New Mission, Days 111 through 117

USS CARR Families and Friends –

This week’s email is shorter than usual – we are now operating in 4^th Fleet which encompasses the waters south of Cuba down through South America. Our new mission is to counter transnational organized crime…this include disrupting the movement of drugs. As a result, our tempo has picked up as we sharpen our skills at a new mission and I can’t talk as freely about our day-to-day operations because of Operational Security (OPSEC) and security classification concerns.

I encourage everyone to visit our new Family Readiness Group Facebook page which is open to all spouses, children, and family members…the new site is: http://www.facebook.com/USSCARRFRG. The wives club page will remain, but is open to spouses only.

Day 111 – Sunday, October 2^nd
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Holiday routine – enjoying some calm before we spin up for our next mission – many of the crew are topside enjoying the sun and warm Florida weather.

Day 112 – Monday, October 3^rd
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Today we commenced training with our embarked Coast Guard detachment, conducting drills to prepare for the remaining portion of deployment. This morning we lowered our small boat and did some testing to verify communications and practice relaying information to the RHIB – simulating an intercept of a drug boat.

Day 113 – Tuesday, October 4^th
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During the morning watch, the Officer of the Deck, LTjg Mark Hardzinski, observed a small boat on the horizon – not an abnormal event. As we got closer it looked like the man was waving – again nothing out of the ordinary. After looking through Carr’s “big eyes” (large mounted binoculars) he observed the man waving with both arms – an international distress signal for help. Immediately Carr snapped into action…the boat crew was mustered, personnel were on station, the bridge team got us close to the vessel, and our small boat was quickly put in the water. Since we have personnel from the Coast Guard embarked, we leveraged their expertise and sent two over to investigate with our Sailors. Once they approached the 26 foot Doral Citation named Celidh, the Canadian owner stated he had been adrift in the open ocean since Friday! Apparently his alternator failed and then his battery ran down…then his engine stopped. Since he only had an installed radio, he had no ability to call for help. We provided the man with a new battery and got his boat started with Carr escorting him to the nearest port – Key Largo. Once we got close enough to land, a Coast Guard vessel met us and we handed off escort duties to them. Great job by all involved! Although the watch is sometimes tedious, you never know when an emergency is going to happen – vigilance is essential!

Following the event, Commander, Carrier Strike Group Two sent a note to congratulate our crew:

“…the CARR team just keeps hitting the ball out of the park! Carr epitomizes professionalism and dedication and sets the bar for all the rest of us. Sail Safe…Give the crew my best!” Admiral Nora Tyson.

As we continued South there was lots of rain, thunder, and lightning – interesting weather to observe while at sea.

Day 114– Wednesday, October 5^th
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On Sunday, our computer system that we use to order and track parts had crashed. Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of LS1 Frank Caterino (Supply Department Leading Petty Officer) and IT3 Edward Skarzynski ( Navy Tactical Command Support System Manager) they completely restored the system after three days of work. Great job to both!

Day 115 – Thursday, October 6^th
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Congratulations to the newest member of Operations Intelligence Division, OSSN Matthew Lyons. We received notification today that he was able to strike Operations Specialist and can now commence working in the Combat Information Center. OSSN Lyons hit the deck plates running and is doing a great job!

BZ to IC2 John Taylor for his expert troubleshooting, repair, and alignment of our Stabilized Glide Slope Indicator (SGSI). This piece of equipment is used to assist the helicopter crew during landings – it gives them an indication of where they are compared to an ideal decent. IC2 Taylor spent 40 hours troubleshooting using the technical manual in addition to talking/emailing with technicians ashore.

Day 116 – Friday, October 7^th
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During normal operation one of our Fire Pump motor controllers failed – thanks to the rapid response of EM2 Qwang Duong and EN3 Elvin Lugo the pump was rapidly restored. Our fire pumps are essential to ensure we have water to put out fires, have sufficient flow to run eductors to dewater spaces, and provide cooling to our seawater cooled equipment.

Day 117 – Saturday, October 8^th
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This week has been a busy one for OS1 Anthony Guinn. He is one of our two Anti-submarine Tactical Air Controllers (ASTACS). This past week he stood the watch to support 20 hours of tactical air control in support of our embarked helicopter to support of our mission.

Tonight was a late night for many as we commenced our mission – locating a suspect vessel. The success of our mission is an all hands effort that involves our Sailors, Coast Guard, and Helo Detachment. I can’t talk to the details, but wanted everyone to know that we are executing.

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Please join us on Facebook:

CARR Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FFG52
Jessica Meissner OMBUDSMAN
http://www.facebook.com/pages/USS-CARR-Ombudsman/219688138070847?sk=wall
Melissa Lemons CARR FAMILY READINESS GROUP
http://www.facebook.com/USSCARRFRG

CARR NAVY WIVES
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_137767426300026&ap=1

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Until next week, stay safe Carr Family and Friends!

CDR Patrick Kulakowski
Commanding Officer
USS CARR (FFG 52)
“Courage, Will, Determination”