Fleet Week Port Everglades Holds a Damage Controls Olympics

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Zachary Behrend | 230425-N-KG461-1109 PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. (April 24, 2023) U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Indiana (SSN 789) put out a controlled fire during the Resolve Marine Damage Control Olympics as part of Navy Fleet Week Port Everglades. This marks the 18th year that Resolve Academy has held this event for military members to participate in. This year marks the 32nd Port Everglades Fleet Week. Fleet Week has been hosted by Broward Navy Days and the event provides a tremendous opportunity to showcase naval technology and the Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who serve the nation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zachary D. Behrend/Released)  

PORT EVERGLADES, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

04.25.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Behrend 

Commander, Navy Region Southeast

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. – Navy Fleet Week Port Everglades held the 18th annual Damage Control (DC) Olympics hosted by Resolve Academy at Port Everglades, April 26.

The DC Olympics is a competition between U.S. naval vessels that arrived for Fleet Week, testing teams on their damage control skills, like pipe-patching and fire hose handling.

Chauncey Naylor, the director of Resolve Academy said, “To have these teams come in and be this excited about it and be this engaged, it gives us pride. It is amazing to me. This is more about what we got out there working for us and sacrificing their time with families”

Though the DC Olympics are designed to boost morale and provide local commands the chance to socialize, interact and have fun all while competing against each other, it also provides Sailors with the chance to sharpen their DC skills.

“This is awesome,” said Chief Damage Controlman Keith Hunter, assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21). “This is a great time to get Sailors out here to actually do hands-on training with live fire. We simulate a lot of emergency events on the ship, but it is good for them to actually feel the heat.”

At the end of the day the team from the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Indiana (SSN 789) posted the best overall performance and won individual gold medals and a team banner to hoist on the boat.

“I feel really proud that we did this for the submarine force,” said Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fitzsimmons, a member of the Indiana’s DC team. “DC is kind of our bread and butter because if we aren’t proficient at it, we lose the ship.”

For more information visit https://www.BrowardNavyDaysInc.org/ or on Facebook at Fleet Week Port Everglades.

• Date Taken: 04.25.2023
• Date Posted: 04.26.2023 09:33
• Story ID: 443393
• Location: PORT EVERGLADES, FLORIDA, US