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Navies from the United States, Japan, South Korea and Singapore on 
Monday began the first combined submarine rescue exercise in the Pacific. 
The 13-day Exercise Pacific Reach 2000 involves 600 people, four ships, 
four submarines and three sophisticated underwater devices that can 
rescue personnel from submarines in distress. The joint exercise in 
the South China Sea off Singapore was planned nearly two years before 
the recent Russian submarine disaster that killed 118 people, but 
participants said the disaster heightened the importance of submarine 
rescue. ``This is the first time we've really had the chance to work 
together in a regional submarine rescue exercise in the Pacific,'' 
said Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Navy spokeswoman in Singapore. The navies' 
working together will promote ``greater understanding and also a commitment 
to stability'' in the Asia-Pacific region, Hull-Ryde said. The Navy 
has begun venturing into shallower coastal waters and will use the 
exercise to test its shallow-water rescue capabilities, said Navy 
Capt. C.J. Leidig, deputy coordinator of the exercise. ``We are looking 
to operate in more shallow waters in recent years as we make the transition 
from a Cold War, blue-water navy to a more littoral (coastal) type 
strategy, so shallow water submarine rescue has become important,'' 
Leidig said. Exercise Pacific Reach is taking place in about 231 feet 
to 264 feet of water _ considered shallow for submarines _ Leidig 
told a news conference Monday. Russia, China, Britain, Australia, 
Canada, Chile and Indonesia have sent observers to this week's exercise 
230 miles northeast of Singapore. During the exercise, some of the 
submarines will sit on the bottom ``simulating disabled subs,'' Leidig 
said. Underwater rescue devices such as a Navy high-tech ``diving 
bell'' will be attached to the submarines' hatches and transfer crew 
to the rescue vehicle. Special diving suits will also be used. The 
U.S. Navy nuclear attack submarine USS Helena is taking part, along 
with submarines JDS Akishio of Japan, South Korea's ROKS Choi Moo 
Sun and Singapore's RSS Conqueror. Japan, South Korea and Singapore 
are sending rescue support ships to the exercise, while the United 
States, Japan and South Korea are sending underwater rescue vehicles. 
Japan's equivalent of a naval force is officially referred to as the 
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Since Japan was defeated in World 
War II and formally renounced military aggression, its armed forces 
are constitutionally limited to a self-defense role. Submarine emergencies 
grabbed world attention in August when Russia's Kursk nuclear submarine 
sank after an explosion. Russian officials, including President Vladimir 
Putin, were criticized for slow and awkward handling of the incident.