WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE
Mar. 7, 2017
By MCSN Jamin Gordon
lightindustrialfacility training across the rates
By MC3 Jacob Goff
deepwaters Retired chief shares his life experience
By MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke
chiefgayda remembered
On the cover: Sailors receive LIFAC training. (Photo by MCSN Jamin Gordon)
PHOTO of the
By M C S N Ja m i n G o rd o n
lightindustrialfacility
DAY
training across the rates
N
AO3 Casey Heffron salutes the ensign during morning colors. (Photo by MC2 Jessica Gomez)
The Washington Surveyor Commanding Officer
Executive Officer
Command Master Chief
CAPT Timothy Kuehhas
CDR Colin Day
CMDCM James Tocorzic
Public Affairs Officer
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Media DLCPO
LCDR Gregory L. Flores
LTJG Andrew Bertucci
Editors MC1 Alan Gragg MC2 Kris R. Lindstrom MC3 Kashif Basharat
MCC Mary Popejoy
Staff MC2 Alora Blosch MC2 Jessica Gomez MC2 Jennifer O’Rourke MC3 Joshua DuFrane MC3 Jacob Goff
MC3 Anna Van Nuys MC3 Michael E. Wiese MCSN Jamin Gordon MCSN Kristen Yarber MCSA Julie Vujevich
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).
*For comments and concerns regarding The Washington Surveyor, email the editor at kashif.basharat@cvn73.navy.mil*
ow that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is preparing for refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) maintenance, many Sailors are moving out of the comfort zone of their rate, and are being assigned to different temporary additional duty (TAD) teams that will support RCOH. One such team is Light Industrial Facility (LIFAC), which provides Sailors from various rates an opportunity to learn new skills and expand on old ones. LIFAC is used by aircraft carriers during RCOH for self-help fabrication, machining and engineering services, said Lt. Pat Stimphil, division officer for the LIFAC team aboard George Washington. LIFAC also provides services for engraving, sandblasting, welding, upholstery and embroidery, pump/motor rewind and many other things. “One of the most important things I’ve learned during LIFAC training is how to read the engineering drawings,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) 3rd Class Valerie Proulx. “Also, I’m about to learn about pumps, valves and hoses. It’s pretty important work, and the knowledge is very helpful for exam time for my rate and also for when I get out. Learning about these things puts me ahead of the curve.” Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1st Class Kevin Ramirez, the pa-
raloft and engraving supervisor for LIFAC, has gained a new appreciation for tagging out electrical and mechanical systems for maintenance. “We have done tagouts before, but to
team consists of more than 80 Sailors chosen by their respective departmental leading chief petty officers. “It’s a great feeling to be on this Cond’t on next page
Below: Peter Pasquale, a quality manager for AMSEC, gives LIFAC training . (Photo by MCSN Jamin Gordon)
fully see and learn exactly what everything means on an actual drawing provided by MSC (maintenance support center) makes me take into account why tagout drawings are so crucial when we perform t a gout s ,” said Ramirez. The LIFAC team is comprised of Sailors sent from various departments from around the ship including weapons, engineering, air and supply. The
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team,” said Ramirez. “We have different rates, different levels of knowledge and we get to learn from one another. For example, my peers are parachute riggers, they come to LIFAC to help with painting and coating, or to switch roles and teach an engineer, an Aviation Boatswains Mate (fuel) or other outside rate how to
use a sewing machine, is a great experience. It’s rewarding to see that we truly are a well-rounded group.” While Ramirez enjoys the exchange of knowledge between him and his peers, Proulx feels confident knowing she has the support of her chain of command. “To know that my chain of com-
By M C 3 Ja c o b G o f f
mand trusts my knowledge and skills to rebuild our equipment successfully is a pretty good feeling,” said Proulx. Sailors will be TAD to LIFAC for approximately a year. Over the course of their assignment, Sailors will have opportunities to train and advance their skills outside of their normal working environment.
deepwaters a veteran shares his life experience
“
Take advantage of the great position you’re in, because it will impact the rest of your life.”
