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Essex selected restricted availability creates a better ship

7th Fleet Release

Release Date: 8/20/2003

Chief Journalist (SW/AW) Roger Dutcher, USS Essex public affairs

SASEBO, Japan - When USS Essex (LHD 2) got underway Aug. 14, it left for sea trials a better ship.

That's according to Sailors, Japanese yard workers, and others who took part of the amphibious assault ship's three-month selected restricted availability (SRA).

The work included laying new non-skid on the flight deck, completing a major boiler overhaul, and installing a multi-circuit digital patch panel for quicker and better communications.

A major part of the job was a habitability project that involved overhauling a 232-person berthing area and refurbishing crew lounges in other berthing areas. Computer desks, book shelves and tailored entertainment centers were also installed.

Airman Elizabeth Karnofsky, of Essex's V-3 Division, said the upgrades provide a more comfortable living environment.

"There's more personal space in the berthing," Karnofsky said. "The lounge is nice too, because it's a closed-in area, so if people want to stay up and watch TV they can just close the door and the noise won't bother anybody."

The improvements involved more than just upgraded berthing areas, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Carroll, ship's superintendent.

Other improvements, like polyurethane rubber coating for the decks, will help reduce the crew's workload in the future by reducing the amount of maintenance Sailors have to do on the decks.

The biggest challenge was coordinating SRA efforts, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Edge, aircraft intermediate maintenance department officer. Essex leadership identified crewmembers who could be responsible for quality assurance, and ensured those people knew how to provide it effectively.

"One of the best things we did was train them to do our ship's work so that it didn't conflict with what the contractors were doing," Edge said.

Essex's schedule presents another challenge for major maintenance periods.

"Our SRAs come fast and furious," Carroll said. "We operate right up until the week before the SRA starts. The ship is back out operating and training the week that it's over. The time crunch comes into play a lot more here than it does in the States."

Edge credited Senior Chief Hull Maintenance Technician (SW) Larry Baker, the ship's material maintenance officer, and John "Chip" Callan, the Essex port engineer, with a successful coordination effort.

Callan worked at the "highest level," Carroll explained. He received job requests and screened work packages that were then transferred to the production level. Baker helped coordinate deckplate-level work for all the depot-level repairs.

Carroll, who has worked for SRF for three years, said he has enjoyed the experience of being part of a diverse work force.

"The multi-cultural aspect of working alongside the Japanese nationals, with their tradition of hard work and quality service, has been a great experience," Carroll said.

Following sea trials, the Essex crew will 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.