Voice Volume 5 Issue 19, June 8, 2014

JUNE 8, 2014

VOL 5 ISSUE 19

Ready for the

Big Dance

In this issue: Pilot Rescue / 3MI / Safety Net Repair / Battle of Midway

by MC2(SW) Brent Pyfrom

READY FOR THE BIG DANCE 2

C

arrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 successfully completed a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of Southern California June 2.

COMPTUEX, led by CSG 15, evaluated CSG 1’s ability to react to live-training scenarios as an integral unit throughout every warfare area including sub surface, surface and air.

“These ships and the crews are very well prepared for deployment,” said Capt. Paul Mackley, CSG 15 operations officer.

During the exercise, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) simulated a straits transit with other ships from the strike group, participated in replenishments at sea, vertical replenishments, and ran

several general quarters drills.

COMPTUEX is the capstone of the integrated training phase for the strike group.

“Normally, as the ships and squadrons train, they train as individual units,” Mackley said.

“This is the first time we brought them all together to see if they could operate as a team.”

Following a year and a half of preparation involving the basic training phase, CSG 1 began COMPTUEX on May 13.

“One of the biggest and most complex events we did during COMPUTUEX was flight operations. We coordinated missions through the various warfare commanders that we have in the strike group,” said Cmdr. Steve Delanty, CSG 1 operations officer.

The exercise required the entire strike group to defeat simulated adversaries across all spectrums of warfare.

With the successful completion of COMPTUEX, CSG 1 moves into final preparations for deployment this summer as it continues with its Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) through June 9, an exercise led by U.S. Third Fleet. JTFEX is an integrated battle force exercise designed to test the capabilities of carrier strike groups operating with multinational forces in a joint environment. It is the culmination of a series of exercises and training requirements and readies the strike group for challenges it may encounter while deployed.

CSG 1 comprises Vinson and its embarked air power, Carrier Air Wing 17, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and the guided-missile destroyers USS Gridley (DDG 101), USS Sterett (DDG 104), and USS Dewey (DDG 105).

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the West Coast of North America to the international date line and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.

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by MC2(SW) Brent Pyfrom

SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM SAVES A LIFE

by MCSN(SW) Matthew A. Carlyle

HE

he Red Lions of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 performed a search and rescue (SAR) mission after an F/A-18E Super Hornet preparing to land on aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) made an emergency crash landing in the Pacific Ocean June 4.

The SAR team recovered the pilot after he ejected from the aircraft prior to the aircraft impacting the water. The team was in the helicopter providing routine over-watch during night flight operations when they got the call that there was a man in the water. A call they are well trained to respond to but hoped would never come.

That’s when Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 3rd Class (AW) Aaron Perez, the rescue swimmer who executed the rescue, knew his first rescue mission had arrived.

“As soon as I started getting dressed out, I got really nervous,” said Perez, a 25-year-old native of Corpus Christi, Texas. “I didn’t want to mess anything up. This is what you train for. We have people who have been in 20 years and never had a rescue so I thought to myself, ‘This is it.’”

With the helicopter positioned over the pilot, Perez was lowered in full SAR swimmer gear and quickly began using the training he learned at SAR school in Pensacola, Florida.

“Once I got in the water, it all came back to me,” Perez said. “First, I talked to the pilot to let him know what the plan was and that we were going to get him out of there as soon as possible. Then I pulled him out of his raft, disentangled him, and signaled for the rescue litter. The rescue litter came down and I got him all strapped in. I hooked him up to the litter and gave the thumbs up to my crew chief so he knew to pull him out of the water. I did my final checks to make sure everything was safe and gave my crew chief another thumbs up while holding onto the trail line as they pulled him up.”

After Perez was recovered from the water, he talked with the F/A-18 pilot as the helicopter made its way back to Carl Vinson.

