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Celebrating 20 years of serving the Hampton Roads Navy family
Vol. 21, No. 24 Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com | 06.20-06.26.13
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown opens new Youth Center for military children
■ play, learn, and relax The new $4.3 million Youth Center gives military children a place to play, learn and relax after school and during summer vacation. The new center has an increased capacity for 90 children and includes spaces for various activities such as art, science, game room, dramatic play, music and a construction room complete with two woodworking benches.
By Mark O. Piggott WPNSTA Yorktown Public Affairs
YORKTOWN
Photos by Mark Piggott
Crew-Served Weapons Instructor Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Joshua Dean provides instruction to Midshipman 2nd Class Karen Jackson as she fires an M240B machine gun while underway aboard USS Arlington (LPD 24), June 6.
USS Arlington underway first time since commissioning
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By MC2 (SW) Dusty Good CNSL Public Affairs
NORFOLK
» see ARLINGTON | A9
» see SPAIN | A9
NORFOLK
PCU JOHN WARNER LAUNCHES CREST The crew of the PreCommissioning Unit (PCU) John Warner (SSN 785) has completed another major milestone, the design for their crest.
Sailors learn about the move to Spain
(T-AO 189), which provided us with a lot of practical knowledge of the rigs, line-handling and safety. Everyone was on their game, so Arlington’s leadership was very confident with doing our first underway replenishment.” Arlington’s leadership used this busy underway period to provide 17 U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen with a hands-on introduction to life aboard an amphibious warship. “They were integrated into the crew and they moved from one department to another,” said Lull. “They got to spend some time doing firefighting
USS Arlington (LPD 24) Public Affairs
MC1 Eric Brown
During the underway in early June, Arlington performed her first underway replenishment on June 4, employing the Standard Tensioned Replenishment Alongside Method. Steaming about 200 feet alongside USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198), Arlington received more than 250,000 gallons of diesel fuel marine and JP-5 jet fuel from the oiler. “We had a lot of inexperienced deck seamen at the rig stations who have never done an underway replenishment before,” noted Arlington’s assistant first lieutenant, Lt. j.g. Laura Price. “However, we spent nearly a full day on May 22 in port performing a shipboard qualification trial with USNS John Lenthall
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Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Ross (DDG 71) and USS Porter (DDG 78) and their families attended briefings on what life is like in Rota, Spain prior to their upcoming move, June 12 - 13. Naval Surface Force Atlantic and Naval Station Rota held the event, which included presentations and discussions. The materials featured a wealth of print and video resources to guide Sailors and families through the homeport change and their move to Spain. In addition to nearly a dozen briefings, the visiting Rota leaders met with the transitioning people to answer questions and address their concerns. Ross and Donald Cook will transition to Rota next year, with Porter and USS Carney (DDG 64) arriving in 2015. “The four ships we are moving to Rota are going to be a very important part of our national security,” said Rear Adm. Brian L. Laroche, deputy commander, Naval Service Force Atlantic. “These ships are going to be on the forefront of our national commitment to NATO and the European Phased Adaptive Approach.” Sailors want to know how their families are going to be taken care of in the transition process.
By MC1 Eric Brown
At sea for the first time since her April 6 commissioning, USS Arlington (LPD 24) performed underway replenishments and flight quarters, hosted midshipmen and completed an important phase of combat systems trials in the Virginia Capes Operating Area, June 3-11. Arlington’s last underway was from March 8 -22, when she sailed from the Huntington-Ingalls Industries’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. to Naval Station Norfolk. “When we got the ship underway from Pascagoula, we were doing things that were advanced for us, but still very basic operationally,” said Lt. Cmdr. Eric Lull, Arlington executive officer. “We have made some large steps forward, and getting into more complex operations and drills.”
Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown opened the doors to its new $4.3 million Youth Center, June 11, giving military children a place to play, learn and relax after school and during summer vacation. The Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sponsored center, located in Lincoln Military Housing off-base, opened after nearly a year of construction, replacing the small, out-dated center with a kid-friendly, environmental sound facility. “The improved facility gives our military children a beautiful building complete with brand new furnishings to complement the outstanding programs
we offer,” said Tina Mullins, MWR Youth Center Director. “It gives us a positive environment to work in that is inviting to not only our children, but to our parents as well.” Mullins has worked at the installation for more than 28 years and welcomes the new facility. The old youth center consisted of one main room, a computer room and a game room. The new center not only has a larger computer room, but four large rooms for various activities, such as art, science, game room, dramatic play, music and a construction room complete with two woodworking benches. “Some of the daily activities kids can participate in include computer games, woodworking,
COLORADO FIRES The Black Forest fire is keeping at least 150 Colorado National Guard members busy, including those fathers who were away from home on the day set aside to honor them, June 16.
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CAJUN FESTIVAL Norfolk’s annual “second line” with New Orleans’ special spirit and unique culture takes place, June 20 - 23, atTown Point Park on the Downtown Norfolk waterfront.
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