USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
The Shuttle Magazine Edition
“We are Legend”
October 5, 2012 Issue
S.T.O.P.
Ship’s Terminal Offload Program
EXPLAINED
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Friday, October 5, 2012
What is S.T.O.P.?
Enterprise Prepares to STOP
Ship’s Terminal Offload Program Begins Phase One Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Robert Guerra
USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – For 51 years Sailors have been working diligently to operate and maintain USS Enterprise (CVN 65), one of the Navy’s most historic names and one of America’s most recognized symbols of liberty. As the world’s first nuclearpowered aircraft carrier prepares to return from its historic 25th deployment, plans are already in place to bid farewell to the eighth ship to proudly bear the legendary name. “Big E” is scheduled to inactivate on Dec. 1, 2012, in a ceremony taking place in its homeport of Norfolk, Va., officially bringing to an end an era of Enterprise service dating back to the first days of the American Revolutionary War and Enterprise I. The public event is estimated to draw over ten thousand veterans, and will serve as the last opportunity to pay final respects to the one-of-a-kind carrier. The legacy of the Enterprise has been forever etched into the annals of naval history and, after being home to the more than 100,000 Sailors who have served aboard, has also helped influence the American landscape and popular culture. With the ship’s achievements, history and inactivation firmly in place, the only question that remains for the final crew of the Enterprise is “What happens next?” Two days following Enterprise’s Inactivation Ceremony, “Big E” will begin the Ship’s Terminal Offload Program, or STOP. During STOP, the crew will be responsible for cleaning out all of the spaces on the ship and setting conditions to support her tow to Newport News and eventual defueling. While officially scheduled to begin on Dec. 3, some preparations for STOP have already begun, such as space clean out, supply inventory, and the removal of all classified materials and hazardous waste. “During STOP we will establish clean ship conditions,” said Cmdr. Scott Stringer, the STOP coordinator. “We’ve got to inventory and transfer all of our parts, stores and equipment. We will have to drain selected systems and tanks and get just about everything down to zero.” In the next few weeks, the crew will also begin to receive general information outlining topics such as: roles and responsibilities, the STOP schedule and battle rhythm, supply and space preparation, as well
as information regarding personnel concerns such as berthing accommodations and orders. “We know there are many questions about what our daily routine will be like when we return from deployment,” said Cmdr. Larry F. LeGree, Enterprise’s chief engineer and STOP project officer. “And we are working diligently each day to get the facts, so the crew can make smart decisions for their careers, and, most importantly, their families.” In the weeks to come, the STOP Team will also lead training for the crew on procedural and safety guidelines to be used once the ship returns stateside. Topics will include: electrical safety, how to close out spaces, preservation of historical items, the use of the buddy system and moving off the ship. During STOP, the crew will be responsible for closing out and securing over 3,000 spaces. “This is not like any availability anyone has ever done,” said LeGree. “What’s unique about this availability it is almost all ship’s force labor. There’s something on the order of 400,000 man hours of labor that are planned for this and about 91 percent of that is going to be ship’s force.” During STOP there will be a fundamental organizational change on the ship from the current departmental structure to a zone structure. A key piece to the reorganization effort is the eight zones in which the ship will be divided into, said Stringer. “On the Monday following the inactivation ceremony, STOP officially begins. That’s when the reorganization effort will start,”Stringer said. “By midJanuary, our daily responsibilities will not necessarily be in our old work centers, but in an assigned zone.” The zones will be aligned with the damage control boundaries that are already in place. Most of the ship’s company will be assigned to a team within one of those zones, while some departments such as Executive, Medical, and will remain largly intact. “A broad way to think about how the ship is going to be reorganized is there’s going to be a number of people involved in 1) production and, 2) in support,” said LeGree. “Production is where the eight zone teams are going to be based. We’ll also have the support side which is going to be the legacy departmental structure, the folks working in admin STOP continued on page 3
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S.T.O.P. Organization
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doing all the processing, supply and security.” The challenges facing the crew in phase three of the program include closing out more than 3,800 spaces and 900 tanks and voids, as well as the offloading of all material in the safest and most expeditious fashion, all while transferring thousands of Sailors to new commands.
