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Diversity, as the Navy practices it, makes our Navy act petty, insulting, and paternalistic way more often than not. We have female CAGs ... does this rate a story to; or is it all kind of embarrassing - for EN1 and all of us?Mesa Verde Qualifies First Enlisted Woman As Engineering Officer Of The WatchShare
Today at 10:35am
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Smith Amphibious Squadron Eight (CPR-8) Public Affairs Office
USS MESA VERDE, At Sea (June 12, 2010) - Main Propulsion Assistant Chief Warrant Officer Homer Vogle discusses operations with Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) Engineman 1st Class Isa Grace, from Andalusia, Ala., aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19). Grace is the first enlisted woman to qualify as EOOW aboard Mesa Verde and monitors propulsion, auxiliary, and other vital systems that keep the ship operational. Mesa Verde is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group supporting Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steve Smith/Released) The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock is on its maiden deployment and has operated a safe and reliable engineering plant since leaving Norfolk, Va. homeport Jan. 18. Mesa Verde's engineering department has steamed more than 30,000 miles on this deployment.
The EOOW works together with the Officer of the Deck (OOD) in order to control the ship's propulsion, auxiliary and other systems.
"I arrived aboard in November 2007, and after completing various watch and operator qualifications, I began the EOOW qualification process this year," said Grace. "I started in February and about three months later I worked through the qualification process. EOOW is a very challenging qualification.
Most of it goes hand-in-hand with the experience gained from standing the prerequisite watches and knowing every system."
Grace said being an enlisted female Sailor never crossed her mind when preparing to take the position.
"I think women, or any Sailor for that matter, can be confident they can earn the qualification with their experience and knowledge of the work spaces," she said.
"The EOOW qualification is truly about maturity and sound decision making; it's not about rank. The EOOW needs to be able to make decisions," said Chief Warrant Officer Homer Vogle, the ship's main propulsion assistant.
"The EOOW needs to handle the watch without guidance. If something doesn't sound right, you must have the knowledge to find the problem and make it right."
EOOW is typically a position held by commissioned officers or chief petty officers, and the commanding officer is the last qualifier who makes the final decision during a verbal examination process.
"Since the commanding officer is ultimately the one who is going to allow someone to become an EOOW, you must earn his confidence and trust," said Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. Gary Joy.
"Sailors must prove they are capable and willing to handle not only the propulsion plants and systems, but to take on the leadership responsibilities necessary to be an EOOW," said Master Chief Engineman Gilbert Hatcher. "Of those Sailors in Petty Officer Grace's peer group, she is ready to supervise and manage the new plant and systems of this size."
The Nassau Amphibious Ready Group (NAS ARG) / 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit
(MEU) is currently supporting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) Operations in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
NAS ARG is comprised of ships from Amphibious Squadron Eight (PHIBRON 8) including the Tarawa-class multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4), the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) and the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48). Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24 MEU) complete the group.
15 comments:
Sad. Would have been a great story if it had just been about a 1st class engineman qualifying as EOOW, a significant accomplishment. Could have been inspirational to the young ENFA who sat next to me in the airport yesterday, en route to his first ship (USS Ashland). He was motivated and extremely excited to finally be hitting the fleet after all of his schools, but will he have the same chance that EN1 Grace had?
Can someone please explain to this poor sheltered nuke how an enlisted person can qualify as EOOW on an underway platform? Not that enlisted are not capable - I would argue that the opposite is often true - but the required accountablility to the CO is significantly different between officer and enlisted.
I've personally met an EN1 (who the next year made E-7) who was EOOW. He could authorize tagouts...but the ENC could not. Sharp young man, very sharp.
There is nothing wrong with enlisted EOOWs. I even had a 2nd class who was sh!t hot and came close, making 1st (early by the way) just prior to his board. CO felt fine and fully confident in all of my EOOWs, from him to my senior chief, warrent, LTJG. on the flip side, had a LT who couldn't fog a mirrow. It is not about rank.
However, that is not the focus here... it also not about sex either. I wish this PO good luck and would enjoy seeing a few BECCES under her watch.
Congratulations.
Now the hard part starts. The job. In this case standing and supervising the watch.
First to....? 10,000th? Just a cumber.
From here on it's all about duty faithfully discharged.
But then, that's the whole damn Navy. Tonight, midnight to 0400, it's your watch, your ship, your Navy.
Yours to take care of. Yours to ruin. Yours to hand over in better shape than it was handed over to you.
From here on in, it's sink or swim.
The article? Fahgeddaboutit. Sic transit gloria mundi. You've go a watch to stand.
Excuse me if I don't understand the news interest here beyond the CO of MESA VERDE trying to make himself look good to the diversity gang.
Maybe I'm just a dinosaur but there's nothing new or ground breaking about enlisted EOOWs. On my first ship, where I was DCA, ALL of the EOOWs were enlisted. My qualification process was supervised by a BTCS but, beyond a couple of solo watches to complete my quals, I never stood watch down there. Back in those days officers, including the Engineer, were expected to stand watch on the bridge. Most of my EOOWs on the frigate, including one exceptional E-5, were enlisted. Never got around to putting out any press releases 'though.
Ever serve on a steam ship? Majority of your EOOWs are enlisted, or LDOs. Getting a steam EOOW is harder than your OOD / SWO. TRUST ME.
Lt L,
The EOOW shall be an O-Ganger is a 08 requirement. My neighbor, a retired ETCS nuke was qualified and stood EOOW watches on one of his boomers way back in the day. I believe that enlisted can qualify PPWO on nuke Targets, but some Target sailor would need to confirm that :)
Where was my write up for qualifying as CICWO?
Salty, Well, technically he does serve in a steam ship...the nukes just heat their water a little differently ;) . OTOH, your point about enlisted EOOWs in the rest of the surface navy is correct.
As a retired Navy PAO, I'm ashamed... How could we possibly allow this story to be issued as legitimate news, even if it's an internal story. Argh....
Congratulkations!!
<span>"Since the commanding officer is ultimately the one who is going to allow someone to become an EOOW, you must earn his confidence and trust," said Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. Gary Joy.</span>
Where is the (sic) for gender bias, tsk tsk.
Troll.
Not so sure on that one, URR. You know there's got to be some element of the Diversity mafia, grammar police division, which is trying to figure out how to extirpate all the male pronoun references from the English language and replace them with "gender-neutral" equivalents.
Hell, I'm surprised "Engineman" has lasted this long.
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