Today was the first day of the new division rotation. On board the ship, each division has a general duty assignment that changes every three days. On any given day there’s a division on watch, a division on maintenance, a division in training (license), and an alternate division, which right now means we’re doing the training for non-license majors. Division I is currently the alternate division, and my group within the division is doing MSEP training.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ll be periodically publishing the thoughts and comments of fellow cadets on board. Tonight 4/C Buckley of 3rd Division is featured. It’s Thursday January 17th 2008, and I just completed my first day of Engineering lab classes. We first went down to the tank top level of the stern of our Ship, which is where the Engineering Lab is. I happened to be in Group A, lucky for me.
This morning we found ourselves in much bluer, warmer water with an air temperature that goes nicely with shorts and a T-shirt. The water has been much calmer today than it was last night, which made working much easier today. Speaking of working, I have taken on a new job on board the ship. I am now Chief Laffan’s IT guy, which started immediately as I spent my time before and after watch today working on the ship’s network.
Being on board a ship with as many people as we have is similar to being in a big city. There’s always something happening, you can always get something to eat, and its never really quiet. The population density inside the holds is greater than some New York subway cars. At night, though, the ship becomes a completely different place. Most people are sleeping, and the only people who are awake are the night shift watch standers.
As I mentioned at the end of yesterday’s post, we pulled into Norfolk around lunch time yesterday. I lived in Norfolk for a few months in 2000, so it was really cool to see from the water some of the places I’d been to when I lived in the area. We anchored in Norfolk harbor not too far from the Naval base, so it’s been pretty exciting to have aircraft carriers, destroyers and the like as the scenery while we eat in the mess deck, or relax on the fantail.
After leaving Buzzards Bay, we went back to work. For Division 1, that meant resuming watches. For the other divisions, it meant maintenance. I had watch from 1530-1930, After which I spent some time relaxing on deck, and then went to bed. The Engine Room is pretty interesting while we’re under way. It’s incredibly loud and hot, but there is a ton of cool machinery to look at. To me, the coolest part of it was watching the shaft spin.
Today at 1150 we departed the state pier in Buzzards Bay and started our incredible journey. Family and friends turned out by the hundreds to see us off, carrying banners, blowing horns, and cheering as the ship’s whistle blew to announce the beginning of our trip. There was plenty of excitement on deck, as we anxiously awaited the moment when the ship would start moving and we would finally be on our way.
Tonight marks the last night we’ll be in Buzzards Bay for the next six weeks. It’s been pretty quiet on board, not much different from any other night we’ve had so far. The holds were filled with the usual crowd of people and computers - watching movies, playing games, listening to music. There is an air of excitement building among the cadets, especially with the freshmen. In every hold you can hear people discussing their expectations for going out to sea, and experiences they hope to have.
I have set up my SeaWave e-mail account on board the Enterprise, and thought I would test it to make sure I was able to post blog entries with it. It also seemed like a logical time to post a few of the key points that we’ve been continuously reminded of over the past few weeks regarding e-mail. The e-mail system charges by how much data the e-mail account sends AND receives.
This morning at 0900 we had the official Coast Guard-inspected fire & emergency and abandon ship drills. It took about 90 minutes, and appeared to run smoothly, so we now have the official seal of approval to ship out! We have less than 24 hours until we depart, though you might not know it from the atmosphere on board. Everyone is continuing to go about business as usual, and I think it’s a testament to the planning and execution of pre-departure tasks that nobody seems to be feeling rushed or pressed for time.
