MAGAZINE OF THE U.S.

NAVY

FEBRUARY 1990
A

1
1
Secretary of the Navy
H. Lawrence Garrett 111
Chief of Naval Operations
ADM Carlisle A.H. Trost
Chief of Information
RADM Brent Baker
CO Navy Internal Relations Activity
CDR Connle L. Haney
MAGAZINE OF THE U.S. NAVY
X 0 Navy Internal Relations Activity
LCDR Patricia J. Anthony FEBRUARY 1990 -
NUMBER 875
Director, Print Media Division 68th YEAR OF PUBLICATION
LCDR John A. Marchi
All Hands Editor (Acting)
LT W. Jeffrey Alderson
All Hands Assistant Editor
JOC Robin Barnette
Photojournalists
JO1 Lee Bosco
PHl(AC) Scott M. Allen
Writers
Jan Kemp Brandon
JO1 Melissa Lefler
JO1 Dennis Everette
JO1 Chris Price
502 John Joseph
502 Andrew 1. Karalis
503 Marke Spahr
Associates for Art and Layout
Rlchard C. Hosler
Michael David Tuffli
Communications
RM1AdrianBaker
Graphics and Typesetting
DM2 Mlke Rodrigues
DM3 P.V. Whitehurst
William E. Bearnon Exercise Tha/ay Thai ’89 - Page 32
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ISSN
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Message: NAVINRELACT WASHING- Front cover: Gas Turbine Systems (E) 2nd Class Don Hainline
TON,DC. uses a chip detector to find metal chips in the propeller hub
Authorlzatlon: TheSecretaryof the assembly of an LCAC- Landing Craft, Air Cushion - located
Navy has determined that this publica- in the well deck of USS Whidbey Wand (LSD 41). The LCAC
tion is necessary in the transaction of has changed the faceof amphibious warfarein the Mediterra-
business requiredby law ofthe Depart- nean. See story, Page 24. Photo by JO1 Kip Burke.
ment of the Navy. Funds printing
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NIRA alsopublishesCaptain’s Call Kit, to buildat the Newport News shipyard. See story, Page 20. Photo
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 > r r
ersonnel on PCSZdrders may be entitled to proceed time
_(-”**_
- ” ~n n - a
Personnel making permanent change of station
moves to and from overseas accompanied tours
are entitled to “proceed time.”
Proceed time is not chargeable as leave, delay
or allowed travel time, and is granted so sailors
can make personal arrangements necessitated by
certain PCS orders. The amount of proceed time
permitted depends on the urgency of the transfer,
but can not be more than four days.
Proceed time is also authorized when service
members are making permanent change of station
moves to or from ships or mobile units having a
sea/shore rotation code of 2 or 4, or from an “all
others” tour, when transferring from one overseas
location to another.
Tommanding officers of ships changing home
Personnel issues
Overseas family residency program offers incentives for sailors
Sailors who are, or will be, assigned to
overseas duty can soon take advantage of new
benefits. Upon completing two years of overseas
duty in the Overseas Family Residency Program,
enlisted sailors will receive guaranteed follow-on
assignments in their choice of home port, with the
exception of CONUS locations; or any type unit or
training on the nearest coast if a valid billet exists
and they qualify. OFRP assignments include
overseas homeported ships and squadrons on
Type 4 duty, excluding Hawaii.
Sailors who complete three years of OFRP duty
can request either CONUS or OCONUS locations.
2 ALL HANDS
lorts may authorize proceed time only in conjunc
tion with the movement of household goods or th
movement of the service member’s private
vehicle.
Service members who have processed perma-
nent change of station orders on or after Oct. 24,
1989, and have been denied or have not used th
proceed time authorized by their transferring com-
mand, cannot be issued proceed time by the
receiving command. They may, however, request
temporary additional duty from the new comm=lnd
for house hunting.
For more information see NavOp 131/89, or
contact LCDR B.C. Lane (OP-l34D2) in
Washington, D.C., at Autovon 224-5633 or com-
rzrcial (202) 694-5633. I J
Members assigned from overseas duty to
CONUS-based ships to complete their prescribed
sea tours will be ordered for a period of one year
(previously two years) or the time necessary to
complete their sea tour, whichever is longer.
Personnel assigned to OFRP duty will receive
one final multiple score point as credit in the
awards section toward advancement to E-4, E-5
and E-6. In addition, E-7, E-8 and E-9 selection
boards will receive formal guidance stressing the
importance of overseas sea and shore duty.
For more information see NavOp 130/89 or ask
your detailer.
Health
Insurance plan available for separating sailors
Civilian medical plans offer a bewildering variety
of options. The Navy has announced a voluntary
private health insurance conversion program for
separating personnel and their families. The
plan, called Uniformed Services Voluntary Health
Insurance Plan, is offered in conjunction with
Mutual of Omaha (at present the only partici-
pating company).
Eligible individuals are covered even for pre-
existing conditions at a rate lower than those of
similar private insurance policies.
Others eligible for U.S.V.I.P., include divorced
spouses, dependents with temporary military
coverage and family members covered by
CHAMPUS. Plans may be purchased within 30
days before separation, or 30 days thereafter.
Commanding officers, Family Service Centers,
personnel support detachments, chaplains, naval
hospitals and Navy legal service officers have
been directed to publicize the health care pro-
gram. Brochures and applications are available
through these sources. Full details of the plan
are available in NavMilPersCom Instruction
1760.1B.
The Navy neither endorses, nor recommends
the plan, and all contractual arrangements are
between the individual and the company.
The application package, rate sheets (SN
0506-LP-390-0162) and the separating command’s
information sheets (SN-O506-LP-321-8100),
are available through the Navy supply system.
Requisitioning procedures are in NavSup P-2002:
the Navy stock list of publications and forms
should be used.

Navy Library
needs donations
The Navy Department Library
collections were damaged exten-
J ----- I“

sively when a water pipe burst
in the building last October. The
cruise book and foreign navies
sections suffered the greatest
damage.
The library needs donations of
cruise books from all past years for
ships whose names begin with
the letters “C” through “F”.
Send donations to: Navy De-
partment Library, Building 44,
Washington Navy Yard, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20374-0571.
Many sailors may not know how to manage their money,
especially when high interest rates, rising food costs and unex-
pected bills tend to swallow up their take-home pay.
To avoid possible bankruptcy the Navy has distributed two
Department of Defense videotapes worldwide to assist sailors it.
better managing their money. The tapes, “Budgets and Checking
Accounts” and “Credit Buying,’’ are available at 900 major cor
mands, shore stations, selected ships, naval education and sur
port centers and Family Service Centers.
The tapes are part of a long-range, comprehel-&t; pers,ullal
financial management program developed by Naval Military Per
sonnel Command. For more information call NMPC-6, at Autovon
224-1531 or commercial (202) 694-1531.

FEBRUARY 1990 3
 Navy helps
in quake
aftermath
Sailors lend a band
Story by Jan Kemp Brandon
On Oct. 16,1989, USS Lung (FF
1060)returned from participation in
Pucific Exercise ’89 to her home port,
Treasure Island, San Francisco. The
following day,Lung‘s off-duty sailors,
along with most other San Francisco
residents, were preparing to watch
the 3rdgame of the WorldSeries
when, at 504 p.m., “the ship began
rolling and pitching. Vehicles were
bouncing up and down on the pier,
completely leaving the pavement,”
said
Chief
Mess Management
Specialist Rusty Vancil.
A major earthquake, lasting only 15
seconds and measuring 7.1 on the
Richter scale, struck the San Fran-
cisco Bay area causing 67 deaths and
destruction totalingin the billions of
dollars. This was the largest quake to
strike the Northern California area,
making it the most expensive natural
disaster in history since the “big one”
of 1906, which measured 8.3 on the
Richter scale.
4 ALL HANDS
“We couldreally feel the quake on
the ship,’’ said Vancil, who was of-
ficer of the deck aboard Lung at the
time of the quake. “The ship lost
shore power and the ship’s service
diesel generator kicked in automat-
ically to restore power.”
At Naval Air Station Alameda, Air
Traffic Controller 2nd Class Dave
Henderson and AC3 KevinCampton
were the only two people in the air
traffic control tower at the time the
quake hit.
“At first, it was just a little tremor,
Campton and I were laughing about
it - then, it got pretty extreme and
I knew it was a big earthquake,” said
Henderson.
“The tower was really shaking. At
first, I didn’t know what was going
on,” said Campton.
According to Henderson, he could
see the devastation from the quake as
it happened right in front of him.
“A coffee pot and a few other things
were beingthrown around the room,”
he said. “I was worried the windows
would break in the tower.
“When it stopped, the first thing
we did was make sure everyone was
OK and accounted for,” continued
Henderson. “I was talkingtoa
civilian helo whenthe tower began to
shake. I knew what had happened and
informed the pilot. Within minutes
he told me that part of the Bay Bridge
had collapsed.”
According to Henderson, the air
traffic control officer was on scene
within 15 minutesto assess the
damage to the air station’s runways
- it was severe.
“You could seethe water shooting
up out of the cracks,’’ saidHenderson.
He explainedthat Alameda is built on
landfill; afterthe earthquake, the run-
ways hadwells and cracks that were
hundreds of feet long and several feet
deep.
Meanwhile, USS Lung was making
preparations to get underway to pro- manding officer.Lung‘s commanding The Interstate 880 overpass collapsed
vide assistanceto thecity of San Fran- officerwas on leave onthe East with a thundering rush, crushing ama-
cisco’s Pacific Gas and Electric, ac- Coast,” said LT James E. Wilkie, jor one-and-a-half-mile road linking com-
munities along the Oakland side of San
cording to CDR Jimmy L. Mitchell, Lung’s command duty officer at the Francisco Bay.
Lung’s xo. time of the quake.
Eighteen months ago, to the day, Just prior to getting underway, a
Lung had participated in earthquake handful of Lung’s crew, includingL T control in its steam generation boilers
assistance drills demonstrating the R.D. O’Brien, the chief engineer, was when the quake hit, providesSan
Navy’s capabilityto provide electrical able to catch a boat ride from NAS Francisco with about 20 percent of its
power andwater for firefightingsup- Alameda to Treasure Island. A sec- electrical power.
port tothe city. Lung proved she tion of the Oakland Bay Bridge, PG&E personnel met Lung at Pier
could provide services that Bay area leading to Oakland,hadcollapsed. 70 and assisted in docking the ship
residents never expectedthey would The span connecting Treasure Island and connecting a 150 PSI steam hose
need so soon. to SanFranciscowasclosedas a to a riser on the pier. Steam generated
Because the quake hit after work precautionary measure against possi- by Lung would be used to raise the
hours, only a small number of crew- ble collapse, thus making Treasure temperature of the electric generating
men were aboard. While somemade Island completely isolated. substation’s boiler feedwatersystem.
the ship ready, others tried to call peo- Within eight hours of the quake, PG&Eneeded to raise the boiler
ple back to duty. Lung was underway and proceeding feedwater toat least 250 degrees
“We were ableto mustera total of underneath the damagedOakland Fahrenheitbefore it reached the
69 people includingthe duty section, Bay Bridge and across San Francisco’s plant’sboiler tubes. Otherwise, if
live-aboards, personnel from the harbor to Pier 70 to assist PG&E in cold water came into contact with
island who wecould contact by restartmg its Hunter’s Point electrical heated metal inside the steam plant
phone, and six sailors from USS Gray generating substation. TheHunter boiler, an explosion could occur.
[FF 10541, including Gray’s com- Point plant, which lost its feedwater According to PG&E officials,
FEBRUARY 1990 5
Quake relief

Quake recovery efforts continued for

days, though it took only 15 seconds
to create the rubble.

