Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS August 2018 U. S. N N Continued from Page 9.


By Lt. j. g. Caroline Zotti, Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One Pub- lic Aff airs


SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Coronado (LCS 4) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1) completed the fi rst comprehensive Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for the MQ-8C Fire Scout. Results from this IOT&E will inform decision-makers on how best to integrate the Navy's newest unmanned helicopter with littoral combat ships (LCS) and other platforms. During the IOT&E, the MQ-8C Fire


Scout performed several mission scenarios aboard Coronado off the coast of southern California. These operations are an import- ant milestone for the LCS and Fire Scout programs, and demonstrated cohesion be- tween the surface and aviation platforms. "The results, lessons learned, and recommendations reported on following this underway test period are absolutely invaluable to the future of the MQ-8C Fire Scout's mission eff ectiveness and suitability to perform that mission," said Lt. Cmdr. Seth Ervin, the lead for the VX-1 detachment aboard Coronado. Coronado and VX-1 conducted simu-


lated engagements to evaluate Fire Scout's role in target identifi cation, intelligence gathering and surface warfare operations. The testing also focused on developing


practices for simultaneously operating and maintaining both the MQ-8C Fire Scout and the MH-60S Seahawk. Results confi rmed that while it requires extensive planning and coordination across the ship, simultaneous operations can be conducted. "It has been challenging and rewarding


to be one of the fi rst maintainers aff orded the opportunity to take both aircraft aboard the ship. Working together, we made the overall product more functional and effi cient for


the fl eet," said Aviation Machinist's Mate Second Class Salvatore Greene, a member of VX-1.


The chance to contribute to technolog-


ical and tactical improvements within the LCS community creates a notable opportu- nity for Coronado's experienced crew. "My crew is excited to build upon their


past experiences operating with Fire Scout and continue to improve our profi ciency as a war-fi ghting team," said Cmdr. Lawrence Repass, the commanding offi cer of Corona- do.


The fi rst ship-based fl ight of the MQ-


8C Fire Scout occurred aboard USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) in December 2014, and previous underway testing was also conducted with USS Montgomery (LCS 8) in April 2017. Pierside testing of the MQ-8C Fire


Scout will continue onboard Coronado throughout mid-July with a focus on main- tenance and cyber. Coronado is one of four designated LCS testing ships homeported in San Diego. LCS is a high-speed, agile, shallow


draft, mission-focused surface combatant designed for operations in the littoral en- vironment, yet fully capable of open ocean operations. As part of the surface fl eet, LCS has the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants.


USS Gerald R. Ford Successfully Sails into Post-Shakedown Availability Period NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Navy's newest air- craft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departed Naval Station Norfolk on Sunday, July 15, 2018 to begin a post-shakedown availability (PSA) period at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. As the ship closes in on one year since


its commissioning, the fi rst-in-class aircraft carrier has seen many 'fi rsts,' with the ship and crew exceeding expectations in some


cases. Since fi rst getting underway on her own power April 8, 2017, Ford has safely conducted 10 underway evolutions and completed all of the testing required prior to beginning the PSA. "My team has completed a very im-


portant phase in Ford's lifecycle," said Ford's Commanding Offi cer, Capt. Richard McCormack. "The shakedown period was an opportunity for the Navy to run the ship through a rigorous set of operational tasks and assess her performance. My team of talented Sailors, shipyard workers, and program engineers have learned a great deal from our time at sea and provided critical feedback on performance to Navy and in- dustry leaders. We now enter a post-shake- down availability period to incorporate sev- eral design changes to correct performance defi ciencies and complete the installation of other systems needed to ensure the ship, her embarked airwing and the strike group are ready to support national tasking when called upon by the President." Following her delivery on May 31,


2017, the ship has operated for 81 days at sea during seven independent steaming events (ISE), supported by in-port Win- dows of Opportunity (WOO). Ford has also successfully completed fi xed-wing aircraft/ helicopter integration and compatibility testing, air traffi c control center certifi cation, JP-5 fuel system certifi cation, daytime and nighttime underway replenishment capabil- ity demonstrations, ship's defensive system demonstration, Dual Band Radar (DBR) testing, and propulsion plant operations. One of the most rewarding aspects of


bringing Ford to this point has been execu- tion of the fl eet's fi rst shipboard Electromag- netic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS) launches. Ford's Air Department, combined with the efforts of Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding and Naval Air Systems Command Joint Test Group, suc- cessfully executed complete system testing events for all 13 redesigned Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment weapon systems, including the fi rst 747 shipboard landings - the fi rst coming only six days following the ship's commissioning - utilizing the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), against a plan of approximately 400. Ford's Operations Department synchro-


