Winter 2007 cov1

In this Issue:

Doyle Discovers Boston

Electrical Safety

Future of ASW

Vol. 32 No. 1

Winter 2007

www.navsea.navy.mil/swmagazine
On the Back:

A parade of ships led by the 

nuclear-powered aircraft 

carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 

68), prepares to pass under 

the Golden Gate Bridge while 

entering San Francisco Bay 

during San Francisco Fleet 

Week 2006. (MC3 Roland 

Franklin/USN)

On the Cover:

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. 

Mike Mullen’s vision of a 1,000-

ship navy is becoming a reality. 

This issue includes stories 

about U.S. Navy engagements 

with foreign navies. (USN)

Surface Warfare (USPS 104-170)(ISSN 0145-1073) is published quarterly by the Department of the Navy, Director, Surface Warfare (OPNAV N861M), 2511 Jefferson Davis HWY, Suite 4300, 4th Floor, Arlington 

VA 22202. Periodicals postage paid at Arlington, VA, and at additional mailing offices. The Secretary of the Navy has determined this publication is necessary in the transaction of business required by law or the 

Department of the Navy. Funds for printing this publication have been approved by the Navy Publications and Printing Committee. 

Postmaster: Send address changes to Surface Warfare, OPNAV N861M, 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, DC 20350-2000.

In this Issue:

Doyle Discovers Boston

Electrical Safety

Future of ASW

Vol. 32 No. 1

Winter 2007

www.navsea.navy.mil/swmagazine
Features

Forming the 1,000-ship navy 6

U.S. Navy engages with foreign navies.

Future of anti-submarine warfare 16

An in-depth look at undersea warfare for 

future naval generations. 

USS Doyle shares Navy pride 19 

USS Doyle discovers Boston. 

CNO unveils latest reading list 24

Naval Professional Readership Program 

features reading for all ranks. 

ONI prepares ASW Sailors 26

Acoustic intelligence specialists offer unique skills to their 

command and the Navy.

Fit for duty 30

Get fit, stay trim and be healthier. 

Safety

Turn on electrical safety 36

Make your ship a safer environment for you 

and your shipmates. 

Don’t do this! 39

What not to do regarding electrical safety.

Departments

 2 Message from Commander

 4 Director’s Corner

34 Book Review

41 Ship Shape

42 Views from the Fleet

44 Captain’s Trivia

45 Change of Commands

 Navy Midshipmen running back Reggie 

Campbell (7), from Sanford, Fla., sprints into 

the end-zone for the Naval Academy’s first 

touchdown of the day, during the 107th playing 

of the Army vs. Navy football game. Navy won 

the game 26-14 at Lincoln Financial Field in 

Philadelphia. Navy played in the Meineke Car 

Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 30, ending 

the season at 9-4. (MC1 Chad McNeeley/USN)

Rear Adm. Barry McCullough, USN

Director, Surface Warfare Division

Military Editor

Lt. Jennifer Rossi, USN

Managing Editor

MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain, USN

Administration and Distribution

YN2 (SW/AW) Fredrica Johnson, USN

Staff Journalist

MC2 Heather Canterbury, USN

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The Navy’s Diversity Strategy 

seeks to institutionalize a 

culture which fully values and 

leverages our diverse workforce. The 

Surface Force prides itself on our 

diversity and the opportunities we 

provide, giving everyone a chance 

to compete for achievement and 

promotion within our ranks. 

Diversity is more than nurturing 

cultural, gender, and ethnic 

opportunities. Diversity is also 

about developing a professionally 

diverse force that includes joint 

tours, graduate education and 

varied assignments. Leaders should 

challenge junior personnel, enlisted 

and officer alike, by identifying them 

early in their careers as “hot runners” 

and encourage them to undertake 

career-enhancing, diverse billets. 

Our best and brightest Sailors will 

advance and enjoy tremendously 

satisfying, challenging careers.

Trends in the Surface Force already 

show an encouraging increase in the 

representation of various minority 

groups. We are continuing to 

expand our efforts to ensure that the 

contributions of each and every Sailor 

are fully recognized and valued. 

However, we cannot and will not 

rest on these accomplishments, we 

are aggressively working to create an 

environment in which every man and 

woman serving in the Surface Navy 

can achieve their full.

There are seven actions that 

are necessary to guide the Surface 

Force in the implementation of our 

Diversity Strategy. Those actions are 

detailed in this issue and I encourage 

each and every one of you to read 

them and understand the courses 

of action that we are undertaking. 

It is necessary not only to enhance 

diversity within the Surface Force, 

but it is necessary for the health of 

our force.

Our Surface Warfare Enterprise 

(SWE) actions will be coordinated 

with CNO’s Diversity Team, 

collaborating with the Naval 

Aviation Enterprise (NAE), Undersea 

Enterprise (USE), Navy Networks 

FORCENET Enterprise (NNFE), and 

others to the greatest extent possible. 

The SWE Personnel Readiness Team 

(PRT) has already begun working 

with their enterprise counterparts to 

develop common diversity metrics 

to evaluate the impact of policies and 

practices which will affect all of our 

people. Our focus on diversity will 

be a team effort and will result in a 

more battle-ready force.

Our Diversity Strategy is an 

integral part of our Surface Warfare 

Personnel Readiness Strategy 

(SWPRS). I encourage any thoughts 

you might have that would further 

enhance our Diversity Strategy.

T. T. Etnyre

Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

Commander, Naval Surface Forces

Surface Warfare 

Diversity Actions

In support of the Navy’s diversity 

strategy and to improve force 

readiness, the Surface Warfare 

Enterprise (SWE) has already begun 

to execute a number of action items. 

The following status update reflects 

a snapshot in time. For more timely 

and up-to-date information, please 

visit the diversity page on the SWE 

website: 

http://www.swe.surfor.

navy.mil/site%20pages/

Diversity.aspx

Action one: Capt. Bob Ford 

has been assigned as SWE’s 

diversity team leader. The team 

is comprised of individuals at the 

captain, commander and lieutenant 

commander ranks, and senior 

enlisted level who are representative 

of the diverse Surface Warfare 

community we seek. Their first 

actions, working in coordination 

with the Surface Warfare Enterprise 

Personnel Readiness Team (SWE 

PRT), are to ensure SWE diversity 

efforts and programs are aligned to 

the Navy’s diversity vision. 

Action two: The SWE PRT and 

the Diversity Team completed the 

officers’ baseline SWE minority/

female demographics by rank/rate, 

rating, NEC, ship, shore 

establishment and training/

education site to map our SWE 

diversity profile. A similar enlisted 

baseline is being created. The 

objective is to follow our minority 

and female Sailors command-bycommand throughout their careers.

Message from Commander, Naval Surface Forces

Surface Warfare
 Action three: Using Navy 

Knowledge Online (NKO) and 

working in conjunction with CNP, 

the diversity web site has been 

created as part of the SWE site. A 

number of biographies of Surface 

Navy leaders are already featured 

on the site, and the numbers will 

continue to grow. The intent is to 

expand the site beyond flag officers 

to include captains and commanders 

in command around the fleet.

Action four: CNSF N1 sent out 

a force-wide message this month 

requesting mentoring information 

and data. The data collection is in 

progress and once complete, the SWE 

PRT will review the best practices, 

and develop a SWE mentoring 

framework for use by the force. 

The team’s goal is to have the best 

practices posted on the web by 

early February. 

Action five: SWE PRT is currently 

reviewing the assignment of Surface 

Force personnel to major joint and 

Navy headquarters staffs. The 

objective is to ensure that all in our 

diverse surface warfare community 

have an opportunity to compete for 

these critical billets. This information 

is being reported by PERS 41 during 

regular briefs to the SWE Executive 

Committee (EXCOMM).

Action six: The SWE PRT is: 

(1) Working collaboratively with the 

Navy Manpower, Personnel, Training 

and Education (MPT&E) leadership 

in maintaining a relationship with 

NROTC units to promote diversity 

initiatives for female and minority 

midshipmen.

(2) Aligning with the NROTC 

units of historically black colleges 

and universities to participate in 

programs that can support Surface 

Warfare career discussions. Mentors 

in the ranks O-4 and senior have 

been assigned to select schools. 

Additionally, Surface flag leadership 

has been involved in promoting 

opportunities in the Surface Force 

to historically black colleges’ faculty 

and administrators.

(3) Reaching out more proactively 

to minority and female midshipmen 

during their summer training, and 

offer more frequent contact with 

senior minority and female leaders 

during these cruises. 

(4) Working with Recruiting 

Command and NETC to support 

diversity programs that expand 

representation of minorities and 

females in Surface Force technical 

ratings. Continue to partner with the 

Center for Naval Engineering (CNE) 

and the Center for Surface Combat 

Systems (CSCS) in these efforts.

Action seven: A study is 

underway to determine ways in 

which our female Sailors can serve 

in our Navy and have families too. 

Initial findings have already been 

briefed to the SWE BOD by Rear 

Adm. Dave Thomas and Rear Adm. 

John Christenson. We will continue 

to seek feedback from our female 

Sailors to ensure the way forward 

takes into account their desires and 

the needs of the Surface Enterprise/

Navy-at-large. This collaborative 

approach will be done in 

conjunction with Commander Naval 

Personnel, our SWE PRT and with 

representative Sailors from our ships. 

Rear Adm.(sel) Michelle Howard is 

also using “Network News” to reach 

female officers to provide feedback 

on issue requiring specific attention.

Sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) wait to cast mooring lines to the pier as the ship prepares to moor at her homeport of 

Naval Station Norfolk. As the first in her class, San Antonio represents a key element of the Navy’s sea base transformation. The San Antonio-class will functionally 

replace over 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113 and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships) providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern sea-based platforms. (MCSN 

Casandra Newell/USN) 

Winter 2007
When Adm. Mike Mullen coined 

the phrase “1,000-ship navy,” he had a 

vision of partnerships around the globe, 

in places where we could adapt our 

force to become more compatible and 

interoperable with even the smallest of 

navies and coast guards. 

Security and stability can be achieved 

through presence and partnerships. 

Those nations and navies that can help 

others have an obligation to so.

“I do not see this 1,000-ship navy 

as gray hulls flying the U.S. flag, but a 

network of international navies, coast 

guards, maritime forces, port operators, 

commercial shippers, and local law 

enforcement ... all working together to 

address areas of common concern and 

increase security,” Adm. Mullen said.

To provide maritime security, our 

Navy’s presence has a purpose. What 

better way to oppose transnational 

threats than to work with those navies 

which know the threatened waters best. 

We cannot stop these adversaries if we 

cannot find them.

Not surprisingly, those efforts are 

paying off.

The United States has worked closely 

with navies in the Gulf of Guinea. In 

November, Adm. Harry Ulrich, who 

commands U.S. Naval Forces in Europe 

and portions of Africa, led a delegation 

to Cotonou, Benin, to help the nations in 

the region coordinate efforts to improve 

security in the waters off of West Africa. 

The meeting included representatives 

from Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Republic 

of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, 

Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Sao Tome 

and Principe. 

In his welcoming remarks on behalf 

of the government of Benin, conference 

host Benin’s Minister of Transportation, 

Public Works and Town Planning, M. 

Alexandre K. Dossou, underscored the 

importance of the conference and the 

immediate need for increased maritime 

safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea. 

“Your presence is an illustration of 

the continued and unfailing interest 

of the international community in the 

fundamental issues and challenges facing 

our [West and Central African] countries 

and leaders,” he said. Cooperative efforts 

with Japan are developing and improving 

our ballistic missile defense capabilities. 

This is increasingly important as we 

watch North Korea become more 

capable while remaining unpredictable. 

Beginning in 1999, the U.S. and Japan 

undertook the first cooperative research 

and development project ever with a 

view toward developing common use 

components for ballistic missile defense 

(BMD). The level of cooperation between 

the U.S. and Japan in BMD serves as a 

template for combined success in this 

complex mission area and a number of 

other countries have expressed interest in 

a similar development path.

The crews of the People’s Liberation 

Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) destroyer 

Qingdao (DDG 113) and USS Shoup

(DDG 86) and Torpedo Weapon Recovery 

Vessel Swamp Fox (821) conducted a 

search and rescue exercise (SAREX) 

off Southern California in September. 

USS Juneau (LPD 10) visited Zhanjiang, 

China, and took part in search and rescue 

exercises with the (PLA(N)). These 

exercises increase transparency and 

cooperation between the two navies 

and nations, while improving air and 

maritime safety.

The USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary 

Strike Group trained in the Indian Ocean 

with the Canadian and Indian navies 

during Exercise Malabar 2006 in October. 

Maritime cooperation continues to be 

important the world over. In the Horn 

of Africa, our forces are maintaining 

maritime security while also providing 

relief to victims of the recent earthquake 

in Ethiopia. 

During the Cold War, Sweden was 

a neutral nation, but today Sweden is 

a member of the Partnership for Peace 

and one of the innovative forces in the 

world. And Sweden is one of the world’s 

preeminent naval forces in littoral 

warfare. We have much to learn 

from them.

We have benefited from Swedish 

technological advances by working 

closely with the high-speed corvette 

Visby, and now with the stealthy 

submarine Gotland, is one of Sweden’s 

modern “air independent propulsion”– 

or AIP – submarines. 

A very quiet submarine like Gotland

can be very effective in denying access 

in the littoral. So, to better learn how 

to counter the access denial threat, the 

Swedish Navy has deployed Gotland

to San Diego where we operate with 

her, and against her, to improve the 

capabilities of both navies.

