Ahoy!

My journey with the KD LEKIR to Hawaii continued from Guam on Day 18 and we were joined by ships from India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore for a series of exercises in the Pacific Ocean. They too were on their way to take part in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Petty Officer Thasa was busy for the few days taking photos and videos of the different serials, while I produced the first couple of articles of this assignment.

I got sick after three weeks on the journey. With a sore throat, runny nose and fever to boot, I missed a few days of morning roll call, also known as both watches. Having a medical personnel as my room-mate was a real perk. Sargeant Norazura made me take most of the medication for my ailment, and brought my meals too. Lucky me.

We crossed the International Date Line (IDL) and went back in time, which was surreal. The IDL crossing was at noon of a Thursday (Day 25), which automatically set us back 24 hours, making it noon of Wednesday (Day 24) again for a whole 12 hours. Confusing, right. I only know of the days onboard because I kept a journal and forced myself to write everyday, with the minimum requirement being the dateline.

On Day 28, the KD LEKIR reached Hawaiian waters and successfully conducted a refuelling while underway with USNS HENRY J. KAISER, a replenishment oiler belonging to the US Navy. It was the first time I’ve ever witnessed such exercise and it was quite massive. The crew were spent afterwards, it was difficult navigating a ship in an unfamiliar place for the bridge team and for the refuelling team, the challenge was to adapt to the elements as winds and choppy waters made the exercise harder than expected.

On Day 29, 27 June 2022, we finally arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) where we were based for about five-and-a-half weeks. We wore our white uniform entering the base instead of the normal operational working uniform and I remembered a few scenes from Top Gun: Maverick which I had watched when we were docked in Kota Kinabalu. A friend commented that I should count how many men in white with moustaches and aviators sunglasses I’ll be seeing the whole time I’m here. I lost count during the opening ceremony. Hah.

Pearl Harbor was sunny and windy, with temperatures dropping to the lower 20s by evening. With 26 nations taking part in RIMPAC, the base was full of sailors, aviators and airmen with their first aim upon arrival was to secure SIM cards to communicate. The nearby Navy Exchange (NEX) mall’s IT section had a long queue with people wanting to sign up for the available telecommunication offering. As a public affairs officer, I too need to sort out my communications stuff before anything else. Because if there were no visuals (and words), it didn’t happen, right?