Los Alamos (AFDB 7) - Naval Cruise Book

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. C'.F'F 5 9' ' Q A l I In M Vw' Kamp? A --LW.-.: 1 K A ...fn , 0 -.--,'.'-.7-L. ','?': e ma, 1- gf U. W ,, , 11. ., ,gg Editor' s Statement A Welcome to LOS ALAMOS fAFDB'7l1 THIRTY YEARS ON THE BUBBLE, a book designed to commemorate the long and illusf trious history of the U.S. Navy's best and funtil recentlyl busiest floating drydock! As l write these words, the deactivation of LOS ALAMOS is already underway. The last crew is dwindling rapidly, member by memf ber. All hands are scheduled to depart, or have departed, to their new commands. This book is for you, shipmate, to use as a reminder of people you served with, friends l96Os: The town of Sandbank, as seen from the alpha starboard wing- wall, is almost unrecognizable to the modern visitor. The drydock has as yet no outriggers, the quarterdeck is the shack suspended by block and tackle fit was hauled up for docking evolutionsl, and the flying bridge appears to be a structure only a fool would cross. you met and made onboard, and of all the hard work you did to make our mission a SHG, cess! We on the staff of THIRTY YEARST ON THE BUBBLE hope you enjoy the book you are now holding, for years to come, every time you open it. , Peter J. Lutz DCI, U. S. Navy Editor l lllmlc TODAY: Obviously, a bit of progress has made it to the town in 30 years., One can plainly see the improvements on the dock as well - the flying! bridge, for one - and catwalks, outriggers, lifelines, and doghouses. What On the Bubble Means 1 l A floating drydock is a series of ballast tanks that can be flooded to a predetermined volume based on a calculated pumping plan. A certain amount of positive buoyancy is creat- ed in this process and must be maintained or else the drydock would completely submerge. Additionally, the wingwalls have a safety deck, and vent for dip , pipes which extend into the floodable wingwall tanks about six feet. The dip pipes allow an air bubble to be trapped inside the wingwall tanks. This air bubble gives the drydock a maximum freeboard of five feet. Without the dip pipes, the draft would be about five inches for lessl. So, in other words, when the drydock is On the Bubble, il. V means that it is at the draft necessary to dock a submarine OI' ' other unit. ' 5 ' 1 A r. r lx.. 'i'-. Q, 'x . iff i sim!

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f- 51, f , A AQ'561ll1 v--151' ' ' ' W' M A--'L-L A-'-- Ae-H'-b f --1-1-1 --ww-.:.:11m1' .J 1-vie,-i:.a:.1gr,,,g, -M.-gun, Lwrsflgglp-' 3141,-i3.,5gA A,335-,g.,5'5:'J-vw'-if' .frgmqgiqgxgmf 1gwjfvg41w 1'jg'-fqgqi Table Editor's Statement ...................... Commanding Cfficer ................. Executive Cfficer ................,...... Command Master Chief ............ Command Dmloudsmanfln Mem ur 0000000000000000000000000000000 Brief Histor of LOS ALAMOS Travel and Leisure Activities ..... Sport ......................................... Fourth of July Celebration 1991 Dunoon and Communit ........... Blues Inspection ......................... Damage Control Training .......... Reenlistment Ceremonies ......... wards ........................................ Faces ..................................... .. dmini tration Department ...... Deck Department, ....................... Media Day .................................. Suppl Department .................... Docking Department ................. Engineering Department ........... Inactivation of LDS ALAMOS Acknowledgement .................... J ..L..f..,u '14, LL 'nd ,lb 1, of Content 00000000000 00099000000 00000000000 00000000000 oriam St Hol 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00909000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 00 00 00 00 00 00 O 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 Ch 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 12 000000000000000900000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000909000000000 000000000000000000000000000 090000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000090000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000009 000000000000000000000000000 000000009000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000

