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John C. Stennis Detachment Gets Gear Ready for Deployment

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080226-07
Release Date: 2/26/2008 9:48:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Jonathen E. Davis, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs

EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) -- Thirty-seven Sailors from USS John C. Stennis' (CVN 74) Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department's (AIMD) IM-4 division are working away from Stennis' homeport of Bremerton, Wash., during its docking-planned incremental availability.

These Sailors are temporarily attached to Naval Base Everett's Support Equipment Rework Facility (SERF), where they are repairing and maintaining flight deck equipment.

"In Bremerton, we don't have the necessary gear to do the preventative maintenance on the machines," explained Aviation Support Equipment Technician 1st Class (AW/SW) Patrick Smart, leading petty officer for IM-4 Everett's rework facility detachment. "It makes the process a whole lot easier performing maintenance here."

To date, the IM-4 Sailors have completed 271 projects in Everett for a total of 11,830 man-hours.

"We are on track," said Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician (AW/SW) William Fowler, IM-4 production control chief. "Next deployment the gear will be available and ready to support all the missions going on, on the flight deck."

To prepare for Stennis' next deployment, preventive maintenance is conducted to make sure the equipment is to standards and ready for use.

"By doing the maintenance, it gives the gear a fresh start and us an opportunity to check the gear, to have it in ready condition," said Smart.

The IM-4 detachment works on equipment from tow tractors to electric mobile power plants; this maintenance gets the equipment at its highest state of readiness.

"We will tear down the gear as far as it can go, replacing and repairing the parts, and reassemble it," said Fowler.

Fowler explained that sanding and treating the gear for corrosion is also included.

Since October 2007, Stennis Sailors working in Everett had to change their daily routine to accomplish the current mission. Smart explained that of the 37 Sailors working at SERF, about half stay at the Everett barracks and the other half commute a total of four hours across the Puget Sound every day.

"Some of them start at 4 a.m.," said Senior Chief Aviation Support Equipment Technician (AW/SW) Juan Rubio, IM-4 leading chief petty officer. "It's a half-hour commute to Kingston (from Bremerton), then a 30-minute ferry ride to Edmonds, and then another half-hour commute to Everett."

Rubio admits that there are several factors that make this a stressful process for his Sailors, and he is looking ahead to rewarding them for their efforts.

"It's hard on them. All it takes is one accident, traffic jam, or incident to bottle neck the whole routine," explained Rubio. "We'll make it up to them when they come back."

He added that the mission requirements right now are top priority, because Stennis needs this maintenance done in order to sail.

The Sailors from IM-4 will bring the gear needed to certify the flight deck back to Stennis in early March. This is important for Stennis to accomplish its mission of conducting flight operations and supporting the embarked air wing.

"We have a saying in the support equipment world called NASWOGS, it stands for 'No air support without ground support,'" said Rubio. "It's critical to the ship's mission to be able to support [the air wing] with our equipment."

For more news from USS John C. Stennis, visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn74/.