Navy News Service 65/94 - 02 Nov 94

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NAVY NEWS SERVICE - 02 NOV 94 - NAVNEWS 065/94
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR NAVNEWS 065/94
Top News and Policy Stories
NNS726. FY95 VSI/SSB Clarified
NNS727. Junior Troops May Book Flights Now, Pay Later
Personnel Notes
NNS728. WT Rating Disestablishment Timeline Updated
NNS729. Astronaut Selection Board to Convene
NNS730. Sharing Thanksgiving "Season" Begins
Around the Fleet
NNS731. Notable Quotable: ADM Paul D. Miller
Salute to Excellence
NNS732. Personal Excellence Award Winners Announced
NNS733. New Navy Personal Excellence Partnerships Encouraged
NNS734. New Mine Hunter Honors Chief Petty Officers
NNS735. Suspected Embargo Busters Diverted in Persian Gulf
NNS736. USS Merrimack QMs Manually Navigate Across the Atlantic
NNS737. Star Trek Fans and Stars Visit Real USS Enterprise
NNS738. New Blood Substitute Being Developed By Navy
NNS739. This Week in the Navy: Nov. 3, 1952
Short Splices
NNS740. Navy's Oldest Active Ship Returns From Last Deployment
NNS741. P-3 Replacement Squadron To Get New Hangar
NNS742. Navy-Marine Corps News
-USN-
Top News and Policy Stories
NNS726. FY95 VSI/SSB Clarified
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- If you're separating under the Voluntary
Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSB)
program, you should consider all options when planning your
future.
Officers and enlisted personnel who find DoD employment within
180 days of their active duty separation date under either VSI or
SSB are now required to forfeit all VSI/SSB incentives they
received. If members who have already been approved for VSI/SSB
separation now no longer wish to separate under the program because
of this change, they may request that BUPERS cancel the separation
approval. Members already separated may petition the Board for
Corrections of Naval Records for relief.
This change to the VSI/SSB program took effect Oct. 1, when
the FY 95 Appropriations Bill, which was recently signed, became
law. NAVADMIN 203/94 provides additional information.
By LT Dave Waterman, BUPERS Public Affairs
-USN-
NNS727. Junior Troops May Book Flights Now, Pay Later
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (NNS) -- Many commercial airlines have agreed to
waive advance purchase payment penalties for military trainees so
they can make holiday reservations in October and November and pay
for the tickets in early December, according to the Military
Traffic Management Command. To date, participating carriers
include Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, United, U.S. Air and
Trans World Airlines.
The program was designed to help E-1 and E-2 personnel, in
basic and immediate follow-on training, obtain advance reservations
for flights home over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
The program applies to Navy and Marine personnel in boot camp and
"A" school, and to Coast Guardsmen in basic and technical (class A)
training. In some cases, E-3 personnel in these types of training
also may be eligible. The individual airlines have the final say
over who they consider eligible, so personnel who think they
qualify should check with their transportation offices, commercial
travel offices, or individual airlines for current fare information
and program eligibility.
-USN-
Personnel Notes
NNS728. WT Rating Disestablishment Timeline Updated
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The following article clarifies the timeline
for disestablishment of the WT rating, which was explained in last
week's Navy News Service.
The WT rating is scheduled to be disestablished Apr. 1, 1996.
Until then, WTs are eligible to convert to any CREO 1, or, to CREO
2 ratings on a case-by-case basis. Early conversion will ensure
current WTs stay competitive for advancement and reenlistment.
After Apr. 1, 1996, WTs will not be eligible to reenlist in that
rating, and those WTs who have not converted to another rating will
be assigned to duties as Aviation Ordnancemen for the remainder of
their enlistment.
This 18-month transition period affords Sailors sufficient
time to make career decisions and serves as a model for future
rating mergers and disestablishments.
NAVADMIN 202/94 provides points of contact and additional
information.