Lang‘s assistance enabledthe substa-

tion to return to full electrical produc-
tion much earlier than would have
beenpossible withoutthe Navy’s
help.
“If we’dhad to bring in anauxiliary
boiler to heat the feedwater,” said one
PG&E worker, “it would have taken scene covering the entire one-and- ingEarthquakeAwarenessWeek.
another five to seven days to get the one-half milestretch of damaged “With a drill, you have 100 percent
plant up. Lang‘s assistance benefited freeway, administering first aid to vic- of your assets on board,” explained
more than 200,000 people in the city.” tims into the early morning hours, ac-Schick. “Butwith thereal thing, you
Elsewhere, rescue efforts by Navy cording to LCDR AlisonMueller, have no planning, no advance notice.
personnel were already underway. Atdivision officer of NHO’s command Yet, everything went very smoothly
the double-decker Cypressportion of education department, lifesupport and we were able to provide assis-
Oakland’s 1-880 that collapsed onto division. (See “Spotlight on Ex- tance quickly.”
the lower section, Navy medical per- cellence,” Page 38.) Muellertookher disaster assis-
sonnel were hard at work. Although telephone communica- tance team of Navy personnel from
Within minutes after the tremor tions were almost nonexistent and the hospital, along with Navy med-
stopped, two young Navy corpsmen transportation difficult, RADM icalphotographers, out to the col-
from Naval Hospital Oakland were DavidM. Lichtman, the hospital’s lapsed 1-880 Cypress site to assist the
among the first people to respond at commanding officer,issueda total rescue efforts. “Iknew they were go-
the scene of the damaged mile-and-a- recall of its personnel. ing to have a lot of dead people out
half of freeway. “About 70 percent of the staff there,” said Mueller. “Things were
Hospitalman William Wicker and responded, many of them on their going pretty slowly with the rescue
HN Anthony Beltran werereturning own,” saidCDRGarySchick, the efforts, pulling the victims out.”
from Travis Air Force Baseon a rou- hospital’s director for administration. Mueller presented a planof action
tine patienttransfer when the quake “Given the communications difficul- to thecounty’s coroners forextricat-
struck. ties and taking into account that it ing the victims from the site and
“It was overwhelmingbecause was the rush hour, the response was identifying them, which they readily
there was so much to do and so few excellent .” accepted.
people to do it,” said Wicker, who Schick, who is in charge of the “At first, the civilian powers-that-
worked into the nextmorning treat- hospital’s disaster preparedness pro- be weren’tsure what to do with us,”
ing and transporting victims to Bay gram at NHO, had good reason to be she said. “But when they saw what
area hospitals. proud of his personnel. we could do, we were received with
Beltran separatedfrom Wicker ear- Only six months prior, NHO con- open arms, especially by the sheriffs
ly in therescue and remained at the ducted a mass casualty exercise dur- - they had never seen injured bodies
6 ALL HANDS
like that. Above: CDR Mueller directs efforts to
“One California Highway Patrol- pull victims from the rubble in the
Bay area after the earthquake. Left:
man was just standing there shaking Seabees repair broken waterlines at
his head and sayingthat he had seen Naval Station Treasure Island.
some bad auto accidents, but never
anything asbad as this,” Mueller
added. After the shakingsubsided andthe
Mueller,whohasworkedin initial state of shock brought under
emergency medicine for the last 22 control, Coast Guard and Air Force
years, directed the Navy’s medical helos stood by, at the Bay Bridge, to
rescue efforts at theCypress site and rush any survivors to hospitals. The
worked closelywith otherrescue per- aircontrollers at NAS Alameda
sonnel. Her experience was gained by limited other air traffic at the Bay
running an emergency room,training Bridge and 1-880 span, maintaining a
emergencymedical technicians, 2,000-yard airspacerestriction put in-
working in a surgical intensive care to effect to keep non-rescue aircraft
unit as an operating room nurse, out of the area.Officials feltthat
treating thewounded in Vietnam and close-flying aircraft could cause vibra-
as the officer in charge of combat get out as many bodies as quickly as tions thatwould possibly collapse the
medical training for Marine Corps possible,” said Mueller. remaining structure.
Medical Battalion 3, in Okinawa. Workerswereunder constant “The CoastGuard had to have the
The NHO medical photographers threat of injury and even death as arearestricted,”saidAC3John
andEMTsprovided 24-hour assis- they raced to extricate and identify Stuart, who was calledto thecontrol
tance,on a rotating basis, tothe the people.What remained of the tower after the earthquake hit. “We
county‘s coroners andhqhway patrol freeway couldcollapse at any time if had so many helos flying into theair-
helping with extrication and iden- an aftershock occurred, or give way space to see what was going on. We
tification of thevictims for the under the weight of the heavy equip- talked toand advisedmore than 300
families. “We didn’tknow how stable ment that was brought ontothe aircraft. We also took a large number
the structure was, and wewanted to freeway to dig escape holes. of phone calls.”
FEBRUARY 1990 7
Quake relief

USS Pelellu’s hangar bay became a

temporary home for approximately
300 people left without shelter after
the quake.

The NAS control tower team was

utilized to control air traffic and keep
in constant contact with the rescue
helos. Although electric power was
out atNAS and most of the Bay area, San Jose Office of Emergency Serv- Cross emergencyshelter. The Seabees
the control tower’s emergency gen- ices, wassent to the Redwood Estates fixed plumbing, lightfixtures and
erator maintained the tower’s elec- area of the Santa CruzMountains, the modified electrical outlets to power
tricity and phone circuits. approximate epicenter of the earth- cook stoves, patched walls, built
“The control tower was operating quake.Unitpersonnel provided doors and assembled sleeping cots to
72 hours stra&t,” said Stuart. “There 30-man and 20-mantents, fresh water accommodate Peleliu’s former guests.
were a great many things happening, and generation of electricity. According to RussScofield,Red
and we had to quickly respond to Helicoptercarrier USS Peleliu Cross shelter manager, the work done
them. I guess we were all in a state (LHA 5) became a floating home for by the sailors made a big difference.
of shock, but our people wereable to more than 300SanFrancisco resi- “It would have been even more cha-
do a good job and everything went dents left homeless from the quake. otic and behind schedule had the
smoothly.’’ Peleliu, enroute from the Pacific Navy not pitched in,” he said.
“Our peopledid an outstanding Northwest to her home port in San Personnel from Navy Helicopter
job,”said LT Thomas Kuhn,ATC Diego when the quake hit, pulled into Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15,
officer at the control tower. “They San FranciscoBay on Oct.19 to offer assigned to NAS Alameda, trans-
were able to keep calm and were very relief assistance along with two other ported food, water, clothes and dia-
professional throughouttheentire Navy ships, USS Fort Fisher (LSD 40) pers to more than 200people in
ordeal.” and USS Schenectady (LST 1185). Hollister and Watsonville, who were
It wasn’t only the ACs, medical The homeless, sheltered for nearly left without supplies and shelter.
personnel and Lang crewmen who a weekaboard USS Peleliu, went Seabees from Naval Mobile Con-
assisted during the earthquake rescue ashore Oct. 26, to a new home pre- struction Battalion 3, Port Hueneme,
and recovery efforts. Many Navy peo- pared bySeabees when Peleliu set Calif., reported from Fort Hunter, Lig-
ple helpedin r m ~ capacities
y through- sail. gett, Calif., where they were atten-
out the Bay area. The Seabees assignedto Construc- ding to their annual military training.
For example,MobileInshore tion Battalion Unit 416, Alameda, On Wednesday morning, Seabees
Undersea Warfare Unit 104 in San along with sailors from USS Samuel reported to Public Works Center
Jose, Calif., providedassistance to the Gompers (AD37) hurriedlyreadied a Oakland, NAS Alameda, Treasure
people left homelessfrom the quake. four-storyvacant office building Island and Naval Supply Center
The unit, in coordination with the donated by the owner for use aasRed Oakland, to fix ruptured pipes that
8 ALL HANDS

caused the bases to be without water,
power,gas and sewer services. At
Treasure Island, 800 family units
were affected by loss of services and
1,100 at Alameda.
NMCB 3 joined CBU406 from
Lemoore, Calif., and Alameda’s CBU
416,joined CBU 421 from Mare
FEBRUARY 1990
3 Above: A Seabee directs clean-up of
quake debris at Public Works San
9 Francisco. Left: personnel from HM
15 unload needed supplies for earth-
9 quakevictims.
3
9s
bees were absolutely excellent.”
“Their responsiveness was phe-
nomenal,” added CAPT Thomas C.
Crane, CO of Navy Public Works
Center, SanFrancisco Bay. “They
brought all the right equipmentand
right people. They were on the job
quickly and stayedon it. They carried
us through the crisis.’’
LT Steven L. O’Connor, an HM 15
pilot, summed up the Navy‘s attitude
and experiencein San Francisco: “It’s
a great rewardto be ableto help those
in need.” 0
Brandon is a writer assigned to All
Island along with Treasure Island’s Hands. Contributors to this story: 102
RNMCB 2 and Public Works Center Bill Miles, PA0 Naval Base San Fran-
crews fromSan Diego, Alameda,Oak- cisco; pH1 Dan Durrant, Naval Mobile
land and Treasure Island. Construction Battalion 3; TOC To Ann
“We were all working as a team Garlington, NavalReserve Base San Fran-
cisco 120; 101 Keith McCartney, Naval
over here,” said LindaMartin, main- Reserve Readiness Command; NC1Jim
tenance supervisor forAlameda’s Nicholson,assigned to USS Lang (FF
PWC,of the many units. “The Sea- 1060).
9
 On target
Gunner’s mate training aims to
develop flexibility, professionalism.
Story and photos by JOl Marc Boyd

As thesun brightens the early “C” school to learn skills needed to the ship’s security watches. Allthese
morning sky, aU.S. Navy h a t e cuts repair and operate specific gun and different training needs have to be
through the deep, calm waters of the missile systems on Navy ships. met by the training here at ‘A’
Mediterranean. ENS John F. Lyman, the school’s school,” Lyman said. “When they get
Aboard the frigate, men working director, says training has to remain to ‘C’ school, they will actually look
around the clockperform mainte- flexible to keep up with the rapidly at, work on, repair, operate and main-
nance and operational checks to en- changing gunner’s mate rating. tain a system using the concepts
sure the ship can meet its objective “There are many different types of learned in ‘A’ school. So the theory
of maintaining freedom of the seas. weapons systems and a of lotdifferent becomes reality.”
A blaring siren pierces the quiet, billets agunner’s mate can fill,” And when you step inside one of
morning air. Generators and hydrau- Lyman said. “He may go to a highly the weapons systems at thegunnery
lic pumps come screaming to life as technical missile system, or he may school, you feel like you’re stepping
a missile slides up the rail. go to an ammunition ship, where his aboard aship. The school is designed
But asthe missile preparesto track emphasis will be on maintaining to recreate a shipboard scene.
its target, alight on thelauncher con- magazine sprinkler systems, doing “Now that we havetest stands and
trol console indicates a problem. To the ammunition inventory or driving launchers, students can actually see
find it, the gunner’s mates who main- forklift trucks to bring ammunition the machinery move,” says GMMl
tain and operate the system recall up for an at-sea transfer. Dan J. Thompson, Mark 13 Module
their training at the Naval Gunnery “That’s different from the fellow 4 instructor, speaking of his equip-
School, Naval Training Center, Great who goes to an aircraft carrier and ment which was updated in March
Lakes, Ill. works in theship’s armory,”he con- 1988. “Before,all we had werelearn-
There, in a huge green building con- tinued. “His principle job is maintain- ing modules, which were just com-
structed with9,048 panesof translu- ing the small arms that are used on puters - nothing moved.”
cent glassfor natural heating and
cooling of the facility, students learn
the basics of highly technical weap-
ons systems installed on board Navy
warships.
Proper operation and maintenance
of these weapons systems is thegoal
of the gunner’s mate rating. The
Naval Gunnery School supportsthat
goal by teaching electronics, mechan-
ics, hydraulics, pneumatics and other
concepts to more than 1,500“A”
school students a year. In addition,
more than 800 students a yearattend

GMMSA Marc J. Solarloads a test

missile onthe Mark 13 Module 4 missile
launcher using the launch control
console.

10 ALL HANDS
 With the weapons systems in- is an important goal of the gunnery confident in the systems on our ships.
stalled in the gunnery school, stu- school. We always haveto be ableto say, ‘I’m
dents can now getafeelfor the “We teach safety from the very be- up. I’m ready to fire.’
hazards they will face aboard ship. ginning,” Lyman said. “We remind “In ’A’ school, the instructors give
“They are actually physically our students that a ship is in an in- us an overall picture of all the sys-
touching real weapons systems and dustrial environment. Safety is even tems GMs work with in the fleet,”
realizing what the safety problems more important to gunner’s mates Townes continued. “They tell us,
couldbe . . . like not going into a because people who work in factories ‘This is your gun mount. Thisis your
danger circle,” Thompson said. “No get to go home at night,” he said. equipment. You’re the one who is go-
matter how many times you tell “Sailors aboard ships work in thefac- ing to operate andmaintain it.’They
them or show them a movie about tory and sleep there, too. That means tell us it’s not anyone’s else’s equip-
what couldhappen,it’s not until the opportunity for accidents is ment, it’s ours. And when it works,
they’re actually there, and have the greater.” you feel good about it.”
headsets on, that they realize what The school does more than teach Townes describedboth the sense of
they have to do in a working environ- safety awareness,however - it personalresponsibility and confi-
ment .” teaches confidence. dence that gunner’s mates have.
Realizing what safety hazards exist GM ”A” school student GMM2 “We’re not going to accept second
and how to properly deal with them James Townes said, “We have to be best. We want to be first,” he said.
“The school tries to instill that con-
fidence. I always say, ’If your house
is clean, then you don’t have anything
to worry about.’ Whenever you walk
into aGMM missile house ora
GMG’s gun, you know it’s going to
work. We have to have the sense of
responsibility.”
Townes said that gunner’s mates
are closely scrutinized, and the crew
of aNavy ship depends on them.
“Everybody elseon the ship will help
you get out there,” he said, “but it’s
up to the gunner’s mate to make sure
his equipment is going to work once
he gets out there.”
As the frigate sails on, against the
backdrop of the Mediterranean sun-
set, confidence is high. The confi-
dence - both in the ship’s weapons
systems and the sailors who operate
them - begins with theprofessional
training gunner’s mates get at the
Naval Gunnery School. 0

Boyd is assigned to SITE at DINFOS,

Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.

GMMl James G. Shepard checks safety

messages via sound-powered phone.

FEBRUARY 1990 11
 Home port:

New York
Staten Island base readies
for tbe fleet.
Story by JOl Dean R. Kaupe

George Washington slept here and

Robert E. Lee helped plan manyof the
buildings on base.
But bythe time those relative new-
comers came to StatenIsland, the in-
stallation that would one day house
a Navy battle grouphadalready
celebrated its centennial year.
On a quiet, tree-covered point of
land at the mouthof New York Har-
bor, the nation’s oldest continuously
manned military installation is being
transformed into the Navy’s newest
home port.
Naval Station NewYork is quick-
ly becoming a living juxtaposition:
modern buildings being erected along-
side 19th century forts. This Navy
base known to generations of New
Yorkers as an Army post, in a bor-
ough of the nation’s most populous
city, has more in common with the
suburbs.
“The first time I saw this place I the kind of town you don’t picture outdoor activities you wouldn’t ex-
was very pleasantly surprised,” said being part of the city.We have trees, pect in a large city. It’s closeenough
CAPT Charles H. Gnerlich, Naval grass, squirrels, blue sky, beautiful to theother boroughs, so you can en-
Stationcommanding officer. “It views . . . there’s a lot of wide open joy everything the city has to offer.
wasn’t what I was expecting at all. country here.” But it’s also distanced enough from
When you think of New York City “The quality of life hereis superb,” the boroughs to give you the feeling
you imagine skyscrapers,a fast-paced said CDR Tony Heinrichs, resident you’re getting away from it all.”

