The Waterline
June 14, 2012
Vol. XXIX No.24
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NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
Renovation Leads to Discovery of Time-Capsule Benjamin Christensen, NDW Waterline writer During recent renovations to theVisiting Flag Officer Quarters (VFQ) buildings adjacent to the Latrobe Gate on the Washington Navy Yard (WNY), an interesting discovery has been made: a“timecapsule” of late 19th and 20th century artifacts. The items were not ones of substantial monetary value, but instead were a look into the lives of those who came before at theWNY. Such items included sets of cover, gloves, more than 40 local whiskey bottles, boots, a rolled up twodollar bill, stamps, medicine bottles, empty food packages, personal hygiene items (combs, mirrors, shaving powder), cards, newspapers from that era, hats, tobacco pouches and cigarette packs (some dating as far back as 1881), and letter envelopes. "I think it is extremely interesting because it is a time-capsule from that period," said Igor Boras, with Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington. "How often do you get a
time-capsule from 1909 just lying around?" TheVFQ building, which was built in 1881 and during its history served as an enlisted Sailor's barracks until the 1960s. In 1908-09, a major renovation was done to the building in which tin ceiling tiles were placed throughout the building along with the addition of sun rooms. Today the building was coming into disrepair and requires an extensive overhaul in order to make it livable once again. Part of that effort which is being spearheaded by NAVFAC (and supported by Naval Historical Center) was to investigate the condition of the roof joists and supporting architecture, which necessitated removal of the 1908-1909 ceiling in the attic (4th floor of the building). Upon examination of the crevices where the rafters were located, the artifacts were discovered. According to Boras, the find probably does not represent any large discovery when it comes to the history of the United States nor to the history of the Navy, but
See Discovery, Page 6
U.S. Navy photo by James Johnson
Some of the bottles found in the early 20th-century treasure-trove. Artifacts found provided a look into the lives of those who came before at the WNY, and the discovery is quite unique according to authorities.
TenantCommandOverview:NAVSEA 101 Critical Days of Summer have begun Benjamin Christensen, NDW Waterline writer
If you deal with one-quarter of the entire Navy's budget, chances are you're doingsomethingimportant. Suchisthecase for Naval Sea Systems Command, also known as NAVSEA, which is headquarteredattheWashingtonNavyYard(WNY). NAVSEA is the product of a merger of the Naval Ship Systems Command and the Naval Ordnance Systems Command in 1974. NAVSEA engineers, builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems. To accomplish this, NAVSEA manages 150 acquisition programs and manages foreign military sales cases that include billions of dollars in annual military sales to partner nations. As the largest of the Navy's five systems commands, the others being Naval Air (NAVAIR), Space and Naval Warfare
(SPAWAR), Naval Facilities and Engineering (NAVFAC) and Naval Supply (NAVSUP), NAVSEA employees 60,000 military, civilians and supporting contractors in order to accomplish its mission. In what NAVSEA calls 'from cradle to grave,' this mission includes research and development, construction/purchase of systems and vessels, maintenance and upkeep of systems and vessels, and disposal. "When it comes to ships and their systems, we've got it all," said Brian Persons, Executive Director of NAVSEA. "Like they say that Chevrolet is the heartbeat of America, we're the heartbeat of the Navy."
Persons said that one important aspect of NAVSEA's responsibility is safety, especially when it comes to weapons and nuclear systems. As one of the two commands that make weapons for use by the Navy, safety is of obvious concern, and the responsibility to be safe when dealing with nuclear material should be apparent to everyone in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crisis following the earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan last year. Of recent note with regards to safety is the fire onboard the USS Miami (SSN 775), which occurred in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a NAVSEA facility. This was a particularly busy time for NAVSEA as not only were they involved in safety efforts (after all, the Miami is a nuclear vessel), but also will be tasked should repairs be deemed prudent for approximately 400 million dollars worth of dam-
The 101 Critical Days of Summer – the days in the summer months in which the risk of accidents is high – are upon us. The 101 Critical Days of Summer is a annual initative to increase awareness of the raised risk of injury or death during the summer months. As people begin to engage in activity that they have put off during the winter months, it is 'critical' to ensure that one keeps safety practices in mind before venturing out to the water, road, and other higher risk activity. Last year during this critical period between Memorial and Labor Day, 16 Sailors and 15 Marines lost their lives due to accidents. 13 of these were due to motorcycle crashes, 11 in cars or trucks, 3 had drowned and 4 had died during other recreational activities. Motorcycle fatalities were of particular concern; they had increased from six in 2010 to 13 in 2011, more than a 100 percent increase. It is the Navy's hope to reduce this number to zero this year, and for everyone to be safe.
See NAVSEA, Page 8
See Summer, Page 8
Benjamin Christensen, NDW Waterline writer
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Around the Yard, Page 2
AFPAK Blog, Page 6