#shiphandling

[nicholassabalos]

Stormy seas in stormy times....

ATLANTIC OCEAN (April 14, 2020) -- United States Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) patrols the Atlantic Ocean through rough seas....

.... as the ship, with her crew of 330 men and women, remains in a holding pattern off the East Coast of the United States while escorting nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

                                         USS Normandy (CG 60)

The carrier, along with her cruiser and destroyer escorts -- including USS Normandy (CG 60) -- were to arrive back home in Norfolk, VA earlier in April following a lengthy overseas deployment that began in the Fall of 2019.

Then came the COVID-19 coronavirus roaring out of Communist China and infecting much of the world.

So, for the safety and security of all those certified-healthy Sailors, the ships are remaining at-sea until it’s safer to come home....likely in later May.

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They’re also waiting for another supercarrier -- USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and her cruiser/destroyer escorts -- to be fully-certified to deploy from their West Coast homeports. This includes training and material readiness....now complicated by needing to certify the ships are coronavirus-free before departing overseas.

                                            USS Nimitz (CVN 68)

They should be ready to go sometime mid-May onwards....subsequently allowing another carrier strike group to stand-down....and maintaining the minimum number of carriers in full-readiness status in support of national security requirements at any given time -- usually 3 to 4 of the 11 U.S. Navy supercarriers. The rest of the carriers are either in routine shipyard maintenance periods, or preparing for front-line duty in the months ahead.)

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Meanwhile, USS Normandy (CG 60), carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and the other carrier strike group warships remain on full-readiness duty....what with all of their recent experience and real-world operations while deployed....and absolutely coronavirus-free....making them the “readiest” ships in the Fleet at the moment....

....even in stormy seas and stormy times.

                                       _________________________

>>Grab a paper bag and CLICK on the top photo for a better ride....

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael H. Lehman, USN  

[nicholassabalos]

Powerful picture-perfect presence....

SOUTH CHINA SEA (October 6, 2019) -- United States Navy ships -- including nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) (top image, left), amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) (right), and their cruiser/destroyer escorts – conduct formation steaming, shiphandling and breakaway maneuvers during a routine maritime patrol in these increasingly volatile waters.

That dashed red line surrounding most of the South China Sea is the area claimed by China as its own....in violation of every maritime law, rule and tradition. China seeks to control the vital sea trade routes through the region.

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A take on the old axiom “possession is 9/10 of the law” applies here….where “presence is 9/10 of law.” Just being there, and operating normally, sends a subtle, yet powerful, message to the aggressive and threatening Chinese military in the region: “Back off!”

                                         _____________________

>>CLICK the top images for a closer look….

>>Photos: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Erwin Jacob V. Miciano, USN

[nicholassabalos]

Wings of its own....

A United States Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier appears to have wings of its own as it heels into a sharp, high-speed turn.

Extra-sharp maneuvers for the 100,000-ton warships like the one above are usually reserved for testing purposes only....measuring everything from overall structural integrity to mechanical reliability of the ship’s rudders....and are conducted under tightly-controlled and measured circumstances.

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) -- lead-ship of 10 U.S. Navy aircraft carriers in the Nimitz-class (Now just beginning to be succeeded by the Gerald R. Ford-class of carriers, with the recent commissioning of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).)

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Bottom line: These are each ten-Billion-dollar warships carrying dozens of multi-million-dollar aircraft, nuclear reactors for propulsion, operated by 6,000 men and women....and they need to be battle-ready and battle-tough to survive any eventuality.

Having wings of its own, as such, ensures its embarked air wing of fighter jets, attack aircraft and logistics planes are maintained, launched and recovered from the safest and most reliable platform possible.

                                         ________________________

>>CLICK the top photo for a larger image....

>>Photos: U.S. Navy

[nicholassabalos]

Smelling salt....

                                     (with a hint of eu de oil)

PACIFIC OCEAN (November 20, 2019) -- Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) refuels United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60).

USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) is underway conducting routine training in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

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I was on the bridge of a Navy warship at least couple of hundred times for refueling operations (UNREP) like depicted here during my seagoing career.

There’s a unique scent to an UNREP.

Part salt. Part oil.

The froth of ocean water funneling and churning between these two great man-made machines steaming, on average, just 150 feet (45 meters) apart while slicing through the ocean waves at 12 knots (14 mph / 22 kph)....throws the salty, damp scent of the sea right up into your face.

Then, there’s thousands of gallons of fuel oil being pumped across that gap in huge hoses. Although the spill of even a drop is extremely rare now, the scent of oil still wafts through the air now and then....

....mixing with the sea salt....

....into a scent all it own.

It’s not bad.

It’s the scent of man and machines at work on the high seas.

