HSV 2 Swift's Crewmembers Show Off their Versatility

Photo By Lt. Cassandra Thompson | Engineman 2nd Class Joshua Milliser replaces oil filters aboard the Navy's High-Speed Vessel, Swift (HSV 2), July 6. Since April, Swift has operated in the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet area of operations as a logistic asset in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. Official U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Cassandra Thompson.  

AT SEA

07.12.2006

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet           

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cassandra Thompson

SWIFT (HSV 2), North Persian Gulf - On June 6, an information systems technician guided a helicopter to a safe landing. A yeoman stood watch on the ship's bridge, and a culinary specialist participated in a fire party.

These were all jobs outside of these sailors" ratings, but aboard the Navy's High Speed Vessel (HSV) Swift, sailors perform jobs outside their ratings on an almost daily basis. Especially while underway, crew members experience a level of cross-training that most of their other sea-faring shipmates never will.

Swift, an aluminum-frame test platform currently leased from Australia and deployed to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of operations, routinely serves as a rapid-response and logistical asset in support of the region's Maritime Security Operations (MSO). With an eight-foot hull depth and top speed of almost 50 knots, it can quickly deliver anything, from heavy equipment to weapons, anywhere in the region, while navigating waters that steel-framed ships would not dare to enter.

Swift, however, accomplishes its mission with a crew just a fraction of the size of a Navy cruiser or destroyer. While cruisers boast between 350 and 400 crewmembers, Swift operates with about 50.

Chief Quartermaster (SW) Robert Collins, Swift's senior enlisted advisor, said sailors that report to his command have to be "fast and versatile."

"Our schedule's constantly changing, and we have to do many different jobs," said Collins, from Pensacola, Fla. "Everybody has to help out in ways that, on normal ships, you wouldn't have to."

He cited as an example, his role as ship's navigator, forklift driver and leading chief for the operations department.

"We have a 2nd class petty officer who's officer of the deck underway qualified. That's something, which on most ships, is reserved for an officer," Collins said. "But he's also a lineman, a watch stander on [command, control, communications, computers and intelligence], on-scene leader for the fire party and a stretcher-bearer.

"And he's not the only one that wears this many hats. Everybody's like that," added Collins. "That's why we put a lot of emphasis on training, both in-rate and cross-training."

Swift maintains two crews; One stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., the other at Naval Station Ingleside, Texas. The crews swap out every four months. While the Ingleside-based Blue team mans the Swift, the Gold team spends their four-month home cycle in Navy schools, honing both their rating skills and their many collateral duties.

In order to ensure its sailors are as well-rounded as possible, Swift leadership emphasizes the importance of the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) Program.

Culinary Specialist 1st Class (SW) Abel Montesdeoca, the ship's ESWS coordinator, said, because of Swift's unique catamaran design, his chain of command is particularly concerned with equipping each sailor with a comprehensive knowledge of the ship, as well as other classes of Navy vessels.

"You just don't do one job. We all help each other to complete a job," said Montesdeoca, from Brooklyn, N.Y., whose ESWS library includes detailed maps and interactive slides of every area of the ship. "So it's absolutely critical that the entire crew learns as much as they can about every part of the ship."

• Date Taken: 07.12.2006
• Date Posted: 07.12.2006 15:19
• Story ID: 7179
• Location: AT SEA