Inside 

this edition:

Steam Engineering

CO/XO Fleet Up

Small Boat Safety

Vol. 32 No. 4

Fall 2007
On the Back:

OSSA Kyle Stevic bids farewell 

to loved ones standing a top 

amphibious assault ship USS 

Bataan (LHD 5), as his ship, 

guided-missile frigate USS Carr

(FFG 52) leaves homeport, Naval 

Station Norfolk, for a six-month 

deployment. (MCSN Ash Severe/

USN) Quote from Adm. Mike 

Mullen after the announcement of 

his selection as the next Chairman 

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

On the Cover:

A photo compilation of a 

recruit saluting during a 

capping ceremony after 

ending training with 

USS Trayer (BST 21) in 

the background. (S.A. 

Thornbloom/ 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.

“Our Soldiers, Sailors, 

Airmen, Marines, 

Coast Guardsmen and 

their families are the most dedicated, 

talented and courageous people 

with whom I have ever been 

privileged to serve. 

Representing them, 

serving them in turn as 

chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

would be my great honor. “ - Adm. Mike Mullen

Inside 

this edition:

Steam Engineering

CO/XO Fleet Up

Small Boat Safety
Features

Opportunities await you at OPNAV 4

A billet at N86 is a great step.

Going to sea without water 9

BST 21 gives realistic training to recruits.

Steaming into the 21st Century Navy 14

Revisiting the Steam Navy

Turning over the Old Salt 18

Vice Adm. Rempt retires the honor to Adm. Mullen

Early Command! 19

Selected for CO/XO Fleet Up

Reflecting on the lost arts 22

Disappearances of old Navy traditions

Small combatants made big waves 27

USS Bronstein brought big changes to weapons

Safety

Safety for small boats 34

Ensure guidelines are followed

Tactics

Anti ship cruise missiles 38

Still a threat!

Departments

 2 Message from Commander

 3 Director’s Corner

24 Fit for Duty

26 Book Review

41 Ship Shape

42 Views from the Fleet

44 Captain’s Trivia

45 Change of Commands

 Lt. j.g. Kristen Deffenbaugh, fire control 

officer, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), watches for 

allied warships during Exercise Neptune Warrior, 

off the Scottish coast. NATO warships from the 

United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, 

France and the Netherlands participated in the 

two-week exercise. (QM2 (SW) Rodriques T. 

Spann/USN)

Rear Adm. Victor Guillory, USN

Acting 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

Editorial: 

Address editorial inquiries to:

Surface Warfare Magazine

OPNAV N86IM

2000 Navy Pentagon

Washington, DC 20350-2000

Phone: (703) 604-1911

FAX: (703) 604-1917

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E-mail: surfwarmag@navy.mil

Layout and Design by: 

Allen Wayne, Ltd.

Phone: (703) 321-7414

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Printed By:

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Subscriptions 

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U.S. Government Printing Office

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By mail: P.O. Box 371954 

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Master stock number: 

708-050-00000-8 (SW)
An Update for the Waterfront

In August, we conducted our 

annual Surface Line Week at several 

Fleet concentration areas around 

the globe. There were damage 

control olympics, sporting events, 

navigation evolutions in our training 

simulators, and a host of professional 

development opportunities as 

we highlighted the pride and 

professionalism of the Surface force.

Surface Line Week events 

emphasized that this is an exciting 

time for the Surface Navy and a good 

time to take a fix.

Fleet Response Plan

After 9-11, the Navy implemented 

the Fleet Response Plan (FRP) to 

significantly increase the operational 

availability of our combat power. FRP 

challenged us to support a continuous 

readiness cycle, and to man, train, equip 

and maintain surface ships to support 

not only the routine forward presence 

requirements but also emergent 

taskings. Although SHIPMAIN 

previously reengineered our 

maintenance processes, FRP required 

an entirely different training regimen at 

the unit level. This continuous training 

process, SHIPTRAIN, is now fully 

integrated in the Surface force.

Each ship can perform critical 

self-assessments of their shipboard 

training with the necessary provided 

tools. The result is that the average 

ship now spends 10 to 11 weeks in the 

basic phase of training instead of. 16, 

which dramatically improves their 

self-assessment capability. Afloat 

Training Group periodic spot checks, 

called ULTRA-S, show nearly uniform 

assessment results.

These changes allow us to provide 

the Navy and the nation with proven, 

combat-ready naval surface forces.

Our efforts are intended to ensure that 

we get the most availability out of our 

surface forces – while distributing the 

challenge of increased accessibility 

across the fleet.

The Surface Warfare Enterprise 

(SWE) and CLASSRONs

Two years ago, the Surface Navy 

created the Surface Navy Enterprise 

with the goal of making the Surface 

force better – better for Sailors, the 

Navy and the nation. The SWE is not 

about doing more with less, but about 

generating credible combat power at 

the right time, place and cost. The 

number one priority is to improve the 

Surface Navy’s product – a warship 

ready for tasking.

The SWE is the collection of team 

members who manage a specific part 

of the surface force or a domain. It 

is a way of organizing, relating and 

creating opportunities – it is not a 

new chain of command, but a better 

alignment of the management teams 

necessary to produce a warship ready 

for tasking.

For the average Sailor on the 

waterfront, the most important 

element of the SWE is the Class 

Squadron (CLASSRON). The eight 

CLASSRONs link the waterfront and 

the SWE. They are responsible for 

the manning, training, equipping 

and maintaining processes of specific 

classes of surface ships.

Three of the eight CLASSRONs 

are located in San Diego: CGRON, 

LCSRON, and LSD/LPD 17.

Additionally, the MCMRON, will 

move to San Diego when Ingleside 

closes. Three CLASSRONS: 

DDGRON, LHA/LHD/LPD and 

PCRON are located in Norfolk, and 

FFGRON is located in Mayport.

The CLASSRONS will use common 

standards to assess current readiness, 

analyze metrics across ships of a class, 

examine class trends, determine root 

causes, establish lessons learned, 

and provide recommendations and 

solutions. The SWE will take these 

recommendations and revise existing 

processes or create new ones to 

achieve the highest levels of combat 

effectiveness possible.

IAs

Recently, we honored a number 

of our Surface Navy Sailors for 

their contributions as individual 

augmentees in support of the global 

war on terrorism. While I won’t 

mention anyone by name, I do want 

to take a moment to highlight some of 

their accomplishments. One set up a 

center for a local Joint IED Task Force 

– tasked with defeating the deadly 

IEDs before they detonate. Another 

worked side-by-side with Army 

counterparts in the operations cell of 

a major U.S command in Iraq. A third 

directed actions in the midst of hostile 

fire in Afghanistan. 

Each of these Sailors earned the 

Bronze Star for their efforts. They 

are not the first Bronze Star recipients 

in the Surface force, nor will they be 

the last. Their stories are simply the 

most recent examples of the selfless 

dedication of our Sailors serving in IA 

assignments.

It is my distinct honor to be a 

part of the Surface force team. I 

am very impressed with what you 

have accomplished in the past year 

and look forward to incredible 

achievements in the future.

T.T. Etnyre

Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy

Commander, Naval Surface Forces

Message from Commander, Naval Surface Forces

Surface Warfare
Surface Warriors – 

As we steam smartly into another 

busy fall season, I appreciate 

and thank you in advance for an 

opportunity to share a few thoughts. 

In this issue, you will once again 

read about the great news and evergrowing list of achievements by 

the men and women of our Surface 

community. This community 

continues to present terrific 

leadership opportunities early in 

one’s career, and our shipmates seize 

those moments by exploiting periods 

to lead, earn a graduate degree, and 

achieve career experiences both at sea 

and ashore in diverse and rewarding 

assignments.

Command is the highlight of 

our careers. However, our time 

ashore, while sometimes overlooked, 

provides a valuable opportunity to 

apply lessons learned from the Fleet, 

experience an armed forces-wide 

perspective and gain expertise that 

will serve our Surface community 

well in follow-on sea assignments.

I have had several Washingtonarea assignments in the Bureau of 

Naval Personnel, the Surface Warfare 

Division as Assistant Deputy for 

Surface Ships, the Joint Staff in J-3, 

as the Current Readiness Branch 

Chief and the Industrial College of 

the Armed Forces at the National 

Defense University. Most recently 

I returned to the Pentagon after my 

tour as Commander of Amphibious 

Force, U.S. 7th Fleet and Amphibious 

Group 1 to serve as the Acting 

Director for Surface Warfare on the 

OPNAV staff. 

In each of these D.C. assignments, 

my fleet experience served me well. 

The operational perspective I brought 

to the requirements and personnel 

management and distribution process 

was invaluable. Action officers on 

the staff here at N86 influence billiondollar budgets. What they work on 

today will directly shape the Navy 

of tomorrow. That’s an awesome 

responsibility and our ability to 

apply first-hand knowledge and 

lessons learned from the Fleet makes 

those decisions that much better for 

the Navy. 

Additionally, my tours in 

D.C. helped to give me a broad 

perspective of the armed forces, 

beyond surface ships and the 

Navy, to joint operations and the 

DoD budget process. The staff in 

N86 alone 

includes 

aviators and 

Coast Guard 

officers 

working 

alongside 

Surface 

Warfare 

officers, and 

we all learn 

something 

about each 

other and 

our community 

and service cultures every day. 

The opportunities for knowledge 

sharing with other communities, 

services, agencies and the Hill 

staffers are endless. 

I would like to draw your 

attention to an article written by 

Lt. Cmdr. Grady Musser, one of my 

many superstar action officers, which 

highlights the people who are serving 

or have served in the Pentagon and 

the skills that come with the dynamic 

environment inside the Beltway. I 

hope you enjoy reading Grady’s 

article and that you consider the 

rewards and professional growth 

opportunities associated with a 

Washington-area assignment. 

Finally, to all Surface warriors 

and particularly those at sea or 

serving today on contested shores 

– Thank you for all you are doing for 

our Navy and our Surface Warfare 

community.

Vic Guillory

Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

Acting Director, Surface Warfare

Fall 2007 

 Rear Adm. Vic Guillory was the guest speaker at the commissioning of USS Kidd

(DDG 100) last June. (Cmdr. Jane Campbell/USN) 
There are days that Washington 

may seem frightfully far from the 

waterfront. But duty at the Surface 

Warfare Directorate (N86) on the 

Chief of Naval Operations Staff 

(OPNAV) may be more career 

enhancing than you think, allowing 

you to make a real impact upon the 

fleet of today and tomorrow. 

When I was considering a 

shore duty assignment during my 

department head tour, I spoke 

with several of my mentors who 

recommended N86. Not knowing 

much about the job, I took my 

mentor’s advice. I left the familiar 

sights and sounds of shipboard life 

and entered what seemed like a 

whole new world in the Pentagon. 

I work out of a cubicle instead of 

a stateroom and instead of an entire 

department of division officers, 

chiefs and Sailors, I was supported 

by one contractor who was a solid 

professional 15 years my senior. 

“The current snapshot of the 

professionals in the N86 organization 

compromises a mix of active 

and reserve military personnel, 

government civilian employees and 

contractors,” says Capt. Rudy Laco, 

Branch Head, N861, Surface Warfare 

Strategy and Alignment. 

I was struck by the differences in 

working with an older work force, 

including the large numbers of 

civilians that had, in some cases, 20 

years of experience or more working 

with the programs in the office. 

Every member of the workforce 

has responsibility for a program 

that supports surface warfare and 

operates independently to support 

that program. The relationships 

at OPNAV are more collegial than 

onboard ship because of the mature 

and ‘flatter’ workforce.

Working at N86 provides a 

rich and rewarding experience 

to work with other SWOs, both 

active and retired, including senior 

officers (including post-XO, postcommander command, and postmajor command) on a daily basis 

in an open environment focused on 

delivering future capability to the 

surface fleet. Between the meetings, 

power point briefs, and action 

memos, the shared experience of 

going to sea on surface combatants 

creates a strong community tie 

within this OPNAV office. 

From Ships to Strategy: 

OPNAV Officers Lead the Fleet

By Lt. Cmdr. Grady Musser, Executive Assistant 

to N86F, Deputy Surface Combat Systems and 

Ned Lundquist, N86 Public Affairs

 Surface Warfare

 OPNAV staff like Lt. Cmdr. Curtis Calloway (left) and John Muerdler work closely with active duty and civilian 

counterparts to accomplish the mission. (MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain/USN)

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 Officers arriving from sea commands trade their 

staterooms for cubicle life. (MC1(SW/AW) Athena 

Blain/USN)
Many of the active and retired 

SWOs have significant command 

experience. Cmdr. Andy Feinberg 

left duty at N86 as the Congressional 

Liaison to take command of USS 

Preble (DDG 88). “Great leadership is 

the foundation of a great command; 

no other organization has better 

leadership then N86,” Feinberg says. 

“The officers that you serve with 

in N86 have had command or they 

are prospective COs or XOs. No 

other organization has such a group 

of upwardly mobile officers in the 

Navy. As a commanding officer, I 

find I am better able to talk with my 

wardroom and crew about the Navy 

in general because of the time I spent 

in N86 helping define and defend 

the requirements of our current and 

future fleet of surface combatants.

There are amazing people you get to 

work for and with on a daily basis.”

Rear Adm. Carol Pottenger, 

Commander, Amphibious Force 

7th Fleet, spent several years in 

OPNAV assignments, and agrees that 

N86 duty prepares you for future 

assignments.

“I was executive assistant for Adm. 

Mike Mullen when he was Director of 

Surface Warfare. I learned so much 

about every aspect of our community 

– whether dealing with issues of 

modernization and current readiness; 

acquisition and future readiness; 

or a wide range of SW community 

issues. The caliber of N86 shipmates 

– military and civilian - was superb. 

I have observed over the years that 

officers assigned to N86 who perform 

well, have a good track record of 

screening for command and for 

promotion,” she says. 

“I carried the knowledge and 

experience gained from that tour back 

to the Fleet, and it has served me well 

in my current responsibilities as both 

an ISIC and operational commander 

for a number of forward deployed 

ships and afloat detachments. I 

strongly urge any SWO to seek the 

opportunity for assignment to N86,” 

Pottenger says. “You will work hard, 

but the rewards are worth it!”

Taking a job at OPNAV also 

provides a rewarding professional 

opportunity after serving on sea duty. 

At sea, the naval officer is focused on 

planning and executing operations, 

events, and inspections, relying on 

the expert advice from our chiefs and 

Sailors. 

