Sailing with Carrier, Cruiser: Different Roles, Same Team
Story Number: NNS030220-09
Release Date: 2/20/2003 12:58:00 PM
By Journalist 3rd Class Kathryn Whittenberger, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs
ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND USS ANZIO, At Sea (NNS) -- An aircraft carrier and a cruiser have completely different roles to play in a battle group, yet they work together for a common goal within a battle group.
Even with that teamwork, many of the more than 5,000 Sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR) (CVN 71) know little about their air defense coordinator, USS Anzio (CG 68), and Sailors aboard Anzio know little about the carrier they protect.
The first difference between the ships is their roles. The carrier's role is easy to define: to conduct combat flight operations with 75 aircraft. A cruiser can only hold two helicopters in its hangar bay, and only one can be on the flight deck at a time. The cruiser is meant to protect the carrier battle group at all costs.
TR has 17 departments consisting of about 80 divisions, with each dedicated to a component of shipboard life. A cruiser has only a few departments, with divisions that have the same name as many of the carrier's departments or a combination, such as NavAdmin, which includes navigation, administration and medical. The cruiser's only master-at-arms also works in that department, as the leading chief.
One of the many divisions on TR is damage control, members of which form the nucleus fire party, and are the first to respond to any emergencies that may occur. On a cruiser, all hands are trained in damage control and firefighting, and carry flash gear at all times. The cruiser has 16 Sailors in their at-sea fire party, comparable to the nucleus fire party, but every person aboard has a critical role when it comes to saving the ship.
Continuing with damage control, a carrier has 10 repair lockers. A cruiser has only three: Repair 2, 3 and 5. Anzio's repair lockers are numbered to stay consistent with the larger ships, which have those three lockers on the main damage control deck.
Deck department is another obvious difference. TR has three divisions, with about 80 people in the department. Each division is responsible for a third of the ship, and the operations that take place within those sections. Anzio has one Deck division with a total of 33 people. That division is responsible for the entire ship.
"There's a sense of excellence in being a small crew," said Chief Boatswain's Mate Martin White. "We all have to do more, and everyone tries harder. It's a lot more of a challenge."
Another difference relating to deck is that Anzio can take on fuel from four stations, but can't send fuel. TR can receive fuel from three stations and send from one.
In navigation aboard TR, the assistant navigator is a lieutenant commander, and the navigator himself is a commander. On Anzio, a lieutenant junior grade and the executive officer, a lieutenant commander, staff these jobs.
On a carrier, a Sailor may or may not stand watch, depending on the rating. On a cruiser, everyone stands watches underway. The food service officer, for example, attends his duties of keeping the crew fed and stands watches on the bridge in a three-section rotation. The mess specialists do everything from cooking the food to standing small caliber watches, low visibility detail and helping guide the helicopters in on landings.
Comparing the galleys, TR has four chow lines for the crew, two wardrooms, a chili bar, a chief's mess, first class mess, flag mess, and the captain has his own galley. On a cruiser, the skipper eats in the 30-man wardroom in the middle seat at a table with a phone to his right. The crew eats from a single line, and there is also a 30-man chief's mess.
On a carrier, there is a 74-person division dedicated to running the barbershop, laundry and the bulk storeroom. On TR, a chief supervises all of the above. TR has eight people who work in the ship's store. On Anzio, there's only one person who works in it.
His job is made easier because cash is not used to buy anything aboard. Instead, they use one of the Navy's newest programs, the Navy Cash Card. Anzio is believed to be the first ship on the East coast to use the program. It makes things easier, because the credit card like Cash Card is used to buy anything in the store. Sailors can transfer money from savings accounts on to the card via the smart chip embedded in it, and since it carries a Master Card logo, it can also be used out in town like any other credit card.
TR's medical department sees about 60 people a day for sick call. Anzio's Chief Hospital Corpsman, Joe Shank said he and his two junior corpsmen see about four people on a busy day. His ward is complete with two beds, and he also does any dental evaluations needed. If any of his patients need more emergent attention, they are flown to TR for further treatment.
TR has announcements over the 1-MC virtually every half hour from reveille to taps. On Anzio, the announcements are much shorter, such as "Reveille" at 6 a.m. instead of "Reveille, reveille, all hands on deck heave out and trice up. Reveille." They don't ring bells every half-hour, and since flight quarters happens less frequently on a cruiser, announcements are not made as frequently about flight quarters' deck restrictions. Anzio announces when flight quarters begin and end, training that is being held, evening prayer and that is usually it.
TR is a nuclear-powered vessel, so she can run 20 years without worrying about refueling. Anzio uses fuel, which she gets every few weeks through replenishment at sea, the same way TR receives JP-5 for its aircraft.
TR receives mail almost every day when it is within flying distance of land, but Anzio has only received mail twice since departing for the Composite Unit Training Exercise in January. Everyone on both ships has individual email accounts. Aboard Anzio, all hands have access to the Internet, whereas aboard TR, access is limited.
There are collateral career counselors in each department aboard TR, as well as two rated career counselors. Anzio has one, Navy Career Counselor 1st Class Raymond Cunnikin. He is doing everything he can to prepare his shipmates for the March advancement exams by having career development boards. All 88 crew members who received a grade of passed, but not advanced on the last exam, have been through a two-and-a-half hour long career development board during which they were shown how to study for an advancement exam, and what areas they needed to improve on for next time.
Along with that program, Cunnikin is working to get undesignated seamen into "A" schools. Ten out of the 15 who have submitted packages currently have orders to an "A" school.
"I'm always busy. If someone doesn't walk through my door every hour, there's something wrong," Cunnikin, who's been a career counselor for five years, said.
The cruiser and the carrier are two different types of environments, and each has it's own personality. Both of these ships has its own distinct mission that is vital to providing a strong naval presence around the globe.
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