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URVEYOR Vol. 21, Issue 7
Apr. 5, 2021
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE 6 MIND YOUR HEADS! Be careful of what you flush down the toilet
8 THAT'S AN AWFULLY HOT COFFEE POT George's Java opens for business
12 FINISHING UP THE LAUNDRY S-3 brings clean clothes to the crew
16 PIECE BY PIECE: REPAIRING THE CATAPULT Air department's V-2 division performs vital maintenance on the ship's catapults Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Sarah Providente operates the cash register at George’s Java, the ship’s coffee shop.
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AROUND THE FLEET
Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group Conducts Joint Force Maritime Exercise with India ON THE COVER: Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) pose for a photo during IC3 Akshay Mampilly's re-enlistment.
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USS George Washington (CVN 73) Commanding Officer
Surveyor Magazine Command Master Chief
Executive Officer
URVEYOR
Editor-in-Chief Lt. Cmdr. Javan Rasnake
Copy Editors Lt. Chelsea Cannaday MCC Christina Shaw MC2 Elizabeth Cohen
Capt. Michael Nordeen
Capt. Kenneth Strong
CMDCM Christopher Zeigler
Media Team CTT1 Jordyn Calhoun MC2 Trey Hutcheson
Media Department
MC2 Marlan Sawyer
Public Affairs Officer
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Javan Rasnake
Lt. Chelsea Cannaday
MC3 Zachary Thomas MC3 Tatyana Freeman MC3 Cory Daut
Departmental LCPO MCC Christina Shaw
Departmental LPO
MC3 Robert Stamer
CTT1 Jordyn Calhoun
MC3 Aislynn Heywood MC3 Michael Hazlett MCSN Jacob Van Amburg
Media Department Requests PRINT REQUESTS
MCSN Dakota Nack
PHOTO/VIDEO REQUESTS (757) 534-0613
E-MAIL CVN-73 Media Print Requests mediaprintrequests@cvn73.navy.mil
MCSN Jack Lepien MCSN Justin Lawson MCSN Dyxan Williams MCSN Joshua Cabal MCSA Joseph Negusse MCSA Grant Gorzocoski
PHOTO STUDIO HOURS 0900-1200 1900-2100 MONDAY - THURSDAY, located in 01-165-3-Q
A special thank you to all those who let us tell your stories to the crew and to the fleet. 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.
The Washington Surveyor • 3
SAILOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT
ITSN Mauricio Bautista Mendoza HOMETOWN:
Oakland, California
WHERE HE WORKS:
Combat Systems Department, ADP
HOBBIES:
Mendoza's hobbies include going to the gym, reading, and learning about financial investment.
WHAT HE ENJOYS ABOUT HIS JOB:
It makes him happy to fix touble tickets and any other issues that his shipmates have.
WHAT ‘SAILOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT’ MEANS TO HIM:
Being nominated makes him feel acknowledged and motivated to do a good job.