Working at N86 will expose you to 

all these areas of expertise to include 

acquisition, intelligence, analysis 

and budgeting. More importantly, 

you will harness all of these areas 

of expertise for your program to 

determine which new ships, missiles, 

guns, radars or combat systems will 

be delivered to the future warfighter. 

At OPNAV, you quickly become 

expert on your area or program. 

Typically, you will be working 

with a contractor who has an 

understanding of the corporate 

history, and together you define 

the requirement and determine the 

budget for critical programs, working 

closely the intelligence community, 

Coming to 

Washington? 

Do your homework!

The Washington area is a great 

place to relocate. While expensive, 

there are many housing options 

from the city to the suburbs to the 

country. Although housing prices 

are high in D.C., your housing 

allowance is commensurate. 

Commuting can be a challenge; 

it can be managed according to 

your patience and family situation. 

Inside the Beltway, driving or 

taking the Metro provides a 

reasonable commuting option. 

Many communities outside the 

Beltway have shuttle (coach) buses 

available. The Metro line also runs 

outside the Beltway and offers park 

and ride services. If you choose 

not to drive, you will be eligible 

for a Mass Transit benefit (currently 

$330 per quarter) which goes a 

long way towards paying for your 

commute. As you decide where 

to live in D.C., it is important to 

balance the area you desire with 

the length of commute and housing 

cost that will fit in your budget. If 

you have children of school age, be 

mindful of the public schools and do 

the research. I was surprised at the 

high number of top public schools 

found in the greater Washington 

D.C. area.

 Rear Adm. Carol Pottenger reviews the spread 

of forces within an exercise operational zone with 

the Royal Australian Army’s Brig. Gen. John Caligan. 

(MC2 Adam Cole/USN)

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Fall 2007

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warfighting analysts, financial and 

budgets analysts, and the acquisition 

community to establish requirements

for future capabilities and to plan 

the investment strategy to deliver that 

needed capability. Sometimes this 

requires making tough choices about 

which programs get funding and 

which must be cancelled. 

As the expert, you will be 

responsible for answering questions 

from senior leadership, up to and 

including the highest levels of the 

Navy. Often questions will be 

short-fused, and your answer must 

be accurate, succinct, and timely. 

The rewards are being trusted by 

leadership to answer the critical 

questions that shape the decisions 

of the leadership. During your tour, 

you are likely to write at least one 

or more point papers for the CNO. 

This exercise forces an in-depth 

understanding of your program 

or area and an ability to state the 

relevant information in one page–an 

art that will become natural. Beyond 

the daily churn, you will plan ahead 

for the milestones of your program or 

area and work deliberately with other 

organizations to shape the Navy’s 

position. Your networking skills will 

be in high demand as you interact 

with fleet commands, NAVSEA 

commands, and joint and OSD 

agencies to represent OPNAV and 

stay informed in your focus area. 

Lt. Duane Neal, assigned to USS 

Mesa Verde (LPD 19), says his tour 

with OPNAV was an eye opening 

experience and a great opportunity 

to get a better understanding of 

how “big Navy” makes decisions, 

who’s consulted, factors considered 

in making decisions and how much 

civilians contribute to the DoD. 

“Many of the government employees 

and contractors were some of the 

hardest working, knowledgeable and 

talented individuals I’ve met in and 

outside the service,” Neal says. 

Working at Surface Warfare Magazine

was his first taste of being a program 

manager. “I managed contracts 

and a substantial budget and 

had to manage every aspect of an 

organization, something you don’t 

quite experience as a division officer. 

I developed a lot of confidence in my 

abilities and never felt overworked 

no matter how long the days because 

of the degree of ownership I felt I 

had with the magazine. Leadership, 

diversity, history and opportunity are 

at their greatest in the D.C. area.”

Cmdr. James Malloy is the 

Washington placement officer with 

Naval Personnel Command in 

Millington, Tenn. He served at N86 

after a tour as a minesweeper CO and 

before his tour as a destroyer CO. 

He knows what kind of duty he’s 

sending officers to.

Malloy says OPNAV experience 

teaches action officers how to conduct 

analysis to ensure our ships interact 

with other Navy and joint war 

fighting capabilities and enable the 

navy to make the right investments 

for the future.

“ N86 provides the game-plan 

for Surface Navy’s future – both for 

people (still the most important) and 

ships. This is directly applicable to 

our most critical role: winning at 

sea and in the littorals. By layering 

our future Surface Navy against 

the future threats and molding 

technology to meet that future 

threat, our work at OPNAV develops 

strategic thinkers, of immediate value 

in any war fighting team,” Malloy 

says. “N86 is the engine.” 

Malloy also believes that, “This is 

incredibly poignant and challenging 

work – only for those who seek to 

 Cmdr. Robert Brunson and Nick Ricciardi work in N86’s Current Ships Branch. (MC1(SW/AW) Athena Blain/USN)

 Surface Warfare

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post xo-sm tours
According to the U.S. Navy Uniform 

Regulations NAVPERS 15665 Series

Section 1501 Uniform Standards. 

D. Conspicuous- Obvious to the eye, 

attracting attention, striking, bright in color. 

Should blend with (not stand out from) a 

professional appearance in uniform. What 

is conspicuous on one person may not 

be noticeable on another. If attention is 

naturally drawn to or distracted from the 

professional appearance, it is conspicuous. 

F. Faddish- A style followed for a 

short period of time with exaggerated 

zeal. Styles are enduring; fads are 

generally short in duration and frequently 

started by an individual or event in 

the civilian community. Fads are 

generally conspicuous and detract from a 

professional appearance. 

Section 2201. Personal Appearance 

6. Jewelry- Conservative jewelry is 

authorized for all personnel and shall be in 

good taste while in uniform. Eccentricities 

or faddishness are not permitted. Jewelry 

shall not present a safety or FOD (Foreign 

Object Damage) hazard.

By Lt. Jennifer Rossi, Military Editor Inside SW

Fall 2007

step up and mold our future need 

apply. N86 is full of ‘lead dogs’ and 

the pack runs fast.” Leadership gives 

the officers in N86 the opportunity to 

excel. These are O-4’s and O-5’s with 

great responsibility in maintaining 

today’s Navy and designing our 

future. When they leave OPNAV, 

they go to command, with a clearer 

understanding of the myriad of tools 

they and their sailors can bring to the 

defense of their Nation.”

“Today’s Surface Warfare 

Directorate, OPNAV N86, is a great 

example of how the Total Force 

concept and the Navy’s 21st century 

workforce is evolving to tackle the 

Navy’s priorities to maintain our 

current surface fleet and build the 

surface fleet of the future,” says 

Laco. “The implementation of the 

new Surface Warfare XO-CO fleet up 

will create different on ramps and off 

ramps to OPNAV staff. Even though 

this timing may change, the elements 

of what makes OPNAV unique will 

still be here.” 

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 Jim Lee, who works as a techinal analyst in the 

Future Ships Branch is a prior Surface Warfare officer 

who commanded USS Fletcher (DD 992). (MC1(SW/

AW) Athena Blain/USN)

In the last couple issues I’ve gotten 

some really good feedback from the 

fleet regarding safety, uniforms and 

compliance with the regulations. I 

would like to include the feedback 

and address an issue that I noticed 

after I started at this job.

In response to the red band on the 

wrist of the Sailor on the cover photo 

of the Spring 2007 issue, that photo 

was sent in from the fleet. It won a 

photo contest hosted by the Surface 

Navy Association and that is why 

it appeared on the cover of Surface 

Warfare Magazine. 

I think more importantly than the 

fact that he was wearing a bracelet 

was that he was wearing a bracelet 

while linehandling operations were 

being conducted. 

This goes into another feedback 

regarding photos that were used 

during the linehandling article 

in the Spring issue as well. After 

reviewing quite a few photos, I 

overlooked some very alarming 

safety infractions. I am sorry that 

the issue went to print showing these 

problems. 

More so though, I started really 

looking at all of the photos that get 

submitted directly to us or that we 

use from the Navy photo databases. 

They are all released photos which 

mean commands have approved 

them. I would like to send a request 

to the commands to take a round 

turn on your safety checks prior to 

conducting evolutions- specifically 

sleeves rolled up, watches or 

rings on, pants legs not tucked. It 

is amazing how many ships are 

operating everyday and taking 

photos that show issues with safety. 

It is still entirely my fault that these 

photos got into the magazine, but 

I would like to ask for everyone to 

take a round turn on stopping safety 

issues before a safety violation turns 

into a mishap. 

post xo-sm tours
 Surface Warfare

Letters to the Editor

In the Spring 2007 issue there is an 

article called “Reservist Serves with 

ScanEagle on Navy Ships.” Thanks 

for running that article by Marc Skylar, 

Boeing Co. I’m a Navy Reservist, AE3, 

and very active in my command. I’m 

also a ScanEagle instructor, working 

for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems 

for my full-time job. It was nice to 

see the coverage of a new tool for the 

warfighter.

Thanks,

Matt Ray

Upon reading the article “All Hands 

Fall in the Safety Brief!” I was quite 

taken back by three of the photos in the 

article, specifically: 

– BMSN Casilla not having a chin 

strap for his hard hat. A clear safety 

violation.

– BM3 Lee having not removed his 

watch. A clear safety violation.

– BM3 Pierce taking a round-turn on the 

aft portion of the bit while securing 

the mooring line. Seamanship 

training teaches sailors to take a 

round turn on the forward portion 

of the bit to prevent the bit from 

parbuckling. By placing the round 

turn on the forward part of the bit the 

stress pulled along the entire length 

of weld.

Cmdr. Ken O’Brien

CNE-C6F Plans

Director of OPG 

Editor’s Note: Upon checking in with 

Cmdr. O’Brien, he went to Maine Maritime 

Academy and was taught the final violation 

while in a seamanship class. Upon 

reviewing all sources on line handling 

that the Navy uses, I have been unable 

to verify this. If there are any BM’s out 

there with some expertise in line handling 

as it pertains to whether you should use 

the forward or aft portion of a bit, I would 

welcome your input.

The Spring 2007 edition is outstanding! 

The safety brief is very informative. 

Is the publication available in .pdf? 

I would like to forward it to all MSC 

ships or at the least the safety brief.

Thank you.

V/r

Shawn C. Smith

Safety Manager,

Military Sealift Command

Washington Navy Yard

Editor’s Note: We are working to get a new 

website up and running as soon as possible. 

Active duty Surface Warfare Officers can 

access the magazine via SWONET. 

I am President of the International 

Hydrofoil Society (IHS) and also Editor 

of our quarterly Newsletter.

I refer to the article in the Spring 2007 

issue of “Surface Warfare” (pp. 9 

and 11) entitled “Craft Will Think for 

Themselves.” I wish to obtain your 

permission to incorporate the text and 

pictures that appear in the article in 

our Third Quarter 2007 IHS Newsletter. 

You can be assured that the source 

of the material for the article will be 

acknowledged. I’m certain that the 

material in this article will be most 

informative for our members. The IHS 

is a non-profit Society and has been in 

existence since 1970. 

Sincerely, 

John R. Meyer, President and NL Editor 

Editor’s Note: We are always willing to 

lend our articles and pictures to the fleet. 

Just contact us and we will get you the 

information requested.

This is BMC(SW) A.T. Stykemain 

writing from ATG Westpac IRT your 

article entitled “All Hands Fall in For 

the Safety Brief!” written by BMC 

(SW/SCW) Martha Monahan, ATG 

Norfolk. I really enjoyed the article and 

thought it was well-versed and had a 

lot of good and accurate information. 

The only problem I had with the article 

was the pictures that accompanied it. 

The article began as such: “’Remove all 

rings, watches and bracelets. Roll down 

your sleeves and tuck in your pant legs. 

If you require a hard hat, make sure you 

have a chin strap.’” The pictures on the 

next two pages violate everything said 

there; here are the examples:

– BM3 Rueban Lee is wearing a watch 

while handling line.

– BMSN Ruben Casilla is wearing a 

hard hat with no chin strap.

– BM3 Matthew Evans’ sleeves are 

rolled up.

– BM3 Zachery Pierce’s sleeves are 

rolled up while his line captain is 

standing on a bight of line and the 

khaki shown (cannot see if CPO or 

officer) is in the direct line of pull 

right by the chock (and his sleeves are 

rolled up too!). 

I can go on with the other pictures but 

why bother; I think I have made my 

point. It’s really hard to lead sailors 

in the proper ways of doing their job 

effectively and safely when articles 

like this are printed and distributed 

to the fleet. Is there anyway to 

introduce a little quality assurance 

prior to submitting these articles to 

print? Thanks in advance for your 

understanding.

V/R,

BMC (SW) A.T. Stykemain

ATGWP

I would like to start off by stating that 

the Surface Warfare publication gets 

great information about the Fleet to 

the Fleet. I do have one request- prior 

to distribution can the pictures be 

reviewed and scrutinized by a senior 

enlisted that is highly familiar with 

the latest uniform regulations? They 

would have caught the picture on the 

cover of the latest issue Vol. 32 No. 2 

Spring 2007 which has a sailor wearing 

an unauthorized red (live strong etc...) 

bracelet. Thank you. 

V/R 

ABFCS J. D. Hutton 

V-4 Div. LCPO 

USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)

Editor’s Note: Please see the Inside SW 

article on a discussion about uniform 

regulations and safety violations. 

To submit your feedback on an 

article or the magazine write to 

surfwarmag@navy.mil. We’ll 

be happy to put your letters in 

a future issue.
USS Trayer (BST 21), the focal 

point for training future fleet Sailors, 

was commissioned at Great Lakes, 

Ill., on June 18, 2007, and is now 

“underway” conducting nightly 

training missions.

Trayer is the new Battle Stations 

21 Trainer (BST 21) a unique 

training system that combines 

theatrical lighting and sets, realistic 

simulation, theme park attraction 

technology, and experienced Fleet 

Sailors, who train, test and instill 

teamwork in the Recruits. Today, 

Recruit Training Command (RTC) 

Great Lakes processes 43,000 

Recruits a year. All of them must 

complete BST 21 to graduate.

For Recruits, the experience begins 

in the evening after another arduous 

day during their seventh week of the 

eight week boot camp. The Recruits 

know they will be undergoing a 

major training evolution near the end 

of boot camp, but they really don’t 

know what to expect. They are led 

into a “warehouse” where they are 

briefed, then proceed onto the “pier,” 

which resembles Pier 8 at the Norfolk 

Naval Shipyard. There they see the 

210-foot long replica of a haze gray 

Navy surface combatant, USS Trayer

(BST 21). 

