AN INSIDE VIEW OF A TRIDENT NUCLEAR SUBMARINE

Transcription

1 VOL. 12 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2014 ISSUE 1 AN INSIDE VIEW OF A TRIDENT NUCLEAR SUBMARINE Economic Impact of River Transportation in this Area Greetings, Our December dinner meeting was such a success! We had a great time at the Choo- Choo with a really fun icebreaker organized by Vice- President Patty Parks. Many attendees left with memories of a great time and a gift. Thanks Patty and Mark (her better half) for all the work putting this great social time together. Our next meeting will be at the Mountain City Club at 6:00 pm on February 20 th. Please see information about our speaker and the program elsewhere in this edition of Compass Points. We will also install the officers and directors elected at the December meeting. The highlight of January was PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Dan Saieed the visit by our Council to the USS TENNESSEE (SSBN- 734). You will read more about that in this Compass Points from Ron Galante. I can t say enough as to how fortunate we are to have someone of Ron s organizational ability to organize the visit. From initial communication with the Blue Crew Chief of the Boat (COB) to the bus trip down to Kings Bay, Ron did a superb job organizing the trip. A great dinner for all participants, including the CO, crew, and families was very successful. A proclamation by County Mayor Jim Coppinger was presented to the CO proclaiming the week of January 12 to 18, 2014 as USS TENNESSEE Week in Hamilton County. The CO indicated that he would come to Chattanooga at some future point to speak to us as to what is happening with the USS TENNESSEE. I look forward to seeing everyone at the February 20th meeting. ~ Dan Saieed Two Guest Speakers Featured for Dinner Meeting on February 20, 2014, at the Mountain City Club We will hold our next Council dinner meeting on Thursday, February 20, 2014 in the Crystal Room of the Mountain City Club at 725 Chestnut St, Chattanooga, TN. Our Speakers will be Nikki Berger, P.E., who is the Navigation Program Manager for TVA, and Chris Dager, who is an economist for the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research; Mr. Dager formerly served as TVA s Navigation Economist. Ms. Berger will address navigation relating to operation of TVA s multipurpose reservoir system. Mr. Dager will discuss the economic impact of river transportation in the Chattanooga area as well as security measures of the maritime transportation industry. Ms. Berger s biography is in this edition of Compass Points. We will also install our 2014 Officers and Board Members whom you elected at the December dinner meeting. The Signal Mountain Division of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps will provide our color guard. The evening s program, registration form, and address and phone number for making reservations are located on the last page. The deadline for reservations is February 17, Bill Leonard will coordinate the dinner reservations for this meeting. You may mail or phone in your reservations to Bill. The charge for the dinner is $30 in advance or $35 at the door. If you phone in your reservations, mail your check in time to reach Bill before February 20th to ensure you get the advance reservation rate. The Mountain City Club has its own parking lot. As you approach the gate, it will open. If the lot is full, parking is available on the street.

2 2 TVA s Navigation Program Manager in River Scheduling, Nikki Berger, P.E., to Speak at February 20th Dinner Meeting Nikki Berger has worked in the Tennessee Valley Authority River Scheduling group for 15 years. She was a part of the River Forecast Center as a senior engineer before progressing to a Lead Engineer in As a Lead Engineer, she was responsible for preparing and directing the multi-day operating plans for the reservoir system to ensure optimum use of available water resources consistent with short and long-term operating objectives and constraints while balancing the multiple demands of the Tennessee Valley. She participated in the 2010 hydrothermal team that won the 2010 Environmental Excellence Award. She is now the Navigation Program Manager in River Scheduling, responsible for managing the navigation operations and maintenance pieces to protect TVA s navigation assets. She also coordinates with several other agencies and groups to improve the navigability of the Tennessee River. Nikki is a registered Professional Engineer, licensed in the state of Tennessee. Military Trivia Last Question: Which major weapon of war was used for the first time in 1916? Answer: The British Mark I, the world s first combat tank, was first used in 1916 during World War I. NATIONAL DUES TO INCREASE As you read the article and view the photos of our trip to the USS TENNESSEE, several of the terms and jargon may confuse some of you. For the landlubbers and those who did not serve in the Navy, the following definitions and terms may help: Boat submarine, all submarines are referred to as boats. SSBN nuclear powered submarine capable of delivering ballistic missiles; SS: submarine, B: ballistic missile capable, N: nuclear powered. Blue Crew/Gold Crew - two complete, but separate, crews are assigned to SSBNs; they rotate approximately every three months. CO Commanding Officer, most senior individual on the boat, responsible for anything and everything that happens on the boat. XO Executive Officer, second in command on the boat. COB - Chief of the Boat, the most senior of the Chief Petty Officers on the boat; normally a Master Chief or Senior Chief; a very exalted position of critical importance on the boat. STSCS Senior Chief Sonar Technician (Submarine Warfare qualified); ST: Sonar Technician, S: Submarine Warfare qualified, CS: Senior Chief. STSCM Master Chief Sonar Technician (Submarine Warfare qualified); ST: Sonar Technician, S: Submarine Warfare qualified, CM: Master Chief. VADM Vice Admiral; a three-star Admiral. National Dues will increase effective April 1, Annual dues will be $65 for individual and $117 for couples. You may want to renew early if your renewal date is after April 1. You may view the entire new rate structure at

