Fahrion (FFG 22) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 56 of the 1983 volume:

THEMAYPORT MIRROR USS Fahrion has eventful first year January 16 marked a significant event in the young history of USS Fahrion (FFG-22). Exactly one year before, the ship was commissioned, joining the rapidly expanding inventory of Oliver Hazard Perry-class Trigates. Fahrion was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation in Seattle, Washington, and since her commissioning has logged over 7,500 miles. After successfully completing the Light Off Ex- amination administered by the Pacific Fleet Propul- sion Examination Board and crew certification ad- ministered by Commander Destroyer Squadron Eight, Captain M.P. Kallercs, and his staff, Fahrion onload- ed ammunition and departed Washington ' s Pugel Sound. The 6,500-mile transit to Mayport included a visit to San Diego and several unique training oppor- tunities. The crew tested its skill off the coast of Mexico when Fahrion rendezvoused with USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) for an underway replenishment. When Fahrion broke away, after receiving fuel and stores, she became the first FFG to complete an underway replenishment evolution on her maiden voyage. On March 12, Fahrion transited the Panama Canal. The ship headed through the windward passage and then due north to Mayport, arriving on March 16. Refresher training at Guantanamo Bay would be the next opportunity to excel. The damage control organization proved itself by the satisfactory comple- tion of every at-sea fire drill on the first attempt. Ship control and combat systems departments completed exercises such as underway replenishment and general quarters. All drills and exercises were completed in a timely manner and Fahrion was ready to continue with the post delivery tests and trials to be conducted through the first year after commissioning. Fahr ion arrived in Fort Lauderdale on March 29, and commenced weapons systems accuracy trials, then conducted anti-submarine warfare training at the test range in the Bahamas. Next in the sequence was Com- bat Systems Ship Qualification Trials. The purpose of these trials is to demonstrate the maintainability and operabilily of Combat Systems equipment, provide training for Combat Systems personnel, and conclude with a live firing exercise. On June I 1, Fahrion hosted a family cruise for the dependents of the crew. Tours of the ship were con- ducted as she sailed out of the St. Johns River, and later that morning, the firM showing of the motion pic- ture of Fahrion ' s commissioning was shown to the families in the Enlisted Dining Facility. Final contract trial preparations were the next event on the schedule and they consumed every waking hour until July 23. The Board of Inspection and Survey, headed by Rear Admiral James D. Bulkelcy, con- ducted the trials which were an unqualified success. On August 23, Fahrion took in all lines, exited the Mayport basin and headed north lor post shakedown availability at Bath Iron Works, Maine. Alter a weapons offload at Earlc, New Jersey and a port visit to New York City, Fahrion arrived in Bath on September 3. Immediately the shipyard went to work rigging the devices that would supply the welders, burners, chippers and other essential industrial ser- vices. Fahrion made use of the valuable time inport and sent as many crewmembers to training as possible. The post shakedown availability arrival conference on September 6 made clear the point thai Fahrion had arrived in excellent condition and that she would depart in excellent condition. Fahrion was drvdocked onpetober 21. Her hull was cleaned and all suction and discharge ports were thoroughly checked. By November 15, most of the major industrial work had been finished and only touch-up and testing re- mained. On December 2, successful sea trials were conducted. The two-day evolution tested the many new systems and modifications installed during the availability. On December 10, the ship was underway for Mayport. Norfolk was the first stop on the trip south. She then moved to