CPO Selectees Assist in Preserving a Piece of Naval History

Chief petty officers (CPO) and CPO selectees helped to preserve a piece of naval history in Hampton Roads, Aug. 20, aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB 64) as part of the CPO 365 Phase II training.

The battleship is located at the Nauticus Maritime Museum in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. The CPOs and CPO selectees are part of the Peninsula CPO Association located at Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown.

According to Charles Halpine, the maintenance supervisor for the Wisconsin, the chiefs and the CPO selectees assisted with preservation efforts on four topside hatches by removing rust, priming and painting them, as well as power washing part of the ship and moving extra buntings to storage areas.

Chiefs and CPO selectees from the Peninsula CPO Association and various commands across Hampton Roads took turns in visiting the battleship Wisconsin, lending a hand in preservation efforts that kept the ship looking sharp for the thousands of visitors that walk on its decks daily.

“This is a historic ship,” said Senior Chief Builder Howard Robinson from Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 (NCHB 1). “A lot of today’s Sailors don’t know too much about a battleship like this. It’s important to keep the history of our Navy alive in ships like the Wisconsin. It’s a part of our annual evaluation process, understanding naval heritage. It keeps us in line, knowing where we came from and where we’re going, with the history of our Navy.”

Projects like the Wisconsin help the CPO selectees stay focused during CPO 365 Phase II as they take another step closer to their pinning Sept. 16, when they will finally be able to call themselves chief petty officers in the United States Navy.