WHY HE WAS NOMINATED:
Mendoza was a key member in the installation of the theater medical information program - maritime (TMIP-M), which hosts all medical programs that allow medical department to do their job. 4 • The Washington Surveyor
GW’S NEWEST WARRIORS ESWS MA2 Araujo ETN2 Bomersine ETN2 Borman ETN1 Carter MA3 Chavez ET3 Keyes ETN2 Sterricker ETN2 Ziegler
EAWS LS2 Escalante IT2 Estevesnieves AT3 Schiavo ATAN Smith GM2 Vargas
EIWS IT2 Karelius IT2 Rolph
MESSENGER OF THE WATCH AZ3 Bowen AS2 Brown ABEAA Edenfield ABHAN Fulton AN Garcia ETSN Gathman MA2 Gonzales ABH2 Husted AS2 Long CSSN Lopez MASA Melendez AD3 Smith ATAN Utoafili
PETTY OFFICER OF THE WATCH AE3 Acostabardales AS3 Alkirebentler AS2 Anderson AS3 Babcock LS3 Burris AM3 Clausson IT1 Kol LS3 Labreck AE3 Miller AT3 Monticello ABH3 Nelson QM3 Pierce IC3 Raub AT3 Rodriguezcastillo AD3 Smith MC3 Stamer JUNIOR OFFICER OF THE DECK ABH3 Trimble OS1 Fogle OFFICER OF THE DECK AT2 Haynes ABHC Bosco ABH1 Lagunarubio LNC DiazBass AO2 Lyford ENS Fargas AM2 Mitchell LNC Ivan CS2 Redmond NCC Rodriguez ABHCS Surowiec Lt Wilson
ESWS Coordinators
EAWS Coordinators
EIWS Coordinators
Deck Watch Coordinators
OSC Zachary Machnics MAC Thomas Bohannon
ACCS Matthew Cuppernoll AOC James Cooksey
CTMC Kathleen Chandler IT1 Thaddeus Wiedemeier
CDR. Steve Yargosz LT. John Coughlin
MINDFUL OF WHAT WE PUT IN OUR HEADS STORY BY MCSN DAKOTA NACK, PHOTOS BY MC3 ROBERT STAMER
Hull Technician 2nd Class Raul Gutierrez fuses a pipe with a braising torch.
Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) should be cognizant of the materials they are putting into the toilets. It is imperative for Sailors aboard George Washington to be mindful of what is flushable to mitigate the risk of damaging the sewage system on the ship. For starters, know the “do’s and don’ts” for the toilets, or “heads”, onboard. “Do not flush anything that will not decompose. Some items that do not
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decompose quickly are wipes, brown paper, or even tampons,” said Hull Technician 3rd Class Erik Lozano, assigned to the engineering department aboard George Washington. Items that do not decompose quickly can get stuck in the pipes and will not go anywhere. This will ultimately require attention from the hull technicians who are responsible for a wide array of duties for the ship. Some of the tasks that hull technicians do are installing, maintaining, and repairing
valves, piping, plumbing system fittings and fixtures, and marine sanitation systems. Whenever there are issues with the toilets and their associated pipes, hull technicians are the first responders. It is in the best interest for all of the Sailors aboard George Washington to keep the heads aboard the ship in good condition. Chief Hull Technician Christopher Waterman, engineering department’s repair division leading chief petty officer, who willingly accepts the title as “Poop Boss,” advocates
for Sailors to treat the ship’s sewage system as if it were their home. “This is our home, right? We are going to be living on here. This is a warship and it goes out to sea,” said Waterman. However, as easy as this sounds, there are many issues that can arise. “As George Washington continues to undergo maintenance, there are less heads that can be utilized, [compared to] when the ship is fully operational,” said Waterman. “All heads from frame 180 all the way aft are heads that have flushable water. However, work centers have to take ownership of the space in order to bring the heads up.” Due to the fact that not every head is operational, it is important Sailors treat each head with respect and care; otherwise there will be repercussions for everyone aboard.
WHAT BELONGS IN THE TOILET: Navy issued toilet paper
urine
feces
"THIS IS OUR HOME" NOTHING ELSE. Whenever a head gets clogged and then floods, it requires time and attention to resolve it. “For example, the female contractor head was down for two weeks because there were tampons, contractor wipes, and brownies all down the line,” Waterman said. “We do not want to ever close down heads or anything. We know stuff happens, but if you are throwing stuf f down like shirts and other things not supposed to go down there, it is a bit frustrating,” said Hull Technician Fireman Jeremey Noriega, assigned to the engineering department
aboard George Washington. When unauthorized materials are thrown into the toilets, hull technicians must assess the situation and diagnose the problem. Diagnosing the problem requires meticulous examination before a method is decided upon. Some of the ship’s plumbing problems are resolved with a snake. “A snake is a tool that reaches down into pipes to remove clog-causing blockage,” said Lozano. “Then you push something and it spins so it releases the clog.” George Washington will inevitably be our home. It is essential that Sailors
be mindful of what materials go in the toilets to circumvent significant issues that will require the attention of the hull technicians aboard the ship. “Take care of us and we will take care of you,” said Noriega.