Working with our allies – large and 

small – on every ocean is not as hard 

as some people might imagine. “As 

mariners, we knew instinctively that 

the greatest power of the sea is to unite, 

not to divide,” said CNO at the Western 

Pacific Naval Symposium at Pearl Harbor 

in October. “There is a common bond 

between us.”

Barry McCullough

Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

Director, Surface Warfare

1,000-ship Navy

Security and stability can be achieved 

through presence and partnerships

 Surface Warfare
New DDG 

names to add 

to the foldout 

from the Fall 

2006 issue: USS 

Gravely (DDG 

107) was named 

for the late Vice 

Adm. Samuel 

L. Gravely, Jr. 

DDG 106 was 

named USS Stockdale after Vice Adm. 

James B. Stockdale who was shot 

down over North Vietnam in 1965, he 

endured seven years of captivity as 

a prisoner of war, one of the longest 

such ordeals 

in American 

history. 

Tortured 15 

times, he 

was forced 

to wear viselike heavy 

leg irons for 

two years, 

and spent 

four of the 

seven years 

in solitary 

confinement, in total darkness. He was 

the highest ranking naval officer held 

as a prisoner of war and Vice Adm. 

Stockdale was awarded 26 personal 

combat decorations, including the 

Congressional Medal of Honor and 

four Silver Stars. 

DDG 108 was also just named 

USS Wayne E. Meyer after Rear Adm. 

Wayne E. Meyer. During the Cold War, 

Rear Adm. Meyer developed the Aegis 

weapons 

system, 

named for 

the shield of 

Zeus. Rear 

Adm. Meyer 

is regarded as 

the “Father 

of Aegis” and 

the destroyer 

named in his honor will receive the 

100th Aegis Weapons system built.

The concept of a 1,000-ship 

navy is really starting to gain some 

momentum. The thought that a fleet 

involving ships and vessels from a 

host of different nations all working 

together to watch over the seas and 

in turn watch over each other is 

quite impressive. The U.S. Navy has 

already engaged with many different 

countries. In this issue we have a 

few articles from ships that got a 

first-hand account of the challenge 

this endeavor will require due to the 

differing capabilities and limitations 

of each ship. Check out the picture 

of our Surface Warfare Officer sticker 

on the stateroom door of Russian 

destroyer Admiral Chabenenko. As 

you can see, the Surface Warfare 

community is already leaving its 

mark on those we work with! 

The Department of the Navy 

announced Sept. 12 that the DDG 107 

will be USS Gravely, honoring the 

late Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely, 

Jr. Gravely was a true pioneer and 

his performance and leadership 

as an African-American naval 

officer demonstrated to America 

the value and strength of diversity. 

Gravely’s accomplishments served as 

watershed events for today’s Navy. 

He was the first African-American to 

command a warship, USS Theodore 

E. Chandler (DD 717); command a 

major warship, USS Jouett (DLG 29); 

to achieve flag rank and eventually 

vice admiral; and to command a 

numbered fleet (U.S. 3rd Fleet).

Diversity has become an important 

topic in the Navy recently and even 

is part of the Navy Professional 

Reading Program. The program 

is separated into six main areas of 

importance. A key area to check 

out is the Regional and Cultural 

Awareness section on diversity. 

Visit the website www.navyreading.

navy.mil if you haven’t already.

USS Doyle (FFG 39) has embraced 

her crew’s diversity program by 

celebrating Hispanic Heritage 

month with a celebration onboard. 

In addition to celebrating diversity, 

Doyle has also had many other great 

accomplishments recently. I have 

enjoyed getting updates on how the 

crew performed during their recent 

3MI and SMC. 

ATG provided Doyle’s 

Commanding Officer Cmdr. Michael 

Elliott with the following quote 

in the summary from their 3M 

Inspection. “The overall level of 

3M administration and deck plate 

implementation is outstanding. 

Personnel support, deck plate 

level of knowledge, and quality of 

maintenance is truly impressive. It 

was a pleasure to visit a ship where 

the chief’s mess and wardroom 

are fully engaged in the program. 

USS Doyle presented the best 

maintenance program that this 

assessment team has seen in over 

two years.” Check out their article in 

this issue. 

It was a pleasure to work with 

the Doyle’s captain and crew for 

this issue. They were awarded The 

Golden Anchor Award for retention 

and attrition. Congratulations! 

Finally, I would like to take a 

moment to apologize to the Captain 

and crew of the USS Decatur. On the 

ship list we provided in the Fall 2006 

issue, Decatur was misspelled. Once 

again, I am personally sorry for this 

oversight. 

By Lt. Jennifer Rossi, Military Editor Inside SW

Winter 2007 

Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely

Rear Adm. James B. Stockdale

Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer
As I took the deck off the coast of 

Norway, I gazed out upon a unique 

scene. Off our port bow stood the 

Russian Federation Navy (RFN) 

ship Admiral Chabenenko, a Russian 

Udaloy II class DD (destroyer). 

Her black hull and weather decks 

bristling with guns and missiles 

created a menacing picture; one that 

would not have been a welcomed 

sight just 20 years ago. Today, 

however, we exist in a different 

world, and thankfully, views 

have changed. 

USS Nitze participated in Exercise 

Northern Eagle in September 2006. 

The two-and-a- half-day exercise 

was based in the North Atlantic, 

approximately 100 miles south of the 

Arctic Circle. 

Both ships had the unique 

opportunity of operating together 

in close proximity. Not only did 

we participate in division tactics 

(DIVTACS), publication exercises 

(PUBEXs), search and rescue (SAR), 

visit, board, search and seizure 

(VBSS) operations, fast acting craft/

fast inshore attack craft (FAC/FIAC) 

operations, and flight quarters, but 

we were able to experience life on a 

Russian warship.

Two officers from each wardroom 

rode the other ship for the duration 

of the exercise. In addition, each day 

six officers cross-decked to tour and 

ride the other ship. To be sure, this 

offered a unique view into the lives 

By Lt. j.g. Hunter Washburn, Assistant Operations Officer, USS Nitze (DDG 94)

Surface Warfare

Cold Warriors Warm

Russian Relations

 USS Nitze (DDG 94) and RFN Admiral 

Chabenenko, a Russian destroyer, steam in 

formation off the coast of Norway during Exercise 

Northern Eagle. (USN)

 USS Nitze (DDG 94) small boat crew returns 

Russian officers to the RFN Admiral Chabenenko

after the officers spent time underway on the U.S. 

guided missile destroyer. (USN)
of Russian sailors. While there were 

several marked differences and few 

similarities, those Nitze Sailors who 

tasted life on a Russian destroyer 

returned to their ship with a new 

appreciation for life in the U.S. Navy.

While inport, Nitze’s crew 

participated against the Russians in 

soccer, basketball, and volleyball. 

They also hosted the Russian crew at 

a picnic, where thanks to interpreters, 

the U.S. Sailors could learn about 

what life was like as a crewmember 

onboard the Russian destroyer. 

Perhaps one of the biggest 

differences between the two ships 

was that nearly 70 percent of the 

Sailors in Admiral Chabenenko are 

conscripts. In Russia, all males are 

required to serve two years in the 

military, either as a sailor in the navy 

or a soldier in the army. After this 

obligatory service, they choose to 

enlist or return to civilian life. 

Unlike our junior Sailors, these 

conscripted sailors do not receive 

an “A” school or any level of formal 

training until completion of their 

service – most are used for general 

duty and the rest stand guard duty. 

Responsibility is maintained at the 

senior levels.

For example, there is no officer 

of the deck (OOD) as we know it. 

Instead the commanding officer (CO) 

acts as the OOD. Either the CO or 

the executive officer (XO) is required 

to be on the bridge at all times. 

During special evolutions, the CO 

will actually take the conn and drive 

the ship while junior officers operate 

both the helm and lee helm. In U.S. 

Navy ships, fairly comprehensive 

training is required for our helmsmen 

to attain the qualification of master 

helmsman. By contrast, onboard 

Winter 2007

 If you think there is a lack of storage in your berthing compartment, check out the enlisted berthing on RFN 

Admiral Chabenenko. Notice there are no coffin lockers and their “stand-up” lockers look like Emergency 

Escape Breathing Device (EEBD) storage. (Lt. j.g. John Glaze/USN)

 On the flight deck of RFN Admiral Chabenenko, 

a Ka-27PL Helix-A is chained to the flight deck. The 

Russian destroyer lands the helicopter with the netting 

covering the flight deck. It completes search and 

rescue (SAR) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) 

operations. (Lt. j.g. John Glaze/USN)
Surface Warfare

Admiral Chabenenko there is a 

system that tracks how far off course 

the helmsman is; the navigator 

checks after each watch and whoever 

has the least amount of course 

deviation is the “master helmsman.”

Similarly, in the deck division 

there are few technical references 

that discuss in detail how to conduct 

seamanship evolutions, such as 

anchoring, towing, small boat 

operations, and mooring to a buoy. 

Much of how they train is through 

on-the-job training and through 

experiences of their more senior and 

experienced sailors.

Striking differences also exist 

between the combat systems 

departments. In the Russian fleet, 

the gunner’s mates typically spend 

the day conducting loading and 

unloading drills in their gun mounts. 

Their forward gun mount has a dual 

magazine capable of holding 120 

rounds. The twin barrels fire at a rate 

of 90 rounds a minute. Since there 

are no training teams or training 

programs in place, the crew trains by 

repetition until the procedures for the 

particular evolution are engrained.

Food onboard is very different, 

as you can imagine. Portion size 

notwithstanding, the food was pretty 

good. Each meal consisted of soup 

and a meat or starch. Typically, they 

have either beef or fish and then 

a pasta or rice. The wardroom is 

used strictly for eating meals and 

perhaps a briefing, but otherwise it is 

off limits during the work day.

While in a foreign port, the sailors 

have limited liberty because 70 

percent of the crew needs to be 

onboard at all times. With a crew of 

over 400, the majority rarely see a 

foreign port. However, if and when 

they do go out on liberty, they are 

in uniform. They do have a system 

like SITE-TV onboard much like 

U.S. Navy ships. While the U.S. 

tends to show movies, the plan of 

the day (POD), or other information, 

the Russians show “patriotic films” 

 Cmdr. Bob Hein, commanding officer of USS Nitze

(DDG 94), is invited to make himself right at home 

in the captain’s chair onboard Russian destroyer 

Admiral Chabenenko by the ship’s Commanding 

Officer Capt. Sergei Grushin, who explained that the 

CO is the conning officer during all special evolutions 

on Russian ships. Hein toured the ship while inport 

Trondheim, Norway during Exercise Northern Eagle 

2006. (USN)

 RFN Admiral 

Chabenenko has a 

forward twin 130 mm 

gun mount that can 

fire 90 rounds per 

minute and has a 

dual magazine 

capable of holding 

120 rounds. (Lt. j.g. 

John Glaze/USN)
Winter 2007 

focused on their naval heritage and 

the Northern Fleet.

Like our modern warships, 

Admiral Chabenenko is a gas turbine 

ship. The gas turbine engines (GTE) 

are not in modules but they do have 

AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) 

available for Class Bravo fires. 

There were some similarities 

to their shipboard organization; 

however, it appeared to work more 

as a hybrid of our departments and 

divisions. Admiral Chabenenko

had seven or eight departments 

that function more like divisions. 

Throughout the Russian Fleet, each 

ship has the same departments. 

The smaller ships will have fewer 

and the larger ships will have 

more, but the titles and areas of 

responsibilities remain the same.

Overall shipboard capability is 

similar to guided missile destroyers. 

Admiral Chabenenko is a 

multi-mission destroyer, capable of 

anti-air warfare (AAW), 

anti-submarine warfare (ASW), 

anti-surface warfare (ASUW) and 

even maritime interdiction operations 

(MIO). Their MIO teams are 

comprised of Russian Marines who 

were quite proficient in boardings, 

both compliant and non-compliant. 

Additionally, they had a helicopter 

detachment and conducted landings 

on Nitze. We were quite impressed 

with the proficiency of their pilots.

Another compelling similarity 

between the ships and the two navies 

involved the use and trust in senior 

enlisted personnel. In Admiral 

Chabenenko, there appeared to be a 

fair amount of confidence placed in 

the senior enlisted sailors. However, 

technical watch stations were stood 

by an officer. For example, the 

primary navigation plotter at the 

chart table was a senior secondtour division officer. The technical 

expertise resides in the wardroom 

and with the senior enlisted leaders.

Nitze’s participation in Exercise 

Northern Eagle 2006 may have 

been brief, but the experience was 

unforgettable. The memories from 

sailing in a Russian ship and catching 

a glimpse into the inner-workings of 

the Russian Fleet will not soon 

be forgotten. 

On Sept. 11, 2006 as both ships 

headed out of the Norwegian fjords, 

Admiral Chabenenko altered course 

to starboard and headed north into 

the fog, and Nitze headed south 

to make her way back across the 

Atlantic. As the two ships parted 

ways on this five-year anniversary 

of the attacks on September 11th, 

the conclusion of this exercise was a 

not-so subtle reminder that the world 

we live in is fundamentally different 

from the one during the Cold War; it 

is an era in which old assumptions no 

longer apply. 

 It is an era in which our 

adversaries no longer maintain 

formidable standing armies and 

imposing naval fleets but remain in 

the shadows. It is an era in which 

old enemies have become our friends 

and allies. 

