Life at Sea

Shellback ceremony, circa 2012

By Gidget Fuentes on May 18, 2012 Life at Sea, Marine Corps, Morale, Navy, Traditions

Their ship’s maiden deployment now on the homestretch to San Diego, Calif., after duty in the 5th Fleet region, the crew aboard amphibious assault ship Makin Island took a little time to mark that long-held seagoing tradition of crossing the equator, the Shellback Ceremony. No, it’s not exactly the casting call for the next sequel to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” But from the looks of these photos, a little fun was had by the pollywogs, even the “Boss Wog.” Not as crazy as those ceremonies of years gone by, for sure, but for the sailors aboard the ship, it gives…

A tale of two ships

By Gidget Fuentes on May 18, 2012 3rd Fleet, 7th Fleet, Life at Sea, Maintenance, Navy, Ships

Let’s face it: Once you step into a new car – or even a previously-owned vehicle, as used-car dealers say – it’s just not exciting to drive older wheels. Classic rebuilt cars, the exception of course. Trading down just isn’t fun. So we can feel for the sailors and officers of amphibious assault ship Essex, who this spring took the Wasp-class big-deck Bonhomme Richard from their home in San Diego, Calif., and swapped hulls in Japan, where they exchanged ships and even the official Facebook pages with their Sasebo-based counterparts in the Navy’s latest scheduled hull swap. The San Diego-based crew…

Sleep deprived? Join the club

By Gidget Fuentes on April 27, 2012 Health, Life at Sea, Navy, Safety

Apparently it’s not just the Navy that has a sleep problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 million American workers aren’t getting enough Zzzzs. That’s nearly one in three workers. “Not surprisingly, workers who work the night shift are more likely to not get enough sleep,” according to Dr. Sara Luckhaupt of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, who authored the study. Those workers pulling more than 40 hours on the job each week also are more apt to get less sleep than what medical experts say is needed to stay alert, avoid…

A public apology for barfing on the COD

By Joshua Stewart on January 30, 2012 Aviation, Carrier On-Board Delivery plane, Carriers, Chow, COMPTUEX, Enterprise, Life at Sea, Naval aviation, Navy

Dear VRC-40 “The Rawhides,” I’m just writing to apologize for getting airsick in your C-2A Greyhound. It was certainly unintentional. You handled the plane with steady hands as we flew from Naval Air Station Mayport, Fla., to the carrier Enterprise last week. We even had weather on our side, allowing for a particularly calm flight. If only my stomach was able to manage my breakfast as well as you flew the COD. Usually I handle flights pretty well, but the combination of the smell of aviation fuel, the lack of windows, the heat and the sheer grittiness of the Navy’s…

Not-so-fair winds at farewell

By Bill McMichael on January 17, 2012 Deployment, Life at Sea, Maritime operations, Navy, Norfolk Naval Station, Photos, Surface Force Atlantic

The temperature would rise to near 60 in Hampton Roads Tuesday, but winds gusting to 37 mph made it feel 45ish — and it always feels colder down at the Naval Station Norfolk waterfront, where the frigate Nicholas left around 10 a.m. How windy was it? The line handlers had to go hatless: The chop also made for a tricky getaway: And off they went: Nicholas will be joining other U.S. and partner-nation ships in support of Navy Maritime Interception Operations, according to Naval Surface Force Atlantic.

CO vs. sailor's mother

By Joshua Stewart on November 17, 2011 Blogs, Carriers, Facebook, Life at Sea

The fight is between blogger and Navy Mom Mary Brotherton and Capt. Brian “Lex” Luther, commanding officer of the carrier George H.W. Bush, a ship with ongoing commode problems. Brotherton has a blow-by-blow account of the head troubles on the carrier, complete with accounts from her son, a sailor onboard. It’s pretty thorough and includes details on how sailors handle widespread toilet outages, the clogs that cripple the toilet system and efforts to fix breakdowns. It was her work that tipped off a bunch of reporters on what’s happening on the ship. Not to be outdone, Capt. Luther has spoken up…

Dive for that loose ball!

By Bill McMichael on November 9, 2011 Basketball, Carrier Classic, Life at Sea, Marine Corps, Navy, Photos, Veterans Day

When the Navy agreed to hold an NCAA basketball game on the flight deck of the carrier Carl Vinson, one probably could have gotten decent odds against the prospect of rain in San Diego on Veterans Day. Now there’s an 80 percent chance, and it’s looking like the highly anticipated North Carolina-Michigan State game could get bumped downstairs to the much smaller hangar deck. That’s bad news for some ticket holders — just about all of them military personnel — because only 4,000 or 5,000 of the 7,000 who could attend topside would be able to squeeze into the hangar…

Busy days and nights aboard Ike

By Bill McMichael on October 19, 2011 Carrier qualifications, Carriers, Life at Sea, Navy, Photos, Ships, Training, Underway replenishment

The Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is deep into the basic phase of pre-deployment training while underway in the Atlantic. Technically, it’s taking part in a Tailored Ship’s Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem, or TSTA/FEP, and conducting carrier qualifications for Carrier Air Wing 7 fliers. Ike will be out for several weeks to come, so it’s a busy time for the crews of the ship and the wing. All that activity demands fresh stores of all sorts. On Oct. 18 — not clear if it was pre-sunrise or post-sunset — the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic delivered the…

Haze gray and underway

By Bill McMichael on September 27, 2011 Carriers, Life at Sea, Navy, Photos, Ships, Training, Underway replenishment

This simple yet atmospheric photo should resonate with anyone who’s ever been at sea …

No pain, no gain

By Bill McMichael on September 23, 2011 Carrier qualifications, Carriers, Life at Sea, Master-at-arms, Navy, OC spray, Photos, Security Force training, Training

So you want to be a Navy master-at-arms or join a ship’s security force? Know that this is a hurdle you’ll have to clear: Yep, that’s a faceful of Oleoresin Capsicum spray — a staple of master-at-arms “A” school training and part of a requirement for shipboard security force qualification. But you don’t just get a level one (directly in the face) spray shot of the (obviously) non-lethal pepper spray, which burns like the dickens and can cause breathing problems. You have to show you can fight through the pain and do your job: That guy in the Storm Trooper…

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