At Sea, USS Winston S. Churchill Maintains Constant Weapons Training
Navy NewStand
Story Number: NNS030404-09
Release Date: 4/4/2003 11:14:00 AM
By Lt. John Ripley, Navy Information Bureau 101 New England
ABOARD USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, At Sea (NNS) -- When the order comes, the port side guns erupt into a staccato volley, forcing brief geysers of sea spray into the air.
USS Winston S. Churchill's (DDG 81) Small Caliber Arms Team (SCAT) has been scrambled to train for their jobs as the ship's last line of defense against a small boat attack or other threats. While the SCAT isn't in the media spotlight during Operation Iraqi Freedom, they understand that their mission is about as crucial as they come.
"It is an awesome feeling knowing we are protecting my ship and my shipmates," said Gunner's Mate 1st Class Brian Vandendoleweert, who mans the MK-19 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher, which is capable of shooting more than 300 grenades a minute.
Since arriving on station here in the eastern Mediterranean in February, this Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has, more than once, been ordered to unleash her most fearsome weapon - the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM). The missiles ignite, roar skyward, and then scream off toward their Iraqi targets.
But there is more to the ship's mission than flexing its strike muscle, and Churchill's crew has spent considerable time training for more conventional warfare.
On a recent day, the ship's crew tested many of her armaments, starting with the 5-inch forward gun, one that can fire shells more than a dozen nautical miles. The ship, in fact, sits atop the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) battle group in shooting efficiency on the 5-inch gun, and was the first to acquire a modification to enhance the distance and accuracy. As the gun prepared to fire, watch standers were ready on the bridge. Lookouts scanned the water for where the shells landed and called "shot!" down to the team in the Combat Information Center.
The Close In Weapons System (CIWS) also was put through the paces. The final measure of defense against an approaching airborne enemy, CIWS looks like R2D2 on steroids and sounds like an overzealous jackhammer. But like the rest of Churchill's guns, it is a blissfully lethal defensive weapon, able to fire more than 4,000 20-mm rounds every minute.
After the 5-inch and CIWS are fired, the SCAT springs into action, ready to practice defending their ship and shipmates.
"The SCAT is made up of some highly motivated and dedicated individuals," said Chief Gunner's Mate Daniel Britt. "They are ready to answer the bell and do what is required of them to defend the ship, and complete the mission at hand."
With battle helmets and camouflage vests, they raced to their stations, waiting for the word of the "attack." The order came, and the water, already choppy, was cut up with the shots.
As with all U.S. Navy ships, Curchill trains on all her weapons - and then trains some more - and the idea of course is to keep their reaction sharp and their aim true. The ship might shoot the 5-inch forward gun one day, and then practice the 9 mm or the shotgun another.
For the SCAT, where quick reaction time is perhaps more essential because the target is closer, the scenarios change, and often, the Sailors are summoned to stations with no advance notice.
"I feel that continuous onboard training keeps the SCAT, including myself, ready at a moment's notice," Vandendoleweert said. "Shooting the weapons during training is very important, because the SCAT is the number one defense for the ship in the event of a small boat attack."
The team, in fact, cross-trains as well to ensure that each member is equally proficient at the other weapons. "We cross-train on all the weapons so that at anytime a member is lost or not present, someone else could step right in, and the team will not miss a beat," said Britt. "The ship will still be protected."
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