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Images of the Week

Inside the Tire Shop

While deployed, we live our lives confined to the ship. As massive as an aircraft carrier is compared to other vessels, it is still a fairly small space when you consider that it’s all the space we occupy for months at a time.

Nevertheless, most of us only ever see a small number of Lincoln’s spaces. We walk a continuous circuit back and forth from our berthing, weaving our ways between the mess decks, our work spaces and the heads. In a day, we might exercise, visit Personnel, attend a meeting or run correspondence between departments. But most of the ship’s spaces remain unknown to us.

How many of us have been in the seat shop? What about the tire and wheel shop? These are two of many smaller shops where the critical work that goes unnoticed by most of us gets done everyday. When you realize how many of these shops there are, the next time you walk around and through the ship, you’ll realize that someone is responsible for every detail you see.

And then, just like the first time you laid eyes on it, the ship won’t seem that small after all.

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Pilots assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 take off from the flight deck almost every day while Lincoln is out to sea, but while they’re working to keep America

safe, who ensures they will be safe while they are flying?Aviation Structural Mechanic (Equipment) 1st Class

Michael Ricketts said there are eight personnel each from four different squadrons that work hard in the ship’s seat shop every day to keep those pilots safe when they fly.

“All 32 of us have to come together to make sure the aircraft is as safe as possible for the pilot,” Ricketts said.

The seat shop’s workload ranges from finding missing screws to removing ejection seats from several of the 60 aircraft in their possession at one time. It requires time and attention to detail to ensure that all parts are inventoried and correctly attached.

“Sometimes it can take eight days to get a seat fully prepared for the aircraft,” said Aviation Structural Mechanic (Equipment) 2nd Class Josh Claytor. “But when everything comes together and we have everything dialed in, we can usually get it done in about two days.”

At a minimum, ejection seats for the EA-6B Prowlers of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 131 have to be removed and inspected every 364 days, and seats for the various F/A-18 fighter jets have to be removed every 728 days.

“There’s always something going on in the shop,” said Ricketts. “There’s never a day where we’re just sitting around and twiddling our thumbs thinking of stuff to do.”

Whether it’s inspecting seats in aircraft or doing a cabin pressure check, the seat shop keeps the pilots safe and Lincoln on mission.

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Lincoln’s commanding officer was named an honorary chief petty officer by the ship’s command master chief during a ceremony

held in the ship’s Chiefs’ Mess, March 31.When Command Master Chief Susan

Whitman pinned Capt. John D. Alexander with the traditional fouled anchor of a chief petty officer (CPO), the chiefs in attendance responded with a standing ovation.

“Today is a day we hope you will never forget,” Whitman said. “The only request we have of you is that you will always wear the CPO pin somewhere on your uniform or carry a CPO coin in your pocket.”

Whitman attributed the honor to Alexander’s consistent support of Lincoln’s Chiefs’ Mess and the mission of chiefs everywhere.

“We wanted to say ‘thank you for believing and trusting in us,’ and we wanted to thank you in a way that is the highest compliment one can receive,” Whitman said. “There is no monetary

Capt. alexander named HonoraryCpo

value or even an award. However, tonight you will become part of an exclusive fraternity and brotherhood.”

Alexander, whose Navy career has spanned 29 years, said that over the course of nearly three decades, he’s received a number of honors and awards, but none compare to this one.

“The Chiefs’ Mess has formed the backbone of the Navy for 119 years,” Alexander said. “I fully believe there is no group more important to the success of our Sailors and our Navy than the chiefs. I am humbled and honored to become part of such a proud club. Thank you for this prestigious honor.”

Alexander joins the ranks of other notable honorary chiefs such as Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus; retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Dr. Bill Cosby.

Story by MC2 Jonathan IdlePhotos by MCC Jeffrey Pierce

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On the road, a flat tire can cause serious problems. A blowout can even be deadly. On an aircraft, these dangers are magnified

by the already chaotic nature of flight operations. Thankfully, the Sailors of Lincoln’s tire and

wheel shop are ready and able to maintain tires and replace the damaged ones.

Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Oscar Cabillaje, the leading petty officer of the tire and wheel shop, said their work is essential to the ship’s mission readiness.

“If the tires on an aircraft are bad, that aircraft is immobile. It won’t launch, land or move until it’s replaced,” Cabillaje said.

The danger of poorly maintained tires isn’t merely the potential to delay flight operations, said Aviation Structural Mechanic 3rd Class David Burton.

