The Shuttle March 20, 2012 Issue“We are Legend”Newsletter Edition

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Randy J. Savarese

USS Enterprise Will Respond The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) conducted a mass casualty drill March 17, as part of a continued commitment to mission readiness. A mass casualty is any instance in which the level of

casualties is greater than the medical department can support. “The number of casualties that warrants a mass casualty response is typically five or more,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Stuart A. Breen, flight deck corpsman and initial responder. “In this instance, a mass casualty is called away to set up all the battle dressing stations to take on the influx of

patients.” There are four levels of casualties used to categorize the injured who will then be taken to one of four corresponding triage stations. “A red station is for those needing immediate care, yellow for those marked delayed, black for expectant and green for those called ‘walking wounded,’” said Breen. Another aspect of a mass casualty event is the activation of the walking blood bank. “This is our way to handle a situation in which, we may need a large quantity of blood to save a patient’s life very rapidly,” said Breen. “Blood out of body has an expiration date so we store some on board, but the rest we must get from the crew.” “Anyone can potentially save someone’s life by participating in the walking blood bank and those interested should come down to medical to sign

U.S. Navy Sees Fleet Target Of About 300 ShipsBy REUTERS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy is nearly finished with a review that will recommend a total fleet of around 300 ships, down from the current target of 313 ships, the Navy’s top uniformed officer said on Friday. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said the Navy expected to deliver the review to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus as early as next week. He said the review was intended to translate the Pentagon’s new military strategy into concrete requirements for the number of ships, planes and people

the Navy needs to carry out its missions by 2020. “I think the number will come out somewhere around 300,” Greenert told a defense writers meeting, referring to the fleet size addressed by the review. Navy leaders have called for a 313-ship Navy since a Pentagon-wide review of programs conducted in 2006, but the revamped military strategy and tighter defense budgets have reduced the target. The Navy currently has 285 ships in its fleet, but it plans to build 55 new lighter, more agile coastal warships in coming years to help meet mission needs. The U.S. Navy on Friday announced

that it had modified its existing block-buy contracts with Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia’s Austal to add funding for two new ships from each of the companies in fiscal 2012. The Navy said it was adding $715 million to its fixed-price, incentive-fee contract with Lockheed Martin for two ships in fiscal 2012, which ends Sept. 30, and $691.6 million to a similar contract with Austal, also for two ships. The funding will pay for the ninth through 12th ships in the Navy’s new class of coastal warships. “The Navy is successfully driving

FLEET continued on page 3

RESPOND continued on page 2Photo by MCSN Randy J. Savarese

Tuesday, March 20, 2012Page 2 The Shuttle

Big E Happenings

The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at smithsw@cvn65.navy.mil.

Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler

Executive OfficerCapt. G. C. Huffman

Commanding OfficerCapt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.

EditorsMC2 (SW) Kristin L. Grover

MCSN Harry Gordon

The ShuttleUSS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Command Master ChiefABCM (AW/SW) Eric M. Young Yesterday’s 3M answer:

The MDS Confidence Fator (MCF) enables ship’s maintenance personnel to initiate and complete accurate MDS

documents.

3M Question of the Day: Who is responsible for the effective

operation of the 3M system within the division?

3M

RESPOND continued

up,” said Breen. A mass casualty event doesn’t just effect the medical department, as the cause of such massive damage and injury is generally a ship-wide catastrophe. “Today’s drill was important because it integrated personnel from medical, damage control, weapons, navigation and the air wing to combat a massive fire with mass casualties on the flight deck,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Frank Markulin, assistant drill coordinator. “The flight deck crew and air wing had to respond to two separate scenes while navigation steered the ship to aid in firefighting efforts and rapid elevator transport of the injured to the hangar bay for medical treatment.” The main focus of a drill like this is mission readiness and the overall ability of the Enterprise to carry out its operational missions. “An aircraft carrier exists to launch and recover aircraft,” said Markulin. “If there was an actual casualty on the flight deck, we need to get it under control as quickly as possible so the rest of the ship is not affected.”

“If it gets out of control the entire ship is at risk and Enterprise would not be able to complete her mission,” said Markulin. Markulin believes that while it is critical to have a well-structured leadership team, it is the E-6 and below Sailors who really deserve the praise in these evolutions. “The Sailors did a great job today combating both fires, and medical did an outstanding job with triage,” said Markulin. “Remember, it is the blue shirts and junior Sailors who get these fires put out and return the ship to full operational readiness and they deserve that recognition.” A sentiment echoed by Lt. j.g. Gilbert Lee Bishop II, the mass casualty drill coordinator, who is responsible for making sure everyone is trained to respond to any type of emergency that happens on the flight deck or in the hangar bay. “Today’s drill was mainly focused on combating multiple fires and the safe movement of 50 casualties from the flight deck to the hanger bay,” said Bishop. “It’s all about saving lives and keeping the Enterprise afloat and able to carry out her operational missions.”

