A nice touch
November 11th, 2011 | Carriers Commanding officers Golf Morale Naval Air Station Oceana Navy Norfolk Naval Shipyard Photos Sports | Posted by Bill McMichael
Capt. Tushar Tembe was an avid golfer and was no doubt looking forward to playing in a local tournament he’d help plan that would pit golfers from his carrier, the Harry S. Truman, against players assigned to the carriers Dwight D. Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt and Enterprise.
Tembe, sadly, collapsed Nov. 8 while debarking the Truman at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., and subsequently died — two days before the scheduled one-day tourney at Naval Air Station Oceana. Rather than postpone or cancel the event, the East Coast carrier commanders taking part — the Norfolk-based carrier George H.W. Bush is deployed — decided to honor Tembe by playing as scheduled Nov. 10 and by naming the tournament and top prize in his honor.
“This was the most appropriate thing to do,” said Capt. William C. Hamilton Jr., commanding officer of Enterprise, and a close friend of Tembe’s. “He planned this for us, and he would be so upset if we didn’t play. We’re here to honor him and I am proud to be here.”
“Capt. Tembe came up with the idea for this tournament,” said Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Jeffery Crawford, leading petty officer of Truman’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation department. “He was involved in every last detail of planning this event, and that’s why we decided to name it for him.”
Before hitting the green, the players held a moment of silence for Tembe and his family.
“Personally, this is a huge loss,” said Hamilton. “He was my golf buddy … my Navy buddy. We played golf together all over the world for the past 16 years. I’ll never swing another club now without thinking about him.”
Fittingly, Truman’s team won the inaugural Tembe cup. “We played inspired golf today,” said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Scott Rossi, assigned to Truman’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department. “Working with and knowing Capt. Tembe made a big impact on me, and I was thinking of him all day as were my teammates and, probably, everyone out here today.”
A flight deck, transformed
November 11th, 2011 | Basketball Carrier Classic Carriers Navy Navy secretary Veterans Day | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
The Tar Heels of North Carolina hit the court to practice on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson on Thursday in preparations for Friday's Carrier Classic basketball game.//Gidget Fuentes
Organizers of the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic game and ESPN were thrilled Thursday that a Pacific storm might hold off any rain until well beyond the basketball game’s tip-off at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time Friday on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in San Diego. A rainy forecast had threatened to force the season opener between Michigan State and the University of North Carolina to the hangar deck below.
But by midday Thursday, throngs of journalists converged on the flight deck on a comfortably balmy day for pregame activities that included a press conference with team officials and organizers and the first practice by both teams on the pristine but outdoor hardwood surface. In recent days, workers assembled the basketball court and surrounded it by bleachers lined with green plastic seats. Bright lights and a pair of huge high-definition screens flanked the makeshift arena built atop the hardened steel deck that’s launched and recovered thousands of fighter jets and combat aircraft over the ship’s nearly 30-year career.
Half of Carl Vinson’s sailors off the ship and away for scheduled leave, and fewer than 800 of ship’s company got the free tickets to attend the game, said the skipper, Capt. Bruce Lindsey. “It’s been a very busy…two years,” Lindsey told a packed press conference held in a tent near the ship’s bow. “We are preparing to go on our third deployment in three years.”
But preparations for the game, and its accompanying festivities for the teams, dignitaries and fans, haven’t interfered “one iota” with the ship’s training or operations, Lindsey said. In fact, he said, it’s provided real training for some members of his crew, including those in supply.
Vinson's flight deck is the host court for the UNC-Michigan State game that will air Friday, Veterans Day, on ESPN. (MCSA Dean M. Cates/Navy)
Still, the transformation of such a formidable warship into a sports arena was something to marvel.
“It makes it look much smaller,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Equipment (AW/SW) Robert Sanders, who joined other sailors in the bleachers for a break to watch the teams practice. Just off in the distance, beyond the ship’s waist, lights dotted the San Diego city skyline as dusk neared. “Honestly, if the island wasn’t here, it would seem like we’re sitting in an arena,” he said.
Sanders, a 16½ year veteran, was among the initial skeptics among the crew when they first heard that their ship would host an NCAA basketball game. “You heard about it, but you’re like, it won’t happen,” he said. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Equipment 3rd Class (AW) Blas Manzanares couldn’t quite picture “going from flight operations to a basketball game.”
Both sailors plan to attend the game. Sanders will bring his wife. “My wife is real excited. She’s a huge basketball fan, he said. “She just wants to be in the same realm as the president.” That’s where Manzanares hopes he will find himself. “I’m going to try to get his handshake,” he said, quite confidently.
