The Navy’s newest amphibious transport ship, USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29) has been docked in Pensacola for about a week, in preparation for Saturday’s commissioning ceremony.
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On the ship Thursday, some of the more than 300 crewmembers talked about their duties on the vessel and what they’ve been doing to ready for the big day.
“Work down here on the well deck, work up forward on the foc’sle (forward deck of the ship), maintaining the ship, working amphibious operations, anchoring, boat operations, search and rescue,” said Boatswain’s Mate Sawyer Helton in reference to some of his many duties. "Kind of a jack of all trades."
McCool is the Navy’s 13th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. Such vessels are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment, and supplies in conflict zones. According to Helton, who has been in the Navy for nine years, the well deck is where they bring in the ship’s amphibious craft.
“We can hold two LCACs, the Landing Craft Air Cushions, basically the Navy’s version of a hovercraft. Also, we can hold one LCU (Landing Craft Utility). Think of D-Day, those craft, just longer and much, much bigger,” said Helton.
Additionally, the ship can accommodate more than two dozen Amphibious Assault Vehicles or AAVs.
“Think of tanks with the tracks. But we’re transitioning to something else called ACVs with wheels. So, it can hold 14 of those,” he said, before describing operations. “We flood out the well, bring those in, have them get turned around, and when they go off, they just drive off the stern gate into the water.”
It’s up to ABF 1 (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Fuel 1st Class) William McGhee to make sure aircraft on the ship are ready to go. The 11-year Navy veteran from Sarasota, works on the flight deck and hangar bay.
“This is where we recover all of our helicopters or tilt-rotor aircraft like the (MV22) Osprey,” said McGhee. “My job, specifically, is to work with the fuel side of it. So, I receive, maintain, and issue all of the aircraft fuel that they need to take flight.”
What McGhee likes most about his job is just being on the flight deck.
“I love being up here, especially during flight ops,” he exclaimed. “It’s the thrill of seeing everything going on and being up here and being a part of it. This is the best job in my opinion.”
For his job, Chief Gunners Mate Jeremiah Hindle works all over the ship to train, operate, and maintain all the weapons systems onboard. He’s also the ship’s anti-terrorism tactical watch officer.
“It’s my job to tactically employ all the assets we have on board the ship to protect the ship,” Hindle said.
“I have a crew of 14 and it’s our job to train the entire crew...from marksmanship to how to do all the weapons from training to qualifications.”
Hindle, from Little Rock, Ohio, has been assigned to several ships during his 17 years in the Navy. But this is his first ship commissioning. He points out that a lot of time has been devoted to the ship’s readiness for the ceremony to make sure everything works upon command to “bring this ship to life.”
“I have 13 major programs on this ship,” he said, referencing the big gun behind him and other weapons onboard. “They all have to be tested...to make sure that they’re sound, that they’re going to operate when we turn all those switches on and everything integrated well — it really did.”
Preparations for the McCool’s commissioning, essentially, were in full swing Thursday. In addition to that equipment testing, there's a lot of painting and cleaning being done in preparation for the big event. Additionally, the stage was set up and numerous rows of white chairs were set out for attendees.
The 680-foot-long ship is named in honor of Capt. Richard M. McCool, Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient for actions taken during World War II.
The ship’s commissioning is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at NAS Pensacola’s Alleghany Pier.
Commanding officer, Capt. Jeff Baker described reaching commissioning day as “surreal.” And, with the great hospitality shown to his crew this week, he said coming to Pensacola for this special ceremony was the right choice.