I
lifestyle, neon lights and noise. But officer in charge of construction at But while it’s in a serene, scenic
when Icame to StatenIsland I found the home port. “There are plenty of area, the Navy’s newest home port is
12 ALL HANDS
 The old and the new: The $22.5
million utilities plant now under con-
struction (left) will exist on the same
base as the 19th century fort (below).

on-base facilities began at a site, one- - it costs more to live here than
and-a-half miles south of the pier, in most Navy familiescan afford,”
early 1988 with groundbreaking on Gnerlich said. “It wouldbe like
the first phase of a combined BEQl throwing our sailors to thewolves, so
galley. The multi-phased project - to speak, to make them depend on the
that will resemble a college quad- local economy for their housing.
rangle when completed - will con- When we have all our units inplace
tinue over several years. Like a col- we’ll be able to provide housing to
lege quad,it will be centrally located, every Navyfamily coming here. You
offering easy accessto otherfacilities. can’t say that about most overseas
“The gym, exchange, commissary bases, let alone a stateside one.”
and theater are just acrossthe street,” More and moresailors will find out
said Gnerlich. “The main gate is two what life at thisnew stateside base is
blocks away, andit’s less than a five like thanks to the homeporting in-
minute walk to most offices on base. itiative brought on by the fleetbuild-
Unaccompanied sailors are going to up of the late 1970s. As the number
find life in theBEQ to be pretty con- of ships in the Navy increased, the
venient.” capacity of existing home ports to
So will sailors who bring their fam- support the influx of personnel and
ilies. Because thecost of off-base needed services was pushed to their
housing in New York City is ex- physical limits. Thisexpansion made
tremely lug&, the Naval Station plans it necessary to base these ships in a
to have enough housing to accom- sensible, affordable way.
modate every family assigned to the The concept of strategic homeport-
home port. More than 400 two- and ing was adoptedas a means of lower-
three-bedroom housing units have ing the vulnerability of the fleet and
been built onbase, and construction vital shipping ports - the possibility
will begin on 150 more in 1991. of a potentially crippling Pearl Har-
But, most ambitiousof all isa plan bor-type attack are greatly reduced.
to build approximately 1,250govern- The Navy chose the new home
ment-leased housing units near the ports through a competitive process-
base. The plan calls for the units to cities bid against one another for
be built at two separate sites - each selection. New York City was picked
less than 15 minutes from Fort Wads- overBoston and Newport, R.I., to
worth -as Section 801 housing proj- host the proposed battle group. The
ects. The largest of the two will put process may have resembled expan-
more than 1,OOOtwo-, three- and four- sion of a sports league, but by shop-
bedroom townhouse units on south- ping around for the best deal, the
also the spearhead of the strategic western Staten Island. When com- Navy was able to get the best ports
homeporting effort. As part of that ef- pleted in early 1991, it will be the available at the lowest possible cost.
fort, the goal forthe New York home largest housing complex of its kind in Gnerlich,formerCO of USS
port is to have government housing New York City. Another Section 801 Coontz (DDG 40),said the Staten
available for every Navy family sta- project will see 250 two- and three- Island home port makes sense- any
tioned in thearea, as well as barracks bedroom gardenapartments in the St. way you look at it.
foreveryunaccompaniedsailor George district - Staten Island’s “Operationally, it’s ideal,”he said.
assigned to the base. downtown. ”As a surface warfare officer, I love
New construction for housing and “We know New York’s expensive the fact that the pier’s a mile and a
FEBRUARY 1990 13

half from open ocean. But as CO of
this base, I can appreciate the fact
that this will be a good placefor
sailors and their families to be sta-
tioned. Thesurrounding community
hasnice shopping centers, good
schools and a high standard of living
for its people.
“Best of all, we’regetting the oppor-
tunity to build up a naval station
from the ground up. Most other bases
have hadto build newfacilities as the
need arises- and put themwherever
they’ll fit. We have the luxury of plan-
ning and organizing this base with
operations, convenience and future
needs in mind. Ithink we all feel the
excitement of startingsomething
new and trying todo it right the first
time.”
The job of building the home port
in New York City is time consuming
and detailed. Construction of the
home port began in late 1987. By the
time it’s completed in 1992, roughly
$368 million in public, private and
nonappropriated funds will be spent
to build a fully-contained city within
a city.
When work is finished, the home
port will include three major loca-
tions on StatenIsland and one in an
upper-middle-class residentialsection
Artist’s drawing of what the bachelor
enlisted quarters and dining facility
will look like when they are
completed.
14
of Brooklyn called Bay Ridge. While
physically separate, a motoristcould
easily drive throughall four sites
within a half hour.
In the Stapleton section of Staten
Island - on the borough’s eastern
waterfront - construction of the ma-
jor operations facilitiesfor the battle
group are either under way or about
to begin. Stapleton, a former break-
bulk shipping port withabout 12
piers, was used as an embarkation
point for transatlantic convoys during
World WarII. When the Navy bought
thesite from thecityin 1987, it
needed major repairs;existing build-
ings and piers were removed before
construction could begin.
The keystone of the site - the
The naval station pierside faclllties
will be capable of supporting a bat-
tleship battle group. The original idea
is pictured here in an artist’s
conception.
1,410-footpier - is capable of berth-
ing an entire battle group. The $90
million project, that included pier
construction, dredging 110 acres of
the harbor’s floor andconstruction of
a 1,500-footbulkhead, was dedicated
during ceremonies May 3, 1989.
The main building at Stapleton is
the Shore Intermediate Maintenance
Activity. The $33.5 million structure
will be usedto provide upkeep on the
battle group between shipyard over-
hauls. The main building is complete,
and construction on the second phase
- which willadd a mezzanine level
and two building wings -has begun.
The activity building will be com-
pleted in early 1990.
Other projects underway are a
$22.5 million utilities plant that will
provide steam, hot water and elec-
tricity, and a $750,000 telecom-
munications center.Soon to startare
a waterfront operations building and
a supply warehouse.
ALL HANDS
 A plan for a combinationNavy Ex-
change andrecreation center for fleet
sailors was recently shelved when a
plan to use both federal and nonap-
propriated funds for its construction
fell through.
“It’s a shameit didn’t workout the
first time, because we wanted to have
a fleet recreation facilityonline
about the same time thefirst shipsar-
rived,” Gnerlich said. “But just be-
cause we couldn’t get two separate
funding sources togetherthefirst
time around doesn’t mean thedream
is over. It’s coming around again for
contract, so it should be finished
around the end of the construction
phase.”
Most construction at the site will
be completed in 1990, site improve-
ment projects will continue well in-
to 1991.Offers to buy 14 adjacent
acres of property from private land
owners were sentoutlast spring.
Once acquired, the purchase would
allow Navy planners the ability to
expand facilities around the pier, if
necessary.
While work at the Stapleton site
will bring a rebirth of shipping to
Staten Island’s waterfront, the former
Fort Wadsworth - one and a half
miles south of the pier - is under-
going a total transformation.
Fort Wadsworth has been in con-
stant useby military personnel since
1663. Locatedon hillyground at the
southern choke point to New York
Harbor, the fort’s natural attributes
made it strategically important for
coastal defense. Localnatives, Dutch,
British and, in turn, Americans have
fought to hold on to thisvital piece
of real estate.
George Washington’s troops used
the fort to scoutthe approaching
British fleet at the startof the Revolu-
tionary War. And while New York
City remained in Britishhands
throughout thewar, the lastgun shot
fired in the conflict was fired by a
retreating British ship toward a group
of civilians celebrating on theshore.
FEBRUARY 1990
Divers prepare to work below the
pier.
Constructionat Wadsworth is
more detailed and complicated than
at Stapleton. While the pier site is
being built from the ground up strict-
ly for operations, Wadsworth has to
meet habitability, support and his-
toric needs.
“We can’t just knock everything
down and start from scratch, likewe
did at Stapleton,” Gnerlich said.
“Most of the fort is more than 150
years old, and some of the existing
buildings are still occupied. The fort
is a historic landmark -we couldn’t
disturb themif we wanted to. Theex-
isting buildings - if they can meet a
The fort has remained in American useful, long-termneed -will remain.
hands ever since. The new nation im- Everything else will either be reha-
mediately set about beefing up for- bilitated or removed.”
tifications at the post. By the time the Work onmanyquality-of-life
War of 1812 brokeout, themere slght features is under way. Designs have
of the defenses convinced the British been completed on expansion of the
fleet to scrap their plans to invade existing gym and NavyExchange.
New York City. Construction on the two projects is
Fort Wadsworth played a role in six expected to be completed by August
major wars and several minor ones. 1991. Construction of a 50-unit Navy
It even served briefly as a training Lodgebegan in 1988and will be
school for U.S. Army chaplains. But finished in mid-1990.
when the high-tech era of modern “We’ll have a fully self-contained
weaponry madethis hilltop stone fort community on the base, but we aren’t
antiquated, the post fell into disuse. building an island meant to isolate.
Until 1984, the same attributes ourselves from the city,” Gnerlich
which made it highly-prized for early said. “The idea is to take care of our
Americans madeit desirable for mod- sailors’ basic needs, but this is the
ern defenses, but for different reasons. city people sing about - people are
Denial of access to New York Harbor going to be pretty spoiled by the end
became overridden by the need for of their tours.
quicker access to Northern Atlantic “New York City was picked be-
shipping lanes. Again,FortWads- cause it meets strategic and opera-
worth fit the bill perfectly. tional needs,” Gnerlich said. “But
The 226-acreproperty was official- sailors whoget stationed hereare go-
ly transferred to theNavy bythe U.S. ing to find the benefits of duty on a
Army in October 1987- after almost nice base in one of the most exciting
330 years of operation by Dutch, cities in the world.” 0
British and American soldiers, the
Navy came to usher the base into the Kaupe is assigned to PAO, Naval Station
21st century. N e w York.
15
 for homeless teens
Navy man’s lovefor kids takes him to streets.
Story and photos by J 0 2 John Joseph

Homelessness isn’t something

sailors haveto worry about:the Navy
guarantees a place to live.Butfor
some people, being homeless means
a daily struggle for survival.
Most homeless are adults - but
many are runaway teen-agers. They
may be runaways because of sexual
abusebyfamilymembers,drugor
alcohol dependency, familyconflicts
and communication problems,or
even abandonment. But for whatever
reason, these young people are living
in the streets.
In San Diego, it’s estimated that
more than 1,000 kids live inthe
streets. Homeless and jobless, they
do what’s necessary to survive: join
gangs, turn to street crime, become
hustlers, con-artists or prostitutes.
But because of the work of a few
caring individuals,these kids are not
forgotten.
LCDR Rick Kocais one individual
who just plain cares about kids. The
staff secretary for Submarine Devel-
opment Group1and executive officer
16 ALL HANDS

gencies - but where are all the other
homeless kids?
“They do a number of things,”
Koca said, shaking his head sadly.
“Teen-agers hustlemenin Balboa
Park for money - they call it ‘sur-
vival sex.’Downtown, the drug deal-
ers use kids to rundrugs andmoney.
Then there’s the porno shops.I know
kids who make about $150 a night
making porno films. Those are the
facts of life - that’s the reality -
that’s what kids aregetting into. I just
want to be there for them and let
them know that I care.”
Koca and the other staff members
give youths in the shelter specific
duties to teach them responsibility.
The kids are supervised, so they get
attention many haven’t had in the
past. Professional counselors teach
them how to fill out job applications
and help arrange part-time employ-
ment - anything to help the kids
keep off the streets.
According to Koca, being an out-
reach volunteer isn’t easy. To begin
with, the training is intense.
“The training makes you aware of
what you’re going to see out in the
streets,” he explained. “People come
in and talk about Alcoholics Anony-
mous, and runaways teach us how to
talk to youth living in the streets.
Kids from the shelter do skits about
FEBRUARY 1990
Koca tries to convincea homeless teen
to get into the homeless shelter
program.
er,” said Bruce Reaves, a Storefront
counselor. “He’s had the desire and
heart to put in a lot of time and effort
with the kids. It’s tremendous.”
Caring and commitment to kids
motivates Koca to be a Storefront
volunteer. “I guess I treat them like
they are my own kids,” he said.
“They deserve to have someone there
what it’s like out there - it’s not a for them.
picnic.” “I think we do make a difference,”
Working with homeless street kids he continued. “I have three teen-age
can be uncomfortable, and potential- children of my own. They didn’t get
ly dangerous. wrapped upin alcohol or drugs, r orun
“You have to figure at least a cou- away, so I’ve been very fortunate. I
ple of times a week you’re going to guess I’ve just cared about children all
get your butt chewed out by some- my life.”
body,” Koca said. “You hear things Koca’s involvement with kids for
like, ‘Who the hell do you think you the past 20 years has included work
are? How do you know I need some with orphanages, Girl Scouts andBoy
help?’ Those are realthings that hap- Scouts. “I’m just concerned about
pen to us. I’ve never beenhurt, but I’ve children,” he said. “I care.So with the
felt threatened a couple of times.” work at theStorefront, if I can just be
The outreach volunteers are major there for one kid, I know I’ve made
contributors tothe efforts of the a difference. That’s a wonderful feel-
Storefront’s professional counselors, ing. You don’t know how good you
according to Kim Alaburda, the pro- feel inside until someone says,
gram coordinator. Koca has been a ‘Thanks for caring, thanks for being
valuable asset to the program, she there for me.”‘
said. “We’ve always been supportive of
“It’s really important to have him him,” said Koca’s wife Sandy. “This
around,” said Alaburda. “He’s com- program is something hebelieves in.
pletely connectedto the kids. He sees He believes if you help kids, they
all the needs for the outreach pro- have a better chance to have fewer
gram. problems asadults. He actually walks
“Rick letsthe kids knowwhat the streets, says hello to the kids,
they’ve gotto do to make a difference checks to see how they’redoing,
for themselves,” she continued. Ala- what’s happened today. He really en-
burda commended his strong com- joys communicating with the kids.”
mitment to understanding the prob- Koca has also gotten some of the
lems of homeless teen-agers. “He’s a local businesses to help. They allow
father figure - he gets stem with the kids to use their facilities for re-
them, and not everyone can do that.” freshments, phone services and in-
“We started in the program togeth- form the Storefront staff members
17
Help
Koca often walks San Diego streets in
hope of givingrunawaykidsa better
start for their future.
when someone is hurtor needs
special attention.
“We just need more money and
facilities to help the many kids who
don’t know about the program,” he
said.
“I would like for us to have an of-
fice downtown, where the kids can
get mail - somewhere we can take
phone messages, or have a job refer-
ralservice - a laundry facility,a
place where they can have ashower.
It’s just so unfortunate that we don’t
have the money,” he continued. He
knows there are thousands of good
programs needingmore funds, but “I
just happen to believe that this one
is very important. If there is a disap-
pointment, it’s for the kids living in
the streets -we don’t do enough.We
have one facility - Storefront -and
it holds only 20 kids. I think if it
could hold 200 it would be full.”
Koca has been successful helping
kids who havebeenliving in the
streets. Manyhe’s met, however,
haven’t trusted him, because they
thought he was a policeman or for
other reasons, but kids who have
taken a chance with Koca are glad
they did.
Tim, 18 years old, arrived in San
Diego in July 1988. With Koca’s help
he is now off the streets.
“I met Rick about a week after I
found out about the Storefront,” Tim
said. “I had ideas of what I wanted to
do with my life, but he was there to
give me the moral support I needed.
“He helpedme develop those ideas
andgave me a sense of belonging.
Now, I sometimes find myself telling
kids on theirown to be cautious, but
be cautious with open arms,” Tim
continued. “Don’t just turn away
because someone comes up to you
and you think they’re too friendly.
You neverknow - they might want
18
I
to help.” gram have become successful, pro-
“Rick’s been a good friend,” said ductive members ofsociety.Some
Dan, an 18-year-old who has been kids go back to high school or get
homeless for morethan a year. “He’s their high school equivalency certif-
given me a lotof advice on how to get icatej others get jobsor even join the
a job and how to handle things. The Conservation Corps orthe Job Corps.
program has mademe feel goodabout “That makes it all worthwhile,”
myself. said Koca.
“I’m glad it’s here for teen-agers,” He has some heartfelt words for
Dan added,“because withoutthis parents. “Don’t let your kids go,” he
programIdon’t know how things said. “I’m46 and I can’thandle what
would be for me.” goes on in the streets, and we have
And then there’s “Little Bit,” who 12-year-oldsout there.
has lived on the streets for nearly 10 “In a commercial you get a few
years. For her, life hasn’t been easy, seconds to convince somebodyto do
but she’s still fighting. Now 18, Lit- something orgetinvolved,” Koca
tle Bit has taken part in the Storefront continued. “I guessif I could do one,
programand has developed into a I’d want to say at thetop of my voice,
young woman determined to succeed. ‘America,we’re throwing our chil-
“My mom moved out here, and I dren away! Why are we doing this?
was left to the streets when I was Our children are literally dying in the
nine,” said Little Bit. “I didn’t trust streets. Shame on us.”’
anyone - I did whatever I could to But as long asthere are committed
get a meal, maybe sell some ‘smoke’ people such as Koca, homeless teen-
or steal something and try to sell it. agers still have hope for the future.
“When I met Rick, I started going “I’d like to work with animals, or
to the Storefront,” she continued. young street kids or abused kids,”
“They gave me good meals and tried said Little Bit of her aspirations. “I’d
to get me off drugs. Rick’s helpedme like to put something back into the
a lot - more than the people you community, because of the people
meet on the streets. He really cares who helped me.” 0
about me, and he’s trying to get me
some ID so I can work.”
According to Koca, many kids who loseph is assigned to NIRA Det. 5, San
have taken part in theStorefront pro- Diego.
ALL HANDS
 ‘Abe’
0 0