3 The USS Tennessee SSBN-734 Visit Submitted By: Ron Galante 3 The USS Tennessee (SSBN - 734) logo, left, pays tribute to the previous Naval vessel bearing the name Tennessee - The Battleship USS Tennessee (BB-43). Trident Training facility (right), located in the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, near St. Marys, GA, is one of the largest government buildings in the country. On January 10, twenty-nine people (consisting of members of our Council, the Nashville (TN) Council, and guests) traveled via chartered bus to the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, near St. Marys, GA. After checking into our hotel, we had dinner at a local restaurant with the USS TEN- NESSEE (SSBN - 734) Blue Crew Commanding Officer (CO), Executive Officer (XO) and wife, Chief of the Boat (COB) and wife, and the Gold Crew COB. After dinner, the CO presented us with a USS TENNESSEE Plaque and a framed print of the current USS TENNESSEE (SSBN - 734) with the WWII-era USS TENNESSEE (BB - 43) in the background. To reciprocate, we presented a plaque to the CO, as well as framed photos of the Chattanooga waterfront to the CO and the XO. Ron Galante presented a coffee table book to the Blue Crew COB on submarine warfare. Our President, Dan Saieed, who is also the Director of Development for Hamilton County, TN arranged for the presentation of a proclamation from Hamilton County Mayor, Jim Coppinger, declaring the week of January 12 18, 2014, as USS TENNESSEE week in Hamilton County. One of our Past Presidents, VADM Ron Eytchison, USN (Ret), a former nuclear submariner, also presented his memoirs of his 33 year Naval Career to the CO for display in the Wardroom or Crews Mess. The next morning, after transiting three security checkpoints, we finally boarded the USS TENNESSEE, where we were broken into several small groups for our tour. While Petty Officers conducted our tour, the CO and XO continuously circulated between groups to answer questions and add Featured left is the USS TENNESSEE (SSBN-734) decked out for the Change of Command Ceremony, held at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, on March 20, comments. The tour lasted about three hours and included the missile compartment, torpedo room, control room, officers mess, and several other compartments. After lunch we toured the Trident Training facility, which is one of the largest government buildings in the country. The facility's mission is to build officer and enlisted competence and proficiency in operating and maintaining the Trident submarine and all associated systems; to train Trident submarine crew members and submarine support personnel in order to increase and maintain knowledge and proficiency in specific skills; and to provide specialized training as directed by higher authority. After the tour we returned to Chattanooga. I would like to thank Dan Saieed, Sandy McMillan and Dick Lewallen for their help in pulling this visit and tour together. Not many people in the world will ever get to visit an active Trident SSBN, like the USS TEN- NESSEE, which is the most powerful warship in the world and America s largest and most powerful submarine ever developed; 29 more people have now had this incredible opportunity. For security reasons we were not permitted to take photos. The unclassified photos appearing in this newsletter were provided by a USS TENNESSEE crewman.

