Walking into a wardroom with three Navy Captains can lead to some confusion when young officers ask to join the mess. This is a challenge that the junior officers of the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) had to overcome during the multinational exercise known as Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010.
The trio of senior leadership included the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain William C. Johnson, Commodore Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1, Captain Eric C. Young, and the DESRON’s Deputy Commodore Captain Donald Hornbeck.
Commodore Young and Capt. Hornbeck found themselves aboard the USS Lake Erie as the Sea Combat Commanders overseeing all of the evolutions of RIMPAC 2010. Even his boss, Vice Admiral Richard Hunt, Commander Third Fleet, made clear that leading such a large group wasn’t very easy, “This is the biggest exercise the Navy has done all year. There are 14 nations, 20,000 sailors and service members involved. It’s a big deal.”
Playing war games as the Sea Combatant Commander, Captain Young is focused on the safety of the sailors more than anything, “I just want to see proficiency in everything we do; I want these to be safe, mishap free exercises.” Boarding ships, calling flight quarters and training Sailors about the art of submarine, air, and surface warfare is an inherently risky task.
Despite the stress of his increasingly demanding job, it was a rare sight to see the Commodore without a smile. “I really enjoy interacting with the Sailors and junior officers. My day-to-day drive is fueled by watching the Sailors do what they do at sea and watching our next generation of Naval Officers and senior enlisted learn to run the Navy for the future.”
Having charge of thousands of Sailors and over a dozen warships has its downside too. “See that,” asked the Commodore while pointing to his phone, “Rings all night long.” It is a hard job, but fortunately, he is not alone. Commodore Young brought a support staff of fourteen Officers and Chiefs to help him with his duties during RIMPAC, and with a schedule full of events they stay busy. Captain Young left nearly half of his staff to continue to support and run Destroyer Squadron 1, back in San Diego.
Not only was he working out of his normal base of operations but he also had to find a balance with the crew and wardroom of the USS Lake Erie. He remarked how working in conjunction with Captain Johnson was easy for him, explaining how they prefer to work as a team and share ideas constantly.
Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) wasn’t all smooth sailing however, different nations meant different languages. “There was a language barrier, however it didn’t take long for that setback to dissipate with the help of Liaison Officers aboard foreign ships and the diligence of participating nations to overcome the challenge.”
With such a busy schedule it was surprising to see how much effort Captain Young made to be present on the ship. His interactions with members of the USS Lake Erie’s crew did not stop with the wardroom either; it was not unusual to see him receiving feedback from the most experienced enlisted men aboard as well as the newest members to the ship.
Captain Young attended all major evolutions without fail to participate and supervise. “The quality of Sailors, ships, submarines, aircraft and members of our multinational team are second-to-none,” the Commodore confidently noted. His joint efforts with the USS Lake Erie and the entire cadre of participating nations is what made RIMPAC 2010 such a success for not only the United States Navy but every single sailor, Marine, solider and airman involved.
No comments:
Post a Comment