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Celebrating 20 years of serving the Hampton Roads Navy family
Vol. 21, No. 10 Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com | 03.14-03.20.13
ARLINGTON HOLDS STEPPING THE MAST CEREMONY By MC1 Eric Brown PCU Arlington Public Affairs
PASCAGOULA, MISS.
In keeping with an ancient mariner’s custom, USS Arlington (LPD 24) Sailors and Marines “stepped the mast” of the amphibious transport dock in a ceremony, March 6. About 50 crew members and employees of Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) shipyard, where Arlington has been under construction for four years, attended the ceremony at the base of the forward mast, beneath the RADAR dome. They gathered around as HII’s Carlos Turner welded a small corrosion-proof box, which contained a number of “good luck” pieces, to the mast. “It’s an honor to be the first crew of this warship and take part in this ceremony,” said Arlington Commanding Officer Cmdr. Darren Nelson. “This is something very few people get to take part in, so it’s great that we had as many crew members come to this, while we had the chance.” The box contains 24 pennies and other coins, with dates significant to the history of the ship and her sponsor, Joyce Rumsfeld; a piece of steel from the Pentagon; Arlington County Fire Department and Police Department badges; the names of the 184 heroes and victims whose lives were lost on 9/11 in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, and other items. “The custom of ‘stepping the mast’ by placing coins under the step or bottom of a ship’s mast during construction dates back many years,” explained Arlington’s official program for the event. “Greek mythology states these coins would ensure payment of the crew’s wages for their return trip should the ship be wrecked. Since at least the construction of USS Constitution, the tradition has been passed on as a means of enduring good luck for the ship.” Arlington’s service life is projected to be 40 years. Nelson said he intends to return to the ship her decommissioning ceremony and the reopening of the box when he is about 82 years old. “I left some personal mementos in the box for the decommissioning commanding officer, so I’d like to be here for that,” he said. Arlington is the eighth in Navy’s San Antonio-class of ships, designed to be the most survivable amphibious vessels ever put to sea. The third in the U.S. fleet to bear the name, Arlington will be commissioned on April 6 and homeported in Norfolk. The ship combines 21st century amphibious shipbuilding and warfighting technologies to support current and future Marine Corps aircraft and landing craft, and will be capable of taking nearly 1,200 Sailors and Marines into harm’s way. To learn more about the naval tradition of stepping the mast, see the Navy Live blog at http://1.usa.gov/ X47C12.
■ good luck pieces become permanent part of ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) Commanding Officer Cmdr. Darren Nelson holds a corrosionproof box containing good luck pieces and historically-significant coins, as Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Carlos Turner welds it to the ship during a maststepping ceremony, March 6. MC1 Eric Brown
Swedish Navy visits Riverine Squadron, Navy EOD unit By MC3 Randy Savarese Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 Public Affairs
VIRGINIA BEACH
Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, chief of staff of the Royal Swedish Navy, and other Swedish Navy guests visited Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story to observe demonstrations from the Navy’s Coastal Riverine Force and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), March 6. The visit showcased the Navy’s expeditionary forces’ capabilities
and provided Thornqvist with an opportunity to interact with the Sailors who make these operations possible. Thornqvist visited a Riverine Command Boat from Coastal Riverine Squadron (CORIVRON) 4 followed by a visit to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit (EODTEU) 2 where he toured the Full Immersion Scenario Trainer (FIST) and chemical training building.
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NMCRS BUDGET FOR BABY CLASSES OFFERED IN HAMPTON ROADS
NMCP emphasizes advances, communication during National Patient Safety Awareness Week Fair By MC2 (SW) Anna Arndt Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Public Affairs
PORTSMOUTH
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) Quality Management Directorate and Patient Safety Office marked National Patient Safety Awareness Week with a Patient Safety Awareness Fair with interactive displays, March 7. The national week, March 3 - 9, is an annual education and awareness campaign for healthcare safety.
MC3 Randy Savarese Rear Adm. Michael P. Tillotson (right), Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) and Capt. James C. Hamblet (left), Commander, Coastal Riverine Group (CORIVGRU) 2, speak with Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, Chief of Staff of the Royal Swedish Navy at JEBLCFS.
By MC2 (SW) Jonathan Sunderman Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs
NORFOLK
MC2 (SW) Anna Arndt Zenaida Limon (left) from Internal Medicine speaks with staff about proper endoscope cleaning during Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s Patient Safety Awareness fair.
The week-long celebration creates awareness in the community and among hospital staff and patients about the need for patient safety, and informs them of recent advancements in providing safe care.
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BRAVO ZULU Both SUBLANT and SURFLANT have recognized their 2012 Sailors of the Year. Also, Lincoln Military Housing named its Partner of theYear.
MONITOR SAILORS HONORED The Navy honored USS Monitor Sailors on March 8 with a graveside interment ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony for the remains of two unknown Sailors recovered from the shipwreck.
FEELING LUCKY? TAKE A RUN. The oldest continuously running road race in Virginia Beach, the annual Yuengling Shamrock Marathon is scheduled to return, March 16 - 17, at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
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Throughout the month of March, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) will be holding its annual active duty fund drive as a way to educate Sailors and Marines on the many services available to them and their families, as well as generate much needed funds to support its programs. NMCRS is a private non-profit organization whose programs are funded entirely by charitable donations. In 2012, NMCRS provided just under $43 million in interest-free loans and grants worldwide – $6.7 million of which was used in Hampton Roads for 12,934 financial cases. Of many services offered by NMCRS nationwide, the Budget for Baby (B4B) program is de-
signed specifically for new or prospective parents who want to learn about the ways a baby can impact a family’s finances. B4B classes are open to all Navy and Marine families, and are held at full service centers in Hampton Roads. “Kids are expensive,” said Kathy Nelson, Director, NMCRS Norfolk office. “All of us want to provide for our children the best we can, and this class offers financially sound information and valuable cost-saving resources for prospective parents.” During the volunteer-based 1.5 hour seminars, participants learn about variations in pay, increased expenses, common consumer pressures targeted at new parents, daycare options, and entitlements available through both government and private sources.
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2013 NMCRS FUND DRIVE The goal of the 2013 NMCRS Fund Drive is to have 100 percent contact with all service members, March 1 - 31. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/WggMMo.