Hello, My Name is _______________

     My name is USS Chafee. I live in Peral Harbor Hawaii and love my career as a US Naval war ship. I was commissioned in 2003 as an AEGIS destroyer. I am named after former Rhode Island senator and secretary of the Navy John Chafee. I work hard transporting my family around the Pacific Ocean so they may carryout their duties as United States Sailors.
     I love star gazing, watching sunsets, and long ocean cruises. However, the salty seawater does a number on my skin! It will rust my equipment if I don't keep it in check. The crew spends much time rinsing my surface with freshwater from hoses and much physical labor to chip and repaint where they were too late. They work up a good sweat, especially so close to the equator. I like to think it's a labor of love, but without me they wouldn't make it long.
    Recently, I've enjoyed a number of flybys of jets, helo flight operations, and we've even played war games with some of our allies in a large training event. With all the excitement we haven't been able to stop much. My guys are feeling the drag of deployment...we've entered the dark ages. What excitement there was before we left, has diminished as the days and weeks drone on without a port visit.
    There has been many efforts in keeping morale up. Sunday picnics on the flight deck have become a crew favorite. Enjoying grilled food, games, cigars, and watching the sunset. Fishing and movie projections are a bonus too! They have shown interest in many tournaments and competitions ranging from card games, to video games to talent shows, and photo submissions. Almost daily, there are gun shoots to participate and learn. The M240 machine gun was a few days ago and that was pretty amazing. One particular sailor (me!), helped carry the ammo and both guns up 4 floors (or decks as we call them) and was exhausted long before getting to shoot. There have also been M9, shotgun, .50 cal, and our 5" gun/cannon shoots. All guns need to be in working order, and those operating them are required to be proficient. The said sailor is also learning how to load and operate the 5". One round of this ammo is 70 lbs.! Lifting weights are in order if she is to load more than 5 rounds at a time....
     With all this, still the most talked about event is our next port visit, still to be determined. As always, I will do my best to deliver them safely. Hopefully it will be soon!

NavySpeak of the Day:
Belay my last; used to make a correction when you misspeak.
Example: "The girl has red hair, belay my last, she had blond hair."