Everything about USS Trayer

is designed to create and immerse 

the Recruits in an illusion of reality, 

from the sounds of helicopters flying 

overhead to the bird droppings on 

the fenders. The ship is surrounded 

by 90,000 gallons of water, sloshing 

around the way it would alongside a 

pier. The lighting, smells and sound 

effects create a realistic atmosphere to 

conduct the nightly voyage between 

Norfolk and Naval Weapons Station 

Yorktown and back.

The illusion is stunning. Lighting 

switches from white to red in 

passageways and on the bridge. 

Recruits feel the heat when they 

encounter flickering flame effects 

and electrical arcing from a variety 

of theatrical fixtures and strobes. 

Loud noises and vibrations emanate 

from subwoofers in the deck. The 

scenery, lighting and temperature 

are different when they arrive at 

Yorktown. The sequence of scenarios 

and the many effects create and 

maintain tension and eliminate 

monotony over the 12 hours session. 

To get Recruits to buy into the 

notion that it is an actual ship, the 

façade is done at half scale and minus 

the fantail, so that the initial point 

of view looks like an entire ship,” 

according to Rick Bluhm, the BST 

21 art director. “The elements used 

By Edward Lundquist, N86 Public Affairs

USS Trayer

Nightly Training Transit Turns 

Recruits into Sailors

 Recruits board USS Trayer (BST 21) for a night of simulated underway training. (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

Fall 2007 
in training, such as the bitts, chocks, 

etc., are full size to meet training 

objectives and the exterior elements 

at eye level, such as watertight doors, 

are also full size. The 5-inch gun on 

the forecastle was compromised at 

3/4 scale, so that it didn’t seem too 

small when standing next to it. The 

superstructure is foreshortened, 

becoming smaller in scale up through 

the mast so that it can all fit into the 

building. An even distribution of the 

most iconic architectural elements, 

such as communications, weapons, 

fueling, and firefighting systems 

gives it a very realistic impression.”

The BST 21 facilitators never say, 

“If this were a real ship...” They 

don’t have to. Because of the way 

the facility was built and is operated, 

the experience is more than the sum 

of its parts. 

When a new Sailor reports to a 

ship, it is imperative that the Sailor 

be immediately capable of serving in 

basic roles such as damage control. 

After all the physical training, 

marksmanship drills, marching and 

academic classes, BST 21 is the 

final exam. 

The BST 21 facility replaces 

the different locations used to 

conduct the all-night “final exam” 

now referred to as “Legacy Battle 

Stations.” While effective, much time 

was spent moving between locations.

“Battle Stations 21 is a capstone 

event,” says Rear Adm. Arnie 

Lotring, Commander Naval Service 

Training Command (NSTC) at Great 

Lakes, Ill., “and is tied to the Recruitto-Sailor transition.” Lotring is 

responsible for boot camp at Recruit 

Training Center, as well as Officer 

Candidate School at Newport, R.I. 

BST 21 is located in a new $82 

million, 157,000 sq. ft. building 

along with headquarters for Recruit 

Training Command and the Recruit 

Division Commander’s School. 

Trayer replicates a DDG 51-class 

guided missile destroyer, but once 

on board, the experience is evocative 

of any class of surface ship, and as 

such is a valuable training tool for all 

Sailors preparing to join the fleet. 

The Recruits must take readings 

and note anomalies, then properly 

report them to the bridge. Trayer has 

not one but four pilot houses—but 

the Recruits don’t know this. Other 

Recruits on the other end of the 

phone lines must note the problems 

on status boards and properly report 

them. Things seem pretty normal at 

first, but as the watch goes on, things 

go wrong. 

The trainer is furnished with 

fixtures and equipment from the 

decommissioned USS Deyo (DD 

989), USS Briscoe (DD 977) and USS 

John Rodgers (DD 983). There’s even 

a ship’s store. Thanks to Lotring’s 

guidance, it’s stocked with healthy 

choices like baked chips, raisins and 

multigrain bars.

“Everyone gets to be a team leader 

during the course of the night,” CTT1 

Elizabeth Westfield of Philadelphia, 

Pa., says. “Our goal is to make all of 

them good leaders.”

10 Surface Warfare

Recruits listen to instructions before beginning a night of simulated underway training on board USS Trayer

(BST 21). Battle Stations 21 is the culmination of all training received at the Navy’s only boot camp. It is a 

grueling 12-hour test, now held entirely in Trayer, of a Recruit’s skills in several shipboard evolutions, including 

fighting fires and stopping flooding. It is also the final evolution marking the Recruit’s rite of passage into the 

Navy.(S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

 A facilitator goes over instructions with a group of 

recruits before a night of underway training begins. 

(S.A. Thornbloom/USN)
Most BST facilitators are qualified 

recruit division commanders (RDCs) 

assigned to Trayer for one year. “All 

of us are hand-selected,” Westfield 

says. “I’m due to rotate in a month. 

I’m looking forward to that. I miss 

my Recruits.”

The facilitators wear blue coveralls 

with yellow T-shirts and USS Trayer

ballcaps. Most of the hats say 

“Plankowner” on the back, meaning 

they were assigned when the Trayer 

was commissioned on June 18.

For one scenario, Recruits man 

up the engineering control stations 

in central control station (CCS). 

There are status panels for main 

propulsion, auxiliaries, electrical 

and damage control. There is even a 

coffee pot in the corner. The purpose 

of this event is for the watch standers 

to understand the normal parameters 

indicated by the instruments, and 

what to do if one or more of the 

indicators shows an abnormal 

reading. “The objective is that when 

they see an alarm or an indication 

that something isn’t right that they 

report it,” says HT1 (SW/AW) Brian 

Alsobrook. 

Each non-GQ event lasts about 

40 minutes. There is a five minute 

brief, then a five minute transit to get 

into position, a 20 minute scenario, 

followed by five minutes to get 

back and a five minute debrief. The 

briefings are done in their “berthing 

compartment,” where their gear 

is stowed and where they find out 

what they did right and wrong. 

For the general quarters scenarios, 

they will see a video during debrief 

that explains why the scenario they 

just completed is something that 

could happen to them because it has 

happened to others.

Once the training starts, the 

Recruits are kept busy and kept 

moving. They are told to “take a 

knee” during a scenario debriefing. 

Although tired and uncomfortable 

as the training progresses, the 

Recruits have no opportunity to 

sleep. It is intentional that a high 

stress level is maintained throughout 

the night. The scenarios, and the 

way the Recruits must go from one 

activity to the next, does not permit 

familiarity with their surroundings 

to a point where they realize they 

are in a confined space, or that the 

Trayer has not one but four bridges. 

The Recruits will not eat during the 

entire training evolution but will get 

a snack upon completing. 

Disaster scenarios were based 

upon actual catastrophic events at 

sea. The magazine flooding scenario 

 Recruits man the helm on the bridge of USS Trayer (BST 21). (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

 A recruit makes an announcement over the 1MC, the public address system, on board USS Trayer (BST 21). 

(S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

Fall 2007 11
is based upon the USS Tripoli (LPH 

10), which struck a mine in February 

of 1991; the mass casualty event is 

derived from the USS Cole (DDG 

67), attacked by terrorists in port at 

Aden, Yemen in October of 2000; the 

firefighting incident is based upon 

USS Stark (FFG 37), struck by an 

Iraqi Exocet missile in October of 

1987; and the emergency egress drill 

is based upon the major fire aboard 

USS Forrestal (CV 59) in July of 1976.

“We’re not all engineers. I’m 

a cryptologic technician,” says 

Westfield. “But they don’t know 

what I don’t know.”

At around 2 a.m., the 1MC blares 

out “Sweepers,” followed by another 

announcement that calls away 

the “Snoopy Team.” The Recruits 

can feel the engines winding up 

as the ship races to investigate an 

unknown contact. 

At 2:17 a.m. the commanding 

officer tells us that we are 

investigating an unidentified ship. 

The ship goes to “general quarters.” 

The facilitators tell the Recruits to 

don their firefighting gear, helping 

their buddies get dressed. “Flash 

hoods,” shout the facilitators. “Help 

your buddy. Let’s go. Let’s go. Fall 

in line. We don’t have all day. Velcro 

then clip.”

“Brace for shock.” The Recruits 

grab the nearest rack. The deck in the 

berthing compartment contains large 

sub-woofers that cause the entire ship 

to shake when the missile hits. 

The team responds to a report 

of flooding in 

a magazine 

space. Their 

objective is 

to maintain 

watertight 

integrity of 

the ship, while 

moving the 

ammunition 

from the 

flooding 

compartment to 

the adjacent dry 

compartment. 

The facilitator 

plays the role of 

phone talker. 

The team enters 

the space to 

find a burst 

pipe. Using 

the pipe patching tools available, the 

team repairs the leak while others 

move the ammo. But the water 

keeps coming. There is five inches 

in the space, and rising. The ammo 

is passed, and the phone talker says 

that damage control central wants 

to know how much ammo has been 

transferred. Valves are secured, but 

permission is not granted to secure 

the fire main because the ship is 

fighting fires. Again, the team leader 

is asked how many rounds have 

been moved. Once a count has been 

made, the Recruits now count out 

loud as each round is stacked in the 

dry compartment. Now the water 

is covering the deck grating. The 

phone talker tells the scene leader 

that that damage control central 

wants to know why the water has 

risen a foot since the last report. 

Although the leak was stopped, the 

team leader can’t explain. The team 

moves as much ammo as they can 

before the water begins to spill into 

the dry compartment. 

“How many rounds did you 

move?” shouts the facilitator. “110, 

petty officer!” they shout back.

 A recruit secures a jubilee patch on a leaking pipe to prevent flooding on board USS 

Trayer (BST 21). (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

12 Surface Warfare

Facilitators monitor Recruits during the simulated underway training onboard USS Trayer. (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)
At 6 a.m. the team must fight a 

fire. The Recruits open the hatch to 

find flames at the door. The back 

wall of the space is ablaze. After they 

get the fire out and report that the fire 

has been extinguished it reflashes. 

“This is one of the harder 

scenarios,” Westfield says. “With 

the protective gear they’re wearing, 

it is harder to see and it affects their 

hearing. Their masks fog up and it 

affects their vision.”

“Each member of the team will get 

an opportunity to be the nozzleman,” 

says facilitator CTT1 (SW) Cedric 

Coppege of Memphis, Tenn. 

Eventually, after all the Recruits have 

had a chance to fight the fire face-toface, the fire is contained.

While their Recruits are 

undergoing the training, the two 

recruit division commanders are in 

the staff “ready room.” They want 

their Recruits to do well, and they 

have been preparing them for the 

past weeks for the final exam. “We’re 

not preparing them for battle stations 

per se,” says CTTC (SW/AW) Eric 

Laursen of Portland, Ore. “We’ve 

been teaching them 

basic seamanship and 

damage control, and 

this is the culmination 

where they get to 

apply it.”

ADCS (AW/SW) 

Gabriel Saez, of 

Aurora, Ill., agrees. 

“We don’t focus on 

battle stations, we 

focus on the Fleet. 

It’s all about the 

teamwork. If we’ve 

trained them well for 

the Fleet, and to work 

as a team, then they’ll 

do well in battle 

stations.”

When the Recruits 

complete the allnight training, and 

they earn the right 

to remove their Recruit ballcap and 

wear a Navy ball cap. Laursen and 

Saez will get them cleaned up, then 

returned to academic study. “We’ll 

keep them awake for 40 hours,” 

Laursen says.

“We’ll push ‘em until Taps,” 

says Saez. 

When the training is complete, 

the divisions meet up with their 

regular RDCs. They form up on the 

pier. “This is the culmination of their 

success,” says ATC Tim McKinley. 

“It can be a little overwhelming.” 

The ceremony is solemn, but upbeat 

as they recite the “Sailor’s Creed.”

Capt. Annie Andrews, 

commanding officer of Recruit 

Training Command congratulates the 

Recruits. “You saved your ship. You 

saved your shipmates.” 

“In a real situation, what do we 

really expect them to be able to do? 

That’s what we want to train them 

for here, and instill them with that 

confidence” Lotring says.

Capt. Paul Rinn, U.S. Navy (ret.), 

commanded the USS Samuel B. 

Roberts (FFG 58) when it struck an 

Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf 

on April 14, 1988. Despite massive 

damage, Rinn’s well prepared and 

highly motivated crew saved their 

ship. “There is no substitute for 

realistic training at every level of the 

Navy,” Rinn says. “Indoctrinating 

those about to go to sea in ships 

with the importance of the chain 

of command, proper procedures, 

proven methodologies and 

established best practice techniques is 

the key to professionalism and early 

success in the Navy at sea.”

“Nothing takes the place of solid 

preparation,” Rinn says. “Battle 

Stations 21 is a superb initiator and 

test for young Sailors preparing to 

go to sea! The lessons taught as 

well as the skills learned will be 

indispensable in readying today’s 

Sailors for the challenges they will 

encounter and the dangers they may 

have to deal with.” 

Recruits standby watching for flare-ups after extinguishing a fire on board 

USS Trayer (BST 21). (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)

Fall 2007 13

 Recruits stand at attention and receive their Navy 

ball caps during a capping ceremony after ending 

training on board USS Trayer (BST). (S.A. Thornbloom/USN)
14 Surface Warfare

By definition, a steam ship is a 

sea-going vessel that is propelled by 

one or more steam driven screws, 

propellers or paddles. The idea 

of utilizing steam as a means of 

propelling a ship through the water 

has been around for centuries. 

Brief History

In 1685, Denis Papin proposed the 

idea for steam-driven propulsion on 

board ships. As with all inventions, 

several other shipbuilders built on 

his idea, but it was James Watt who is 

credited with ushering steam into the 

Industrial Revolution by patenting a 

new, more efficient steam engine. 

He took the design of the 

Newcomen Steam Engine and 

improved upon its ability to generate 

power. He used his knowledge 

of latent heat to produce what is 

commonly called the Enthalpy Curve. 

He then made the most significant 

advancement in the design of steam 

engines: separate condensers. 

In 1787, John Fitch brought steam 

navigation to the United States 

by launching a steam-powered 

vessel on the Delaware River in 

the presence of the Constitutional 

Convention. Robert Fulton designed 

the first steam-powered paddlewheel 

warship, which was the first Navy 

ship to use steam. Fulton called it 

Demologos, or “The word of the 

people,” but the Navy called it, 

variously, the Fulton Steam Frigate, the 

Steam Battery, and Fulton the First. It 

was originally intended to defend the 

port of New York during the War of 

1812. It took another 10 to 15 years 

before the next steam-powered naval 

vessel was built.

