• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Essex passes aviation certification with flying colors

7th Fleet News

Release Date: 8/16/2003

Chief Journalist (SW/AW) Roger Dutcher, USS Essex (LHD 2) Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan - USS Essex (LHD 2) is fit to fly and fit to fight.

That's the conclusion of a weeklong inspection of the amphibious assault ship's material condition and crew readiness, announced Aug. 12. Representatives from the Naval Air Systems Command field office in Yokosuka, Japan, tested Essex following months of preparation and a variety of work projects to meet the requirements.

The projects included installing a new non-skid surface on the ship's 820-foot flight deck, hangar deck and aircraft elevators. Flight deck lighting, electrical power and aircraft landing systems were also replaced.

The accomplishment is more than a check in the box for the Essex crew; it's vital to their mission of landing and supporting Marine forces ashore.

"If we don't get certified, we're not able to fly," Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handler) (AW) Vick Smith said. Smith has been through the certification process before and said the biggest challenge is coordinating between the different departments.

Smith, who coordinated the project along with Essex's aircraft handling officer, Ensign Paul Dussault, added that it took the efforts of every department on the ship to achieve certification.

"There's no air support without ground support," Smith said. A lot of the equipment on the flight deck belongs to the engineering department for example, Smith said.

Dussault said the certifications weren't directly related to the SRA, but were required after many aviation equipment configuration changes and system upgrades were made during the SRA.

Essex also completed an aviation readiness qualification (ARQ). The ARQ required the crew to conduct several drills, including firefighting on the flight deck and hangar bay, in addition to firefighting drills in the fuel pump rooms located below decks.

Dussault added that Sailors have been drilling every day for several weeks to prepare.

"It's like a play," Dussault said. "You put everyone in place and you practice, practice, practice."

Based on their performance, the crew successfully qualified for ARQ at a level that puts them well ahead of their certification schedule.

With certification behind them, the Essex crew can move forward to fill their role as the premier forward-deployed expeditionary strike group leader. ESG, a new concept in naval warfighting tactics, is composed of several ships, including Aegis-capable cruisers and destroyers, frigates, attack submarines and aviation assets.