“We are going to be the first nuclear aircraft carrier to do this,” said LeGree. “We’ve already been told that there’s a lot of ‘lessons learned’ they would like us to capture so when the Nimitz goes through this in 15 years or so, they’ll have a base line from which to start.”
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Friday, October 5, 2012
Living Situation
“Where Do We Go When the Lights Go Out?”
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Harry Andrew D. Gordon USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – When USS Enterprise (CVN 65) pulls into homeport for the final time, many Sailors who live aboard the ship may be wondering where will they go when the lights go out? During the first phase of the Ship’s Terminal Offload Program, or STOP, the carrier is scheduled to become completely uninhabitable on Dec. 15., when potable water, sewage systems, and heating steam will all be secured. To ensure the safety and comfort of the crew, all Sailors must have their belongings completely moved off of the ship by Nov. 26, 2012. Enterprise housing coordinators, along with the Norfolk Housing Department, are working to give Sailors options as to where they would like to live when this date arrives. The change in living arrangements will primarily affect Sailors in pay grades E-4 and below who are not married and are not receiving Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and Sailors who are geographical bachelors. “Geo bachelors” are Sailors who are married but do not live in the same location as their families. As Sailors move off the ship, some may have the opportunity to move into either the barracks on base (Naval Station Norfolk) or into Private Public Venture (PPV) housing. Since Norfolk housing will not be able to immediately accommodate all E-4 and below needing berthing, the remainder will be housed on the Auxiliary Placement Living (APL) barge until barracks or PPV rooms become availabe. Enterprise housing coordinators will try to fill the available rooms in the barracks/PPV before assigning Sailors to the barge. The barge will accommodate USS Enterprise (CVN 65) 969 enlisted The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and Sailors, 30 Chief bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an Petty Officers authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and and 30 officers. comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at smithsw@cvn65. navy.mil. It will be docked Commanding Officer Executive Officer near Enterprise, Capt. William C. Hamilton, Jr. Capt. G. C. Huffman and will have Command Master Chief Public Affairs Officer CMDCM (AW/SW) Dwayne E. Huff Lt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler all the amenities that living aboard Editor MC3 Brian G. Reynolds Enterprise
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normally provides. Sailors will still have berthing, lounges, mess decks and medical and dental facilities. They will also continue to have access to office spaces, self-service laundry, a library, a chapel, a barber shop, a post office and a gym… everything Enterprise Sailors have grown accustomed to, with the exception of a ship’s store. “E-4 and below will get the first priority on the barge,” said Lt. Cmdr. Maria C. Reyman, APL Barge Space Coordinator. “However, we anticipate that as barracks and PPV rooms become available for these Sailors, we will also be able to accommodate the geographical bachelors as well. The barracks and PPV availability will grow as the Sailors from USS Truman begin to move back aboard their ship,” said Reyman. The PPV housing structures offer Sailors an apartment style atmosphere. PPV housing is located in many areas including Hampton, Newport News and Portsmouth. “This program is for the performing and deserving Sailors,” said LNCS Ruby L. Carter, command PPV coordinator. “This is a privilege not a right.” This program is for exceptional Sailors who have all the prerequisite qualifications to qualify for PPV. Sailors interested in qualifying for PPV must be E-4 and below, have at least nine months and less then four years of service, have served aboard Enterprise for a minimum of BARRACKS continued on page 5
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Living Situation
BARRACKS continued from page 4 six months unless waived by a strong recommendation by their chain of command, must meet all physical readiness requirements, must complete Basic Damage Control PQS (301-306), 3M 301, Craftsman 301 and shall not be delinquent in any assigned PQS, must have no non-judicial punishment in the past 24 months and must have received an early promote or must promote on their most recent evaluation. Sailors who are interested in this option must make sure they have reliable transportation. Interested Sailors must submit a package to their chain of command. It will then go through the PPV coordinator, the Command Master Chief and the Executive Officer. The Commanding Officer will have the final say and will sign off on each Sailor, authorizing partial BAH. PPV accommodates every ship and shore command in the Hampton Roads area. The program is similar to base housing in that, once a Sailor qualifies, they will go on a waiting list till a room is available.
