Big E Completes Ammo Offload

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

The Shuttle October 28, 2012 Issue“We are Legend”Magazine Edition

Big ECompletesAmmo Offload

the ship’s Weapons department began dismantling and repacking all of the ship’s ordnance. Once the ammunition was dismantled and repacked, Sailors in the Weapons department began staging the ordnance so that it would be ready to be removed from the ship. “This was a big undertaking,” said Hinnant. “The staging process on this ship is more challenging than any other ship in the Navy.” After the ordnance was staged in Enterprise’s hangar bay and on the flight deck, a task accomplished with the help of the “Big E’s” Air department, the Weapons department relied on the Dragonslayers of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 11 to transport much of the ordnance from Enterprise to Sacagawea via vertical replenishment. “Our job was to assist Enterprise and Sacagawea with the vertical replenishment,” said Lt. Marcus A.

Sunday, October 28 2012 The Shuttle

Ammo Offload

Story by Mass Communication 3rd Class (SW) Brian G. Reynolds

Enterprise Completes Last Ever Ammunition Offload

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – Sailors assigned to the Weapons department aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) completed the historic carrier’s final ammunition offload Oct. 24-26. During the offload, 3,348,000 pounds of ordnance and ammunition was transferred from Enterprise to the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ships USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 5) and USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). Because Enterprise is scheduled to be inactivated later this year, all ammunition and ordnance – other than small arms used for security purposes - had to be transferred off of the ship. “The planning was a major challenge,” said Lt. Cmdr. Thomas L. Hinnant, the ordnance handling officer aboard Enterprise. “We have been talking to the Sacagawea for about a year. There are so many entities involved in an evolution of this size that it takes a lot of coordination.” “The evolution was extremely difficult because we faced so many challenges planning for such an event,” said Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Steven J. Black, the leading chief petty officer of Enterprise’s aviation ordnance control center. “As in any situation, plans change and the Weapons department had to be flexible and adapt to whatever changes were thrown at us. Once we finally got the go ahead, we were ready and our people pulled it off flawlessly.” The process of dismantling over 1,600 tons of ordnance was undoubtedly a daunting one. The process began one month ago, shortly after Enterprise flew its final sortie in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Soon thereafter,

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Dragon Whales of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 transfers ammunition to the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) during the USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) last ammo offload. (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)

Sunday, October 28, 2012 The Shuttle

Ammo OffloadTorres, a pilot with HS-11 who assisted with the vertical replenishment. “Our main focus was to effectively assist both ships with the ammo offload to help facilitate an expeditious return home.” However, what may sound like a routine vertical replenishment was no easy task. Enterprise, Sacagawea and HS-11 faced rough seas and inauspicious weather conditions, which played a major role in making this vertical replenishment more difficult than it may have been under normal conditions. “This was definitely one of the more challenging vertical replenishments,” said Torres, “especially when you take into account the sea state and the wind conditions, but we pulled it off without any major issues.” During the offload, the Weapons department also worked closely with Enterprise’s Deck department to successfully transport the ammunition that was staged in the hangar bay. “The main priority of the Deck department was to move the barrels of ammunition from the hangar bay to the Sacagawea using the sliding pad-eye from stations 5 and 13,” said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Timothy W. Lumpkin, the leading petty officer of Deck department’s 2nd division. Much like HS-11, the Sailors of the Deck department faced the challenges of the elements. “The heavy seas and high winds were definitely a challenge for us,” said Lumpkin. “The heavy seas caused the ships to surge – causing the ships to come closer together, rather than further apart - while we were moving ammo. After doing this for three days, fatigue was also an issue. But we weathered the storm and completed the job as we always do.” After nearly three days of intense coordination and hard work of Enterprise’s entire crew, all of “Big E’s” ammunition and ordnance was successfully removed from the ship without any major issues. During the evolution, the crew conducted 314 connected replenishment lifts and 946 vertical replenishment lifts, for a total of 1,260 lifts. While the “Big E” may have offloaded the last piece of ordnance it will ever hold in its storied weapons magazines, the ammunition will be used elsewhere. . “All of the ordnance had to be offloaded as part of our

