A Navy test of lightweight exercise torpedoes Wednesday to Sept. 8 in waters off the coast of Maui will affect boating and air activities in the test area, a Navy spokesman said.
John H. Woodhouse Jr. with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Newport, R.I., said Friday that the maritime and air advisories will be released Sunday.
He did not know where off Maui the testing will take place.
The NUWC will assist the Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force from Norfolk, Va., during the test, a news release said.
The mission of NUWC Division Newport, part of the Naval Sea System Command, is to provide research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems and countermeasures.
Torpedoes will be launched by P-8A aircraft from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 from Patuxent River, Md., and SH-60B helicopters from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 37 based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay. The aircraft's primary staging area will be out of Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay.
The Navy news release carefully outlined steps that will be taken to recover the torpedoes.
Most of the expended torpedoes will be recovered in the exercise area by the USNS Sioux, which is serving as the command/control/recovery vessel. Another vessel, a Pacific Missile Range Facility torpedo weapons retriever, will be on station in a protected area to support expended torpedo recovery.
If needed, a recovery helicopter at Kahului Airport will pick up expended torpedoes at sea and deliver them to the torpedo weapons retriever.
A fixed-wing aircraft will patrol the exercise area to ensure that no marine mammals will be in the area during torpedo events.