“Remember timeliness is everything. If a Sailor is interested, they need to let their chain of command know immediately,” said Carter. “There is a waiting list and the longer someone waits, the further down the list they go.” “Enterprise Housing Coordinators and the Norfolk Housing Department are working very hard to accommodate the Sailors of Enterprise,” said Reyman. “We are trying to make this transition period as stress free for them as possible so they can continue doing an outstanding job.” Sailors who are interested in any of these options need to first speak with their chain of command informing them of their intentions. Departmental leading chief petty officers have a list of Sailors from their departments in need of accommodation. Sailors can reference Enterprise command instruction 11103.1 for PPV information and guidelines and Sailors can also reference the Enterprise website on the intranet and view frequently asked questions on the “STOP” link.
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Friday, October 5, 2012
USS Kitty Hawk
Former Kitty Hawk Sailor Reflects on STOP
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Brian G. Reynolds USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – The inactivation of an aircraft carrier is no doubt an arduous task. During the process, the once floating city is dismantled piece by piece and its people are displaced. When aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) begins its inactivation process, the daily lives of every crewmember aboard the legendary carrier will be impacted. Although Enterprise is the first nuclearpowered aircraft carrier to ever be inactivated, the inactivation process is not necessarily uncharted ground for all of the Sailors aboard the “Big E.” Traditional aircraft carriers have been inactivated in recent years and some crewmembers currently serving aboard Enterprise were a part of that process. Not so long ago, in 2009, aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) was decommissioned after 49 years of service – giving the title of the secondlongest active Navy warship to none other than USS Enterprise. Other than the obvious – disposing of eight nuclear reactors – the process was not that different from what Enterprise will undergo at the beginning of next year. Several crewmembers who have seen this process before can attest to the hard work that “Big E’s” crewmembers will see in the near future. “We ended up working 10 to 12-hour days during the process,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class
Michael B. Young, currently attached to the Dragonslayers of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 11 and formerly attached to the USS Kitty Hawk. “Every day was extremely busy for all hands. Each person in the crew had several different responsibilities to juggle on a daily basis. The work tapered off toward the end, but the work was definitely arduous.” According to Young, Big E Sailors can expect things to change quite a bit in the months after returning to port. On the Kitty Hawk, virtually everything was moved off of the ship and into auxiliary spaces, not on the ship. “Everyone had to move off the ship immediately and into the berthing barge,” said Young. “All office spaces and messes were moved to the barge. Also, another large group of Sailors were transferred over the next week or so.” Next came the daunting task of preparing the ship for the actual inactivation. All 3,800 spaces on the ship had to be closed out and inspected. All services (except electricity) were cut off, leaving only a few port-a-johns in the hangar bay to use during working hours. “Every space had to be leak free, no lagging exposed even through minute tears, and no exposed electrical wires,” said Young. “All wired battle lanterns had to be in working condition and all battery operated battle lanterns had to be removed. All moveable furniture had to be KITTY HAWK continued on page 7
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Orders
STOP: How Will the Detailing Process Be Affected?