LAST DAY for Cruisebook Photos!!

SMOKE DECK RULES:No food on or around the Smoke Deck No open or unopened soda cans on or

around the Smoke Deck. (Refillable water bottles are allowed)

NO TRASH in the butt kits.

No smoking while cleaning the Smoke Deck.

When the smoke deck gets secured for the above mentioned, it will be the Sailors on the Smoke Deck at that time that will do the cleaning and trash separation.

Yesterday’s ESWS answer:The primary air search radar is SPS-48

3M Question of the Day: What is the purpose of IFF?

Photos will be taken at ANY TIME from:0900-11301300-16301800-2100

*If you do not get your photo taken today, you will not be included in your department’s section of the cruisebook!*

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Page 3The Shuttle

World News

The first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will deploy to Singapore next year in what will be a key opportunity to examine the ship’s operational performance and identify possible changes that need to be made to the program, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, said Friday. The 10-month deployment, including eight months on station for the USS Freedom (LCS-1), will give the Navy a chance to evaluate central components of the LCS class, including the management of crew swaps and mission modules, he said. The ship is designed to operate three mission modules: mine countermeasures, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. The Singapore deployment “will be to look very closely at the concept of operations on that vessel,” Greenert told reporters at a Defense Writers Group gathering. Greenert said the program is still “relatively new” and the deployment will be an opportunity to provide feedback to the manufacturers to make changes on future copies “as soon as

possible.” The Littoral Combat Ships are expected to play a significant role in the Obama administration’s revised military strategy that focuses on the Asia-Pacific region. The Navy announced in February that it intended to base an LCS in Singapore. The LCS comes in two versions, the Freedom variant built by Lockheed Martin, and the Independence variant produced by Austal USA . The Navy has an agreement in place with the two builders for 20 of the ships, 10 of each design, and plans to procure 55.Both ships encountered problems in the early stages. The USS Independence (LCS-2) experienced corrosion while the Freedom had cracking that had to be repaired last year. The Freedom was returned to dry dock in San Diego last month to repair a shaft seal that failed and caused the ship to take on water. The LCS-1 is expected to be in dry dock for about six weeks for the repairs and it will take about another week to return it to the water. It was unclear whether the repair time will affect plans to conduct another post-availability sea trial scheduled for this summer.

LCS-1 Will Deploy To Singapore Next Year In Key Test, CNO Says

down costs in the Littoral Combat Ship program,” said Navy Rear Adm. James Murdoch, program executive officer for Littoral Combat Ships, adding that cost-cutting measures would allow the Navy to proceed with its plans to buy a total of 55 LCS ships in coming years. He said concerted efforts to stabilize design, improve production planning, invest in shipbuilder improvements and leverage long-term vendor agreements, coupled with the competitive long-term contract, had made the program more affordable.

Greenert said the force structure review would be sent to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for approval, and then presented to congressional committees before it is publicly released. Bob Nugent, vice president of AMI International, said the new 300-ship goal represented a compromise between increasingly constrained Pentagon budgets and pressure from lawmakers to increase the size of the fleet.He said any attempt by the Navy to adopt a target below 300 ships would likely be met with howls of protest from Congress.

FLEET continued

By Mike McCarthy, DEFENSE DAILY

Report: Peyton Manning picks Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning will trade the horseshoe for the horse. The four-time MVP has told his agent, Tom Condon, to finalize contract negotiations but is headed to the Mile High City, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who broke

the news on SportsCenter. Manning apparently called the 49ers and Titans, the other teams vying for his services, on Monday morning to inform them of the decision. It’s been widely assumed Manning, who turns 36 Saturday, will sign a deal similar (if not exceeding) the five-year, $90 million package he inked with the Colts (who released him March 7) last July. He and Patriots QB Tom Brady topped the NFL with pacts that averaged $18 million annually. All three of Manning’s suitors had contractual frameworks in place last week. He worked out for Denver brass at Duke University on Friday, following a session for the 49ers earlier in the week and one for the Titans on Saturday. Broncos VP of football operations John Elway, HC John Fox and Co. apparently saw enough to satisfy them that the nerve damage in Manning’s throwing arm was sufficiently recovered..

By Darron Cummings, AP

Tuesday, March 20, 2012Page 4 The Shuttle

Big E Entertainment

The USS Enterprise Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society

Fundraiser has begun!

The NMCRS is committed to ensure that all available resources are used to assist personnel of the Naval Services - active, retired, and their eligible family members - to achieve financial self-sufficiency and find solutions to emergency needs.

The mission of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is to provide, in partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps, financial, educational, and other assistance to members of the Naval Services of the United States, eligible family members, and survivors when in need; and to receive and manage funds to administer these programs.

**Contact your division NMCRS representative and donate today!**

Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society Fundraiser ends March 31, 2012.

Have a Great Navy Day!

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