101ns
the
fleet
Nuvy’s stute-of-the-art
carrier comes on line.
Story by J O l Melissa Lefler

It took thousands of shipyard workers at theNewport ship’s company and air crewto witness the spectacle of
News, Va., shipyard five years to build the 1,000 foot, the commissioning.
24-story Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lin- “Sailors of the Abraham Lincoln, thank you for your
coln (CVN 72). It took her excited crew less than five willingness to put on our nation’s uniform, to spend
minutes to man her after hearing CAPT William Hayden, months at sea andto place yourselfin harm’s way forthe
the ship’s commanding officer, pronounce the Navy’s sake of America’s freedom,’’ Cheney said. “The key to
15th carrier in commission. our military strength isn’t technology, it’s young people
With excited whoops that the fighter planes streaking prepared to take onthe duties and risks of military serv-
overhead couldn’tentirely muffle, hundreds of sailors in ice.” The average ageof sailors assignedto Lincoln is 19.
crackerjack blues stormed up three brows of the brand- At 100,OOOpounds, Lincoln is the world’s heaviest super-
new nuclear-powered carrier.The audience of 16,000 who carrier, welghing 6,000 pounds more and riding about two
attended the Nov. 11 commissioning ceremony also rose feet lowerin the water, than her sister shipsof the Nimitz
to its feet, cheering along with the sailors. class. The extra weight is due in part to heavier hull ar-
As signal flags raced gaily up guy wiresstrung from the mor - a result of incorporating lessons learned fromthe
tallest mast to theaft and forward flight decks, 16 by both the frigates USS Samuel
FA-18 at-sea casualties suffered
Hornets, F-14 Tomcats and A-6 Intruders from squadrons B. Roberts (FFG 58) and USS Stark (FFG 31).
assigned to Lincoln zoomed pastin a displayof precision Aboard Lincoln, two compartments will always remind
flight, their wing tips glistening in thesun-drenched sky. the crew of the enthusiastic support of the people of
After the pageantry, Secretaryof Defense DickCheney Illinois.
rose to address the crew and audience. Several hundred The “Lincoln Library,” just off the hangar deck, re-
Lincoln’s home sembles a small museum. It was donated by the ship’s
dignitaries as well as guests from Illinois,
state, joined parents and loved ones of Lincoln’s 5,500 commissioning committee, whichwas madeup entirely
L

20 ALL HANDS
I

Left: An audience of 16,000 attended the

Nov. 11 commissioning of Lincoln. Below:
Lincoln crew members stand proudly during
the ceremony.

of people from Illinois. The display casesmounted along Secretary of Defense Cheney addressed the crowd in the com-
three walls of the library contain Lincoln memorabilia pany of hundredsof dignitaries and guests from Illinois, Lin-
and writings, including a copy of the Gettysburg address coln’s “home state.”
and information about the Civil War. ly, students at a Virginia middle school collected 3,200
Next to the berthing space is another gift to the ship of the 1972 pennies to donate for the ship’s name tags.
- a gym andworkout room contains $18,000 in weights, Pennies aside, total cost of Abraham Lincoln was more
exercise machines and state-of-the-art, electronic aerobic than $3.4 billion.
cycles. They were donatedentirely by the people of Mur- At a time when reductions in military hardware are
freesboro, Ill., a town of about 30,000. being urged by Congress, and global tensions appear to
Strengthening the ship’s associationwith Abraham Lin- be easing, the need for the new carrier is still apparent.
coln, sailors assigned to thenew carrier wear name tags “NOmatter what you may read about peace breaking out
with 1972 pennies,which bear Lincoln’s visage, glued to across the world, the world is a very dangerous place,”
the leftside.Why1972?Because of the ship’s hull Cheney said, in his remarks. “The greatest risk of all . . .
number, CVN 72. The idea for the name tags was that comes when we are unprepared.”
of Lincoln’s very first crew member, Master Chief Robert The Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Carlisle A.H.
Wellcome, who reported to the precommissioning unit Trost, offered a similar perspective in his speech at the
in 1987. Lincoln commissioning.
“We didn’t havemoney to order little ship’s emblems “Your victory, and the victory of this great ship,” Trost
to put on the name tags, so I was looking around for said, “will be measured in wars that never came and bat-
something we could afford,” Wellcome said. A call to the tles that were never fought.” 0
U.S. Treasury Department reassured Wellcomethat glu-
ing the pennies to the name tags wasn’t illegal. Recent-
 LincoZn’s top enlisted
is a Lincoln
Command master chief bears ship’s name.
Story and photos
by 7 0 1 Melissa Lefler

Finding thecommandmaster
chief‘s office among the 3,000 com-
partments aboard the Navy’s newest
supercarrier, USS Abraham Lincoln
(CVN 72), is easy. It’s off justthe star-
board sideof the hangar deck,up one
short ladder.
But even though finding the tiny of-
fice of Master Chief AircraftMainte-
nanceman Howard “Rex” Lincolnis
easy, findinghim there isn’t. Lincoln,
who deliberately sought the CMC’s
job aboard the ship whose name he
shares, is as likely to be in thecrew’s
berthing spaces, sitting in on a hand
of cards, asin thechief petty officers’
mess or the captain’s office. Or he work. On a normal day, while in port, Master
Chief
Lincoln
believes that
might be wherehe was at 10:30 a.m., Lincoln comesto work at about 530 through commitment, involvement and
the day after the carrier came back a.m. and stays thereuntil 9 or 10p.m. aspirations, success is attainable for any
from her first weekof sea trials - on His jobas command master chief sailor.
the hangar deck, talking to a third aboard the Lincoln is the same asthat on myturf. He’s not going to talk as
class master-at-arms about a mix-up of any command master chief in the freely as he will on his turf, in his
in that sailor’s pay record. Navy, Lincoln says - to be the buf- work spaces, in theTV lounge, with
“If you sit in the office, you start fer between captain and the crew, the his friendsaround him,”he said.
growing cobwebs. I love to walk the officers and the enlisted men. “And if there are five guys standing
ship talking to theguys - that’s how It’s in how that buffering is accom- around listeningto us, there are prob-
I find things out. On a ship this size, plished, Lincoln believes,that he can ably going to be five more inputs.”
it doesn’t take long to wear out your make a difference in ship’s morale. Lincolnbelieves he needs the
shoes,” said Lincoln, gazing ruefully “Seventy percent of this crew is crew’s input on a constant basis be-
at the small holes spreading across under 21,” Lincoln said. “For the ma- cause of the deployments soon facing
the soles of his new, glossy,aviation- jority, the Lincoln is their first com- all of them. For many, USS Lincoln’s
brown oxfords. mand after bootcamp or ‘A’school.” first deployment will be their first
Though he doesn’t look like the To new recruits, a master chief deployment.
legendary rail splitter, Rex Lincoln may seem unapproachable, and that’s He alsoruns the ship’s external and
appears to be influencedby the why Lincoln goes wherethe menare. internal TAD program, a job which
famous man’s renowned zeal for hard “If I bring oneof them inhere, he’s runs the gamut from trying to get
22 ALL HANDS
nonrated people seats inthe “A” showing up late for work- aren’t go-
schools they want, to handling the ing to be good for them in the Navy.”
rotation of juniorsailors to mess- What will be good for them, Lin-
cooking and compartment cleaning. coln believes, arethe things he found
Added to that,he works closely with to be good for him - travel, adven-
the career counselor aboard Lincoln, ture and unlimited opportunity.
and takes personal pride in the fact Success in the Navy, if it comes,
that Lincoln is already a Silver An- will come forthe young sailor aboard
chor retention award finalist. Lincoln the same way it did for him,
Lincoln describedthe new carrier’s he believes, throughcommitment, in-
crew as “young, vibrant, and hard- volvement and mostof all, aspirations.
working,” and saidthey arrived from “Once you decidethis is your life,
boot camp pumped up about serving you can’t just get a paycheck. To be
on USS Lincoln. The challenge, said successful, you have to have success
Lincoln, is to keep them that way. in mind,” Lincoln advises young sailon.
Despite advances in technology, Although the last man who served
daily lifeat sea forthe average sailor as the first command master chief
isn’t much different than when he aboard a new Nimitz-class carrier,
joined almost 30 years ago, Lincoln USS TheodoreRoosevelt (CVN 71), is
recalled. Whathe has seen change, he “it doesn’t take long to wear out your now the master chief petty officer of
said, are attitudes and tolerances. shoes,”saidLincoln. He makeshis the Navy, Lincoln has no ambition in
“WhenIwasayoungsailor, it rounds aboardLincoln to talk to sailors
that direction. He prefersnot to seek
on their own turf.
seemed like the crew wasan expend- the Navy’s top enlisted job because he
able entity - at least in my eyes,” that Lincoln has seen during his viewsbeing the command master
Lincoln said.“NOone worriedabout career concernscommunication, not chief aboard Lincoln asthe culmina-
what we were goingto do in our off- only with the crewmembers, but tion of all his ambitions and the best
duty time.There was a prevailingat- with their families, as well. That, he possible ultimate reward for29 years
titude that inport, sailors were going said, wasunknown 25 or 30 years ago. of hard work.
to do certain types of things - that ”We have better informed crews, “I have the best job in the Navy,
they worked hard and were goingto and we have worked hard on that,” and this is my last job in theNavy,”
play hard. It was almost like living up Lincoln said.“Information is used as Lincoln asserts. ‘When this is over,
to thestereotype of a drunken sailor. a motivator. We not only tell them which will be when they throw me
As long as we didn’t get arrested, or what is expected of them, but why, out of this job, I pack up myseabag.”
into too much trouble - and it was even when theyare doingsomething Lincoln vows that when that hap-
harder to get into trouble then - the they aren’tfond of, like polishing pens, whenhe “takes off his war
Navy was tolerant. door-knobs. The COis always on the suit,’’ he will not be a civilian, just a
“Now, we work hard to educate 1MC recognizing achievements and retired chief, transferred for to life the
sailors about the bad effects of that telling them about tomorrow’s work. Fleet Reserve.
sort of behavior,” he said, “It isn’t ac- “If youdon’t talk tothe crew, At that time, Lincoln says,he will
ceptable.” you’ve lost the ball game,” Lincoln shift from being a role model and
Lincoln saysthat thedays when, as concluded. father figureformore than 1,000
a young sailor, he sowed hisown wild The master chief believesthe Navy young men to being role model and
oats are not so longpast thathe needs to workhard to attract and father figure to just two young men,
doesn’t understand or remember. keep quality young men and women his sons, Thomas, 7, and Joshua, 6 .
“They [young sailors] look at me, aboard its ships,and to make the “Sometimes whole days go by -in
and I know what they’re thinking - Navy a “service of choice” for high port - and I don’t see my family,”
they’re thinking, ‘What the hell does schoolgraduates.Because of the Lincoln said, admitting to the sole
that old man know about howI feel?’ nature of Navy life,that isn’t evergo- drawback he sees about the job he
Well, I’ve been sailor
a since I was 17 ing to be easy. loves. “I’m going to spend a whole lot
- all my adult life. I’ve been to cap- ‘We have to alter a lot of thought of time with them.” 0
tain’s mast - I’ve done everything processes when people come in the
they could think about doing.” Navy,” Lincoln admits. “Things they
The other big change in theNavy like to do in civilian life - partying, Lefler is assigned to NIRA Det 4, Norfolk.
FEBRUARY 1990 23
 LCACs