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Heath Ziegler USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea– For the last few months, Sailors aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) have spent many hours wondering where they will be going when the ship returns home for the last time. With inactivation fast approaching, crewmembers have spent a good amount of time sending questions to the Command Career Counselors on board, trying to find out what’s going on and how manning will be affected after the “Big E” inactivates. “Sailors wanting to know what’s going on need to be patient,” said Senior Chief Navy Counselor Ramous Fleming, command career counselor for Enterprise. “The detailers are doing everything possible to not only meet their duty preferences, but also meet the needs of the Navy as well.” Here aboard the “Big E,” Sailors who are ship’s company have had a lot of questions concerning orders, perform to serve, or just what is going to happen to them when the ship docks at homeport for the last time. Most of the crew will transfer to other commands, such as another ship, for those who still have sea time left, or to shore duty. “If a Sailor has seven months or more of sea duty after the Ship’s Terminal Offload Program (STOP), they will spend that time on Enterprise or transfer early to another sea-going command,” said Fleming. “Those who have served their obligatory sea time, will rotate either to
another sea duty billet, if they request it, or a shore billet if available.” For those who are up for new orders or those who have been identified to transfer early in January through March, Chief Navy Counselor Romero P. Calicdan is dedicated to making the process as smooth as possible. Those Sailors who are not currently up for new orders or early transfer, and those due to rotate between April 2013 and September 2013, will negotiate for their orders via teleconference with the detailers in January or February. “The shear amount of work will be huge and challenging for the Executive department on board,” said Fleming. “Over 2,000 Sailors will be transferring in a seven-month timeframe and we will also be negotiating for the 1,000 Sailors who will transfer early. I ask everyone to be patient. For most of us this is our first time, so we are still trying to work the kinks out.” To ensure that your career intentions and desires our clear to the detailers making decisions, all Sailors are strongly encouraged to ensure that their preferences are upto-date in the Career Management System (CMS). Each rate has unique manning requirements and needs of the fleet, therefore, departmental Career Counselors are receiving updates and training on the inactivation detailing as decisions are made. Check often with career counselors or check out the Qs and As on the Big ‘E’ Net.
KITTY HAWK continued from page 6 removed or wired in such a way that it would never move again.” After the crew, offices and messes were removed from the ship, what was left of the crew worked diligently preparing each space for the decommissioning. “We set up all of the decorations and prepared the tour route for all of the DV’s that would visit, said Young. “The tour route was short due to almost all of the spaces being turned over and wired shut.” Like Enterprise, Kitty Hawk had a lush history, serving for nearly a half of a century. Needless to say, this was reflected in the decommissioning ceremony that followed, a ceremony Young remembers to this day. “The day of the ceremony was very fast paced,” said
Young. “We all had ceremony assignments as well as postceremony duties. I was an usher helping the guests to their seats. I will never forget meeting the men I met that day. Seeing these men come from all over America, with their long grey hair and beards, in their 40-year-old dress blue uniform with medals, to put their beloved ship to rest. It was a very moving experience.” Although much of the inactivation and decommissioning process of Enterprise will be quite different than that of the USS Kitty Hawk, much of the song will undoubtedly remain the same. What is not different is the reverence that is buried in the hearts of those who have graced the decks of both carriers during their distinguished half-century careers.
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Friday, October 5, 2012
Big E Entertainment
ACROSS 1. Increase in size 6. Fraud 10. Not barefoot 14. Female demon 15. Hefty volume 16. Decant 17. Decree 18. Region
19. Graphic symbol 20. Instructions 22. Ancient Peruvian 23. Trumpet 24. Not the borrower 26. Frozen 30. Card with one symbol 31. Long-haired wild ox 32. Connecting point
33. Blowgun missile 35. Transparent 39. Urinary organs 41. Spiny anteater 43. Meddle 44. If not 46. A noble gas 47. Got together 49. Estimated time of arrival 50. Annoying insect 51. Strong suit 54. Sharp intake of breath 56. Weightlifters pump this 57. Graniteware 63. Devil tree 64. Spouse 65. Moses’ brother 66. Leave in a hurry 67. Portent 68. Homeric epic 69. Story 70. A musical pause 71. League members DOWN 1. Sleigh 2. Dry riverbed 3. Arab chieftain 4. Bloodsucking insects 5. Lock
6. Steps 7. Medical examiner 8. Ends a prayer 9. Paltry 10. A light shower 11. Hunting dog 12. 1/16th of a pound 13. Gloomy, in poetry 21. Sycophant 25. Every single one 26. Writing fluids 27. Metal money 28. Cocoyam 29. Denote 34. Part of the Bible 36. Biblical garden 37. Dwarf buffalo 38. Deliver a tirade 40. Type of sword 42. Stop 45. Emissaries 48. Quake 51. Center 52. Genus of heath 53. Complete 55. Braid of hair 58. What a person is called 59. Welt 60. Diva’s solo 61. Wander 62. Terminates
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