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Equipment 3rd Class (AW) Josh McNeese sat with them in the bleachers and just took in the whole scenery. McNeese has a ticket and is excited for the game to begin. “This is actually going to be my first big event,” he said.
For other fans, like Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the game marks a new forum to commemorate “a celebration of service.”
“It’s about honoring the people who have served and are serving today,” said Mabus, who visited the ship Thursday afternoon. He will be there in the crowd for the game Friday during his three-day visit to San Diego that will include the Saturday christening of the Navy’s newest resupply ship Medgar Evers, which is being built across the bay at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. Carl Vinson’s role as the host for a nationally-televised game honoring veterans also puts the big spotlight on the naval service. “This is America’s ‘away’ team,” said Mabus.
Quicken Loans Carrier Classic unis unveiled
November 1st, 2011 | Basketball Carrier Classic Carriers Morale Naval Base San Diego Navy Photos Sports Veterans Day | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Michigan State and North Carolina men’s basketball teams will wear school-color camouflage-style uniforms to honor the military during their Nov. 11 Veterans Day clash aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in San Diego. On Monday, the Spartans showed off the camouflage-patterned unis they’ll wear — white with a light green pattern and bordered with the school’s traditional dark green.
Michigan State's basketball uniform for the Nov. 11 Quicken Loans Carrier Classic. // Photo courtesy of Michigan State University
North Carolina’s design, unveiled Oct. 26, will feature a deep blue camouflage pattern over the traditional Carolina blue.
UNC's uniform for the Nov. 11 game. // Photo courtesy of the University of North Carolina.
The back of UNC's uniform. // Photo courtesy of the University of North Carolina.
Neither team will have player names on the back of the jerseys. Replacing the names will be “U.S.A.”, as shown on the right:
“I think the uniforms are pretty cool,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “They definitely put the spotlight on our military, and that’s what this is for.”
That Carolina blue on the UNC uniforms ought to play well with the sailors in the joint military crowd of roughly 7,000. Frankly, it could almost work as a new Navy working uniform pattern … a prospect the fleet, given what seems like near-constant seabag changes over the recent past, no doubt hopes does not materialize for at least a couple more years …
A solemn duty
October 23rd, 2011 | Burial at sea Carriers Navy Photos Traditions | Posted by Bill McMichael
It takes place about 20 times each month: The casketed or cremated remains of an eligible individual are buried at sea. It’s an ancient tradition that’s probably been practiced as long as people have gone to sea, according to Naval History & Heritage Command. On Saturday, Oct. 22, crew members of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower carried on that tradition as the ship was training in the Atlantic.
Sailors bow their heads during a prayer before sending a sailor's remains over the side during a burial at sea aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower Oct. 22. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist Third Class Tony Bloom
Ceremony procedures do not change. “All hands bury the dead” is passed over the ship’s intercom; the ship is stopped, if practicable; the colors are displayed at half-mast. The casket bearers, firing party and bugler are assembled. The formation is brought to attention, then parade rest. The chaplain then conducts the burial service, reflected in the above photo. The remains are then committed to the deep, and the firing party fires a three-volley salute.
Sailors with the honor guard render a gun salute during a burial at sea aboard the Dwight D. Eisenhower. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist Third Class Tony Bloom
Those eligible include active-duty members of the military, retirees and veterans who were honorably discharged, U.S. civilian marine personnel of Military Sealift Command and dependent family members of each group.
The committal ceremony is always performed on a deployed ship, so family members are not allowed to attend.
Busy days and nights aboard Ike
October 19th, 2011 | Carrier qualifications Carriers Life at Sea Navy Photos Ships Training Underway replenishment | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is deep into the basic phase of pre-deployment training while underway in the Atlantic. Technically, it’s taking part in a Tailored Ship’s Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem, or TSTA/FEP, and conducting carrier qualifications for Carrier Air Wing 7 fliers.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower Oct. 14. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Ike will be out for several weeks to come, so it’s a busy time for the crews of the ship and the wing. All that activity demands fresh stores of all sorts. On Oct. 18 — not clear if it was pre-sunrise or post-sunset — the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic delivered the goods.
The fast combat support ship USNS Arctic sails alongside Ike during an Oct. 18 underway replenishment. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper
During an UNREP, the flight deck remains quiet — but under a watchstander’s careful eye.
Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Nicholas Blackburn of the Eisenhower stands watch during an underway replenishment with USNS Arctic. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper
The Navy and the budget: What’s getting cut?