By LT Dave Waterman, BUPERS Public Affairs
-USN-
NNS729. Astronaut Selection Board to Convene
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- For those ready to soar far above the
clouds, applications are being accepted for the Fiscal Year (FY)
1995 Astronaut Selection Board.
The biennial selection board convenes March 27, 1995, with
applications due to the Bureau of Naval Personnel by Jan 26.
Selectees will attend the astronaut class beginning in August 1996.
Application procedures and criteria are contained in
BUPERSINST 1401.4. Application packages may be obtained by writing
Pers-446B, Washington, DC 20370-5446 or by calling the Aerospace
Engineering Duty Officer Detailer at DSN 224-4869/70.
More details are available in NAVADMIN 207/94.
By LT Dan Bates, BUPERS Public Affairs
-USN-
NNS730. Sharing Thanksgiving "Season" Begins
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- It's only the first week of November, but the
Navy invites you to get an early start on the spirit of the holiday
season with a "Sharing Thanksgiving" project. Sharing Thanksgiving
is one of the Chief of Naval Operation's Community Service
Flagships dedicated to encouraging Navy people to serve their
community through volunteering.
While the Navy has a long-standing tradition of lending a
helping hand to those in need, the 1992 kick-off of the Sharing
Thanksgiving Flagship galvanized the effort, encouraging hundreds
of commands to provide support to their communities. Commands
sponsor food drives, repair orphanages, build low-income housing,
deliver meals to shut-ins, and volunteer in dozens of other
humanitarian activities. In the words of the Chief of Naval
Operations, ADM Mike Boorda, Navy people who volunteer in Sharing
Thanksgiving projects are "bridge-builders of the first order."
"Though many people associate 'Sharing Thanksgiving' with the
holiday season, this Flagship serves the community year-round,"
said RADM Don Muchow, Chief of Chaplains. "The volunteer effort by
Sailors, civilians and families energizes people with hope, builds
character and community, and makes the world a better place."
For information or to provide feedback, contact the Chief of
Chaplains, CNO (N971P), 2 Navy Annex, Washington, DC 20370-0400,
telephone (703) 614-4436, DSN 224-4436.
-USN-
Around the Fleet
NNS731. Notable Quotable: "Too often we hear about what is wrong
with America. Let the critics visit any base or ship or camp or
fort -- let the critics visit Rwanda, GITMO or Haiti -- and see
what's right with America. Young men and women from every region
of our nation working together in service to others." -- ADM Paul
D. Miller, former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, during
remarks marking his retirement from the Navy Oct. 31, 1994.
-USN-
Salute to Excellence
NNS732. Personal Excellence Award Winners Announced
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Chief of Naval Personnel has announced the
winners of the Personal Excellence Partnership and Community
Service Award for 1994.
"The quality and number of entrants and competition for this
year's award were outstanding," said VADM Skip Bowman, Chief of
Naval Personnel. "I am extremely proud of the community
involvement demonstrated by our Navy commands across the board."
Shore recipient of the Personal Excellence Partnership (PEP)
award is Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. Runner-up is Naval
Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, Miramar, Calif. Sea recipient of
the PEP award is USS Tennessee (SSBN 734). USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
is the runner-up.
Shore recipient of the Community Service award is Naval Air
Technical Training Center, Naval Air Station Memphis, Tenn. The
runner-up is Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity, Charleston,
S.C. Sea recipients of the community service award are USS
Bainbridge (CGN 25) and USS Hue City (CG 66), who tied for the top
spot. Overseas recipient of the PEP/Community Service award is the
U.S. Naval Security Group Activity, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico. The
runner-up is U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master
Station Western Pacific, Guam. NAVADMIN 204/94 provides additional
information.
By LT Dave Waterman, BUPERS Public Affairs
-USN-
NNS733. New Navy Personal Excellence Partnerships Encouraged
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Personal Excellence Partnership program is
an opportunity for a Navy command to actively participate in its
local community.
