Three Weeks This Time

I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, missing my husband after two months together for the first time in our lives. It helped that he was on his way back home and not in Norfolk, waiting for me while I was underway. Before we left, I also decided to think of this underway as never ending... so I really didn't think about returning to port until we were only a couple days out; and even then, it wasn't as bad as it has been before. I must be getting used to this a little.

The following was written in letters or notes during the underway:

Friday, 2 AUG:

Goodness! These last five days were unbelievably long, drawn out, and cumbersome. We were barely out to sea when the craziness began… we had scenarios that night, as well as Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, lasting anywhere from 1730 to 0400 the next morning. So the days sort of muddled together. Didn’t really have any sense of time, or what day it was. I think it was Wednesday and Thursday where outside email was blocked and we didn’t have Internet… but we were so busy I barely had time to think of it. But on Wednesday morning, I was able to call my husband for a moment... and that was a good way to start.

Well, our two watch-teams passed the certification events! We are *finally* done with what they call the Basic Phase. All I can say is that I got a lot of practice using a couple of our operating programs (that we call Functional Segments), and feel pretty proficient at them.

Stayed up a little late after our last events Thursday night, since we assisted a Coast Guard helo that rescued an Air Force pilot who had to eject from his fighter jet over the ocean just off of the Hampton Roads area. All I saw was the helo on one of the video cameras, dangling the rescue swimmer (it was a speck on the screen).

Yesterday was a transition back to normal activities. Even though I was still very tired from everything… we were supposed to jump back into normal hours. We have a new watch rotation this underway where we have the same watches every day; they are in three-hour shifts instead of the old five-hour system. It does afford a chance to get into a routine, but it’s been hard with the scenarios we’ve had. I have hopes that it will be better, now that we’re done. One problem though: it’s changed up the breakfast and dinner meal hours, so it’s difficult to remember when it’s time to eat, believe it or not.

As for normal activities, I was able to figure out early this week what the problem on the one piece of gear was… and yesterday I managed to do a spot check with a chief outside our division, and do some maintenance, and organize my stuff in Sonar 1, throwing some things away and organizing it very nicely. After that I worked out on the stationary bike and elliptical treadmill for a good half-hour, took a quick shower and got my laundry done. I felt fantastic (and put back together) when I finally lay down in my rack just past midnight.

In order to stay sane, I’ve been doing a bit of recreational reading in my down time this week… started a book that a high-ranking officer recommended to me during my last week in San Diego: Neptune’s Inferno (about the US Navy at Guadalcanal, 1942). Also, I finished the first book in the Crusades trilogy, The Road to Jerusalem, and now I started my last Dorothy Sayers novel, The Nine Tailors.

Saturday, 3 AUG,

First thing in the morning was berthing cleaners (every Saturday morning, females from Weapons department are assigned the duty). I even managed to get an overhead lightbulb changed, we were so on top of it. Earlier in the day I had some time to kill, so I wrapped all the excess copper wire from the bathythermograph room in an hour or so, then a bit later I had to help out with the Stream Team for streaming our torpedo countermeasures back aft. We pulled it back in during my evening watch, just before I started all the tag-out maintenance madness.

I stayed up til 11pm working on our one piece of gear in Equipment Room #2. I had two maintenance checks on it, and during the second, I had the ship’s circuit board guy to help me troubleshoot the little out-of-tolerance reading we were getting on one setting. It didn’t go so well, and in the end he concurred with my prior diagnosis. I started this madness at 7pm, and it lasted four hours (with a brief interruption for a bowl of ice cream right after we hung the Danger tag for working on the electrical equipment).

Sunday, 4 AUG,

Sunday has been a day off for sure! It started out like all the others… I woke up at the time my watch would have started if we hadn’t been shifting the schedule forward today… so I ate breakfast, then realized I was still an hour early. But during it, we shot a missile! That was the first time we were able to do that since I’ve been on board! It was for training purposes, of course, but it was a real missile and the blast that we watched on our TV monitor in Sonar was a real ball of fire. It was gone and out of the tube in seconds.

Then it was time for our first Sunday Church service. A real encouragement! We have a new Senior Chief Gunner’s Mate on board who is a Christian and has been one for 30 years. He’s been a Lay Leader on other ships, and plays the guitar. I think he will help our group a bunch! Not only that, but my section leader came this morning as well; I knew I liked her a lot, and now I know the reason why. Also, a new seaman came as well. Our little group is growing! We had the three other regulars as well.

Had a bit of lunch after the remaining half-hour of watch, and Star Trek: Into Darkness was playing on the mess decks. They shut it off just as it went into the last half-hour or so, but that was okay with me. The main part had just wrapped up. I went straight to bed and slept for a while... I feel much refreshed! Sleep is so important, and we barely get enough of it in normal circumstances. Thank goodness for Holiday Routine on Sundays!

