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The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) hosted over 75 midshipmen both from the United States Naval Academy and other universities during their July 16-17 underway, providing the students with firsthand knowledge and experience about life aboard a Navy ship.
The ship has accommodated midshipmen on several underways throughout the summer.
“The ship had the opportunity to leave a lasting positive influence and make a great first impression on the future leaders of the Navy,” said Lt. John Anderson. “The midshipmen get the experience of life at sea on an operational warship and are able to better understand the various jobs held by both officer and enlisted. It also hopefully motivates them toward the incredible opportunities that await upon commissioning.”
During the underway, junior and senior enlisted Sailors, as well as officers, gave the midshipmen training on navigation, firefighting, weaponry and damage control.
“We were able to visit the central control station, the bridge, and other vital parts of the ship,” said Alissa Nalewajko, a sophomore at Princeton University.
While on the bridge, some of the midshipmen were presented the opportunity to briefly man the helm. The group also learned how to properly don firefighting gear, handle a fire hose, and fire a weapon. They were able to observe operations such as sea and anchor, an anchor-drop test, and live-fire exercises using the Close-In Weapons System (CIWS). Nalewajko said she was excited about the chance to get practical training on the ship’s equipment and weaponry.
“I was definitely a fan of the live-fire exercise,” said Nalewajko. “It was awesome to be able to fire machine guns off the side of the ship.”
Lucas Barbieri, a student at the University of Maryland, said in addition to being able to learn about the ship’s equipment, he learned important lessons about how a crew works as a unit to maintain and operate a ship.
“Communication is key,” said Barbieri. “A lot of things are going on at the same time. So, it’s important to communicate with your peers to keep things running smoothly.”
Barbieri said being able to observe officers perform their duties and manage their responsibilities aboard Vella Gulf gave him valuable insight into the different career paths he could take in the future.
“It was definitely beneficial to see what it’s like to be a surface warfare officer,” said Barbieri. “It’s good to be able to learn a little bit about what you might be good at and what you might like about the job.”
Nalewajko said gaining this knowledge gives midshipmen an advantage when it comes to ultimately choosing how they will apply their talents to the fleet.
“The most important thing about this kind of training is we are able to see first hand the types of roles we might be interested in selecting,” said Nalewajko. “That way we can make informed decisions about what environment we might fit into best and what we could potentially be doing throughout our careers.”
Vella Gulf is in the basic phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2019 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 332013 |
| Location: | AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Vella Gulf Hosts Midshipmen on Underway, by PO3 Gian Prabhudas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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