USS CARR Families and Friends –
Congratulations to the newly elected leadership for our Family Readiness Group – there was excellent participation from our families in the voting:
President: Mrs. Melissa Lemons
Vice President: Mrs. April Linton
Treasurer: Mrs. Britnee Graf
Secretary: Mrs. Kathi Robinson
This week CARR and her crew were engaged in the following activities:
Day 55 – Sunday, August 7th
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Today we awoke to the announcement over the general announcing system, “Loss of Steering.” Although not a complete loss of steering (we have redundant systems), it was imperative that we find the cause of the casualty and get our system fully restored. All the all stars came off the bench on a Sunday to go over the system diagrams and commence troubleshooting. Giving up a much deserved Holiday routine, our technicians worked tirelessly throughout the day to troubleshoot and isolate a fault in the ship’s steering system. Because this system has both mechanical and electrical, personnel from both Combat Systems and Engineering Department were involved. In the early evening we finally found the cause, a failed solenoid valve, and made the repair. Great job to our new EMO (LT Jonathan Goodson), Main Propulsion Assistant (CWO2 Dilson Ramirez), ETC William Dowe, ET2 Michael McCullick, EM2 Quang Duong, ET1 Carl Denker, EN1 Antwone McWhirter, and EM3 Andrew Toth. Great job to LS1 Frank Caterino who assisted with parts research and retrieved the part from our storerooms to support repairs.
Although those supporting the troubleshooting couldn’t fully enjoy the steel beach picnic, the majority of the crew was able to enjoy special smoked steaks, chicken, and hot dogs. This week’s steel beach picnic was sponsored by the Wardroom – special thanks to both LT Sean Scanlon and LT Jon Goodson! They both woke up early Sunday morning, normally a sleep in day for those not on watch, to prepare and smoke an amazing rib eye roast.
As the afternoon progressed it became a rainy day; the winds began to pick up and the seas became a bit rough..
Day 56 – Monday, August 8th
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Congrats to LT Charles Birchfield! – Today we were informed that he was selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander…we expect him to put on his new rank in the Fall.
It continued to rain and the seas continued to build throughout the day – it is not looking good for planned helicopter operations tomorrow morning.
Day 57 – Tuesday, August 9th
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Weather was still rough (4-6 ft seas and 30 kt winds); however, we found a course that provided a stable deck and winds within the launch/recover envelope…helicopter operations were a go! We must land and launch a helo every 90 days or our flight deck certification must be suspended – in order to safely conduct helo operations, we must remain proficient. The last time we did helo operations was back in May! Also, our flight deck team only gets their flight deck pay when we have completed a certain number of launches and recoveries – today they got paid!
The flight deck team did an outstanding job – we successfully conducted 7-hours of helicopter operations with a Polish SH-2G helicopter. This was the first time that a foreign helicopter landed on the flight deck of Carr in at least two years. Great job to the whole team, including BMCS Kenneth Feagin and BM1 Toney London (our flight deck safety officers) who led the flight deck team in the safe and efficient execution of twenty four launches and recoveries of the Polish SH-2G helicopter; BM3 Justin Arnold who guided the helo in for landings; BM3 Travis Gardner, BM3 Mathew Mudderman, BMSN Michael Dimick, and SR Aaron Reyesvilla who safely secured the helicopter on deck; OSC Chris Van who provided hands on training to an embarked Polish tactical helicopter controller; LSCS German Padilla and HMC Patrick Ehrhard who stood watch in the helo tower and communicated with the aircraft. All their efforts ensured CARR maintained a high state of aviation proficiency and supported our mission of Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) in support of our Baltic Sea deployment.
Day 58– Wednesday, August 10th
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Weather continued to get worse as we moved North during our transit to Latvia.
Today’s highlight was BM3 Raul Herrera and DC3 Andy Fernandez earning their Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualifications (we pinned them on the mess decks on Thursday)
Day 59 – Thursday, August 11th (In Port Riga, Latvia)
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Great job to GSM3 Tyler Smith who displayed his knowledge of engineering casualty procedures early this morning…he heard an unusual noise in our Main Engine Room, identified the proper actions, and informed the Engineering Officer of the Watch. It’s always great to know that our Sailors understand their procedures and know what actions to take.
Soon after pulling into Riga, Latvia we discovered that we did not have the correct connection piece to allow Carr to receive water from the pier connection. MR2 Kevin Smith immediately responded by fabricating a fitting to allow us to connect to the pier. He definitely knows his craft and our crew was happy to get the water turned on quickly.
Our arrival in Latvia marks the departure of two of our foreign riders from Latvia…we learned a bunch from LCDR Apeins and LTJG Rastopcins.
Later in the day we received approximately 500 pounds of mail! Our families and crew have asked how long it takes mail to get to Carr…unfortunately the time varies widely…one Sailor ordered off Amazon.com on August 1st and his package arrived on 11 August – another Sailor received a letter dated 26 June. We should continue to get mail weekly through the end of this month.
Day 60 – Friday, August 12th (In Port Riga, Latvia)
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Congratulations to FC2 Adam Lemons and his wife Melissa; today she gave birth to Ava Kinslei Lemons (7 lb 5 oz.). Both mother and baby are doing well!
Today we received a routing delivery of food supplies; however, soon after arrival it began to pour. As always the Carr crew quickly came together to form an assembly line to quickly get 10 pallets of food on board. Special recognition goes out to CS2 Brian Cook for quickly organizing the crew on the pier. Even the Executive Officer CDR Jim Sposato took up position on the brow and handled the boxes for nearly an hour in the heavy downpour. With over 45 people joining the efforts, CS2 Timothy Faulkner responded quickly to sort the frozen and fresh food and stow it in our reefers before it could thaw out.
Later in the afternoon, reception participants donned their Dress Blues to prepare, setup, and host our U.S. Ambassador to Latvia for a flight deck reception. Although it continued to pour throughout the reception, we planned ahead and setup our flight deck tent (borrowed from USS Kauffman) that covers most of the flight deck. Today we didn’t have to rely on the iPod for the national anthem or background music…we were fortunate to have the U.S. Navy European Brass quintet on board for some live music.
Day 61 – Saturday, August 13th (In Port Riga, Latvia)
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Today the Carr Soccer team took on the Latvian Armed Forces Team for an indoor match. Our team played great and it was all tied up until the last five minutes. Unfortunately the Latvians got a last minute goal to put them one point up. Nonetheless, our guys did a great job hanging with a team of all-stars who have played soccer since just after they were born.
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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 classy Carr Family and Friends!
CDR Patrick Kulakowski
Commanding Officer
USS CARR (FFG 52)
“Courage, Will, Determination
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