Bring your earplugs
April 7th, 2011 | C-5 Galaxy Combat support Construction Logistics Naval Expeditionary Logistics Center Navy NECC Seabees | Posted by Bill McMichael
Maybe it’s a guy thing. But I, for one, would like to see the Navy’s new Expeditionary Rock Crusher in action. Look at this bad boy! The crusher/rock impactor and plant together weigh approximately 119,300 lbs., which is child’s play for a C-5 Galaxy. It fits, as you can see. And now, it’s certified to be loaded and shipped anywhere Seabees operate.
The Expeditionary Rock Crusher is loaded into a C-5 during certification testing in January at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center
Seabees can build anything, but one thing they build a lot of is roads and airstrips for the Navy and Marines. That’s where the ERC comes in.
“The Expeditionary Rock crusher bridges the gap between war debris or rubble and a useful construction project,” explains John Lemmond, First Naval Construction Division, Civil Engineer Support Equipment readiness program manager. “The Seabees take that mineral-based pile of war debris and recycle it into usable construction products like aggregate for asphalt and concrete and other construction materials.”
Previously, the Seabees couldn’t easily deploy a rock crusher, and had to rely on local raw materials and suppliers to produce much of the stuff for their construction projects. Now, they can deploy the ERC and create their own mineral base products for concrete and asphalt that meet their high standards.
Here’s the full-on view:
The Navy's Expeditionary Rock Crusher is a mobile, triple axle, rock crusher manufactured by the Eagle Crusher Company. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center
The machine is essentially a militarized, field-painted version of the commercial Eagle 1200-25CC with the UM25 impactor. The Naval Construction Force — the Seabees’ parent command — owns four of them so far, according to the Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center. They haven’t yet been fielded, but Seabees will begin using them this summer, NFELC says.
Va. Beach NECC unit nabs Sloan Award
February 4th, 2011 | Awards Diving EOD Mobile Diving and Salvage Navy NECC The greenside | Posted by Bill McMichael
The top 20 percent. That’s where Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training and Evaluation Unit 2 now finds itself in terms of public AND private employers in terms of programs, policies and culture for creating an effective and flexible workplace.
EODTEU 2, located in Virginia Beach, Va., received the 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility from Rear Adm. Michael Tillotson, the commander of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, during an awards ceremony Feb. 4.
“It’s fantastic to be recognized,” said Lt. Cmdr. Oliver Herion, the executive officer of EODTEU 2. “Our team at all levels, officer, enlisted and civil service employees, work hard on the programs that benefit the command and its personnel.”
The Sloan Award recognizes public and private organizations for innovative and effective workplace flexibility practices. Sloan Award judges use a rigorous scoring methodology to determine if an organization ranks in the top 20 percent of the nation’s employers in that regard.
In one example of workplace flexibility, the command recently established an internal college degree program that allows command members to take college classes within its workspaces after-hours and on average, Herion said, “complete an associate’s degree within 18 months.”
Such innovation is essential for EODTEU 2, which provides advanced pre-deployment training to Atlantic Fleet EOD platoons and Mobile Diving and Salvage companies. The unit’s training calendar contains more than 300 days of events, including night shifts and week-long evolutions, according to the command.
To give the unit a breather, the operations department schedules two weeks every July without training.
Sloan Award honorees become part of a national flexibility leadership network representing employers of all sizes and from all sectors to share best practices, exchange ideas and serve as models for other employers and community leaders. Exclusive learning opportunities will be shared with this network throughout the year.
EOD on the front lines
July 23rd, 2010 | EOD Navy NECC | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
On any given day, the Navy’s EOD sailors are deployed in just about every geographical command – and it’s not just Iraq or Afghanistan where explosive ordnance disposal technicians are putting their expertise to save lives and limbs. This week, one-quarter of the nearly-2,600 member EOD force is deployed, according to Navy Expeditionary Combatant Command, with EOD mobile and naval mobile diving and salvage units teams and platoons operating in Southern, Central, European, Africa and Pacific commands. EOD sailors also are participating in the biennial “Rim of the Pacific” exercises off Hawaii, joining in maritime security operations, disarming underwater mines and other explosives and tackling the challenge of command and control at sea and ashore in a more dispersed, joint battle space.