"With the advent of a new school year, I urge commands to
consider becoming an integral part of local communities by forming
a Personal Excellence Partnership with a nearby school or youth
group," said VADM Skip Bowman, Chief of Naval Personnel. "I'm
exceedingly proud of those commands and all the volunteers who take
time from their busy schedules to guide tomorrow's leaders."
There are over 1,000 PEP programs active in the United States.
NAVADMIN 206/94 provides several resources available to commands
for the establishment of a PEP program.
By LT Dave Waterman, BUPERS Public Affairs
-USN-
NNS734. New Mine Hunter Honors Chief Petty Officers
NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Avenger-class mine countermeasures Pre-
Commissioning Unit (PCU) Chief (MCM 14) recently arrived at Naval
Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va. to prepare for commissioning Nov.
5. PCU Chief, which will eventually be based in Ingleside, Tex.,
is the last of the Avenger-class mine warfare ships scheduled to be
built. The new ship is the Navy's second to be named in honor of
chief petty officers.
Two former master chief petty officers of the Navy, Bob Walker
and Duane Bushey, head the ship's commissioning committee and have
issued an invitation to all active duty and retired chief petty
officers to attend the ship's commissioning.
"I call on and welcome all of the Navy's active, reserve and
retired chief petty officers, as well as those who love the sea and
served America in the United States Navy, to become a part of the
commissioning," said Walker. Guests attending are asked to be in
their seats at the commissioning site by 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 5.
-USN-
NNS735. Suspected Embargo Busters Diverted in Persian Gulf
MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Two merchant ships suspected of violating
U.N. sanctions against Iraq were boarded and diverted by U.S.
Sailors and Coast Guardsmen operating from warships in the Persian
Gulf in October.
Boarding teams from USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USS Reid (FFG
30) discovered 19,000 metric tons of suspected Iraqi oil aboard the
Liberian-flagged tanker Katerina P on Oct. 12. Ten percent of USS
Reid's crew was ordered aboard the tanker to enforce the divert.
As USS Reid Sailors prepared to get the Katerina P underway,
they discovered that the tanker's crew had taken action to prevent
the ship from moving. The frigate's engineers quickly overcame the
obstacles, and the merchant ship was diverted for further
investigation in accordance with U.N. sanctions.
A boarding team from USS Leyte Gulf discovered a second
suspected embargo violator Oct. 21, in the Persian Gulf. The team
found 3,000 tons of diesel fuel aboard the Honduran-flagged tanker
Al Mahrousa with no documentation verifying the cargo and no
records of the ship's recent movements.
October's diverts were the tenth and eleventh ships diverted
for carrying contraband cargo, out of 501 total diverts since 1990.
-USN-
NNS736. USS Merrimack QMs Manually Navigate Across the Atlantic
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Quartermasters aboard the Norfolk-based USS
Merrimack (AO 179) recently brought their ship home the old-
fashioned way. Upon leaving Rota, Spain, on Oct. 15, the ship
switched off all electronic positioning systems, including the
global positioning system.
As generations of Sailors had done before, USS Merrimack's
quartermasters turned skyward, relying on whatever heavenly bodies
were visible and a painstakingly maintained dead-reckoning plot to
find their way across the Atlantic.
The weather proved near-perfect for the group of navigators as
fixes were checked and plotted. The ship successfully made a
scheduled rendezvous with USS Conolly (DD 979), providing the crew
with an accuracy check before radar landfall was made Oct. 25. USS
Merrimack's quartermasters proved that while high-tech gear
provides modern Sailors with a wealth of convenience, the fleet can
always rely on skilled seamanship to get the job done.
-USN-
NNS737. "Star Trek" Fans and Stars Visit Real USS Enterprise
NORFOLK (NNS) -- Hundreds of "Star Trek" fans, along with many of
the actors and film makers who brought the show to life, visited
Sailors aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as part of a "Star Trek"
convention held Oct. 28 to 30 in Norfolk.
The convention, attended by hundreds of "Star Trek" fans and
by several actors including James Doohan, who played Scotty in the
original series and Terry Farrell, better known as LT Dax on "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine," made USS Enterprise its centerpiece for the
weekend.