 Cmdr. Bob Hein, commanding officer of USS Nitze

(DDG 94) explains the Integrated Bridge System (IBS) 

and Voyage Management System (VMS) to his Russian 

counterparts. (USN)
10 Surface Warfare

The Russian navy (VoyennoMorskoy Flot (VMF) or Military 

Maritime Fleet) is the naval arm 

of the Russian armed forces. The 

Soviet navy formed what we know 

today as the Russian navy, after the 

dissolution of the Soviet Union at the 

end of the Cold War in 1991. Today’s 

Russian navy possesses most of 

the former Soviet naval forces. It is 

composed of the Northern Fleet, the 

Russian Pacific Fleet, the Black Sea 

Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, the Caspian 

Flotilla, Naval Aviation, Naval 

Infantry Marines and coastal artillery.

The beginning of the Russian 

navy was unsteady, because the 

Soviet Union’s collapse led to 

a severe decline. Many of their 

ships were scrapped, or laid up 

as accommodation ships at naval 

bases, and the building program 

was essentially stopped. The Soviet 

Union’s leaders had intentions of 

expanding their navy with the help 

from their naval officers. Sergery 

Gorshkov, a Soviet naval officer 

during the Cold War who oversaw 

the expansion of the Soviet Navy 

into a global force, negatively 

impacted the new Russian navy. He 

emphasized ships over facilities, and 

retained ships in service that were 

well beyond their effective lifetimes. 

As a result, a reduction of ships was 

due when the Russian navy took 

over, which left 

them with 

a relatively 

small fleet.

Due to lack 

of funding, 

the Russians 

prematurely took 

the Kiev class 

aircraft carriers 

out of service, 

and sold most 

of them to South 

Korea for scraps. 

Funding was 

only allocated for the completion of 

ships ordered prior to the collapse of 

the United Soviet Socialist Republic, 

as well as the refits and repairs on 

fleet ships taken out of service since. 

The recent improvement in the 

Russian economy has led to a rise in 

defense expenditures and a recovery 

in the Russian navy’s fortunes. 

Some older ships have been refitted 

and new construction resumed, 

focusing on submarines including 

the Borei class submarines and 

conventional Lada class submarines. 

The Steregushchy class corvettes, the 

lead ship of which was laid down on 

Dec. 21, 2001, is the first new surface 

construction since the collapse of 

the Soviet Union. According to Jane’s 

Fighting Ships, the Russian navy in 

2005 announced plans for four new 

aircraft carriers, which would start 

construction in 2013-14 for initial 

service entry in 2017. Jane’s said it 

was not clear whether ‘this was a 

funded program’. 

Recruitment is a mixture of 

conscripts and volunteers serving 

two-year terms. In 2004 the Russian 

navy had about 160,000 sailors. In 

2006, they had about 142,000 sailors.

By MC2 Heather Canterbury 

Alongside the

Russian navy

 USS Nitze conducted flight operations with the 

Ka-27PL Helix-A during Exercise Northern Eagle 2006 

off the coast of Norway, 100 miles south of the Arctic 

Circle. (Lt. j.g. John Glaze/USN)
Winter 2007 11

After a week-long visit to Pearl 

Harbor, USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) 

set sail Sept. 18, to escort the People’s 

Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) 

destroyer Qingdao (DDG 113) and oiler 

Hongzehu (AOR 881). 

Chung-Hoon hosted the Chinese 

ships during their visit and sponsored 

sporting events, meetings, and ship 

tours between the crews. Navy 

officials selected Chung-Hoon to host 

the Chinese ships and participate 

in exercises off Oahu because her 

namesake, the late Honolulu-born 

Rear Adm. Gordon Pai’ea ChungHoon. Rear Adm. Chung-Hoon was of 

Chinese, British and Hawaiian heritage.

The crews of the ships enjoyed 

many events ashore, but the primary 

purpose of the visit was to conduct 

exercises at sea. Ashore, officers and 

chiefs from Chung-Hoon and Qingdao

worked out details of a communication 

exercise (COMMEX) and formation 

maneuvering exercise (PASSEX).

The meeting between the two 

parties revealed considerable 

differences between U.S. and Chinese 

standard operating procedures (SOP) 

with regards to communication. Since 

the goal of the exercise was to practice 

basic international communication 

paths, including flashing light and 

bridge-to-bridge radio, resolution 

of the differences was crucial in 

conducting a successful exercise. 

Finally, prior to leaving Pearl Harbor, 

the ships exchanged liaison officers to 

improve communications and enhance 

mutual understanding during 

the exercise.

Once underway off of the Hawaiian 

coast, Chung-Hoon took station on 

the beam of Qingdao at 1,000 yards 

for radiotelephone (RT) and flashing 

light drills. These communication 

exercises build proficiency in the 

use of internationally-accepted 

communications protocols that are key 

to how sailors communicate with one 

another on the high seas.

Communication was quickly 

realized to be one of the greatest 

challenges to the two between ships 

because of the different methods used. 

United States ships are accustomed 

to corresponding by means of secure 

communications with each other, be 

that voice, visual, or by computer. 

 The ships used procedures from 

the Code for Unalerted Encounters at 

Sea (CUES) as well as the International 

Code of Signals (Pub 102) to translate 

messages into short codes. 

The exercises began with bridgeto-bridge signals; each ship passed a 

coded signal and the receiving ship 

broke it and replied with the translation 

over the radio. The transmitting unit 

evaluated the translation and provided 

feedback, and then the roles switched 

until all of the signals were completed. 

Flashing light signals followed the 

bridge-to-bridge, with the same type 

of evaluative process being conducted 

over the radio. 

The inherent risk of maneuvering 

with a foreign ship was mitigated by 

the success experienced during the 

COMMEX and agreed upon 

safety ranges.

The PASSEX was the first of its kind 

in decades, and represented a step 

forward in relations between the two 

navies and safe maneuvering at sea 

between PLA(N) and U.S. ships. It also 

established a foundation for a followon search and rescue exercise (SAREX) 

off of the coast of southern California.

Most of the exercise was executed 

completely over bridge-to-bridge; each 

unit assumed the guide and passed 

three signals in succession for the other 

to execute. The initial maneuvers were 

scripted and built confidence between 

the units for the follow-on free 

play periods. 

The Chinese exhibited excellent 

seamanship, with sharp turns and 

professional shiphandling. During the 

free play periods, each unit continued 

to pass three signals, however there 

was the ability to be creative. 

Exercise Signals Better Understanding

U.S., China Sail Together By Lt. Mark Stefanik, USS Chung-Hoon 

(DDG 93) Operations Officer

Cmdr. David Welch, commanding officer USS ChungHoon (DDG 93) addresses questions from Chinese 

navy personnel as the Chung-Hoon begins their first 

phase of exercises. The Chung-Hoon conducted a 

communications and passing exercise with the Chinese 

navy oiler Hongzehu (AOR 881) and destroyer 

Qingdao (DDG 113), while making routine port visits 

scheduled for their goodwill cruise to the United States. 

The ships continued with their goodwill cruise on to San 

Diego. (MC3 Ben Gonzales/USN)
12 Surface Warfare

 However, in communicating with 

Qingdao, Chung-Hoon had to rely 

solely on non-secure voice and visual 

communication.

The differences in signaling 

provided outstanding training for 

the two ships, and fostered a new 

appreciation for each other. 

The Chung-Hoon crew learned a 

great deal about non-NATO (North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization) 

procedures, which American ships 

rarely get to practice for extended 

periods. The experience will help the 

two countries work closer together in 

the future. 

According to Rear Adm. T. G. 

Alexander, commander, Navy 

Region Hawaii, the two countries 

share a common goal. “China and 

the United States have an important 

and continuing shared interest in 

maintaining peace and stability in the 

region and around the world. We are 

proud that our navies play such an 

important role in this process.” 

The shared goals resulted in 

bringing a new understanding to the 

Chung Hoon crew for an increased 

awareness of flexibility in operations 

through the exercises with the 

Chinese. Even the simplest forms of 

communication proved challenging. 

For example, the Chinese will transmit 

an entire flashing light signal before 

waiting for an acknowledgment which 

is different from our method of pausing 

between groups to receive a signal 

of understanding. 

Communication was not the only 

challenge to overcome. Both crews 

demonstrated excellent seamanship 

throughout the exercise, taking 

an important step between two 

predominant naval powers operating 

together in the Pacific Rim.

While this is the first time Third 

Fleet has scheduled a PASSEX with 

China’s navy, the positive experience 

guaranteed it won’t be the last.

Rear Adm. Wang Fushan, deputy 

commander, North Sea Fleet, said 

before the ships departed that, “your 

generosity and hospitality will not 

be forgotten. Although all good 

things must come to an end, we look 

forwarding to returning to Hawaii.” 

China’s naval history is a long 

and impressive saga. Dating back 

thousands of years, the Chinese navy 

itself was not a very important force, 

but by the 15th century, the country’s 

naval technology was vastly superior to 

the rest of the world’s. 

The navy was called the Republic of 

China Navy until the end of the Chinese 

Civil War, and then changed to what is 

now known as the People’s Liberation 

Army Navy (PLA(N)), a branch of the 

People’s Liberation Army in 1950. 

In 1949, Mao Zedong stated that 

to “oppose imperialist aggression, we 

must build a powerful navy.” Thus, 

the current People’s Liberation Army 

Navy was born. With the help of the 

Soviet Union, the PLA(N) expanded 

drastically in the 1950s.

China’s close naval relationship to 

the Soviet Union proved profitable 

for them. Within four years, there 

were approximately 2,500 Soviet 

Naval advisors in China. The Soviet 

Union had also begun providing 

modern ships.

By the 1970s, twenty percent of 

the countries defense budget was 

allotted to the navy, causing another 

dramatic growth. 

Although naval personnel comprised 

only 12 percent of PLA strength, the 

PLA(N) ranked in 1987 as the third 

largest navy in the world. 

During the early 1990s, China 

began targeting the PLA(N) for a 

rapid modernization. In recent years, 

Chinese military strategy has changed 

to put more emphasis on the People’s 

Liberation Army Navy. As part of its 

overall program of modernization, 

the PLA(N) has a long-term plan of 

developing a blue-water navy.

The current navy remains mostly a 

brown-water coastal defense with some 

green-water capabilities with a 35,000 

strong coastal defense force, 56,000 

infantry/Marines, and 56,000 PLA(N) 

Aviation operating several hundred 

land-based aircraft and ship 

based helicopters.

By MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain, Alongside the Chinese navy Managing Editor

Capt. Peter Murphy (left) gives Deputy, 

Commander, North Sea Fleet (NSF), Rear Adm. Wang 

Fushan, and his Chinese delegation a guided tour 

of the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa

(LHA 1). The tour provides an opportunity to enhance 

cooperation between the two navies and underscores 

the United States commitment to supporting ongoing 

cooperative efforts in the Pacific Region. (MCSN 

Daniel Barker/USN)
Winter 2007 13

The U.S. Navy and the Indian 

navy worked hand-in-hand in three 

operations in 2006. They kicked the 

year off deploying on USNS Mercy

(T-AH 19) for a five month Western 

Pacific humanitarian mission April 

12. Mercy’s medical team consisted 

of military health care professionals 

from Canada, Singapore, Australia, 

and Malaysia, along with nongovernmental organizations. They 

provided humanitarian assistance 

and disaster relief to the people of the 

Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia 

and East Timor. 

The medical staff aboard Mercy

treated everything from bruises to 

major medical procedures, like cleft 

palettes and reconstructional facial 

surgery, and took care of people who 

had previous untreated traumatic 

wounds. Mercy returned from 

deployment Sept. 29.

A joint salvage exercise (SALVEX) 

with the Indian navy took place 

onboard USS Safeguard (ARS 50) 

Sept. 12 in India’s western coast 

city of Cochin and its surrounding 

waters. Approximately 200 U.S. 

Navy and Indian navy personnel 

participated in a variety of in-port 

and at-sea training and events. 

In the course of two weeks, 

Safeguard crew members completed 

a variety of activities. They toured 

Indian training facilities, completed 

familiarization dives on Safeguard’s 

dive system with Indian divers, 

conducted in-harbor salvage 

exercises and salvaged the wreckage 

of an Indian navy aircraft. Both 

navies worked closely during the 

at-sea phase to salvage and recover 

an Indian Seahawk jet that was 

submerged for 30 years and was 

recently discovered by the 

Indian navy.

USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary 

Strike Group (BOXESG) and 

the Indian navy’s Western Fleet, 

participated in Exercise Malabar 2006

Oct. 25 off the southwest coast 

of India.

Malabar 2006 is a multinational 

exercise between the U.S., Indian and 

Canadian armed forces to increase 

interoperability between the three 

nations and support international 

security cooperation missions. 

The three nations’ ships worked 

together in a variety of functional 

skill areas during the exercise, which 

included force protection drills; visit, 

board, search and seizure (VBSS); 

formation steaming; coordinated 

surface fire support; amphibious 

landing; live-fire events for attached 

aircraft; torpedo firing events and 

anti-submarine warfare training. 

hone skills with the Indian navy By MC2 Heather Canterbury, Staff Writer

 Petty Officer 1st Class Dharmendra Chaudhary, 

an Indian navy radioman, familiarizes himself with 

communications equipment on the Ticonderoga-class 

guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) bridge 

during Malabar 2006. (MC3 James Bartels/USN)

Surface Warriors
14 Surface Warfare

Japan’s Maritime Self Defense 

Force (JMSDF) and the U.S. Navy 

have a history of working together. 

This year, during Rim of the Pacific

(RIMPAC) 2006, Sailors aboard USS 

Rushmore (LSD 47), USS Bonhomme 

Richard (LHD 6), USS Paul Hamilton

(DDG 60), USS Abraham Lincoln

(CVN 72), USS Pinckney (DDG 91) 

and USS Shoup (DDG 86) steamed 

with JMSDF as part of the bilateral 

force off the coast of the Hawaiian 

island of Oahu. 

