A New Navy Term
November 16th, 2009 | Carriers Life at Sea Maritime operations Navy The deckplates | Posted by Andrew Tilghman
Looks like the Navy has coined a new term.
I heard it for the first time a couple of months ago when I was out on the Truman and talking to Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, the strike group’s commander. He was explaining how they would remain ready despite a six-month gap between the JTFX and an actual deployment.
Driscoll said the strike group would probably go out for another large-scale excersise.
“The Navy loves acronyms, so we’ll probably call it ’sustain-ex’ or something like that,” Driscoll said casually.
Looks like that term Driscoll was trying out has been formalized. A few days ago, the Navy public affairs office announced that the carrier John C. Stennis is heading out for a “sustainment excersize (SUSTAINEX).”
Add that to the next edition of the Dictionary of Naval Abreviations, or DICNAVAB.
Remembrance
November 11th, 2009 | Historical The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
Naval History and Heritage Command
Today is Veterans Day, or as we also like to call it, Armistice Day. We’ll be thinking today about everyone who has served and fought.
New ovens take the work out of chow at sea
October 27th, 2009 | Carriers Chow Life at Sea Science and technology The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
In the future, CS3 Jermaine Thompson, of the carrier Enterprise, could need to only push a button and his oven would know exactly how long to bake this bread // Navy
The Navy operates some of the most advanced equipment on the planet, what with all the fighter jets and nuclear reactors and Aegis radars and such, but less so in the galley, where culinary specialists depend as much on their own skill as new technology. That’s changing, though — sailors aboard the carrier Abraham Lincoln are testing three new high-speed ovens that can basically cook meals on their own, and which promise to make work much simpler for the CSes of tomorrow.
The Blodgett Hydrovection, Rational Combi, and Alto Shaam Combi-therm all can be programmed with the Navy’s standard menu items, which means that sailors can prepare entrees the way the rest of us push the “popcorn” button on the microwave:
“Now the culinary specialist doesn’t have to read off the card and set everything accordingly. It’s as simple as pressing a few buttons,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Eric Russell…
For example, the menu card for beef roast rib says to roast the meat for three to four hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the oven knows this, the CS just has to look under the beef section for roast rib and the oven knows the exact temperature and time left to cook.
In cases like beef rib roast where the menu card instructs the CS to insert a thermometer and roast until it reaches a certain temperature in the center, the new oven has another convenient feature. There is a sensor the CS can insert in the meat so the oven can keep track of the temperature itself. It knows that according to the menu card, beef rib roast must be roasted until the center is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit. So it adjusts the remaining time according to the temperature of the meat.
It’s the galley practices of tomorrow — today! If your ship makes a lot of special requests for chow, these new ovens eventually will include the ability for local cooks to program them, according to this story.
New blog After Action brings you the world of mil-sports
October 20th, 2009 | Blogs Life at Sea Sports The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
Sports are often compared to war — linemen “battle” for the gridiron; bad pitchers get “shelled;” and in the backfield, the secondary provides “optimized, time-critical network-centric support for the joint defense.” So it’s no surprise that the military is chock-full of great athletes and, generally, that the services are permeated by a culture of sports and competition.
In that spirit, Military Times brings you After Action, a new joint blog from all four colors of the rainbow (green, light blue, regular blue and red) about sports in and around the armed services. Check it out here, let us know what you think and send us tips about anything sports-related going on with your service, your local command, or just who won the paper football game in the DFAC last night. And send pictures!
The Navy: 234 years young
October 13th, 2009 | Historical Morale The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
Naval History and Heritage Command
The Navy wasn’t always a terrifying wall of steel coming straight at you from over the horizon. Back in the day — 234 years ago today, as a matter of fact — all the Continental Congress wanted was two wooden sailing ships, each crewed by about 80 sailors and armed with 10 guns apiece. It got that. And it got more than that, according to this year’s birthday message from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus:
From the raid on Nassau in 1776 to the Gulf of Aden and the mountains of Afghanistan today, the Navy has always been our nation’s away team, defending her interests abroad. You and your predecessors have served selflessly, without regard to personal sacrifice — enduring months or even years away from home and loved ones.
Navy commands all over the world are observing the service’s birthday today, some more extravagantly than others. At Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, for example, the service members stationed there enjoyed a “5-star quality meal” at a Navy Ball where the desert camouflage uniform took the place of black tie. Scoop Deck can just picture everyone making merry at 11 Degrees North, the camp’s saloon/pool hall/auditorium/sports bar/lecture hall, as the occasional French fighter jet screams overhead.
So how are you and your shipmates marking the Navy’s birthday today? Send us details and photos and we’ll be post them here on the Deck.
Who has the best mess in the Navy?
October 12th, 2009 | Chow Life at Sea Morale The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
The galley aboard the destroyer O'Kane, seen here in 2005 on a first-class petty officer pizza night, is one of the 18 finalists for the Navy's best-mess award // Navy
Who do you think gets the best chow in the Navy? Scoop Deck has eaten really well on the guided-missile submarine Georgia; the amphibious assault ship Makin Island; and the cruiser Anzio, but there are many galleys out there and this is the kind of question about which people develop forceful opinions.
