www.flagshipnews.com | The Flagship | Section 1 | Thursday, January 26, 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE Tactical Training Group Atlantic Hosts Warfare Commanders Conference The two-week conference comprised of over 200 participants and is structured to build relationships across a strike group, Page A3 VOL. 30, NO. 3, Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com
January 26-February 1, 2023
Cmdr. Carl Jappert, prospective commanding officer of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), arrives at the boat’s change of command ceremony onboard Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Jan. 20. During the ceremony, Jappert relieved Capt. Bennett Christman as commanding officer of New Hampshire. (PHOTO BY PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS ACE FOSTER, COMMANDER, SUBMARINE FORCE ATLANTIC)
USS New Hampshire holds change of command By Petty Officer 1st Class Cameron Stoner
Capt. Jason Pittman, commodore, Submarine Squadron Six, right, presents the Legion of Merit award to Capt. Bennett Christman, left, during a change of command ceremony for the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) onboard Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Jan. 20. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Carl Jappert relieved Christman as commanding officer of New Hampshire.
Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic
The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) conducted a change of command at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Jan. 20. Cmdr. Carl Jappert relieved Capt. Bennett Christman as commanding officer of New Hampshire following the boat’s return from a successful six-month deployment. Capt. Jason Pittman, commodore, Submarine Squadron Six, and the ceremony’s guest speaker, spoke highly on Christman’s time as New Hampshire’s commanding officer. “Bennett, you should be extraordinarily proud of what you and your team have done,” said Pittman. “You have built a team and a culture that defines excellence and execution, and not only demands the best of themselves, but of others. You have trained, developed and led an exceptional team who has accomplished incredible feats. You have pushed everyone around you to be better and to strive for more.” Pittman continued on to highlight Christman’s accomplishments while aboard New Hampshire. “The performance of New Hampshire
(PHOTO BY PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS ACE FOSTER, COMMANDER, SUBMARINE FORCE ATLANTIC)
under Bennett’s command speaks for itself,” said Pittman. “New Hampshire received the 2020 Navigation ‘N’ award right out of the gate, the 2021 Squadron Six Battle ‘E’ award, the 2022 Weapons ‘W’ award, the 2022 Personnel ‘P’ award, the 2022 Marjorie
Sterrett Battleship Fund award, and a Navy Unit Commendation award for their first deployment.” Pittman went on to welcome Jappert as the boat’s new commanding officer and offered words of advice.
“Carl, you have had an excellent career and you bring a wealth of experience to the New Hampshire team,” said Pittman. “You are taking command of a boat at peak readiness, but a boat coming home from deployment is also a boat undergoing change. Your steady hand and insightful vision will be essential as you go right back in to the workup cycle and prepare this boat and its crew for deployment. My advice to you is simple, you’re in command, so command.” Before handing over command of New Hampshire, Christman took time to thank the crews’ families and the boat’s family readiness group. “There are a handful of people who set aside their personal time and personal aspirations to support me in command,” said Christman. “First, I would like to thank the families in general. You have allowed the crew of New Hampshire to deploy, supporting them from afar while keeping the household running. In support of that, we have the best family readiness group I have ever seen. They genuinely care about families and they provide activities, inform and build morale among the spouses and families while we are away.” Turn to USS New Hampshire, Page 4
Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s pier gang crane operators provides pick-meups to carriers and subs By Troy Miller
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
If you would connect a two foot piece of thread to a golf ball and tried lowering it into a coffee cup without touching the sides while someone blew a small breeze over the cup, you would soon realize that it’s not an easy task to complete. On a much larger scale, this is what Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Crane Operations (Code 742) crane operators do every day on the job. “Depending on the day’s workload, we provide approximately 100 lifts a day on the pier,” said Crane Operator Leader Milton Jimison. “We move equipment, food, cargo
and anything else a carrier or submarine needs put on or taken off the vessel. It can be something like a pallet of tools weighing 100 lbs. to a shaft that weighs roughly 110,000 lbs.” It takes a minimum team of four to lift something to and from the ship. “Our team consists of a crane operator, a rigger in charge who is overall responsible for planning and
Turn to Crane operators, Page 4
Crane Operator Leader Joseph Ambrose is getting the layout of the land before lifting and moving equipment and materials onboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (PHOTO BY SHELBY WEST)
Our Yard History: Unsung heroes of Public Works maintenance WWW.FLAGSHIPNEWS.COM
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Those men who kept our facilities functioning within this complex performance of basic shipyard facility support are the true backstage hands that the waterfront audience never really saw yet for brief public appearances such as a road closure for a utility or railroad track repair PAGE A2
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