And just what do all those letters mean? The Naval Air Facility (NAF) Washington is a Naval Reserve air facility. It was merged in 2009 with Andrews Air Force Base to create the Joint Base Andrews. Chief Petty Officers (CPO) serve as both technical experts and as leaders, with the emphasis being on leadership. All Chiefs are involved in the training of junior officers. The "CPO 365- Phase II" is a year-round program that first class petty officers complete before they are considered for promotion. These first class petty officers are called Selectees. Part of this training is a component for heritage and community relations. And that brings us to the JOHN W BROWN (JWB).
This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting, and putting to work, nine Selectees and 10 Chiefs from the Naval Air Facility. It was raining when they arrived but by the time they had been greeted by Captain Rick, oriented by Hugh, and eaten their lunches, the sun was shining and the work was waiting.
Captain Rick welcomed the Chiefs and Selectees. Here he sharing some maritime history in general and some JOHN W BROWN history in particular.
The main work of the day was to remove the risers from the gun tubs on the Bridge. Not only are these floor plates heavy but they are an awkward shape too.
Getting the floor plates loose was the first hurdle. The bolts were rusted and didn't want to turn.
Team work is a marvelous thing and there were hands supporting the plate through the whole process. Don't for get there are 4 people inside the gun tub too.
Once the plate was out of the gun tub the challenge was to move it around working around all of the other things on the bridge.
This was just the start of the fun. There are 4 gun tubs altogether and each one has two of these plates. And the plates need to be moved to work on the interior.
As you can see there's lots of work to be done.
Floor plates weren't the only things that needed to come out of the gun tubs.
Once it was clear the real fun began. The rust was attacked with hammers and needle guns.
Deck crew were busy too getting things ready for the painting party.
The Chiefs and Selectees interacted with most of the volunteers on board that day. They did get a chance to go through the engine room. Some visited the store and when home with some souvenirs. Another helped out with some non paint related ship's business too. We certainly enjoyed having them on board to visit as well as appreciating all of their help. Moving those floor plates was much easier with their help. I wonder if they would come back to paint?
Project Liberty Ship, Inc is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all volunteer organization engaged in the preservation and operation of the historic ship JOHN W. BROWN as a living memorial museum. Gifts to Project Liberty Ship are tax deductible.
