Damage Control: Always Vigilant!

A US Navy ship is a highly-developed, powerful, fast and seaworthy thing. It is truly an engineering and craftsmanship wonder.

It is a giant conglomeration of parts-- thousands of tons of steel, miles of electric wires, fuel and water pipes, ventilation & heating & cooling ducts, and so on. Fill it up with people and countless other things-- many of which are flammable or can sink! There are so many things that can threaten the safety of the crew and the seaworthiness of the vessel.

Damage Control is critical to the survival of the ship, in war or in peacetime.
While on board the Harry S. Truman in September 2015, I got to witness a common but very important training event, conducted by the crew-- a GQ (General Quarters) Drill.

"General Quarters" is regularly sounded to keep the crew sharp, and on their toes, ready for any contingency. Every crewman has a duty station when this happens, and they all rush to their battle stations, put on their gear, and do drills. It's a very interesting thing to watch, and it makes you admire the efficiency and teamwork the Navy engages in with every sailor and section on board a naval vessel.

 Getting geared up fast for fire control...

"Fire Drill in Aft D.C." 2015, oil on canvas, 20" x 24" 

Here are some of the Fire Control related sketches I did while visiting the destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64):

 

 

General Quarters-- Checking the Roster

The Muster Sheet is about as old a tradition as the Navy itself.  Accountability and readiness are key in maintaining a fighting ship's effectiveness, and the ships of the US Navy are no exception.

When I was visiting the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) back in September 2015, I got to see several General Quarters drills, and saw each section handle accountability during the drill.

Here, I've depicted two female sailors in charge of a group, checking the roster to make sure all are accounted for.

This is a small oil on canvas, where I used a toned ground and tried to maintain a deftness to the paint application, to keep the sketchy quality to the piece while also rendering realistically.

Refuel At Sea-- Quality Check

Greetings, Navy Art Aficionados and Lovers of All Things Sea-Going...

As you may know, I got the opportunity to go aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) as the ship went through pre-deployment training in September 2015.

One of the fun and exotic things I got to witness was a Replenishment At Sea, wherein the USNS Kanawha pulled up alongside, sent over hoses, and pumped fuel for the HST's aircraft.

I was given a float coat and cranial, and was allowed into Fuel Station 13, where I photographed the sailors working the lines between the ships to bring over the hoses. I also watched the ABF sailors (the Aviation Boatswains Mates - Fuels), a.k.a. "Grapes," test the fuel's clarity and color in a sort of "proof test" in a glass jar, before beginning the fuel transfer...

All the while, the sea is rushing by only a few feet below and between the ships as they maintain their close parallel track. It's something you just don't see every day.

Here is a painting based on that, called, "Refuel At Sea: Quality Check" (subtitle, "Proof Test").

Flight Operations on Bataan!

On September 15th, I was able to see a few more spots on the ship, several of which relate to one of the main functions of the LHD platform: Aviation.

It's key, when wanting to project power overseas, that the aviation assets on board a warship are a well-oiled machine. The ACE, or "Aviation Combat Element" consists of the squadron or squadrons of aircraft, fixed- and rotary-wing, that live on and fly missions from the ship. The ACE lives to support the other main element in the MEU: the troops on the ground-- also called the GCE, or "Ground Combat Element." 

 

Everything must function smoothly, from aircraft maintenance in the hangar bay to controlling the aircraft movement on the flight deck, to getting the aircraft off the ship and out on their missions. These activities are divided into several sections on the ship: two major ones being Flight Deck Control, and Primary Flight Control, two of the places I got to visit and sketch.

Flight Deck Control means exactly what it sounds like: control of the flight deck. It's where all the aircraft are managed and moved on the flight deck itself, and from the hangar bay and elevators.

Flight Deck Control

 

Primary Flight Control, or "Pri-Fly," (also known as the "Tower") is where all the aircraft are controlled from the moment the depart the deck of the ship until they're out into the airspace.

 "Pri-Fly," or Primary Flight Control.

 

Another view of the Air Boss in Pri-Fly on USS Bataan

 

Of course, all of this activity centers around one of the most important and often times most chaotic bits of real estate on the ship: the flight deck itself. All sorts of aircraft, equipment, and personnel call the flight deck home, and the deck crews assist Pri-Fly and Flight Deck Control in getting the aircraft off of (and safely back on!) the deck.

 

 Deck Crewman AM3 Chyrsten Morrell with fire extinguisher ("Fire Bottle") waiting for the aircraft to land on the flight deck of USS Bataan.

 

Another view of the "Fire Bottle" AM3 Morrell...

 

Deck crewmen await the landing of the "birds" ( Helos and Ospreys)...

