Synopsis: RIMPAC 2024 delivered a stark demonstration of modern maritime strike. The retired amphibious transport dock Dubuque and the decommissioned amphibious assault ship Tarawa were sunk in deep water off Hawaii during live-fire SINKEX events in July 2024.
-The drills demonstrated how U.S. and partner forces rehearse long-range, precision ship-kill missions using systems such as LRASM and the Air Force’s QUICKSINK concept, which adapts JDAM guidance and sensing to engage near a hull’s waterline.
Beyond tactics and interoperability, the point was deterrence: credible, testable ways to hold surface fleets at risk.
U.S. Navy Sank USS Tarawa in 15,000 Feet: The RIMPAC Message to China
The former amphibious transport dock Dubuque and amphibious assault ship Tarawa were sunk in 15,000 feet of water on July 11 and 19, 2024, respectively, as part of the 2024 Rim of the Pacific exercise, or RIMPAC.
The decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA-1) was sunk during a SINKEX (sinking exercise) on July 19, 2024, as part of the RIMPAC 2024 exercises more than 50 miles off the northern coast of Kauai, Hawaii.
U.S. and partner nation forces targeted the 820-foot, 39,000-ton vessel to test weapons in a 15,000-foot deep area.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft approaches the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Nov. 17, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)
USS George Washington Aircraft Carrier Super Hornet. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
SINKEX Tests Weapons And Shipboard Built-in Defenses
The exercise culminated in a “SINKEX,” in which the Navy sank one of its retired warships, sending a subtle but powerful message to China that the US Navy remains a force to be reckoned with.
A SINKEX, or Sink Exercise, is a live-fire training exercise where the U.S. Navy and its allies use decommissioned ships as targets for live-fire exercises with missiles and torpedoes.
These exercises provide realistic training opportunities for participating military forces to test weapon systems, practice tactics, and build interoperability in a maritime environment.
However, before a ship is sunk, it undergoes a rigorous environmental cleanup to remove harmful materials, including PCBs and petroleum.
Sending The Chinese A Clear Message
During the SINKEX in the Pacific during Operation Rimpac 2024, the US Navy sank the decommissioned USS Dubuque (LPD 8) on July 11, 2024, and the decommissioned USS Tarawa (LHA 1) on July 19, 2024.
A Royal Australian Air Force McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet (s/n A21-46) firing an AIM-7M Sparrow missile. The aircraft also carries another AIM-7, two AGM-84 Harpoon missiles and two AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles.
221227-N-DU622-1227 PHILIPPINE SEA (Dec. 27, 2022) An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is in 7th fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart)
The Air Force also used an AC-130 gunship to fire on the Dubuque.
The sinking of the ex-Tarawa included the employment of a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) from a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. As a precise, stealthy, and survivable cruise missile, LRASM provides multi-service, multi-platform, and multi-mission capabilities for offensive anti-surface warfare. Currently, LRASMs are deployed from U.S. Navy F/A-18 and U.S. Air Force B-1B aircraft.
Why is it important?
The reason for conducting these SINKEX operations and their importance are two-fold. One is that China now has the largest Navy by number of ships (the US Navy is still the largest by tonnage). And China likes to rattle its saber with the ship-killing abilities, in an obvious finger pointed at the US.
Well, the LRASM and the new Maritime Strike Tomahawk cruise missile, along with the precision QUICKSINK bombs, have extended the US Navy’s reach in the Pacific Ocean to show China that its Navy, while still operating close to its shores and under the protection of its A2/AD systems, is still a viable target in the case of war over Taiwan.
Conducting realistic training events, such as live-fire SINKEXs, enables participating nations to test and train on weapons and systems in a realistic environment that cannot be replicated in simulators. Additionally, these training events refine partner nations’ abilities to plan, communicate, and conduct complex maritime operations, including precision and long-range strike capabilities.
“Sinking exercises give us a chance to sharpen our skills, learn from one another, and get real-world experience,” said U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Wade, RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force Commander.
“Using advanced weapons and seeing the professionalism of our teams during these drills shows our commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region safe and open.”
Navy F/A-18s And B-2 Spirit Bombers Were Used
The sinking of the Tarawa was conducted by the use of a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) from a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. The LRASM provides multi-service, multi-platform, and multi-mission capabilities for offensive anti-surface warfare. Currently, LRASMs are deployed from U.S. Navy F/A-18 and U.S. Air Force B-1B and B-2 Spirit aircraft.
Additionally, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber conducted an air-delivered method for defeating surface vessels through a QUICKSINK munitions demonstration as part of the second SINKEX.
A Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) integrated on F/A-18E/F Super Hornet 12 August 2005 at NAS Patuxent River, Md.
The QUICKSINK exercise was funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and aims to provide options to neutralize surface maritime threats while demonstrating the inherent flexibility of the joint force.
This capability addresses an urgent need to quickly neutralize maritime threats across vast ocean expanses worldwide at minimal cost.
QUICKSINK Munitions
QUICKSINK is a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program that rapidly integrates and demonstrates USAF technology that creates an air-delivered, low-cost, surface vessel defeat weapon.
This is installed on the nose of a GBU-31/B Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and combined with an imaging infra-red camera mounted in a fairing on the side of the munition, as well as the JDAM’s existing tail-mounted GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance.
When the Quicksink munition is released, it uses the standard JDAM kit to glide to the target area and then the seeker/camera combination to lock onto the ship, after which the guidance system directs the bomb to detonate near the hull just below the waterline.
QUICKSINK and LRASM demonstrate just how much the Air Force’s focus has shifted from the Global War on Terror (GWOT) to the new threats from China, especially in the maritime arena.
“This is a sign of the Air Force’s renewed focus on maritime strike, which it had walked away from after the Cold War ended,” Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
RIMPAC Exercises Build Relationships With Allies and Partners
“The power of RIMPAC is in how it strengthens relationships between participating nations by challenging us to conduct realistic and relevant training together,” said Royal Australian Air Force Air Commodore Louise desJardins, Combined Force Air Component Commander.
“It is a real demonstration of how we plan, communicate, and conduct complex operations like a SINKEX together and reflects the value of robust relationships between regional partners.”
The 2024 sinking of a Tarawa-class ship is the second time a ship of this class has been used for a SINKEX. Previously, the retired USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3) was sunk during the SINKEX as part of RIMPAC 2006.
Interestingly enough, the SINKEXs of the USS Dubuque and USS Tarawa were just shy of the anniversary of the Army Air Service Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell’s sinking of another decommissioned vessel, the captured German battleship Ostfriesland, on July 21, 1921, was one of the most significant events in the evolution of airpower and the first sign that the age of the battleship was over.
Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 nations’ land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel participated in RIMPAC 2024 in and around the Hawaiian Islands, between June 27 and August 1.
The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC, exercises are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
