USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
The Shuttle Newsletter Edition
“We are Legend”
June 18, 2012 Issue
Deep Freeze: Cryogenics Lab
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) Jesse L. Gonzalez USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea -- Sailors assigned to the Cryogenics shop aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) are critical to a variety of mission-essential operations, from making liquid nitrogen for medical use to manufacturing breathable oxygen for pilots. According to Machinist Mate 1st Class Matthew Lewis, Engineering department’s Auxiliary division’s Cryogenics leading petty officer, Cryogenics is responsible for three main spaces on the ship - The forward O2N2 plant, located in the forward-most part of hangar bay, the administration office, located in the AIMD tunnel, and the aft producing plant. “In the (O2N2) plant, we have one oxygen/nitrogen producing plant, a refrigeration unit and four high pressure air compressors,” said Lewis. “There are two liquid storage tanks per plant that hold 750 gallons of liquid nitrogen and the other, which is a split tank, holds 250 gallons of nitrogen and 750 gallons of oxygen.” The Cryogenics shop supports the air wing, medical, dental, engineering, AIMD, and several other departments. Sailors assigned to cryogenics produce liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen for uses throughout the ship, said Lewis. Some uses of the oxygen and nitrogen produced are liquid Oxygen Carts (LOX Carts) for air wing LOX. These carts are filled with 50 gallons of liquid oxygen that is put into LOX converters which goes into some of the planes for later use by the pilots. “As they fly, the liquid oxygen is converted to a breathable gas for the pilots,” said Lewis. “Also, the pilots have what we refer to as a seat pan, which is actually just the seat they’re on, that houses a small gaseous oxygen cylinder they use for breathing in case of having to eject.” According to Lewis, Sailors assigned to the Cryogenics shop fill oxygen bottles for the engineers on Enterprise. This allows the pipe shop Hull Technicians to perform various welding jobs throughout the ship. “If anyone has seen HTs walking about the ship with a green and yellow gas cylinder on their back, then you know they are off to a welding job with some of the oxygen we produced in the cryogenics shop on their back,” said Lewis. “We also fill oxygen cylinders for medical and dental for their breathing masks.” The Cryogenics shop is also responsible for the use of nitrogen aboard Enterprise. “The Cryogenics shop distributes 90 percent of the nitrogen produced as a gas, rather than as a liquid,” said Machinist Mate 3rd Class Julio Porta. Liquid nitrogen is given out to medical to use in their wart clinics, where it is used to freeze warts for removal. AIMD
Machinist’s Mate Fireman Andrew Kim, from Dallas, a cryogenics lab Sailor, fills liquid nitrogen for dewar. (Photo by MC3 Heath Zeigler)
uses nitrogen for their gauge calibration shop. Nitrogen is a moisture-free, inert gas, so it won’t cause any bad reactions or get anything wet inside. “Liquid nitrogen will also shrink parts for different types of installation,” said Porta. “We also supply gaseous nitrogen to the tire and wheel shop because all of the aircraft on board use nitrogen in their tires,” said Porta. According to Porta, the most prevalent danger in the Cryogenic shop is cryogenic burns. When one considers that working with and handling liquids that are anywhere from -297 to -312 degrees, there is a very obvious health risk involved. Any time there is a transfer of any liquids, multiple forms of personal protective equipment are required. “We use insulated cryogenic gloves which reach all the way to the elbow, full cryogenics aprons, slip-on boots and face shields,” said Porta. “We also wear white cotton coveralls with no zippers or metal on them or any spark producing material that could possibly cause liquid oxygen to explode.” Porta added that all the tools handled when working with cryogenic liquids are also made of a non-sparking material to further avoid any ignition. While oxygen itself is not technically flammable, it aides in combustion and presents a great danger when handled improperly. “It’s funny how we’re such a small shop, but we have such a big impact on the mission of the ship,” said Lewis. “For example, if our plants were down, and we couldn’t provide oxygen or nitrogen to the squadrons and divisions it would definitely hinder flight operations. No welding, no plane tires, no calibrated gauges, no breathing for some pilots, I’m pretty proud of the work we do here.”
The Shuttle
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Monday, June 18, 2012
Big E Happenings
The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society raffle winners enjoy dinner with the CO (Photo by MC3 Harry Andrew D. Gordon)
FC3 Arturas Dovydenas – Los Angeles (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)
FC3 Samuel Hauser – Cacrose, Wis. (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)
Photo by MC3 Gregory White
GM2 Jake Walker - Billings, Mont. Photo by Zeigler (Photo by MC3 MC3 Heath Brian G. Reynolds)
The Shuttle USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
AOC Mike McShane - Williamsburg, Va. (Photo by MC3 Brian G. Reynolds)
Did You Know? USS Enterprise (CVN 65) was the first aircraft carrier to deploy with operational F-14 Tomcats aboard.
The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at smithsw@cvn65. navy.mil. Commanding Officer Capt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.
