HORIZON TR’s DECK department beyond the
story and photo by MC3 (SW) Brian G. Reynolds
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t has been almost four years since the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) was in an operational status. As we complete Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) and turn our focus to rejoining the fleet, every department is shifting from a shipyard mentality to a mission-oriented mindset. Over the course of the next several months, the Rough Rider will run a series of stories exploring exactly what Sailors in those departments can expect as we become operational. “Underway! … Shift colors!” said the Boatwain’s Mate of the Watch over the carrier’s 1-MC announcement system. “Set the normal underway watch. On Deck - Officer Section four, Enlisted Section Two. Sometime in the near future, these words will become very familiar to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Instead of an industrial environment, the Big Stick will be surrounded by blue waves and open sea. In as little as three months, life aboard TR will be much different. When the anchor is weighed and the ship finally resumes its status as a fully-operational warship, the days of the Deck department’s finest needle gunning and being drenched from head to toe in haze gray paint will – for the most part - be a distant memory. “Before I initially got to the ship, I was thinking, ‘Wow, I’m going to an aircraft carrier with 5,000 people onboard,” said Operations Specialist Seaman Drew Bartell. “The reality was that we were in the ship yard with only a few departments onboard and we were just cleaning up to make the ship look good to get out. That is nice and all, but I would have rather been going to sea. When Bartell reported aboard TR, in late 2011, going to sea was something that TR wasn’t going to do for quite a while. TR had just recently completed its dry dock period and the majority of TR’s departments were housed on a floating accommodation facility beside the ship. For the most part, TR’s Deck department spent its days scraping, grinding, needle gunning and cleaning. Not a lot has changed for TR’s Deck department up to the present point. Sailors in Deck department still spend the majority of their days preparing spaces for operational status. However, life for TR’s Deck department is about to take a sharp turn. As the ship becomes more operational, Deck will have increasingly important role. Deck department will have a hand in virtually every evolution that involves ship’s movement. Every time the ship gets underway or moors, it is Deck department’s time to shine.
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“Things are about to change drastically,” said Ens. William W. Boll, the Boatswain aboard TR. “Up to this point we’ve been grinding, needle gunning and painting. They’ve been cleaning the same spaces for too long and that’s probably what they feel they’re job is. Man, they are in for a shock – and I can’t wait!” Bartell, who volunteered for temporary assigned duty with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), knows first-hand how in-your-face deployment life really works. “An operational carrier is way different.” said Bartell. “You are actually doing your job – the job you were trained for. You’re not reworking spaces to prepare for being underway. You are already underway, you know your job and you’re going to do it.” During deployment, Deck department has a myriad of other responsibilities. They man the rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB), contributing to man overboard evolutions. They also play a major role in receiving fuel, supplies and ammunition during underway replenishments, assisting with ensuring that the ship can stay at sea for extended periods if needed. Ensuring that TR can successfully perform all of these evolutions is a focus for the near future. “We’re looking forward to getting our davits operational and receiving our first RHIB back to the ship,” said Boll. “We’ll conduct weekly training with our boats and search and rescue (SAR) swimmers. Next on line will be our fuel sending station and two cargo receiving stations. Soon after, we will be the first to operate the ship’s crane in six years.” Boll believes that once the Sailors in Deck department have the opportunity to experience the real deal, they will then look upon their occupation in a whole new light. “The motivation level around here will go through the roof as our young Sailors get the chance to operate their equipment, land aircraft, or do whatever it is that they trained to do,” said Boll. “They just need to step back and see the big picture and know that what they’re doing right now plays a big part in our success as a team.” While getting underway is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, the food for thought is on focus and motivation. There is quite a bit to prepare for. Motivation is key. This begins with the Sailors. “My Sailors motivate me,” said Boll. “When I see them getting it in and working hard to accomplish a task for the team, it makes me want to work harder for them to make sure that I’m doing my fair share. I love watching Sailors when we operate our equipment. They come alive and have this energy that lets you
know that they are excited about what they are doing.” It goes without saying that the Big Stick will not be going anywhere without its Deck department. The department is so vital to virtually every major evolution that TR will take part in that it is literally impossible for the ship to pull out of the ship yards without it. How-
ever, one day in the near future, the crew of TR will once again hear the sound of the bos’n pipe over the ship’s 1-MC announcement system, followed by a phrase that hasn’t been heard aboard TR for quite some time … “Underway! … Shift colors!”
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