“I just kept talking to the pilot, asking him how he was doing,” Perez said. “He said he was fine, just cold. By the time we got a blanket on him, we were already touching down on the carrier. Then, corpsmen rushed in to grab him.”

Perez admitted that he was impressed by how composed the pilot was in spite of the dangerous circumstances and attributed the mission’s success to how well both parties employed the training they had received for these emergency situations.

“When I got to him in the water, he was just lying in his raft, with his hands on his flotation, just waiting,” Perez recalled. “He was very calm and cooperative. It made it really easy. Our training helped us out a lot because we both knew exactly what to do and how to help each other.”

That’s why the Navy motto “train like you fight” never rang more true than that night, when a potential disaster was calmly contained through prompt and skillful execution.

“It felt huge because we train a lot, for a lot of different things that some people don’t ever get to do,” Perez said. “It really felt good to get to use it to help that pilot.”

Carl Vinson is underway conducting a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTEFX) off the coast of Southern California.

LSE R T ACOMBA FIF T E E N

N O

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3MI 3MI 3MI Vinson Sails

Through 3MI

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by MC2(SW/AW) Travis Alston

arl Vinson successfully completed its Maintenance and Material Management Inspection (3MI) June 7 while underway.

During the three-day event, 18 inspectors from Commander, Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR) conducted 248 supervised checks throughout the ship to ensure the crew is properly following written procedures for required maintenance.

The inspection is conducted aboard aircraft carriers every 24 months to verify each ship’s ability to perform required maintenance using the Navy’s 3M system.

The 3M inspection is part of a training cycle that continuously monitors and trains Sailors on the proper ways to effectively maintain an aircraft carrier for its expected 50-year life span.

“Understanding the importance of all of the administrative effectiveness reviews (AER), spot checks and SKED 3.2 alerts was vital during this inspection,” said Senior Chief Machinery Repairman (SW/AW) Chris Laforteza, Vinson’s 3M Coordinator. “This validates how effectively we do our maintenance and more importantly allows the Navy’s finest ship to be a combat-ready force.

Maintenance is an extremely important part of shipboard life. We, the crew, are the ship’s repairmen; therefore, we have to take care of her so she can last 50 years.”

Laforteza attributes the success of the inspection to the 3M training team (3MTT), the 3M assistants (3MA) and the Sailors who were assigned spot checks during the 3MI. “Training played a key role during this 3MI,” said Laforteza. “We prepared all of our Sailors on how to properly maintain their equipment by conducting training.

This allows Sailors to strengthen their maintenance skills.”

The 3M inspectors said the ship’s training was evident in the maintenance checks they performed.

“Overall, this ship did extremely well. I was really impressed by the crew’s attention to detail during the spot checks,” said Master Chief Electrician’s Mate (SW/AW) Jim Burke, COMNAVAIRFOR inspection team leader.

“We were out here doing a 3M assessment in September 2013. It was one of the worst inspections that I’ve ever conducted. The turn-around this ship did was remarkable.

In eight months, you go from the worst to one of the best, I’ve ever done. I would like to commend you guys for that.”

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Vinson Crew Repairs Safety Net at Sea

by MC2(SW) Brent Pyfrom

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arl Vinson completed at sea repairs, June 6, after debris from an F/A-18E Super Hornet lost during flight operations damaged the flight deck safety net.

Less than 48 hours after the incident, Sailors from Carl Vinson’s engineering department completed the job.

“One of the safety nets around the outside of the flight deck was damaged, so we cut the old pipe out and installed a new stainless steel pipe,” said Hull Technician 3rd Class Timothy Pope of St. Louis, Mo. The safety net provides a protective barrier between the flight deck and the sea. Repairing it while underway as opposed to waiting until the ship returns to port affords the crew an additional measure of safety.

Chief Hull Technician Ryan Harju said Carl Vinson’s engineering department are trained and prepared to efficiently handle these types of repairs.

“I’m 100 percent confident in my Sailors,” Harju said.

