WHEN I agreed to join the Bosslift
Program of the ESGR last month, it did not cross my mind that I’d have a
chance to board a visiting military ship.
I
arrived at the dock a few minutes late and was expecting to see the
Coast Guard Cutter Washington or a small boat that would bring us to one
of those prepositioning ships seen from Beach Road.
Instead, a ports police officer handed
me an ID at the gate and pointed me to one of the two military ships
anchored at the dock — the USS McCampbell (DDG-85), an Arleigh
Burke-class destroyer that arrived the day before.
Hurrying up the three flights of wooden
stairs and crossing a swaying gangplank, I caught up with my companions
just before the orientation started.
While off-duty sailors were busy signing
log books so they could get off the ship and explore the island, our
guide, Ens. Jacob Huntley, identified the equipment and apparatus we saw
in the hallways and on the deck. I was unable to give him my full
attention. The tour was fast-paced and I was busy shooting photos and
videos of everything and anything while trying to watch my steps and
catching up with the group.
Soon
we were navigating through a labyrinth of narrow hallways and climbing
up and down winding flights of very steep stairs with heavy doors at the
end that opened to more stairs. I needed more time just to find my way
through the confusing maze of narrow cubicles. We eventually reached the
navigation room where the ship’s operation took place — a small room
full of knobs and consoles that monitored and plotted the course of the
ship.
Looking at pictures online and just
reading about USS McCampbell cannot be compared to actually going into
the “belly” of the ship and seeing how it operates.
We checked out the supply rooms and also
got a glimpse of the sailors’ quarters from the narrow hall lined with
fire extinguishers.
Unlike luxury cruise ships where
everything spells comfort, everyone on USS McCampbell had to move in a
single file. The ship only had the bare necessities.
We
visited the officers’ dining room with its clean and polished wooden
tables before proceeding to the mess hall of the sailors with its blue
seats and tables topped with cream-colored tablecloths.
But perhaps dining in the general mess
hall was more fun. It looked like any regular cafeteria with a giant
coffeemaker and huge TV screens on the walls.
We waved at three sailors who were
having a leisurely meal at one of the tables before moving on. I had no
idea where we were already but once again we went up to more flights of
stairs before emerging on the deck.
Huntley took us to our last destination —
the place where the helicopter was kept and the deck used as a hangar.
The deck was protected by railings connected with thick knotted ropes.
From the deck, the Saipan lagoon stretched before us.
We also learned that this powerful ship
had a visit, board, search and seizure team to conduct anti-piracy,
anti-smuggling and anti-terrorist operations.
Homeported in Japan as part of the U.S.
Navy’s Forward Deployed Naval Forces, the USS McCampbell was named after
Capt. David McCampbell, the Navy’s leading ace during World War II.
