looking at the video a second time, it looks as though I was wrong.

I believe a RHIB is the 36' boat used by the Special Boat Teams. You would refer to that as a zodiac if you were on of those cats riding it. You couldn't fit the RHIB in the helo...

RHIB's come in different sizes.

 

[Gatordev]

Yea, I know what a RHIB is. I probably have more time in the RHIB than most of the aviators here have sea time. Apparently though, I didn't know what type of boat was in the video. When I watched it the first time, I thought I saw a distinctive V bow that is characteristic of RHIB's. But after looking at the video a second time, it looks as though I was wrong.

I gotcha. One thing I always found amusing was how dry, if built correctly, a RHIB can be and yet, I'd see the shoes come back (or when I'd catch a ride) and find how wet you get. That always seemed dumb...oh wait, "built by lowest bidder..." I got it now.

 

[mts4602]

Maybe this is stupid, but Steve, when you say you used a RHIB was this when you were a SWO?

I thought they're always on ships. When do they get to do things like use RHIBs?

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Maybe this is stupid, but Steve, when you say you used a RHIB was this when you were a SWO?

I thought they're always on ships. When do they get to do things like use RHIBs?

Yes, this was as a SWO. I was the force protection bubba, so for my case specifically, I was in the RHIB for every sea and anchor detail whether we were entering or leaving port and for about an hour before and after. Sea and anchor details for us were about 2 hours, so I ended up staying in the RHIB for about 4 hours every time we entered or left port. When entering/leaving port of a foreign country, it would be much longer. I would have a team of three other guys in the boat, all of us armed. I was also the VBSS coordinator and main boarding officer for two boarding teams. All in all, it was an absolute blast. The best time I had as a SWO was being the Boat O in the RHIB.....other than launching shells on San Clemente that is.

 

[hscs]

gatordev, those boats are pretty strong and stable. It is probably the fact that they can take on pretty heavy seas that makes the passengers get wet -- it is after all, a small boat in the open ocean. You should expect to get wet.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

gatordev, those boats are pretty strong and stable. It is probably the fact that they can take on pretty heavy seas that makes the passengers get wet -- it is after all, a small boat in the open ocean. You should expect to get wet.

Reminds me of going through the Straits of Juan de Fuca one November day on our way to Bremerton. It was a bit breezy up there and the water was fucking cold -- not normal southern California Pacific ocean cold, but northern Washington cold. The sea state even in the Straits was high enough that we were getting absolutely drenched. I can't really say I had fun that day.

 

[Gatordev]

gatordev, those boats are pretty strong and stable. It is probably the fact that they can take on pretty heavy seas that makes the passengers get wet -- it is after all, a small boat in the open ocean. You should expect to get wet.

I understand that, but there are commercial RHIBs that fair better in the open ocean and are about the same size. Kind of goes along w/ deep V hard hull boats (and yes, I know it's apples and oranges). Some deep-V boats tend to be drier than others even though they're both the same size and in the same seas. Older ProLines seem to suffer from this, in my experience.

 

[Gatordev]

Reminds me of going through the Straits of Juan de Fuca one November day on our way to Bremerton. It was a bit breezy up there and the water was fucking cold -- not normal southern California Pacific ocean cold, but northern Washington cold. The sea state even in the Straits was high enough that we were getting absolutely drenched. I can't really say I had fun that day.

As a SWO, I can understand how getting off the ship on the RHIB would be a blast, but at 3am when on my way to the hangar and I'd see the Boat-O sloshing his way through the wardroom back to his room, I was glad I had my job and he had his.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

As a SWO, I can understand how getting off the ship on the RHIB would be a blast, but at 3am when on my way to the hangar and I'd see the Boat-O sloshing his way through the wardroom back to his room, I was glad I had my job and he had his.

Didn't matter to me....night or day I was happy to be in the RHIB. When its pitch dark outside and the only thing you can see from the RHIB is mama's running and mast head lights, it's eerily peaceful. I liked it anyway. What sucked was finishing watch, and going straight to changing into our boat gear real quick, manning up and then being "on watch" again for another 4 or more hours in the RHIB. Or vice versa....coming back and then going right to a bridge watch. Yea, for some reason that seemed to happen a little too often. :icon_rage

 

[Stearmann4]

Kids, Kids,

The boat in video is a Zodiac F-470, Combat Rubber Raiding Craft. Whether or not it has removable aluminum floor boards or soft rubber boards, depends on which type of outboard motor is mounted. The west coast guys use 55HP, east coast 35HP, both use the 35 during sub ops and stuff like amphibs like you see in the video. As far as RHIBs and NSW go, only the SBT guys have true RHIBs, 10 meter was the last incarnation I was aware of, I'm surer they have bigger and better since I left.

All the services SOF forces use them, with some variations. You'll likely never see that type of exfil in the future as the new models of the MH-47s now have all the comm antennas, etc mounted on the bottom.

 

[xnvyflyer]

I sure hope that's fresh water. If it's not, corrosion control is going to be a nightmare.

 

[FMRAM]

I sure hope that's fresh water. If it's not, corrosion control is going to be a nightmare.

I was cringing when I saw that...someone call the E-Rec program manager...

 

[Stearmann4]

We have never put an aircraft in salt water for a boat exfil. All the footage you see was taken on various lakes. If Elvis himself appeared off the coast of San Diego, I doubt we'd put an $86,000,000 acft in saltwater. Heck, we can barely keep the corrosion at bay from doing casts.

 

[xnvyflyer]

We have never put an aircraft in salt water for a boat exfil.

I breathe a sigh of relief. I remember the post-cruise inspection nightmare.

 

[phrogpilot73]

We have never put an aircraft in salt water for a boat exfil. All the footage you see was taken on various lakes. If Elvis himself appeared off the coast of San Diego, I doubt we'd put an $86,000,000 acft in saltwater. Heck, we can barely keep the corrosion at bay from doing casts.

What if Elvis himself appeared off the coast (in salt water) of some hostile land, after just having completed a mission only The King himself would be qualified to do? If it was me, I'd do it - if for nothing else than the story.