USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
The Shuttle Newsletter Edition
“We are Legend”
May 5, 2012 Issue
Crash, Salvage: Ready on Arrival
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) Jared King
USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – As aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) steams along through its twilight deployment, members of Air department’s V-1 division crash and salvage team are working to ensure that the ship remains “ready on arrival” if an aircraft mishap should occur. The 30 highly-skilled and diverse Sailors who make up the crash and salvage team are responsible for maintaining 43 flight deck firefighting stations, three mobile firefighting vehicles, two crash forklifts and the crash crane. Their primary duty requires them to be ready at a moment’s notice to save lives in the event of a flight deck mishap. Their highly specialized training revolves mainly around aircraft rescue and firefighting, but also demands a familiarity with aircrew extraction procedures. “Enterprise’s mission is to safely launch and recover aircraft,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Richard Haugh, crash and salvage division’s leading petty Aviation Boatwain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Ryan S. Papanek and Aviation Boatwain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Brian A. Whitford maintain the P25 fire truck watch during flight operations aboard aircraft carrier officer. “Without crash and salvage personnel USS Enterprise (CVN 65) (Photo by MC3 (SW/AW) Jared King) and equipment at 100 percent, we wouldn’t be Should disaster strike on a Navy vessel, the crew relies on able to fulfill that obligation.” their training in order to save themselves and the ship. If an In addition to their regular responsibilities, they are emergency occurs on the flight deck, pilots and crew rely on in charge of training all flight deck personnel on aircraft members of the crash and salvage team to respond in order firefighting, rescue procedures and salvage procedures. to maintain flight operations as well as manage the damage The crash and salvage team manages to keep all hands control. trained and confident if a disaster should strike aboard Big E. “If there is a casualty on the flight deck, be it a fuel station “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals,” fire, fuel leak or crash in the landing area, crash and salvage said Haugh. “Their dedication to the mission at hand makes all are the first responders,” said Markulin. “There is no outlying the difference.” field for these pilots to fly to, so it is essential that we clear all Should a mishap occur, Big E’s crash and salvage team emergencies quickly.” members are well-trained and prepared to handle even the The division knows it is their job to head directly into toughest jobs. harm’s way if an emergency situation should arise. All hands “(Since COMPTUEX 2010) We have responded to 76 involved, from the most senior Sailor in the department to the flight deck emergencies with zero damage to personnel or most junior, take the responsibility seriously and continue to aircraft,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) train in the event their skills are tested. Frank A. Markulin, crash and salvage division’s leading chief “It’s all about our Sailors,” said Markulin. “They are the petty officer. “We are the flight deck firefighters and we are ones putting on the proximity suits, the ones working on the responsible for clearing the landing area in case of emergency flight deck, the ones studying the manuals on how to shutdown from hydraulic failures, loss of steering or an actual crash or aircraft, rescue pilots and put out fires. Those guys really flight deck fire so that we can safely and efficiently land the deserve all the credit.” other aircraft.”