(inactivation) process,” said Black, “but the assets will be distributed as needed throughout the Fleet to support the Navy’s mission.” As the ship finishes the last leg of its 25th and final deployment, the Weapons department aboard Enterprise can breathe a brief sigh of relief knowing that such a massive undertaking is behind them. “I could not have asked for a better group of people to have the privilege of being their ordnance handling officer,” said Hinnant. “They have done an amazing job the last three years of keeping us above board on all ordnance matters.” However, many of the Sailors who make up the ranks of the ship’s Weapons department used the evolution as an opportunity to show that hard work is what they do best. “It is a great feeling to be a part of such a great team,” said Black. “There were many times throughout the offload when I would look around and see junior Sailors pulling double shifts, working the extra hours, doing whatever was necessary to get this job done. These guys knew it was their time to shine; they rose to the occasion and knocked it out of the park.” After completing its final deployment, Enterprise is scheduled to inactivate Dec. 1, in a ceremony to be held at Naval Station Norfolk, bringing to a close more than 51 years of distinguished service. The inactivation ceremony will be the last official public event for the ship and will serve as a celebration of life for the ship and the more than 100,000 Sailors who have served aboard.

Sailors move ordnance in the hangar bay on the final day of an ordnance offload in the hangar bay. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)


Ammo Offload

Sailors use a forklift to transfer ordnance from aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) to Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) during the final day of an ammunition offload. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Gunners Mate Seaman Joshua Reynolds, from Fort Smith, Ark., participates in a foreign object debris (FOD) walk-down in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) following the final day of an ammunition offload.(Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Seaman Apprentice Krystopher Jackson, from Lufkin, Texas, stands a lookout watch during aircraft carrier USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) last ammo offload. (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)

Aviation Ordnancemen move prepare ordnance for offload during aircraft carrier USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) last ammo offload.(Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)

Sailors heave around a line in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), while the ship is connected to Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) during the final day of an ammunition offload. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)


Ammo Offload

The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at [email protected].

Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler

Executive OfficerCapt. G. C. Huffman

Commanding OfficerCapt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.

EditorMC3 Brian G. Reynolds

The Shuttle

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Command Master Chief CMDCM (AW/SW) Dwayne E. Huff

Gunners Mate Seaman Joshua Reynolds, from Fort Smith, Ark., participates in a foreign object debris (FOD) walk-down in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) following the final day of an ammunition offload.(Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Seaman Apprentice Krystopher Jackson, from Lufkin, Texas, stands a lookout watch during aircraft carrier USS Enterprise’s (CVN 65) last ammo offload. (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Dragon Whales of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 refuels aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during Enterprise’s final ammo offload with Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). (Photo by MC3 Randy J. Savarese)

Sailors transfer ordnance from aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) to Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) during the final day of an ammunition offload. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Sailors move ordnance on the final day of an ordnance offload. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Sailors heave around a line in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), while the ship is connected to Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) during the final day of an ammunition offload. (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)

Aviation Ordnanceman Ben Porter sits in a forklift in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), preparing to move ordnance during the final day of an ammunition offload with Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). (Photo by MC3 Scott Pittman)


Hurricane News

Donate it, Don’t Toss It!If you have clothing, bed linens, and/or toiletries that you no longer need, and they are:

1. In good condition, 2. Clean, and 3. Folded

Enterprise’s Religious Ministries Department is ready to accept them, and will ensure that they are delivered to a local charity who will provide them to people who will be grateful to have them.

Donation boxes are located in the Ship’s Library/LMRC, 03-191-12-L, and will be available during normal working hours until we pull into Mayport.