DISCOUNT POWER TOOLS CORDED POWER TOOLS CORDLESS POWER TOOLS FUELED POWER TOOLS PNEUMATIC POWER TOOLS FASTENERS HAND TOOLS


MATERIAL HANDLING


POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES SAFETY SUPPLIES WELDING SUPPLIES


nized with Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW- 3), CVW-8, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic, and numerous PMS-378 test orga- nizations to safely and successfully com- plete 454 mishap-free rotary and fi xed-wing sorties and 1,173 fl ight hours. The crew also executed 25 air defense and surface tracking exercises, the initial structural test fi ring of the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS), and


all development testing of the Integrated Combat System. Further, the carrier's crew successfully


executed the night carrier qualifi cation of 78 Fleet F/A-18 pilots, signifi cantly enhancing the combat readiness of both CVW-3 and CVW-8. Ford's Air Operations team also developed, prepared and trained robust procedures for conducting air traffi c control with the fi rst-of-its-kind DBR. This led to Ford becoming the fl eet's fi rst aircraft carrier to conduct fi xed-wing positive, advisory and monitor control with organic phased-array radar, establishing precedence for the next generation of Naval Aviation. Another notable system that separates


the ship from her Nimitz-class predecessors is the Navy's fi rst Plasma Arc Waste Destruc- tion System (PAWDS), which allows Ford to dispose of trash in an environmentally safe manner. Ford's Engineering team oversaw major developmental milestones, including the safe installation, integration, and oper- ation of the system. Overcoming system challenges consistent with any 'fi rst' system, the Engineering team's eff orts resulted in system improvements, serving to increase overall system availability from less than fi ve percent to more than 90 percent. For Capt. Brent Gaut, Ford's executive


offi cer, it was the "old-fashioned Sailor in- genuity, tenacity, and intelligence" of Ford's Sailors that saw the ship through to this point.


"Daily, our extraordinary team of


Sailors brings engineering concepts to life aboard this amazing warship," said Gaut. "Time and again, our Sailors have demon- strated their excellence and subject matter expertise, some in areas unique to all of naval aviation, in support of Ford-class development and enhancement. Our Sailors represent the best of the best, and we could not be more proud of what they have accom- plished individually, and more importantly as a team." Overall, the ship's crew identifi ed and


corrected numerous system challenges that will be implemented in follow-on Ford- class CVNs. Collectively, the work done in the ship's fi rst year of service has brought a tremendous amount of knowledge to the Ford-class program. During PSA, adjust- ments will be made to bring Ford closer to becoming an active member of the fl eet of global force aircraft carriers. "Sailors are the lifeblood of any warship


and the men and women of the USS Gerald R. Ford are the best that our Navy has to off er," said McCormack. "There's a sense of pride that comes from watching the crew rise to the occasion time-and-time again, in the face of engineering, technological, and manning challenges.'"


L B R R: B H, M  S


II, Gary Eaton; and 8) Money Shot, Drew Eaton. Finals: 1) Jacalwa, Marshall Spear (38.1 mph); 2) Sunday Money, Murray Thompson; 3) Mallary Sky, Tad Miller; 4) Audrey Aileen, Chris Young; 5) Avery & Alden, Jeremy Simmons; and 6) Jarsulan 4, Brent Oliver. Race 27.Class O. Non-working boats, any length, any horsepower: 1) Wild Wild West, Cameron Crawford (56 mph). Race 28 – Deer Isle-Stonington Exhibition: 1) Uncle’s UFO, Andrew Gove (39.4


mph); 2) White Lightning, Daniel Eaton; 3) La Bella Vita, Jeff Eaton; No position given: Jarsulan 4, Brent Oliver; Jaylin Lucas, Johnathan Jones; and Cat Sass, Julie Eaton. Race 29 - Gasoline Free for All: 1) Wide Open, Wayne Rich (31.4 mph); 2) Black


Diamond, Randy Durkee; and 3) J. T. Bean, Michael Clayton. Race 30 - Diesel Free for All: 1) Wild Wild West, Cameron Crawford (54.8 mph); 2)


Motivation, Tom Clemons; 3) Blue Eyed Girl, Andrew Taylor; 4) Gold Digger, Heather Thompson; and 5) Warden’s Worry, Kaleb Campbell. Race 31- Jimmy Stevens Cup – Fastest Working Lobster Boat: 1) Motivation, Tom


Clemons (49.1 mph); 2) Blue Eyed Girl, Andrew Taylor; and 3) Gold Digger, Heather Thompson. Race 32) Fastest Lobster Boat Afl oat: 1) Wild Wild West, Cameron Crawford (55.9 mph); and 2) Motivation, Tom Clemons.


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