The Washington Surveyor • 7
F
THAT’S AN AWFU HOT COFFEE POT Retail Services Specialist Seaman Gerard Rosado pours a strawberry smoothie at George’s Java, the ship’s coffee shop.
F
LLY T STORY BY MCSN JACK LEPIEN, PHOTOS BY MCSN DYXAN WILLIAMS F
GEORGE'S JAVA: OPEN FOR BUSINESS The Navy does what it can to provide small tastes of home for the Sailors embarked aboard the many ships and subs that make up the fleet. These vary from ship-to-ship, but aircraft carriers have a unique amenity to offer: Starbucks coffee on the high seas. On March 8, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) opened George’s Java, the shipboard coffee shop. “It feels good to be open for business on the ship,” said Chief Retail
Services Specialist Quinton Lewis, the leading chief petty officer of the sales and services division aboard George Washington. “I’m thankful for the crew, for everyone helping us out. It took a lot to get us here, and it wasn’t just us doing the work.” Lewis said getting George’s Java, the coffee shop, set up required help from many divisions across the ship. “The biggest thing was getting all the equipment onboard,” said Lewis. “That meant working with the stock control
Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Sarah Providente takes coffee orders from Sailors at George’s Java, the ship’s coffee shop.
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division to get all of our equipment ordered and onboard.” Other departments, such as engineering, were also crucial to the opening of George’s Java. ”We were able to get power and potable the water to the space,” said Lewis. “The [Electrician’s Mates], [Hull Technicians], [Machinist’s Mates], and [Machinery Repairmen] helped us out with all that.” After all the work to get the space ready, it was up to the baristas to train
Retail Services Specialist Seaman Mischa Williams makes a latte at George’s Java, the ship’s coffee shop.
and finish getting the equipment ready. “We were able to get in and install all our equipment, like the coffee makers, blenders, and hot water machines,” said Lewis. “We also sent our baristas to other ships to learn from other coffee shops and Starbucks employees.” “I got sent to the [Waspclass amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3)] for training from a Starbucks representative,” said Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Arnold. “He went over how to properly make everything, and sanitation.” Sanitation is vitally important to any food service evolution. “Sanitation was the biggest thing we hit, not just because of COVID, but because we are serving food and drinks to thousands of people,” said Arnold. “We’ve
got to keep everyone clean and healthy.” They also trained to make signature drinks, like the caramel macchiato. “Starbucks gave us a recipe book that contains all the drinks we can make,
make and drink is a special tea I make, where I add vanilla syrup in the bottom and brew a fruity tea on top of it, and finish it with a little milk. It’s so good.” But being a barista for George’s Java is more than just a job for Arnold, it’s about his shipmates. “My favorite part about being a barista is getting to see all the crew,” said Arnold. “You get to know everyone from the [commanding officer] to the newest check-in, and who doesn’t love something warm and delicious that gives you a little pick-me-up?” George’s Java is now open and available across from the aft mess decks from 0600-0700 and 09001300, Monday through Friday.