BMCM Larry Childress and BMC Keith Craft Unit 4,based at Naval Amphib- slow slog to cover can be tragic.
Burnett wait for high windsto abate on ious Base Little Creek, Norfolk, oper- LCACs, however, can speed past
the beach at Capo Teulada. Right: LCACated from USS W h i d b e y Island (LSD the beach and deposit Marines
on dry
backs out ofWhidbey Island's well deck.
41), part of Amphibious Squadron 2. land, near cover,in precisely the best
The powerful craft proved that a tactical position.
high-speed, over-the-horizon assault Vehiclesfare better, too. Tanks,
Now, however,the introduction of capability adds a great degreeof ver- lightamphibiousvehiclesand
the LCAC - LandingCraft,Air satility to the amphibious forces in armored amphibious vehicles are all,
Cushion - of the U.S. 6th Fleet's the Mediterranean. in varying degrees, amphibious, but
MarineAmphibiousReadyGroup The addition of LCACs has opened they are most vulnerable during the
1-89has changed the face of amphib- up shoreline areasthat were previous- slow transition from water to beach.
ious warfare in the Mediterranean, ly inaccessible. Priorto development Carried inlandto firmer ground,these
adding a new dimension of flexibility. of LCACs, only about 30 percent of vehicles, their crews and troops can
From over the horizon - out of the world's beaches were usable for hit theground running,becoming tac-
both visual and radar range - LCACs amphibious assault.The unique qual- tical players immediately.
can now charge toward beaches at ities of the LCAC make nearly70 per- Moreover, LCACs can be used in
speeds in excess of 40 knots, literally cent of the world'scoastalareas any type of amphibious operation -
flying over the water. accessible. from a small raid to an evacuation of
And, upon reaching the beaches, Additionally, the abililty of the noncombatants.
they can keep going to deliver their LCAC to transport troops and equip- To prepare fortheir Mediterranean
payload - 60 tons of Marines (with ment well inland is a twofold blessing. deployment, ACU 4 worked with
dry feet) and their vehicles - in the Traditional landing craft disembarkWhidbey Islandduring six months of
best tactical position for the mission. their load of men and machinesat the workups.
LCACstookpart in three major waterline, making it necessaryfor The purpose of the work-ups, said
amphibious exercises last year with Marines with 70-poundpacks to Master ChiefGas Turbine System
their NATO counterparts during a struggle through water that might be Technician (SW) Larry M. Delooze,
six-month deployment with the 6th knee deep - or up to their chins. If an LCAC engineer, was "to go out
Fleet. The three LCACs of Assault the assault is under enemy fire, the and do everything we're going to do

26 ALL HANDS
 . - .
I

Left: LCAC fights 50-knot winds. Above:

InsideLCAC, the crewmaintains 33
knots heading toward the beach.

mate chief,seniorchiefor master

chief who has the overall responsibil-
ity for the craft and crew.
The craftmaster flies the LCAC
from the right-hand seat in the pilot-
house. Usingan aircraft-like yoke,he
maneuvers the LCAC’s rudders, bow
thrusters and propeller pitch with a
high-tech fly-by-wire system.
“It’s like flying a frisbee - it can
go frontward, backward, sideways-
and it doesn’t care which,” said craft-
with theMarines in thelandings. We officer in charge of the deployed ACU master MasterChiefBoatswain’s
had to get out thereand run as much 4 detachment. Mate Larry D. Childress.
aspossible to see what our actual “Wecooperate,” he said. “They Craftmasters are training in Pan-
limitations were and the things that give, we give and it gets better as it ama City, Fla. Usually experienced
we could do.” goes along.’’ boat handlers, they learn the art of fly-
During both the workups and dur- Each LCAC has a crew of five: a ing an LCAC on Britishferry-type
ing the deployment, the LCAC crews craftmaster, an engineer, a navigator, diesel hovercraft. After 25 to 40 fly-
worked closely with the ship’s crew a loadmaster and a deck mechanic. ing hours, the craftmasters and engi-
of doing things, ac- The crew is led by a craftmaster. neers are trained
to find better ways for two weeks by the
cording to LT Shelton Ross, assistant He’s a highly-trainedboatswain’s contractor, Bell-Textron, learning all

27
 LCACs

I
The powerful craft proved that a The navigator - usually a first Improper loading could causean un-
high-speed, over-the-horizon assault class quartermaster oroperations controllable list, causing loss of the
capability adds versatility to the am- specialist - occupies the left seat in cushion of air that holds upthe craft.
phibious force in the Mediterranean.
the pilot house. Heoperates the Loadmasters attend a four-day school
LCAC’s navigational and communi- in Panama City, learning the formu-
cations equipment, and pilots the las usedto compute weights and loca-
the systems on the LCAC. craft’s position by dead reckoning- tions on the LCAC’s deck.
Full-motion simulators are also be- the usual method of navigating. In Loadmasters also serve asan addi-
ing built, one on each coast, which two of the three LCACs, satellite tional lookout and manthe “60
will increase training realism while navigation systems are installed to machine gun mounted on the port
lowering costs. facilitate over-the-horizon assaults. side.
At that point, the craftmasters get In a craft as fast as theLCAC, navi- “He’s the only one who can see
about 40 hours hands-on time on the gating can be a busy job. anything onthe portside, so he
LCAC, then are assignedto their unit “He’s sitting there trying to look at watches and helps me into the well
for further training. the chart, trying to look at theradar, deck of Whidbey Island,’’ said
The craft engineer, who sits inthe plus somebody’s yakking at him on Delooze.“And hecan see better
center seat, is a senior gas turbine the radio,’’ saidcraftmaster BMC J.L. behind us than anyone else in the
system technician first class or chief Berry, “plus me talking to him.He’s crew, so when we’re turning around
petty officer. doing five things at once.” on the beach he keeps an eye on the
He monitors thestatus of the His navigator, Quartermaster 2nd port side and behind us.”
LCAC’s four gas turbine engines, four Class Kent R. Lewis 11, agrees. “This The deck mechanic serves as the
engine gearboxes,two fan-driven gear- is the most challenging thing I’ve eyes and ears of the engineer, moni-
boxes andtwo prop-driven gearboxes. done in the Navy.” toring the engines, auxiliary equip-
The craft’s Alarms and Monitoring The loadmaster, usuallya first class ment andgearboxes.But when it
System provides the engineer with a boatswain’s mate, has the tough job comes to maintaining and repairing
reakime graphic and digital display of making sure the Marines’ equip- the craft, it’s an all hands job.
of the statusof all those systems and ment is loaded properly, balanced per- “It’s such a small crew, that every-
more. fectly both side-to-side and fore-to-aft. body has to do something - a boat-

28 ALL HANDS
 LCACs can speed past the beach and
deposit Marines on dry land, near cover.

Although EastCoast LCACs are now

only deployed aboard Whidbey
Island, first of the LSD 41-class, the
craftarealsodesigned to beused
aboard LHAs, LPDs, LSD 36s, and the
new Waspclass LHD amphibious
assault ships. The seven craft now
based on theEast Coast are expected
to increase by 45 by 1997.
High-speed, over-the-horizon
as-
sault capability has now become a
swain’s mate doesn’tjustdoboat- we havea maintenance team for each permanent part of the Navy-Marine
swain’s work. Anything that needs boat. There’s five guys total for that Corps tactical suite in theMediterra-
doing, the peopledo it. Everybody boat, and they only work on that nean theater. And from the looks of
pitches in on everything,” said Berry. boat, to try to give them pride in that things, LCACs will be utilized by
ACU 4 used a team approach in boat. ’Keep it up like it’s yours,’ ” said sailors and Marines worldwide. 0
maintaining the craft in the Medi- Berry.
terranean. LCAC’s are not yet a permanent Burke is a photojournalist assigned to 6th
“We’re trying something new - presence inthe Mediterranean. Fleet Public Affairs Office.

FEBRUARY 1990 29
 Eyes
on
Everest
Navy doctors travel to the top of the world.
Story by Kerry Gildea

The breathtaking anddangerous phone calls and documentation, their tricky mountainside landing.
high country of the Himalaya Moun- hard work finally paid off. They were The landing went perfectly andthe
tains was the setting for important invited to join an American expedi- team was welcomedby their ”sirdar”
researchconducted by two daring tion to the mountain. The doctors - five Sherpa porters to help carry
Navy doctors.Two Navy eye doctors would not attempt a summit run, the load anda pack of “zohs” (a cross
went to the top of the world, one of but instead wouldaccompany the between a cow and a yak) used for
the few suitable locationson earth, to climbers to base camp.The rest of the hauling additional equipment. The
study theeffects of decreased oxygen 19,000 foot climb is too dangerous two doctors were amazedat theSher-
to theeye incurredat high elevations. forany butthe most experienced pas’ easein haullng enormous weights
High-altitude retinal hemorrhages climbers. of equipment on their backs for the
(bleedingwithin theretina of the eye), The team met in Katmandu, Nepal, journey.
a condition sufferedby mountain and at 5 a.m. on thesecond morning ”Their stamina and their strength
climbers, can be a dangerous condi- there, HarrisandButlerboarded a is unbelievable,” Butler said. ”Propor-
tion should Navy men and women small twin-engine plane. They flew tionately, they carry more than any-
have to operate at high elevations. between mountains, landing in the one I’ve seen in the states. It’s com-
Two resident ophthalmologists from tiny village of Lukla where an eight- mon to see people who weigh 100
the National Naval Medical Center, day trek to the Everest base camp pounds carrying loads of 120 pounds
Bethesda, Md., wenttoMount awaited them. Although the doctors on their backs.”
Everest last year to conduct a month realized there would be no grand Harris and Butler said they were
of research at the climbers’ base camp airstrip or flight terminals in Lukla, touched by the open, warm natureof
approximately 18,000 feet up the the landing strip did provide a the Nepalese people and were pleased
mountain. surprise. with how well the verydifferent
CDRFrankButler Jr. andCDR “It’s a hillside,anunpavedcow cultures blended together with a
David Harris Jr. collectedvaluable pasture,” said Butler of Lukla’sair- spirit of friendship.
data on a topic that few researchers strip. “The plane actually faces drect- The ophthalmologists traveled
have explored, and also got a taste of ly into themountain when it lands in from Lukla to Nanche Bazaar -
adventure on the trip as they entered Lukla. They have it designed on the another community nestled in the
a different world filled with unex- hillside this way to help the planes foothills of Everest. Nanche Bazaar is
pected delights, discoveries and occa-speed upwhen they take off and slow not only the largest town (population
sional dilemmas. down when they land. But when there 1,500), but also the only area with
The perilous journey began when is no plane landing or taking off, there electricity in the Himalayan region.
the two doctors decided that the in- are cows walking around the airstrip.” Manyclimbers stay in Nanche
formation gathered on such an ex- It was here that they would meet Bazaar for a few days beforetackling
pedition would be valuable not only their guidesand new friends, the the climb up Everest because they
to theNavy but to thegeneral popula- “Sherpas” (Tibetan mountain guides) need to adjust to thealtitude change
tion as well. Aftera year of requests, - if they weresuccessful inthe to avoid illness. The highschool
30 ALL HANDS
 IC“ ?
CDR (Dr.) Harris provides medical care
to amountain climber on Mount Everest.

their study. At night, they slept in

small tents and during daylight they
tried to stay warm and healthy. The
doctors also spent their free time
climbing huge crystal-likeglacier for-
mations to keep their blood flowing.
The ophthalmologists climbed to
19,000 feet, but did not attempt to
reach the Everest summit, which is
only attempted by those with proper
climbing expertiseand a permit that
allows them to do so.
“We examined a lot of patients out-
side of the study with acuteeye prob-
lems, and provided eye care for ap-
proximately 100 climbers and the
Sherpas at base camp,” Butler said,
children of Nanche Bazaar, however, the ridges in honor of those who died explaining how eye exams became
have little difficulty with the altitude. on their way to the top of Everest,” routine in a man-made stone building
They climb to the village of Kunde to Butler said. with a plastic, waterproof roof.
attend school each day - a four-mile “Although you may start out at Butler and Harris conducted sophis-
hike up a 1,500-foot hill. 9,000 feet and end up at 11,000 feet ticated medical tests in the remote
Also in Kunde sits theonly medical at theend of the day,” he continued, base camp. They photographed the
facility inthe region thathasan “you go up and down many times and climbers and the native Sherpas’ eyes
operating room. In the small room, encounter different altitudes.” for comparison.They measured heart
doctors conductcardiac surgery and, Even though the ophthalmologists rates and monitored the people of the
somewhat tothe surprise of the were in excellent physical condition base camp for signs of high-altitude
researchers, achieve a h g h success before the trip from rigorous workouts sickness. Many of these tests were
rate with very basic equipment. and running the steps of the 20-story repeated as climbers descended from
Another surprise on thejourney oc- Tower Buildingat NNMC daily,they the mountain peak.
curred when the Navy explorers met both becameill while nearingthe base Back at their normal routine at the
Sir Edmund Hillary -the first person camp at 18,000 feet. Each lost 25 NNMC Ophthalmology Clinic, the
to reach the topof Mount Everest. He pounds beforethe journey came to an doctors have their work cut out for
is now a New Zealand representative end. Harris suffered from intestinal
an them preparing the outcomeof their
to Nepal and India. Butler and Harris disorder and Butler got food poisoning study. The information gathered will
said the 70-year-old gentleman, who as they neared the base camp. be compiledand published in a series
still climbs some of the steepest hills “Those problems required usto of papers on hgh-altitude sickness.
on the Everest trail, took time to hikeat a slower pace with more They hope that their work enables
discuss eyesurgery and mountain breaks and made it difficult to eat. It the Navy to betterprepare forthe dif-
climbing with them. accentuates the normal loss of ap- ficulties of special warfare teams
“He’s a good example of someone petite you have at such altitudes,” operating in high-altitude areas.
who, in addition to his personal ac- Harris explained, adding that most They are sure that their mission
complishments, has given something climbers are encouraged to follow a was a successful one and both men
back to the region,” Butler said. 7,000 calorie-per-day diet to combat would do it again.
On the trek, Butler and Harris hiked energy and heat loss. “I’d go back in a minute,” Butler
up narrow trails, crossed dangerous However, this was the only major said. “There is stilla lot of data that
narrow woodenbridges suspended snag in the journey. Once they met can be gathered and, besides, it was
over 150-foot gorgesand maintained with their expedition membersat base the most exciting experience of my
an ambitious travelschedule as they camp, Harris and Butler got nght to life!” 0
faced a journey on whichmany have work. They provided eye and general
lost their lives. medical care for morethan 100 climb- Gildea isa writer atthe National Naval
“We passed hundreds of stone ers on expeditions from throughout MedicalCenter Public Affairs Office,
memorials called “cairns” placed the world. They also collected data for Bethesda, Md.
FEBRUARY 1990
 TbaZay
Thai
Exercise links U S . , Thai forces.
Story by pH1 TedSalois

