Burning and Turning Below Decks – USS Gerald R. Ford’s Machine Shop at Work

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson Adkins | Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Zachary Brinks, from Salcha, Alaska, assigned to the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) engineering department, welds aluminum to the flag staff in the machine shop, June 6, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, representing a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied, and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)  

NORTH SEA

06.12.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson Adkins  

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)           

Burning and Turning Below Decks – USS Gerald R. Ford’s Machine Shop at Work

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins,

USS Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs

NORTH SEA — When people think of aircraft carriers, they picture jets being launched and recovered, Sailors conducting deck evolutions, or interactions with foreign partners and allies; big picture evolutions. What isn’t always top of mind very often are the Sailors who work below decks - the Sailors who keep the ship moving, fix one-off parts, and keep the ship afloat.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) engineering department’s machine shop helps fabricate and fix vital parts for the ship as well as the entire strike group, upkeep the vacuum collection holding and transfer system (VCHT), and oversee all piping systems across the ship.
Ford’s machine shop can take a piece of stock or scrap metal and turn it into nearly anything. Their potential is unlimited when it comes to fabricating tools needed for specific jobs or creating parts for ship systems aboard Ford or other ships attached to the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG).
The machine shop is comprised of two different rates: hull technicians (HT) and machinery repairman (MR). The shop itself is broken down into four different work centers.
Each work center provides different trades or skills depending on what type of work needs to be done.
“We’re here for all emergent repairs that have to deal with the hull of the ship or repairs that have to deal with brazing or welding throughout any of the piping systems or hull of the ship,” said Hull Technician 1st Class Remigio Davila, from Houston, assigned to engineering department’s repair division. “We also deal with any repairs on the VCHT system, and we fill in wherever we are needed as well.”
Sailors in the machine shop are given on-the-job training in certain trades that are critical on a ship. This includes the upkeep of the VCHT system, which allows Sailors to use the restroom or shower in a sanitary manner.
“The VCHT system, that is a very vital system. Everyone has to use the restroom and we are in charge of the disposal [of waste] and upkeep of those systems,” said Hull Technician Fireman Josiah Donato, from Elmwood, Wisconsin, assigned to Ford’s engineering department. “It’s a dangerous system, but we’re trained on how to repair any component of it such as a gas leak or spill.”
In addition to ensuring Sailors have unclogged toilets and hot showers, Sailors in the machine shop are part of the ship’s damage control team.
“We are also secondary damage controlmen. When they ring those bells, we’re the guys running through the ship to fight whatever casualty,” said Davila. “First ones in, last ones out, there to save it.”
The HTs and MRs are a prime examples of being damage control professionals as well as honing the crafts of their assigned rates.
The craftsmanship of the machine shop is what makes it special. In certain situations, a very specific part may be needed and shipping it to the aircraft carrier in a timely manner may not be an option. This is where their expertise comes into play.
“We can’t always order parts to the ship. So, if we get into a pinch and we don’t have the part on-hand, it needs to be made from scratch,” said Machinery Repairman 2nd Class Bowen Kincaid, from Battle Creek, Michigan, assigned to Ford’s engineering department. “So without us, there’s no way to fix those one-off parts.”
Kincaid enjoys the aspect of his job where he can craft specific parts needed across the ship.
“My favorite part of the job is watching raw material getting turned into something,” said Kincaid. “Having a chunk of metal that is absolutely worthless, machining it down, cutting it, and running it through different processes, until it is now a piece that is going to go into a multimillion dollar system.”
Just like most professions, there’s a plan and set finish point. Donato enjoys getting to see his work from the beginning point until the end where it’s used to repair a vital ship system.
“When you’re done with a job, it’s complete,” said Donato. “You’ve made something or repaired something and I really enjoy the tangibility of that.”
The next time you see a ship, think about the Sailors you can’t see. The ones who work below the waterline. The ones burning and turning in the machine shop.
Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduce 23 new technologies, including EMALS, AAG and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.
For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook: @USSGeraldRFord, Instagram: @cvn78_grford, Twitter: @Warship_78, DVIDS www.dvids.net/CVN78 and LinkedIn at USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

• Date Taken: 06.12.2023
• Date Posted: 06.12.2023 11:24
• Story ID: 446760
• Location: NORTH SEA