“Who doesn’t love something warm and delicious that gives you a little pick-me-up?" - RS3 Arnold although we have a lot of custom drinks too,” said Arnold. “My favorite drink to
The Washington Surveyor • 11
CLEAN CLOTHES FOR THE CREW
STORY AND GRAPHIC BY MCSN JACOB VAN AMBURG As the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) gets closer to finishing refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH), more compartments and comfort facilities have been restored to full working order. Supply department’s S-3 division has been working to complete the ship’s laundry facilities. Laundry facilities are vital to the ship. Without them, Sailors living aboard George Washington would have nowhere to wash their clothes. Chief Retail Services Specialist Quinton Lewis, the sales office leading chief petty officer assigned to the supply department aboard George Washington, thinks laundry is among the most important things that the sales and service division [S-3] can provide outside all the other morale boosting outlets onboard. “Not only does it allow us to provide clean linen to the crew, as well as self-service [laundry], it allows the Sailors who live onboard to have a place to come wash their personal clothing,” he explained. Before Sailors can live onboard the ship, certain factors have to be met. Laundry on the ship is one of those factors. “It’s very important for crew move aboard,” said Retail Services Specialist 2nd Class Richard Garcia, service supervisor assigned to the supply department aboard George Washington. “We’re going to have everyone sleeping aboard the ship. As you
can imagine, the laundry is going to pile up and we're going to need somewhere to get it done.” While we wait to move aboard and do our laundry, the supply team is working hard to get the laundry facilities online and fully functional. The crew, however, also serves a
find other means of doing the ship’s laundry. “Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we have to gather up all the dirty linens and give them to the contractors,” said Garcia. “When they finish cleaning it, we have to get in contact with them to have it dropped back off. This process can take a while and will be way easier when we can do it all ship-side.” Replacing and repairing some of the older machines is one of the tasks that Lewis’s team works on daily. “There were leaks from previous years’ machines that were not installed correctly when the ship was operational during its Japan days,” said Lewis. “There is also minor preservation [maintenance], which the sales and service division team is pushing away on daily.” In April, S-3 plans for the laundry facilities to be operational once again. George Washington will be one step closer to completing RCOH. The ship will be home to its thousands of Sailors soon.
“The laundry is going to pile up and we're going to need somewhere to get it done.” -RSC Lewis
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big role in closing out construction in the laundry spaces. “I would say it takes every Sailor onboard George Washington to assist us with getting this online,” said Lewis. “Laundry cannot come online with just one specific entity; we need the assistance of everyone aboard.” Without the laundry facilities operating on the ship, the supply department had to
FINISHING UP THE LAUNDRY Thanks to the supply division (S-3), the laundry facilities are open!
You can find the laundry facilities at: 3-239-2-Q (S3 Laundry Room) 3-235-0-Q (S3 Laundry Room) 4-235-1-Q (Self Service Laundry) DO NOT USE LAUNDRY PODS
laundry machines are for clothing and linens only
IC3 MAMPILLY TAKES THE OATH (AGAIN) PHOTOS BY MCSN DAKOTA NACK & MCSA GRANT GORZOCOSKI
Combat Systems Sailor re-enlists on the flight deck Friday, March 26, 2021 with his department and shipmates.
PIECE BY PIECE: REPAIRING THE CATAPULTS STORY & PHOTOS BY MC3 ROBERT STAMER
Aviation Boatwain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Christopher Edenfield reaches for a wrench while performing maintenance on the catapults.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) has been undergoing refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) since 2017. The deck has been stripped and the bulkheads have been repainted to completely revamp every inch of the ship. Included in the overhaul of the ship are the catapults that launch aircraft off of the flight deck at extremely high speeds. The catapults have been rebuilt and reinstalled on the flight deck. Currently, air department’s V-2 division is tasked with
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installing hoses for the catapult’s steamcutoff switch. All cylinder-assemblies for both catapults were recently lowered into the flight deck. They slowly lowered the machinery into the flight deck utilizing full efforts of the entire V-2 division, and now all restorative maintenance items are ready to be completed. “The launch assembly is what controls the final step in a launch,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Ignacio Arbildi,
V-2’s catapult leading chief petty officer. “This activates a circuit that is called ‘launch complete.’” Launch complete is an electrical circuit on the catapult that tells the system to turn off steam from the launch valves, said Arbildi. Every time a plane is launched, there is a series of circuits, hydraulics, air, steam pressure, and even personnel that react to one another, allowing more planes to be launched over and over again. “If you don’t get a ‘launch complete’,
the launch valves will stay open and steam will continue to shoot onto the catapult, and you can break the cylinders because of overheating,” said Arbildi. One maintenance item now required is connecting a flex-hose to the steam cutoff pressure switch. These flex-hoses are what V-2 is currently installing on the catapults. These are extremely important to every launch. “This is a simple, one-day job, but it is absolutely necessary,” said Arbildi. Once the launch valves are filled with steam, the steam activates pressure cut-off switches at the end of the catapult. “We want to close them as soon as we launch the plane, so you don’t keep on running steam through the catapult,” said Arbildi. V-2 has been working diligently since the catapults were installed on the flight deck. “This is the end goal, to launch planes, because that is the point of an aircraft carrier,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Martin Boateng, assigned to air department
aboard George Washington. “The Sailors are able to accomplish the maintenance as soon as they can because they work as a team,” said Boateng.
