Military exercises brought unusual ship to Treasure Coast

Few ships along offshore Treasure Coast waters have generated as much speculation in recent years as the distinct-looking Brandon Bordelon. The 260-foot long light intervention vessel sports a helicopter landing pad on its bow, a wide clear 6,000 square foot deck and a tall 60-ton crane mounted on it.

When Treasure Coast bluewater angler Sean Heffner of Stuart saw it working last week with divers in the water near spots like the Six Mile Reef and deeper, he could not help but wonder why it was there. The speculation among the "experts" on the Treasure Coast Fishing Hub on Facebook ranged from oil and natural gas speculation to windmill construction to collection of marine biology samples.

Good guesses. But the answer is "D," none of the above.

Turns out, the Brandon Bordelon was not off our coast to begin the construction of oil drilling platforms (and possibly fish attracting structure). It was here to provide some type of support for live fire exercises by the U.S. Navy and its Military Sea Lift Command, according to Wes Bordelon, president of Bordelon Marine based in Houma, Louisiana.

More: Mystery ship offshore has anglers talking

I'm not sure which is more fascinating.

Capt. Patrick Price of DayMaker charters out of Sailfish Marina in Stuart was guiding clients out to sea to fish for mahi mahi and gag grouper Saturday and heard chatter on VHF Channel 16. It was the Navy directing mariners to remain inshore of an area of offshore waters about 10 miles off the beach, and from approximately east of Fort Pierce Inlet to east of St. Lucie Inlet. It limited his fishing range for his customers, but as Price does, he manufactured a fish box full of fun for his guests.

"I was headed out Saturday and saw a warship, so I put it on Channel 16," Price said. "I could hear them making a security announcement and calling off boats."

The live fire zone was also in place Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Good for the Navy seas were a little sporty and it was rainy. As a result, many would-be weekend warriors stayed close to land.

The warship Price had seen was a destroyer. The "fleet" participating in the exercise included other specialized craft such as Rangemaster, Gerry Bordelon, another support ship from Bordelon Marine, and perhaps even a submarine.

Sunday morning, about 95 miles to the north, Pam Hepp of Cape Canaveral was at Jetty Park near Port Canaveral. She spied a large submarine entering the jetties of the port escorted by two tug boats. She took cell phone video and uploaded to her Facebook page where it was shared by the Port Canaveral Facebook page. The sub was presumably headed in to the wharf there.

Could it have been the U.S.S. Indiana, the Navy's latest Virginia-class fast-attack subs? Possibly. The Navy said it will be commissioning the Indiana later this year at Port Canaveral, likely close to Labor Day weekend.

Reader Marcus Rothstein of Stuart alerted me Monday telling me how the Navy has had installations in our part of the Atlantic Ocean to conduct underwater acoustic measurement studies for years. I had always heard of the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) located on Andros in the Bahamas. I even knew someone who worked there for a time. But I guess I never really understood what they did there. Apparently, it's connected to the submarine base at Port Canaveral, too, and is all part of the Naval Sea Systems Command.

The other thing I learned from this experience is how to use websites like MarineTraffic.com and VesselFinder.com. Both are truly Internet rabbit holes of information tracking the movements of hundreds of thousands of cargo ships, tankers, container ships, cruise ships, tug boats, military vessels and pleasure craft in real time, or pretty close to it. Many of these vessels are equipped with automatic identification technology (AIS).

As of Monday afternoon, the Brandon Bordelon bid adieu to the sunny shores of the Treasure Coast. By late Tuesday it was chugging along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Both supply support ships were bound for the waters of Virginia where it is quite possible their next assignments will still involve war games.

The lesson learned, at least by me, is that Big Brother may be using AIS technology, GPS technology and a network of webcams mounted in the wildest of places. And when an unusual ship arrives within sight, the marine community will be curious.

Ed Killer is the outdoors columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, and this column reflects his opinion. Friend him on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com or call him at 772-221-4201.