The Shuttle
USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
Newsletter Edition
“We are Legend”
January 21, 2012 Issue
Steaming to Launch By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gregory White USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – Engineering department’s catapult operators work around the clock aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) to ensure that ship’s steam is properly maintained for distribution to the ship’s catapults. Hidden behind Big E’s bulkheads and buried deep beneath her decks are wide open spaces accessed only by small scuttles and straight ladders. These narrow, vertical ladders lead down to steel bridges and catwalks. These catwalks are used to transit around giant tanks, known as accumulators, which hold water and steam for launching the catapults. Enterprise has two such accumulators for each of her four catapults. Steam is a major component in launching the catapults, and needs to be kept at the correct temperature and pressure for the catapults to work. When Enterprise is ready to start launching planes, the Sailors in the catapult shop go to each accumulator space and open up valves to allow pressure through to the launch pads. The hand wheels used to open these valves need to be turned about 177 times one way to open or close a valve, said Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Terrence M. Ford, a catapult machinist on Enterprise. “You’ve got to do it quick too,” said Fireman Preston T. Dalton, an Enterprise Sailor who works in the catapult shop and accumulator spaces, “because we need to get our guys in the air.” Although these Sailors are not on the flight deck, those in the catapult shop play a major role in Enterprise’s flight operations. “We direct all the steam to the catapults,” said Dalton. “We have the largest accumulators in the whole Navy.” The ship’s catapult shop has two catapult machinists and one catapult supervisor on duty at all times. “My job is basically to keep the system up to 500 pounds of pressure and at a temperature of about 480 degrees,” said Ford. “The pressure is actually steam supplied to us by the plant. We hold the steam in an accumulator and maintain it so that when we do launch the catapults, we will have enough pressure to get the bird off of the flight deck.” The accumulators maintain a level of 33 inches, or 6,500 gallons, of water heated to temperatures well over the boiling point of 212 degrees. The temperature in the Sailors’ work area is consistently around 90 degrees or higher. “It’s not the hardest job on the ship, but it might be the hottest,” said Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Tristan L. Collazo, a catapult shop supervisor. “Even when the weather is cold our job is still pretty hot,”
Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Terrence M. Ford opens the accumulator valve to supply steam to the catapults. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gregory White)
said Dalton. The catapult shop works closely with the aviation catapults division (V-2) and Damage Control (DC) Central to supply steam and launch the catapults. Ford said that each catapult has a launch panel manned by an aviation boatswain’s mate (equipment) (ABE). The ABE’s communicate with the flight deck and DC Central to determine what catapults should be used, how much pressure is needed, and when. DC Central coordinates with the ship’s reactor plants and the catapult shop to supply the steam. “We’re kind of like the middle men in the whole planelaunching process,” said Collazo. “We get our steam from the plants and send it to the air department to launch.” “What they do is very important,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Lavon T. Turner, a catapult launching console operator. “They give us our steam for the catapults. Without it, our catapults would not work.” “If we can’t launch planes then this is just a big cruise ship,” said Dalton. “What’s the point in owning a Ferrari if you can’t afford gas?”