“The Sailors in V-2 are the heart of everything that goes on with the catapult.” - ABE1 Robinson
Every component on the catapult is designed to work in tandem with one another, but nothing can happen without Sailors giving time, energy, and effort to maintain the catapults. “The Sailors in V-2 are the heart of
everything that goes on with the catapult,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Gary Robinson, the quality assurance leading petty officer of V-2. Completing this task is no easy accomplishment. It requires the effort of the whole department, one maintenance item at a time. “All of these V-2 Sailors are doing an outstanding job,” said Arbildi. “I’m proud of them.” This maintenance item is now complete, but the job of bringing the ship back to life is still in progress. Every Sailor aboard the George Washington must work to correctly maintain and repair every item on the ship. They will be tasked with this responsibility until we leave the yards, and throughout the rest of the ship’s lifespan. Capt. James Lawrence, while aboard the USS Chesapeake, one of the Navy’s six original frigates, gave the famous command, “Don’t give up the ship.” George Washington Sailors do not intend to do so.
Aviation Boatwain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Recruit Erick Boburg climbs out of a void during catapult maintenance.
The Washington Surveyor • 17
N ANEWS VY
THEODORE ROOSEVELT CARRIER STRIKE GROUP CONDUCTS JOINT FORCE MARITIME EXERCISE WITH INDIA
INDIAN OCEAN - The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) conducted simultaneous join multi-domain operations with the Indian Navy and Air Force in the Indian Ocean March 28-29, 2021. Joint integration is key to elevate capability and capacity in the maritime domain. The highly successful exercise occurred on the heels of Secretary of Defense Austin’s scheduled visit to India. The exercise focused on complex operations such as anti-submarine warfare, joint air operations, and command and control (C2) integration. It demonstrated the capacity of the two nations to operate together to advance a common vision of Indo-Pacific, ensuring peace and stability. USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and her embarked Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM 75), the “Wolf Pack”, USS Russell (DGG 59), and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) operated with INS Shivalik (F 47) with embarked helicopter, Maritime Patrol Aircraft (P-8I) from INAS 312 – “The Albatross”, and Indian Air Force aircraft from Squadron No. 222 – “The Tigersharks”. U.S. and Indian forces exercised together seamlessly across all domains,
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From USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs
demonstrating the compatibility of our platforms and operations on the sea and in the air. The TRCSG is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet to help ensure freedom of the seas, build partnerships that foster maritime security, and to conduct a wide range of operations that support humanitarian efforts and act as deterrence to potential malign actions. The TRCSG consists of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), Destroyer Squadron 23, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS John Finn (DDG 113). Theodore Roosevelt’s embarked air wing consists of the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 31, “Golden Warriors” of VFA-87, “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146, “Black Knights” of VFA-154, “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115, “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat
Squadron (HSC) 8 and “Providers” of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 30 Detachment 3. TRCSG’s operability in the region directly supports the Chief of Naval Operation’s navigation plan to master all-domain fleet operations, and exercise with like-minded navies to enhance our collective strength. As the U.S. Navy's largest forward deployed fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates between 50-70 ships and submarines and 140 aircraft with approximately 20,000 Sailors. 7th Fleet's area of operation spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South Pacific, providing security and stability to the region. 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security while conducting a wide-range of missions to support humanitarian efforts and uphold international laws and freedoms of the sea. Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment to the IndoPacific December 23.
'ASK A CHIEF'
ABOUT THE 128TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MESS, OBSERVED APRIL 1, 2021