Bentworth grad patrols Middle East waters with Navy
MANAMA, Bahrain – A 2002 graduate of Bentworth High School is serving overseas with the U.S. Navy Patrol Coastal Squadron 1, living and working at a Navy base in Manama, Bahrain.
Petty Officer 1st Class Beth Fawcett is a gunner’s mate with the Bahrain-based unit. Bahrain is a small island country situated near the western shores of the Arabian Gulf.
A Navy gunner’s mate is responsible for protecting the ship, training others to protect the ship and maintaining various weapons.
“Training with high-power weapons is a really good job and fun,” Fawcett said.
PC Squadron 1 supports and administers some of the Navy’s 13 Cyclone-class ships designed for coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance. These ships provide the Navy with a fast, reliable platform that can respond to crises in a shallow-water environment.
“It’s a small community, and making friends is easy,” Fawcett said. “It’s like family.”
Navy patrol craft are 179 feet long and 25 feet wide, powered by four diesel engines and can reach speeds of more than 40 mph. Its armament is composed of eight total machine guns, including two MK 38 25mm machine guns, four .50-caliber machine guns and two M-60 machine guns, and two MK 19 40mm automatic grenade launchers.
As a member of the unit, Fawcett and other PC Squadron 1 sailors know they are part of a forward-deployed naval forces team that is heavily relied on to help protect and defend the United States on the world’s oceans.
“Living and working in other countries is interesting,” Fawcett said. “Overseas pay is excellent, and being able to experience different cultures is great.”
Eight Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships and two Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships are forward-deployed in Bahrain.
Crew members with PC Squadron 1, as well as the other forward-deployed naval vessels in Bahrain, help assure international sea lines between the Middle East and Europe remain open and help protect against possible maritime threats.
As a sailor with numerous responsibilities deployed halfway around the world away from friends and family, Fawcett said she is learning about herself as a leader, sailor and a person.
“I’ve learned how to interact with a variety of people and work as part of a team,” she said.