U.S. Japanese Ships sail together

Aircraft assigned 

to Carrier Air Wing 

Five (CVW-5) fly 

over a group of 18 

U.S. and Japanese 

Maritime SelfDefense Force ships, 

at the conclusion 

the two nations’ 

exercise ANNUALEX. 

(MC3 Jarod Hodge/

USN)

By MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain, Managing Editor

India’s maritime history dates 

back around 4,500 years to the 

Indus Valley civilization. For 

many centuries, a lot of powerful 

navies such as the Maurya, Chola, 

Vijayanagara, Kalinga, Maratha 

and Moghul empires ruled the 

oceans in and around India. Two 

notable Indian naval chiefs Kanhoji 

Angre and Kunhali Marakkar were 

considered some of India’s finest 

warriors, since they defeated the 

British and Portuguese navies. 

The British established the British 

Indian navy while India was a 

colony. However, on January 26, 

1950 when India became a republic, 

it became known as the Indian 

navy and its vessels as Indian 

Naval Ships (INS).

The Indian navy (Bharatiya Nau 

Sena) consists of 55,000 men and 

women, including 5,000 naval 

aviation personnel and 2,000 marine 

commandos (MARCOS). The Indian 

navy is the fifth largest navy in the 

world. Currently, the Indian navy 

operates more than 150 vessels, 

including one aircraft carrier. Like the 

U.S. Navy, the Indian government 

is implementing an expansion and 

modernization program.

Alongside the Indian Navy

By MC2 Heather Canterbury, Staff Writer

 USS Boxer (LHD 4) Sailors stand by to assist 

Indian naval officers arriving by rigid-hull inflatable 

boat (RHIB) during Malabar 2006. (MCSN Brian 

Gaines/USN)
Winter 2007 15

Japan has an ancient and 

impressive naval history. Tracing 

back to the 13th century, the “Japanese 

pirates” inspired fear among the 

other Asian countries due to their 

fierceness. Japan began major naval 

building efforts in the 16th century, 

and built her first large ocean-going 

ship in the beginning of the 17th

century. By the 1800s, Japan was 

continually modernizing her fleet 

and advancing on Western navies. 

Until the end of World War II, the 

Japanese invested heavily on their 

Imperial navy. 

With Japan’s defeat in the war, 

allied forces reduced the Imperial 

navy to a token of its former power 

to its current naval form, the Japan 

Maritime Self-Defense Forces. 

Although denied any offensive role, 

the country still has one of the largest 

naval budgets in the world. 

Currently, Japan’s Maritime 

Self-Defense Force has a strength 

of approximately 44,000 personnel 

and operates 155 major combatants, 

including 64 destroyers and frigates, 

43 mine warfare ships and boats, 11 

patrol craft and six amphibious ships. 

Alongside the Japanese navy

By MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain, Managing Editor

The 20th multinational RIMPAC

concluded July 28 after a month of 

intensive warfare training conducted 

off the coast of the Hawaiian islands. 

The coalition force comprised of eight 

nations, 35 ships, 160 aircraft and 

19,000 personnel returned to Pearl 

Harbor for a short pause before 

beginning the final journey home at 

the end of the month.

In September, USS Iwo Jima

(LHD 7) conducted operations and 

replenishments-at-sea with Japanese 

supply ship Mashu (AOE 425) and 

Japanese destroyer Sauza Nami (DD 

113) in the Arabian Sea. This

past November, the U.S. Navy and 

JMSDF participated in the Japanese 

Maritime Self Defense Force Exercise 

ANNUALEX. The exercise is designed 

to improve both forces’ capabilities 

in the defense of Japan. About 8,500 

U.S. Sailors took part aboard 13 ships, 

submarines and various shore-based 

aircraft. About 90 JMSDF ships and 

130 aircraft also participated.

Ships involved in ANNUALEX

were USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), the 

guided-missile cruisers USS Cowpens 

(CG 63) and USS Shiloh (CG 67); 

guided-missile destroyers USS 

Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), USS John 

S. McCain (DDG 56), USS Fitzgerald 

(DDG 62), USS Stethem (DDG 63), 

USS Lassen (DDG 82), USS Mustin

(DDG 89), USS Halsey (DDG 97); 

the high-speed vessel Swift (HSV 2) 

and submarines USS Seawolf (SSN 

21) and USS Asheville (SSN 758). 

 Sailors from the 

Japanese Maritime Self 

Defense Force JDS Hiei

(DDH 142) prepare to 

moor pierside at Naval 

Station Pearl Harbor 

as she returns to port 

at the conclusion of 

the Rim of the Pacific 

Exercise (RIMPAC) 

2006. (MC1 James 

Foehl/USN)
16 Surface Warfare

 Sailors use the advanced processing and displays of the SQQ-89 ASW Combat System. (USN)
Winter 2007 17

The U.S. Navy’s AN/SQQ-89 is 

being modified and upgraded so that 

the primary anti-submarine warfare 

(ASW) combat system for surface 

combatants will continue serve into 

the foreseeable future. 

The SQQ-89 has been undergoing 

constant improvement since its 

introduction to the fleet with the 

commissioning of the Spruanceclass destroyers in the mid-1970s. 

To date there have been 14 versions 

of the system that are in the fleet 

or almost made it to the fleet. The 

current version, the SQQ-89(V)15, 

is being installed on new guided 

missile destroyers (DDGs). The 

SQQ-89A(V)15 is the newest version, 

installed on the USS Port Royal as 

an EDM (engineering development 

model). The A(V)15 retains the SQS53 bow sonar dome and transmit 

sub-system hardware (Units 705-712), 

and replaces the SQR-19 towed array 

with the multi-function towed array 

(MFTA), or installs an MFTA on ships 

without a towed array. 

The Navy will upgrade Flight IIA 

DDGs (DDG 79 and above), as well 

as baseline III and IV guided missile 

cruisers to the A(V)15 variant. New 

construction DDGs are being built 

with the SQQ-89(V)15 EC200 and 

SQQ-89(V)15 EC204 which does not 

include a towed array but shares the 

same architecture as the A(V)15. The 

A(V)15 is the version that is being 

back fitted on DDG 51-90 as part of 

the DDG Modernization program 

and CG 59-73 as part of the CG 

Modernization program.

To meet the more challenging and 

changing threat, the A(V)15 provides 

advanced active and passive 

capabilities in a “Open Architecture” 

system that facilitates cost effective 

system upgrades which will keep the 

A(V)15 a relevant system well into 

the future. 

In FY09 it starts populating the 

fleet in numbers and “is as good as 

it gets” says Robert Schmidt, who 

oversees future ASW sensors with 

the Surface Warfare directorate (N86) 

of the OPNAV staff. 

To provide warfighting capability 

to the fleet now, select Pacific Fleet 

DDGs and CGs are receiving the 

Scaled Improved Sonar System 

(SIPS) as an adjunct, to quickly 

and affordably add additional 

functionality to earlier variants of 

the SQQ-89. While SIPS does not 

involve installation or replacement 

of new sensors, it does provide some 

new A(V)15 processing capability, 

along with four new displays 

to deliver improvements to the 

warfighter in ASW.

“With SIPS we get a scaled-down 

version of the SQQ-89A(V)15 and 

we get that capability out to the fleet 

quickly,” says Cmdr. Jamie Vandiver, 

Maritime Warfare Systems branch 

(N864) head. “We try to be very 

responsive to the fleet.”

SIPS is an “open architecture” 

upgrade to legacy systems that 

provides new algorithms for passive 

and active detection, torpedo 

detection, and color displays to 

help the operators. While the sonar 

technicians will receive appropriate 

training for the new gear, SIPS 

requires no increase in personnel.

Whereas the A(V)15 installation 

requires a three or four months 

dockside availability, SIPS takes just 

three weeks, and involves four racks 

of interfaces, processors, switches, 

and storage.

Also under development is the 

Sparsely Populated Volumetric Array 

Upgraded Sonar 

By Edward Lundquist, N86 Public Affairs

Sees Better Below
18 Surface Warfare

(SPVA), a forward- looking sonar that 

fits under the bow-mounted SQS-53 

dome. Mounted as a TEMPALT it 

is currently installed on four SIPS 

ships and one IPS ship. “Because the 

SQQ-89A(V)15 is open architecture, 

adding sensors such as SPVA to 

future spiral builds will be cost 

effective” says Schmidt.

The A(V)15, with the bow sonar 

and the towed array, has a “bistatic” 

capability. “A ping off the 53 can be 

received by the tail below the layer,” 

says Vandiver. 

“With the MH-60R and the MK 54 

lightweight torpedo, we have a total 

ASW package.”

The MH-60R will make it first 

deployment 2009. Vandiver says “the 

R is a couple of orders of magnitude 

better than the SH-60B and is 

integrated with the ship. The system 

employs light-of sight datalink 

(Hawklink) back to the ship. 

The (V)15 and MH-60R make a 

great team.”

The MK 54 torpedo is a triumph 

of “open architecture.” It takes 

pieces from the MK 48 heavyweight 

torpedo, as well as the MK 46 and 

MK 50 lightweight torpedoes. It 

can be launched by aircraft, or 

from a surface ship with Vertical 

launch ASROC (anti-submarine 

rocket) or the MK 32 Surface Vessel 

Torpedo Tube (SVTT). “The MK 54 

is designed for the shallow water 

submarine threat of today and 

tomorrow,” says David Iacono, ASW 

Weapons analyst with N864.

 Sailors train using the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 

on USS Port Royal (CG 73). (USN)

 SH-60F dropping a MK 54 torpedo during operation testing. (USN)
Winter 2007 19

By Ensign Gina Crow, USS Doyle (FFG 39) PAO

Celebrates Columbus Day Boston Style

Doyle

The crew of USS Doyle pose on the foc’sle with members of the Boston Bruins hockey team. (USN)

Ship in the 

Spotlight:
20 Surface Warfare

Massachusettes graciously 

welcomed back USS Doyle (FFG 39) 

for the third time in four months 

in order to kick off the Columbus 

Day holiday weekend in Boston. 

Representing Mayor Thomas Menino 

and the city of Boston, Boston’s 

Veteran’s Affairs Commissioner 

Eugene Vaillancourt presented the 

city’s flag to the crew as a token 

of their appreciation. Sailors were 

overwhelmed by the warm welcome 

and hospitality they received in 

Boston, said Doyle’s Commanding 

Officer Cmdr. Michael Elliott. While 

in Boston, Sailors took time to 

visit the New England Shelter for 

Homeless Veterans, presented colors 

during the national anthem for the 

New England Patriots vs. Miami 

Dolphins football game, marched in 

the Columbus Day Parade, toured 

Boston and Salem, and hosted the

Boston Bruins Hockey Team onboard 

Doyle for lunch and tours. 

The community outreach visit 

to the New England Shelter for 

Homeless Veterans proved to be a 

sobering and educational experience 

for Doyle crewmembers. Some 

Sailors, like IT1(SW) Lathanial Wells, 

found it shocking to learn that onethird of homeless Americans are 

veterans and that more than onethird of those were once stationed 

in a war zone, many of whom are 

currently suffering from emotional 

illnesses. This four-story shelter is the 

first and largest shelter specifically 

aimed at helping homeless veterans 

through their three-tiered residential 

program, housing assistance, support 

services, employment assistance, 

heath care and financial/legal 

services to enable veterans to 

reintegrate back into society. 

Within the shelter there is a 

cafeteria serving up to 3,000 homeless 

veterans per day: a store-size clothing 

donation/distribution center, a health 

care for the homeless satellite site 

that provides dental, optometry, and 

general healthcare, berthing, much 

like military barracks; and classrooms 

for developmental, spiritual, 

vocational, and academic training. 

The shelter was founded by the 

Vietnam Veteran’s Workshop, who 

continues to provide counseling for 

individuals suffering post traumatic 

stress disorder from Vietnam, the 

Gulf, and Iraq. 

Jean-Guy Martineau and other 

members from the Salem Veterans 

of Foreign Wars (VFW) extended an 

invitation for Doyle Sailors to visit 

Salem for the ultimate Halloween 

experience, referring to Salem as 

the “Halloween Ground Zero.” 

The VFW hosted a luncheon and 

mingled with Doyle crewmembers 

before they hit the streets to see the 

mock witch trials, pirate tours, the 

Goal Jail dungeon, and ghost tours. 

“Salem is believed by some, to be 

one of the most haunted places in 

the country because of the number 

heinous deaths suffered during the 

Salem witch hunts,” said SKC(SW) 

Jamison Jones, who spent the day 

taking tours. During the tours, 

crewmembers learned various 

theories behind how the Salem witch 

trials began. 

The Columbus Day Parade was 

the highlight of the holiday weekend. 

More than forty of Doyle’s Sailors 

marched three miles in their service 

dress blues through East Boston, 

which was closed down for the 

parade. Onlookers cheered as the 

crewmembers passed by. The Boston 

VFW opened their doors for Doyle

and hosted a Columbus Day party at 

the finish line of the parade. 

“I have never seen such patriotism 

and openly friendly folks in my 

entire 19-year Navy career,” said 

Elliott. “They rolled out the red 

carpet and provided each Sailor who 

marched that day, basically, a ‘key to 

the city.’ I can’t tell you how many 

people I witnessed stand up, salute 

 USS Doyle’s Command Master Chief CMDCM(SW/

AW) Willie Glover and Mark Mowers, 18, Glen Murray, 

27, Jeff Hoggan, 32, and Jason York, 25 of Boston 

Bruins in the Chief’s Mess. (USN)
Winter 2007 21

my men or shout words of praise and 

support as we marched in formation 

down the streets of Boston. It was 

unbelievably positive and definitely 

re-affirmed to every member of my 

crew who participated in that event 

that we have people back here in 

the good old USA who support us, 

respect us and who are not afraid to 

show this on a daily basis.”

