the crew
Executive Officer Capt. S. Robert Roth
Command Master Chief Jon D. Port
CO/XO tour, and he completed Naval Nuclear Propulsion training in 2001. From there, he served as executive officer of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), and then served a deep draft command tour as CO of the amphibious dock USS Juneau (LPD 10). During this part of his career, O’Flaherty participated in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. O’Flaherty arrived to take command of PCU Bush in July 2006, and has been in the midst of the most unique experience any warship CO can have: being a ship’s first captain. Consider this point: O’Flaherty is not taking over the ship from anyone else, and when the Bush goes to the breakers yard sometime around the year 2060, it is his name that will be on the ship’s commissioning plaque. To provide some perspective on that earlier point, consider that the last captain of the Bush has not been born yet, the father of the last pilot to fly off her decks has not yet been born, nor has the grandfather of the youngest sailor to leave the ship before decommissioning. O’Flaherty, who was able to place his own wings next to the president’s when the carrier’s island was landed on the flight deck, has his own views on his place in the history of the Bush. “It’s an honor to be a part of the legacy with the ship’s namesake, George H.W. Bush,” O’Flaherty said. “He’s a man of character, a very visible kind of person out there today. He’s served his country as a president and statesman. He was also a naval aviator. … Putting that package all together, building this crew to try to emulate his service and his character, has been one of the more interesting, enjoyable, and rewarding parts of this job.” But what is life like for O’Flaherty and his PCU crew as they prepare for the commissioning of Bush in early 2009? As this article was being written in the fall of 2008, PCU George H.W. Bush was tied to the outfitting pier at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s facility in Newport News, and was each day feeling the footsteps of thousands of shipbuilders and sailors. Every day, O’Flaherty and his crew were working hard to make their massive metal hulk into a ship of war. One measure of their progress was the steady process of “accepting” compartments from the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding workers who have labored since 2003 to build the Bush. To “accept” a compartment means that the Navy has agreed to take delivery of that space on board PCU Bush, and take responsibility for its operation and upkeep. When the last such acceptance takes place, the ship is prepared for sea trials off the Virginia Capes, and commissioning in early 2009. As talented an officer as O’Flaherty is, he cannot possibly perform every leadership task required aboard a warship the size and complexity of the Bush. O’Flaherty cannot even hope to learn the names of more than a fraction of the crew that he commands. Happily, the Navy has given him two very skilled leaders to take a share of the day-to-day responsibilities: XO Capt. S. Robert Roth, and Command Master Chief (CMDCM) Jon D. Port. More than once, naval analysts have compared Nimitzclass carriers to small cities, which makes O’Flaherty the
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