Despite the busy pace of operations and big demands for their expertise in an inherently dangerous business, EOD sailors aren’t fleeing the Navy. Top commanders say retention remains strong in the community. In West Coast-based EOD Group 1, for example, the Navy retained 90 percent of Zone A sailors and 89 percent of Zone B sailors, according to NECC figures. EOD Group 2, based in Virginia, has seen similar rates, a spokesman said. Those rates are 50 percent higher than what the Navy saw in 2008, when Zone A retention ran about 66 percent.
Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 sailors wait for a helicopter pickup during a cast-and-recovery training off the aircraft carrier George Washington July 19 in the western Pacific.//Navy/MC3 Adam K. Thomas
“Our retention rates have been very good,” Capt. Dale Fleck, the EOD Group 2 commodore, said in a July 21 teleconference interview with reporters. Sailors “enjoy it. They want to be here. They receive very good training. While the majority of them have had multiple deployments, we have had very good retention rates. It’s very important to actually keep them in the community and give them the experience.”
Sailors realize the critical value of what they bring with their experience, Capt. Ted Lucas, commodore for EOD Group 1, said from San Diego in the media teleconference with Fleck. “Sailors are doing a necessary thing they believe in,” Lucas said. “We are a combat force,” trained to face threats when they deploy and diffuse explosives, improved explosive devices, weapons of mass destruction and underwater mines, he added. “We are a central force (that) enables combat operations and maneuver.”
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Nathan Albrich climbs a ladder to an HH-60H Sea Hawk during training July 20 in the western Pacific, with George Washington in the background.//Navy/MC3 Adam K. Thomas
The work is varied, even in places like Iraq, where EOD technicians teach and train Iraqis as the country builds up its local bomb squads. In Iraq and Afghanistan, EOD sailors on a daily basis diffuse or detonate roadside bombs and improvised explosives that are the biggest enemy threat to U.S. and coalition forces. “We are very proactive in making sure we are up with the threats and enemy tactics,” Fleck said. “When we respond to an incident, whether it be an IED that has already been detonated or one that has been found, we perform render-safe and an analysis of the scene and the materials that are involved.” That information and intelligence is quickly shared among the joint forces and incorporated into existing training.
“Our trainers…keep up to speed with everything that is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Lucas said. “They are analyzing all different sources of information.” Sailors “get the most up-to-date training,” he added.
The rise in high-tech robotics isn’t about to push the sailor clear out of the community, the commanders said. “Our most critical asset is our sailor,” Lucas said. “We are a force not really platform-centric. Our sailors are our best asset.” Fleck agreed. “We are not ships and airplanes. The EOD operator is a highly-trained technician and who has skill sets,” he said. Without the human factor, “the mission cannot be performed.”
As hard core as they come
June 17th, 2010 | leadership Morale NECC Officers | Posted by Lance Bacon
Meet Lt. John Pucillo. This EOD leader lost his left leg above the knee when an IED exploded outside his vehicle in May 2006, in Baghdad. But he didn’t let that hold him back.
Pucillo endured nine grueling months of rehab at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, then returned to active EOD service. He made the U.S. Paralympics Sailing National Team and earned his master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.
Now, the Bronze Star recipient has added another decoration to crown his fruit salad: Jump wings.
Seven in Seven
May 7th, 2010 | Carriers Congress Foreign navies leadership Life at Sea Maritime operations Naval Academy Navy NECC Officers Sea Air Space SEALs Ships Submarines The Middle East Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead meets sailors and their families at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tenn. Roughead was in Millington to get a first-hand look at damage sustained from flooding. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronda Spaulding)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates dropped the bomb of the week. In his first invitation to the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space symposium, Gates suggested a need for cutting carriers, sinking SSBN(X) and eliminating Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles. You can read Gates’ speech here, and find out how this affects you in Monday’s edition of Navy Times.
Speaking of amphibious operations, the personnel bubbas in Millington are starting to dry out. Two days of rain dumped more than 14 inches in the area. A levee couldn’t hold the water back and the base was flooded. This delayed one promotion board and threw many administrative matters into chaos, but the crew weathered the storm in true Navy fashion.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Seven in Seven
April 22nd, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Congress Environment Foreign navies Maritime operations Military Sealift Command Navy NECC ordnance Recruiting SEALs Ships Submarines The deckplates The greenside The Middle East The Pacific Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
The Navy nabbed a lot of headlines again this week. Leading the way is news that the Green Hornet on Thursday took to flight – the fighter jet, not the super hero. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was powered by a 50/50 blend of biofuel and JP-5.
