Wasp night shift sailors keep the ship running

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Koons | Petty Officer 2nd Class (SW/AW) Steven Dujmovic, cryptologic technician (collection), and Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Headley, fire controlman, put on their night vision goggles and float coats prior to patrolling USS WASP as part of their security night shift duty, April 30. WASP's security office assigns five sailors to man up their spaces at night when the ship is underway.  

USS WASP, USAFRICOM, AT SEA

04.30.2011

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Koons 

USS WASP (LHD 1)   

USS WASP, At Sea – Whenever USS Wasp gets underway, some members of her crew are tasked with working at night while everyone else is asleep, an essential element in keeping the ship running smoothly.

“In Automated Data Processing, we have to deal with after hours trouble calls, making back-ups for our systems, and be on call in case anything happens to the ship’s networks,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Nikita Shiller, information systems technician, one of four sailors who work night shift in Wasp’s ADP office.

For these sailors, keeping watch over the ship’s computer systems at night is just as vital as it is when most of the crew is awake.

“We are in charge of Wasp’s NIPR and SIPR networks as well as its servers, NTCSS, and NIAPS,” said Seaman Naporsha Barnett, information systems technician. “If the ship took a power hit, all four of us would have to run to each switch to make sure these systems were all right.”

When Wasp is underway, the ADP night shift crew works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., which is a continuation of the type of schedule the office also maintains when Wasp is in-port.

“The ADP office must be manned 24 hours a day, both in-port and underway,” said Seaman Alex Gray, information systems technician. “The duty person stays awake all night in-port. It’s a tough job, but everyone in our office sticks up for each other.”

For those who work in Wasp’s security office, being on night shift means patrolling the halls of the ship to make sure nothing is amiss.

“Two of us have to walk through the ship every hour, dressed with night vision goggles and float coats and carrying OC Spray and flash lights,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class (SW/AW) Steven Dujmovic, cryptologic technician (collection), one of five sailors who man Security’s spaces at night while underway. “We watch out for anything that might be out of the ordinary. We’re just doing our small part to keep Wasp safe.”

While those who work in Security are charged with keeping the ship safe at night, those who man Wasp’s food services (S2) division after hours have the task of preparing the next day’s meals.

“We prep and chop the food parts at night that will go into the meals tomorrow,” said Seaman Justin Washington, culinary specialist, one of six sailors who work night shift for S2. “We also sometimes cook, such as for ‘mid-rats’ [the late meal] if we run out of food left over from dinner.”

Washington and his fellow S2 night shift workers work from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. underway, putting them in charge of preparing and serving mid-rats and the following day’s breakfast, a job he said joins them together with a sense of teamwork.

“I love working with these guys because we all work toward the same goal, and we take satisfaction in knowing the rest of the crew is taken care of and won’t go hungry when we secure our watch in the morning and go to sleep,” he said.

• Date Taken: 04.30.2011
• Date Posted: 05.02.2011 15:17
• Story ID: 69727
• Location: USS WASP, USAFRICOM, AT SEA