By MMCS(SW) Darryl Bates and EMCS(SW) Dave Eckert, SWOS Steam Engineering Instructors, Newport R.I.

Welcome to the

STEAM NAVY

 A Sailor rotates a torch to heat it up before lighting a boiler aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan 

(LHD 5). The hot torches are used like a match to light the boiler off. (USN)

 A Sailor receives messages from the bridge, to control the speed of the ship, during his watch as the throttleman in the ship’s main control aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). (USN)
Fall 2007 15

Commodore Matthew Perry, the 

father of the steam Navy, made the 

Navy more steam-conscious. The 

side-wheeled steamer Fulton II 

was launched in 1837. It cruised 

the Atlantic coast performing 

several missions including training 

officers in gunnery, aiding ships in 

distress, and conducting ordnance 

experiments. By the end of the Civil 

War, there were approximately 600 

steam vessels in the Navy. 

The invention of the propeller in 

1870 ushered in a new era of ship 

propulsion design. As stated in 

Steam Propulsion “the early engines 

were low-powered, unreliable, 

inefficient, and were used chiefly as 

an auxiliary to sail.” 

With the invention of steam 

turbines by Charles Parsons the 

Steam Navy was ready to leave its 

piston designs behind and enter into 

the age of turbines. In 1897 Parsons’ 

built the Turbinia and showed the 

world that sails and masts, paddle 

wheels and propellers driving by 

pistons could not compete with her 

sleekness and speed. By 1912, boilers 

and turbines ruled the sea lanes.

Today the 

steam-powered 

propulsion 

plant is reliable, 

efficient, and highpowered. The 

U.S. Navy utilizes 

conventional Dtype boilers and 

nuclear reactors 

to produce 

steam for 

propulsion and 

the generation 

of electricity. 

Nuclear reactors 

are used to 

heat the water 

in a pressurized 

primary loop. 

This primary 

water is then 

pumped in a 

loop through a 

steam generator 

where the heat 

is transferred 

to a separate 

secondary volume 

of water. This 

secondary water 

is maintained 

at saturation 

temperature and 

pressure thereby 

creating steam. 

In the boiler, 

air is brought into the boiler from 

outside the ship by the use of 

forced draft blowers that mix the 

combustion air with fuel oil through 

the burners. Depending upon the 

class of ship, four or six burners will 

be utilized to create the flame that 

heats the water in the boiler tubes, 

thus forming steam. This formation 

of steam helps to establish a thermal 

driving head which develops 

accelerated natural circulation. The 

steam is then superheated in the 

super heater to increase the thermal 

energy prior to leaving the boiler. 

The hot combustion gases that 

pass across the super heater are 

then sent out towards the stacks 

but before they exit the ship most 

of its heat is removed and used to 

preheat incoming feed water in the 

economizer, thereby increasing the 

efficiency of the steam cycle.

Regardless of how the steam 

is created, it flows through the 

main steam and auxiliary steam 

piping to the main propulsion 

turbines and ships service turbine 

Conventional Steam Ships today

AS 39 Emory Land Class Sub Tender-2

LCC 19 Blue Ridge Class Command and Control-2

LPD 4 Austin Class Landing Transport dock-6

LHA 1 Tarawa Class Landing Helo Assault-3

LHD 1 Wasp Class Landing Helo Deck-7

CV 63 Kitty Hawk Class Carrier-1

CV 67 Kennedy Class Carrier-1

Advantages Disadvantages

Reliability Costly Upkeep 

Efficiency More Operators

Durability Weight

Long Range 

capabilities 

 The rotating assembly in a dual-flow, low-pressure steam turbine with the top cover removed for use as a 

static display at the Surface Warfare Officer School’s steam engineering training. (USN)
16 Surface Warfare

generators. The main propulsion 

turbine continues the overall plant 

efficiency by converting the thermal 

energy of the steam into mechanical 

energy. This mechanical energy is 

then transmitted through the main 

reduction gears to the propeller to 

drive the ship through the water. 

The high speed of the turbines 

is reduced to a lower more efficient 

speed for the propeller or generator 

through the use of reduction gears. 

The exhausted steam from the 

turbines enters condensers and is 

condensed back into water. This 

water is then preheated and sprayed 

into the deaerating feed tank 

(DFT) where the oxygen and non-

 USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) oil king carefully instructs an ensign on the proper 

insertion of the torch into the boiler’s torch bay during the ship’s light-off assessment (LOA). LOA examines engineering spaces, procedures, safety and readiness 

while ensuring the command can successfully light off its engineering plant and 

combat a class bravo fire in the ship’s main spaces. (USN)

 DCCS Philip Jasso fans a torch in preparation to re-light the boilers during a 

mud drum and boiler head cleaning and re-light evolution aboard amphibious 

assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). (MC3 Matthew Kuhlman/USN)

 Two Sailors monitor the boiler steam drum pressure gauge prior to a boiler light 

off aboard the conventionally-powered aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). 

Kitty Hawk’s boilers reach temperatures of more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit 

to produce steam for the ship’s propulsion and auxiliary power systems. (USN)

 A Sailor performs throttleman duties in USS Kitty Hawk’s (CV 63) No. 3 Main 

Machinery Room. A throttleman controls the speed of the ship’s propellers and monitors the status of related machinery to ensure it is functioning properly. (USN)
Fall 2007 17

condensable gases are removed. 

The water then leaves the DFT, now 

as feed water, where it is heated some 

more by the exiting exhaust gases 

from the boiler and then enters the 

boiler to restart the cycle. 

The operation of the boiler is 

controlled through the utilization 

of numerous controlling elements. 

These controls ensure that 

combustion rate and feed water 

supply to the boiler are closely 

monitored and controlled to operate 

the boiler at all power levels. 

Naval boilers have entered the 

age of the 21st century with the 

installation of electronic automatic 

boiler controls. System correction is 

almost simultaneous with throttle 

operation. Low pressure air operated 

components have been with replaced 

with electronic components that 

are more reliable and require less 

maintenance. Furnace and stack 

cameras have been added to further 

aid personnel in the efficient and 

safe operations of today’s U.S. Naval 

steam propulsion plants. 

Summary

Steam has been the dominant 

source of propulsion in the U.S. 

Navy since the Civil War and will 

continue well into the 21st century. 

Carrier and Expeditionary Strike 

Groups are centered around nuclear 

and conventional steam propulsion 

ships and it is their reliability, 

durability and speed that allows the 

Navy to respond to any threat in the 

world. “Go Steam!” is the cry of the 

engineers of these mighty war ships 

and they are standing by to start 

reactors or torch boilers whenever 

called upon to defend the interests 

of the United States of America. 

Sources:

www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/

ship/eng/steam.htm

www.enterprise.navy.mil

www.tarawa.navy.mil

 A Sailor wire brushes excess chemical build-up off the combustion tubes in the boiler on board the amphibious 

assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5). (USN)

USS Jason 

Dunham

(DDG 109)

Cpl. Jason Dunham was 

the first Marine awarded 

the Medal of Honor for 

Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

“Dunham, the friendly, 

kind-hearted, gifted 

athlete who followed his 

star in the United States 

Marine Corps, went on to 

become one of the most courageous, heroic and admired 

Marines this great country has ever known,” said Secretary 

of the Navy Donald Winter. “His name will be forever associated with DDG 109. May those who serve in her always 

be inspired by the heroic deeds of Jason Dunham, and may 

all of us strive to be worthy of his sacrifice.”

USS William 

P. Lawrence 

(DDG 110)

Vice Adm. William P. 

Lawrence served nearly 

six years as a prisoner 

of war in North Vietnam 

and later as superintendent of the U.S. Naval 

Academy. Along with 

fellow prisoner and 

naval aviator, Vice Adm. 

James Stockdale, Lawrence became noted for resistance to 

his captors. Stockdale remarked that Lawrence, “repeatedly 

paid the price for being perceived by the enemy as a source 

of their troubles through his high crime of leadership. He 

could not be intimidated and never gave up the ship.”

USS

Spruance 

(DDG 111)

DDG 111 will be named 

the USS Spruance to 

honor Adm. Raymond A. 

Spruance, whose calm 

and decisive leadership 

in command of Task 

Force 16 at the Battle 

of Midway contributed 

to the pivotal American 

victory. Spruance’s disposition of forces and management 

of available aircraft proved to be brilliant. His decisions 

during that action were important to its outcome, which 

changed the course of the war with Japan. Spruance was 

also previously honored with the naming of the former USS 

Spruance (DD 963), first of the Spruance-class destroyers. 

DD 963 was decommissioned on March 23, 2005.
The ”Old Salt” designation, 

honoring the surface warfare Officer 

serving on active duty with the 

earliest Officer of the Deck, Fleet, 

Qualification, passed from Vice Adm. 

Rod Rempt to Adm. Mike Mullen at a 

May 21 ceremony at Annapolis, Md.

“We rely on those who have 

gone before us to pass down our 

lore, customs and tradition,” said 

Vice Adm. Kevin Green, U.S. Navy 

(retired), president of the Surface 

Navy Association. “Some of us have 

been around a long time, and in the 

Navy, we have an expression for 

an experienced and knowledgeable 

mariner. We call them ‘Old Salts.’”

“The ‘Old Salt’ award 

originated in 1988, 

when the Surface Navy 

Association wanted to 

honor the surface warfare 

Officer possessing the 

coveted qualification, and 

more importantly, the 

ideals of the surface warfare 

community, the core 

values of our Navy, and 

the tradition of the Surface 

Warrior,” Green said.

The honor is 

accompanied by a bronze 

statue depicting a World 

War II naval officer on 

the pitching deck of his 

ship. It is cast from metal 

salvaged from historic U.S. 

Naval ships, most notably 

the battleship USS Maine. 

Inscribed on the trophy’s 

base are the words of 

Adm. Arleigh Burke, 

“Keeper of the Seas” and 

“Dedicated to Service.” 

The custodian of the “Old 

Salt,” upon his or her retirement, 

passes the responsibility to instill 

those values and ideals in the surface 

warfare community to the next “Old 

Salt.” A miniature replica of the 

statue is presented to each “Old Salt” 

as he retires.

Since 1988, there have been 

thirteen recipients of the “Old Salt” 

award. The first was Adm. Lee 

Baggett, now deceased. Seven of the 

Navy’s former “Old Salts” attended 

the ceremony. They were Vice Adm. 

Albert J. Herberger (Feb. 28, 1989 

– March 21, 1990), Adm. David E. 

Jeremiah (Feb. 1, 1991 – Feb. 28, 

1994), Vice Adm. David M. Bennett 

(March 1994 –Aug. 25, 1995), Vice 

Adm. Philip M. Quast (Aug. 26, 1995 

– Feb. 14, 1997). Rear Adm. Dennis R. 

Conley (Jan. 14, 1999 – March 31,1999), 

Rear Adm. James B. Ferguson III 

(April 1, 1999 –June 1, 1999) and Vice 

Adm. James F. Amerault (June 2, 1999 

– July 24, 2001).

Rempt, who will retire in June 

as superintendent of the U.S. Naval 

Academy, is the longest reigning 

“Old Salt.” He has held the title since 

2001. He qualified as OOD while 

transiting from Sydney, Australia to 

Wellington, New Zealand aboard 

USS Coontz (DLG 9) in 1967. Mullen 

earned his OOD letter in 1970 while 

serving as the ASW Officer on USS 

Collette (DD 730). 

In his remarks Rempt stated “It 

has been a great honor to be in the 

position of the keeper of keys, if you 

will, to the seas over these last six 

years and to focus on the chance to 

talk about going to sea and what fun 

it is and what great excitement it is.”

“It is an honor – it is not an 

award I sought in terms of clearly 

representing longevity in the Navy 

but it is a great award.” said Mullen. 

“It represents us as a community 

with the traditions that mean so 

much. Going to sea is very special. 

I actually can recall pretty easily the 

watches I was standing back then 

which makes it very special. This is 

a wonderful tradition sponsored by 

the Surface Navy Association, a great 

organization that has meant so much 

to so many people for so long. It is 

a very special day for me and I look 

forward to holding the keys to being 

the ‘Old Salt’ and all it represents.”

"Old Salt" designation passes to 

Adm. Mike Mullen

18 Surface Warfare

 Adm. Mike Mullen accepts the Old Salt designation on May 21 at a 

ceremony at Annapolis, Md. (Edward Lundquist)
Navigator, damage control 

training team teader, and executive 

officer are just a few of the duties 

Lt. Ted Essenfeld is juggling while 

deployed onboard USS Guardian

(MCM 5), a minesweeper based in 

Sasebo, Japan. His extensive duties 

are preparing him to be the first 

surface warfare officer to ‘fleet-up’ 

to commanding officer (CO) in 

Spring 2008. 

Essenfeld reported to Guardian

in February 2007, leading the way in 

what will be a Navy-wide standard 

for surface warfare officers slated to 

become commanding officers. 

“I’ve had a lot of experience 

leading Sailors,” said Essenfeld. “But 

becoming the commanding officer 

of this ship is certainly going to be 

the most challenging experience I’ve 

faced thus far in my career.” 

In fact, he has over 16 years of 

Navy experience—combined enlisted 

and officer—in varied warfare areas 

that leave him well-prepared for the 

challenges that come with him being 

executive officer—and soon to be 

commanding officer.

“Since applying for a commission, 

command-at-sea has been my 

number one career goal, and I 

am grateful for the opportunity 

presented by the ‘fleet-up’ program,” 

said Essenfeld. “The opportunity 

for early command really excited 

me when I first heard about PC 

and MCM commands as an ensign. 

The fleet-up program provides that 

opportunity with the added benefits 

of being familiar with the ship, the 

crew, and the mission before you 

actually assume command. I’ll have 

more than a year to shape policy and 

implement procedures, ensuring 

continuity in the way we execute our 

mission. It’s a great idea.”

Under the fleet-up plan, 

officially set in motion in December 

2005, executive officers serve 18 

months and then transition to CO, 

for their command tour on the 

same ship. For Guardian, an O-4 

command ship, it will be just over 

a year before Essenfeld becomes 

commanding officer. 

The fleet-up command career 

path had already been in place in the 

air warfare community before the 

surface warfare community decided 

Forward-Deployed Minesweeper Readying 

First Surface Warfare Officer for ‘Fleet-Up’

By Lt. j.g. Steve Peterson, USS Guardian (MCM 5) Public Affairs Officer

Fall 2007 19

 USS Guardian Executive Officer Lt. Ted Essenfeld instructs a Sailor on the bridge. (MC2(SW) Adam Cole/USN)
it was a leadership best practice as 

well. The Navy’s latest commandat-sea initiative is beneficial to 

both the Fleet and the service 

members accepted into the program, 

according to Vice Adm. Terry Etnyre, 

Commander, Naval Surface Forces. 

