catalinajack
Guru
This is for Rich Gano and any other former Naval officers. Although I could find nothing reported in the news, several days ago, CG-71 (USS Cape St. George) experienced a shipboard fire. Five Seattle fire trucks responded but it was the sailors who put down the fire. CG-71 is in dry dock for a two-year refit. Welders were installing new pad-eyes on the flight deck and established safety precautions (fire lookouts) were not followed. A sailor discovered the fire before it became a conflagration. Six sailors donned their turn-out gear (masks, oxygen) and put water on the fire. Smoke throughout the ship. Had the fire not been discovered early-on, the ship could have suffered the same fate as the USS Bonhomme Richard.
Rich, the reaction of the sailors would not be a surprise to you. But, what was surprising to me was that the Command Decision Officer that day was an enlisted sailor, a Chief Petty Officer, who was responsible for coordinating all of the the fire-fighting, including coordinating with the Seattle Fire Dept. There is only a small crew aboard the ship during the refit. How did this information come to me? It came from my son who is a CPO aboard the Cape St. George. He was not the Command Decision Officer that day as he was on board for a regular work day, not a 24-hour on-board duty day, but he is the CDO every eight days in their duty rotation.
Rich, it continues to amaze me how much responsibility is given to our sailors as a matter of course and how competently they respond in the face of adversity. My son related the details of the incident in a "no-big-deal" manner. His rate is CTT (Cryptologic Technician Technical. CTTs are responsible for operating the ship's defense radars. Unlikely, but a petty officer is authorized launch countermeasures on his own command if the threat is imminent and there is no time to consult a duty officer. Amazing, just amazing.
As a side note, when the Bonhomme Richard was burning bright, there were destroyers berthed to either side. Enlisted sailors, working in blinding smoke, dropped lines to get them away from the dock, no tugs to assist. These kids knew what needed to be done and did it. Several sustained injuries. Sailors doing their jobs, as trained. Where do these kids come from?
Rich, the reaction of the sailors would not be a surprise to you. But, what was surprising to me was that the Command Decision Officer that day was an enlisted sailor, a Chief Petty Officer, who was responsible for coordinating all of the the fire-fighting, including coordinating with the Seattle Fire Dept. There is only a small crew aboard the ship during the refit. How did this information come to me? It came from my son who is a CPO aboard the Cape St. George. He was not the Command Decision Officer that day as he was on board for a regular work day, not a 24-hour on-board duty day, but he is the CDO every eight days in their duty rotation.
Rich, it continues to amaze me how much responsibility is given to our sailors as a matter of course and how competently they respond in the face of adversity. My son related the details of the incident in a "no-big-deal" manner. His rate is CTT (Cryptologic Technician Technical. CTTs are responsible for operating the ship's defense radars. Unlikely, but a petty officer is authorized launch countermeasures on his own command if the threat is imminent and there is no time to consult a duty officer. Amazing, just amazing.
As a side note, when the Bonhomme Richard was burning bright, there were destroyers berthed to either side. Enlisted sailors, working in blinding smoke, dropped lines to get them away from the dock, no tugs to assist. These kids knew what needed to be done and did it. Several sustained injuries. Sailors doing their jobs, as trained. Where do these kids come from?
