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More than 20 years of serving the Hampton Roads Navy family
Vol. 23, No. 42 Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com | 10.22-10.28.15
USS TRUMAN COMPLETES REACTOR SAFEGUARD EXAMINATION
MC2 K. H. Anderson
ORSE is conducted every 12 to 15 months by DOE to include former sub CO’s
By MC3 J.R. Pacheco USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs
NORFOLK
Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman’s (CVN 75) Reactor Department underwent an Operational Reactor Safeguard Examination (ORSE), Oct. 5-8. ORSE is an official examination conducted every 12 to 15 months by the Department of Energy, determining Truman’s ability to safely operate its two nuclear propulsion plants. The ORSE team was composed of eight inspectors including two Navy captains, both former submarine commanding officers; two commanders and six lieutenant commanders. Over the course of three days, the team observed and graded complex engineering casualty drills, maintenance reviews, levels of knowledge and watchstander response testing. “The ORSE team is out here to make sure we’re doing what we need to be doing to stay safe,” said Master Chief Electrician’s Mate S. Rivera, Reactor Department’s leading chief petty officer. “We’re tested through written and oral examinations, drills, maintenance evolutions and material condition inspections. Between ORSE assessments, we undergo quarterly inspections by the Mobile Training Team (MTT) covering the same material, so even our newest Reactor [Department] Sailors are well prepared for anything the ORSE team can throw at us.” Reactor Department Sailors faced many challenges during the examination. However, Rivera said because his Sailors always train and prepare for the unexpected, their ability to overcome new obstacles was never in doubt. Obstacles included several complex scenarios put together by the ORSE team with the help of Machinist’s Mate 1st Class A. Richey, Reac-
localevent
Sailors clean up NAVSTA Norfolk Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman R. Taggerty and Gunner’s Mate Seaman E. Dickerson, from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), pick up trash during a base-wide cleanup on Naval Station Norfolk. The event is a semiannual cleanup of debris, litter and recyclables.
MC3 M. J. Lieberknecht
High school STEM students visit MARMC
NECC celebrates Navy’s 240th birthday
By Aaron Strickland
By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
MARMC Public Affairs
Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs
NORFOLK
VIRGINIA BEACH
Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) was host Oct. 13, to a group of budding engineers – 18 students and two teachers from the Heritage High School Governor’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program. The students, from Newport News, met with MARMC employees and visited Buildings LF-18 and CEP-200. MARMC Executive Director Dennis Bevington spoke to the students, telling them that engineering is vital to the success of the center that he directs. “Engineering is usually very black and white,” Bevington said, “Applying engineering in situations like we see when repairing ships can get into the gray area.
Sailors and civilians assigned to Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) celebrated the Navy’s 240th birthday on the command’s quarterdeck, Oct. 13. Guest speaker and retired Capt. Frank DeMasi spoke during the ceremony highlighting our Navy’s history as well as our Navy’s future. “It’s really an honor for me to be here with you all today, getting back to the Navy feels good,” said DeMasi, who retired 15 years earlier and spoke about our Navy’s capabilities to be “Ready Then, Ready Now, and Ready Always.” “The Navy has both a tradition and a future and we look with pride and confidence in both directions,”
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NMCP NUTRITIONIST HELPS PATIENT LOSE 113 POUNDS Finding the need to make a drastic change in life, at age 41, Cheryl Parker decided to turn to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s Bariatric Clinic to begin the process for gastric bypass surgery.
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HALLOWEEN Today, Americans spend over one billion dollars visiting Halloween-themed attractions. Where are they going, and what are the best activities for your family?
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