The actors, along with various Paramount Studio employees,
toured the ship and met with many crewmen along the way. After an
autograph session in the ship's massive hanger bay, the visitors
had lunch with a group of Sailors. Hundreds of Trekkies also
flooded the ship during tours held throughout the weekend.
By JO1(SW/AW) Randy Navaroli
-USN-
NNS738. New Blood Substitute Being Developed By Navy
BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- A promising blood substitute, Liposome
Encapsulated Hemoglobin (LEH), that closely mimics red blood cells,
is being developed by a group of Navy, academic and industrial
scientists at the Naval Medical Research and Development Command
(NMRDC). This oxygen-carrying protein resuscitation fluid, encased
in microscopic droplets, can be prepared as a liquid or a
freeze-dried product.
"The Navy has had long-standing requirements that document the
need for blood products (red blood cells and platelets) and blood
substitutes aboard ships and for combat casualties," said NMRDC's
CAPT Shiela R. Weinberg, MSC. "The blood substitute LEH can be
produced in virtually unlimited quantity, free from contamination
by all disease-causing organisms, has a longer shelf-life than
fresh donated blood, and requires no cross matching prior to
administration."
Operationally, the successful development of an artificial
oxygen carrying resuscitative fluid would reduce the need for
donated blood and reduce complications associated with blood
banking and ease logistical burdens associated with blood delivery
in the field.
Story by Doris Ryan
-USN-
NNS739. This Week in the Navy: Nov. 3, 1952 -- Marine Major W.
Stratton, in an F3D-2 Skynight, scored the first "kill" by an
airborne intercept radar-equipped fighter. He got a Russian-built
YAK-15.
-USN-
Short Splices
NNS740. Navy's Oldest Active Ship Returns From Last Deployment
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Jason (AR 8), at age 50, the oldest ship in
active commissioned service in the Navy, returned to San Diego Oct.
28, after completing her last deployment. The ship will continue
to provide fleet repair services in San Diego until her
decommissioning June 24, 1995.
On this last deployment, USS Jason returned to the Pacific
where she began active service during World War II. The deployment
saw the ship providing fleet support in Sasebo, Japan; Singapore;
and Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates.
-USN-
NNS741. P-3 Replacement Squadron To Get New Hangar
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- The consolidation of Navy P-3 fleet
replacement squadrons got a boost Oct. 28 when ground was broken
for a new hangar that will become the new home of Patrol Squadron
(VP) 30 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. The fleet
replacement squadron currently trains Navy pilots, naval flight
officers, airborne systems specialists and ground maintenance
personnel in the operation of the P-3 Orion aircraft.
In October 1993, VP-30 became the sole Navy fleet replacement
squadron upon the disestablishment of VP-31 on the west coast.
The new hangar is expected to be completed in August 1996.
-USN-
NNS742. Navy-Marine Corps News
The Nov. 4 edition of Navy-Marine Corps News -- a videotaped
newscast generated for broadcast to Navy-Marine Corps fleet and
shore units -- includes the following stories:
-- Cuban and Haitian Migrant Numbers at GITMO Drops
-- Marine Interpreter Helps Migrants in GITMO camp
-- ADM Miller, Architect of "Adaptive Force Packaging," Retires
-- CNN Reports Loss of Navy's Trailblazing Female Combat Aviator
-- Naval Training Center Great Lakes Offers Rewarding Assignment
-- New Barracks Design Employs Quality of Life Improvements
-- Fall Brings Flu Season, Sailors Get Flu Shots to Stay Healthy
-- PCU Chief (MCM 14) Prepares for Norfolk Commissioning
-- Fast Roping, SPIE-rigging Helps Marines Go Anywhere in a Hurry
-- Runners Battle it Out in 19th Marine Corps Marathon
-- Monster Dash Makes a Smash for Runners in Hampton Roads
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-USN-
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-USN-
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