USS CARR Families and Friends –
This week CARR and her crew were engaged in the following activities:
Day 48 – Sunday, July 31st (In Port Klaipeda, Lithuania)
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As we have done in every port so far, we held a flight deck reception to support the American Embassy and enhance diplomacy with our partners. This time we supported a reception for the American Ambassador to Lithuania, Anne Derse. Our mission in the Baltic is Theater Security Cooperation – this means we are here to support building civilian, government, and military relations. These receptions are a great opportunity to bring all these groups to a single venue. In addition to the Ambassador and her staff, we hosted the Commander in Chief of the Lithuanian Navy, a member of Parliament, the Mayor of Klaipeda, and other invited guests. Following some brief words by the Ambassador and me, the guests had the opportunity to eat and talk with members of our crew. Additionally, we offered tours of our topside spaces and the Bridge. Great job to our Supply Officer, LT Quentin Lease, for continuing to provide stellar leadership and direction. We have made a positive impression to many foreign visitors as a result of the quality of our presentation – well done!
An important part of these high level events are honors and ceremonies. Thank you to all the Sailors who served as side boys for this and previous receptions during this deployment. Our side boys included BM1 Toney London, ET2 David Bornmann, OS2 Thomas Becker, BM3 Justin Arnold, FC3 Nolan Mihail, OSSN Jonas Flesher, SHSN Ulises Hernandez, SN Aaron Reyesvilla, and SN Kyle Owens. Tending the side with side boys is an old tradition. The Boatswain’s pipe was used to signal “hoist away” and “vast heaving.” Sailors did the hoisting…it is rumored that senior officers rated more side boys because they were heavier.
Day 49 – Monday, August 1st
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Today the Chief Petty Officer selection message was promulgated, congratulations to Chief Selects Ravi Tobierre and Orlando Munoz!! Over the next few months they will undergo training with the Chief Petty Officer Mess to prepare them to make the transition. Again, well done! I would like to also extend congratulations to YNC(sel) Cox who recently departed Carr.
This afternoon we got underway from Klaipeda, Lithuania enroute Baltiysk, Russia. Welcome aboard to our four Lithuanian Riders – right now we have riders from both Poland and Lithuania, in addition to our USNA/NROTC Midshipmen. We always look forward to these opportunities to show off our ship at sea and exchange knowledge and get to better know each other.
Bravo Zulu to MR2 John Smith for designing and fabricating a special tool we are using to calibrate our gages. We monitor the health and performance of many of our systems on board ship through use of these gages and MR2 Smith ensured they provide accurate readings. MR2 Smith has also operated our engraving machine to support our Theater Security Cooperation mission – the exchange of plaques is very important during our visits. The Captain always has 2 plaques on standby for any unanticipated gift exchanges; it is a big deal to be handed a plaque by a foreign dignitary or military official and be unable to reciprocate. .
Day 50 – Tuesday, August 2nd
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Originally we were scheduled to pull into Baltiysk today; however, we were delayed a day as a result of ongoing discussions about which pier we would go to. Since we had an extra unplanned day at sea, we decided to focus on INSURV and ULTRA-S preparations, along with preservation. Great job to IT3 Jacob Blizzard and IT3 Christopher Erickson who worked over the side all day to preserve one of our High Frequency whip antennas. Although it sounds like a simple task, properly preserving topside gear is manpower intensive; however, the good part is that you immediately see the fruits of your labor.
Day 51– Wednesday, August 3rd (In Port Baltiysk, Russia)
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Today we arrived at the home of the Russian Baltic Fleet. An amazing experience for me personally – growing up in the Cold War and joining the Navy to fight the Russians, I never would have imagined I would be here. I had the opportunity to conduct office calls with the Rear Admiral in charge of the base, Mayor of Baltiysk, and Deputy Mayor of Kaliningrad – all were extremely receptive and friendly. Turns out that the cities of Kaliningrad and Norfolk are sister cities since 1992. Unfortunately this is only an overnight port visit, buy many of the crew did have a chance to visit Kaliningrad. Baltiysk was a closed city for many years, meaning that personnel needed special identification and permission to enter. Nowadays, Baltiysk is trying to get through the economic crisis along with the rest of the world – they are trying to get international businesses to come there along with building tourism. It was a beautiful rural area.
In the evening we held a flight deck reception with the Acting American Consulate General. Russian turnout at the reception was excellent – I think this was the best turnout that we have seen. The Russians wanted to engage in conversation and express their desire for continued peace and closer relations with the United States. It seemed like everyone had a gift to exchange – some even wanted to exchange uniform parts. I was given a deployment pin that a retired Soviet Admiral had earned in the 80’s in exchange for my command pin. I think all the Officers, Chiefs, and Sailors in attendance had a good time and will hopefully have great stories to tell their families about the Russian people.