“‘XO/CO Fleet-Up’ is about 

command,” said Etnyre when 

the program was first announced 

at the end of 2005. “It provides 

focused command leadership 

stability throughout a ship’s life. A 

commanding officer will reap the 

benefits of the actions and policies he 

or she institutes as executive officer. 

He or she will know the crew upon 

assumption of command and will be 

intimately familiar with the material 

condition and the combat readiness 

of the ship. This improves readiness 

and will provide an unprecedented 

level of command leadership stability 

in our surface force.”

In line with Etnyre’s intentions 

of the program, Essenfeld, as XO, is 

setting forth policies that will carry 

forward when he becomes CO and 

establishing a positive rapport with 

the crew.

“The program allows focused 

command level leadership for a 

longer period of time,” stated Lt. 

Cmdr. Steve DeMoss, Guardian’s

commanding officer. “I also think 

it will have a long term impact on 

improving the ship’s readiness and 

material condition.”

For Essenfeld and the Navy, 

these factors will provide a high 

level of leadership stability and 

mission readiness.

“Since I first submitted my 

commissioning program application, 

my desire has always been to lead 

Sailors,” said Essenfeld. “Among 

my career goals have always been 

to teach, mentor, and work closely 

alongside young Sailors and to have 

a positive impact on their lives. 

Command-at-sea will afford me an 

opportunity to do just that.”

Essenfeld enlisted in the Navy in 

November 1990, and enrolled in the 

Naval Nuclear Power Program. He 

served onboard USS Topeka (SSN 

754) and achieved the rating of MM2 

before being selected for the Broadened 

Opportunity for Officer Selection and 

Training program (BOOST). 

After graduating from Rensselaer 

Polytechnic Institute in December 

1998, Essenfeld underwent flight 

training for Naval flight officers 

but ultimately transferred to the 

surface warfare community. He 

served in USS Juneau (LPD 10) and 

USS Gonzalez (DDG 66). Essenfeld 

USS Guardian Executive Officer Lt. Ted Essenfeld instructs navigation department Sailors QMSN Aaron 

Carstensen (left) and QM3 Julio Sanchez (right) on elements of reading a navigational chart. Essenfeld, who will 

be the first surface officer to ‘fleet-up’ to commanding officer, says he takes pride in working with Sailors and 

developing them. (MC2 (SW) Adam Cole/USN) 

 USS Guardian Executive Officer Lt. Ted Essenfeld instructs a Sailor while underway.

(MC2(SW) Adam Cole/USN)

20 Surface Warfare
skipped post-division officer shore 

duty to go directly to department 

head school, specifically asking to 

return to sea as a department head in 

a forward-deployed ship.

“I received some great mentoring 

from my former department heads, 

XOs, COs, and commodores. They 

recognized that my time at flight 

school placed me a bit behind my 

peers. Some additional advice 

from Capt. Holloway (now Adm. 

Holloway who was the head of 

surface warfare officer distribution) 

led to my decision to forego shore 

duty and return to sea. I wanted 

to take advantage of all the 

opportunities available to me and 

make sure I remained competitive 

amongst my peers,” said Essenfeld. 

“Time at sea, actively engaging in 

high OPTEMPO missions, has helped 

me stand out in a community full of 

stellar officers.”

“I’ve been excited about early 

command opportunities since I was 

an ensign in the division officer’s 

course,” said Essenfeld. “My class 

advisor, who is now my commodore 

at Mine Countermeasures Division 

11, introduced us to a former 

shipmate who had early command. 

That experience stayed with me 

as I completed my division officer 

tours. For me, a guy who enlisted 

in the Navy as an E-1, the thought 

of any command was thrilling. As 

a department head, I let my CO 

know early that I was pursuing early 

command and I worked hard to earn 

his support. When I wasn’t selected 

for PC Command, I accepted 

orders to be XO in Guardian. I 

was disappointed at not being 

selected but, having received so 

much support and encouragement 

from my entire chain of command, 

I applied again after the fleet-up 

program was announced. Finding 

out I was selected to fleet-up in 

Guardian was among the proudest 

moments in my life.”

Essenfeld served a tour as the 

chief engineer aboard the USS 

Fort McHenry (LSD 43) and its 

hull-swap replacement, USS 

Tortuga (LSD 46) in Sasebo before 

taking orders to Guardian. While 

attending the prospective executive 

officer course in Newport, R.I., he 

learned that he had been selected 

to fleet-up in Guardian. He rolled 

straight into the prospective 

commanding officer pipeline before 

reporting to USS Guardian.

In Guardian, Essenfeld has already 

guided the ship through TSTA 

(tailored ship training availability), 

FEP (final evaluation problem), and 

the bi-lateral exercises Foal Eagle

and Cobra Gold. He has made an 

immediate, positive impact on the 

ship and its crew.

“I’m excited to be here,” said 

Essenfeld. “I want nothing more 

than to help the ship continue its 

tradition of excellence and to have 

a positive impact on the lives of the 

Sailors I lead.” 

 USS Guardian Executive Officer Lt. Ted Essenfeld goes over engineering checks with IC3(SW) Michael Taylor 

aboard the forward-deployed minesweeper. Continually ensuring mission readiness is one of the traits that has 

led Essenfeld to success thus far in his career, he says, and plans to continue stringently setting readiness benchmarks when he soon becomes Guardian’s commanding officer. Essenfeld will be the first surface warfare officer 

to ‘fleet-up’ to commanding officer. (MC2 (SW) Adam Cole/USN)

Fall 2007 21
22 Surface Warfare

Remembering the 

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

Modern technology has many good points: it’s more convenient, more reliable and faster, and the Navy is right on 

board with using the newest and best equipment. With all of us plunging headlong into the future, though, many of 

the old naval traditions are slowly disappearing. Sometimes even the history behind the traditions has been lost. For 

example, ask a handful of boatswain’s mates about the origins of their pipe, and you’re bound to get several different 

answers. Just how many quartermasters are out there who can illustrate the perfect forms of semaphore? In twenty 

years, will any navigator know how to take fixes using the stars?

Celestial Navigation

With the invention of global positioning systems and the widespread use 

of satellites, it does seem a little behind-the-time to stare up at the night sky or 

plot the position of the sun to figure out where the ship is. In fact, Sailors have 

used celestial navigation, the art of studying the sky to guide ships, since ships 

were first sailing. It was during the Phoenician and Greek eras that humans 

first attempted sailing at night, but desert caravans in the Middle Eastern 

regions used stars for navigation well before then. The Chinese developed the 

first compass using magnetic rocks called lodestones almost 2,000 years ago. 

Up until recently, the Navy required all officers who were working towards 

surface warfare officer qualification to know how to find the ship’s location by 

celestial navigation. The premise behind this requirement was the knowledge 

would be useful if a ship lost power. The Navy Academy dropped celestial 

navigation course from its curriculum in 1998.

Boatswain’s Pipe

There are several beliefs concerning the origins 

of the boatswain’s pipe. Some sources state that the 

boatswain’s pipe dates back to when ships had sails and 

slave labor. The pipe was used to keep the rowers at the 

same, steady pace. Another legend dates the boatswain’s 

pipe back to the Crusades, where it was used to deliver 

orders in the midst of war. The sound of the pipe was 

used onboard ships for communication and ceremony, 

long before the 1MC came into existence. Named for the 

Bosun, a warrant in charge of a ship’s rigging, anchors 

and deck crew, the pipe, along with its hand-made 

lanyard, was worn as a badge of honor. Traditionally, a 

boatswain’s mate is presented with his first pipe after he 

makes his first lanyard. Piping, when done properly, is a 

welcome addition to every ship. Today, however, the art 

is not practiced as often and is becoming lost.

 A Sailor uses a sextant aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). The sextant is an instrument designed for 

finding the ship’s position through celestial navigation. (USN)

 A boatswain’s mate pipes over the 1MC, signaling the beginning of morning 

announcements while standing boatswain mate of the watch on the bridge aboard the 

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (USN)
Fall 2007 23

Semaphore

Semaphore is used to signal between ships by use 

of flags, lights or arm waving. Since the signalman 

rating merged with quartermaster, much of this art form 

has disappeared. Salty signalmen who can rapidly 

correspond with neighboring ships with little to no effort 

are extremely hard to find in today’s fleet. The term 

semaphore is Greek for “sign-bearing.” Personnel from 

both ships wave flags or their arms to communicate 

with an alphabetical signaling system. Semaphore 

was vitally important to naval vessels until it was 

replaced by electrical telegraph. Bridge-to-bridge, 

secure communications and computer chat are now the 

preferred method of communications between ships 

during evolutions. Quartermasters are still required to 

learn Morse code and all the flags in a flag bag so they 

can continue using visual signaling such as flag-hoist 

and flashing lights. Flags must be read in the proper 

sequence and the signal must be brokered correctly to 

fully understand what is being said. Flags in a single 

hoist should be read from the top down. If it is divided 

into more than one hoist, you read from top down, 

outboard in. 

lost arts of the Navy

Marlinspike Seamanship

Marlinspike seamanship is the art of handling and 

maintaining every variety of line or rope, including 

knotting, splicing or lashing. There are several varieties 

of lines and ropes used aboard Navy ships. Fiber 

ropes can be made of natural material such as manila, 

cotton, or hemp or synthetic materials such as nylon, 

polypropylene and polyester. A Kevlar material is 

also being used in fiber ropes to make line-handling 

evolutions safer. In the Navy, most natural ropes are 

being replaced by synthetic materials for safety and 

easier handling. Monkey’s fists are no longer used 

for sending the messenger lines during an underway 

replenishment- now synthetic line and a red ball is 

used. The art of fancy work is also slowly disappearing. 

The skills required to make the intricate lanyards 

for boatswain’s pipes are vanishing from our Navy. 

Ceremonial quarterdecks were once always adorned 

with painted knots and braiding, but now those skilled in 

marlinspike seamanship and fancy work are becoming a 

rare commodity. 

 A Sailor puts the finishing touches on some fancy line work, wrapped around a 

pipe aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Fancy work once adorned 

most ceremonial quarterdecks aboard ships. (USN)

 QMSN Ellysa McCreary communicates with USS Laramie (TAO 203) using flags 

during a replenishment at sea aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. 

Truman (CVN 75). McCreary’s non-verbal communication ensures that the Truman

and Laramie remain a safe distance from each other. (MC3 Mari Matsumoto/USN)
24 Surface Warfare

Whether you are a seasoned athlete 

or a weekend workout warrior, it is 

important to stretch before and after a 

workout. The benefits of stretching go 

far beyond flexibility.

When done properly, stretching can:

• Enhance physical fitness

• Enhance ability to learn and 

perform skilled movements

• Increase mental and physical 

relaxation

• Enhance development of body 

awareness

• Reduce risk of injury to joints, 

muscles and tendons

• Reduce muscular soreness

• Increase suppleness due to 

stimulation of the production 

of chemicals which lubricate 

connective tissues

• Reduce severity of painful 

menstruation in females.

Unfortunately, even those who 

stretch do not always stretch 

properly and hence do not reap some 

or all of these benefits. Some of the 

most common mistakes made while 

stretching are:

• Improper warm-up

• Inadequate rest between workouts

• Overstretching

• Performing the wrong exercises

• Performing exercises in the wrong 

(or sub-optimal sequence)

There are several elements to a good 

stretch. Ideally, a particular stretch 

should work only the muscles you are 

trying to stretch. In general, the fewer 

muscles you try to stretch at once, the 

better. By isolating the muscle you are 

stretching, you experience resistance 

from fewer muscle groups, which 

gives you greater control over the 

stretch and allows you to more easily 

change its intensity. 

Another important aspect of 

stretching is leverage. Having 

leverage during a stretch means 

having sufficient control over how 

intense the stretch becomes, and how 

fast. If you have good leverage, you 

have greater control.

Remember not to stretch too far 

beyond the point of comfort. If you 

begin to feel pain during a stretch, 

chances are you are overdoing it.

Stretch often. Stay flexible.

Arnie Kinnunen is the Community 

Outreach Coordinator at Portage Health. 

An avid runner, mountain biker, crosscountry skier, and fitness enthusiast 

himself, Kinnunen provides outreach 

programs to his local community.

Proper Stretching:

Planning to Prevent Injury

By Arnie Kinnunen, Portage Health Community Outreach Coordinator

Fit For Duty

 Members of Commander, Navy Region Hawaii’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) fitness staff practice 

alphabet stretches, an exercise designed for children to make fitness fun. It was one of many exercises the group 

learned during a two-day commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Youth Fitness Training seminar being 

conducted throughout CNIC regions to promote a healthy youth lifestyle and to combat youth and child obesity. 

(MCSN Paul Honnick/USN)
Fall 2007 25

The Navy’s culture embraces 

health awareness, and Sailors are 

healthier than ever. Due to the 

importance Navy officials have put 

on exercise in recent years, more 

Sailors are involved in a regular 

exercise routine and living overall 

healthier lifestyles. The flip side of 

this coin, though, is more Sailors are 

incurring fitness-related injuries. 

Simple steps before, during and 

after your workout and throughout 

the rest of your day can prevent 

many of these injuries. Stretching, 

proper form and pacing are 

excellent ways to keep yourself 

in top form and ready for the 

Physical Readiness Test (PRT), and 

there are several Navy avenues to 

educate Sailors on proper exercise 

techniques. 

One of the key ingredients to a 

healthy, safe workout regimen is to 

have the proper equipment. Make 

sure shoes fit correctly. According 

to the Navy Environmental Health 

Center’s (NEHC) website, “proper 

running shoes are very important. 

They should be replaced every six 

months.” 

Varying your workout can also 

decrease your chances of sports 

injury. Sailors should begin to 

prepare for the PRT at least three 

to four weeks prior to the actual 

PRT, if they haven’t already begun 

doing so. It states on the NEHC’s 

PRT Preparation Notes, “For injury 

prevention purposes, if you have 

done very little to prepare for the 

PRT, don’t do too much too soon. 

Pace yourself.”

