Photo By Dana Rene White | Andrew Reeves (left), UNREP import coordinator, helps Boatswain Mate 1st Class Cleston...... read more read more
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After a busy and productive stay at NSWC PHD, USS Preble (DDG 88) left mission ready.
More than 50 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from multiple departments at the command serviced the ship from top to bottom—from the SPY radar systems down to broken door latches inside the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
“I wanted to come here and tear all of the ship’s systems down and find out where the issues are,” said USS Preble Cmdr. Leonardo Giovannelli. “We’ve had two deployments since our last visit to NSWC PHD,” which was in May 2017 for Combat System Ship Qualification Trials.
“Normally, ships will come here (NSWC PHD) prior to going on deployment,” Giovannelli added. “That long operating, you can expect some degradation in the system. Although my folks have been doing a wonderful job, there is nothing to match the experience of the techs here.”
The ship was scheduled to go on a brief deployment prior to heading to its homeport at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for the holidays.
In all, the CSAT team assessed 24 areas, including testing 217 maintenance requirement cards and performing 27 LOGSAT reviews. The CSAT team spent just over 542 hours training USS Preble Sailors during the ship’s visit, and the logistics department saved the ship more than $23,000 by sourcing and obtaining free-issue parts.
USS Preble last saw maintenance availability in its homeport in October, but hadn’t undergone a “deep dive” of repairs and maintenance since its last visit to NSWC PHD, said Chief Boatswain’s Mate (BMC) Chris Haws. On a warship like the Preble, the BMC is responsible for the maintenance of the ship and its equipment.
“It went very well,” Haws said. “We had great contact from the SMEs who also provided a lot of technical knowledge for our Sailors. Major equipment also got the attention it needed. The feedback from our crew has been really positive.”
Andrew Reeves, import coordinator for NSWC PHD’s Underway Replenishment (UNREP), oversaw the team that works on the forward sliding padeyes for cargo receiving while the ship is underway. Located mid-ship, the sliding padeyes underwent preservation maintenance and operational tests.
“We refurbish or repair if required, or help process a procurement if needed,” Reeves said.
The ship took on 13 new boatswain’s mates this year who received forward refresher/replenishment training while the ship was docked. The boatswain’s mates first sat through classroom instruction, then got hands-on training at the UNREP area where they practiced stringing—attaching and releasing hoses for refueling the ship’s two gas turbine engines. The hoses, which capture F76 marine diesel fuel, at times can endure up to 50,000 pounds of tension while being refueled at sea.
The training is imperative, because “my folks are the ones who have to maintain that system when we depart,” Giovannelli said. “Not everything is combat systems related. We still need training in replenishment for fuel, stores, etc. The feedback I have received is that they have learned a ton.”
Additional training was requested for Aegis Baseline 9—the new operating system the ship will receive when it undergoes a complete modernization beginning late next year—and additive manufacturing/3D printing, part of the ISEA of the Future efforts. In addition, most of the officers, Chief’s Mess and some on-board technicians were briefed on the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) laser weapon system expected to be installed on USS Preble in 2021.
Until it undergoes the upcoming modernization, the crew must maintain a ship that is not the oldest in the fleet, but also not the newest. USS Preble’s construction began in June 2000. She was launched and christened a year later, receiving her commission Nov. 9, 2002.
Giovannelli pointed out that some of the original parts on the 2,400-ton destroyer are nearly 20 years old at this point.
“I have a lot of wonderful Sailors on this ship but a lot of them are young,” Giovannelli said. “This may be their first or second tour. One of the big reasons for coming here is to get my folks next to these experts. They (the Sailors) learned…how to fix things, where they should focus their efforts, what they are doing well, and what they can do a little better.
“Plus, they’ve learned some new troubleshooting techniques they can use once we leave to make repairs on our own and be more self-sufficient,” he added.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2019 13:15 |
| Story ID: | 355846 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 525 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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