Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jeanette Mullinax | 160223-N-TH560-013 PACIFIC OCEAN (February 24, 2016) – Aerographer’s Mate 1st...... read more read more
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USS BONHOMME RICHARD - Behind closed doors, hidden from plain view, there are Sailors performing important roles that may go unnoticed by many.
Shawn Mulholland is an aerographer’s mate first class aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6).
“We don’t only do weather. That’s a large misconception.”
The variety of fields covered by the AG rate spans far beyond just a five-day forecast of the weather.
Aerographer’s mates are meteorological and oceanographic experts. They provide the necessary data for the ship’s major movements and all tactical decisions.
AG’s don’t do the same work everywhere they go, though. Mulholland’s experience within his rate ranges from studying ice growth and decay in the northern and southern hemispheres to using bioluminescence to hunt down submarines.
On BHR, Mulholland’s forecasts deal more with waves and winds. Information gathered from sea and air helps the Meteorological and Oceanographic (METOC) team determine the allowance of flight deck, LCAC, and small boat operations.
“The flight deck can only use a certain wind envelope, so we have to tell them which direction the wind’s going to be so that we can point the ship in the correct direction to have planes actually take off and land,” says Mulholland.
For small boats and LCAC units, AG’s provide the information they need to know about the area’s sea conditions and wave height.
“They need to know which direction the seas are coming from,” says Mulholland. “For them, a lot of the issue comes from swells, which are the big rollers that rock the ship back and forth. If they’re trying to fly on the water and they hit a swell, then they’ll just sort of launch off, and then when they come down, they may pop the cushion.”
This is why certain operations will sometimes get canned due to the sea’s harsh conditions. Compared to land forecasters, shipboard AG’s encounter more unstable factors.
“A lot of the ocean has more to do with what happens with the weather than people expect, so it’s significantly harder to forecast for what’s going on over water than to forecast what’s going on over land,” says Mulholland.
Despite knowing that it can be a thankless rate, Mulholland remains completely gratified with his role as an AG1.
“I enjoy the science behind my work,” says Mulholland. “I enjoy being able to look at a screen and having a rough idea of how a battle will turn out before it even starts.”
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2016 22:37 |
| Story ID: | 189883 |
| Location: | USS BONHOMME RICHARD, PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Forecasting more than the weather, by PO1 Jeanette Mullinax, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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