Monday, 5 AUG,

Our first really regular day, and the first of the new watch rotation change. I now had the 9-12 every morning and night, instead of the 6-9 during the first week. Now we started preparing in earnest for DITS (division in the spotlight). As the Safety and Security divisional Petty Officer (and alternate Repair Parts PO), I prepared as best I could for the walk-throughs. While flight quarters was set for our helicopters in the evening, I went to the helo hanger to get training from the Damage Controlmen for the Advanced DC qualifications that are required for the ESWS (enlisted surface warfare specialist) qualification.

Tuesday, 6 AUG,

After watch at night, I was part of the team for streaming our countermeasures again. During the morning watch, the OPS brief in the wardroom lasted quite a bit longer than normal as the ship was preparing for operations with the strike group. We set a special condition for ASW, which meant we had to man up the stacks in Sonar Control with more people for as long as it lasted; I managed to get some good sonar training with my LPO while we were there.

Wednesday, 7 AUG,

(Well, some days it's hard to recall what all happened... this is one of them) I did manage to do a lot of work on my ESWS book, as well as more training with the DC'men. Also finished an NKO (computer-based short learning course from Navy Knowledge Online) that I needed for one of the DC quals, and started the other.

Thursday, 8 AUG,

This time our ASW condition was set early in the morning, and lasted a good portion of the day. But there was lasagna for lunch, and pretty decent steak for dinner. And we brought in the countermeasures we had put out on Tuesday after that. That night I started a different NKO that I was told I had to do again, but the Internet was so slow, the course locked up and I couldn't finish.

Friday, 9 AUG,

This was my Security walk-through day with the ship's assistant security manager. He's a fine officer and friendly as well. He said our division looked very good, but he pointed out a few things that needed updating. We were interrupted by our division's medical emergency training where the corpsman came in, one with plastic wounds, and the other with the first aid kit. Everyone had to respond and put bandages on and answer questions about each of the wounds. And then I spent the rest of the day updating the security measures I needed to.

Saturday, 10 AUG,

After berthing cleaners, we set the ASW condition again all day. So even though it was my last 9-12 watch, I was pretty much on watch all day long.

Sunday, 11 AUG,

We had early church this time due to the ship's schedule. Retrieved the countermeasures yet again, set the ASW condition watch again, then held FWWD (fresh water wash down) and those of us from weapons department layed to the aft missile deck where we waited for the water to be sprayed everywhere so we could begin sweeping it off. We do this to help preserve the weather decks by washing off the salt residue. Upon coming back to Sonar, I had the Electrical/Safety walk-through with one of our new Chief-Selects. That also was a big improvement over the last time, so I'd say it went well. A special meal of scallops and rib-eye was for dinner (and I heartily enjoyed it, even if the scallops were way overdone), and then the ever-present ASW condition was set until 2000 (this was controlled by the strike group, so it was out of our hands). But when it FINEX'd (finished exercise) we retrieved the countermeasures for the last time. While cleaning the spaces for DITS, I wrapped the excess XBT wire. During watch my counterpart and I cleaned the Sonobuoy storeroom, XBT room and the countermeasure room.

Monday, 12 AUG,

This morning started with a VERTREP (vertical replenishment - helicopter lowering supplies) back aft and continued with an All Hands working party to bring all the food stores to the refer decks and store rooms below the mess decks. Right after that, my division had a uniform inspection for DITS; but we were told several things for quite a while... I switched back and forth from the Service Uniform to Coveralls at least twice. It ended up being in coveralls, and went just fine. During "clamp-down" as Clean Ship used to be called, I cleaned back aft, wiping up spots of the deck in our passageway... while listening to Frank Sinatra... the selection of one of the GMs. I snarfed down an early lunch (and quick! ... about 10 minutes), and then they set the underway replenishment detail. It was very warm outside; the sun shone and the sky was brilliant blue and caused the ocean to look an exquisite turquoise. After we were done pulling the fuel hose across and we had begun to pump, I and a few others went below for water to keep cool before going back out to wait to stand in line while we disconnected. Upon returning to watch, I went to work in the dome cage, shining brass. Took a much needed shower after working in all that heat. I was supposed to be on a team for handling something called a "Killer Tomato", but it was cancelled. Instead, I cleaned up and even trimmed my toenails. I tried on my new boots... but I think I will shine them some more before I break them in. ESWS training with engineering and the fire controlmen consumed the rest of the evening until my mid-watch which required certain duties that made the time go by even faster. Since the next day was the big inspection, I wiped up Sonar Control and checked out Sonar 3 as I was asked to by my Sup.