United States and Royal Thai MarineExpeditionary Unitand

Marines in amphibious landing craft Marine Air Wing 70.
thundered acrossthe horizon to make Further air support came from
a pre-dawn attack on the sandy shores FA-18 Hornets of Strike Fighter
near Pattaya Beach, Thailand. Squadrons192and195 from USS
But the cover of darkness was Midway (CV41) battle groupand
unable to conceal the assault fromthe Marine Strike Fighter Squadron 115.
thousands of spectators who lined the The Hornets danced and dodgedin
ocean boulevardto watch the recent dogfights with their adversaries, A-4
7th Fleet training exercise Thalay Skyhawks from Fleet Composite
Thai. Squadron 5.
Sitting quietly justbeyond the Meanwhile, at nearby Utapao Air
horizon's edge, USS Tarawa (LHA 1) Base, Air Force B-52Stratofortresses
and her amphibious readygroup and Navy P-3 Orions from Patrol
launched amphibious assault vehiclesSquadron 6 lifted off from heat-rip-
and landing craft loadedwith tanks, pling runways to take part in aerial
weaponsandMarines of the 11th mine layingandseasurveillance
Marine Expeditionary Unit. operations.
As the landing craft reached the A few miles down the coast from
shoreline, AH-1Cobras blazed above the first waveof the assault, members vehicles, tanks, weapons and supplies
the toweringjungle treetops, pro- of Explosive Ordnance Disposal to the 7th MarineExpeditionary
viding coverage for CH-53 Sea Stal- Mobile Unit 5 blasted an offshore Brigade, that reenforced the initial
lions andCH-46 Sea Knights that sandbar to clear a channel for landing assault team and joined the advance
delivered troops farther inland. craft from Maritime Prepositioning across country.
Helicopter assets were provided by Ships Squadron 2. "The overall mission and scope of
Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron The MPS squadron's Navy support Thalay Thai'89 wasto provide com-
163 - that was assigned to the 1lth element delivered amphibious assault bined amphibious operations with
32 ALL HANDS

the Royal Thai forces,” said Marine
Corps Major Joe Papayof Marine Air
Wing 70 Tactical Evaluation Coor-
dination Group. “We didn’t have any
major problems and,tactically, we are
very pleased with what occurred.”
Advancing Marine companies had
a certain number of hours to reach
I FEBRUARY 1990
designated checkpointswhile “ag-
gressor” forces did everything possi-
ble to halt the invader’s progress.
Neither the “good guys” nor their
foes had expected to be slowed by
civilian traffic, but thousands of Thai
citizens had gathered at the beach
landing site to get a glimpse of the
Clockwise from top left: Royal Thai
Marines wade ashore from a utility
landing craft. Marlne CH-53 Sea
Stallion kicks up dust while waiting
for a clear landing spot. Two U.S.
Marines “assault” a nearby field.
Marine PFC Jimmy A. Bryant feels
Thailand’s heat.
combined military operations.
Hundreds of vendors impatiently
waited for the smoke, sand and salt
spray to clear fromthe predawnland-
ing near theinternational beach
resort so they could sell their wares
to the thirsty servicemen.
”We gothere about three o’clock in
the morning,” said one owner of a
family-runconcessioncart. ”We
knew theMarines would comeearly.
We knew theywould be thirsty. And
we knew we could do business.”
33
Thai exercise

3 Above:An HMM 163 helicopter

2 delivers Marines to a landing zone.
$ Left: Marines allow a curious Bud-
dhist monk to look through the sight
of their weapon.
?:
!t
P
3
c
.

The concession stands and motor

bikes were out of the ordinary, but,
according to Papay, much of the
Thai’s interaction with the fighting
men inthe field was more than
welcome.
“It’s quite a detour from realism for
a military exercise when people are
selling food and drinks just 50 yards
from where assault craft are hitting
the beach,” said one thirst-quenched
Marine. “But it’s kind of nice to cool
off with a cold can of soda. And the
fried rice and pineapples are a wel-
come break from MREs [meals ready
to eat].”
“We foundthe Thais to be extreme-
ly friendly in everything from supply-
ing Marines with food, to telling
them which way the enemy went,”
Papay said.
“That’s sometimes a small prob-
lem as far as intelligence,” he con-
tinued. “But human intelligence is
always a factor in any combat situa-
tion. And it actually played into the
training scenario quite well.”
ThalayThai was morethan
beachheads, bullets and bayonets,
however, as doctors, dentists and
corpsmen from Marine Corps Brigade

34 ALL HANDS

Service Support Group7 held medical
and dental civic action projects in
seven villages on the outskirts of the
battle-filled operational area.
More than 3,000 patients were
treated for illnesses and assorted
aches and pains, and 684 Thais had
884 teeth pulled during the six-day
U.S./Thai evolution.
FEBRUARY 1990
Left: A Thai merchant waits impatiently
for patrons at the beach near Pattaya
during the exercise. Below: Marines hit
the beach with a full load of gear.
Also, supplies donated by Ameri- Exercise Thalay Thai '89 also ad-
can businesses were handed out in vanced the knowledge, expertise and
conjunction with theNavy's people- camaraderie of U.S.and Royal Thai
to-people program, Project Handclasp.Marines, sailors and airmen. 0
Armed forces of the United States
and Thailand linked to better the two
countries' joint w x - f i g h t a CaPabil- SaloiS is a photojournalist assigned to 7th
ities and to improve the quality of life Fleet Public Affairs Representative,
for some citizens of the host nation. Philippines.
35
..*
 Liberty
in
paradise
Pattaya Beach port call
Story and photos by PH1 Ted Salois
Pattaya Beach, Thailand, is synono-
mow with sleepy, sunsoaked beaches,
cool ocean breezes, big city conven-
iences, small town hospitality and
nonstop night life that can satisfy
even the most determined excite-
ment seeker.
For 7th Fleet sailors and Marines
fortunate enough to make a port visit
to the resort town, a few days and
nights of liberty can be enough to
etch a lifelong memory.
For service members on leave, Pat-
taya Beach is easily reached by way
of Bangkok, where commercialair
traffic is routed from around the
globe. Military aircraftalso make
stops in Bangkok, two hours by car
from Pattaya, and Utapao Air Base,
just 30 minutes from Pattaya. Afford-
able lodging is abundant downtown.
For exchanging money, banks are
the best bet.The rate has been hover-
ing at around 25 Thai baht for one
U.S. dollar.
For those people who like a rough
time, many outdoor bars in Pattaya
offer nightly bouts of Thai kick box-
ing, known locally as “Muay Thai.”
The top-notch slug fests - topped on-
ly in the professional boxingstadiums
in Bangkok - include fighting with
elbows, knees, feet and fists.
Anyone who feels mighty enough
36
to clobber a Thai kick boxer is per-
mitted to make the challenge, climb
in thering andtry his luck. The sport
is not limited to men - women are
also on the event card and routinely
slam each other to the canvas.
After all boxers have been scraped
from themats, the ringsbecome
stages where snake handlers antagon
ize cobras and allow themselves to be
bitten for the sake of a good show.
Making a visit to Pattaya’s ele-
phant village is a good way to relax
and learna bit aboutthe Thai culture.
Trainers show visitors how the coun-
try’s 3,423 working elephants were
caught and taught to work in Thai-
land’s dense forests.
Visitors get a chance to ride the
elephants and take pictures of them
draped in full warrior battle dress.
Zipping around a race track in a
high powered go-cart can get adren-
alin pumping atthe Pattaya Kart
Speedway. The kartsare saidto have
one gas pedal, one brake pedal and
one speed - fast!
After blazing acrossthe sweltering
asphalt in a go-cart, an afternoon at
Pattaya Park Beach Resort may be in
order. The oceanside playground
offers a variety of water slides and
whirlpools to cool youoff on even the
hottest of Pattaya’s days.
Windsurfing boards- and instruc-
tion - are available, as are catamaran
and boat services for parasailing.
A word of warning: For safety
reasonsanddamage-liabilitytraps
practiced by some local merchants,
7th Fleet regulations prohibit service
membersfromrenting jet skis,
motorcycles,mopeds,jeepsorany
other typeof automobile. The best ad-
vice is to check with thebeachguard
for the latest list of “off limits” items.
In spite of some restrictions, the
number of activities in Pattaya is
nearly unlimited, with pistol shoot-
ing-galleries,scubadivingcourses,
weight lifting and sauna centers all
available.
Allrecreation opportunities are
within 15 minutes by taxi from the
hotel hub of Pattaya.
If you getlost and need directions,
or you just want some good conver-
sation, you needn’t worry- English
is spoken by the local residents.
As the sign in front of one
establishment states, “Wespeak
English bloody good.” 0
Salois is a photojournalist assigned to 7th
Fleet PublicAffairsRepresentative,
Philippines.
ALL HANDS
I

"I

In spite of some restrictions, the number

of recreation activities in Pattaya is nearly
unlimited. There's no excuse for being
bored.

FEBRUARY 1990 37
 MSC and USN
A different lzjiestyle aboard USNS Kawishiwi
Story and photos by J 0 2 John Joseph
Sailors serving aboard U.S. Navy
ships are surrounded by other active-
duty sailors and rarely workwith ci-
vilians, especially at sea. Butfor a
small number of sailors aboard ships,
the opposite is true -they work with
a few sailors, and spend a great deal
of timewithcivilians.The oiler
USNS Kawishiwi (TAO 146), for ex-
ample, is operated by a civiliancrew,
but also has a small crew of active-
duty Navy personnel.
Classified as a United States Naval
Ship, Kawishiwi is a component of
the Navy’s Military Sealift Com-
mand’s Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force.
From her San Diego operating base,
the ship isresponsible for the direct
support of many Pacific Fleet units.
Each week, Kawishiwi is underway
conducting replenishmenttraining
exercises off the coast of California.
The Navy detachment of men and
women support routine operations
and communications.
What’s a tour of duty like for the
Navy personnel aboard the mostly-
civilianship? For many, spending
time away from family and friends is
the most difficult adjustment, as it is
for their counterpartsaboard regular
Navy ships. Kawishiwi goes to sea
every week.
“It’s really good duty,’’ said Elec-
tronicsTechnician 3rd Class Eric
Holzer. “This is my first ship, andthe
thought of being underway a lotwas
really hard on my wifeat first.If you
think about it, though, sailors don’t
spend that much time at home dur-
ing the week anyway. My wife and I
40
realized that I could at least know I “The other advantage is that you
would be at homeweekends. It’s not really learn a lot about your rating
like being gone for six months at a because you’re always working,” he
time, which is what othersailors and said.
their families have to go through.” Because the detachment is small,
“Duty aboard this ship is consid- the Navycrew members also get
ered arduous sea duty, because the many opportunities to learn about
ship does go out tosea so much,” said ratings other than their own.
Yeoman 1st Class Lauris Selleck. ”It’s “Serving on board a ship with such
really different from the other [USS] a smallstaff is definitely a plus,” said
ships I’ve been stationed onbecause Selleck, “because you get a chance to
of that fact. see what everybodydoes. It gives
“It took a little time to
get usedto sailors a chance to learn the different
the schedule,” said the 20-year Navy ratingsandmakesthemmore
veteran, “because we are away from knowledgeable on what the Navy is
home so much -but you kind of get all about.
past that.”
In spite of the ship’s extensive
underway time, being a part of the Civilian and military crew members work
crew of a civilian-operated ship does on distance
lines
during
underway
replenishment exercises.
have its advantages. Even though it
is classified as arduous sea duty,
many of the enlisted crew members
have volunteered to serve on Kawi-
shiwi. The ship isequipped with all
the comforts of home, complete with
a state-of-the art recreation facility.
“The living conditions and the food
served here are better than regular
Navy ships,” said Selleck. We have
two-man staterooms,complete with
shower facilities in theroom, which
is really nice.
“You also don’t have to wait in
long chow lines because the civilian
cooks bringout your order- just like
in arestaurant,” she continued. “You
just don’t get that type of service on
the regular ships.”
Holzer pointed out anotherbenefit
of duty aboard Kawishiwi.
ALL HANDS
, i’ ,, .I ’
 “It’s also a big part in helping the
morale of the crew,” she added,
“because it gives everyone a chance
to better understand what theirship-
mates do.”
“It’s given me a chance to learn
about the otherratings related to my
rating,’’said Operations Specialist
2nd Class Wallace Clark. “I’ve had
the chance to pick up onsome of the
things that happen onthe signal
bridge, andI’ve also learned what goes
on in the radioman rating. It’s good
because these are related to my job,
and it will definitely help me when
it comes to the next advancement
exam.”
The outlook of the majority of the
crew members serving on Kawishiwi
is that tosucceed in USNS duty you
have to have a positive attitude and
enjoy being underway.
“It allows you to clear your mind
of any problems that may have been
FEBRUARY 1990
goingon,”said Clark. “It’sreally MSC crew members. Although most
relaxing, but it’s alsosomething you of the replenishment details are done
have to like.” by the civilians, the Navy detach-
At least one.new sailor finds duty ment supports the operation with
aboard Kawishiwi professionally ship-to-ship communications and as
satisfying. phone-and-distance line handlers.
“I likethis type of duty,’’said The combined team of civilian em-
Signalman Seaman Apprentice Dawnployees and Navy people is a strong
Benson. “I’ve talked to some of my one from Steve Bingham’s perspec-
friends that I went to‘A’ school with tive. He’sa former active-duty sailor,
who are stationed on tenders,and and has worked for MSC since 1976.
they’re mess cookingnght now. After “It’s really a good experience for
I came on board this ship, I went right everyone,” he said. “You still work
to work in my rating. for the Navy, but you have a chance
“I used my skills right away,” she to interact with civilians. It’s a good
added, “and I feel that makes me a blend that strengthens our working
better signalman. I feel that whatwe relationships.” 0
do to support the fleet is very impor-
tant. We may not see the action like loseph is assigned to NIRA Det. 5, San
most ships do, but when we’re out Diego.
refueling other ships it’s pretty ex-
citing.”
Working side by side with civilians
is commonplace for the active-duty
Left: Kawishiwi longevity is
highlighted by this photo taken in
1963. MSC ships have been serving
the fleet for more than 40 years.
Above: SMSA Dawn Benson works
with signal flags on a routine basis.
41
 The MSC mission
Story by J 0 2 John Joseph

