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Serving the Hampton Roads Navy Family
Vol. 20, No. 44 Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com | 11.01.12
Hampton Roads rides out the storm We kept a very close watch on the storm all night.” - Adm. Bill Gortney
A Sailor walks through a flooded parking lot during Hurricane Sandy at the Naval Air Station Oceana Police Department to report for duty, Oct. 29.
SEE A8 FOR LOCAL, NATIONAL HURRICANE SANDY COVERAGE MC3 Antonio P. Turretto Ramos
Marines aboard Gunston Hall run Marine Corps Marathon forward
Future USS Minnesota christened Press Release Naval Sea Systems Command
By MC3 (SW) Jonathan Sunderman Amphibious Squadron 8 Public Affairs
NEWPORT NEWS
The Navy christened its newest submarine, the future USS Minnesota (SSN 783) at Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News, Oct. 27. Minnesota’s sponsor, Ellen Roughead, broke a ceremonial bottle of sparkling wine against the submarine’s hull, officially naming the ship. Roughead, the wife of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead (ret.), has been a tireless supporter of military families and continuing education initiatives for Navy spouses. “We were honored to have Mrs. Roughead participate in such an important milestone for PCU (Pre-Commissioning Unit) Minnesota,” said Capt. David Goggins, Virginia-class program manager. “The Virginia-class is an outstanding platform and Minnesota builds on the stellar reputation of quality and success that the class is known for.”
USS GUNSTON HALL, AT SEA
MC3 Billy Ho Newport News Shipbuilding hosts the christening ceremony for the Virginia-class attack submarine PreCommissioning Unit (PCU) USS Minnesota (SSN 783), Oct. 27.
ENTERPRISE COMPLETES FINAL AMMUNITION OFFLOAD BEFORE INACTIVATION By MC3 Brian G. Reynolds
■ about the ship Minnesota is the 10th ship of the Virginiaclass and the last under the second, or block II, contract. The submarine is on-track to deliver to the Navy in late spring 2013, ahead of its April 2014 contract delivery date. The ship will be commissioned shortly thereafter.
Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs
USS ENTERPRISE, AT SEA
“When Minnesota delivers next year, every block II boat will have delivered early to its contract delivery date,” said Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, program executive officer for submarines. “Added together, the shipbuilders delivered these submarines 42 months early, and Minnesota is well on-track to push that number into the 50s.” Minnesota’s christening marks the final major milestone for the Virginia-class in 2012. In May, the Navy took delivery of USS Mississippi (SSN 782), nearly a year early
USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Weapons Department completed the historic carrier’s final ammunition offload, Oct. 24 - 26. During the offload, 3,348,000 pounds of ordnance and ammunition were transferred from Enterprise to Military Sealift Command (MSC) dry cargo and ammunition ships USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) and USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). Because Enterprise is scheduled to be inactivated later this year, all ammunition and ordnance – other than small arms used for security purposes – had to be transferred off of the ship. “The planning was a major challenge,” said Lt. Cmdr. Thomas L. Hinnant, the ordnance handling officer aboard Enterprise. “We have been talking to the Sacagawea for about a year. There are so many entities involved in
» see MINNESOTA | A17
» see ENTERPRISE | A18
TRUMAN COMPLETES SHIP’S TRAINING AVAILABILITY/FEP The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) completed its tailored ship’s training availability (TSTA) and a successful final evaluation problem (FEP) assessment, Oct. 24.
» see A13
IT1 Stephen Wolff An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Dragon Whales of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 picks up ammunition from the USS Enterprise (CVN 65).
LARGEST MISSILE DEFENSE FLIGHT TEST IN HISTORY The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully conducted the largest, most complex missile defense flight test ever attempted, Oct. 24.
GRANT A WISH FOR OUR HEROES The USO and partners will recognize Veterans Day with “Grant a Wish for Our Heroes,” giving Americans the opportunity to thank those who serve in the Armed Forces.
» see B4
» see C16
Five Marines, assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), participated in the 37th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) through the MCM Forward program, Oct. 27. MCM, established in 1976, is an annual race held in Washington, D.C., and is the fourth largest marathon in the United States and the ninth largest in the world. The MCM Forward program began in 2006 to offer deployed service members a chance to participate in the race. “I started working on this event early and the preparation process went smoothly,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Patrick Hammer, MCM Forward coordinator aboard Gunston Hall. “All the participants registered on-time and I made sure everyone had enough time to familiarize themselves with the ship’s treadmills.” For three of the participants, the event marked the first time they had competed in a marathon. “It was a little bit more difficult than I thought it would be because the treadmill is so restricted,” said Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Thomas, an MCM Forward participant. “Finishing the race gave me an overwhelming sense of pride. I was relieved to finally say it’s over with, but it was all worth it when I finally hit that 26.2 mark.” To keep up the morale and motivation, Marines printed out inspirational pictures and hung them up in the gym next to the treadmills. “Having run the race last year back in D.C., I could visualize the real
» see MARATHON | A17
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