Sailors aboard amphibious dock-landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) conducted damage control training drills to maintain shipboard readiness, Oct. 10.
During the drills, the ship’s damage control training team (DCTT) placed the ship in a training environment where each damage control team, composed of Sailors from each department, reacts to different training scenarios.
“Once a Sailor steps aboard this ship, we have a duty to instruct that Sailor so that they are familiar with how the ship works and how they can combat damage to the ship in the most effective way possible,” said Chief Damage Controlman Jeremiah Miller , DCTT coordinator. “Basic damage control starts by knowing your ship.”
DCTT stresses that familiarization is what helps to quickly combat actual damage control emergencies aboard the ship should they arise.
“The training is important in case we have some kind of casualty, ” said Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Marc Hargreaves , a member of the pipe-patching team. “We have to know what we are doing so we can act quickly and effectively. We work as a team. Everyone brings something to the table.”
USS Fort McHenry, homeported out of Little Creek, Va., is currently on a scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and theatre security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, October 12, 2012