Twenty-two sailors from four countries embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) July 6 to participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise.

The sailors from Chile, Columbia, Peru and Australia range from the E-7 to O-6 pay grades and are part of the 25,000 personnel participating in RIMPAC which hosts 22 nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, and more than 200 aircraft who are participating in the exercise from Jun. 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.

“This is my first time on board a carrier,” said

Lt. Rodrigo Daneck, a Chilean national assigned to Command Task Group (CTG) 170.1. “It’s amazing to see the coordination of having all these ships and commands working together, it’s all quite impressive.”

Daneck and other members of the Chilean navy experienced opportunities to observe, first hand, the process and procedures of Nimitz and her crew in a fully operational capacity. It’s this cooperation, explained Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Ibarra, which further strengthens the ties between these nation’s maritime forces.

With these advanced interactions, the various nations will have a greater understanding of procedures and operations of the U.S. Navy which will be incorporated in future training scenarios.

CTG 170.1 will be acting as a Carrier Strike Group commander and it’s staff during RIMPAC, overseeing logistics, operations and public affairs of functional units.

July 10, 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 34

Sailors from the Chilean and U.S. Navies share a joke in a planning room aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Nimitz Welcomes International Navies

Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 3rd Class Steven R. Hernandez, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146’s maintenance control clerk, was selected as the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) Sailor of the Day July 9. Hernandez realigned the squadron’s aviation armament equipment program and streamlined forecasted turn-ins on more than 450 equipment history records. He also ensured all weapons suspension equipment were administratively fit for use, minimizing the maintenance impact on Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) personnel on board Nimitz.

While assisting maintenance control in daily flight preparations, he performed 50 aircraft discrepancy book verifications, ensuring 553 maintenance actions and 216 inspections for nine aircraft were properly accounted for. Additionally, he contributed in the documentation and validation of 60 naval flight records encompassing 55 flight hours, 107 catapults and 116 arrestments.

While out to sea, Hernandez goes to the gym, watches movies and emails his girlfriend. When in port, he’s stationed in Lemoore, Calif., and spends a lot of time with his family, goes to the gym and the batting cages. A native of Springfield, Miss., Hernandez joined the Navy just over a year ago for a steady job, a chance to see the world and education benefits. “This job is very precise and there’s no room for error,” said Hernandez. “All of us [AZ’s] work together to make sure everything gets done correctly.”

USS Nimitz’ Sailor of the Day

Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 3rd Class Steven R. Hernandez, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146’s maintenance control clerk, maintains and verifys the squadron’s aircraft records.

Capt. Jeff Ruth, commanding officer of USS Nimitz, named Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 3rd Class Steven R. Hernandez, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146’s maintenance control clerk, Sailor of the Day, July 9 in the Pilot House.

Commanding OfficerCAPT Jeff S. RuthExecutive Officer

CAPT Buzz DonnellyCommand Master Chief

CMDCM Teri McIntyrePublic Affairs OfficerLCDR Karin Burzynski

EditorMC2 Robert Winn Lead Designer

MCSA Ryan J. Mayes

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All. submissions are subject to review and screening. “Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

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The life of a Sailor on a mighty Navy warship can be taxing, especially on an aircraft carrier such as USS Nimitz (CVN 68). An average work day can easily last from 6 a.m. to as late as 10 p.m., and sometimes later. Stress can stem from different causes such as a normal work day, financial and family concerns or even off duty education. Nimitz’ Health Services Department can help Sailors keep their stress on a manageable level.

Sailors can explore several avenues to help manage their daily stress; one way is to schedule an appointment with medical.

“I’ll speak with them, see what’s going on in their lives, figure out their stressors and try to develop a plan of how they can better manage their stress,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW) Jason Aguilar.

By simply eating healthy and maintaining an active lifestyle, Sailors can expect to have less daily stress.

“By eating right, you’re always going to feel much better than when you eat greasy food,” said Aguilar. “You always want to eat right and exercise even though you may be under a lot of stress; you still have to take care of yourself.”

Sailors can go through a wide range of stressors being away from home on a consistent basis. By speaking with medical personnel, Sailors can expect their daily stresses to become much easier to deal with.

“Just remain calm, don’t get too overwhelmed, and take one problem at a time,” said Aguilar. “Once you get through one problem, just move on to the next one and that will make it easier for whatever else you have going on instead of going through a whole onslaught of problems which can be very un-motivating.”

Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Torrance Davis, assigned to S-2 division, spoke about how he gets through daily stressors living aboard Nimitz.

“I try to have fun while I’m at work while getting my job done at the same time,” said Davis. “I believe it’s my personality that gets me through. I try not to get too down on myself or serious because if you do then you wouldn’t be productive.”

For more about stress management speak with your chain of command or Lt. Angel Lugosteidel at medical, 2-117-3-L.

Story by MC3 Jonathan A. Colon

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With aircraft now aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and constant activity around them in its hangar bays, personnel need to be very mindful of their surroundings when transiting these areas.

As Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 picks up, the movement and maintenance of aircraft will happen more frequently, making the movement of personnel through the hangar bays different and ever changing.

“The number one safety precaution is chains,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class David Hernandez, Air Department’s V-3 division assistant safety petty officer. “Personnel are aware now that there are aircraft on board but are so used to transiting the hangar bay without looking on the deck to see if there are chains. We have a lot of people who trip and even though most of the time they catch themselves, the danger is still there.”

Chains are not the only obstacle for personnel to be aware of, they also need to be aware of all parts and pieces of aircraft and their

respective squadron’s maintenance equipment for safety.

“We also need to be aware of the aircraft themselves,” said Hernandez. “There are a lot of things on the aircraft that just stick out and can cause problems. We have to watch out for things like wings, tail hooks and fuselages that sometimes personnel just don’t pay attention to. Our squadrons try to attend to safety by putting soft foam bumpers on wings edges that help, but people still just aren’t paying attention and get hurt.”

Some lessons are learned the hard way about hangar bay safety. Hernandez found this out first hand, during a foreign object damage (FOD) walkdown in hangar bay one.

“I was looking at the deck during a FOD walkdown and didn’t look up in time,” said Hernandez. “I was walking toward the aft end of

Awareness Key to Staying Safe in Hangar BayStory by MC3 Jacob Milner

Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class (AW) Sog Yang chains down a spotting dolly in preparation for maintenance in the hangar bay. Photo by MCSN Jess Lewis.

Airman Cristina Mays uses a tractor to move an F/A-18 Hornet of the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 across hangar bay two. Photo by MC3 Jacob Milner

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an aircraft and looked up and the stabilizer was at eye level so I didn’t see anything. I managed to stop myself just in time. I still hit the stabilizer, but it wasn’t hard enough to break my nose or cut myself.”

At night, prior to darken ship, each hangar bay will switch from white lights to the soft red sodium oxide or SOX lights that personnel use at night to maintain or move aircraft through the hangar bays. The softer red lights reduce visibility and make movement for personnel more dangerous.

“We try to switch over the lights in the hangar bays 30 minutes prior to darken ship,” said Hernandez. “That way it’s not too dark outside because we still have the elevator door open, letting light in. Once we switch over and there is no light coming from outside, it gets pretty dark with just the SOX. “

During the switch over from white light to SOX light many of the operations currently taking place in the hangar bays will stop to ensure that no one is working in the dark.

“During any movement of aircraft through the hangar bays we will not switch the lights over,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Nicholas Beard, tractor king for V-3 division, or petty officer in charge of general support equipment

(GSE) for V-3. “The fact is, when it goes dark, we can’t see anything. If there is someone moving through our paths and we can’t see them it will be trouble, so to prevent that, we will not switch the lights while we have equipment or aircraft in transit.”

Another hazard to be aware of when moving through the hangar bays is liquids. Even though the hangar bay decks are covered in non-skid coating, a slip hazard still exists wherever liquid is present.

“A big thing we try to watch out for is liquid FOD,” said Beard. “Liquid FOD is fuel or other liquids that have come from the aircraft that people might slip on.”

While being aware of the hazards in the hangar bays when personnel are moving, there is even a bigger hazard when the aircraft are moving, and some don’t know

how to stay out of the way.“When we’re moving aircraft,

some personnel don’t know that they’re not supposed to walk between the plane and its director,” said Hernandez. “When those aircraft are moving, even though they aren’t moving that fast it does not mean that it is ok to go ahead and start running around it to get where they need to go. We just need personnel to be vigilant and try to stand clear of the bay where we are currently moving aircraft and definitely don’t walk between the aircraft and its director.”