As always, here is a little bit of history about our latest port, Baltiysk, Russia:
Prior to 1945 it was known by its German name Pillau. This seaport is just Southwest of Kaliningrad (previously Königsberg). Baltiysk is the westernmost town in Russia. The town is the home to the Russian Baltic Fleet and a ferry port on the route to St. Petersburg. Originally founded as a Prussian fishing village, it was settled in the 13th century, taking its name from pils, the Old Prussian word for “fort”. During the Thirty Years’ War, the Swedes occupied the harbor after their victory over the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1635 the citizens of Pillau paid a ransom, whereupon Swedish forces handed over the settlement to the Elector of Brandenburg. By the end of the 17th century, the town had expanded considerably. Russian forces occupied the town during the Seven Years’ War. In June 1807 Pillau was stormed by Napoleon’s Grand Army. On 15 November 1901 the Königsberg Canal was opened between Pillau and Königsberg. Constructed at a staggering cost of 13 million marks, the waterway allowed vessels of a 21 foot draught to moor alongside the city or to sail to the capital of East Prussia without stopping at Pillau. This dealt a serious blow to the town’s economy. During World War II, Pillau was home to a German U-boat training facility. Pillau was eventually captured by Soviets on April 25, 1945. After the war, this part of East Prussia passed to the Soviet Union, and the German inhabitants were expelled. During the Russification campaign, the town’s name was changed to Baltiysk in 1946. In 1952, the Soviet authorities established Baltiysk naval base as the home of the Baltic Fleet. As a result, it became a closed town and access was forbidden to foreigners or those without a permit. The town, along with Kaliningrad, remains one of only two year-round, ice-free ports along the Baltic Sea coastline available to Russia.
Day 52 – Thursday, August 4th (In Port Baltiysk, Russia)
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Today was a busy day – we took all the events we were supposed to do over 4 days and jammed them into two! The first big event was a wreath laying at the Baltiysk Naval Base WWII Memorial. The Russian and Carr representatives both laid wreathes at the memorial in remembrance of the allies who gave their lives to fight the axis powers in WWII. Following this ceremony, our Sailors were invited to a guided tour of the Baltic Fleet Naval Museum. This museum included historic photos and models that dated back to Prussian times. I had the opportunity to present the director of the museum with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, photo of Paul Henry Carr, and commissioning photo of Carr – the museum intends to set up a permanent display to remember our visit.
We conducted a personnel exchange with a Russian Sovremmeny DDG, RFS Bespokovnyy. Our Sailors received tours and ate lunch on board. I remained on Carr and ate lunch and gave tours to their representatives. Following the lunch, our crews engaged in sports day on the field across from the Russian ship– basketball and soccer. As predicted we did great at basketball; however, fell short at Soccer. I got to watch some of the game with the CO of the RFS Bespokovnyy and our Sailors did us proud – although we lost in soccer, you have to realize that the Russians have all been playing it since they were kids. I offered to play American Football or baseball, but the Russians would have none of it.
We also had the opportunity to participate in a Community Relations project in Kaliningrad. Our Sailors visited an orphanage to paint and conduct minor repairs. Following the work portion, our Sailor played soccer and talked with the children. The hardest part of the COMREL is leaving – however, it is worth it to bring a smile to the kids for a few hours.
The casualty of the week was the loss of our Navy Cash Network. As many of you know, we no longer use cash at sea – all transactions are done via our Navy Cash Cards, even the soda machine. The organization that runs Navy Cash pushed an update to our system – crashing it! IT1 Kevin Bultman quickly responded, despite not having had any formal training on the system, IT1 Bultman spent late evenings working with distance support to resolve the issues – unfortunately the distance support desk is only open East Coast working hours. Thanks to his dedication our Navy Cash is restored!
Despite no formal training, IT1 Bultman and IT3 Edward Skarzynski conducted extensive independent research and acquired the necessary skills needed to effectively run and manage the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS). Together, they ensured Carr’s NSIPS was brought into full compliance with Navy directives – as well as ensuring that the system that manages our Sailors’ pay and admin records was operating properly.
At 1930 we were underway and headed back out to the Baltic – job well done to all our Sailors for leaving a positive image of America behind in Baltiysk.
Day 53 – Friday, August 5th
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Today two of our Sailors were recognized for their expertise at troubleshooting and repair by Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. EM1 Antwone McWhirter and MR2 Kevin Smith expertly troubleshot and conducted repairs to the Plastic Waste Processor. The repair, normally performed by an intermediate maintenance activity, allowed Carr to maintain the capability to process plastic in accordance with applicable directives and maintain environmental standards. Our Strike Group Admiral, RADM Tyson also passed along her congratulations.
Day 54 – Saturday, August 6th
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This morning we awoke to an overcast and rainy day. We headed north to Latvia to rendezvous and pick up some Latvian riders being brought out to us in a small boat – so we thought. Upon arriving near the pickup point we saw a large patrol boat alter course and head towards us…after contacting the boat we realized that the Latvian Navy expected to bring a 150 foot boat alongside Carr at sea. I made the decision to use or RHIB instead; our Sailors quickly manned up and had the boat in the water and enroute the Latvian ship. Welcome aboard to two more riders.
This evening the Junior Enlisted Association hosted movie night on the mess decks – the feature film was TRANSFORMERS.
===FOR SPOUSES ONLY=======================================
For the Carr spouses it is time to vote for the inaugural President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary for our Family Readiness Group (FRG). Votes will be accepted until midnight next Saturday. Please cut and paste the following ballot below and email to frg_election@ffg52.navy.mil….vote for one candidate per position…indicate your vote with a XXX after the person’s name.
CANDIDATES:
PRESIDENT:
– Mrs. Melissa Lemons
– Mrs. April Linton
VICE PRESIDENT:
– Mrs. Britnee Graf
– Mrs. April Linton
– Mrs. Kathi Robinson
– Mrs. Woodruff
TREASURER:
– Mrs. Kristal Frontone
– Mrs. Britnee Graf
– Mrs. Kathi Robinson
SECRETARY:
– Mrs. Britnee Graf
– Mrs. Kathi Robinson
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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 Wives’ Group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_137767426300026&ap=1;
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Until next week, stay safe!
CDR Patrick Kulakowski
Commanding Officer
USS CARR (FFG 52)
“Courage, Will, Determination
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