Carl Vinson is currently conducting pre-deployment exercises with Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG-1). The pilot of the downed aircraft was unharmed.

5

around the

V I N S O N

Battle of Midway: Turning the Tide of War

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by MC3(SW) Jacob G. Sisco

he Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign in World War II. The battle occurred from June 4–7, 1942, only six months after Japan‘s attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of Coral Sea. Fought near the tiny U.S. midPacific base on Midway Island, the battle represented the turning point in the war’s Pacific theater. Prior to this action, Japan had overall naval dominance in the Pacific and could generally choose where and when to attack the United States.

After its success at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s six large aircraft carriers and more than 400 aircraft

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stormed the Pacific, sinking British warships in the Indian Ocean and laying waste to the town of Darwin in Northern Australia.

Their unchecked aggression and expanding naval superiority was finally halted in early May 1942 at the Battle of Coral Sea, when two of Japan’s carriers were damaged in an inconclusive battle with U.S. forces.

By this point in the war, the Japanese force was exhausted and badly needed reequipping.

The American “Doolittle” raid, an air attack on Tokyo launched from aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV 8), prompted Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto to plan a final confrontation with the fragments of the U.S. fleet before letting his forces rest, despite their

beleaguered condition. The raid had been an insult—it had threatened the life of the emperor.

U.S. intelligence intercepted Japanese communications and determined Yamamoto’s plan well before the battle began.

The Japanese believed they had sunk USS Yorktown (CV 5) during the Battle of Coral Sea and that the U.S. had no more than two carriers.

Instead, the damaged ship was repaired in just two days at Pearl Harbor.

An enormous inequality existed between the two fleets. The U.S. had three carriers, eight cruisers and 15 destroyers deployed in two task forces. Yamamoto commanded four large and two medium carriers, eleven battleships, numerous cruisers and destroyers, and an amphibious task force with which he planned to take hold of Midway.

Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, Adm. Chester Nimitz, commanding from Pearl Harbor, was outnumbered and could not risk losing a direct engagement. He reinforced the air units on Midway, taking advantage of the unsinkable aircraft runway. His seagoing carriers were situated to the northeast of the island, waiting to ambush the Japanese when they arrived for their assault.

On June 3, U.S. bombers from Midway attacked the Japanese invasion fleet as it drew near the island, but did little damage. The following morning, Adm. Chūichio Nagumo, the Japanese carrier group commander who had led the attack at Pearl Harbor, ordered 100 planes to attack the island. Initially,

admirals Frank Fletcher and Raymond Spruance, had only one task—locate and destroy the Japanese carriers.

Once the Japanese fleet was located, Spruance launched a full strike from carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet; Fletcher followed with a strike from Yorktown.

The U.S. attack on the Japanese force was conceived as a collective attack, combining low-altitude torpedo bombers with high-altitude dive bombers striking simultaneously to overpower the defenders. Instead, the squadrons became divided.

The torpedo bombers reached the Japanese force first. Flying at low levels, they were severely battered by the faster, more maneuverable Japanese Zero fighters. Forty-seven out of 51 U.S. torpedo planes were lost.

So far, Nagumo had persevered without a scratch and delivered a heavy blow to the Midway air base.

Now, he would unleash a large attack and terminate the U.S. fleet.

However, the battle would favor the Americans. The dive-bombers were off course, but found their target by following a Japanese destroyer en route to rejoin the Japanese carriers after running off a U.S. submarine. Its wide white wake marked the way to their targets.

The bombers appeared over the Japanese carriers as the last U.S. torpedo planes were being shot down.

The Zero fighters were consequently

the Japanese strike was effective, although the Midway airfield remained operational.

The Japanese scout plane assigned to cover the area where the U.S. ships were waiting was delayed. The scout reported enemy warships, but not until after the attack on Midway had commenced. With two significant tasks at hand—capturing the island and attacking the U.S.fleet—Nagumo paused instead of acting, which proved costly.