With so many aircraft and operations being conducted in the hangar bays, safety is of the highest priority when transiting through these spaces so personnel need to be aware of their situation and keep their heads on a swivel when transiting these areas.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Enrico Rabina directs an F/A-18 Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 across hangar bay two. Photo by MC3 Jacob Milner.

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Each day aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) can be busy and fast-paced, Sailors and Marines may find that anything outside of typical Navy work can be too daunting to undertake. However, Nimitz’ Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) makes it simple and easy for hard working personnel to make strides toward earning a degree.

“Each NCPACE term lasts 90 days,” said Ensign Matt M. Long, Nimitz’ educational services officer. “Students pick the classes they want to take, and Navy College provides the material.”

NCPACE’s current distance learning program allows enrolled students to take classes on their own and meet the requirements for the course, all while working underway.

“We have about 30 students enrolled in our current term, which ends July 16,” said Long. “During deployment, we will have both normal distance learning, like the current courses, and instructor-led NCPACE courses, where an actual college professor embarks with the ship and offers classroom-style courses.”

Through the NCPACE program, students enrolled are not required to pay for anything the course provides except books for

each class they take.“Students can’t use TA (tuition

assistance) for books and will have to pay out of pocket,” said Long. “But students can buy books through Navy College or on their own or rent books for a rental fee. They can also sell books back when they are done with the course.”

Unlike many civilian college distance learning programs, NCPACE uses courses from a variety of schools rather than just one, giving students a broad spectrum of degree options to choose from.

“When you take courses, college credits are added to your transcript, and through NCPACE, different schools agree to accept each others’ credits,” said Long. “Instead of taking classes from just one school, the degree-oriented student can mix and match courses.”

First time NCPACE students will only be able to enroll in one course, and after successful completion, can take two classes at a time in later terms.

“The Navy typically recommends taking college courses while on shore duty, but you can use NCPACE while on sea duty,” said Long. “A degree could take a while to earn, but NCPACE is a way to progress towards your degree while on sea duty.”

NCPACE allows for credit transfer from previous college courses taken toward earning specific degrees.

“Students can submit previous

transcripts through Navy College and they can evaluate what classes they need to take to earn their degrees,” said Long. “A lot of the NCPACE colleges are willing to accept previously earned credits through other schools, and your Navy work experience also counts for college credits, which is logged by your SMART transcript.”

Nimitz’ next NCPACE term is slated to begin in September.

NCPACE: Your School at SeaStory by MC3 Ian A. Cotter

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Rimpac Update

Australian sailors, soldiers, airmen and women have joined defence forces from 21 other nations, including France, Canada and Russia, for Exercise RIM-OF-THE-PACIFIC (RIMPAC 12) in the islands of Hawaii.

Approximately 1100 Australian Defence personnel are among 25,000 personnel participating in the US-sponsored exercise.

For the first time in the history of RIMPAC, Australia will lead the maritime component. The Commander of the Australian contingent, Commodore Stuart Mayer says it’s the first time the United States has provided another country with the opportunity to plan and execute the maritime aspect of this exercise.

“The opportunity to command the maritime force is a tribute to the trust in which the Australian Navy is held. It is also a great personal challenge,” Commodore Mayer said.

“Australia is coordinating an extraordinary number of assets including seven Combined Task Forces consisting of 40 surface ships and six submarines.”

Two Royal Australian Navy (RAN) war ships HMAS Darwin and HMAS Perth, and the submarine HMAS Farncomb will be conducting a range of exercises and live firing, while the Australian Clearance Diving Team will be working with other nations conducting explosive ordnance disposal and mine

countermeasure activities.Also participating in the exercise are two AP-3C

Orions, a S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter and the E7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control supported by Air Force personnel from Number 2 Squadron.

Additionally 150 Army personnel from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) with engineer, artillery and support elements are working with US Navy and US marine elements in the Hawaii operating area.

RIMPAC 12 is the world’s largest multilateral live-fire maritime training exercise held around the islands of Hawaii.

The exercise aims to enhance the interoperability of the combined forces and involves war-fighting exercises, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and maritime security operations.

Australian Forces Join Multilateral Exercise Story and photo courtesy of Austrailian Department of Defense

www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac

HMAS Darwin alongside Pearl Harbor on Exercise RIM-OF-THE-PACIFIC 2012 (RIMPAC 12)

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Channel 7Channel 6

1000 / 2200Horton Hears

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Part 1

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x-Men Origins:

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