Following World War 11, the Mili-

tary Sea Transportat,ionService was
formed to carry out all ocean trans-
portation for theDepartment of
Defense. Nowknown as the Military
Sealift Command, the organization
has served the United States for 40
years.
With more than 9,000 personnel,
includingmariners,shore-based
workers and about 1,000active-duty
Navy personnel, MSC provides a
variety of transport services around
the world.
From three basic components -
Strategic Sea Lift Force, Naval Fleet that carry materials overseas to stock MSC ships conduct underway replenish-
Auxiliary Force and Special Mission up the commissaries and exchanges. ment evolutions as one of their many
Ships Support Force- the efforts of We also use this service toship duties.
the menand women who serve MSC military and DoD civilians’ house- make weather observations and con-
are vital in thesupport of our national hold goods when they move from duct hydrographic research,which in-
strategy. the United States to the Far East or cludes mapping the ocean for naviga-
“We’re a much different organiza- Europe.” tional and commercial use.
tion today than we werein thepast,” Another responsibility ofMSC is Some military personnel are assign-
said CDR Sven I. Olsen, CO of the the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. ed in each of the three areas of MSC,
MSC, San Diego office. “Basically weThese ships directly support the fleet butsailorswhocomplete their
were known for the strategic sealift in a variety of ways. enlistments and wishtocontinue
function - getting oil, material and “They are involved in training and working at seaare welcomed by
cargo from one part of the world to operational support for the Navy,” MSC .
another in time of war. said Olsen. “These ships handle “We do have a great need for peo-
“That’s still one of our major mis- underway replenishment evolutions ple who are experiencedmariners on
sions right now, because if we did for refueling, rearming and cargo.We our ships,’’ said Olsen.
have to support troops in that kind of have oilers located in the Mid- and What’s most significant
about
situation, 95 percent of all the ma- Western Pacific areas,in the Atlantic, MSC, according to Olsen, is the sup-
terials,bullets and supplies would the Caribbean and in the Mediterra- port it gives to the Navyand the
have to come by sea.” nean Sea, andthey areall part of MSC. United Statesevery day,both in war
Many MSC ships are located “They are mostlymanned by and peace time.
around the world and are ready to be civilian employees with a small mil- “MSC ships and peoplesupport the
activated in theevent of war. Butdur- itary detachment onboard to provide fleet directly, just like [active-duty]
ingpeace time, MSC continues to operational assistance and communi- units and organizations,” said Olsen.
provide services that many military cations - things the civilians aren’t “We’reproud of our accomplish-
members take for granted. normally set up to do.” ments and contributions, and wewill
“We are responsible for delivering The job of the thirdbranch of MSC continue to serve for many years to
many of the products that are avail- - Special Missions Support Force- come.” 0
able to service members and their is to help in world environmental
families who arestationed overseas,” studies. Its ships carry scientists who Ioseph is assigned to NIRA Det. 5, San
Olsen said.“We contract for the ships research the ocean environment, Diego.

42 ALL
Bearings
Rescueofdrowningmanleavesnotimeforfear
Chief Aviation Maintenance Ad- second bystander pulled theman
ministrationman Edmund Pauly was from the water - this time, para-
among hundreds enjoying the Point medics later told Pauly,the swimmer
Loma beach that afternoon, during a was in shock. Lifeguards called in a
visit to SanDiego from hisduty rescue helicopter.
assignment in Norfolk. The surf, sun The young man survived, and Pau-
and sand were perfect. ly’s memories of the people on the
A young sailor must have thought beach also survive.
the same, swimming in thesurf, un- “I remember seeingtheir faces that
til he realized he’d gone too far. told me what theywere thinking -
“We heard a cry from about 50 that someone else is going to save
yards out,” Pauly said. He andothers him,” thechief said, “that somebody
on thebeach could seethe swimmer else will do it.” Paulycould have
bobbing in the water, thrashing and madeexcuses, too - he’s a lousy
yelling for help. Nobody seemed to swimmer, he admitted.
know at first if he was really in trou- But it never occurred to him to
ble, Pauly remembered. “Maybe that’s worry aboutthat. “There was notime
why we stood there, wondering.” to be afraid,” he said. division.
But in another moment they knew “I went to the hospital the after- For the rescue, Paulyreceived a
- the man was drowning. noon I pulled him from the water,” Navy and Marine Corps Medal. But
In a couple of minutes, the chief Pauly recalled. The young man was the true reward, the chief believes,
recalled, he and another bystander recovering, but couldn’t talk and may comes from knowing the young man
had pulled the swimmer from the not have even seen him standing in is alive.
choppy water. They wrapped him in the room. The chiefdid find out, Pauly feels that he was just doing
a blanket and rubbed his arms and though, that he was an 18-year-old what any shipmate would do.
legs. Soon,a boat called by lifeguards sailor from a shiphomeported in San He only wishes he’d been able to
arrived totaketheswimmer to a Diego. see that sailor up walking, smiling
waiting ambulance. Five days later, Pauly returned to and healthy. H
Rough water, however,capsized Helicopter Mine Countermeasures
the boat, tossing crew and passenger Squadron18 in Norfolk, where he ”Story by101Bryan Massey, PublicAf-
into thewaves. Again, Pauly andthe works inthemaintenancecontrol fairs Office, Naval Air Reserve, Norfolk.

Bootcampgraduateis 1Ith ofhissiblingstojointheNavy

Seaman Recruit Eric D. Meschke
really doesn’tknow what all thefuss
is about. Eric, a recent graduate of
Great Lakes Recruit Training Com-
mand, is theyoungest of 12 brothers
and sisters. He is also the 12th child
to serve in theArmed Forces andthe
11th to join the Navy.
Meschke’s father began the family
tradition inDecember 1951 when he
graduated from Great Lakes. Follow-
ing boot camp he served aboardUSS
Oriskany (CV34) as an airman main-
taining fighter and attack aircraft.
The first two Meschke children,
Eugene and Beverly, joined the Navy
after considering other branches of
the military. After checking out the
Army,Eugenebecame an aviation
electronics technician in the Navy.
Beverly joined to become a hospital
corpsman.
A following sibling joined the
Armyand the rest followed their
father’s advice and joined the Navy
ranks.
Of the children,four remain onac-
tive duty, including Eric. He’s nowat-
tendingthe Navy’sGas Turbine
Systems ”A” school at Great Lakes.
Meanwhile, the family’s Navy flag
can be seen flyingfrom the front
lawn,displayingthepridethe
Meschkeshave in servingtheir
country.
”Story by J02(AW) CharlesArcher, PA0
Navy Recruiting District, Minneapolis.

FEBRUARY 1990 43
Bearings
ReserveSeabeespracticemobilizationskills
Mobilization readiness iswhat
Naval Reserve Seabees areall about.
There are two important aspects to
mobilization readiness - personnel
must be capableof performing battle
damage repair and contingency con-
struction, and Seabees and their
equipment mustbe placedwhere the
job needs to be done.
The Reserve Naval Construction
Force continually trainsand tests its
personnel in military and construc-
tion skills. But while the RNCF and
the NavalFacilities Engineering
Command have detailed plans for
A speclal mattlng material is
pulled Into Brunswick,
place during rapid runway repair traln- from those battalionswere involved
lng during MobEx ’89 at Gulfport, Mlss. in the exercise as an important part
44
mobilizing any or all of the RNCF’s
17 reserve mobile construction bat-
talions, those plans havenot been put
to thetest in peacetime -until now.
The testcame during Mobilization
Exercise 1989, a two week, coast-to
coast exercise which was conducted
in mid-July withthesimulated
mobilization call-up of three RNCF
battalions: Reserve Naval Mobile
Construction Battalion 2, based at
Treasure Island, San Francisco;
RNMCB 20, headquartered at Ricken-
backer Air National Guard Base, Co-
lumbus, Ohio;and RNMCB 27, head-
quartered at NavalAirStation,
Maine. Some840 men
of their annual active duty training.
MobEx ’89 beganwith detachment
personnelreporting to eachbat-
talion’s readiness support site.
After 48 hours at the support sites,
the battalions were movedto three ac-
tivedutyconstructionbattalion
centers forrigorous training. The
training programat theCBCs included
survivability skills with individual
and crew-operated weapons, contin-
gency constructiodwar damage repair
skills, Bailey Bridgeconstruction and
water well drilling, aswell as chemi-
cal, biological and radiological equip-
ment and techniques.
Also, each CBC removed from
storage all the equipment and sup-
plies (235 pieces of construction
equipment and 115 containers) re-
quired by a battalionbeing deployed.
The equipment was staged as if it
were to be loaded aboard ships.
The RNCFandNavFacEngCom
took 18 months toplan the exercise.
“We invest a tremendous amount
of time and effort planning the best
way to mobilize our RMCBs,” said
RADM D.O. Smart, Commander,
Reserve Naval Construction Force.
“This exercise gives us the opportu-
nity to validate these plans.”
Smart said that planning forMobEx
’89 was “superb,but notperfect.” He
added, “This exercise has been so
valuable because it pointed out some
glitches that, when addressed, will
improve our ability to mobilize -we
can fix our soft spots.”
RNCF is composed of 17,000 Naval
reservists nationwide.Upon full mo-
bilizationthey provide two-thirds
of the Navy’s totalconstruction
forces.
”Story by TOCM Lynn Wielinski, Re-
serve Naval Construction Force, Lenexa,
Kansas.
ALL HANDS
USS Tripoli rescues two menand a dog off Californiacoast
A U.S.Navy helicopter crew as-
signed to USS Tripoli (LPH 10) res-
cued two survivors anda dog recently
from a capsized fishing vessel off the
coast of Southern California while
Tripoli and USNS Walter S. Diehl
(TAO 193) were conducting under-
way replenishment.
Two SanDiego residents, John
Mangiapane, age 51,and Matt Davis,
28, were attempting a sharp turn in
their 46-foot fishing vessel Lavita
when a 10-footswell struckand cap-
sized the boat. Diesel fuel leaked in-
to thewater from the boat.They were
able to don flotation devices before
entering the 64-degree water, where
they floated for nearly an hour. The
pilot in a Navy fighter plane spotted
theminthe water andradioed a
distress call, that was copied bya fish-
spotting Cessna aircraft that dropped
a life raft into the water.
Soon a Tripoli helicopter was at the
scene. The helo crew lowered a res-
cue swimmer into thewater with the
aircraft’s hoist. Mangiapane,Davis
and their dog were lifted from the
water and flown to USS Tripoli for
medical treatment.
While the two menwere being ex-
amined by the ship’s doctor,the crew
bathedtheir dog, Gypsy, in soapy
water to get dieselfuel out of its coat.
After the ship’s doctor noted they
were in good condition, a U.S.Coast
Guard helicopter flew all threeback
to San Diego. 4

USS Tripor/ sailorsgive Gypsy a ”Story by102 / o h Howard, PA0 USS

washdown. Tripoli (LPH IO).

Boilertechnicianservesaboardnamesakeship
Boiler Technician 3rd Class Jeff
rruett has personal ties with USS
Truett (FF 1095) that bind much
closer than the military orders which
sent him to her.
Truett is the son of the Navy hero
who saved five lives before he was
mortally wounded in Vietnam. The
Navy honored this hero by naming
USS Truett after him.
Chief Petty Officer Quincy H.
Truett was aboard one of four patrol
boatsengaging the enemy onthe
Kinh DongTien Canal, Jan. 20,1969.
Suddenly, the boat ahead of Truett’s
boat came under heavy enemy fire.
Five crewmembers had to jump into
thewater to escape their burning
vessel.
Truett ordered his boat to a posi-
tion torescue the sailors in the water.
Grass huts burning along the river’s
edge made Truett completely visible respect of hisshipmates as BM3
to theenemy as he was rescuing his Truett. However, he says that his tie
shipmates. Truett saved all five of his with the ship draws a few laughs.
shipmates, but was mortally wounded “The funniest thing is when the
by the enemy. ship’s 1MC blasts ‘Truett arriving.’
The Navy posthumously awarded New sailors don’t understand why
him theNavy Cross for extraordinarythey’re calling my name,” he said
heroism in action while serving in chuckling. “I haveto explain to them
Vietnam. the 1MC is reporting the CO’s arrival,
Jeff Truett says that it’s memngfd not mine.”
to him to serve aboard a ship that’s Truett joined the Navy hoping one
become a piece of his family’s history, day to serveaboard his namesake
butit doeshavesome draw- ship.
backs. “This isa dream come true for me.
”The first day I was aboardthe ship I would have stayed in theNavy un-
it was pretty scary,” Truett said. til I got orders here,” he said. “One
“Everyone pointed at me. It seemed day I’dlike to come back asan officer
like everyone on the ship wanted anand command this ship.’’
introduction to the namesake’s son.”
Today, Truett says the overwhelm-
ing attention hasdied down and he’s ”Story by 102 Merrilee Greer, Navy
content working hard and earning the Public Affairs Center, Norfolk.