NEHC’s website has several links 

to prevent sports-related injuries, 

complete with downloadable 

recommendations for several 

sports. There are also short videos 

explaining proper techniques for 

PRT exercises. Sailors can also 

visit their local morale, welfare 

and recreation (MWR) gym facility 

where trained staff members and 

personal trainers are willing to 

help those who ask. Keeping 

yourself in shape is important, but 

being in shape isn’t a deterrent 

for injuries if you don’t take the 

proper precautions. Contact 

your local PRT health promotions 

office or visit the NEHC website 

to learn more. Sailors can also 

review the Physical Readiness 

Program OPNAVINST 6110.1 series 

for specific instructions on PRT 

exercises and stretches to prevent 

injuries.

Pain isn’t always gain

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

Fit For Duty

 Navy senior enlisted leaders attending the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy’s 

(MCPON) Leadership Mess Meeting, stretch prior to a morning workout onboard Naval Air 

Station, Joint Reserve Base, Ft. Worth, Texas. All attendees were participants in the wear-test 

of the Navy’s proposed physical training uniform. (MC2 D. Keith Simmons/USN)

 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG) Command Master Chief (CMDCM) 

German Fiesco and other Navy senior enlisted leaders stretch, as they weartest the Navy’s proposed physical training uniform, prior to a work out. 

(MCC Eric Clement/USN)
26 Surface Warfare

Starship Troopers, one of author 

Robert A. Heinlein’s most famous 

works, spawned a television series, 

several video games and a very 

successful full-length motion picture. 

As a result, many people believe they 

know what Starship Troopers is all 

about, despite not having read the 

book. The common saying that the 

movie is never quite as good as the 

book is especially true in this case.

The book begins abruptly, which 

is great for those who dislike slowstarting stories. Johnnie Rico is 

in a briefing onboard the orbital 

dropship Rodger Young, then 

strapped into a small capsule, loaded 

like ammunition into a cannon 

and shot toward the unfortunate 

planet below. The capsule releases 

countermeasures and a series of 

parachutes as it descends, dropping 

Johnnie, his armored suit and an 

assortment of weaponry safely to 

the surface.

Johnnie and his platoon proceed 

to unleash the fury of their 

flamethrowers, high explosive bombs 

and nuclear rockets on an alien city 

inhabited by “skinnies.” The action 

is intense and it is easy to picture 

Johnnie as he rockets from rooftop to 

rooftop, launching explosives to his 

flanks, leaving a trail of devastation.

The action pauses to introduce 

a younger Johnnie, his decision 

to enlist in the civil service, and 

the training he receives which is 

comparable to modern special forces 

training. Throughout this training, 

Johnnie recalls lessons from his 

history and moral philosophy class 

from high school. Unlike our society, 

lashing, as a form of punishment, is 

common in Starship Troopers. After 

one of the soldiers is given five 

lashes as punishment, Johnnie Rico 

remembers a discussion in school 

about juvenile delinquency in the 

twentieth century. Even the strongest 

protesters to corporal punishment 

may review their opinion during 

this chapter. 

After graduation, the book 

follows Johnnie’s career as he 

moves up the ranks and fights 

several battles against the bug-like 

aliens of Klendathu. Because the 

casualty rate is high, Johnnie is 

forced to accept higher and higher 

levels of command.

It is difficult to avoid feeling 

proud of serving in the military after 

reading this book. Sometimes service 

members can lose the importance of 

their service in the military. During 

the difficult decision of remaining 

in the service or getting out of the 

military, many military personnel 

revisit their initial reasons for joining 

up in the first place. A particular 

quote by one character in the book to 

Johnnie to encourage him is a good 

reminder to all service members: 

“The noblest fate that a man can 

endure is to place his own mortal 

body between his loved home and 

war’s desolation.”

Starship Troopers

By Robert A. Heinlein

1959, Penguin Putnam Inc., New York

ISBN: 0-441-78358-9

List Price: USD $6.99

By ET2 William Nelson, 

USS John S. McCain (DDG 56)

Book Review

Thanks to ET2 Nelson 

for contributing a book 

review. If anyone else 

has read books from 

the Navy Professional 

Reading Program List, 

please submit your 

thoughts. We’ll run your 

review in an upcoming 

issue of our magazine. 

Thanks!
Fall 2007 27

The Navy built several variations 

of escorts after World War II, including both steam and diesel powered 

ships. The 314-foot Dealy-class displaced 1,800 tons and had a 600-lb. 

steam plant. Four similar ships of 

the Claud Jones-class were diesel 

powered. At 27 knots, steam-powered Dealys had limited speed and 

firepower, and the diesel Claud Jones

had even less of both. 

The USS Bronstein (DE 1037)-class 

of destroyer escorts incorporated 

several new and important developments in warship design. It was the 

first ship built with the SQS-26 sonar, 

as well as the first ship designed with 

a flight deck for the drone anti-submarine helicopter (DASH). It was 

one of the first ships to be designed 

for the anti-submarine rocket (ASROC) system, which 

could propel a 

torpedo up to five miles away. Bronstein and sister ship USS McCloy

(DE 1038) were built at Avondale 

Shipyard in Louisiana. Both joined 

the fleet in 1962.

Bronstein’s mission was “to 

screen transoceanic convoys and 

to operate effectively against submarines,” according to a press 

release issued upon her commissioning at Charleston, S.C. in 

1963. The ship was named after 

Ben Richard Bronstein. Born 

in Manchester, N.H., April 14, 

1915, Ben Richard Bronstein 

was appointed an assistant 

surgeon in the Naval Reserve 

in 1941. He was 

Small combatant made big waves

Bronstein-class introduced new sensors, weapons on escort ships

By Edward Lundquist, N86 Public Affairs

 The port bow of the frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037) underway 

off the coast of Southern California. (USN)

History
28 Surface Warfare

killed in action Feb. 28, 1942 when an 

enemy submarine sunk his ship, USS 

Jacob Jones (DD 130) off Cape May, 

N.J. DE 1037 was the second to bear 

the name, with the first being USS 

Bronstein (DE 189).

Lt. Cmdr. John McCloy, the namesake of DE 1038, was a recipient of 

two Medals of Honor. Officials presented his first for his actions in the 

1900 relief expedition of the Allied 

Forces in China, and the second for 

heroism at Vera Cruz in 1914. McCloy also received the Navy Cross in 

command of USS Curlew for clearing 

mines of the North Sea mine barrage 

during World War I. 

Fahey’s Eighth Edition of Ships and 

Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet refers to these 

two ships as “graceful newcomers,” 

and “a smaller type designed for 

mass production.”

At 371-feet and 2,650 tons, Bronstein was longer and heavier than 

the Dealys, but had the same two 600 

PSI boilers and a single shaft, and so 

was slightly slower. The new and 

longer hull form was designed for 

the large bow-mounted SQS-26 sonar, 

as well as ASROC and DASH. Two 

MK32 triple-mount surface vessel 

torpedo tubes were installed, which 

were (and still are) common on most 

U.S. Navy combatants. The designed 

speed was 24 knots; certainly fast 

enough for escorting convoys. The 

new design also featured an enclosed 

bridge and fin stabilizers.

The 1037s had 13 officers and 178 

crewmembers. The commanding 

officer was a lieutenant commander 

selected for early command-at-sea.

Vice Adm. Scott Fry, U.S. Navy, 

(Ret.), recalls reporting aboard McCloy as communications officer in 

1971 at Newport, R.I., then home 

to the Atlantic Fleet Cruiser-Destroyer force. “Newport was a big 

Navy town, and with only two 

piers ships were nested sometimes 

four to a berth. Since we were the 

smallest and had the most junior 

commanding officer we were always last ship outboard.”

Fry would return to McCloy to 

command the ship in 1983.

The 1037s were somewhat top 

heavy and the large bow sonar 

caused the ships to trim by the 

bow, particularly at higher speeds. 

They were relatively slow for battle 

group operations.

“McCloy was a remarkable, but 

somewhat unseaworthy ship,” recalls 

Capt. Richard Callas who served 

on McCloy between 1979 and 1983, 

and later commanded USS Iwo Jima

(LHD 7). Callas is currently chief of 

staff for Strike Force Training Atlantic. “She rode terribly. Because the 

ship was somewhat top-heavy, she 

tended to roll significantly. I remember routinely doing 30 degree rolls 

with an occasional 45 degree roll that 

would send everyone flying about.” 

The ship’s fin stabilizers were 

removed in the 1970s because they 

caused a jerking motion when the 

ship rolled. Because of the heavy 

AN/SQS-26 AXR steel sonar dome 

and the lack of a hurricane bow 

 Frigates USS Downes (FF 1070) and USS Bronstein (FF 1037) leave U.S. Naval Facility Subic Bay. (USN)

History
Fall 2007 29

(which were standard issue on the 

Charles F. Adams-class guided missile 

destroyers and even the Knox-class 

class escorts), McCloy’s bow tended to 

‘dig’ into the seas when underway. 

“The foc’sle was always awash,” 

remembers Callas, “even in moderate 

seas. Yet despite her poor design and 

poor sea-keeping abilities, McCloy

consistently ‘steamed,’ operating 

from the ice flows in the Arctic to the 

Caribbean to the Mediterranean Sea. 

I think as a result, the ship produced 

some very proficient and seasoned 

ship handlers.”

Capt. Rick Wright, who commanded Bronstein from 1987 to 1989, 

agrees with Callas that the ships were 

notorious for their sea-keeping abilities. “When Bronstein operated off 

the coast of Alaska in the summer 

of 1989 in heavy seas, the admiral 

aboard the amphibious ship (LPD) 

that the frigate was in company 

with queried the captain via flashing light as to whether ‘everything 

was all right with the ship’ as he 

watched her plunge and roll while 

his flagship was riding through the 

seas with little apparent trouble. The 

sailors aboard the LPD subsequently 

‘re-designated’ Bronstein ‘SS 1037,’ 

because she frequently looked like a 

submarine broaching and rolling on 

the ocean’s surface.”

“When I came aboard in 1971 the 

fin stablizers were two huge lumps of 

rust,” says Fry. “They never worked. 

When I came back aboard for my 

command tour they were gone.” 

The new SQS-26 AXR was a very 

powerful mid-frequency active sonar 

and much more powerful than the 

SQS-4 and SQS-23 sonars being used 

in the fleet at that time. It was the 

precursor to the very capable AN/

SQS-53 series sonar found on combatants in the fleet today. The 26 had 

a bottom bounce and convergence 

zone capability, which meant it could 

detect submarines at greater ranges, 

so newer and longer range weapons 

 A barge (YON 293) is tied up alongside the frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037), which is moored at the U.S. 

Naval Ship Repair Facility. (USN)

 The frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037) underway off the coast of Honolulu. (OS2 John Bouvia/USN)

History
30 Surface Warfare

were needed. The 1037s also had 

the AN/SQR-15 towed array surveillance system (or TASS), which was 

removed in 1984.

The McCloy received TASS during an availability at the Boston 

Naval shipyard in 1977. The installation included a large equipment 

van that was inserted inside the 

ship’s DASH hangar. The van contained a bank of AQA-5 wide-band 

acoustic processors (WAPs) used 

for processing acoustic information 

from the towed array. The other 

part of the SQR-15 installation included a large equipment reel with 

associated deck gear located on the 

fantail. The reel, manufactured by 

Western Gear, stored, deployed and 

retrieved, several thousand feet of 

1.25 inch tow cable and a several 

hundred foot towed array of detachable modules containing acoustic hydrophones.

Fry says other changes between 

his first tour and when he took command was the removal of the after 3-

inch gun to make room for TASS; an 

updated radio shack; an additional 

fire pump, a chemical holding tank 

(CHT) system, and the executive officer (XO) had moved up from officers 

country into the former embarked 

Destroyer Division Commander’s 

cabin “Even with the XO moved out 

of officer’s country it was still pretty 

tight living,” he says.

Only two were built. The Bronsteins were followed by the 10 ships 

of the Garcia-class and Brooke-class 

guided missile escorts, along with the 

USS Glover, all of which had a 1200-

psi pressure-fired propulsion plant; 

and the 46 ships of the Knox-class. 

These new ships would also have a 

“mack.” These ships were the first to 

combine the stack and mast arrangement to a single “mack.”

According to Wright, “TASS 

worked great for long range cuing 

when the host platform was operating far away from the Battle Group.

The ship had a single 3”/50 gun 

mount aft that was removed to support the large equipment reel. When 

operating, the towed array could be 

streamed in excess of one mile astern 

of the ship. 

The frigates USS Downes (FF 1070) and USS Bronstein (FF 1037) leaving U.S. Naval Facility Subic Bay. 

(USN)

The frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037) underway off the coast of Southern California. (USN)

History
Fall 2007 31

“The AN/SQR-15 proved to be an 

extremely effective passive narrowband ASW system,” Callas says.

While optimized for ASW, the 

1037s had a twin 3-inch/50 cal. MK33 

dual-purpose gun with a MK56 

fire control system forward, as well 

as a single 3-inch mount aft of the 

DASH deck. The after mount was 

later removed to make room for the 

TASS. The dual purpose gun could 

be used against aircraft, ships or 

targets ashore. Later classes of DEs 

and DEGs would get the 5-inch 38 or 

5-inch 54 gun. The next generation 

of escort ships, the Oliver Hazard 

Perry-class, would have a single 

76mm gun. 

Callas was a gun mount officer 

during general quarters. “The dual 

gun 3”/50 mount was a fairly simple 

and reliable gun system. Each gun 

had a loader that held five rounds, 

after that, each round had to be hand 

loaded. The rate of fire was dependant on the proficiency of the gunnery team. In addition to the mount 

captain, who sat between the two 

guns, the surface gunner (port side) 

and air gunner (starboard side), there 

were two loaders who pulled rounds 

out of a temporary rotary service 

container in the mount and slapped 

them into the gun breech, plus a team 

of a dozen personnel that pulled 

rounds out of the ready service lockers on the focsle and placed them in 

the rotary service containers. From 

experience, the old 3-inch/50 could 

put out as many (if not more) rounds 

as the automated 5-inch/54 Mk 45 

gun mount system. We could pump 

out 40 to 50 rounds a minute on a 

good day.”

The large bow-mounted sonar 

dome necessitated an unusual anchor configuration. One anchor was 

mounted on the bow, and a portside 

anchor was mounted back by the 

gun mount. 

These ships also were the operational test and evaluation platform 

for the extremely high frequency satellite communications system (EHF 

SATCOM). “We got our EHF SATCOM in 1973,” Fry recalls. It wasn’t 

a regular piece of comm gear. It had 

a huge dome antenna upon a lattice 

 Frigate USS Bronstein (FF 1037) underway off the coast of California. (USN)

 From left: the guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56), the frigate USS McCloy (FF 1038), and the tank 

landing ship USS Fairfax County (LST 1193) moored at the pier in Brooklyn during Fleet Week. (USN)

History
32 Surface Warfare

structure, installed on our DASH 

deck. Even though I was the communications officer, only the CO and 

a few people who came on board to 

operate it knew what it was for.”