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. .,, . . V ., 'vi f- nv- i . ,-,,.'- q 4.' 1 ni' l ' ' u'nr 1 .A rv , ' Ply 5-, 4' ' 3 . . , ,. , , -- -V , H., V A 1-5 4, H f- .- - 'r-' 3 HQ-r gg':,'.5t:.7'1'f'.-J-'.-L1'-:'z',2.ui.w,'sf - '- 5fLq itvzfiie N '3 V 'v 7.'j. ,' 'A Yr-f 'lf - 5g,1::',f'1ff-Nsfgv'1:Qyr:V 1-9 5 ' .vu ' nt 1 ' V ' 1 mgfiF'rff.4L1JxltE-7:30:11 ty., mm..a,Gianni-.liixifia5:m5fEfi.iE4i?9fZ?!rif92141 ggflxasifadLiifas5lfc5?:J2.:Ii'gl?vii1.ff2iil1'f3e:- liffiiilifiiim Smfisaklizfffiihiififsffligf 18 5594 v-3125 Q . Commanding Officer: LCDR J. . Heery, USN LCDR Heery is a native of Runnemede, NI. He is a graduate of Mohegan Community Col- lege, Norwich, CT. Enlisting in the Navy in 1965, LCDR Heery served 12 years as a Machinist's Mate, advancf ing through the ranks to MMCS. LCDR Heery has served tours onboard USS ALSTEDE QAF-481 and six years on USS DACE KSSN-6071. In addition, he has served as an instructor at Nuclear Power Training Unit in West Milton, NY, and as Ship Superintendent at Naval Submarine Support Facility New London. In 1978 he was selected for the Limited Duty Offif cer program and was commissioned Ensign in April 1978. Following commissioning, LCDR Heery was assigned to USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOW- ER QCVN-691 as Auxiliaries Div. Technical Assistant. In 1980 he returned to Naval Subma- rine Support Facility New London as Assistant Radiological Controls Officer. In 1984 he transferred to the staff of Commander Submarine Squadron TWO as Assistant Material and Quality Assurance Officer. In 1986 he returned to EISENHOWER as Auxiliaries Officer. Prior to assuming command of LOS ALAMOS in june 1991, LCDR Heery served his second tour on staff of COMSUBRON TWO. In addition to Enlisted Submarine Dolphins, LCDR Heery is entitled to wear the Navy Commendation Medal with two gold stars, Navy Achievement Medal with two gold stars, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Battle Efficiency Ribbon with three EUS, Good Conduct Medal with two bronze Stars, National Defense Medal with one bronze star, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. LCDR Henry and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Old Lyme, CT, with their children, Christina GOOD MORNING, L.A.! '1Thirty years' have passed since four sections of AFDB-7 arrived in Holy Loch, Scotland. iithin a four-month period, 500 men of Mobile Construction Battalion FOUR and FDB-7 completed its assembly. Ten days later, AFDB-7 completed its first docking, the St Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON fSSBN-5981. :ie drydock remained nameless for a period of four years until it was given the name USS PDS ALAMOS. F ver the years the crew size has grown from the original 150 to about 200, but how men and women have walked the pontoon deck and climbed the wingwall spirals nknown. s we close the final chapter in the history of LOS ALAMOS, it was fitting the last marine docking was The Last of the FBMs . USS WILL ROGERS fSSBNf659J. o gain an appreciation of what LOS ALAMOS is and does, you need only to stand on flying bridge with the crew at docking stations. As you stand there in the quiet solitude .he morning, you can look around and see the green hills that encircle the loch, you can look along the coastline and see the small cottages with smoke wisping from their chim- neys, you can feel the stiff northwest wind biting at your face and its accompanying rain pelt against your clothes. As you turn and look aft, some 415 feet, you see men and women along each wingwall with 120 feet of water separating them, smoke billowing from the eight engine exhausts reminds you that some of the crew is below with 35 feet of water above them, and then you know that the crew of LOS ALAMOS is poised and ready to perform its mission, a mission that has been accomplished four hundred and fifty-four times. Although my time aboard LOS ALAMOS has been short, I am honored to have been a part of its history. To my crew and shipmates: Thank you, I could not have Clone it with- out you. I am sure that there have been many ship's and crewls mottos, but we saved the best for last, and I believe the idea really started thirty years ago: WE CAN, WE WILL, WE GUARANTEE! The Commanding Officer addresses his crew during the informal ritual he created, known as L.A. Live . LCDR Heery sits in the dunk tank, taking 'on all comers, at the Site One 4th of July celebration. if'7h'l',TAf 'i,1,51' - 1, nrgrf, Jiggfjgqffv.-Q-Gisli-.-3' -. 'iz,,f,w,y J