Ashland (LSD 48) - Naval Cruise Book

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Deployment Stats Surface Warfare Officer: 8 Officer of the Deck (underway): 8 CIC Watch Officer: 13 Tactical Action Officer: 1 Engineering Officer of the Watch: 4 Surface Warfare Medical Officer: 2 Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialists: 63 Supply: Bacon: 1,597 lbs. Beef Patties: 3,000 lbs Ground Beef: 4,250 lbs. Cereal: 45,288 individual box Chicken: 22,056 lbs. Fresh Eggs: 4,200 frozen, 4,800 dozen fresh Flour: 14,210 lbs. Lethice: 8,977 lbs. Milk, Fresh: 5,747 gal. Potatoes, Fresh: 9,541 lbs. Rice: 5,794 lbs. Postal Services: Total Weight of Mail Received: 500,000 lbs. Mail Received During Flight Quarters: 170,000 lbs. Average Time for Delivery of Mail: 10 days Services: Haircuts: 1,150 Laundry: 38,131 lbs. Shiprs Store Sales: $239,629.05 Soda Sales: $157,466 Number of Sodas Sold: 78,733 cans Vending Sales: $39,366.45 Medical Dental:: Vaccinations: 1,700 Head Staples: 105 Sutures: 212 Dental Exams: 459 Dental Cleanings: 328 Fillings: 240 Root Canals: 23 Wisdom Tooth Extractions: 43 X-Rays: 529 Dental Sealants: 82

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Deployment Stats Operation Desert Tortoise: 45,000 lbs of mail for 14 ships in the Amphibious Task Force (ATF) 170 Passengers transported for the ATF 300 Pallets of supplies for the ATG Qualified 63 Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialists (ESWS) Qualified 8 Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) Qualified to fly the ESWS Pennant Completed more than 316 Launch and Recoveries without incident Navigation: Strait Canal Transits: 1. Strait of Gibralter: 2 (28Jan03 and 10Jun03) 2. Suez Canal: 2 (04Feb03 and 31May03) 3. Bab El Mandeb Strait: 2 (07Feb03 and 27May03) 4. Sh-ait of Hormuz: 2 (Inbound 13Feb03 Outbound 22May03) Total Strait Canal Transits: 8 Total Miles Traveled: 34, 000 Nauhcal Miles Navigation Details: 48 Precision Anchorages: 17 Email: Incoming Email Totals: 531,727 Outgoing E-mail Totals: 378,600 Operations: Sea and Anchor Details: 10 UNREPs Conducted: 17 CONREPs Conducted: 6 VERTREPS Conducted: 66 Marine Onloads Offloads: 4 Personnel: Advancements Last Cycle: 30 E-4 Advancement Rate: 9 E-5 Advancement Rate: 16 E-6 Advancement Rate: 5 E-8 Selectees: 1 Officer Promotions: 5 Re enlistments and Retention: Reenlistments: 24 Combined Total of Years: 78 SRBs: 8 SRB Amount Total (Tax Free) $46,240.42 Qualifications: Command Qualification:

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Commander Samuel Howard Commanding Officer .11 -p Samuel CharleS ' Henry Howard Commander, United States Navy W!w. Commanding Officer United States Ship ASHLAND (LSD 48) Commander Howard was bom in Fort Dix, New Jersey and grew up in Mount Holly. After graduating from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in 1980, he matriculated into The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina as an NROTC Scholarship student. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and was commissioned an ensign in 1984. After pipeline training and other afloat temporar} ' assignments, Commander Howard reported to USS OtBANNON (DO 987) to serve as Communications Officer then Electrical Officer. In December 1987, he reported to Naval Education and Training Center in Newport as Assistant Plans and Operations Officer and Port Services Officer. Commander Howard graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California in June 1991 with a Master of Science in Management (Manpower Systems Analysis subspecialty). Following a short assignment to Navy Recruiting Distiict, Philadelphia PA (Senior Minority Assistance to Recruiting program), he attended Surface Warfare Officer Department Head School iii Newport, Rhode Island. Upon graduation in 1992, Commander Howard reported to USS CONOLLY (DD 979) as Engineer Officer on station in the North Red Sea. In 1993, Commander Howard was ordered to the staff of Commander, Destioyer Squadron TWENTY SIX as Operations Officer and deployed with the staff as part of GEORGE WASHINGTON BATTLE GROUP. Commander Howard was then ordered to the staff of Commander, United States SECOND FLEET serving as Future Operations Officer, then Assistant Fleet Operations Officer until February 1997. In October 1997 following pipeline h-aining and temporary dut} ' which included serving as Junior Officer of the Deck aboard USS CONSTITUTION when she sailed for the ; first time in 1 1 6 years, Conxmander Howard reported as Commanding Officer Precommissioning Unit RAVEN, , ■ and later commissioned USS RAVEN (MHC 61), the eleventh OSPREY Class coastal mine hunter. Upon scheduled relief in August 1999, Commander Howard reported to the Command Depaitnient staff of Surface Warfare Officers School Command in Newport, Rhode Island, serving as senior Mine V |ki;fare instructor and Mariner Skills lead. ' l ' Commander Howard took command of USS ASHLAND (LSD 48) in Februarv 2002, depkn-ing to the Arabian Gulf in January 2003 with elements of SECOND MARINE EXPEDITIONARY BRIGADE embarked in suppori of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. , . - - , Commander Howard has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal , the Defuse M€ itorious Service Medal (two awards) the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), and is authorized to • wear numerous campaign and unit awards. He is mairied to Lari Ann Roberts of Haihesport, New J sey. They reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia with their toddler son, Mercer, and dog, LaBelle. . ;,