WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE
August 25, 2016
By MC3 Alora Blosch
STEAM
SNIPES SMALL SHOP PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN HELPING LAUNCH AIRCRAFTS
By MC3 Bryan Mai
ma i n ta i n i n g
thelightning SUSTAINING THE NAVY’S NEWEST AIRCRAFT
By MC3 Wyatt Anthony
onthe deckp lates Recap of the 2016 rio olympics
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 20, 2016) Logistics Specialist Seaman Rebecca Ayala, from Orlando, Florida, plays the flute while Air Traffic Controlman 3rd Class Ruby Wesby, from Athens, Georgia, holds the microphone during a ‘George Washington’s Got Talent’ event in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington, homeported in Norfolk, is underway conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo by MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke
PHOTO of the DAY
By M c 3 A l o ra B l o s c h
STEAMSNIPES SMALL SHOP PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN HELPING LAUNCH AIRCRAFTS
T
hey walk into their space and immediately beads of sweat form on their foreheads. They check gauges looking at the steam pressure and levels. Sweat begins to roll down their back, while they log information from the past hour. As the catapult sounds overhead, they know they are doing something important. Machinist’s mates working in the catapult steam shop, or ‘Steam Snipes,’ operate as the go-between for Reactor and Air departments to launch aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).
“There are two positions as a Steam Snipe,” said Machinist Mate 2nd Class Elliot Schumacher, from Engineering Department. “Catapult supervisors are the watch supervisors and technical experts. They are in charge of maintaining all the equipment to store steam in order to launch birds. Catapult machinists operate the catapult valves, stand watch, and maintain piping valves and air reducing stations. They reduce the air pressure that Reactor sends in order to have the correct pressure to operate the components.” Steam Snipes reduce the high air
pressure from Reactor. They monitor the different valves and gauges to ensure there isn’t a steam leak, which can severely injure personnel and damage equipment. “Our shop has a lot of talent,” said Schumacher. “We advanced the most people in our division and we are the smallest shop.” Machinist’s Mate Fireman Ashley Gunnoe just qualified as catapult supervisor and is the only fireman on board to have that qualification. Sailors showing proficiency as a catapult mechanic must prove their knowledge in
a board to become fully qualified as a catapult supervisor. “It’s more of a privilege than anything,” said Gunnoe. “You have to know everything about the systems, because when your catapult mechanic has a question, you need to be able to answer it or know exactly where to find the information to answer it. It’s an honor that they trust me with that. I’m proud to say I’m the only Fireman Catapult Supervisor on this vessel.” Steam Snipes have an important and rare job aboard aircraft carriers. Before nuclear energy, engineers did all the steam work for the catapults. “We receive steam from Reactor
and give it to V-2 in order to operate the catapults,” said Schumacher.
“Originally, when carriers didn’t have Reactor, Engineering was it, but now we maintain the equipment and take on the middleman role. Working with main steam as a machinist’s mate doesn’t really happen, so this is as close as I can
get without being in Reactor.” Steam Snipes play a vital role in the overall mission of George Washington. Without them, aviation boatswain’s mates wouldn’t be able to launch aircraft from the flight deck. “The whole point of an aircraft carrier is to launch aircraft,” said Gunnoe. “We work hard, long hours, and it’s hot, but it’s worth it because we launch planes. We see what we do and ensure the mission is complete.” “I have been working as a mechanic my whole life,” said Schumacher. “I can’t imagine a time when I wasn’t turning wrenches. I love my job. It plays a huge part of launching aircraft. I get to help protect my country and, without the catapults, we couldn’t do any of that.”
By M C 3 B r ya n M a i
MAINTAINING THELIGHTNING S U STA I N I N G T H E N AV Y ’ S N E W EST A I R C RA F T
I
n the 100-plus years since it was introduced, U.S. naval aviation has gone through many generations of various aircraft. Each generation of aircraft has always needed Sailors to maintain the functionality and mission readiness of the Navy’s squadrons. The Navy’s newest aircraft, the F-35C Lightning II carrier variant, is no different than its predecessors. It was even designed with sustainment in mind by having key components easily accessible to maintainers to cut down on the aircraft downtime, such as the reverse orientation of the canopy, which enables easier access to remove or maintain the ejection seat. “There are some things easier and some things harder when it comes to maintenance on the F-35 when compared to the F/A-18 Super Hornet,” said Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Matthew Knox, assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101. “For example,
we went back to a tank style fuel tank for the F-35C instead of a bladder style fuel tank, which makes maintenance a lot easier whereas removing an engine is a lot easier for an F/A-18.” The F-35C is currently in its third developmental testing phase (DT– III) aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), which
involves the last phase of Fleet carrier tests. The Salty Dogs of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 are conducting DT-III, while VFA-101 aircraft and pilots conducted initial at-sea qualifications, Aug. 14-17. “You need more people to work on an F-35C, whereas you can use a
smaller crew to work on an F/A-18,” said Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Charles Ayala, of VFA-101. Since the F-35C is still in its developmental testing phases, the engineers who designed the aircraft will take feedback from maintainers like Knox and Ayala into consideration to refine it further. “The F-35C doesn’t break as often as the F/A-18 does,” said Ayala. The F-35C L i g h t n i n g II will be complemented by the F/A18E/F Super Hornet and will replace legacy aircraft F/A18C/D Hornets. “The biggest lesson we learned by coming out to the George Washington was that we could do this,” said Ayala. “Of course, there are hiccups and there are things that need to be addressed, like problems of being at sea and the work equipment, but it’s definitely not going to fail. It’s not going to be just an expeditionary jet because it’ll be replacing the Hornets.”
