Fahrion (FFG 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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 ■