FEBRUARY 1990 45
Mail Buoy
Kudos and clarification
Just finished reading the November
1989 issue of All Hands. Great articlesof
the USAlUSSR visits. It certainly was a
moving experience to stand on the deck
of a Soviet ship in an American port.
Thanks also for the article on our Navy
Leader Development Program. Our new
courses will be on line in March 1990, and
while it is true all first class petty officers
must have completed the LPO course by
deck as J03 Walsh says. Quite the con-
trary. We trouble-shooters (catapult final
checkers) spend the majority of our time
servicing, repairing,launching and recov-
ering the finest tactical aircraft in thefree
world. Ours is usually an overtime job.
Regarding our fellow white shirts in
other occupations: Those in white require
top-notch performers for thetasksin-
volvedbe it safety, medical or quality
assurance reps. So when you see a man in
You’re absolutely right - All Hands
reported 125 Marineswereembarked
with the ships on Great Lakes Cruise‘79.
- ed.
Steamed over boilers
This letter concerns the article in the
November 1989 issue of All Hands
magazine, “If You Can’t Stand The Heat
... I,

Jan. 1, 1992, it is incorrect for the chiefs. white, remember he’s not “miscella- On Page 16 a statement by BT3 Alix
They must have completed the CPO neous” but a man handpicked for the job. Nicolas read “you have water going to the
course by Oct. 1, 1991, not 1992. - AMs2 (AW)Mark Robbins main turbines and other steam driven
I am sure that between now and then VA 95 “Green Lizards” equipment,” and Nicolas checks to make
much will be published reflecting the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) sure there is enough fire. Well, the For-
restal CV 59), has an automatic boiler
1991 date, but we didn‘twant toconfuse
your readers.
In your October 1989 issue, “Color-
i
contro system that measures steam de-
mand and manipulates fuel and air to
Again, thanks for the help.
- CAPT D.R. Davidson coded Sailors” by J03Walsh was rather meet the existing demand - no one
Leadership Division (OP-152) incomplete. For example, squadron “makes sure there is enough fire.” Second-
Washington, D.C. maintenance personnel also wear green ly, water is heated and steam generated,
shirts and spend not only the fllght sched- the steam, not water is what turns the
Mistaken identity ule days but also “no fly” days maintain- turbines.
ing the squadron’s aircraft. Also, on Page16, you state that the
I recently enjoyed the article regarding To label a white shirtas miscellaneous water is superheated to make steam when
the story of USS Franklin (CV 13)in the is debasing toward the personnel who in reality the wateris heated to 489
June 1989 All Hands. wear it. A trouble-shooter,who spends the degrees Fahrenheit in theForrestal’s boil-
I would like to point out one slight entire flight schedule on the roof, is the ersat 1200 PSI - thenthesteam is
discrepancy.Under the photo on Page 32, “quick fix” expert to get the airplanes removed from contact with the water it
the ship is described as nearing the Brook- launched and recovered without incident. is generated fromand is superheatedto ap-
lyn Bridge prior to entering theBrooklyn Thanks, and keep up the good work! proximately 850 degrees Fahrenheit. You
Naval Shipyard for repairs. However, the - AE3 D.E. Meyer cannot superheat steam when it is in con-
bridge in the photo is the Williamsburg - AT3 T. Bancroft tact with the fluid it was generated from,
Bridge, located just north of the Shipyard, - AE3 R.R. Moore and you definitely don’t superheat water.
which is midway between the Brooklyn Strike Fighter Squadron 82 Further along it states Forrestal needs
and Williamsburg Bridges. USS America (CV 66) all her boilerson-line, especially for fllght
The Brooklyn Bridge is a beautiful ops - untrue.
bridge tower structure, witha distinctive Further along you have Nicolas remov-
cable support design, while the Williams- Please be assuredthat All Handsmeant ing his torch from the boiler, but you
burg Bridgehas a more modem steel truss nothing derogatory by the term “miscel- never had him put it in the boiler.
and girder framework. It appears fromthe laneous.’’ The word only signified that per- On Page 17, you have the big boilers
picture that the ship may be swinging to sonnel with varied responsibilities wear evaporating sea water. The steam, not the
port in preparation for a sharp turn tostar- white jerseys on the flight deck. - ed. boiler, is what is used to boil the sea water
board into the yard. in the evaporators.
Having been stationed at Naval Station Further on you are “creating 400,000
New York, I find all articles regarding the Confused on the Great Lakes gallons per day.”To create, per Webster’s
history of the yard, as well as the ships Your November 1989 issue states that New Collegiate Dictionary, means “to
built there, interesting, and look forward the USS Boulder (LST 1190) is the first bring into existence.” Nothing is being
to more. LST (LandingShip, Tanks) with Marines created here, rather the salt is being
- LCDR Douglas H. Stauffer, CEC to embark on a Great Lakes cruise. If you removed from the water by distillation.
U.S. Navy Public Works Center check back to your March 1980issue you For a non-engineering type, I guess the
Yokosuka, Japan will find an article on Great Lakes Cruise story is a way to let others in theNavy
‘79 in which USS Fairfax County (LST know whatengineers do. Butfrom an en-
Seeing red over white 1193),CDR Heidt commanding, was the gineer’s standpoint, I was disappointed in
Inregards toyour“Color-coded first LST to sail all five Great Lakes. We the grossly inaccurate description of what
Sailors,” October 1989, I’d like tocorrect also had Marines and equipmentem- goes on in the boilers and evaporators.
a misconception about those of us who barked the entire cruise. I would really like to see you send
wear white jerseys. We are not “miscel- - OSCS(SW)R.G. Olsen future articles to an engineering type to
laneous” or normally do not work the FTU Det Charleston ensure technical accuracy.

FEBRUARY 1990 47
Mail Buoy
I’m afraid some of the descriptions of Stand down in 1988; more than 700 this would benefit. Thanks for listening.
what was going on in the engineering year. Some got jobs, some did not. Some - DP2 Karen P. Luisi
plant were laughable in their inaccuracy. just wanted food - they got it. Fleet Combat Training Center, Pacific
- BTC Michael E. Kusinski One thingwas guaranteed, all of them
ComNavAirPac SGPI got something from Stand down, even if
NAS North Island, San Diego it was just a safe, clean, drug-
and alcohol-
free, weaponfree environment for three
The article was submitted to Forrestal days. That’s why it’s called Stand down.
Reunions
Naval Ocean Processing Facility Nor-
for “chop” prior to publication in the It was a place where the vets could rest, folk - Reunion March 2, Norfolk. Call
magazine. - ed. and take refuge from the war of living on Bob Hart; telephone (804) 433-6801.
the streets. It was really incredible. Reserve Naval Mobile Construction
More volunteers If any “event” helps even one person- Battalion 22 - Reunion March 9-11,
In reference to your September 1989 ar- if one person gets housing, if one person Gulfport, Miss. Contact RADM Roy “L”
ticle, “Sailors Serving Country and Com- gets into a rehabilitation program, if one Dunlap, P.O. Box 173, Killeen, Texas
munity,” I was impressed by your cover- person gets a job and keeps it, if just one 76540.
age. You included stories from coast to person decidesto take the steps necessary USS Wharton (AP 7) - Reunion
coast; they were expressive, informative to break out of the cycle that perpetuates March 21-24, Charleston, S.C. Contact
and covered an incredible spectrum of their homelessness and addictions, if one George Howlett, 110 Central Ave.,
services. person just feels safefora moment Malden, Mass. 02184; telephone (617)
Itis impossible, of course, to cover because of a flash-in-the-panevent - then 324-6121.
everything, and, without any criticism Naval Helicopter Association- Sym-
whatsoever, I’d like to share just one more posium March 27-31, San Diego.Contact
story. NHA offices,P.O. Box 460, Coronado,
It’s called “Stand down ’89.” This was Calif. 92 118-0460; telephone (619)
a three-day event to assist homeless 435-7139.
veterans. A “tent city” was raised by the USS Alabama (BB 60 and SSBN 731)
Seabees, and in those tents were food, - Reunion April18-22, Mobile, Ala.Con
clothing, shelter (over 600 cots), medical tact John Brown, P.O. Box 501, Keller,
services, VA benefits counseling, legal Texas 76248; telephone (817) 431-2424.
services, hair cuts, employment services, USS Wren (DD 568)-Reunion April
drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, 28-29, BatonRouge,La. Contact Bill
personal counseling,to name a few.It was Ferguson, Star Rt. Box 353, Goodrich,
spearheaded by Vietnam veterans of San Texas 77335; telephone (409) 365-2622.
Diego, and sponsored by more than 30 USS Morrison (DD 560)- Reunion
organizations such as StateEmployment May 1-4, Pensacola, Fla. Contact John
and DevelopmentDepartment, VA Schurmeler, 8291 Grange Blvd. So., Cot-
Regional Office,County Veterans Service tage Grove,Minn. 55016; telephone (612)
Office, VA Medical Center, VA Homeless 459-4823.
Outreach Program, and the list goes on. USS Mustin[DD413) and USS
Who are we kidding? Events are nice, Hornet (CV8) survivors - Reunion May
but they’re aflash-in-the-pan,nght? Stand 3-6, Irving, Texas. Contact Vic Egger, 128
down itself wasan “event,” but itsefforts East Famham Court, Irvmg,Texas 75062;
are anything but over. telephone (214) 255-6016.
The goal, of course, is tomake the USS Lexington (CV 2) .Club - Re-
“event” into a permanent outreach pro- union May 9-12, Sparks, Nev. Contact
gram, all the services in one spot - ac- Walt Kastner, 466 Ivy Glen Drive, Mira
cessible - oriented toward helping the Loma, Calif. 91752; telephone (714)
homeless get off the streets and back in- 681-1101.
to the mainstream of society. The road USS LST 496 survivors - Reunion
blocks associated with sucha goal areun- May 17-19, Tampa, Fla. Contact Joe San-
ioubtedly flashing in your head already. dor, P.O. Box 1926, HobeSound,Fla.
But even if the “event” never gets 33475; telephone (407) 288-2733.
transformed into “thebutterfly,” let’s not USS LST 398 - Reunion Mav 17-20.
iiscount itsvalue. Statisticians estimate volunteer” - there more than 300 Davenport, Iowa. Contact Robe&Kam:
that 30 percent of the homeless in of us, mostly milita mer, 1123 Kimberly Ridge
Road, Betten-
America are veterans. Since1988, the first I truly did enjoy Iowa
dorf, 52722; 355-3965.
(319)
San Diego Stand down, a lot was learned about the military I just USS Drexler (DD741) - Reunion
about the needs of our homeless veterans. a lot to May 17-21, Boston. Contact Gene Brick,
More than 500 of them, verified veterans 1304 Loper Road, Prineville, Ore. 97754;
md obviously homeless, registered with telephone (503) 447-5422.

48 ALL HANDS
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 ALLWNDS Photo Contest
The All Hands Photo Contest is open to all active duty, Reserve and civilian
Navy personnel in two categories: professional and amateur, The professional
category includes Navy photographer’s mates, journalists, officers and civilians
working in photography or public affairs.
All entries must be Navy related. Photos need not be taken in the calendar year
of the contest.
Professional competition includes single-image feature picture and picture story
(three or more photos on a single theme) in black-and-white print, and color print
or color transparency. No glass-mounted transparencies or instant film (Polaroid)
entries are allowed. Photo stories presented in color transparencies should be
numbered in the order you wish to have them viewed and accompanied by a
design layout board showing where and how you would position the photographs.
Amateurs may enter single-image color print or color transparencies only.
There is a limit of six entries per person, Each picture story is considered one
entry regardless of the number of views.
Minimum size for each single-image feature picture is 5 inches by 7 inches.
All photographs must be mounted on black 11-inch by 14-inch mount board.
Picture stories must be mounted on three, black 11-inch by 14-inch mount
boards taped together, excluding photo stories entered as transparencies.
Please use the entry form below and include the title of the photograph and
complete cutline information on a separate piece of paper taped to the back of
the photo or slide mount.
Certificates will be awarded t o k t , 2nd and 3rd place winners in each of the
four groups. Ten honorable mentions will also be awarded certificates. Winning
photographs will be featured in All Hands magazine.
Entries will not be returned to the photographer.
For more information about the All Hands Photo Contest, contact PHl(AC)
Scott M. Allen or JOC Robin Barnette at Autovon 284-445516208 or commercial
(703) 274-445516208.
ALLENTRIESMUST BE RECEIVEDNOLATER THAN SEPT. 1, 1990.
For each entry, please indicate in which category and group you are entering
the photograph. Attach a completed copy of this form to your entry.
story Single-image
Photo feature
0 Black-and-white print 0 Black-and-white
0 Color print or transparencies (Prof.) 0 Color printortransparencies
0 Color print or transparencies (amateur)
Name: Send entries to:
Ratelrank: All Hands magazine Photo Contest
Command: Navy Internal Relations Activity
Address: 601 N. Fairfax St., Suite 230
Alexandria, Va. 223 14-2007
Phone:
Newest aircraft carrier Page 20