Bowen (FF 1079) - Naval Cruise Book

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It was kind of neat. You were the center of attention for a while . . ' - EPiJ Tommy Beard Refueling detail Above top, members of BOWEM ' S flight deck crew prepare for the ar- rival of a CH-53 helicopter. Right, the CH-53 hovers over the flight deck while the crew clears a pallet dropped by the helicopter. 30 Bowenlife

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The best program in the group ' It was confirmed by RADM Boorda during his Piovem- ber 14, 1987 visit to BOWEN. ' You ' ve got the best pro- gram of anyone in this battle group, he said. What he was referring to, of course, was BOWEM ' S Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist pro- gram, which received constant attention throughout the de- ployment. By the time BOWEM re- turned to her Charleston berth, over 100 BOWEN sailors had completed the ESWS qualifica- tion process, including a de- manding oral board given by se- nior personnel. The CPO mess and A division scored 100 per- cent, with all eligible individuals completing final qualification. BMl John Harris, left, gives a lecture in the crew s lounge on anchoring proce- dures as part of BOWED ' S ESWS pro- gram. Above, CDR Robbins awards an ESWS pin and certificate to BT3 Da- vid Millsaps. Also receiving pins are BT3 Robby Fregia and BT3 Tommy Harris. CDR Robbins, left, congratulates SM3 Kevin Logan on his qualifica- tion as an Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. The ceremony was held on the port side of the antenna deck. Bowenlife 29

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flight ' quarters pace demanding Of all the watchsta- tions BOWEN sail- ors are assigned to during the course of a de- ployment, few are more de- manding than flight quar- ters. In order to safely land BOWEN ' S helo on the flight deck, orallowanother ship ' s helo to hover, a long list of stations and teams must be manned, including: the bridge, boat deck, flight deck, helo tower, fire team and refueling detail. The call to flight quarters can come at any time of the day or evening. When the ship is engaged in anti-sub- marine warfare operations, flight quarters is normally set every two hours for 10-14 hours at a time. Flight quar- ters might also be combined with a 20-30 man working party for stores onload via helicopter from a supply ship. In either case, any break from the flight quarters rou- tine is always welcomed by those assigned to a flight quarters watch station. BOWEn S helo. above left, ap- proaches the flight deck to refuel during ASW operations in the cen- tral Mediterranean. The pilots are guided in b the Landing Signal En- listed (LSE) while another member of the flight deck crew stands by with chains to secure the helo to the flight deck after landing. Left, the Ctl-53 makes an approach on the aft port quarter of the ships small flight deck. Bowenlife 31