Somehow, I miss it!

                                      _________________________

>>CLICK the top photo for a closer look....

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew F. Jackson, USN

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The ever hard-working “gas station” (top photo) -- USNS Yukon (T-AO 202)

[nicholassabalos]

Professionalism 101....

PHILIPPINE SEA (October 25, 2019) -- Sailors stand watch on the bridge of the United States Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62)....

....as guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) (left) and Chancellorsville both prepare to maneuver alongside Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) (about a mile ahead) to receive fuel and supplies (UNREP).

                                   USS Chancellorsville (CG 62)

                                         USS Antietam (CG 54)

Both cruisers will be alongside the supply ship for several hours -- at the same time for most of the evolution -- on matched courses and speeds....

....many thousands of miles from home.

                         USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11)

This is where professionalism by everyone involved becomes especially critical -- from Deck officers on the bridge “driving” the ship....to support watchstanders doing everything from controlling the ship’s course and speed, to synchronizing communications with the other ships....to the large number of crewmembers down on the lower decks guiding the refueling and receiving pallets of supplies for storage below decks.

It’s an all-hands event to make it happen safely, securely and in as timely a manner as possible.

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I was intimately involved with this evolution hundreds of times during my seagoing career in the Navy. And nobody does this better than the United States Navy! What a privilege to have been a part of it!

                                      _______________________

>>CLICK the top photo for a closer look....

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeremy Graham, USN

[nicholassabalos]

Destroyer eyes….

UNITED STATES NAVY GUIDED-MISSILE DESTROYER (2019) -- Sailors man critical control stations on the bridge of USS Dewey (DDG 105). Pictured is the Ship Control Console (SCC)....sitting in the center/middle of the the warship’s bridge....it’s windows visible in the background.

The photo at the top was taken from where the red star is located in this illustration of the generic bridge control, maneuvering, safety, emergency and navigation stations on a modern American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.

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I spent the better part of 12 years of my life driving Navy warships from a somewhat similar bridge configuration -- albeit a generation older than the one portrayed here! (Kind of like having a landline telephone as opposed to a smartphone!)

All those light blue rectangles around the edges above are the bridge windows -- the “windshield,” the “eyes” of the ship, as such....and, if you’re handling (”driving”) the ship at the time, you’re either looking ahead out those windows, or standing on one of the bridge wings looking ahead and around you -- keeping constantly situationally aware.

You’re the true “eyes” of your ship!

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Failure to maintain that 360-degree situational awareness leads to disaster....illustrated most recently (2017) by the separate tragic and deadly collisions involving U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62). 

Two years later, both warships are still being repaired and resurrected for a return to duty in another year or two; 17 Sailors are dead; hundreds of millions of dollars in damage; the Fleet loses two significant warships for a long period of time; national security is compromised to some extent; dozens of careers ruined.

In my humble opinion, and after reading several authoritative analyses of the collision investigation reports -- those two destroyers were sailing with their eyes closed, in effect!

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                                             USS Dewey (DDG 105)

Note the bridge windows and wings across the front of USS Dewey (DDG 105), just below and forward of the mast. Basically, the “eyes” of the ship.

The bridge as seen from near the tip of the bow. (I just put this perspective here because I’ve always loved standing in the breeze at the very furthest point forward that one can safely reach on a ship....re: the iconic 1997 movie “Titanic” and the famous refrain “I’m king of the world!” Nothing else like it in the world!)

                                         ________________________

>>Photos: U.S. Navy

[nicholassabalos]

Anchors aweigh….

United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) conducts high-speed ship maneuvers as it transits the Pacific Ocean.

These high-speed maneuvers are a routinely-scheduled event, and serve to both conduct stress tests on the ship’s propulsion and steering systems (ensuring their maximum readiness)....and give the bridge team some very exciting shiphandling time!

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OK....so I LOVED driving fast ships FAST during my Navy career! Especially one of these greyhounds!

                                       ________________________

>>CLICK the photo for a closer look....

>>Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jessica O. Blackwell, USN

[nicholassabalos]

Ship-driving at its best….

EAST CHINA SEA (February 15, 2019) -- United States Navy amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) prepares to come alongside the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193) prior to a replenishment-at-sea (UNREP).

This is where ship-driving becomes as precise as piloting an aircraft. You must understand relative motion, be able to accurately gauge distances, understand hydrodynamics (when the two ships get alongside each other), and know, intimately, how your ship will perform to every rudder order and speed adjustment.

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This is what I mastered over my Navy ship-driving career. It’s my most treasured professional accomplishment in life!

I loved “driving” big ships!

                                           USS Ashland (LSD 48)

                                       __________________________

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Markus Castaneda, USN