Bowen (FF 1079) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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You don ' t have to be a permanent crew member in order to Join the crew I W W had a great time. All of the people. I will never forget it. I wish everybody good luck. With those significantly improved words of English, EFiS Mohamed Aouam of the Royal Moroccan Navy sum- marized his four months on- board USS BOWEM. EFiS Mo- hamed, as crew members called him, came to BOWEM during the Atlantic transit as part of the U.S. Mavy pro- gram designed to train Mo- roccan officers for service in their own navy. During the Mediterranean cruise, BOWEN enjoyed the company of several tem- porary shipmates. LT Pasquale Prezioso of the Italian Mavy had already been assigned to BOWEM for over six months, through an officer exchange program, when the ship deployed, flis lively personality and inter- est in learning American slang from any crew member who would teach him quick- ly made him a popular and colorful addition to ship ' s company. Overseas, LT Prezioso ' s familiarity with many of the European countries BOWEM visited made him a valuable companion on liberty. And his spaghetti nights on the Ensign Mohamed Aouam, above left, lights fires in IB boiler with as- sistance from BT2 Jack Maas Above right, EnS Mohamed dressed out for light off in the fir- ing alley. LT Pasquale Prezioso, right, studies one of the other ships in Bowen ' s battle group through the big eyes on the signal bridge. mess decks will be clearly re- membered by all crew mem- bers. EMS Larry Lott, a seminari- an studying in Rome, also joined the ship for part of the deployment. EMS Lott, who will become a Mavy chaplain after finishing his studies, quickly gained the trust and friendship of the crew. Dur- ing the Maples port visit, EMS Lott arranged an excellent tour of Rome for interested crew members which includ- ed a papal audience. When the time came for BOWEM ' S temporary crew members to depart, all left with some regret but not without having made many lasting friends. As EMS Mohamed said shortly before his depar- ture in Sicily, I have good memories. I will never for- get you BOWEM. Before BOWEM came home, EMS Mohamed, LT Prezioso, and EMS Lott all retumed to homeports of their own. 32 Bowenlife