“Everything about it has to be just right. A single gouge on the sidewall of a tire could create a serious problem,” Burton said. “The tire could

rupture during a launch or a landing and kill somebody on deck.”

Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Alvaro Casey said the maintenance of aircraft tire assemblies isn’t simply a matter of replacement.

“We break down, build up and test the tire assemblies to ensure they’re mission- ready at their operational 400 PSI,” Casey said. “All of the tires are nitrogen-filled, so the pressure won’t change during flights like regular air-filled tires would.”

Cabillaje said it is essential that the entire tire and wheel team be fully qualified to work on their equipment. “The pressure in the tires is so high, a rupture could cause some real damage to a person,” Cabillaje said.

As long as the squadrons are flying, the tire and wheel shop will be ready.

“We keep our supply ready for installation,” said Burton. “With a crew of nine, we maintain our duties day and night.”

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Four Sailors serving aboard Lincoln participated in one of the Navy’s oldest traditions

when they were baptized on the ship’s fantail, April 6.

“These four Sailors showed great dedication to their faith through this very sacred and important ceremony,” said Cmdr. Denis Cox, Lincoln’s command chaplain.

The four Sailors baptized were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane Coon, Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd

Class Nicholas Dewitt, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Morgan Wyvill and Damage Controlman Fireman Shannon Mumma.

“It’s a great feeling after being baptized,” said Coon. “It’s great that the ship offers this opportunity for its Sailors.”

Wyvill said the unique setting provided him with a special opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “Having the baptism on an aircraft carrier and being a part of its history

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was a special experience for me.” Baptisms aboard naval vessels

began when infants were born aboard British Royal Navy ships. Even today, after a baptism, the participants’ names are engraved in the inside of the ship’s fog bell, forever making the person a part of the ship’s history. After the ship’s decommissioning, it is the Navy tradition to give the bell to the family of the ship’s first baptism.

Story and photo by MCSN Benjamin Liston

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Machinist’s Mate Fireman Apprentice Noah Wells-Jordan is dedicated to his passions, most notably his family and his rather vast collection of a wide variety of memorabilia.

Wells-Jordan, a Sacramento, Calif., native, joined the Navy in February 2011. After boot camp, he completed six weeks of basic engineering common core training and six days of additional rate training at Great Lakes, Ill., before reporting to Abe.

Prior to enlisting, he worked at FedEx for more than a year before being laid off. Tired of working at jobs that failed to challenge and satisfy him, he said the Navy seemed to hold the key to his future.

“The unemployment rate where I am from was about 15 percent,” he said. “I always wanted to propose to my wife--at the time she was my girlfriend--and I wanted to support us.”

Wells-Jordan, now a newlywed expecting his first child, said he is content with his career decision.

“I love the Navy,” he said. “You should strive for what you want to do.”

As a machinist’s mate working in Reactor department, his position requires him to look after the ship’s shaft alley and distilling units. He works in continuous rotations of five hours on watch and ten hours off.

Away from the job, he spends time talking to his wife, writing stories and adding to his collections. He collects foreign money, movies and weapons, among other items. He also enjoys exploring his creative side.

“I like to write fiction and action adventure stories,” he said. “The stories are just for me, though. They are not to be published.”

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BaptismService

The Medical Service Corps (MSC) In-service Procurement Program (IPP) is a continuum of service initiative which provides a path for career motivated Sailors and Marines to obtain a commission. Continuum of service is one of the five key focus areas of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative and gives Sailors and Marines more career options.

Qualified enlisted personnel can obtain a commission as a MSC officer in health care administration, environmental health, industrial hygiene, pharmacy, occupational therapy, social work, radiation health or as a physician assistant.

IPP is open to active-duty enlisted Sailors, Marines and full-time support Navy Reservists in pay grades E-5 through E-9. Waivers for E-4 will be considered on a case by case basis for physician assistant applicants only.

According to the message, applicants must be under the age of 42 by the time of initial commissioning and no age waivers will be granted.

The selection board will convene in Oct. 2012. Applications for the program must be postmarked no later than Aug. 17.

College entrance exam scores are required for all applicants requesting to complete a bachelor’s degree using military funding. The minimum acceptable SAT score is 1,000 and the minimum ACT score is 42. For applicants applying to the physician assistant program, only SAT scores will be accepted.

Complete application procedures and education requirements are provided in NAVADMIN 118/12 and OPNAVINST 1420.1b (chapters 1, 2 and 6).

Detailed application information can also be found on the Navy Medicine Professional Development Center website at http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navmedmpte.

(Source: www.navy.mil)

Navy Seeks Applicants for Medical Service Corps