When Fry arrived on McCloy for 

his first tour, the DASH system had 

been taken off the ship. The deck 

and hangar were not big enough for 

a manned helicopter. But the 1037s 

would frequently be used to refuel 

ASW helicopters from other ships using the helicopter in-flight refueling 

(HIFR) method.

Even though these ships were basically experimental platforms, with 

one stationed on each coast, they 

remained in service into 1990. Both 

were reclassified as frigates (FF) on 

June 30, 1975.

McCloy participated in operations 

north of the Arctic Circle during the 

summer and fall of 1972, along with 

the ASW carrier USS Intrepid (CVS 

11). “Our ASW team combined our 

SQS-26AXR sonar and the Intrepid’s

SH-3 Sea King ASW helicopters. We 

operated north of Murmansk and attracted a lot of attention,” Fry says. 

“We had Bear and Badger overflights, 

and Kresta cruisers coming out to 

look at us. Here I am, an ensign on 

the bridge wing, staring at a Kresta

II cruiser, and here’s McCloy with 

our twin 3-inch mount forward and 

single 3-inch gun aft.”

The forward gun was in an enclosed mount, which was necessary 

because the ship took so much water 

over the bow. The after mount was 

not enclosed, and because the ship 

rolled so much it was almost as wet 

aft as it was up forward.

“I took her through a storm coming through the Denmark Straits in 

March of 1984, returning from an 

ASW exercise called Arctic SHAREM,” Fry recalls. “We sailed into 

the marginal ice zone in company 

with the Coast Guard icebreaker 

USCGC Northwind to see if we could 

track submarines under the ice. We 

watched small ice bergs go by us 

with TASS in the water. We took a 

62-degree roll during the storm and 

snapped right back. Other ships in 

company with us had people get injured, but we had nobody get hurt.”

“Every time we got underway we 

rigged for heavy weather even when 

none was forecast,” says Fry, who 

added the introduction of the scopolamine patch made a big difference 

for Sailors who encountered motion 

sickness on the small combatants.

During the 1970s and 1980s, every battle group deploying to the 

Mediterranean would find and track 

Soviet subs. McCloy was a legendary ASW ship, Fry says. “Under my 

predecessors she won every ASW 

award possible. Every time she 

went to the Med she came back with 

the ‘Hook ‘Em’ award,” he says, 

referring to the award given to the 

 Destroyer USS Peterson (DD 969), background, underway near a Soviet Moma-class survey ship and a disabled Victor III- class submarine, foreground. (USN)

History
Fall 2007 33

combatant in each battle group with 

the best ASW performance. 

In 1983, McCloy was dispatched 

to the “Yankee Box,” a station off the 

U.S. Eastern seaboard where the Soviets kept a Yankee-class ballistic missile sub with the range to attack U.S. 

cities. “We were diverted to go find 

a Soviet Victor III, a brand new Soviet nuclear submarine that we had 

never seen in the Western Atlantic. 

With our TASS system we located 

the Victor III at extended range off 

Charleston but because of deteriorating weather and heavy shipping. I 

wanted to get closer so we could pick 

him up in ‘direct path.’ We took in 

our tail and sprinted down to where 

we calculated we would pick him 

up. We streamed out the array and I 

went into the TASS van that we had 

installed inside the DASH hangar to 

see if we had reestablished contact.”

The TASS display showed a very 

solid contact. So strong that Fry 

knew he was right on top of the Soviet boat. “Just then we felt a shudder and we lost array power. The 

tail stretched and then snapped like 

a whip. The after lookout is standing five feet from the cable drum and 

was reporting that the cable was flying up above our mack like a whip, 

then birdcaged in the reel. We still 

had the Victor III passively on our 

26. We handed him off to a P-3, I sent 

an OPREP-3 Pinnacle Front Burner, 

and we went back into Norfolk 

where I expected to be relieved for 

cause. Shortly after the investigation 

commenced, the commander of the 

Second Fleet, Vice Adm. Joe Metcalf 

sent a message to wide distribution 

that said, ‘When McCloy gains contact, McCloy confirms contact. A new 

tail is on the way.’ And that was the 

end of the investigation.”

The next day, a Navy P-3 sighted 

a Soviet Victor III attack submarine 

stopped on the surface 282 miles 

west of Bermuda and 470 miles east 

of Charleston, S.C. A few days later 

a Soviet tug takes the boat under tow 

and into Cienfuegos, Cuba.

“It was the first good look at the 

non-circular hull of the V-III and her 

counter-rotating propellers,” says K. 

J. Moore, co-author of Cold War Submarines. “She was embarrassed, we 

got a good look, and she got a good 

length of array.”

In addition to being an extraordinarily capable ASW platform, the 

ship was engaged in a number of 

contingency operations. The ship 

covered the evacuation of Beirut in 

1976 during the Lebanese Civil War. 

“The ship was there in 1982 covering 

the landing of the Marines into Lebanon and escorted merchant ships 

carrying PLO fighters out of Beirut as 

part of the cease fire between Israel 

and the PLO,” Callas recalls.

Both were decommissioned in 

December 1990, and sold to Mexico 

in October 1993. FF 1037 is now the 

Hermenegildo Garcia (F 202) and FF 

1038 is the Nicolas Bravo (F 201), 

based at Manzanillo. 

 Russian Northern Fleet Victor III- class nuclear-powered attack submarine underway on the surface. (USN)

History
AWAY ALL BOATS

By BMCS (SW/AW) James Kneeland, ATG Pacific

SAFETY

“Man overboard, man overboard, 

man overboard, port side. This will 

be a small boat recovery,” is called 

away over the ship’s 1MC. The 

ship’s davit crew is manned and 

ready to lower your small boat but is 

your small boat crew really ready for 

small boat operations?

All small boat crews are required 

to be PQS-qualified (NAVEDTRA 

43152-F) for that watch station. Are 

all your crew members second class 

swimmer qualified? This is the 

start for most Sailors who want to 

be or are assigned to that station. 

That swim test you took at recruit 

training is not the Navy second 

class swim test. You can get your 

second class swim test done through 

a Training Support Center. The 

Second Class Swimmer Course, 

CIN: (A-060-2222). Once a Sailor is 

second class swimmer qualified, they 

are authorized to get into the small 

boat and start training. Take your 

coxswain, bow hook and engineer 

and boat officer and go over your 

small boat characteristics; show them 

the boat in the stowed position first. 

Take a copy of your ships boat bill 

with you and go over how your ship 

wants the crew to operate the ship’s 

small boat.

Go over all Safety gear. 

Naval Ships Technical Manual 

(NSTM) Chapter 583, Boats and 

Small Craft, can help do that. Show 

your crewmembers-in-training all the 

ins and out of the small boat. Review 

the boats capacities, safety label 

plates for fueling, hoisting and lower 

procedures. Go over the engine; 

check the fluid levels to ensure they 

get hands on experience. 

Let’s not forget the electronics 

in the boat. Most small boats come 

with a global positioning satellite 

(GPS) system. If your boat has one 

installed, go over the system and 

insure that new crewmembers know 

how to operate it properly. Go over 

the radios onboard; make sure they 

know proper radio phone talking 

procedures for both bridge to bridge 

and the ship’s handheld internal 

radios. Are all of the lights on the 

34 Surface Warfare
boat (running lights, stern light) 

working? 

What about firefighting onboard 

the boat? Ensure crewmembers know 

where all firefighting gear is stowed 

and how to use it.

Do they know were the emergency 

tiller is and how to use it? Show 

them the emergency gear and allow 

them to use it. 

Let’s not forget some simple things 

like where the horn, the start switch 

and the kill switch are. Always 

remember Safety is paramount! 

Now that the prospective boat 

crew has received training on the 

boat in the davit, it’s time to lower 

the boat into the water. Train new 

crewmembers pier side first. Let 

them get the feel for the boat in a 

controlled environment. Is your 

Personnel Protective Equipment 

(PPE) on properly? Are their hard 

hats and MK1 life jackets donned 

properly? Are all rings and watches 

removed, pant legs tucked in and 

sleeves rolled down? 

Did you know each color of a life 

jacket represents a position of that 

boat crew?

Yellow = Coxswain

White = Boat Officer

Red = Engineer

Blue = Bow Hook, Stern hook if 

assigned and any other 

personnel assigned to a 

crew.

Moving back to the davit, let’s 

get ready to lower the boat. Ensure 

the boat crew is ready to be lowered 

into the water. Do they know their 

positions for lowering? Are they 

ready for this inheritably dangerous 

operation. 

All boat crewmembers must hold 

on to monkey lines and use the 

hand-over-hand method while the 

boat is being lowered into the water 

(if your boat has monkey lines). 

Once your boat is lowered into the 

water, crew members are order to 

remove various hooks and lines 

from the davit by the petty officer in 

charge of the davit. This should be 

done in an accelerated manner while 

out to sea but for training in port 

we can take our time. Go over the 

proper way to cast off the hook and 

lines and how to hook back up.

Get the new crew acquainted 

with how the small boat 

maneuvers. All boats handle just a 

little differently. Show them how to 

make that dock landing to both port 

and starboard sides. 

Go ahead and make some 

approaches alongside the ship for 

recovery back aboard your ship. 

Show them how to recover a man 

overboard properly. Take your 

Oscar and the ship’s search-andrescue swimmers out and let them 

go over hand signals in accordance 

with OPNAVIST 3130.6 (SAR 

SAFETY

A boat crew from the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio

(LPD 17) returns to the ship after rescuing the crew of the fishing vessel Miss 

Melissa, which was taking on water in heavy seas and 40-knot winds. The ship’s 

Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brad Lee, answered Miss Melissa’s distress call 

immediately deploying a crew of five personnel in a ridged hull inflatable boat 

(RHIB) to retrieve the crew, later sending a team back to the fishing vessel to 

assist with dewatering efforts. The Coast Guard later towed the boat back to port. 

The rescued crew was brought aboard San Antonio and provided, dry clothing, 

food, and an opportunity to make phone calls home. (MC1 Erik Hoffmann/USN)

 Sailors assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) hoist 

the ship’s rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) after a training exercise by the ship’s 

visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team. (MC2 Leonardo Carrillo/USN)

Fall 2007 35
SAFETY

standardization program) and the 

NTTP 3-50.1 Search and Rescue 

Manual. 

New crew members should have 

good working knowledge of what 

they are supposed to do as part of 

the small boat crew. Boat crews 

should also attend schools. Rigid 

Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) Coxswain 

Course, CIN: (K-062-0625) which 

is taught at Expeditionary Warfare 

Training Groups (EWTG), and Basic 

Boat Coxswain Course, CIN: K-062-

0634) are recommended by the Small 

Boat Operations PQS. Your engineer 

should attend a small boat engine 

repair school. These schools will cover 

all the skills that a new crewmember 

needs to perform their duties.

Not all small boat operations occur 

just because of a man overboard. 

Today’s boat crews perform various 

duties as a security picket boat, 

liberty launch, mooring to a buoy, 

visit board search and seizure and 

as a safety boat during amphibious 

operations. All of these operations 

need qualified boat crews. 

Now that we can say our boat 

crew is qualified, let’s go back to that 

man overboard. The crew has had the 

proper training and can handle the 

situation at hand. The boat is away 

and it is 11 p.m. on a dark night in 

five-foot seas. Your crew recovers 

the Sailor overboard and performs 

well due to the training they had. 

As leaders, crews need to be trained 

to perform in all situations. Your 

ship has dedicated the time to due 

both day and night time small boat 

operations just for this situation. 

Remember a ship is known by 

the appearance of her boats. An 

alert, well-uniformed crew is the 

first step in this direction. A good 

crew will keep a good boat. Chrome 

and fancy work help, but they 

are not substitutes for cleanliness, 

preservation, and neatness. Sailors hold a line while lowering the rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) during a man overboard drill aboard 

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (MCSN David Danals/USN) 

Sailors on board dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) work together to recover a small boat from the 

ship’s port side. (MCSN Brandon Myrick/USN)

36 Surface Warfare
SAFETY

Surface Force Training Manual (COMNAVSURFORINST 3502.1D) Requirements:

• Three boat crews and a davit crew for each davit to demonstrate proficiency quarterly. --The ship will lay-out 

and inventory all required small boat and ready life boat equipment. Conduct inspections of installed equipage 

and operating controls including Marine band radio, GPS (if installed), navigation lights, horn, boat compass, 

bilge pumps, throttle and emergency fuel shutoff.

• Boat capacity, operating instructions and safety precautions must adhere to. Afloat Training Group (ATG) 

will assess boat crew/davit crew performance during man overboard recovery, mooring to a buoy, or routine 

small boat operations: Including hoisting and lowering of the boat, start-up/shut down procedures, boat handling, basic rules of the road, running alongside, making fast to the ship’s sea painter, communications, emergency response, and boat etiquette.

Small Boat 

Review

By Lt. Jennifer Rossi, Military Editor

Small Boat Ops (7m RHIB)

Manning Requirements:

Boat Crew

• 1 Small Boat Officer (White)

• 1 Coxswain (Yellow)

• 1 Boat Engineer (Red)

• 1 Bow Hook (Blue)

Boat Deck

• 1 POIC (Yellow)

• 1 SLAD Operator (Blue)

• 5 Line handlers (Blue)

• 1 Corpsman (White w/ Red Cross)

• 1 Safety Observer (White)

Flagstaff Insignia

• Spread Eagle – an official entitled 

to a 19 gun salute or more

• Halberd – a flag/general officer 

whose official salute is <19 guns; 

for a civil official entitled to a 

salute of 11 or more guns, but less 

than 19

• Ball – an officer of the grade, or 

relative grade, of captain in the 

navy; for a career minister, a counselor or first secretary of embassy 

or legation, or a consul

• Star – an officer of the grade, or 

relative grade, of commander in 

the Navy

• Flat Truck – an officer below the 

grade, or relative grade, of commander in the Navy; for a civil 

official not listed above, and for 

whom honors are prescribed for an 

official visit

Aboard small boats 

• Personnel in charge of the boat not 

underway salute officers that come 

alongside or pass nearby. 

• Boat coxswain salutes all officers 

entering or leaving the boat. 

• If underway and passing another 

boat, the junior salutes the senior. 

The coxswain and the senior officer in each boat salute. Other 

officers will remain seated and 

salute. The coxswain will stand if 

safe to do so. 