That same day, a U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors. Two others will soon have their day in court.
And on Wednesday, the Navy implemented its first change in 17 years to the Defense Department’s much-debated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Seven in Seven
April 9th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Life at Sea Maritime operations Navy NECC Pirates Science and technology Seabees Ships The greenside | Posted by Lance Bacon
The Navy kicked off the month by kicking pirate butt in three foiled attacks. The stories that nabbed most other headlines this week included the Nuclear Posture Review, which was all the talk in the beltway; F-35 training, which continues despite problems getting the jets; the Fire Scout, which scored its first drug bust; the smoking ban on subs and the Navy’s decision to restrict the wear of ball caps and coveralls.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Iraqis headed to Cajun Country
April 7th, 2010 | Foreign navies Maritime operations Navy NECC | Posted by Lance Bacon
The good people of Morgan City, La., will be hearing a lot of “Who Dat?” in the coming weeks, as dozens of Iraqi naval sailors arrive later this month to learn to operate their new patrol boats. They’ll miss Mardi Gras, but son of a gun, they’ll have big fun on the bayou!
The first Iraqi Swift Boat PB 301 made its first machinery runs last week. Manufactured by Swiftships Shipbuilders LLC, the 35-foot Swift Boat achieved an average speed in excess of 34 knots (39 mph) at 84 percent installed power. The boats also have six 30mm gun weapons systems, machine gun mounts and cradles.
Swiftships Shipbuilders was awarded $180 million on Sept. 25 to build nine patrol boats, and will get another $23 million to train the Iraqi sailors. This is good news for U.S. sailors, who are one step closer to relinquishing their mission to protect oil-platforms in the Persian Gulf.
All U.S. troops are to leave Iraq by 2011 under current plans.
Just Call it ‘Can-Do Kung Fu’
March 31st, 2010 | Navy NECC Seabees The greenside The Middle East | Posted by Lance Bacon
Seabees assigned to NMCB 74 participate in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. (Photo by MC2 Michael Lindsey)
The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 can really pack a punch.
When they catch a break from ops in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, they focus on hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat techniques taught in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.
Two Seabees endured three months of gruelling, accelerated training to become instructors. One is EA2 Erik Kennerson, who wants to award at least 18 tan belts before rotating this summer. You can read about their efforts here.
The tan belt requires two hours of training a day, four days a week. Students learn punches, throws, chokes, weapons of opportunity and knife /bayonet techniques.
So you better think twice before you try to take that bulldozer for a joyride.
Happy Birthday, Seabees!
March 5th, 2010 | Historical Navy NECC Seabees | Posted by Lance Bacon
Today we celebrate the 68th birthday of the “Can-Do” construction battalions. Happy birthyday to all the brave men and women who have been a part of this honorable heritage.
Did you know:
- The earliest Seabees were recruited from the civilian construction trades.
- Because of the emphasis on experience and skill rather than on physical standards, the average age of WW II Seabees was 37.
- More than 325,00 men served with the Seabees in WW II on six continents and more than 300 islands.
- Between 1949 and 1953, Naval Construction Battalions were organized into two types of units: Amphibious Construction Battalions and Naval Mobile Construction Battalions.
- The Seabees were part of the Inchon landing.
- Providing much needed assistance in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Greece in 1953 was among the first missions that led the Seabees to become “The Navy’s Goodwill Ambassadors.”
- The Seabees began their largest peacetime construction on Diego Garcia in 1971. This project took 11 years and cost $200 million.
- More than 5,000 Seabees served in the Gulf War. In Saudi Arabia, Seabees built 10 camps for more than 42,000 personnel; 14 galleys capable of feeding 75,000 people; and 6 million square feet of aircraft parking apron.
- While their history is still being writte in OIF and OEF, the Seabees have proven to be of immeasurable worth. They have built numerous 20-acre aircraft-parking aprons, munitions storage areas, bridges and bases.