A major flaw in the Japanese plan became evident. The carriers were expected to strike Midway and engage the U.S. fleet when it ultimately arrived, but Yamamoto had not anticipated the U.S. fleet would be in position before his forces arrived.

The U.S. tactical commanders,

USA

continued on page 10

The Battle of Midway Sunk/Destroyed

1 Aircraft Carrier 1 Destroyer

The Battle of Midway occurred between June 4 and 7, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was the most important Naval battle of the Pacific Campaign 0 Cruisers during World War II and was the turning point of the war.

150 Airplanes

Japan

Sunk/Destroyed

4 Aircraft Carriers 0 Destroyers 1 Cruiser 248 Airplanes 9

continued from page 9

out of position and powerless to deal with the divebombers. Taking advantage of an empty sky and a perfect position, the skilled pilots carried out a flawless divebombing attack on the Japanese carriers.

The Japanese were caught off-guard; they did not have radar capabilities and were dependent on the human eye to spot threats. In five minutes, the carriers Kaga and Akagi had been hit, starting overwhelming fires. Their decks were filled with bombs, torpedoes, and hoses charged with high-octane fuel, which added to the intensity of each fire. Every plane on their decks was a gigantic bomb waiting to explode. It took only three or four 1,000-pound bombs to set each enormous ship ablaze.

Yorktown’s bombers attacked next, critically damaging the carrier Soryu. Only the carrier Hiryu survived, concealed in a nearby rainstorm.

Within minutes, Nagumo had commanded the forces on Hiryu to launch a half-strength strike of 40 planes. They set out for Yorktown, the only U.S. carrier the Japanese found during the battle.

Even with radar warnings and fighter defenses, Yorktown was torpedoed twice and hit by three bombs. Though extremely damaged, the carrier did not catch fire and persisted to stay afloat.

The U.S. Navy had invested heavily in damage control, firefighting and safety systems. Yorktown was consequently saved for the time being, and its planes landed on other carriers. Hiryu had exposed itself and was caught and demolished by U.S. dive bombers six hours later.

In the second of the Pacific War’s great carrier battles, the persistence, sacrifice and expertise of U.S. Navy aviators cost Japan four irreplaceable fleet carriers, while

Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu burning June 5, 1942.

only one of the three U.S. carriers present was lost. The base at Midway, though damaged by the Japanese air attack, endured and later became an essential element in the U.S. trans-Pacific offensive.

According to the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, Adm. Nagumo’s Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Kusaka Ryūnosuke recognized the defeat for what it was and later wrote: “I felt bitter… I felt like swearing.”

The balance of power in the Pacific had moved from Japan to America. Shortly after the Battle of Midway, the U.S. and their allies would take the offensive in the Pacific.

In total, the Japanese lost four carriers, a heavy cruiser, 3,000 men and 250 aircraft during the battle. Many of the pilots survived, but the ship’s crews and highly trained aircraft maintenance teams did not.

The U.S. lost one carrier, USS Yorktown; one destroyer, USS Hammann (DD 412); 300 men and 150 aircraft. In return, it had halted the mighty Imperial Japanese Navy and gained the initiative. The tide of the war in the Pacific had turned.

USS CARL VINSON’S NEWLY

QUALIFIED IT2 Roberts, Justin ABF3 Davis, Christopher FC3 Eiler, Jeremy CTT3 Ivester, Garret FC3 Hood, Clayton MC3 Pintos, Hansel MCSN Kaucher, Jacob

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ABF1 Medel, David DC1 Tornay, Christopher MM2 Kowalczyk, Nikki DC2 Rutherford, Shane AS3 Banares, Jeredaston AM3 Bauer, Brandon HM3 Carter, Larry AS3 Canafax, Ray AS3 Frank, Alexander