As the Columbus Day Parade 

progressed, Doyle’s Color Guard 

worked hard maintaining the title as 

the most sought after color guard in 

New England sports. They presented 

colors during the national anthem 

at Gillette Stadium prior to the 

New England Patriots vs. Miami 

Dolphins National Football League 

game before 70,000 fans. Just the 

month prior, the color guard proudly 

rendered honors during the national 

anthem for three consecutive baseball 

games in Fenway Park between the 

Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays games.

On the morning of Oct. 9, 

crewmembers attended the Boston 

Bruins Hockey Team practice at the 

Ristuccio Memorial Arena. Later that 

afternoon, ecstatic crewmembers 

greeted the Bruins onboard Doyle. 

The team members divided up and 

ate lunch with the crew on the mess 

decks, the chiefs in the chief petty 

officer’s mess and officers in the 

wardroom. The Bruins toured the 

ship, signed autographs, and took 

pictures with crewmembers. 

Bruins Team Captain Zdeno 

Chara, exchanged words of 

inspiration with crew and, 

particularly, with CSSA Joshua 

Rondeau, the self-proclaimed most 

loyal supporter onboard Doyle of 

Massachusetts’ sports teams. Shortly 

after the Bruins visit, Rondeau 

declared, “Aside from seeing the 

Boston Red Sox win their first World 

Series title in 86 years, meeting the 

Bruins was probably the greatest 

moment in my entire life. It was a 

great honor and I’m just glad I was 

able to be part of it.”

Chara said the Bruins were just 

as impressed. “The dedication and 

hours Sailors work daily gives me 

a fresh perspective on how a team 

plays a game whereas Sailors do a 

job,” said Chara. 

Bruins Coach Dave Lewis was 

quick to agree. While speaking with 

Lewis about his aspirations for his 

team to win the Stanley Cup, Cmdr. 

Elliott compared this to Doyle’s

striving to earn the Battle “E” Award.

“The Battle ‘E’ is our Stanley 

Cup. We are in a tough and 

 Goalies Tim Thomas (left) and Hannu Toivonen and 

other Boston Bruins eat lunch on the mess decks with 

USS Doyle Sailors. (USN)

 Bridge watch standers conduct (DLSQs) deck 

landing qualifications with Helicopter Anti-Submarine 

Squadron Light Four Zero (HSC-40). (USN)
22 Surface Warfare

competitive environment with 12 

ships competing among themselves 

to be the ‘Best of the Best.’ The Battle 

‘E’ will in my opinion show to those 

outside our Doyle family and team 

that we did things right. We were 

given a standard to accomplish and 

we not only accomplished it, but we 

set the standard in the process for 

others to emulate. I want everyone 

in our squadron and Navy overall 

to know that the USS Doyle is a ship 

and a crew that when given a task are 

not only going to accomplish it but 

are going to accomplish it better than 

anyone else on the entire East Coast.”

The Bruins were very gracious 

guests. The team presented official 

Bruins hockey pucks for every 

crewmember before departing. Chara 

gave the commanding officer a puck 

with the inscription, “Captain 

to Captain.” 

As well as the Columbus 

Day festivities in Boston, Doyle

conducted a burial-at-sea, concluded 

Hispanic Heritage Month with a 

steel beach picnic on the flight deck, 

and participated in deck landing 

qualification (DLQ) training with 

pilots from HSL-40 (Helicopter 

Anti-Submarine Squadron 

Light Four Zero).

Doyle crewmembers conducted 

a burial-at-sea for fifteen veterans 

on Oct. 3 while in transit to Boston. 

The ceremony was organized and 

directed by Doyle Navigator Lt. j.g. 

Andrew Weiss, U.S. Coast Guard. 

The benediction was delivered by 

ITC(SW) Marcus Walton in honor 

of the service and memory of the 

deceased veterans. A 21-gun salute 

was rendered for each burial, 

followed by the playing of taps and 

half-masting of the national Ensign. 

On the return transit to Mayport, 

the crew celebrated Hispanic 

Heritage Month with a picnic on 

the flight deck. QMC(SW) Alonso 

Barroso successfully headed the 

Hispanic Heritage Month committee 

by disseminating information about 

Hispanic veterans and culture. 

BM3 Jeffery Ronchaquira, PC2(SW) 

Francisco Cordero, HM2 Marcus 

Garcia, CSSN Christopher Delatorre, 

DC1(SW) Roy Garcia, BM3(SW) 

Edgar Escobar, GSM3(SW) Fernando 

Amezquitafranco, BM3 Tom Garcia, 

EM2(SW) Dawin Matos, QM3 

Gabriel Mendoza, BM2(SW) Osvaldo 

Ramirez, SK2 Christopher Rubio 

and BM3 Roy Salas all took part in 

making the picnic a positive and 

memorable experience. The picnic 

served as an excellent opportunity 

 USS Doyle’s (from left) Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Stewart Wennersten, Commanding Officer Cmdr. Michael Elliott, CMDCM(SW/AW) Willie Glover and crew take part in 

Boston’s Columbus Day Parade. (USN)
Winter 2007 23

for the crew to enjoy Hispanic 

culture through music, food, and 

camaraderie.

Shortly after the picnic, Doyle’s

crew participated in deck landing 

qualification training with pilots 

from HSL-40. The pilots effectively 

completed 153 day and night 

approaches, day and night free deck 

landings as well as day and night 

rast assisted landings. Doyle looks 

forward to conducting more DLQ/

RLQ (deck landing/recovery, assist, 

secure and traverse (RAST) landing 

qualifications) with HSL-40 in the 

near future.

Doyle’s visit to Boston proved to 

be a positive and patriotic experience. 

Doyle’s Color Guard has become 

one of the most sought-after color 

guards by New England’s sporting 

authorities. The Sailors participating 

in the Columbus Day Parade 

demonstrated the highest degree of 

professionalism and pride in service, 

and took away wonderful memories. 

“We were received well in Boston. 

Pride emanated from the spectators 

and Sailors participating in the 

parade. We shook a lot of hands. The 

experience was very enjoyable,” said 

BMCS(SW) Joe Washington.

“Firefighters bestowed proud 

words to the crew when we marched 

under the two fire truck ladders used 

to assist in New York after 9/11. I 

was humbled, knowing what services 

they have provided our country,” 

said Elliott. “Children asked for 

autographs, many onlookers held 

their hands over their hearts, 

everyone expressed thanks. They are 

proud Americans.”

Members who visited the veteran’s 

homeless shelter walked away with 

the profound understanding of 

the plights of many veterans and 

knowledge that action is being taken 

to assist downtrodden veterans. The 

crew demonstrated immense honor 

when conducting burials-at-sea, 

expanded cultural understanding 

during the Hispanic Heritage Month 

picnic, and enabled HSL-40 to 

attain increased mission readiness. 

 USS Doyle crew conducted an underway replenishment after leaving the festivities in Boston. (USN)

Get your ship featured 

in Surface Warfare 

Magazine. Submit 

articles and a point of 

contact to highlight what 

your ship is doing to 

surwarmag@navy.mil.
In the mid-nineteenth century, 

Margaret Fuller said “today a reader, 

tomorrow a leader.” That statement is 

as true today as it was back then. Adm. 

Mullen introduced in October the 

Navy Professional Reading Program 

(NPRP.) The purpose is to facilitate 

professional and personal development 

of all Sailors, seaman to admiral, active 

and reserve. He wants to “develop 21st

century leaders,” and how better to do 

that than to follow Margaret Fuller’s 

advice and read. Reading fosters 

critical thinking and critical thinking 

makes all Sailors better leaders and 

better warfighters. 

The NPRP breaks down the 

recommended 60 titles into six areas 

of importance: leadership, naval and 

military heritage, joint and combined 

warfare, regional and cultural 

awareness, critical thinking and 

management and strategic planning. 

Within these six areas, there are five, 

12 book collections targeted at specific 

levels for the chain of command. This 

isn’t to say that a division leader 

shouldn’t read something from the 

junior enlisted collection. Everyone is 

encouraged to read books that 

interest them. 

What if I have already read all the 

books that interest me? Well, go to the 

NPRP website at www.navyreading.

navy.mil and check out the 

supplemental books listed. There are 

a few other areas such as character and 

diversity that you should check out. 

The website also offers a forum for 

your feedback on the selections, your 

opinions and most of all suggestions 

for other books. 

At Surface Warfare Magazine, 

we are looking for some help. Each 

magazine, we have an area for book 

reviews written by our readers. When 

you start reading the books on the 

NPRP list, we ask that you think of us 

and consider submitting a review. If 

you don’t have time for a review, drop 

us a line at surfwarmag@navy.mil to let 

us know what you thought of the bookdid you like it, hate it, want to read 

more of a particular author or topic? 

We’ll tie in your opinions to 

our reviews. 

Today a reader 

tomorrow a leader

JUNIOR ENLISTED 

COLLECTION

• D-Day, June 6, 1944: The 

Climactic Battle of World War II 

by Stephen E. Ambrose

• The Declaration of Independence 

and Other Great Documents 

of American History, 1775-1865

• Ender’s Game

by Orson Scott Card

• Flags of Our Fathers

by James Bradley

• The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

• Life in Mr. Lincoln’s Navy

by Dennis J. Ringle

• Lincoln on Leadership

by Donald T. Phillips

• A Passage to India

by E.M. Forster

• A Sailor’s History of the U.S. 

Navy by Thomas J. Cutler

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective 

People by Stephen R. Covey

• Starship Troopers

by Robert A. Heinlein

• Time Management from the 

Inside Out: The Foolproof Plan for 

Taking Control of Your Schedule 

and Your Life

by Julie Morgenstern

LEADING PETTY OFFICERS 

COLLECTION

• American Government

by Robert A. Heineman, 

Steven A. Peterson, and 

Thomas H. Rasmussen

• Billy Budd and Other Stories

by Herman Melville

• The Caine Mutiny

by Herman Wouk

• The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and 

Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis

• The Last Stand of the Tin Can 

Sailors: The Extraordinary World 

War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s 

Finest Hour

by James D. Hornfischer

• Not a Good Day to Die: The 

Untold Story of Operation 

Anaconda by Sean Naylor

• The Sand Pebbles

by Richard McKenna

• Shackleton’s Way: Leadership 

Lessons From the Great Antarctic 

Explorer by Margot Morrell and 

Stephanie Capparell

• The Sheriff: America’s Defense of 

the New World Order

by Colin S. Gray

• The Tipping Point: How Little 

Things Can Make a Big Difference

by Malcolm Gladwell

• To the Shores of Tripoli: The Birth 

of the U.S. Navy and Marines

by A.B.C. Whipple

• Victory at Yorktown: The 

Campaign That Won the 

American Revolution

by Richard M. Ketchum

Six Areas of Importance

• Leadership

• Naval and Military Heritage

• Joint and Combined Warfare

• Regional and Cultural 

Awareness

• Critical Thinking 

• Management and Strategic 

Planning

24 Surface Warfare

By Lt. Jennifer Rossi, Military Editor
DIVISION LEADERS 

COLLECTION

• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist 

Explores the Hidden Side of 

Everything by Steven D. Levitt and 

Stephen J. Dubner

• The Golden Thirteen: Recollections of 

the First Black Naval Officers

edited by Paul Stillwell; foreword 

by Colin L. Powell

• The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester

• The Innovator’s Dilemma: the 

Revolutionary Book That Will 

Change the Way You Do Business

by Clayton M. Christensen

• Longitude: The True Story of a Lone 

Genius Who Solved the Greatest 

Scientific Problem of His Time

by Dava Sobel

• On the Origins of War: And the 

Preservation of Peace

by Donald Kagan

• Recognizing Islam: Religion and 

Society in the Modern Middle East

by Michael Gilsenan

• The Savage Wars of Peace: Small 

Wars and the Rise of American 

Power by Max Boot

• Shield and Sword: The United States 

Navy in the Persian Gulf War

by Edward J. Marolda and Robert 

J. Schneller Jr.

• Two Souls Indivisible: The 

Friendship That Saved Two POWs in 

Vietnam by James S. Hirsch

• White-Jacket: or, The World in a 

Man-of-War by Herman Melville

• The World is Flat: A Brief History of 

the Twenty-first Century

by Thomas L. Friedman

DEPARTMENT/COMMAND 

LEADERS COLLECTION

• The Cruel Sea

by Nicholas Monsarrat

• Eagle Against the Sun: The 

American War With Japan

by Ronald Spector

• Execution: The Discipline of 

Getting Things Done by Larry 

Bossidy and Ram Charan

• The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes 

of Freedom to the Heart of Despair

by Martin Meredith

• From Beirut to Jerusalem

by Thomas L. Friedman

• Imperial Grunts: The American 

Military on the Ground

by Robert D. Kaplan

• Implementing Diversity: Best 

Practices for Making Diversity 

Work in Your Organization

by Marilyn Loden

• Jefferson’s War: America’s First 

War on Terror, 1801-1805

by Joseph Wheelan

• Leadership: The Warrior’s Art

edited by Christopher Kolenda; 

foreword by General Barry R. 

McCaffrey, USA (Ret.)

