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USS Ponce Begins Final 'Victory Lap'

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS111014-12
10/14/2011

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nathanael Miller, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs

USS PONCE, At sea (NNS) -- Amphibious transport dock USS Ponce (LPD 15) began her final operational assignments Oct. 11 as the crew prepares to close out the ship's nearly 41-year career.

During the two months of training and port calls ahead, the "Proud Lion" will provide some final training services to the Marine Corps as well as visit Port Canaveral, Fla., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the ship's namesake city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, before returning to Naval Station Norfolk to begin the long decommissioning process.

Cmdr. Cole Hayes, Ponce's 28th and final commanding officer, calls it a "victory lap" for the ship and crew, but adds that he continually cautions his crew not to become complacent in the weeks ahead.

"We've got a victory lap," Hayes said. "I'm excited about it. I want the Sailors to be excited about it, but we're not done yet. It's going to be a good time in Port Canaveral. It's going to be a good time in the Virgin Islands and Ponce, and it's going to be a good time training," Hayes said. "It's all great Navy stuff, but we're not done yet. It's not time to pack it in."

Hayes said he has charged the leadership on Ponce to keep their Sailors focused and safety-conscious. The final "victory lap" for any ship is a hazardous time because it is the most likely time for procedures to be forgotten and safety to be neglected as the crew begins planning for the ship's retirement. He said he is not about to let any of his crew get hurt because of complacency.

Hayes added that Ponce's crew has continually impressed him since he took command at the end of May. He is looking forward to showing off the ship and letting the Sailors represent the Navy in Florida and the Caribbean. He wants the crew to have a great time as they mark the end of Ponce's proud 41-year career.

"We're not done until we're on the pier next March 30 and we say 'close the deck log," Hayes said. "These underways are just as dangerous as our previous underways, and I want Ponce to complete her career with her standards kept as high as they were the day she went into commission."

"I want to bring everyone back safely and uninjured," Hayes said. "We're Navy Sailors. We do it right every time, all the time."

Ponce is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and is scheduled to be decommissioned March 30, 2012.