AS3 Frank, Alexander AT3 Jacobs, Lloyd PS3 Rose, Allison PS3 Smith, Ricky Jr YN3 Mason, Chancellor AO3 Scott, Frederrick IT3 Williams, Roger AM3 Winterfeldt, Luke ASAN Bean, Brandon AMAN Bruno, Kevin

AOAN Collins, Daneeca AOAN Ellwel, Heather AOAN Gremillion, Jamie ADAN Harrington, Christopher ABHAN Moser, Brandon ABFAN Paz, Daisy ABFAN Peel, Robert ABFAN Smart, Eddie III AOAN Taylor, Zachary AN Wood, Scott

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Gold Eagle of the Week

Quicksand Warrior of the Week

AT3 Christopher Sandoval

AD3 Clayton Murray

viation Electronic’s Technician 3rd Class Christopher Sandoval quickly diagnosed and repaired a consolidated automated support system (CASS) interface device and its adapter. As a result of his superb expertise, the ability to troubleshoot, test and repair APG-65 radar packages was restored. He narrowed the fault down to a circuit card in the ID and power card, which returned the CASS test station to fully operational status.

Sansoval’s steadfast dedication to mission accomplishment and his superb troubleshooting skills were essential in restoring the ship’s ability to test, repair and RFI APG-65 components in F/A-18 radar systems.

viation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Clayton Murray’s superb mentorship and his natural ability to lead were the driving forces behind the completion of 35 daily inspections and the training of six landing signalman enlisted (LSE).

Murray takes the initiative to complete all tasks assigned to him with astonishing results.

Furthermore, without hesitation, he quickly stepped in as an LSE, when he noticed an unexpected Battlecat helicopter making a return to the ship. Without his leadership, motivation and dedication to duty, the squadron would not have been able to successfully complete the preparation, training and evolutions required for COMPTUEX.

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E IC VO

At

DECKPLATE

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DIA LO GU ES

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What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we pull in?

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MC2(SW) Brent Pyfrom

MASN Robin Todd

“GO TO THE BEACH”

“GO TO TACO EL GORDO AND GET ADOBADA TACOS”

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LCDR KYLE RAINES Public Affairs Officer LTJG TREVOR DAVIDS Assistant Public Affairs Officer

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

MCCS(SW/AW) MONICA R. HOPPER Media Leading Chief Petty Officer

MCCS BRIAN BRANNON MCC(SW/AW/EXW) DAVID CRAWFORD

MEDIA DEPARTMENT

“GO TO CHURCH AND THANK GOD I MADE 3RD”

EXECUTIVE EDITORS

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“GO TO THE NIGHTCLUB”

CAPT KENT WHALEN Commanding Officer

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DC3 Katelan Riddick

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CS2(SW) Michael Cosek

PUBLISHER

f or

“EAT LIKE A FAT KID!!!”

ing

“I’M GOING TO HOLD MY SON.”

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AOC(AW/SW) Clifton D. Stewart

AF ST

MMFN Anthony Janeiro

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“OMG! EAT A STEAK!”

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“HYDRATE RESPONSIBLY”

Media Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer

PS2(AW) Danay Blanchet

PSSN Maria Halisy

JUNIOR EDITORS

MC1(SW/AW) RYAN TABIOS MC2(SW/AW) TRAVIS ALSTON MC2(SW) BRENT PYFROM

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MC2(SW/AW) GEORGE M. BELL MC2(SW/AW) JOHN P. WAGNER MC2(SW) NICK BROWN MC3 GIOVANNI SQUADRITO MC3 SHANTECE GONZALEZ MC3 JAMES VAZQUEZ MC3 BRYAN JACKSON MCSN MATTHEW A. CARLYLE MCSN ERIC COFFER

Media Department’s mission is to tell the story of Carl Vinson and her embarked air wing and staff. The Mass Communication Specialists who work in Media are highly trained in graphic design, video production, print journalism and photography. Vinson MCs maintain a dominant presence online—their work can be viewed on the ship’s Facebook page and on Navy.mil.