Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Rebekah Adler | Petty Officer 2nd Class Gabriel Dunlap measures the outside temperature and dew point...... read more read more
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USS WASP – Onboard a Navy ship, an accurate weather forecast is an essential part of planning everyday operations. For USS Wasp, Aerographer’s Mates from the Strike Group Oceanography Team, based in Norfolk, Va., support the ship’s mission by providing this service while it is underway.
“The importance of Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command is safety afloat of aircraft and safety of Naval ships,” said Chief Petty Officer Paul Brabenec, Leading Chief Petty Officer of the SGOT Norfolk team. “We take and record hourly observations, winds, lighting, rain, etc., and pressure settings to monitor conditions on the ship so that warfare commanders can make informed decisions.”
While attached to Wasp, a team of seven AGs from SGOT provide a forecast twice a day to inform the commanding officer of the latest weather conditions. They are also responsible for updating personnel who are directly involved or in charge of ship operations, such as the navigator, officer of the deck, air boss and pilots.
“It’s a challenging job, partly because of the changing weather conditions; you have to stay on top of it because it is something that can directly affect operations,” said Petty Officer 1st Class James Cummings, Leading Petty Officer for the Wasp SGOT team. “When the ship is planning for an aviation board, or for any significant mission like Composite Training Exercise or Joint Task Force Exercise, we’re always included. It’s a very involved job both at the planning and execution levels.”
In addition to their daily forecast, the AG’s take temperature readings every hour for routine operations, and twice an hour for evolutions such as flight quarters to update pilots on wind and pressure conditions.
For these tasks, the AGs use tools such as an anemometer, which measures wind speed and direction, and a kestrel, which measures air temperatures, as well as the ship’s sensors to record wind pressure. The information is then put into a system called Joint Defense Observations every three hours alongside current weather observations from other military units.
“A basic forecast entails a combination of things; we take satellite images which predict numeric models, as well as data from various National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration buoys that are anchored to the sea floor so that we can use that data to verify our numeric models,” said Cummings. “We also employ the MUC-11 Satellite receiver to download weather data from a variety of sources and information obtained from the Internet that we can grab raw data from and display it.”
AGs also keep on an eye on adverse weather conditions such hurricanes and thunderstorms that may make it difficult for the ship to conduct daily operations.
“Thunderstorms could adversely affect flight operations because they can create high winds and seas,” said Cummings. “It’s critical to keep situational awareness in those types of areas and steer the ship out of danger areas, especially since we’re now in hurricane season.”
According to Petty Officer 1st Class Chad Jackson, the knowledge of weather conditions provided by the AGs helps Wasp’s navigators and bridge watch standers determine which direction the ship should go.
“If any severe weather storm hits us, it’s important for the AGs to inform us so we can safely drive the ship away since conditions such as poor visibility makes it impossible for us to enter port,” Jackson explained.
For all AGs, accuracy is the name of the game, since severe consequences can result from an inaccurate reading, including aircraft mishaps.
“If you just go out there and do a nonchalant reading, it could mess up a lot of things, such as giving the pilots incorrect wind information,” said Seaman Jonathan Sirman. “This can lead to anything from aircraft not taking off to a plane crash, so it’s important to take this job seriously.”
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2010 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 55047 |
| Location: | USS WASP, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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