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Hangar Bay Heroes
USS Tripoli Public Affairs
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Sypert
SOUTH CHINA SEA –The roar of a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter pounds your ears through the cranial when suddenly an awkward silence shatters your thoughts. The radio inside the cranial blasts a web of jargon and you hear, “CH-53 coming down to the hangar bay, replacement needed ASAP!”
For Sailors assigned to amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli’s (LHA 7) V-3 division, the ship’s hangar bay isn’t for just transportation and aircraft stowage. It is also a vital asset to flight operations and ensures the right aircraft are delivered to the flight deck at the right time.
“V-3 is the most important part of Air Department,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Martin GamboaLopez, one of V-3’s hangar bay supervisors. "Without us, aircraft would never make it to the flight deck to complete the mission.”
V-3 handles all operations within the hangar bay and depending on the day that could range from deck preservation and general maintenance to major configuration changes that involve transporting the Navy and Marines Corps’ most advanced aircraft to satisfy the day’s mission.
“Our days down here in the hangar bay can vary drastically,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Jeremy Murphy. “Some days, we may not have to move many aircraft, so we perform practice drills and complete hangar bay preservation work. Other days, we may have to completely reshuffle the aircraft that we stow down here so the maintainers can access different parts of the aircraft.”
With Tripoli being an aviation-focused amphibious assault carrier, the hangar bay is capable of stowing approximately 7-12 aircraft at a time depending on the ship’s current mission.
“There are multiple things we have to be aware of when moving aircraft,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Jerome Dunkley, V-3’s Leading Chief Petty Officer. “We have to be mindful of the limited space we have and keep an eye out for tight spaces and the other equipment in the hangar bay.”
Moving aircraft around the hangar bay is no simple task. It takes a minimum of seven qualified personnel to perform one of these moves: one aircraft director, one tractor driver, one brake rider, two safeties, and two chock walkers. The tractor driver actually moves the aircraft, but they need the help of the other six to ensure the move happens safely and without hitting anything in the hangar bay.
V-3 Sailors are also responsible for operating Tripoli’s two large aircraft elevators (ACE) located on each side of the hangar bay. The ACEs move aircraft from the hangar bay, where the majority of their maintenance is performed, to the flight deck where they can execute their missions.
“I love when we get to use the elevators,” said GamboaLopez. “Before joining the Navy I never knew elevators as large as these even existed. It is a truly incredible sight watching the elevators operate.”
Every division on Tripoli has their own unique set of tasks that support the mission, and for V-3 it is ensuring that flight operations run smoothly by providing the right aircraft at the right time.
Tripoli is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
For more information about Tripoli, head to the command’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/usstripoli) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/officialusstripoli) pages.
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| Date Taken: | 08.30.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2022 09:01 |
| Story ID: | 428295 |
| Location: | SOUTH CHINA SEA |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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