SERF Sailors Work to Support Future Air Operations

Photo By Seaman Jack Lepien | Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Jason Farmer (left), from Greenwood Lake, New York, and Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class Andrew Sharum, from Laramie, Wyoming, both Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), assemble a reworked bomb hoist at the Support Equipment Rework Facility in Portsmouth, Virginia. George Washington is undergoing a refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipyard. RCOH is a nearly four-year project performed only once during a carrier’s 50-year service life that includes refueling of the ship’s two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repair, upgrades and modernization. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jack Lepien)  

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES

06.17.2019

Story by Seaman Jack Lepien 

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)

During refueling complex overhaul (RCOH), the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is undergoing many upgrades and repairs as it prepares to return to active service. Day after day, Sailors aboard the ship work to bring systems back online, install critical components, and prepare for sea. However, it cannot be forgotten that George Washington is an aircraft carrier and aircraft need support equipment.
This is where aircraft intermediate maintenance department (AIMD) Sailors at the Support Equipment Rework Facility (SERF) support the ship’s mission. Their work plays a crucial rule in making sure the ship’s aircraft support equipment is ready to go.
“Here at SERF, we rework support equipment for the ship’s use at sea,” said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 2nd Class Kyle Teague, the production leading petty officer at SERF. “Our goal is to have all the support equipment ready and up for use by the end of RCOH.”
Teague also said that SERF is only one of several locations support equipment is sent for maintenance. In fact, repairs are conducted at various other facilities throughout the country.
“A project this big is a team effort with lots of different people involved,” said Teague. “The biggest project we’re working on right now is our crash dollies and bomb hoists,” said Teague. “The cool thing about the bomb hoists is that they have more complex mechanical parts in them, so it’s a bit more difficult, but a bit more fun to work with.”
Teague said that as they near completion on the bomb hoists and crash dollies, he is optimistic on future projects and knows the Sailors at SERF are more than ready for the tasks ahead.
“Soon we’ll start moving on to slings, and then we’ll hopefully have all our flight deck equipment ready by 2020,” said Teague. “It’s going to be difficult, but I’m confident the team here can get it done.”
Some Sailors may not be aware of the work done at SERF, but Teague said he likes to remember that without him and his team, George Washington cannot operate aircraft at sea.
“People may not know a lot about who we are, but they notice all that gear and equipment in the hanger bay underway,” said Teague. “The aircraft carrier doesn’t have tractors, doesn’t have firefighting vehicles, doesn’t have a lot of critical equipment without us.”
Like Teague, Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman Jason Farmer, an equipment technician at SERF, understands how vital SERF’s work is.
“Each day, we have a number of tasks, whether that be painting parts, sanding a tow bar, or assembling a chain hook, and we put ourselves into that work wholeheartedly,” said Farmer. “Our job is critical to RCOH as a whole.”
Farmer said he is grateful for the additional time RCOH gives him to grow his technical skills and in-rate knowledge.
“Being able to see what we do and deal with every day [at SERF] gives us more time and more training than we would normally have,” said Farmer.
Farmer also mentioned how SERF’s ability to work thoroughly and quickly plays a vital role in returning George Wasghinton to sea.
“The sooner we can get the equipment turned around, the sooner it can get out to the ship for sea trial, and the sooner we can get back out to the fight,” said Farmer.
Like every other Sailor aboard the George Washington, the Sailors at SERF work hard to ensure the ship completes its mission of finishing RCOH and remains the premier and always ready warship. In the future, Sailors like Farmer and Teague will be the ones who played a critical role in returning “The Spirit of Freedom” to the fight.

• Date Taken: 06.17.2019
• Date Posted: 06.24.2019 14:22
• Story ID: 328908
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US