SH-60 Sea Hawk after having landed on the flight deck of USS Bataan September 15th, 2016

 Osprey of VMM-365 during flight ops on the flight deck of USS Bataan September 15th, 2016

Ready Room!

 

Victor Juhasz laying down the scene in the Ready Room on USS Bataan 16 September 2016

 A sketch artist should always be prepared--- sketch book in hand and pencils sharpened-- ready to go when duty calls....
If only we had a room in which to get ready, and to focus on the task before us... a "ready room" so to speak (Oh wait, I guess that's what a studio is, really!).

Aviators also must be ready to go, available to take off at a moments notice. There is a place set aside for this on board navy vessels. The Ready Room on an aircraft carrier (or other aviation-capable vessel such as an LHD) is a combination office, conference room, lounge, in which pilots fellowship as well as train and prepare mentally as they stand by for missions.

I got to sketch again in the Ready Room on USS Bataan along with a couple artists in our group.
We were allowed to come in and watch a briefing being given to some of the pilots of VMM-365  (Rein) -- a class on the IFF transponder (exciting subject to be sure).  We sat and sketched while the pilots sat in rapt attention:

Sketching with Victor Juhasz on board USS Bataan

While on USS Bataan, I was with a group of civilian and military war artists, our goal being to "wander about smartly" and sketch whatever scenes of interest we might find.

One of the great scenes we had the pleasure of witnessing and sketching was LCAC operations at the stern of the ship, aft, on the fantail, overlooking the well deck of the ship.

Victor Juhasz, a well-known and accomplished illustrator, courtroom artist, and war artist, was there as well, and we sketched the aft lookouts as they stood watch. We also sketched and video taped the comings and goings of the behemoths-on-air, the LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion) as they embarked and debarked the ship. What a site, what sounds! Sea and spray, fans and air jets! It was a wet and wild experience it was.
Victor draws the aft lookout, Seaman James Carr:

My sketches while on the fantail:

LCAC approaching the USS Bataan during LCAC Operations September 16th, 2016

Aft Lookout on USS Bataan, September 16th, 2016

Seaman James Carr, Aft Lookout on USS Bataan, September 16th, 2016

Here's a cool video of one of the LCACs coming up to enter the well deck of Bataan:

And one of the LCACs disembarking the well deck of Bataan:

Evening Colors!

While still in port, I also got to witness another wonderful military and US Navy tradition: Evening Colors-- the ceremony every day wherein the flag, or National Ensign, is lowered at sunset, while the tune, "Retreat" is played in the background.
I got a video of the sailors lowering the colors on the 13th of September, the last day we were to be in port. I hope to use it as reference for a painting or some sort of color sketch.
Here is the video:

Cezar and Bella, Marine Working Dogs

On September 12th, while we were still in port, we had a chance to meet and sketch some MWD, or Military Working Dogs, which were part of the 24th MEU on the USS Bataan (LHD-5).

We met Cpl Sunsette Winsler, and her tracker dog "Bella," and LCpl James Nemger, and his IED dog, "Cezar II."

We photographed them as they sat with the dogs and tried to have the dogs sit for us as we sketched. We sketched as good and as fast as we could, and had moderate success. What started as a dog portrait session quickly turned into a rapid draw gesture drawing session, where the sketches became more like impressions than portraits! But I think we captured a bit of the personalities of the dogs, if not the exact likeness!

Cpl Winsler and Bella

Polishing the Brightwork

The first sketch I did while aboard Bataan was of a young sailor doing what so many have done for centuries now-- making all the shiny brass things stay just so!  "Polishing the brightwork" as it is called, is a great Navy tradition.

So when I was wandering about smartly on deck the first day and saw a sailor engaged in this activity, I had to sketch it! So I got out my pencil and sketch pad and dashed off a quick contour drawing of the scene. Here is the modest result (a doodle of sorts, but it captures it):

Away to the USS Bataan!

I just got back from eleven days out with the Navy and Marine Corps, visiting two ships: the USS Bataan (LHD-5) and the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19). I was given the great privilege of getting on board and underway with the 24th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit), to see them work and train on board the ships, and to sketch and photograph their activities!

I also had the privilege of doing art with several other war artists of note: Marine Combat Artist Col. Craig Streeter,  Marine Combat Artist CWO2 (ret) Mike Fay, and War Artists Victor Juhasz and Richard Johnson. Together we "wandered about smartly," finding people and things to sketch, to document for posterity the goings-on aboard a modern US naval vessel.

Richard Johnson and Michael Fay sketching and photographing Marines of the 24th MEU while they board USS Bataan (LHD-5) September 11th, 2016.

 War Artist Richard Johnson sketching on the fantail of the USS Bataan (LHD-5)  Sept 12th, 2016

War Artist and Illustrator Victor Juhasz sketches in the Ready Room on USS Bataan, September 16th, 2016.