McFaul (DDG 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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All Hands Man Your Flight Quarters ► PI he Operations Department is com- warfare, or s . prised of four divisions with five of- the enemy, i fleers, six chiefs and approximately 80 en- and rota ry listed personnel. support for; rhe departtnent ' s principle role is to and visual c support McFAUL in sustained operations replenishrM at sea as a part of a Joint Task Force or as search anfl an independent unit in air warfare, sur- tions. ■ face warfare, undersea warfare, electronic The fl ' ns against the Operations Officer (OPS) who over- ude fixed sees all division officers and their respec- ..al gunfire live divisions in the performance of their ous assaults, electronic duties. OPS is also responsible for the i.lmications, refeling and evaluation and dissemination of combat (warfare, and operational information required for It opera- McFAUL to fulfill its assigned mission. ■l jgj y -Photo taken by Michael McFaul

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This is a drill, this is a drill! For several weeks, mem bers of the Inport Emergency Teams (lET) spent long and exhaust- ing hours training in preparation for the Light Off Assessment (LOA), a vi- tal engineering certification that all ships must pass before sailing and commissioning. This inspection dem- onstrates that a ship is capable of sav- ing itself in the case of any emergency, ranging fr om a minor hazardous mate- rial spill or a small fire in a compart- ment to a major fuel oil fire. Teams train in full Fire Fighting En- sembles (FFE ' s), light off Operational Breathing Apparatus (OBA ' s), and meticulously go through every step of fighting a mamspace fire. The Dam- age Control Training Team (DCTT), an internal training team consisting of McFAUL personnel, sets up numer- ous real-life scenarios, conduct train- ing for the emergency teams, and evaluate their performance. LOA is not just an Engineering evolution, it is an ALL HANDS effort. Personnel not involved on the fire party report to the fantail for support; breaking out gear from the repair lock- ers, helping teams dress out, attend- ing to heat stress and other casual- ties, and standing by to dress out them- selves and join the fire party. Durmg long days of training, dressed out in heavy FFE ' s and lug- ging fu-e hoses and access gear with crewmembers exhausted is when the philosophy of TEAM McFAUL shone through the brightest. The required stamina was almost painful at times, but it all paid off when McFAUL passed all LOA drills with flying col- ors. Members of an attack team prepare to walk through a mam space fire drill DC2 Little leads the hose team into number three generator room, uhilc (iSE2 Aanerud uses the Naval Firefighter s Thermal Imager (NFTI) to look for ihc fin- SHC(SW) Neal. a.k.a, The Torch does his artistic rendition of an oul-of-control fire. 66

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operations Department Operations Officer LT Walter H.Ott LT Walter H. Ott, Jr., USN was bom in Beaufort, South Caro- lina. The son of a Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant, he at- tended schools in Beaufort, South Carolina and Leonardtown, Mary- land; graduating from Saint Mary ' s Ryken High School m May 1984. He graduated from the Uni- versity of Maryland, College Park eammg a Bachelor of Arts m Gov- ernment and Politics. In May 1 989, he was Commissioned as an Ensign through the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps at George Washington University. His initial duty assignments include NAS Pensacola; NAS Whiting Field and SWOSCOLCOM Newport, Rhode Island. His initial sea tour was onboard USS BOWEN (FF FFT- 1079) from July 1991 through June 1994. During his tour he served as Combat Information Center Officer, First Lieutenant and Aux- iliaries Officer. Durmg this tour he qualified Surface Warfare Of- ficer; BOWEN shifted homeport to Staten Island, NY, transferred to the Naval Reserve Forces, and spearheaded the Women-at-Sea program. His next assignment was as Steam Catapults Officer and For- ward Propulsion Assistant onboard USS AMERICA (CV- 66) homeported tn Norfolk, VA. Durmg his tour, AMERICA par- ticipated in Operation Uphold Democracy - Haiti 1994, Opera- tions Deny Flight Sharp Guard Deliberate Force Joint Endeavor - Bosnia 1995 96, and Operation Southern Watch - Persian Gulf 1995. Highlightsofhis tour in- clude qualifying 1200 PSI Engi- neering Officer of the Watch, AMERICA earning the 1995 AIRLANT Banle E , the 1995 Admiral Flatley Aviation Safety Award and the 1995 CINCLANTFLT Battenberg Cup. Following Department Head School, he reported to Pre-Com- missioning Unit McFAUL (DDG- 74) as Operations Officer. LT Ott ' s awards and medals include the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Achieve- ment Medal (3 Awards) and van- ous unit awards, campaign and service ribbons. He is married to the former Silke Askin of Hamm, Germany. They have one son, Garrett age 3. They reside in Norfolk, Virginia. 68