McFaul (DDG 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS McFAUL was con- structed by Ingalls Ship- building division of Litton In- dustries, Pascagoula, Missis- sippi. It IS evident by the beauty and strength of the McFAUL that the employees of Ingalls took pride m their work. Because of their boundless de- termination, willingness to work overtime and unparalleled en- thusiasm in building the best, McFAUL was delivered to the Navy in superb condition well ahead of schedule and under budget. Construction of our fine na- val destroyer was a long and complicated process. The first step in the construction of any ship IS the laying of the keel. The keel is essentially the back- bone of the ship and is the building block for which all other parts of the ship are based. After the laying of the keel. It took over two years to piece together 8,850 tons of steel, aluminum, and other ma- tenals by a process caUed modu- lar construction. Modular con- ers, cruisers, and amphibious assault ships before the McFAUL. Modular construc- tion involves the initial outfit- A good example of modular cons struction is a technique pio- neered by Litton Industries and Ingalls Shipbuildmg m the early I970 ' s, and refined through assembly line con- struction of over 75 destroy- ting and installation of equip- ment early in the construction process. It achieves maximum efficiency in manpower and ma- terial handling by providing greater accessibility for person- nel and equipment during the construction process. More than 1.6 million square feet of covered work area at Ingalls was utilized for the modular con- struction process. Gigantic heavy-lift crane coverage with lift capacity from 25 to 300 tons allowed for efficient lifting of large assemblies and compo- nents. A vast rail network per- mits heavy-lift cranes to move throughout assembly hull erec- tion areas and permits multiple crane lifts of as much as 500 tons. Raw materials flowed in one end of the yard and the as- semblies were formed, erected and then outfitted. The initial outfitting of the assemblies in- volved the installation of major equipment and machinery system ' s piping, cabling and ductwork before the ship as- semblies were jomed into an en- closed hull. This IS an advance- ment from tradirional shipbuild-

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Summary of Action For extraordinary heroism m action while serving as Platoon Chief Petty Officer of SEAL Team FOUR, GOLF Platoon at Paitilla Airfield, Republic of Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE, 19-21 December, 1989. GOLF Platoon was an element of Naval Special Warfare Task Unit PAPA, a force consisting of three SEAL platoons, special purpose U.S. Army and Air Force Operations Aircraft and U.S. Navy Patrol Boats. Task Unit PAPA ' s mission was: to deny the use of Paitilla Airfield to General Noriega and key Panamanian Defense Force (PDF) personnel; to disable General Noriega ' s personal jet aircraft and other selected aircraft; and to hold the airfield until relieved by conventional forces at H+5 hours. This mission was crucial to the success of Operation JUST CAUSE because it blocked a principal means of escape for General Noriega and his associ- ates. As nightfall settled over Panama on 19 December, ENC McFaul and his platoon launched tlieir combat rubber raiding craft (CRRC) from a beach near Howard AFB, rendezvoused with a waiting U.S. Navy patrol boat off the coast, and began a clandestine transit to a loitering point 3000 yards off the southern approach to Paitilla Airfield. At 23 15, the SEAL elements began their infiltration to a beach at the southern end of the airfield. As the force clandestinely moved ashore, sounds of artillery fire began to fill the air from the battles unfolding in and around Panama City. Concerned that the force would soon be compromised, his platoon was directed to move quickly to its objective. As the platoon patrolled up the airfield, an intelligence report was received indicating that General Noriega was possibly flying into Paitilla in four minutes aboard an unknown type of aircraft. The platoon continued with all possible speed to the PDF hangar on the northwestern side of the forty-three hundred foot runway to ensure that General Noriega would not be able to use his jet aircraft located inside the hangar. Simultaneously, another SEAL platoon was directed to set a hasty ambush on the southern end of the runway and engage any aircraft attempting to land. The reported aircraft never materialized, and the platoon, lying in ambush, was directed to move north on the eastern side of the airfield to their original objective and to provide rear security for GOLF platoon. As the first squad of GOLF Platoon closed to within fifty yards of the hangar housing General Noriega ' s aircraft, they became engaged in a fierce fire-fight with well positioned Panamanian Defense Forces in and between the hangars. As the engagement continued ENC McFaul and the second squad fought fiercely, at- tempting to suppress the enemy fire. The platoon ' s first squad had sustained heavy casualties m the initial volley. Eight of the nine men had been wounded. ENC McFaul came to realize that the men from tlrst squad were not responding to orders and were, in fact, all lying wounded in their exposed positions. Most were barely able to operate their weapons. He immediately responded to help the numerous wounded, since his was the closest element approximately 25 yards south of the first squad during the initial fire fight. ENC McFaul, realizing that the first squad was in extreme danger, instructed his men to continue their suppressing fire directed at the PDF hangar while he and a corpsman moved forward to rescue his stricken teammates. As he progressed toward the beaten zone of the contact, ENC McFaul encountered LTJG Casey dragging a wounded teammate from the fire fight. In the absence of effective cover fire and with disregard for his personal safety , ENC McFaul entered the kill zone with the single focus of saving his teammates ' lives. Moving quickly, he located Petty Officer Moreno, who had suffered a severe head wound, and courageously began to drag him ft om the deadly enemy fire. As he desperately pulled Petty Officer Moreno to safety, ENC McFaul was savagely raked by enemy automatic weap- ons fire, and, succumbing to his mortal wounds laid himself across his teammate, protecting him fi-om the enemy fire. ENC McFaul demonstrated the highest possible level of personal sacrifice and valor. His extraordinary heroic actions, in total disregard for his personal safety, saved the life of Petty Officer Moreno and inspired other heroic acts that unquestionably saved more lives. He set the highest possible standard for leadership by example in combat. His selfless and extraordinary heroism clearly warrant the special recognition of the Navy Cross.

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Construction of McFAULr ing in which these systems were installed in tight spaces below the main deck after the hull was completed. TTiese earlier prepared assem- bhes werejomed into the completed hull to fomi the basic ship structure. After the basic ship structure was completed and was watertight, it was launched into the Pascagoula River. Until christening, the ship is just a high tech metal fabrication sitting in the water. For it is at christening when the ship takes on an identity of Its own, ceremoniously receiving its name from her sponsor. This mitializes a sequence of events, leading with equipment lightoff and testing, to crew move aboard and custody transfer. The name that this vessel was given was McFAUL and she will be sure to follow in the mile-wide footsteps of her namesake. McFAUL awaits ■Float Off atop In alls floating dryitock McFAUL is gcniiy positioned agiiinst the pici after Float Off