IMPORTANT NOTE: These are NOT disposal bins for you to dump your old stuff! If items do not meet the criteria above, they will not be accepted. Please keep in mind, this is an effort to help individuals and families who find themselves in need; this is not a trash collection effort. If you would not want to wear or use it, please do not bring it.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for much of the coasts of North and South Carolina. It is currently about 355 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Sandy was downgraded to a tropical storm early Saturday morning, then upgraded again to hurricane status as it picked up speed en route to the United States. “We’re expecting a large, large storm,” Louis Uccellini, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Environmental Prediction, told Reuters. “The circulation of this storm as it approaches the coast could cover about the eastern third of the United States.” Experts said the storm could be wider and stronger than Irene, which caused more than $15 billion in damage, and it could rival the worst East Coast storm on record, according to the Associated Press. On Saturday morning, forecasters said hurricane-force winds of 75 mph could be felt 100 miles away from the storm’s center. Early Saturday, the storm was about 155 miles north of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas and 350 miles south-southeast of Charleston, S.C. So far, Sandy has killed more than 40 people in the Caribbean, wrecking homes and knocking down trees and power lines. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of Florida’s East Coast, along with parts of North and South Carolina and the Bahamas.


Hurricane News

TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency for New Jersey, ahead of Hurricane Sandy’s expected arrival. The declaration was announced around 11 a.m. Saturday, just before the governor held a news conference to discuss how the state was preparing for the storm. Christie had been campaigning in North Carolina before returning to New Jersey late Friday. The state’s office of emergency management has been activated and voluntary evacuations started from South Jersey’s barrier islands. Mandatory evacuations there and at Atlantic City’s casinos were due to start Sunday afternoon. Christie was criticized for vacationing in Florida with his family while a snowstorm pummeled the state in 2010. But he gained fame the following year for telling New Jerseyans to “Get the hell off the beach” as Hurricane Irene approached.

MIAMI - All tropical storm watches and warnings have been canceled for Florida as Hurricane Sandy makes its way northward. By late Saturday morning, Sandy was still at hurricane strength with winds of 75 mph. However, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami warn that the storm’s formal category won’t matter much. It will still dump rain and snow along much of the U.S. East Coast, and could push storm surge reaching 8 feet into some low-lying areas. Sandy is a massive storm, with winds of 39 mph or more felt as far as 450 miles from Sandy’s center.

N.J. State of Emergency, Fla. Warning By Brad Knickerbocker. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

sea will continue to maneuver to clear the path of the storm. Commander Navy installations Command has ordered all installations to remain at Tropical Cyclone Condition Three as a precautionary measure. This means destructive winds of greater than 50 knots associated with a tropical system, are expected within 48 hours, according to a press release from the Navy. Standard measures for ships riding out heavy weather in port include extra mooring lines; placing the anchor on the bottom while alongside the pier; and removal of shore power cables, heavy or elevated brows, and any lighter objects that could create hazards during high winds, according to the release.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The Navy canceled Sortie Condition Alpha Saturday morning. Now all ships currently in port will remain and ships that have already left will remain at sea. “We kept a very close watch on the storm all night,” said Adm. Bill Gortney, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “As a result of these projected changes, we determined that the safest place for the ships not already underway is in port. While we have made these prudent decisions for our ships, I don’t want to understate the significance of the situation. Sandy remains a powerful storm.” The Navy says ships in port will take extra precautions to avoid potential damage and ships at

Navy Cancels Sortie Condition Alpha Ships to Remain in PortBy WAVY

The Shuttle Sunday, October 28, 2012The Shuttle

Big E Entertainment

AE2 McLean Monaghan, from Middletown, N.J., joined the Navy three and a half years ago to better his life. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, reading and working out. In the future, he plans to submit a package for Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

Aviation Electrician’s Mate 2nd ClassMcLean Monaghan

Sailors of the Day

CSSN Rainessia E. Clarke, from Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the Navy one year and four months ago to see the world. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, reading and spending time with family. In the future, she plans to advance in rank and earn a college degree.

Culninary Specialist SeamanRainessia E. Clarke

Big E Completes Ammo Offload

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