Tuesday, 13 AUG,

I conducted a good sweeper in Sonar 1 after quarters. I went to the all-hands security training with my inspector for an hour in the lounge. Had chicken Parmesan for lunch before coming on watch. This time I actually ended up back aft to handle the Killer Tomato. My counterpart wrote the ranges brief, so I routed the XBT message, and picked up parts from supply when they called. Read a bunch after watch, then met with the new seaman from church for a Bible study in Sonar 2. Fried shrimp for dinner, then met our Muslim chaplain in the CO's cabin while I was hunting for a signature in officer country. Managed time for ESWS training with another engineer, then returned to Sonar for Combat Systems drills as Area Supervisor for the first time. I finally found the officer's I needed for signatures while I was in CIC for our equipment reload.

Wednesday, 14 AUG,

Met with the Chaplain after sweepers, as per his request the previous evening in order to get a common understanding of what we need to do before deployment in regards the "religious program" on board. I also started getting sick with a sore throat. During watch, I wrote most of the brief, but it was cancelled after the Ammo VERTREP brief. Then I ran around getting the correct paperwork for a sign off on a chit for supply. I managed to rest in the afternoon, since I had been running myself pretty hard, and combined with the cold, I needed it badly. But I also met with my friend again for Bible reading. Got the last 100 level ESWS signature in CSMC when I turned in the daily report. Met with EN2 in CCS afterwords for last engineering sign-offs. Yay!

Thursday, 15 AUG,

Senior changed some of our watch-standing habits by laying down a few new rules while at quarters, and for the better. Cleaned the dome trunk with one of the first classes after that, then Berthing 2 had meeting on the Mess Decks about cleaning and sanitation. Because of the ship's assignment that day, we were close enough to shore for cell phone signals and I talked to Mike for a few minutes. Read some ASW PPRs during watch, then cleaned up and finished all my laundry afterwords. More drills again, and I did about the same. Tried to fix a job order, then took a nap before watch, on which I worked on analyzing grams.

Friday, 16 AUG,

In the morning I was bombarded with several things at once: I was wrong with the job, wrong with the grams, and laughed at for the way I responded to one of the drills. Good morning to you too. After sweepers, I worked on jobs with my counterpart. After potatoes and fried chicken for lunch, picked up some medicine from medical for my runny nose. Then I watched the live fire exercise from CIC for an ESWS sign-off. Worked more on trying to find the right part for the problem job. Dinner was singular... a half-hour wait for "Mongolian BBQ" (I had mine with shrimp, veggies, rice, garlic sauce... and I thought it was pretty good), which I ate in 10 minutes... and then another ASW condition for training that night.

Saturday, 17 AUG,

Berthing cleaners after quarters, got after dust and wiped down the walls and doors. I volunteered this morning at quarters to work on “topside preservation” from 10-12. We have rust spots on the part of the deck back aft that our division is in charge of… and we’ve been having a heck of a time getting it completed for one reason or another. So I was determined to get it done… except it took a good half-hour or more to get the right hose and needle gun out there and connected to low pressure air so we could do it. Started off pretty well and got most of it done, and then I turned over to someone else in my division, so I could have lunch before it closed. I was way too dirty to go right to lunch, so I took a quick shower and made it just in time before the mess line closed so I could have a baloney sandwich and some fruit. When I got back out there, a few people from the division were picking up all the tools and taking them back to the BMs. But when I saw the deck, I was aghast! The guy after me did a slipshod job and didn’t bother to sweep up the mess… so when they tried to get paint from the BMs, they turned us down… so all those spots will get rusty again in no time, and we’ll have to begin again. Working was fun, but I was pretty disappointed at the end. Such is life in the Navy. For the rest of watch, I helped out my Sup by writing down the specifics of a couple line items from our ZIDLs (zone inspection deficiency list), then helped a couple others with educting our sumps (excess water tanks). Then I took a nap for an hour or so, got up to meet for a Bible study, but the other person never came, so I read by myself. Pizza for dinner, then more Combat Systems drills, and finally, ice cream. Played a couple of Bingo games for fellow techs, and went to bed.

Sunday, 18 AUG,

In the morning, with no time for normal "Holiday Routine"; we had an All-Hands call on the flight deck for awards and a brief by the Captain about the near future. Then FWWD, early lunch and watch. Wrote the Sonar ranges brief during watch, then relaxed for an hour before meeting a bunch of VBSS (vessel boarding search and seizure) team members to watch some training. I was invited to participate myself, and it felt great. Steak for dinner, then it was my turn for the assigned duties during watch.

Monday, 19 AUG,

Almost late for quarters since I fell asleep after my alarm (but I was very rested!). Swept Sonar 1 for clean ship, took care of my rack for the upcoming inspection, then took care of two maintenance checks (reading meters) before lunch. It was the Asian meal for lunch, then watch... shined boots, checked watchbills, chatted, generated the muster report, and... SET SEA AND ANCHOR! However, it was my duty day when we pulled in.