Remember Everyone Deployed

To mention Remember Everyone Deployed or R.E.D. I'll stick with my union label, Navy. Did you know that just before Christmas of 2020, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), its escorts and its embarked air wing began its second deployment in a year? Yes. It's a so-called double-pump deployment, that highlights how the Navy carrier’s force is under strain with too few hulls available to meet the demands of combatant commanders. This year, carrier operations are at their highest rate in a decade with several carriers unable to deploy currently in maintenance availabilities. The strike group and the air wing have been in isolation since mid-November ahead of the deployment. The TR CSG is deploying with two escorts from the earlier 2020 deployment – guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (DDG-52) and guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG-59) as part of Destroyer Squadron 23. The CSG will also include the destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113). On the East Coast, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group plans to deploy early next year for its own double-pump deployment. At least they were in port for Christmas and New Year’s.

Another Christmas Carol

Imagine the life a Boiler Technician at Christmas as seen through a child’s eyes. Here's one I'd call USS Midway's Christmas Carol. The USS Midway is now a museum in San Diego. Some say the ship is haunted by the Ghosts' of Christmas Past. T’was the night before Christmas …as USS Midway is conducting night flight operations. While steaming with Condition III watches set, and her Battle Group in formation somewhere in the South China Sea, one of the Operations Specialists in CIC reports a target bearing of 180 astern of the ship to be designated as skunk Charlie. The Air Ops Officer tells the tower that a Friendly inbound could be Santa Claus, there was a note from CTF 77 and Seventh Fleet in the Air Plan on Christmas Eve. Given that information, the TAO evaluates the contact as friendly and is status updated for the Battle Group using NTDS, and since he recognizes Santa’s IFF is squawking code 7600 in Mode 3, the TAO lets him inside the perimeter of Midway’s BARCAP. He hums the tune of Silent Night while ordering Weapons Tight. Warning White. Now, everyone in CIC is excited. They all know that Santa’s call sign is HO3 (standing for Ho-Ho-Ho) and CATCC now has the skunk Charlie identified as a friendly, given permission and instructed on a special landing procedure. The crew in Pri-Fly are amazed by the AIR BOSS to hear that CAG already knows that NATOPS has a procedure for a sled to make an arrested landing when it has no tail hook to land. The OOD maintains Fox CORPEN. On the flight deck, as a precaution the barricade is rigged, but it’s not needed. Santa steers his reindeer like a centurion, as the CATCC uses signal lights as the LSO directs him to use a Case III approach. Rumors fly around the Airwing that Santa has never bolter’d in the history of Naval Aviation. Like magic, Santa stays on perfect glide slope, and his sled catches the two wire, and he is directed by a Yellow Shirt over to the area just forward of the Crash and Smash crew. The Handler on station at the OUIJA board in Flight Deck Control puts Santa’s sleigh on deck in Fly 2, just outside the foul line. The Purple Shirts are ordered to get something to feed his reindeer. Oddly, they notice that Santa has three reflective letters “FTG” that are written across his back. As his sled gets chocked and the tiny reindeer each get chained with tiny chains to the deck by the Chain Gang in Blue Shirts, Santa leaps from his sled and flies to top of the island, where Santa finds himself and his red duffle bag perched on the top of the funnel. The Ordnance Handling officer exclaims “Well, at least he isn’t here to inspect our ordnance program” so the Weapons Officer lets him go without escort. The signalman standing watch on the 08 level sees Santa. Surprised, he just watches Santa for a signal. A wink of his eye, and placing his finger next to his nose, Santa enters the uptakes and snakes his way down to the seventh deck where one of boilers is cold-iron, down for cleaning. He emerges seconds later in the Fireroom 3A and finds the asbestos-lined stockings carefully hung across the burner front. He then walks over to the 3M system preventative maintenance system (PMS) schedule and sees that almost everyone in the fireroom has completed the PMS. But Santa sees that there is one of those monthly PMs that haven’t been completed by Fireman (FN) Timmy and it will go out of periodicity today. Santa frowns