Executive Officer Capt. G. C. Huffman
Command Master Chief Public Affairs Officer CMDCM (AW/SW) Dwayne E. Huff Lt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler Editors MC2 (SW) Kristin L. Grover MC3 Brian G. Reynolds
Monday, June 18, 2012
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In the News Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Buried By CNN Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, a hard-line conservative credited with pushing back al Qaeda, was buried Sunday, a spokesman said. Nayef, named crown prince in October by his brother the king, was heir to the Saudi throne. Saudi state TV, which reported his death Saturday, broadcast Quran readings as an expression of mourning for the prince, who died in Geneva, Switzerland. “It is a shock. We all knew his health was frail, but his death is a shock,” Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nogali said. “We still don’t know the reason behind his death.” The Saudi Press Agency published a statement from the Royal Court, saying it “consoles the Saudi people on the deceased prince. Pray to God to bless his soul and to reward him for his services to his religion and homeland.” U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement Saturday offering his condolences. “Under his leadership, the United States and Saudi Arabia developed a strong and effective partnership in the fight against terrorism, one that has saved countless American and Saudi lives,” Obama said. He praised Nayef for supporting a broad partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden similarly offered his condolences, and hailed the former leader as an important ally in the fight against terror. It is expected that authorities selected by the king to choose a successor will meet as soon as the mourning period is over, the official said. A new crown prince could be named within the next three to four days, the source said. Nayef served as Saudi interior minister since 1975, overseeing the kingdom’s counterterrorism efforts. He also served as deputy premier. A classified U.S. Embassy cable leaked by the website WikiLeaks described Nayef as a hard-line conservative who was lukewarm to King Abdullah’s reform initiatives. Nayef led the crackdown against hard-line Islamists who took control of Mecca in 1979 and also oversaw the smashing of Saudi-based al Qaeda cells in the mid-2000s. In recent years, his son, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, has led the kingdom’s fight against al Qaeda as the elder Nayef seemed to have taken more of backseat. The Bahrain state-run news agency announced three days of mourning in that country and ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff there and at its embassies abroad. Kuwait also announced a three-day mourning period.
Bombings Kill 33 in Pakistani Tribal Region By Riaz Khan, ASSOCIATED PRESS One of the wounded, 45-year-old Khan Mohammed, said he was sitting PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two with a nephew in his shop when he bombs killed 33 people in tribal areas saw a vehicle stopping in the street. of northwestern Pakistan, officials Moments later he heard a massive and witnesses said, a reminder of the instability wracking the nuclear-armed blast. “Something hit me in my shoulder country. and I fainted,” he said, speaking from The first blast, a car bomb, hit a hospital bed. He said two of his a crowded bazaar in the town of nephews who were outside the shop at Landi Kotal in the Khyber region the time of the explosion were killed near the Afghan border, government and that he was worried for friends administrator Khalid Mumtaz said. hurt in the attack. It killed 26 people and wounded The Pakistani army has carried out over 50 others. Shops and vehicles several operations to flush out Islamist were badly damaged in the morning militants in the Afghan border regions. attack. Landi Kotal is near one of the two Hundreds of people were in the crossings for NATO supplies heading bazaar when the parked explosivesladen car blew up. TV footage showed across the border into Afghanistan, but Islamabad closed the route last year to the charred skeleton of the car and local residents rushing to help take the protest U.S. airstrikes that accidentally hit Pakistani troops. victims to hospitals.
Later in the nearby district of Kohat, a bomb hidden in a handcart killed seven people, among them police officers, said police officer Naeem Khan. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts, but suspicion fell on Pakistani Taliban insurgents who often target security forces and public places with bombings and shooting attacks. Violence erupted in the southwestern town of Kucklak after a man allegedly tried to burn the copy of Islam’s holy book. Angered over the incident, residents rallied and torched a police station and five vehicles, said police official Shaukat Ali Khan. Khan said the man who allegedly tried to burn the Quran has been arrested and that the police were trying to restore order.
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The Shuttle
Monday, June 18, 2012
Sailors of the Day Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Adam Wall
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Ryan Hammond
IT2 Adam Wall, from Eau Claire, Wis., joined the Navy four and a half years ago to better his life and gain educational opportunities. Wall enjoys auto restoration, photography and traveling with his wife in his spare time. In the future, he hopes to start a new business and be his own boss.
HM3 Ryan Hammond, from Milwaukee, joined the Navy three years ago to change his life. He enjoys lifting weights, watching sports and looking for deals on homes. In the future, Hammond hopes to complete a college degree in accounting, become a Naval Supply Officer and purchase foreclosed homes.
Big E Entertainment
Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Anthony Grajalez
CSSA Anthony Grajalez, from North Port, Fla., joined the Navy 10 months ago to learn new things and set himself up for success. In his spare time, Grajalez enjoys studying and listening to music. His future goals include earning a college degree in business management and opening a restaurant or swimming pool company.