• Master and Commander by 

Patrick O’Brian

• One Hundred Years of Sea Power: 

The U.S. Navy, 1890-1990

by George W. Baer

• Thinking in Time: The Uses of 

History for Decision Makers

by Richard E. Neustadt 

and Ernest R. May

SENIOR LEADERS 

COLLECTION

• The Art of the Long View: 

Planning for the Future in an 

Uncertain World

by Peter Schwartz

• Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic 

of Suicide Terrorism

by Robert Pape

• Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of 

the Pacific War

by William Manchester

• The Great Wall at Sea: China’s 

Navy Enters the Twenty-first 

Century by Bernard D. Cole

• Leadership

by Rudolph W. Giuliani

• Moneyball: The Art of Winning an 

Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

• The Pursuit of Victory: The Life 

and Achievement of Horatio 

Nelson by Roger Knight, 29.

• Rethinking the Principles of War

edited by Anthony D. McIvor

• The Rise and Fall of Strategic 

Planning by Henry Mintzberg

• Scenarios: The Art of Strategic 

Conversation

by Kees van der Heijden

• The Second World War, Volume 1: 

The Gathering Storm

by Winston S. Churchill 

• 1776, by David McCullough

Winter 2007 25
26 Surface Warfare

 ACINT Specialist STGCS(SW/AW) Jeffrey Simpson evaluates a sonar contact on board USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) during recent ASW operations. (USN)

Tactics

surface warfare

By Bob Althage, Office of Naval Intelligence Public Affairs

ACINT
Winter 2007 27

STGC(SW/AW) Greg Eardley 

is part of a small, select cadre of 

experts writing the book daily on 

the elusive sound prints of the 

ocean frontier. For more than four 

decades, Acoustics Intelligence 

(ACINT) Specialists at the Office 

of Naval Intelligence (ONI) have 

been compiling vast amounts of 

knowledge from which new naval 

tactics, training and technologies are 

derived. This practical knowledge 

enables fleet sonar technicians to 

sort through countless acoustic 

contacts to identify potential threats 

and targets.

Eardley, like the other acoustics 

intelligence specialists, comes 

from the sonar community. All are 

volunteers. STGC(SW) Joseph Zaben 

signed up because he sought the 

challenges and rewards of belonging 

to an elite team of experts.

“Here was a community of people 

who cared about their job, who were 

extremely knowledgeable about antisubmarine warfare and that’s all they 

did. That’s what I wanted to do,” 

Zaben says.

Now Zaben is about half way 

through a roughly two-year 

training program at ONI’s Acoustic 

Intelligence Specialist Program at 

the National Maritime Intelligence 

Center (NMIC) just outside 

Washington, D.C. It is a regime that 

tests his analysis and communication 

skills daily.

“The amount of information 

is staggering and you have to 

remember all of it,” Zaben says. 

“You don’t just study it, get through 

a little test and then move on and 

forget. The farther along you go, you 

have to remember the material at the 

same level of detail as when you first 

went through that phase.” 

The training is not a formal Navy 

school, but a selective, self-paced 

certification course, coupled with 

formal qualification checkouts, onthe-job training, briefings, practical 

examinations and instruction 

at sea under the supervision of 

a qualified ACINT specialist. 

Ultimate qualification results in 

the awarding of the ST-0416 Navy 

enlisted code (NEC) and certification 

for independent duty. For surface 

ACINT specialists, training includes 

at least one submarine deployment. 

“If you enjoy doing your job as 

a surface sonarman, this is the best 

place to be because you get to see 

all of the updated data, and when 

you go out to sea you get to see 

submarines,” Eardley says.

ONI’s ACINT Specialist Program 

began during the height of the Cold 

War in 1962. In those early days, it 

was strictly a submariners’ realm. 

By the mid-70s, it was apparent 

that the Navy’s surface warriors 

would benefit as well. Currently, 

of 43 ACINT Specialists in the fleet, 

only eight are STGs. Everyone is a 

“Type-A personality,” says senior 

surface ACINT specialist STGCS(SW) 

Michael Marcus, “a hard-charging 

kind of person who will never give 

up. I’ve never worked with a more 

professional group of people. They 

work hard and they play hard,” 

Marcus adds.

That persistence and focus pay 

big dividends to the Navy. ONI 

ACINT specialists, military, and 

civilian analysts play a critical role 

in assembling and maintaining a 

voluminous acoustic intelligence 

database, the product of many years 

of collection and analysis. 

After a contact is detected at 

sea, the ACINT specialist must 

quickly ascertain the general vessel 

type (submarine, surface warship, 

merchant, trawler or torpedo). If it 

is classified as a contact of interest, 

the data collected goes into ONI’s 

database, which serves several 

important purposes.

ACINT data helps identify threat 

acoustic vulnerabilities which may be 

exploited by new sensors, processors 

and displays. The improved 

detection capabilities are refined in 

exercises, which eventually become 

new tactical doctrine.

ACINT specialists impact 

research and development of new 

sensors and processors such as the 

Improved Performance Sonar (IPS), 

Scaled Improved Performance Sonar 

(SIPS), and SQQ-89A(V)15. Their 

operational experience with these 

systems is provided to fleet operators 

during install-training and at-sea 

tests, imparting immense benefits 

to the waterfront. The intimate 

knowledge of acoustics carried by 

these individuals is also passed into 

the fleet through their association 

with the Technical ACINT Products 

Program (TAPP), which provides 

a training tool based on actual 

recordings of contacts of interest. 

This tool, coupled with the new 

systems and training provided to 

sonar operators and CIC (combat 

information center) watch standers, 

Tactics

“If you want to do your 

job and track submarines

and learn all of the new 

updated intelligence – the

way every country’s navy 

is working – ONI is the

place to be. There’s no 

other job like this.” 

STGC Greg Eardley, 

Acoustic

Intelligence Specialist, 

Office of Naval Intelligence.
28 Surface Warfare

while conducting operations 

improves the future of Navy ASW 

immeasurably. These dedicated 

experts are a force multiplier for any 

platform they support.

“Anti-submarine warfare remains 

a vital maritime skill,” says Rear 

Adm. Barry McCullough, Director, 

Surface Warfare. “Our surface 

warfare qualified ACINT specialists 

are leading the way as we continue 

to tackle emerging and existing 

submarine threats – no one knows 

this business better or does more to 

train our Sailors to succeed in this 

critical mission area.”

Underway, ACINT specialists 

use the collected data and collective 

experience to keep the ship’s 

commanding officer and wardroom 

apprised of potential threats. In 

port acoustic information is stored 

in ONI’s databases is increasingly 

available for immediate reach-back 

from fleet units and additionally to 

train sonar technicians at sea and in 

Navy schoolhouses. “In the future 

it will only continue to get better as 

bandwidth improves,” says Marcus.

“During Operation Enduring 

Freedom, when I was DESRON 21 

and we were deployed on USS John 

C. Stennis (CVN 74), our ACINT 

rider became one of my closest 

advisors,” says Rear Adm. Philip 

Wisecup, Commander U.S. Naval 

Forces, Korea. “The breadth and 

depth of his experience truly inspired 

confidence.” 

ACINT Specialist STGC(SW/AW) Greg Eardley provides insight during recent ASW operations onboard USS Bunker Hill (CG 52).

Tactics
Winter 2007 29

ONI’s ACINT specialist helped 

make a cluttered, cloudy maritime 

environment clear, Wisecup says. 

“There were almost a hundred ships 

from many allied nations in the 

area. This was just after the Indian 

parliament bombing when there was 

significant regional tension, too.”

Acquiring the knowledge 

is just part of the challenge. 

Communicating it effectively is a 

critical skill, which is why a great 

deal of ACINT training is devoted 

to developing communication and 

briefing skills.

Like most candidate ACINT 

specialists, Zaben found his 

mandatory mid-course briefing at 

ONI a daunting experience. While 

his seniors listened, commented and 

frequently challenged him, Zaben 

presented a coherent assessment of 

a foreign navy’s diverse acoustic 

characteristics.

“You’re briefing 15, maybe 25 

guys, who know infinitely more 

about the subject than you do and 

they’re also trying to condition you 

not to make mistakes when you give 

the brief for real,” Zaben says. “Any 

little mistake you make is going to be 

exploited and questioned.”

As discomforting as briefing is, 

ACINT candidates do not doubt 

the training pays off. “The process 

has worked, so that when you get 

out there and you have captains or 

admirals sitting in front of you 

asking all those hard questions you 

can handle it,” Zaben says.

If he qualifies as an ACINT 

specialist, Zaben can look forward 

to challenging work, lots of time 

at sea, and the comradeship of 

a select group of highly-trained 

individuals who take pride in their 

responsibilities to the Navy.

“It was actually the toughest thing 

I’ve ever done,” says Marcus. “But 

it’s the best decision I ever made.”

Tactics

ACINT Specialist STGC(SW/AW) Shane Hopfinger assists STG1(SW) Steve Simmons during recent ASW operations onboard USS Mahan (DDG 72). (USN)
You are walking past a store 

window and you catch a 

glimpse of your reflection in 

the glass. Wait. Who is that heavy 

person posing as you? You rush 

home with new resolve – today is 

the day things are going to change. 

And before you know it, you are on 

a...say it with me now...diet.

We have all been there. Many of 

us have tried one or more fad diets in 

the past and have been thrown into 

the vicious, yo-yo spin of unhealthy 

weight loss and weight regain. 

Some popular diets suggest 

eliminating certain food groups and 

others suggest taking mega-doses 

of vitamins. The truth is, this cycle 

of deprivation and indulgence can 

leave you feeling discouraged and no 

closer to your goal.

A good weight loss and 

management program incorporates 

the following components: proper 

nutrition, behavioral changes and 

increased physical activity. 

Good nutrition is not only vital 

to successful weight loss and 

management, but also important 

for good health. There are three 

principles of proper nutrition, 

which include variety, balance, and 

moderation. By adding a variety of 

foods to your diet it ensures that 

you are eating from the essential 

five major food groups. A balanced 

diet supplies the nutrients and 

calories the body needs if eaten in 

appropriate amounts. Serving sizes 

differ for individual needs based 

on age, gender, and activity level. 

Many people believe they have to 

deprive themselves of their favorite 

foods, but choosing certain foods in 

moderation is key to successful longterm weight loss.

Resolutions for a healthier you can 

be made at any time, and the sooner 

the better. 

Fit For Duty

Melanee Tiura is a registered dietitian, certified 

diabetes educator and certified weight management 

consultant at Portage Sports Medicine Institute, a 

non-profit organization. 

By Melanee Tiura, Portage Health 

Eat

your grandmother was right, after all.

your vegetables:

For more information, call (906) 483-1825.

30 Surface Warfare
Winter 2007 31

Fit For Duty

 Cmdr. Scott Parvin lifts 

weights in one of the four 

gyms aboard the Nimitzclass aircraft carriers USS 

Ronald Reagan (CVN 

76). (MC3 Christopher 

Blachy/USN)

Here are some suggested guidelines to begin a weight loss program:

• Set a realistic initial weight 

loss goal. A reduction of 

body weight by 10 percent 

in the first six months is a 

reasonable goal.

• Keep a food journal for a 

period of one or two weeks 

to familiarize yourself with 

your eating habits. This will 

monitor how much you are 

eating, where, why, with 

whom, and what mood are 

you in when you eat. 

• Reduce your caloric intake 

by 500 - 1000 calories per 

day (varying according to 

your daily consumption) to 

promote a safe weight loss of 

one to two pounds per week. 

Do not starve yourself. 

• Limit your consumption of 

alcohol. It provides empty 

calories. 

• Read the nutrition labels on 

foods you purchase. Pay 

special attention to the fat, 

sodium, and carbohydrate 

content, especially if you 

have cardiovascular and/or 

diabetes risk factors.

• Plan in advance when 

dining out.

• Drink at least eight to 10, 

eight-ounce glasses of water 

each day.

• Select foods from all food 

groups using the Food Guide 

Pyramid.

• Choose protein sources from 

plants and lean sources of 

meats. A good rule of thumb 

in selecting meats with less 

fat is to look for the words 

“round” or “loin” when 

shopping for beef, and the 

words “loin” or “leg” when 

shopping for pork or lamb. 

Remember, when shopping 

for poultry, white meat has 

less fat than dark meat.

• Choose a diet rich in soluble 

fiber including oat bran, 

legumes, barley, and most 

fruits and vegetables. It is 

recommended to consume 20 

to 35 grams of fiber daily.
32 Surface Warfare

I

f you are you over Navy weight 

standards and need some help 

getting back on track, check out 

the Navy’s Ship Shape program. 

Ship Shape is a dynamic eight week 

program specifically designed to 

provide active-duty personnel with 

basic information on nutrition, 

stress management, physical 

activity, and behavior modification 

techniques to lower and maintain 

an acceptable body weight within 

navy standards. 

Ship Shape is a healthy and 

permanent approach to weight loss. 

Attendance is open to all personnel, 

especially to active duty members 

who exceed, or are in danger of 

exceeding, body composition 

assessment (BCA) standards. 

Active duty personnel interested 

in participating in the Ship Shape 

Program during duty hours must 

obtain a recommendation and 

Fit For Duty

 DC2 Roger Levine lifts weights while MM2 Paul Odermann spots at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor Fitness Center. (MCSN Angela Grube/USN)

for struggling Sailors

By MC2 Heather Canterbury, Staff Writer

Navy offers help
Fit For Duty

 Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Hawkins from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, swims laps at the Naval Station Norfolk Waterfront Athletic Complex pool. Naval Support Activity Norfolk is taking 

an active role in promoting a health lifestyle by offering shore and shipboard Sailors throughout the Mid-Atlantic regions state-of-the-art fitness equipment at a number of 

their facilities to help meet the health and fitness needs of the fleet. (MC1 Mark Stewart/USN)

Fit For Duty

Spring 2006 33

referral from their commanding 

officer (CO) or officer-in-charge 

(OIC) through their command 

fitness leader (CFL). The CFL is 

responsible for tracking attendance 

of command-referred personnel 

through the Physical Readiness 

Information Management 

System (PRIMS).

