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By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Rob Ferrone
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Public Affairs
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) teamed up to install upgraded X-ray equipment in Lincoln’s dental department on the Floating Accommodation Facility in Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Arthur Thomas, a medical bio-repair technician, supervised the installation and said the success of the work was a direct result of the teamwork of the medical and engineering departments.
“The whole process took about six months,” said Thomas. “The physical install only took two or three days because everyone knew their part and everyone did a good job.”
The new equipment was donated from another command. It replaced equipment that was 20 years old. Thomas said Lincoln expects to leave the equipment on the FAF for use by the next ship to undergo a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH).
The teamwork between the two departments was vital to proper installation of the new equipment. Along with hospital corpsmen, hull technicians assisted in drilling holes, and electrician’s mates wired the system.
“With the help we received from other departments, my part took about two hours,” Thomas said. “I’m proud of them.”
Chief Hull Technician Gloria Velsko worked with Thomas to oversee the project. Velsko was happy with the cohesion of the engineering and medical departments, and the resources Thomas provided to get the job done efficiently.
“He’s a savvy guy,” Velsko said. “Thomas provided everything we needed. It was a coordinated effort to get the job done while having a minimal impact on the medical department’s schedule.”
Velsko is happy with the outcome, and says nothing less is expected.
“We’re here to support the ship’s crew during RCOH,” Velsko said. “Anything we can do to ease the workload for the crew, we will do.”
Thomas has plans to upgrade more equipment in the medical department, and finding the help shouldn’t be a problem.
“The way the Lincoln crew operates with me, everyone pulls together to make my job a lot easier,” Thomas said.
Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Raymond Chenoweth expressed pride in his department, and the ship as a whole, for their dedication to completing the mission at hand.
“The interaction and teamwork between the engineering and biomedical departments, especially Thomas, was flawless,” Chenoweth said. “We got a machine that normally takes over a year to install up and running in a few days.”
Lincoln is currently undergoing RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz-class to undergo a RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation’s defense.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2014 19:54 |
| Story ID: | 130576 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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