“To know that my chain of command trusts my knowledge and skills to rebuild
our
equipment
successfully is a pretty good feeling.” -ABE3 Valerie Proulx Sailors receive LIFAC training. (Photo by MCSN Jamin Gordon)
“A
HTC Rodney Ellars trains Sailors on LIFAC. (Photo by MCSN Jamin Gordon)
lot of things can go wrong on a ship,” said retired Chief Petty Officer Essex Moore. “I remember one time on USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), at two o’clock in the morning, general quarters sounded. They lost control of the rudders. It was a tense situation as the ship got closer and closer to shallow water, closer and closer to rocks. I was documenting what was happening on the bridge, and to see the tension, almost panic in the bridge crew was interesting. But, thank God, we were able to get everything repaired and get the ship back out in deeper water.” Every day you encounter someone or maybe you yourself experience the feeling of drifting toward shallow waters. Being a Sailor is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and Moore
had times in his 22-year career, especially early on, when he felt the same way. But through his career, he developed an outlook that could benefit every Sailor. “Not every day in the Navy was fun, but I loved my time in the Navy,” said Moore. “I loved getting underway. I’m not going to say that I loved the long work hours, but I certainly loved the work that we were doing.” Moore found his professional passion as a Mass Communication Specialist, and once he put his focus on that passion, everything around him began looking a bit brighter. His positivity also came from another source. “My faith has a lot to do with it. I knew God had me in the Navy for a reason,” said Moore. “I was running from him in the beginning. But as I restored my relationship with God, I started to see the positive side of things more than the negative.” Moore’s attitude may seem overly-optimistic, but even as an outsider looking in on modern Navy life, he sees patterns of the same problems he faced during his Navy career. “With the changes in regulations and even the change in our Commander in Chief, there comes a lot of uncer-
-Essex Moore
tainty,” said Moore. “What’s the Navy going to be like next? I would simply tell a Sailor to ‘relax and just carry on your duty with the honor, courage and commitment that has been installed in us, and you’ll be just fine.’” Many of the skills Moore acquired in the Navy—diligence and leadership being two of the most important to him— have translated to his life as a civilian. The benefits he now reaps came from putting his focus in the right places. “If I could give advice to a young Sailor, it would be to remember not to form their opinion about the Navy overall based on where they are at this particular moment,” said Moore. “There are good commands, there are bad commands; there are good duty assignments, there are bad duty assignments, but those always pass.” Moore chose to finish a full career, but for many Sailors, that’s not an option. “I frequently tell young Sailors that the Navy is not for everyone,” said Moore. “But for the young Sailor who’s there, take advantage of the great position you’re in, because it will impact the rest of your life.” Moore said his philosophy is that instead of one day realizing you’ve lost control of your rudders, floating toward the shallows, make the best of every day, and stay fixed on deeper waters.
NAVY NEWS chiefgaydaremembered By M C 2 J e n n i f e r O ’ Ro u r k e
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n the day of his retirement, a Navy chief lost his life in a motorcycle accident early in the morning March 2 on Route 76 in Oceanside, California. Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Chad Michael Gayda served in the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years. Many Sailors who deployed with Gayda aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) are now stationed aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). “He came to the TR right before the deployment and we worked together through the entire deployment,” said Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Zachary Whisenant. “He was an integral part of repair department, the pipe shop, the sheet metal shop, the carpenters shop and the machine shop.” Gayda is remembered by his peers as a skilled rider and a true professional in his field. His shipmates remember him as a man with a big heart and an incomparable sense of humor. “He was just a really warm and open person,” said Chief Navy Counselor Nickole Palmore-Seay. “Everything was about his family. His foresight was always planning for retirement so he could be home with ‘Mama’. He would always say ‘I need to go home to Mama.’ They had three small children. He was looking forward
to closing the chapter on the Navy and spending more time at home.” Gayda’s last deployment was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2015. He was dedicated leader to his Sailors and always put others before himself. “There were a lot of things he taught me that I would not have learned on my own,” said Whisenant. “He had gone through the change from small ships to big ships and this was my first experience on a big ship. I wasn’t adapting well to the level of work. I was stressed out constantly from everything that was going on. He was able to say, ‘Hey man take a step back. I have learned this before, the work doesn’t stop.’ So it wasn’t just his junior sailors, anybody who needed help, even if they didn’t ask for it.” As he prepared for retirement he looked forward to spending time with his wife and three children. “He was an awesome person and he had a really big heart,” said Palmore-Seay. “He always made certain that his team was always taken care of before anything else that was going on with him personally.” “He was real big on family,” said Whisenant. “It was all he talked about before retiring, ‘I can’t wait to spend time with my wife and kids’ and ‘I can’t wait to do the things
that I missed.’ He was all for it. He was just getting ready to start life.” As the weather in Virginia improves, more Sailors will be motivated to ride their motorcycles to and from work or for leisure. The tragic story of Chief Gayda’s death should act as a reminder to every Sailor who rides motorcycles of the inherent risks involved and the importance of motorcycle safety. The Navy’s policy is that all Sailors who ride a motorcycle are required to complete a rider safety course, and must meet all of their command requirements before riding. For more information about the command’s requirements, Sailors can contact departmental motorcycle safety representatives or the command motorcycle safety coordinator, Chief Whisenant.