Weight control is difficult for 

many individuals. This program 

will provide those who attend 

with the best available tools in 

order to be successful. Ship Shape 

coordinators at the local level are 

encouraged to implement their 

programs as a collaborative effort 

with the medical treatment facility’s 

nutrition division, psychology 

service, physical therapy 

department, MWR (Morale, Welfare 

and Recreation) fitness facility, or 

other local resources whenever 

such expertise can enhance the 

quality of the program.

For further information 

regarding the Ship Shape program, 

contact the health promotion 

department at your local medical 

treatment facility. Comments or 

general questions can be 

emailed to the Ship Shape 

program coordinator at 

heastons@nehc.med.navy.mil or 

call (757) 953-0962. 
Upon picking up The Battle for 

Leyte, 1944, Allied and Japanese Plans, 

Preparations and Execution, I was 

hoping for more than a retelling of 

the major combat actions of Oct. 24-

27, 1944. Milan Vego delivers in this 

comprehensive look at the complex 

operation that was Leyte. 

 “I teach operational art [at the 

Naval War College],” Vego said. 

“I’m interested in what they did, not 

what we thought they should do.” 

He examines planning and execution 

from an organizational vice tactical 

perspective. This task undertaken 

by Vego was not easy; virtually all 

accounts of Leyte Gulf center on the 

actions which occurred Oct. 24-27 

and emphasize the movement and 

actions of individual and smaller 

units. This book, however, looks at 

the much larger picture: the overall 

multi-national combined major 

operations to take Leyte directly and 

all the secondary support operations 

of these landings. 

Putting this book together 

presented a monumental task 

in presenting a cohesive, cogent 

representation of the operational 

considerations of both sides in a 

format that would be readable and 

easily understood by the reader. 

An immense amount of primary 

and secondary sources were used; 

the author must be congratulated 

on sorting through a tremendous 

volume of primary source American 

documents and captured Japanese 

records, most notably those 

retrieved from the Japanese 

heavy cruiser Nachi.

Half of the book deals with the 

underlying setting and preliminary 

actions leading up to the combat 

phase. Extensive attention is paid 

to explaining the Japanese position 

in the Pacific Theater and the Joint 

Chiefs of Staff (JCS) strategic plans 

to force Japan to an unconditional 

surrender. The Japanese philosophy 

of a layered defense running from 

an outer perimeter to an inner zone 

was altered to provide support to 

this inner zone. In 1943, the Japanese 

established an “absolute defense 

zone” which encompassed the 

Philippines as a rear staging area 

for troop supplies and aircraft for 

support of those in the 

inner perimeter. 

In 1944, this Japanese absolute 

defense zone was penetrated. In 

response, the Imperial General 

Headquarters felt that the Philippines 

were the lynch-pin in the Japanese 

supply lines supporting defense of 

the home islands. Thus, the need 

to control the Philippines and 

surrounding waters would be pivotal 

to the outcome of the war. Admiral 

Chester Nimitz, commander-in-chief 

of the POA and the commander of 

the U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPOA/

CINCPac), argued that Formosa 

should be the key objective. The 

White House and Joint Chiefs of 

Staff, however, directed that the 

Philippines be taken. 

Vego sheds light on the fluid 

planning of both sides as the 

situation changed and says that the 

Japanese forces had almost no human 

intelligence. In fact, he says, the 

Japanese Navy and the Army looked 

down on intelligence, instead using 

ship and aircraft movement reports 

and projecting presumed intentions. 

“They analyzed Allied operations in 

the Pacific, which closely followed 

a pattern. With luck and creativity, 

they were able to deduce with 

some degree of accuracy the time or 

location of the Allies’ moves.”

Allied plans for advance in 

the Pacific and cracking the inner 

defenses are reviewed in depth, 

including Reno V, Musketeer I, 

and the King operations – the 

plan to establish a foothold in the 

Philippines. How and why targets 

were selected and the forces 

needed to secure the objectives are 

detailed. Naval and Army plans, the 

coordination between them and the 

eventual plan of attack are described 

in an easy, flowing format. Each 

organization and the force objectives 

are found to be plainly explained as 

well as informative and easy 

to follow. 

The latter half of the book deals 

with the combat phase of the Leyte 

operations. Individual unit examples 

Book Review

Don’t Depend on Miracles: 

	 	 The Story of the Battle of Leyte

By Lt. j.g. John Glaze, USS Nitze (DDG 94), Electronic Materials Officer

34 Surface Warfare
of maneuver and execution are 

presented to illustrate the greater 

focus of the task force, battle group, 

and higher echelon operations. 

Vego again succeeds in taking what 

could have been a terribly confusing 

topic encompassing plans, orders, 

and operational areas, etc. and 

presents a logical and entertaining 

description of higher level decisions 

directly influencing the Leyte 

actions. Success and failure of the 

Leyte operation is evaluated against 

the environmental and the roles of 

various arms and intelligence on 

the Allied side. The evaluation of 

the Japanese performance during 

the Leyte operation concentrates 

on the reinforcing of Leyte and the 

movement of troops, material, 

and logistics.

The book concludes by tying in 

all points and data presented. I read 

the final chapter first as well as the 

follow-on operation lessons learned 

section. I found that this significantly 

increased my understanding of the 

meat of the book. Comprehensive 

notes, acronym breakdown and 

appendices supplement this 

excellent work.

As a lot of naval officers, I have a 

“working knowledge” of the Leyte 

operations. Vego’s book is a welcome 

addition to filling in “Big Navy” 

plans and decision processes on both 

Japanese and Allied sides. Vego 

obviously wrote this to fill in the gap 

of how and why the actions at the 

Leyte occurred and their importance 

at the highest levels. 

One final observation by Vego 

should be remembered. Never 

depend on the errors of your 

opponents, “especially not on 

miracles.” 

The Battle for Leyte, 1944: Allied and 

Japanese Plans, Preparations, and 

Execution

By Milan Vego

2006, Naval Institute Press, 

Annapolis, MD

512 Pages

ISBN: 1-55750-885-2

List Price: USD $55.00

Book Review

Winter 2007 35
Electrical shock casualties all have 

one universal theme: they could have 

been prevented. Electrical incidents 

cause thousands of injuries and 

deaths each year. 

You may wonder why the word 

incident was used vice accident. 

According to Webster’s Dictionary an 

accident is defined as “an unexpected 

happening causing loss or injury 

which is not due to any fault or 

misconduct on the part of the person 

injured.” Incident is defined as “an 

event that is subordinate to another” 

meaning that it is it is contingent 

upon or related to something else. 

Electrical shock incidents are the 

outcome of an action that can be 

related to noncompliance with safety 

conditions and acts, lack of proper 

personal protective equipment or 

lack of knowledge about the potential 

safety hazards present at sea. 

Annual Training

The easiest way to prevent 

electrical shock at sea is to properly 

train shipboard personal how to 

recognize electrical hazards and 

estimate the risk of injury as well as 

damage to the ship by following the 

Navy’s Electrical Safety Program. 

This training should occur at 

least annually. Coupled with the 

Navy’s Electrical Safety program, 

a shipboard program aboard all 

U.S. Navy ship’s play a key role in 

keeping Sailors out of harm’s way. 

Most shipboard safety programs 

are built on the NAVOSH Program 

for Safety Afloat (OPNAVINST 

5100.19D), Naval Ships Technical 

Manual (NSTM), Tag-out User’s 

Manual (TUM) and the Standard 

Organization and Regulations of 

the U.S. Navy (SORM, OPNAV 

3120.32C). These instructions should 

be made available on the ship’s 

intranet.

Electric shock is the number one 

on-the-job-killer of Sailors. For this 

reason, Sailors receive training on the 

personal protective equipment that 

can protect them from electric shock. 

The most common equipment is 

rubber gloves, insulated tools, rubber 

matting and removal of jewelry and 

metal objects, including their belt 

buckle. CPR qualified personnel are 

a must onboard ship. 

Indoctrination

A good ship’s indoctrination 

program will help newly assigned 

Sailors learn the basics of electrical 

safety as well as shipboard electrical 

equipment and systems. “During 

indoc on Nitze, everyone is trained 

on the causes of electrical shock and 

the possible injuries to the body,” 

SAFETY

Electrical Safety: 

Plug your brain in to avoid shocking accidents

By Lt. Jennifer Rossi, Military Editor and Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Murray, CDS 50 CSO

36 Surface Warfare

EMFN Rafael Campano simulates the control of 

an electrical switch board under the supervision of 

GSME1 Victor Ponce, an Engineering Training Team 

(ETT) member. The Arleigh Burke-class guidedmissile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) conducted 

an engineering training drill in the Number 2 Main 

Machinery Room. (MC2 John Beeman/USN)

Is your brain unplugged?
said ENC(SW) Francisco Rosario, 

Electrical Division’s leading chief 

petty officer (LCPO.)

There are a certain combination 

of conditions at sea that increase 

the risk for electrical shock; some 

of these are high humidity, metal 

structures, ship motion, high voltage 

electricity and saltwater. “Electrical 

safety precautions have an increased 

importance aboard ship as compared 

to shore,” remarked Rosario. 

Training on Nitze also included 

general safety practices for operation 

of electrical equipment onboard ship, 

safety policies for portable electrical 

tools, the procedures for checking out 

a tool from the electrical tool issue 

room and the use of personal 

protective equipment issued with the 

portable electric tool. 

When most Sailors think about 

electrical safety, they think of the 

safety tags that are attached to 

every piece of equipment that is 

not permanently attached to a 

power source. Every electrical and 

electronic item, except for personal 

equipment, is inspected on a set 

schedule but that doesn’t mean that 

it is safe. 

Sailors aboard ships know that 

they need to visually inspect all 

portable electrical equipment for 

safety hazards each time they use 

it. Even personal equipment such 

as laptops, I-Pods, irons and DVD 

players must be safety checked 

before being used on board. Ships 

have 450-VAC power, three-phase, 

60-hertz frequency, ungrounded 

electrical system. 

This means that in simple terms, 

if one of the three phases of an 

ungrounded electric service becomes 

grounded or faults, intentionally 

or accidentally, nothing happens. 

Only two-phases are required 

for operation. This is done in an 

ungrounded system to provide 

redundancy. 

A consequence of this type of 

system is that it is possible for the 

frame of a piece of equipment to 

become energized at some voltage 

above ground and present a shock 

SAFETY

Spring 2006 37

EM3 Tayo Gbadebo conducts a safety inspection 

for an electrical hand drill in the electronics tool 

issue shop aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. 

Kennedy (CV 67). (MCSN Tommy Gilligan /USN) 

AO3 Lorenzo Chapman and FC3 Class Randy 

Anfinson of safety department secure loose lighting 

fixtures aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS 

Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln has augmented 

its safety department with 12 third class petty 

officers for its 2006 Dry Dock Planned Incremental 

Availability (DPIA) period to help ensure that shipyard 

safety standards are being met. Lincoln is currently in 

dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard undergoing 

rehabilitation and maintenance as part of its 2006 

DPIA. (MCSN James Evans/USN) 
hazard for personnel who may 

be touching the equipment and 

a grounded component of the 

structure simultaneously. If a second 

fault occurs in the system, the system 

will fail. 

 

Tag Out Program

One program that helps to 

promote electrical safety is the tagout program. Tag out is a major 

part of the electrical safety portion 

of the indoctrination program. 

Sailors receive instructions on 

the responsibilities of personnel 

involved, the difference between 

the red danger tag and the yellow 

caution tag, the difference between 

the out-of-commission tag and outof-calibration tag and the tag-out log. 

These are important for Sailors who 

perform maintenance on electrical 

equipment to understand but it is 

also important for even the Sailors 

coming straight from boot camp 

because these tags will be hanging 

around the ship and they need to 

know what they mean.

Zone Inspections

Prevention of conditions that 

can lead to electric shock is a major 

part of a ship’s zone inspection 

program. Including electrical ratings 

in the zone inspection process 

leads to a more detailed look at 

electrical material deficiencies. These 

deficiencies can include underfusing 

and overfusing, broken insulation 

on electrical cabling, dirt and debris 

inside electric components and 

‘spare’ breakers in the ‘on’ position. 

Each of these items has the 

potential to cause electric shock 

or electrical fires. 

Unsafe working conditions and 

unsafe acts are the underlying cause 

to many of the electrical incidents 

while at sea. It is dangerous to work 

with equipment that has defective 

insulation or parts, improper 

grounding, loose connections or 

unguarded or energized parts. It is 

also dangerous to use tools too close 

to energized parts or to fail to shut off 

electrical equipment for repairs 

or inspections. 

SAFETY

38 Surface Warfare

EM1(SW) Nicholas Mason (left) and DC3 Larry Bruns (right) unhook shore power cables in preparation for 

getting underway onboard USS Nitze (DDG 94). (Lt. Jennifer Rossi/USN)

Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) rig electrical cables 

across the flight deck in preparation for deperming. The deperming process reduces a ships electromagnetic 

signature as she travels through the water. (MCSN Joshua Olson/USN)
Brrrzzzaaappp! 

Persistence Rewarded 

With a Stunning Jolt

“I told you so,” chapter gazillion. 

Although an CS3 had been told not to 

open the control cabinet on a gaylord 

ventilator, and although a warning 

label was clearly posted, he knuckled 

down, gritted his teeth, hauled up 

his slacks and did it anyway. For his 

persistence, he was rewarded with 

a stunning jolt of electricity from 

the live circuits therein. The shock 

knocked him out. 

