As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...
Rescue and salvage ship USNS Grapple won the 2007 Department
of the Navy safety excellence award in the Military Sealift Command
category, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced today.
The 255-foot ship is currently operating out of Norfolk, Va., and is
crewed by civil service mariners and a small military detachment of
active-duty Navy sailors.
Grapple's crew was recognized for both successfully transitioning the
ship from military to civilian operations and safely completing its
missions with a substantially smaller crew.
"It's difficult taking a Navy ship of 20 years and converting it into
civilian mode," said Capt. Curt Smith, Grapple's civil service master.
"They had up to 120 crew members and now we're operating on 26."
Not only did Grapple pass its first Ship Material Assessment and
Readiness Training (SMART) assessment, but the crew has also
initiated and hosted on-board safety trainings and developed a ship-
board training manual outlining firefighting and lifesaving capabilities
and functions of the ship.
"The entire crew is a part of our safety program," said Smith. "Safety
isn't something with think about a couple of times a month - it's part of
our routine."
The Department of the Navy safety excellence award program recognizes
Navy and Marine Corps teams, ships and installations for exceptional
commitment to safety and operational risk management.
In the announcement message, Winter extended his personal
congratulations to the winners, telling them, "Your achievements serve
as visible examples of how increased safety performance directly
contributes to improved mission readiness. Thank you for your initiative
and ingenuity."
The award ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., in October.
Grapple is one of four rescue and salvage ships whose capabilities include
rescue and assistance, off-ship fire fighting, recovery of submerged
objects, diving and salvage and towing. It was decommissioned and
transferred to MSC in 2006.
Military Sealift Command operates approximately 110 noncombatant,
civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, chart ocean
bottoms,conduct undersea surveillance, strategically preposition
combat cargo at sea around the world and move military equipment
and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.
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