the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown where ammunition was onlo.idcd. Fahrion arrived in Mayport on December 20, con- cluding a highly successful year of operations, tests, and training. To close out her first yeai of commission, an an- niversary was held at the Mayport CPO Club on January 14 and an ecumenical service, awards and reenlistment ceremony was held two days later. Fahrion had proven herself duiablc and seaworthy, and up to any task. The crew is now ready 10 prepare for the next evolution, another readiness evaluation to be followed by full refresher training at Guantanamo Bay. ANNIVERSARY REUP-During (he first anniversary ceremonies on the USS Fahrion, ' SaK reenlisted. Commanding Officer CDR T.M. Da (left) administers a simultaneous enlistment oath to eft to rieht) HT2 Lewis Robertson, BM1 Bruce Smith MS2 Timothy Sullivan and QM2T.moth, Wood ' . MS2 Sullivan was also named the ship s bailor of the Quarter. THE FIRST YEAR FROM THE SAILORS IN THE RIGGING TO THE FITTERS ON THE PIER THEY BUILT THE MIGHTY FAHRION IN THE SHADOW OF RANIER THE FAHRION DRAGON A TENACIOUS COMMISSIONING ' ' JANUARY 16, 1982 MAIDEN VOYAGE THE PANAMA CANAL MARCH 12 AND FAR BEYOND I fo THE BEsK FFG 22 AT LAST, ARRIVAL IN MAYPORT MARCH 16 id MORE HONORS FOR FAHRION SHIPMATES J 1 — GITMO! THE DAYS WERE LONG. AND THE TRAINING RIGOROUS, BUT THE FINAL RESULTS WERE MORE THAN SATISFYING M r AFWR! FAHRION ONCE AGAIN PROVED TO BE A SUPERIOR FIGHTING SHIP SECOND TO NONE FAHRION ' S FRIENDS [ffl EfN 16 f K A TYPICAL DAY UNDERWAY fc 1 17 FAMILY it -i w i in CRUISE 3 U L UU August 1982 in this issue An Artist Looks at USS Fahrion Senior Enlisted Academy PORT OF CALL NEW YORK 4 Jj ' 21 N E W Y O R K h . . 22 ■- — ' -- — - . — . - ■ — . — : — T — TV J— 7 — - ■ . ' ?■ tj- ' J 1 ■ -  - - — : — r — : — •— — N E W Y O R K f  FAHRION A 24 HONORS ITS OWN 25 POST SHAKEDOWN AVAILABILITY SEPTEMBER 3 26 BATH IRONWORKS, MAINE -J ■J v. . ' K Mk£ J4 S«5 :■ saw 1 I? I l I ON THE DEPERMING IN NORFOLK DECEMBER 13 10 ROAD AGAIN: WEAPONS ONLOAD AT YORKTOWN DECEMBER 17 ASW t o n  E 1) H A K I) 1 1 K G — w ARRIVAL FROM BATH WELCOME HOME u55 ' MHRION I I 3; MAYPORT AT LAST FAHRION FAMILY HAS ■ i ■ i w | , ' -. ' $R-r M A MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS Y m ' y£ J — [7SSF. . I FF ■£ • Ifc ■ - v 1 B !5 A LIVELY NIGHT AT JANUARY 14, 1983 (6 THE ANNIVERSARY BASH $7 FAHRION ITS FIRST JANUARY 16, 1983 w CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY ' JiJ )9 LIBERTY CALL! AN EVENTFUL YEAR !;••• W 5 SL- ■ 8 t ■in - « • ■ ' ' Sti LIBERTY CALL! AND EVENTFUL LIBERTY «« T 41 An Artist Looks H , i .V ' , ■ . -•. ' .  «• . i - f 4 J -- .V ' at USS Fahrion • ■«_ USS Fahrion (FFG 22), one of the Navy ' s newest Perry-class frigates, re- cently put to sea for its shakedown cruise. Fahrion ' s plank owner crew members, who had trained together as the pre-commissioning team, were on board to take the ship from Seattle, Wash., to its new home port in May- port, Fla. Also on board was Navy combat artist William E. Ryan, along with reserve Lieutenant Commander Thomas C. Pinard who interviewed some of the men Ryan used as subjects of his drawings. A noted marine artist who grew up around water and who has studied and lived on both coasts, Ryan saw the Fah- rion as a self-contained community where the men lived in a world of their own making. He was impressed with the caliber of these professionals. Daily they completed the ordinary tasks re- quired to keep their ship in good condi- tion, while keeping themselves physical- ly healthy and mentally alert. Ryan saw life on Fahrion as condensed, a study in human nature, with the inhabitants cre- ating their own pattern of responses and interaction. With his artist ' s eye and skillful hands, Ryan transferred his mental im- pressions of the Fahrion men into graphic form, infusing his own feelings into his drawings. They are a record of a life that only a sailor understands. — JED ■ An Artist Looks at USS Fahrion She ' s like a race horse, sensitive, highbred, delicate to the touch. William E. Ryan ' s comments during the shakedown cruise of USS Fahrion (FFG 