PANAMA CITY, Florida (NNS) -- For years, the U.S. Navy has swept the water columns in various ways for mines, to include using a Mk-107 sled towed by a MH-53E helicopter. This demonstration proved a possible lighter, less time intensive way to sweep for mines in theatre and deployed a MK-18 Mod 2 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) from a MH-60S aircraft. According to NSWC PCD MH-60S Integration Lead Tim Currie, Naval Air Systems Command HX-21 test pilots used a NSWC PCD “Dragon Master” MH-60S helicopter with the MK18 MOD2 mass model to transit a short distance to the operational area near the NSWC PCD sea wall. “Once in a hover, the crewman streamed the mass model and adapter into the water and initiated release of the MK18 MOD2 mass model. Once the MK18 MOD2 mass model was released from the UUV adapter the crewman retrieved the adapter back to storage position on the side of the aircraft,” said Currie. “The total operation, from liftoff to touchdown, took 18 minutes. The release of the mass model and recovery of the UUV adapter took approximately three minutes.” Currie said no anomalies or equipment issues occurred during any phase of the flight. The aircrew, aircraft, and UUV adapter returned to base safely. The mass model was retrieved from the bay and returned to the hangar shortly after liftoff. “This program has been funded by the NISE program with the goal of providing internal warfare funds to incubate promising new technologies that will improve the capabilities of the
MK 18 Deployment, Retrieval Team Makes Historic AMCM Flight in St. Andrew Bay From NSWC PCD Office of Public Affairs (Code 1031)
Navy,” said Currie. “The Fleet demand for the capabilities that the MK18 MOD2 brings to the Navy grows every day. We hope that this work furthers that goal.” The demonstration was Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) funded by Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division. Test scientists, engineers and military pilots from NSWC PCD, Naval Air Systems Command HX-21 Squadron and PMA299, NAVSEA PMS 408, and Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport collaborated on the event. “This was a perfect collaboration between government and industry,” said Currie. “Our industry partners and Concurrent Technologies/EVC had the vision to design the UUV adapter device on internal funding, knowing that this was a needed capability for the U.S. Navy.” Currie said the next challenge is Phase 2: Recovery of MK18 Mod 2 from the aircraft. “We are working with NUWC Keyport on the recovery device and two
Keyport engineers were onsite for Phase 1 of the test. We wanted them to see a flight first hand to aid in their design for the recovery device,” said Currie. “Lessons learned from the initial in water testing have been included in the second prototype design and we expect to have a functional prototype by April of this year. In April, we will be back pier side conducting in water testing of the recovery device and I will provide periodic updates to that progress. Phase 2 flight testing is scheduled for the first quarter of FY18.” NAVSEA Warfare Center Executive Director Don McCormack congratulated the MH-60S, MK-18 deployment team via email Feb. 2, 2017. “Congratulations on yesterday’s successful demonstration. This is a great good news story for the Warfare Centers, our industry partners and the Expeditionary MCM Warrior. I look forward to the same success with the retrieval aspect,” he wrote. “The real winner will be when this capability is operationalized for the warfighter.”
Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division “Dragon Master” air crew, scientists and engineers successfully deploy a Mk-18 underwater unmanned vehicle . (U.S. Navy photo by Ron Newsome)
CVN MAZE
GAMES CROSSWORD
HARD SUDOKU SUDOKU