DATE: Thursday, November 13, 1997           TAG: 9711120510

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Military 

SOURCE: BY CARL KERLICK 

                                            LENGTH:   66 lines

GW, SEATTLE WORK IN TANDEM TO STOCK CARRIER

It is a cool Mediterranean morning and the sun is just coming up over the horizon.

My shipmates gather in the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier George Washington, talking about the upcoming task. We are making our final approach to within 200 feet of the oiler Seattle, for what we in the Navy call an underway replenishment. We will get 300,000 gallons of jet fuel and approximately 60 helicopter lifts of food and cargo from the Seattle.

I am a third-class boatswain's mate. My job is driving the ship; standing lookout watches; bringing on bombs, cargo and food; driving liberty boats for all personnel while anchored in foreign liberty ports; and making sure the ship is corrosion-free and well-maintained.

My days are long and the work is hard. I woke up this morning at 4 a.m. After a shower and a quick breakfast, I wait to see the Seattle come as close as a short fly ball to center field.

We are ``dressed out'' in life preservers, hard hats, goggles, chin straps and have our pants tucked into our boots.

My job today is rig captain. I make sure the rig team members know their jobs, and that they do them correctly and safely.

As we go alongside the Seattle, going about 16 knots (about 19 mph) through the water, we use a modified shotgun to get a line across to Seattle.

Soon, all lines are strung and the 3/4-inch span wire is hauled across and tensioned. Next, the fuel probe is pulled over from Seattle.

After the probe has been secured in our receiving station, Seattle starts pumping the fuel into our holding tanks. During these 3 hours, safety is first in my thoughts. I'm always on the lookout for anything that could go wrong: a parting wire, a weakening line, signs that a hose may burst.

Safety is paramount and it is my job to ensure that no one gets injured. At around 9 a.m., Seattle ceases pumping, and we prepare to ``break away.'' My team must do the exact opposite as they did for set-up. We ease out lines, send back the probe and eventually disconnect the span wire. All lines are cleared and we are done, signaled by the playing over the loudspeaker of our breakaway song: Van Halen's ``Running With the Devil.''

At 10:45 a.m., it's time for lunch. I wait in line about 25 minutes to eat. I scarf down my chicken, hoping to relax for a while before 1 p.m. muster.

With muster over, all post-refueling checks must be completed on the replenishment station. All equipment must be looked over, re-greased and checked for discrepancies that, if left unchecked, may lead to injury or equipment failure. This takes all afternoon.

I muster again at 5 p.m., and then I rush to eat in order to prepare for our drill from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

When general quarters is announced, everyone rushes to their battle stations. My position is firehose nozzle man on a firefighting team responsible for the forward portion of the ship. The drills keep the crew well-trained to combat battle damage should the need arise.

Two sweaty hours later, general quarters is over. It is my turn to stand the watch from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

While on the fantail - the back end of the ship - I keep a lookout for other ships, noting their positions, distress signals and, most importantly, signs that someone may have fallen overboard.

After watch, I climb eagerly into my rack to get a few hours of sleep so I can wake up again at 6 a.m. to start another day.

My days are long, hard and fast-paced. But I take pride in myself and in my job. Knowing that I'm providing a service to my country, my ship and my shipmates makes it all worthwhile.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Carl Kerlick is a boatswain's mate on the aircraft carrier George Washington, now deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu