A Watch of a Kind

The main focus of these last couple weeks was to complete our required maintenance check that requires divers to go into the sonar dome after it gets put on air (normally it is filled with water). But because of the frigid conditions in Norfolk these days, it got can-ex'ed (Navy slang for cancelled). The diver's gear was frozen solid, so they simply couldn't do what was required. We're in three-section duty this week... so Tuesday, we completed the water-to-air interchange, which required me to get there super early to work with Senior Chief on getting it done on time. Went off without a hitch, but since we were so busy all day, us Sonar Techs on duty were taken off the section's watchbill. We had our own watchbill... to monitor the dome pressure in the dome cage (where all the pipes and valves for air and water are). It was freezing cold up there. I had my sweat pants on under my uniform... and I was still cold! It was sort of dull duty, so to keep warm I shined some of the brass valves (which kept me much warmer as long as I did it).

Because of the weather and the amount of snow on the roads on base, the base was shut down and only "mission essential" personnel were required to be at work, so right at noon (the set turnover time) the off-going section was let go! Not only that, but we weren't required the next day on Thursday either! A free day off! And today is my duty day as well... and we had a two-hour delay (extra sleep time!), then I had a dental appointment first thing after quarters. We put the dome back on water, and that took a few hours. Then I was able to do duty section things again... there was a great need for sweepers, since people had tracked tons of dirt onto the quarterdeck with the snow... and we had to clean it up. Kind of difficult, since a bunch of it was mud... but we did pretty well. Then I helped my people with a check on our cooling skid, which dragged out way too long. Then I spent the next couple hours before watch fixing cracked lagging in a few of our spaces. I love fixing things!

Busy Week!

Monday the 13th, worked all morning receiving lots of boxes of XBTs; had to consolidate some of them so they'd fit. Got to install the new trackball assembly for one of the consoles then I was let go to get a quote for open purchase office supplies at Servmart. Managed to drop off copies of my Lay Leader certificate and church letter to the ministry center on my way out too. Tuesday morning I put the system in training for the ship's events this week. Printed out the open purchase requests, then spent the remainder of the day replacing all 35 pieces of non-skid in all our division's spaces. Got the materials from the deck department in their forward locker. Had to cut the big pieces in quarters, then rounded all the edges to make it look uniform. I only measured the first piece before I realized how easy it would be. Folded the big piece before I cut it to keep my scissors straight through the middle. The result looks fantastic! Before we used three skinny strips laid down together to make a big enough strip for walking safely through doors and hatches... now they are all brand-new, solid pieces, that sparkle in the bright indoor light. Just another reason why Sonar has the best looking spaces on the ship. Wednesday was an odd day all around. Our LPO was in school, so besides quarters being a little different, Senior Chief asked me to attend our DITS out-brief in the wardroom with our Divo and himself. Division-In-The-Spotlight consists of an overall inspection of all a division's programs, binders and spaces. I am in charge of safety, security and repair parts. All three of these received the best marks possible... and high praise from all the inspectors; words like "flawless" "perfect" and "Bravo Zulu" (which is Navy for "well done"). This was only possible because I corrected every hit from the last DITS we had. Still, it felt really good to have things like that said in front of the command. After this and after lunch, I worked on organizing the ZIDL hits (zone inspection deficiencies list) into categories. Also, the Fathometer guys came over to teach me about replacing one of the springs for the chart paper, and they taught me a bit about the wave analyzer that I have to use for one of the annual checks that I have to accomplish this week.  Thursday, I had the first watch... five hours that never seemed to end. Between checking in over fifty contractors and visitors, passing the word, answering the phone and transferring calls (usually more than one at a time), blowing the whistles for colors, and ringing the CO aboard, I was pretty much plum tired out by the time my relief came. I spent the afternoon working in Sonar Control by myself, repairing lagging so I can complete those jobs I wrote for DITS last week. I had trouble with the pennants just before colors... I accidentally let one of the lines go as I was transferring it, and we had to fight with a very heavy safety net pole to bring it back down. But eventually we got it done. So glad I was able to get a full night's sleep!  Friday was a bookend to Monday, since I was able to complete the second Fathometer check that gave me so much trouble last year. This time I was prepared! I knew what I needed (test equipment set up) and I had it explained to me by the experts! Helps a lot! But I knocked that out at the end of the day... I started by going to medical for a screening for an upcoming event.

Slideshow

 On the bridge on a duty day... waiting for colors.

 Two hats...

 Two banes of my existence: transmitter cables and public speaking

 Doodling on our whiteboard. Who knew the sonar symbol looks like the top of a bowling pin?

On SCAT during our Nov-Dec month-long underway. You could say it was a little chilly.

Holiday Stand-Down No. 2

Just re-read my entries from holiday stand-down from last year... how long ago that was! And how far I've come from then! It was the very first time I stood an armed watch!

This holiday period in port really was holiday duty for me. My first duty day was a Sunday (had the mid-watch on the Quarterdeck with an Ensign from section 5 as OOD)... and the next was Wednesday... the 1st of January (afternoon watch on the Quarterdeck with BM2)... and the final was yesterday, a Saturday (Combat Systems Maintenance Central evening watch). As the first two were holiday routine days, we didn't have training and I had tons of time to get all my required training courses done. There were drills on Saturday, but we knocked them out in the morning. I was Team Leader for the DC drill for the first time... thankfully it was an easy flooding/pipe patching drill in self-serve laundry. We enthusiastically got it done right the first time.

Since it rained a lot, we swept a lot. I nearly swept the non-skid off of the missile deck by week's end. :)

And the ship did us all a good turn: since our pre-deployment leave is so awfully short, they let us have two days off during the week. We had short workdays on Monday and Friday, then we had time to relax Tuesday through Thursday. And boy, did that feel good. I started making a habit of leaving the ship in civilian clothes... and it made me feel even free-er. :)