Sometimes Unwitting, 

Sometime Witless

Note: sound-effects quiz to follow.

Scenario 1: an STG3 descending a 

ladder in a sonar-dome access trunk, 

holding an energized light cord in 

one hand. He slips off the ladder 

near the bottom and touches a damp 

bulkhead with his other hand.

Scenario 2: a food service 

attendant heading out to the weather 

deck on a smoke break. He leans 

against a cracked electrical cable 

on a bulkhead.

Scenario 3: a DC3 on a destroyer 

removes the cover of a soundpowered telephone amplifier. He 

points into it and touches a wire.

OK, time for the sound effects. 

All together now: “Z-z-z-zap!” Extra 

credit for visual effects such 

as hair standing on end and 

muscles twitching.

Here are some of the other things 

Sailors were doing recently when 

they got jolted: fixing a joiner, 

testing a bridge suitcase, securing 

power to a temporary security 

light, calibrating a pressure switch, 

troubleshooting a motor controller, 

removing a broken light bulb, closing 

a fuse panel, disconnecting an arc 

welder, et cetera (Zap! Yikes!), et 

cetera (Zap! Ow!). I don’t list these as 

examples of particularly dangerous 

tasks, you understand, just to show 

that shipboard electrician’s mates 

are never going to lack for gainful 

employment.

Sometimes the victim is unwitting. 

Sometimes, as in scenario three 

above, witless (a supervisor had just 

told him not to take off the cover). 

Poking a Wrench Into a 

Mysterious Bundle of Wires

Here’s a report of a second class 

who, while stringing a new cable run, 

got knocked on his can when he used 

the handle of his socket wrench to 

poke a hole in a wire bundle 

running through the packing of a 

bulkhead terminal.

Can’t fault his methodology—it 

worked good; made a fine hole.

What you can fault—what you 

must fault—is his risk management 

technique. This guy never bothered 

to take the first step in the process. 

He never assessed the risk by asking 

himself, “What’s the worst thing 

that could happen to me if I take this 

metal socket wrench in my sweaty 

hand and poke it into that mysterious 

bundle of wires?” Had he done so, 

one of the answers he was sure to 

have come up with would have been, 

“I could die!” That would have been 

enough right there to make me stop 

and think, “Is this dumb, or what?” 

and surely the answer to that would 

have been, “It’s not just dumb, bozo, 

it’s stupid! Go get an electrician. They 

get paid for getting shocked.” 

Trailing Burbles of 

Steam From His Ears

Reaching through the darkness in 

the catwalk for his headset and his 

sound-powered phone, this airman 

inadvertently grabbed hold of an 

uncapped 440-volt electric outlet. As 

soon as he touched it, he couldn’t 

let go. The shock was so intense it 

curled his fingers tightly around the 

receptacle, and he couldn’t will them 

to open. He didn’t lose consciousness 

though, and that’s a good thing, 

because he was finally able to grab 

his right hand with his left, pull 

himself free, and save his own life.

The only one I’ve ever heard 

worse than that was this story of 

an electronics tech who was taking 

a voltage check on a high-powered 

transceiver. As the ship wallowed 

through heavy seas, the petty officer 

put his (unoccupied and ungloved) 

hand on the metal cabinetry to steady 

himself against the rolling motion of 

the waves and inadvertently made 

himself as one with the 440-volt 

circuitry in the ship’s number two HF 

transmitter.

SAFETY

Spring 2006 39

From the Navy Safety Center’s

 Summary of Mishaps
SAFETY

40

Stood his hair right up on end, 

it did. Bulged his eyes waaay out! 

You see, unlike our hero in the first 

story who had only one hand stuck 

to a hot 440 volt circuit, this guy 

had both his hands welded, locked, 

clamped, immobilized inside the 

high voltage section of this very 

powerful radio transmitter. He was 

handcuffed in there and the electrons 

were running rampant: in one hand, 

up that arm, across his chest, down 

the other arm, and out through the 

other hand. He couldn’t get away! He 

tried leaning back from the cabinet, 

he tried yanking one hand away at a 

time, both hands... Nothing worked. 

Finally, as his consciousness began to 

fade and the lights in the space were 

starting to flicker and dim like those 

in a death-house scene of an old 

gangster movie, he managed to get 

one boot up onto the cabinetry and 

kick himself free.

He staggered to sickbay under his 

own power; trailing burbles of steam 

from his ears and spirals of smoke 

from his hair in his wake as he went.

A Live Wire in the Pool—

Literally

A seaman decided that a dip in the 

motel pool would be the perfect way 

to end a great day of liberty.

So, kersplash! In he goes.

And he’s strokin’ around in 

there having a grand time until he 

manages somehow to suck about 

half a gallon of chlorine-rich pool 

water into his lungs. Well ... A goodly 

amount of coughing and hacking 

ensues, but nothing much seems to 

be getting better. By now, the kid 

is getting a little disoriented and a 

little scared too, if the truth were 

known, and he’s floundering. So he 

starts making for the side of the pool-

-planning to grab the scupper and 

hold on there until he can draw 

a clear breath.

Unnnnnnfortunately, when he 

finally got there and made a swipe at 

the ladder, he missed and came up, 

instead, with a hand full of (are you 

ready for this?) a live electric wire!

Brrrzzzaaappp! He’s instantly out 

cold. And he settles to the bottom of 

the pool, beloved, with a (no kidding) 

death grip on that wire which is still 

pumping 115 volts of brain-numbing 

alternating current into his already 

unconscious body.

Luckily, a shipmate sees what’s 

happening, and dives in to rescue 

the seaman. But wait! (I’m starting to 

sound like Howard Cosell here.) He 

can’t get near the kid cause the water 

all around him is being charged 

by the electricity and the rescuer is 

forced to back off.

What to do? He’s underwater so 

you can’t knock him free of the wire 

... The water all around him is so 

charged up that if you jump in there 

you’ll be unconscious too ... You can’t 

find the power source for the cable 

... There’s only one thing left to do: 

the shipmate reaches into the water, 

grabs the cable and uses it to pull his 

pal (who couldn’t let go if he wanted 

to) out of the pool. Why he didn’t get 

zapped is beyond me. But he didn’t 

and that’s good because, when he 

finally hauled his pal out of the 

pool, the seaman was bluer than 

Papa Smurf.

Some unconventional CPR 

started him breathing again and 

a fast ambulance ride got him to 

Portsmouth where they set him well 

on his way to a full recovery.

Holy cow! Great job on the part 

of a very alert, very determined 

shipmate. You saved his life, my 

friend, well done! 

 (Graphic Courtesy of the Naval Safety 

Center/USN)

 (Graphic Courtesy of the Naval Safety 

Center/USN)
How expert are you at identifying surface combatants from foreign 

navies? Can you tell whether a ship on the horizon is an ally or an enemy? 

It’s time to test your ship identification skills. How about all of you 

manning the “big eyes” take a look at the ship pictured below and let us 

know what type of vessel it is, its name and what nation operates it.

Send your entry to surfwarmag@navy.mil with Ship Shape in the 

subject line. Be sure to include your rate, name, ship or unit of assignment, 

and current mailing address. The first individual to provide the correct 

information will receive recognition in the next issue of Surface Warfare.

The winner of this issue is ETC(SW) Craig Harris stationed at the 

United States Naval Academy. Harris was the first to correctly identify the 

ship as the Chinese navy destroyer Qingdoa (DDG 113).

 This ship participated in a multi-national combined exercise with North African and European forces during exercise Phoenix Express.

 Chinese navy destroyer Qingdoa (DDG 113).

Spring 2006 41
 GM2 Antony Carter (left) and OS3 Jarred Martin man 

an M-240 machine-gun preparing for possible threats 

while standing bow security watch during a straights transit 

exercise aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS 

John C. Stennis (CVN 74). (MC2 Heidi Giacalone/USN)

 AN Victoria Sheppard of the USS Arizona

Detachment speaks with John Murphy, a 

Pearl Harbor survivor who was stationed 

aboard USS Vestal (AR 4), following a joint 

U.S. Navy/National Park Service ceremony 

commemorating the 65th anniversary of 

the attack on Pearl Harbor onboard Naval 

Station Pearl Harbor Kilo Piers. More than 

1,500 Pearl Harbor survivors, their families 

and friends from around the nation joined 

more than 2,000 distinguished guests and 

the general public for the annual observance. 

(MCC David Rush/USN)

42 Surface Warfare
 A Sailor assigned to the guided-missile 

destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) greets his wife 

and new child on the pier after Ross returned 

to her homeport after a six-month deployment 

in support of Operation Active Endeavour 

(OAE) in the Mediterranean Sea as part of 

Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2). 

(MC2 Lolita Lewis/USN)

 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1658 underway in Persian Gulf performs small boat operations moments after departing 

the well deck of amphibious assault ship USS Saipan (LHA 2). Saipan is currently on deployment in the 5th Fleet area of 

responsibility conducting maritime security operations (MSO). (MCSN Patrick Mullen III/USN)

Spring 2006 43
Congratulations to this issue’s Salty Dog, 

OS1(SW) Scott Bennett, at NOSC Everett Training 

Command. Bennett was the first person to correctly

 identify all five answers on firefighting training.

Here are the answers:

1. The best source for determining direction under 

survival conditions is to use the position of 

the sun and stars. 

2. The document that is located in every compartment 

that lists every damage control fitting in that compartment 

is the compartment check off list.

3. The person that is responsible for properly maintaining 

trained DCPO’s, repair parties and repair locker personnel is 

the engineering officer.

4. The type of communication system that is normally the primary damage 

control communications method is the sound powered telephone.

5. The Navy uses a maximum of two types of life preservers.

This issue’s challenges are presented below.

The first person to correctly answer all five questions will receive recognition in the next issue. Good luck!

Physical Readiness Program

1. Upon a failure of a PFA, the member signs a page 13 or special eval to withdraw their 

advancement recommendation. What happens if they pass the next official PFA?

2. What constitutes a failure of the PFA?

3. Are Sailors allowed to PCS transfer if they fail to meet BCA or PRT standards?

4. In a PFA code P/WS means pass within standards, what does N/XX mean?

5. Sailors reporting to a new command during the PFA must be measured for 

body composition. What happens if they fail, even though they are not 

required to participate in the PFA?

Send your replies to surfwarmag@navy.mil with 

“CAPTAIN’S TRIVIA” in the subject line.

44 Surface Warfare
Winter 2007 3

Changes of Command

USS Blue Ridge/March 

Capt. David Lausman relieved

Capt. Jeffrey Bartkoski

USS Gary/March 

Cmdr. Joker Jenkins relieved

Cmdr. Joseph Deleon

USS Hopper/January 

Cmdr. Jeffrey James relieved

Cmdr. Peter Driscoll

USS John L. Hall/January 

Cmdr. Augustus Bennett relieved

Cmdr. David Geisler

MCM Crew Fearless/March 

Lt. Cmdr. James Storm relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Michael Sciretta

MCM Crew Leader/February

Lt. Cmdr. Vince Baker relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hutchens 

MHC Crew Detector/March 

Lt. Cmdr. Shanti Sethi relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Todd Braynard

USS Patriot/January 

Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Schultz relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Richard Brawley

PC Crew Echo/January 

Lt. Shelby Baecker relieved

Lt. Chris Finocchio

USS Roosevelt/March 

Cmdr. John Carter relieved

Cmdr. Richard Clemmons

USS Ross/January 

Cmdr. Paul Stader relieved

Cmdr. Jay Shaffer

PC Crew Alpha Lt. Scott Larson

PC Crew Bravo Lt. William Ehret

PC Crew Charlie Lt. William Gantt

PC Crew Delta Lt. James Quaresimo

PC Crew Echo Lt. Shelby Baecker

PC Crew Foxtrot Lt. Cmdr. David Faught 

PC Crew Golf Lt. Orlando Bowman

PC Crew Hotel Lt. Jeffrey Sturm

PC Crew India Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Williams

PC Crew Juliet Lt. Nakia Cooper

PC Crew Kilo Lt. Cmdr. Brian Diebold

PC Crew Lima Lt. Cmdr. Keith Biando

PC Crew Mike Lt. Michael Brasseur

MHC Crew Detector Lt. Cmdr. Shanti Sethi

MHC Crew Endurance Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Carlson

MHC Crew Excel Lt. Cmdr. Antonio Hull

MHC Crew Gallant Lt. Cmdr. Rome Ruiz

MCM Crew Bulwark Lt. Cmdr. John Reilley

MCM Crew Conflict Lt. Cmdr. Angel Cruz

MCM Crew Constant Lt. Cmdr. Quinn Skinner

MCM Crew Dominant Lt. Cmdr. Bertram Hodge

MCM Crew Exultant Lt. Cmdr Scott Curtis

MCM Crew Fearless Lt. Cmdr. James Storm

MCM Crew Impervious Lt. Cmdr. James Lowell

MCM Crew Implicit Lt. Cmdr. Michael Morera

MCM Crew Leader Lt. Cmdr. Vince Baker

MCM Crew Persistent Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Miller

MCM Crew Reaper Lt. Cmdr. Adam Aycock

MCM Crew Swerve Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Nicholson

USS Guardian (MCM 5) Lt. Cmdr. Steven DeMoss

USS Patriot (MCM 7) Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Schultz

** MHC Crews Bold, Conquest, Force and Loyal are 

scheduled to decommission on or about March 2007.

O-3/O-4 Afloat Commands

January - March 2007
4 Surface Warfare