October 10th, 2011 | Budget Carriers Navy Navy Times Uniforms | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Navy is about to start seeing significant reductions in spending for operations and maintenance, spare parts, new ships and aircraft, research and development, and personnel, all essentially the result of a flagging U.S. economy. In the new Navy Times, analysts and insiders assess the areas at risk, while readers offer suggestions on what they’d cut if they could be king for a day.
What sort of changes are they talking about inside the Pentagon? Try eliminating the scheduled 2016 nuclear refueling of the aircraft carrier George Washington, commissioned in 1992. How would readers save? Stop the perpetual uniform and sea bag changes.
The stories aren’t yet posted online, save for subscribers. But if you’re a subscriber with that access or are buying a newsstand copy, we’d like to hear your thoughts about what they have to say. Check out the stories, then come back and weigh in on the Scoop Deck.
Very close call
October 5th, 2011 | Carriers Navy Safety Video | Posted by Joshua Stewart
You could just as easily be reading an article about two George Washington sailors who were killed on the carrier’s flight deck.
While there was certainly a few sky-high heart rates and a couple of strings of profanity, everything turned out fine after the sailors wandered onto the deck as an F/A-18 Hornet approached for landing. Whoever decided to wave the plane off undoubtedly went to bed knowing that they earned their pay.
The video is from Sept. 25 while GW was on scheduled patrol in the Pacific.
Haze gray and underway
September 27th, 2011 | Carriers Life at Sea Navy Photos Ships Training Underway replenishment | Posted by Bill McMichael
This simple yet atmospheric photo should resonate with anyone who’s ever been at sea …
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Apprentice Raymond Duenas waits on the elevator operator during replenishment at sea operations aboard the Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the background is USNS Lewis and Clark; USNS Arctic also took part in the "unrep." Ike is currently underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tony Bloom
No pain, no gain
September 23rd, 2011 | Carrier qualifications Carriers Life at Sea Master-at-arms Navy OC spray Photos Security Force training Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
So you want to be a Navy master-at-arms or join a ship’s security force? Know that this is a hurdle you’ll have to clear:
Air-Traffic Controller Airman Tom Smith, from Boston, Mass., is sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) while qualifying for a certification to carry OC spray and a baton as part of the security force aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike is underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Yep, that’s a faceful of Oleoresin Capsicum spray — a staple of master-at-arms “A” school training and part of a requirement for shipboard security force qualification. But you don’t just get a level one (directly in the face) spray shot of the (obviously) non-lethal pepper spray, which burns like the dickens and can cause breathing problems. You have to show you can fight through the pain and do your job:
Airman James Fritz, from Pittsburgh, Pa., performs defensive strikes after being sprayed with OC spray while qualifying to be certified as part of the security force aboard Ike. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
That guy in the Storm Trooper gear? He’s gotta go down, as well:
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Larmonz Lynn, from Toms River, N.J., performs a takedown after being sprayed with OC spray while qualifying for a certification to carry OC spray and a baton as part of the security force aboard Ike. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
Like they say, you really gotta want it.
Down and dirty
September 19th, 2011 | Carrier On-Board Delivery plane Carriers Maintenance Maritime operations Naval aviation Photos Ships Training | Posted by Bill McMichael
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is underway in the Atlantic conducting carrier qualifications for naval aviators, but it’s the unglamorous and often tedious work below decks that keeps the fliers going.
Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class David Zaveson and Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Eric Bieber of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 conduct routine maintenance on an SH-60F Seahawk aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. // U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tony Bloom
A zillion things can go wrong with an aircraft — especially aircraft that operate in a maritime environment and bounce onto aircraft carriers. That requires checking everything from the big stuff to internal leakage.
Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class (AW/SW) Orrintell Whyte checks for oil leaks on the tail gear of an HH-60H Seahawk of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 in Ike's hangar bay. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones
All the work has to be tracked.
Aviation Electrician’s Mate 1st Class (AW/SW) Christopher Carbee of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 5 writes his findings in a log during a final inspection on an HH-60H in the hangar bay of the Eisenhower. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones
Then there’s the support for the support — the ancillary work.
Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Katrina Everett, right, and Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Mark Perkins fix a leak on the hydraulic tank of a spotting dolly in Ike's hangar bay. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
These unsung efforts underpin what everyone is hoping for topside: safe flight operations.
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class (AW) Jason Winfrey directs a C-2A Greyhound, assigned to Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120, on the flight deck of the carrier Eisenhower. Ike is currently underway conducting carrier qualifications. // U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Albert Jones