• During morning or evening colors, 

the boat will lie to, and the coxswain and/or boat officer will 

come to attention and salute. All 

others will remain seated. 

• Etiquette– Whenever personnel 

board a boat, junior personnel embark first and seniors last. When 

disembarking, seniors go first and 

juniors last. While embarked, seniors sit aft and juniors forward.

Procedure between ships and small 

boats: Personnel on the quarterdeck 

of a large vessel render honors to senior officers that pass in small boats. 

A salute is rendered when the boat is 

abreast of the quarterdeck. 

Safety check before getting lowered 

or raised in a small boat:

1. All rings, watches and belts have 

been removed

2. All sleeves have been rolled down

3. All pants legs tucked into 

boots/socks

4. Hard hats on with chin straps

Spread Eagle Halberd

Star Flat Truck

Ball

Fall 2007 37

Request to ships: 

We had a lot of trouble finding 

photos for the small boat safety 

layout due to safety violations 

in photos submitted. We ask 

that ships review all evolutions 

being conducted to ensure at 

a minimum, the safety check 

steps above are completed.
38 Surface Warfare

On July 14, 2006, Hezbollah 

launched a C-802 anti-ship cruise 

missile (ASCM) and struck Israeli 

ship INS Hanit. Hanit was 

conducting a blockade of Lebanon 

in support of Israeli operations 

launched against Hezbollah, 

when a salvo of at least two C-802 

ASCMs was launched from ashore 

in Lebanon. One of the missiles 

struck Hanit in the stern. A second 

C-802 missed Hanit, but sank a 

merchant ship approximately 32 

nautical miles away. This example 

emphasizes the threat posed to both 

naval combatants and commercial 

shipping by ASCMs.

The threat to naval ships from 

ASCMs has steadily increased over 

the past 50 years, mainly due to 

advances in missile technology that 

have increased these missiles range, 

accuracy, countermeasures, and 

lethality. 

ASCMs replaced big guns as 

the weapon of choice for surface 

warfare (SUW) since first introduced 

more than 50 years ago. ASCM 

use in the 1980s demonstrated 

their effectiveness and lethality 

against both naval combatants and 

commercial shipping.

On May 4, 1982, an AM-39 Exocet 

ASCM hit HMS Sheffield (DDG 

TYPE 42). An Argentinean Super 

Etendard launched the ASCM 

during the Falkland Islands War. 

Sheffield sank several days later 

from the damage sustained from this 

attack. In 1987, two Iraqi-launched 

AM-39 Exocet ASCMs struck USS 

Stark (FFG 31) while patrolling in 

the Persian Gulf. 

Iran also employed ASCMs 

in the 1980s, such as the CSSC-3 

Seersucker, and hit a number of 

merchant ships with these large 

shore-launched ASCMs. According 

to Jane’s Fighting Ships, ASCMs 

struck more than 135

merchant ships during the Iran-Iraq 

War from 1980-1988.

The U.S. Navy also effectively 

used ASCMs and surface-to-air 

missiles (SAMs) in the surface 

mode during the 1980s, sinking two 

Iranian combatants in Operation 

Earnest Will. Anti-ship cruise 

missiles, whether launched from 

ships, submarines, shore launchers 

or aircraft, have proven themselves 

as effective weapons against both 

commercial shipping and modern 

naval platforms.

Tactics

Anti-Ship Cruise Missile 

A view of damage sustained by the guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG 31) when it was hit by two Iraqilaunched Exocet missiles while on patrol in the Persian Gulf. (USN)
Fall 2007 39

Like missile technology 

advancement, targeting methods 

have also evolved to take advantage 

or technological advances in radar, 

GPS, data links, as well as in other 

communications equipment. These 

technological advances have created 

additional targeting options that go 

beyond the use of organic sensors, 

and allow targeting solutions to be 

developed using over-the-horizon 

targeting (OTHT) or 3rd party cueing. 

 Because of these different 

targeting options, the first indication 

that a ship has been targeted could 

be the detection of an ASCM already 

in-flight by electronic surveillance 

measures (ESM) or radar contact 

with the missile. However, ESM 

contact may not always be present 

due to advanced seekers that use 

infrared or television seekers instead 

of the traditional radar seekers that 

have been typically used in the past.

There are several types of 

passive targeting techniques. These 

Tactics 

threat overview By Surface Analysis Branch for 

Evaluation and Reporting (SABER), 

Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), 

with coordination through the Surface 

Warfare Development Group (SWDG)

 Guided-missile frigate USS Stark (FFG 31) lists to port after being struck by an Iraqi-launched Exocet 

missile. (USN)

 A close-up view of damage to the guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG 31) after it was struck by an Iraqilaunched Exocet missile. (USN)

Targeting solutions can be determined 

using any of the following passive 

methods due to advances in missile and 

seeker technology:

• SIGINT and ELINT

• UAVs

• Coastal radars or visual 

observation posts 

• Aircraft, such as helicopters or 

maritime patrol aircraft

• Surface ships, including small boats 

and surface combatants
40 Surface Warfare

techniques include using signals 

intelligence (SIGINT), electronics 

intelligence (ELINT), coastal radars 

or visual observation posts, small 

boats, unmanned aerial vehicles 

(UAVs), or other assets to determine 

the targeted ship’s location. 

Using data links or other forms of 

communications, such as cell phones 

or radios, the location of the target 

can then be relayed to the shooter. 

For most modern missile systems, 

knowing a combination of the ship’s 

latitude/longitude or the target’s 

bearing and range is sufficient 

enough for a fairly accurate fire 

control solution. This data alone 

may not have been sufficient for 

older missile systems, but with 

today’s advanced missile seekers, 

this is all that is needed to guide the 

missile to the vicinity of the target, 

and to then allow the missile seeker 

to do the rest of the work.

There are also several active 

targeting techniques more along the 

lines of what we think of as OTHT. 

Examples of this are: helicopters, 

other aircraft, or surface ships 

providing fire control quality data 

via a computer network or data link 

to another platform’s fire control 

system. In this example, real time 

data is passed on the target that 

generally includes its course, speed, 

and position. This real time data 

produces a more accurate fire control 

solution, decreases the chance of a 

missile acquiring a different target, 

and also allows for more complex 

salvo engagements.

Anti-ship cruise missile use 

has drastically increased over 

the past 25 years. Most modern 

countries have ASCMs, as may 

some terrorist organizations. Recent 

advancements in missile technology, 

along with the evolution of targeting 

methods, make today’s ASCM 

threat a primary concern for ships 

operating anywhere in the maritime 

environment from the littoral to the 

open ocean.

For more specific information on 

anti-ship cruise missiles or for more 

details on the tactics, techniques, 

and procedures that are commonly 

used please visit our website at: 

www.oni.navy.smil.mil. Or feel free 

to contact us at: saber@nmic.navy.

smil.mil. 

Five tips to make sure you are 

prepared for an ASCM attack:

1. Ensure the commanding officer and tactical action 

officer always know the status of all weapons and 

detection systems.

2. Ensure all watchstanders are qualified, well-trained, 

and thoroughly familiar with immediate actions for 

an ASCM attack and your commanding officer’s 

battle orders.

3. Get the most updated threat assessment for the area 

you are operating in.

4. Get the most updated counter-ASCM tactics from 

Surface Warfare Development Group (SWDG).

5. Ensure the ship is in the proper posture for the perceived threat environment and available battle space.

Tactics

SABER is an element of the Office of Naval Intelligence and 

is staffed with Surface Warfare Officers, Naval Aviators and 

civilian intelligence professionals. SABER provides realistic, 

tactically relevant, intelligence analysis based on demonstrated 

capabilities of selected foreign navies and organizations of 

interest to US Naval Forces.
SAFETY

Fall 2007 41

Are you an expert 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.

Congratulations to CTT3 Kory Mozee of USS Ingraham (FFG 61)! CTT3 was 

the first to correctly identify last issue’s ship as the Moroccan Navy Florealclass frigate Muhammed V (FFGHM 611).

 This ship was spotted 

conducting maritime 

operations in the vicinity 

of Iraq’s Khwar Al Amaya 

Oil Terminal. 

Moroccan Navy Floreal-class frigate 

Muhammed V (FFGHM 611)
42 Surface Warfare

 FC1 John Michael Broughton shakes hands 

with Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling before 

an Orioles-Red Sox game at Camden Yards. 

In recognition of Patriot Day, United Services 

Automobile Association staged a surprise reunion 

of Broughton with his wife and stepdaughter at 

the game. Broughton is assigned to the guidedmissile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 

58). (MC1 Brien Aho/USN)

 Sailors aboard amphibious 

assault ship USS Kearsarge

(LHD 3) take a moment of 

silence to remember the victims 

of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

(MCSN Ash Severe/USN))

Reminder: The entries for the Capt. 

Raymond A. Komorowski Photography 

Contest, held annually by the Surface 

Navy Association, are due by Nov. 16, 

2007. Please go to www.navysna.org 

for entry details.
Fall 2007 43

 QMSN Lamont Sports (left) 

and QM3 Richard Nute raise the 

flag of the Honorable William 

J. Haynes II, general counsel 

for the Department of Defense, 

from the signal bridge of the 

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier 

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 

72). (MC3 Geoffrey Lewis/USN)

 Just prior to USS Chafee’s (DDG 90) last deployment, the crew staged an “old timey” photo. (IS1 Busey/USN)

Thanks to CMDCM(SW) Patricia Roebuck of USS Chafee (DDG 90) for submitting photos of her Sailors.
CONGRATULATIONS to this issue’s Salty 

Dog, BM1(SW) Adam Cayer from USS Nitze

(DDG 94). Cayer was the first person to correctly 

identify all five answers on anchoring. Here are 

the answers:

1. Temporary lifelines should be a minimum of two 

and one-quarter inches in circumference. 

2. Line handlers should be located inboard and forward 

of all lines during an underway replenishment. 

3. Personnel at a transfer station should wear a one- cell 

flashlight (or green chemical light), whistle, and sea marker 

(fluorescent) on the outside of their life jacket during 

night replenishment.

4. You should keep a distance of six feet from any block or cleat through 

which lines pass.

5. When passing lines, a line throwing gun is used for initial line transfer. A bolo line 

is used as back up.

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!

1. What document, located in each compartment, lists every damage control fitting in 

that compartment?

2. Which of the following extinguishing agents could be used on a class D fire?

3. What color of piping is used to identify a system containing steam?

4. What, if any, procedure is used to prevent the strands of synthetic 

line from frazzling after a splice has been made?

5. What method should you try first to control bleeding?

Send your replies to surfwarmag@navy.mil with 

“CAPTAIN’S TRIVIA” in the subject line.

44 Surface Warfare
Changes of Command

USS Bulkeley/December

Cmdr. Richard Cheesman relieved

Cmdr. John Beaver

USS Carr/October

Cmdr. Mark Metzger relieved

Cmdr. George Lang

USS Stout/October 

Cmdr. Robert Katz relieved

Cmdr. Thomas Kiss

USS Doyle/January

Cmdr. John Zuzich relieved

Cmdr. Michael Elliott

USS Jarrett/October

Cmdr. Brent Kyler relieved

Cmdr. Eric Kyle

USS John S. McCain/October

Cmdr. John Banigan relieved

Cmdr. Thomas Halvorson

USS Kauffman/November

Cmdr. Robert Cepek relieved

Cmdr. Christopher Rhoden

USS Lassen/November

Cmdr. Anthony Simmons relieved

Cmdr. Marshall Brown

USS McFaul/November

Cmdr. Timothy Schorr relieved

Cmdr. Mary Jackson

USS McInerney/September 

Cmdr. Keith Wheeler relieved 

Cmdr. Patrick Holub

MCM Crew Dominant/December

Lt. Cmdr. John Callaway relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Bertram Hodge

MCM Crew Exultant/November

Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Femino relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Scott Curtis

USS Monterey/October

Capt. Todd Bostock relieved

Capt. Robert Oldani

USS Mount Whitney/December

Capt. Owen Honors relieved

Capt. Joseph Kuzmick

USS Mustin/November

Cmdr. James Jones relieved

Cmdr. Edward Cashman

USS Nitze/December

Cmdr. Kenneth Long relieved 

Cmdr. Robert Hein

PC Crew Hotel/October

Lt. Cmdr. John Barsano relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Sturm

PC Crew India/December

Lt. David Walton relieved

Lt. Cmdr. Theodore Nunamaker

USS Pearl Harbor/November

Cmdr. Xavier Valverde relieved

Cmdr. Victor Cooper

USS Pinckney/October

Cmdr. Daniel Brintzinghoffer relieved

Cmdr. John Peterschmidt

USS Rentz/April 2008

Cmdr. David Glenister relieved

Cmdr. Mark S. Johnson

USS Robert G. Bradley/November

Cmdr. Clinton Carroll relieved

Cmdr. James Cody

USS Stephen W. Groves/October

Cmdr. Dan Starling relieved

Cmdr. Jon Kreitz

USS The Sullivans/December

Cmdr. Ryan Tillotson relieved

Cmdr. Anthony Parisi

USS Winston S. Churchill/October

Cmdr. Mark Oberley relieved

Cmdr. Nelson Castro

Corrections to Spring 2007: 

Cmdr. Andrew Feinberg relieved Cmdr. 

Kevin Hill on USS Preble vice relieving 

Cmdr. Eric Kyle on USS Jarrett. Cmdr. 

Kyle is still the commanding officer of 

USS Jarrett.

PC Crew Alpha Lt. Scott Larson

PC Crew Bravo Lt. William Ehret

PC Crew Charlie Lt. Matt Scarlett

PC Crew Delta Lt. Thane Clare

PC Crew Echo Lt. Shelby Baecker

PC Crew Foxtrot Lt. Patrick Keller

PC Crew Golf Lt. Christopher Brown

PC Crew Hotel Lt. Bryan Barsano

PC Crew India Lt. David Walton

PC Crew Juliet Lt. Ed Rosso

PC Crew Kilo Lt. Joel Lang

PC Crew Lima Lt. Mercedes Then

PC Crew Mike Lt. Micheal Wagner

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. John Calloway

MCM Crew Exultant Lt. Cmdr. Joe Femino

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. Lloyd Reinhold

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

List of all O-3/O-4 Commands
4 Surface Warfare

“Our Soldiers, Sailors, 

Airmen, Marines, 

Coast Guardsmen and 

their families are the most dedicated, 

talented and courageous people 

with whom I have ever been 

privileged to serve. 

Representing them, 

serving them in turn as 

chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

would be my great honor. “

- Adm. Mike Mullen