22) reflect the manner of the frigate ' s bearing but, more importantly, the care taken by this thoroughbred ' s trainers and han- dlers — Fahrion ' s crew. Ryan was invited aboard by Commander Tom Daly, Fahrion ' s first commanding officer, who had been so impressed with Ryan ' s artwork that he wanted the artist to create a visual record of the frigate. The tour for the Navy combat artist aboard Fahrion was coordinated by the Office of the Chief of Information in Washington, D.C. Ryan ' s sketches, along with an oil painting of the ship (this month ' s cover), bring to life the members of the crew during the ship ' s transit from Seattle to Mayport, Fla. What I saw were highly professional people, working on sensitive computerized systems and also doing all the day-to-day things that are necessary to keep a ship like Fahrion under way, said Ryan. The officers and crew also shared the artist ' s feelings and— while under way to Mayport— some commented on Fahrion, the Navy and life at sea. For Ensign Robert Esker, Fahrion is a move into the highest state of the art. The gas turbine is outstanding, but it requires a lot more training. We ' re no longer dealing with hammer mechanics, and my men make up a top flight engineering crew— you can see it in their care. Esker, an LDO and the bull ensign on Fahrion , figures that a shakedown cruise of 6,500 miles is an excellent way for ship and crew to come together. Establishing an organization together has been one of the exciting highlights of serving on the pre-commissioning crew, said Chief f w v ' 1 i 1 Z Alt- 0 ' 75j ™ i An Artist Looks at USS Fahrion Quartermaster Walter Fanton. The chief, who has called the Navy home for 22 years, feels these new frigates are providing a great op- portunity for senior enlisted people to gain more of a management role. Chiefs are in division officer billets, leading petty officers are moving into billets normally held by chiefs, and that ' s important to the men moving up. Fanton is a veteran of six sea tours and a year commanding a river patrol boat in Vietnam. The initial voyage of the Fahrion is an exciting opportunity for all hands, said commanding officer Commander Tom Daly. For me, if organization is established and leadership is exercised properly, our new people will learn by experiencing operating procedures correctly the first time, not through folklore. Daly added that a smaller crew presents a realistic challenge for leadership — an echo of Fanton ' s contention. But Fahrion ' s CO also said that the leadership role requires an active management role with responsibility down to the lowest level, and no place to hide. With service aboard five ships. Disbursing Clerk First Class Hous- ton Nickelson Jr. finds life aboard Fahrion demanding, but he is quite comfortable and enjoys the challenge. Mess Management Specialist Seaman Dale Hempseed, on his first ship, enjoys every minute of it. Commenting on the workload, Hemp- seed said, The duty isn ' t that difficult, and most of the men coming through the mess lines are not complaining. Summing it up after an almost 24-hour evolution through the Pana- ma Canal, one sailor in the midships passageway was heard to say, It was another fine Navy dav. —BvLt. Cmdr. Thomas C. Pinarcl ■ I . P - . 4M«- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COMMANDING OFFICER CDR. T.M. DALY, USN EXECUTIVE OFFICER LCDR E.R. JONES, USN EDITORIAL STAFF LTJG S. BENSON, USN ENS S. RUSHING, USNR LAYOUT AND DESIGN LTJG S. BENSON, USN ENS S. RUSHING, USNR PHOTOGRAPHIC LIAISON OSC G. SMITH, USN PHOTOGRAPHERS LCDR E. JONES, USN LT M. DANIEL, USN OSC G. SMITH, USN EW2 H. LAVERGNE, USN OS2 G. HINSHAW, USN QM3 D. DUMAS. USN FOR THEIR TIME AND EFFORTS, A SPECIAL THANKS TO: NAS BRUNSWICK PHOTOGRAPHIC LAB MAYPORT NAVAL STATION PHOTOGRAPHIC LAB -IH C A © •i.f ■V ' lHTH VMIHH ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC COASTS GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE TO STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA INCLI DINC GULF OF MEXICO. (ARMIHKAN SKA AND PANAMA I ' AXAI S T A .OUNDINGS IN FATHOMS t t r ■ - - . ■ : : : : •