If it helps narrow the terms of the argument, check out Naval Supply Systems Command’s list of finalists for its yearly Ney Award, which recognizes the best galley in the fleet. There are 18 potential winners afloat and ashore, and each of them can expect a rigorous going-over that will determine who gets this year’s prize:
Time to decelerate your life, become a force for good
September 30th, 2009 | Personnel The deckplates Video Washington leadership | Posted by Phil Ewing
"Oh yeah, that part, where it says your life will be accelerated? Just disregard. Instead you'll be part of a global force for good." // MCC Hugh Laughlin/ Navy
If you’re thinking of joining the Navy, be advised: When you enlist, your life will proceed at the same speed at which it’s currently traveling. But on the other hand, you will go from being a neutral recruit to a global force for good. That’s right: The Navy is pulling back “Accelerate Your Life” as its advertising slogan and rolling out a new one — “America’s Navy: A Global Force For Good” — in hopes that it will appeal to today’s generation of youngsters.
When you picked up this week’s Navy Times — you did, right? — you might have seen an example of the Navy’s new print ads on page 2, right inside the cover. And here is one of the first TV spots, hosted on the Navy’s official YouTube channel:
What do you think? Will the idea of joining a “force for good” really appeal to the kids today? If you’re one of these kids today, does the new slogan make you want to join up?
Achieve full military cleanliness with WASHEX 09
September 23rd, 2009 | Life at Sea Morale The deckplates Video Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
Proper cleanliness is important, according to the Navy, from the barrel of a 5-inch gun to your own hands. A new video demonstrates how to wash them the Navy way // Navy
Navy work is dirty work. Whether you’re elbow-deep in a gas turbine or handling delicate china teacups at a black-tie embassy reception in Jakarta, it’s gonna get messy out there. That, presumably, is what spurred the creation of this video demonstrating how you should wash your hands — the Navy way. ‘Cause you’ve been doin’ it wrong, shipmate!
According to the Navy video, you should spend enough time working in the soap lather to hum “Anchors Aweigh,” and then treat every surface in the restroom like a mysophobiac: Don’t touch the faucet after you’ve rinsed! You’ll get germs! Get a paper towel, dry your hands, and then use the towel to turn off the water. Then, use the towel to open and close the door to the head. When you have exited, you are authorized to dispose of the towel.
The only problem with this technique is letting the water run during the time it takes you to obtain a paper towel, conduct hand-drying operations, and then secure the flow of water from the tap. Leaving the tap on uses at least 3 gallons of water per minute — imagine the amount of water that would be wasted if everyone in the Pentagon washed their hands this way.
And aboard a ship? That could mean everybody’s favorite words underway: Water hours.
Brace for impact: Reagan arrives in Phuket (updated)
September 22nd, 2009 | Carriers Liberty Life at Sea Morale The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
An elephant ride, as enjoyed by these Essex sailors in February, is just one liberty option for sailors visiting Thailand. The carrier Reagan arrived in Phuket this week // MC2 Greg Johnson/ Navy
The Phuket Wan newspaper, of Phuket, Thailand, is quickly becoming an indispensable source for WestPac naval coverage — and you can’t help but like a newspaper that runs this headline:
US Warships Anchor! Phuket’s All Set to Rumble
So the fleet’s in, so to speak, and Phuket boosters are expecting a $1 million-per-day boost to the local economy from the wallets of the sailors during their visit. The ships are scheduled to be there until Sept. 27, and lest we forget, their crews have been warned about potential trouble with ladyboys.
Another local paper, the Observer, points out that no sailors will be spending time on Jet-Skis while in town. The penalty for doing so is apparently “severe.”
The regular blue-light blue team
September 22nd, 2009 | Aviation Life at Sea The deckplates | Posted by Phil Ewing
Chief Master Sergant of the Air Force James Roy met with sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock Mesa Verde, which does not have vectored thrust, nor the ability to supercruise // MC3 Patrick Grieco/ Navy
The Air Force’s top enlisted leader, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy, paid a visit to the amphibious transport dock Mesa Verde this week as it was docked in Panama, congratulating crew members and airmen stationed nearby on the work they’re doing as part of the international PANAMAX exercise that takes place every year south of the border.
“This certainly isn’t my first time on a ship or in a chief petty officer mess,” Roy said. “In my previous job, I worked as a senior enlisted advisor to the U.S. Pacific Command Combatant Commander. I spent a great deal of time on ships in the Pacific. We are a joint fighting force in everything we do.”
In that spirit of jointness, Scoop Deck asked our shipmates at Air Force Times for Roy’s mil-speak abbreviated nickname — the Navy’s top enlisted leader, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/SW) Rick West, usually goes by the nickname “MCPON,” spoken “mick-pon,” as in “Hey, have you seen that awesome photo of MCPON holding that samurai sword?”
But there is no such equivalent for Roy, we learned.
“Yeah, we just call him ‘chief master sergeant of the Air Force,’ which makes it a bummer to write out every time, ‘chief master sergeant of the Air Force,’” said Air Force Times staff writer Michael Hoffman, a former Air Force officer.
Not only that, the Air Force has no equivalent to the term “shipmate,” Hoffman said — no “wing-mates” or “squadron-mates” or “air power pals” or “cross into the blue buddies” or “aim high hombres.”
“Yeah, we’re not really into that,” Hoffman said.