4 4 NEWS - ALERTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR BLIND VETS. If you are a blind vet or know a blind vet, contact Ed O Brien about opportunities available for blind vets. Ed s phone number is (423) NEW PROCEDURE FOR COMPASS POINTS DELIV- ERY. In an effort to conserve funds and balance our annual budget, your board has decided all future editions of Compass Points, which are mailed via the U.S. Post Office, will be printed using desktop technology. The newsletter will be printed in black ink only, using 8-1/2 x 11 copier-grade paper. A color version of the official newsletter, which is ed to the majority of our members, will also be posted to our Council website. You may access the website at This new procedure will save our Council $360 in the annual budget. LOCAL DUES ARE DUE. Our annual local dues were due as of January 1, These dues are in addition to your national membership dues. All members, including life members, are liable for local dues. The rate is $15 annually for individuals and $20 annually for couples. We depend on these dues to fund the printing and mailing of our bi-monthly newsletter and other correspondence with our members; to defray the cost of awards and incidentals; to support our adopted ship, the USS TENNESSEE (SSBN 734); and to support our youth programs which include two US Naval Sea Cadet Divisions and the NJROTC Unit at Howard School. Write your check to Chattanooga Navy League and forward it to our Treasurer, Dick Lewallen at 2600 Wilson Rd., Signal Mountain, TN Members who do not respond to this message will receive a notice via the U.S. Post Office. A Council-wide mailing costs over $50 in postage. Please help us conserve funds by mailing in your local dues ASAP. Thank you. SIGNAL MOUNTAIN SEA CADET DIVISION LOOK- ING FOR A NEW EXECUTIVE OFFICER (XO). The ideal candidate for this position is an adult male with military experience and, preferably, sea service experience. The current XO will assume duties as the Division Training & Finance Officer and will be available to train and advise the new XO during the break-in period. For additional information, the Division Commanding Officer, LT. Stacy Kehoe, slkseacadets@gmail.com. Our dinner guests for our visit to the USS TEN- NESSEE included Hannah Hammann and her husband, STSCS Stacy Hammann, COB (Blue); CDR John Howrey, CO (Blue); STSCM Dan Smith, COB (Gold); and LCDR Chimi Zacot, XO (Blue), and his wife, Jill. VADM Ron Eytchison, USN (Ret) and Sandy McMillan present CDR John Howrey, Commanding Officer, USS TENNESSEE (Blue Crew) with a Council Plaque. VADM Ron Eytchison, USN (Ret), and Ron Galante receive a framed print and plaque from the USS TENNESSEE (Blue Crew). Pictured (l to r): STSCS Stacy Hammann, Chief of the Boat (COB); LCDR Chimi Zacot, Executive Officer (XO); VADM Eytchison; CDR John Howrey, Commanding Officer (CO); and Ron Galante.

5 5 Sandy McMillan, Dick Lewallen, and others hear details about the boat from a crew member. Twenty-nine members and guests took advantage of the opportunity to visit the USS TENNESSEE (SSBN-734) January 11. Ron Galante points out a local pub for the evening s navigational exercise to VADM Ron Eytchison, USN (Ret). George Davenport (l), John Beard (r), and others are a little awestruck by the USS TENNESSEE, while Pat Eytchison (c), wife of a retired nuclear submariner, looks right at home. Harvey Templeton, Alden Perry, Pete Rittenberry, and Jim Wade listen intently to their escort. Submarine Warfare Vice Admiral Ron Eytchison, USN (Ret), shows Surface Warfare Captain Billy Hewitt, USN (Ret), the finer points of using a periscope. Jim Wade, an Army vet, questions the sanity of anyone who would serve aboard a Naval vessel, let alone a submarine. As usual, Bill Leonard is the center of attention. While the space looks cramped, it is actually one of the most spacious compartments on the boat.

6 GREATER CHATTANOOGA AREA/JOHN J. SPITTLER COUNCIL P. O. Box 151 Signal Mountain, TN We re on the web! chattanooganavyleague.org Follow us on Facebook: Chattanooga Navy League Follow us on Twitter: ChattNavyLeague Compass Points is the bimonthly publication of the Navy League of the United States Greater Chattanooga Area/John J. Spittler Council. Editor Sandy McMillan Publisher Mary B. Dall Photographer Patty Parks 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 6:35 PM 7:30 PM 8:30 PM WINTER DINNER MEETING PROGRAM Thursday, February 20, 2014 Mountain City Club - Crystal Room 729 Chestnut Street Chattanooga, Tennessee (423) Social Time (Cash Bar in adjacent lounge) Colors and Welcome (Members and Guests please take seats) Buffet Dinner Guest Speakers - Nikki Berger, P.E., Navigation Program Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority, and Chris Dager, Economist, University of Tennessee for Transportation Research Announcements DINNER RESERVATION FORM Please complete and return the dinner reservation form, at right, for the February 20th Winter Dinner Meeting of the Greater Chattanooga Area/John J. Spittler Council. Reservations may be phoned in to Bill Leonard: (H) , no later than Monday, February 17, 2014! FEBRUARY 20, 2014 DINNER RESERVATION FORM Mountain City Club - Crystal Room 729 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN Buffet featuring Pot Roast, Chicken Florentine, sides, rolls, desserts, coffee and tea. x $ = $.00 Please PRINT the names of all guests and members: Reservations should reach us NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, Mail reservations and your check to: BILL LEONARD 2013 EAST BROW ROAD SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, TN NOTE: Pay-at-the-door RESERVATIONS are $35.00 per person. REGRETTABLY, no-shows will be charged the full amount for dinner.