because he knows that a missed check would certainly keep the ship from getting the Battle “E.” Checking it twice to find out who was naughty or nice, he reads the names of the sailors from the tagout log. Here, Santa is again disappointed to find that FN Timmy hasn’t even properly tagged out the system. Reaching into his bag, Santa gets out a pen, then fills out a PMS spot check form, and leaves it in the Stocking of FN Timmy for him to sign. Santa then checks the naughty list and adds FN Timmy’s name to it. A wink of his eye, and placing his finger next to his nose, Santa exits the fire-room through the uptakes and snakes his way back to the top, and returns to the sled waiting on deck. He is directed by another Yellow Shirt, taxis his reindeer over to Number #2 CAT, as the reindeer hooves throws sparks across the deck at night as they are brought up to full-military power, he gives a crisp salute. The Catapult Officer returns his salute, and then gently touches the deck. As the catapult fires, Santa quickly disappears on his way to another ship in Midway’s Battle group. It’s now Christmas morning. As the 04-08 watch is relived, FN Timmy arrives in the fireroom to stand his watch as the Messenger. The BTOW, BT1 Burns sees those gifts that Santa has given his watch. Happily, it looks like Santa gave everyone a brand new pair of nice leather work gloves, that will keep their hands from being burned by heated valve handwheels that tend to get hot while steaming. Everyone that is, except for FN Timmy. FN Timmy reaches into his stocking and produces the PMS Spot Check form that Santa left. Bad news. FN Timmy is told by BT1 Burns to report to main control. Soon, the B-Division Officer, LT Waters, who is standing watch as the EOOW, has read Santa’s PMS Spot Check report. The Lieutenant is very displeased and the Main Propulsion Assistant (MPA), Lieutenant Commander Whitesteam, is notified. The MPA places FN Timmy on report. Handing the papers to Commander Hammer, the Chief Engineer (CHENG). FN Timmy’s chain of command is notified about his lapse in completing his PMS and the improper use of the tagout procedure. CHENG tells the XO, Commander Flyington, and they both understand that Midway’s competition for AIRPAC Battle E is all but lost. The XO calls up the ship’s CO, Captain Krampus and delivers the bad news. Within the hour, they all gather on the Forecastle to sing Christmas Carols with the Chaplain as a planned event to boost morale. The singing continues until Captain Krampus arrives. He doesn’t like to hold Mast on Christmas but this will be an exception. Captain Krampus is in a bad mood about the Battle E and says that he wants to get this over, quickly. FN Timmy’s case is heard right away, judgement is past, non-judicial punishment is awarded. He orders his Legal Officer that a lesson be given by taking some of his FN’s money. FN Timmy is awarded a reduction in rate to E-2, forfeiture of half a month pay for a month, and he is sentenced to confinement in the brig, to be placed on rations of three days Bread and Water. The Personnel Officer in Admin makes a page 13 entry in the Service Record for FN Timmy. As they walk off the Forecastle to have dinner, the SUPPO has prepared quite a feast for them all. The Master-At-Arms escorts Timmy to Medical where he gets a pre-confinement physical, and then they all go to the brig. Later, FA Timmy sits alone in his cell very sad. Only given Bread and Water rations for a Christmas dinner instead of the fine meal the rest of the crew enjoys. The thin pieces of bread Timmy can eat have been cut into snowflake shapes by some of cooks in the Bake Shop. While standing in his cell of Midway’s Brig, Fireman Apprentice Timmy wears his dungarees as he considers this year’s Christmas gift…and the Marines that are guarding him help by singing “Blue Christmas” This story you have just read is not true. The information may have come from reliable accounts, but the names and circumstances have been changed to amuse the innocent. It closes with this Holiday greeting. Merry Christmas to all.

Digital Books or Paper Books?

I would prefer to read a paper book, but it's great to have a digital book to read when the moment allows.

Final Countdown or Top Gun?

The movie "The Final Countdown" filmed on USS Nimitz was more than just that aviation fueled “Top Gun” movie that was filmed on USS Enterprise, because at that time we really gave the “Bear a Scare” in the Med. It was known that our ship’s engines could provide at least the 30 knots of wind over deck to launch and recover, and every BTU of catapult steam was brought to you by those people down in the ship’s Reactor and Engineering Departments.