CVN MAZE
GAMES CROSSWORD
HARD SUDOKU SUDOKU
Department: Supply/S-2 Most Memorable Moment :
Learning the kitchen
Hobbies: Swimming, cooking and playing video games
Department: Admin/X-1 Favorite Sports Team: Ohio State Buckeyes Hobbies: Reading books about History and going to museums
#USSGW
Missed an issue of the Washington Surveyor? Fear not. all past issues can be found on the GW page at News/Media/movies, then navigate to external news. Don’t forget to like GW on faccebook at USSGW and follow us on twitter @GW _ CVN73.
@GW_CVN73
underway
movie
schedule
Channel 4 0800 The Marine: Homefront 1000 Star Trek Into Darkness 1200 Iron Man 3 1400 The Big Wedding
June 25TH 2016
Channel 5 0800 Life of Pi 1000 Parental Guidance 1200 Monsters Inc. 1400 Happy Feet 1600 For a Movie Request Call 4988
1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1800 The Great Gatsby 1800 Doom 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2200 Ratatouille 2200 Scary Movie 5 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 0200 Wall-E 0200 Pacific Rim 0400 Twelve Monkeys 0400 Epic 0600 U-571 0600 Fast and Furious 6 Channel 6 Channel 7 0800 Black Rain 0800 No Escape 1000 Chicken Run 1000 A Walk In The Woods 1200 Wallace & Gromit: Wererabbit 1200 The Martian 1400 The Boxtrolls 1400 Rocky 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1800 The November Man 1800 Rocky II 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2200 The One I Love 2200 Rocky III 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 0200 Chef 0200 Rocky IV 0400 Life of Crime 0400 Rocky V 0600 The Identical 0600 Rocky Balboa
staff Commanding Officer CAPT Timothy Kuehhas
Executive Officer CAPT Kenneth Strong
Command Master Chief CMDCM James Tocorzic
Public Affairs Officer LCDR Reann Mommsen
Deputy Public Affairs Officer LTJG Andrew Bertucci
Senior Editors MC1 Alan Gragg MC2 Kris R. Lindstrom
Design Editor
June 26TH 2016
Channel 4 Channel 5 0800 Filly Brown 0800 The Hunt for Red October 1000 The Fast and The Furious 1000 We Were Soldiers 1200 The Mask of Zorro 1200 K-19 1400 Spider Man (2002) 1400 Silent Hill Revelation 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1800 Superman: The Movie (1978) 1800 Oz the Great and Powerful 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2200 Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan 2200 Lincon (1982) 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 0200 Jack Reacher 0200 Poltergeist 0400 Evil Dead 0400 Now You See Me 0600 The Guilt Trip 0600 Mud Channel 6 Channel 7 0800 What If 0800 The Perfect Guy 1000 Snow Day 1000 Pan 1200 No Country for Old Men 1200 The Visit 1400 Star Trek 1400 Steve Jobs 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1600 Movie Request Call 4988 1800 Harry Potter/Prisoner of 1800 Bridge Of Spies Azkaban 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2000 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2200 Goosebumps 2200 Open Season 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 2400 Movie Request Call 4988/7170 0200 Captive 0200 Gandhi 0400 The 33 0400 Gandhi (Con’t) 0600 Sicario 0600 Open Season 2
MC3 Kashif Basharat
Content Editor MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke
Content MC2 Loni Lopez MC2 Alex Smedegard MC3 Wyatt Anthony MC3 Alora Blosch MC3 Clemente Lynch MC3 Bryan Mai MC3 Jonathon Price MCSA Krystofer Belknap
The Washington Surveyor is an authorized publication for Sailors serving aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). Contents herein are not the visions of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington. All news releases, photos or information for publication in The Washington Surveyor must be submitted to the Public Affairs Officer (7726).