Photo By Chief Petty Officer Peter Burghart | 220716-N-XN177-1137 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 16, 2022) – Aviation Boatswain’s Mate...... read more read more
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V-1, Second to None
USS Tripoli Public Affairs
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Sypert
PACIFIC OCEAN – The float coat clings to the uniform while the goggles fog from the humidity on the flight deck. The muffled roar of an F-35B’s engine comes to life suddenly from behind the safety of the foul line, a sailor crouches down and points their arm towards the front of the ship. As the aircraft barrels down the path; the blow back from the launch nearly knocks the crew off their feet. Few people will ever get the chance to experience this rush, but for amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli’s (LHA 7) V-1 division, this is just another day at the office.
Sailors assigned to V-1 Division support Tripoli’s flight operations in several ways, from guiding aircraft during take-off and landing procedures to maintaining the flight deck’s operational readiness.
“Since we are an amphibious assault carrier without a well-deck, the primary method of transporting the embarked Marines is through air operations,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Juan DelToro, V-1’s leading petty officer. “Whether we are launching F-35Bs, MV-22 Ospreys, or helicopters, it’s all to support the mission, and it’s V-1 that gets those aircraft off the deck.”
Tripoli is designed to support Marine flight operations and it is essential that those aircraft are launched and recovered safely, each and every time. It’s V-1 division’s responsibility to make that happen.
“The flight deck is a pretty dangerous place, said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Abel Pastor. “We go through a lot of training and shadowing senior Sailors before we are even allowed to work on the flight deck.”
A working environment as loud and dangerous as the flight deck requires the crew to use various forms of communication. With little to no means of conventional communication, they communicate with various hand and arm signals.
“The hand and arm signals were the toughest part of getting qualified to work on the flight deck,” said Pastor. “Not everyone has a radio on the flight deck, so we all have to be fluent with the signals.”
To keep the flight deck as safe as possible, flight deck preservation is key.
V-1 Sailors work to ensure the flight deck is properly maintained. Keeping the flight deck painted, clean, and free of rust ensures that aircraft have the right conditions on the deck to be able to take-off and land safely.
“Flight deck preservation is one of the more tedious parts of our jobs” said Pastor. “Ensuring that every pad eye on the flight deck is free of foreign-object-debris and rust is tough, but we all know the importance of it.”
For an amphibious assault carrier such as the Tripoli, flight operations are an integral part of the ship’s mission, and it’s V-1 division that ensures those aircraft take off and land as safely, on the cleanest flight deck possible.
For more information visit http://www.surfpac.navy.mil/lha7/.
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| Date Taken: | 07.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2022 19:04 |
| Story ID: | 425254 |
| Location: | PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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