USN's 6th MCPON Passes Away
Retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) William "Bill" H. Plackett died peacefully the evening of March 4. He was 78. Plackett became the sixth MCPON Oct. 1, 1985. He relieved Billy C. Sanders and held the job for three years before Duane R. Bushey assumed duties in September 1988. Plackett was born in Paxton, Illinois, and joined the Navy at the age of 19 in 1956. He attended radarman "A" school in Norfolk, Virginia and was assigned to the Naval Control of Shipping Office in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He served tours aboard Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet embarked upon amphibious force command ship USS Mount McKinley (AGC 7), and Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy.
"Iron Nickel's" Last Voyage
USS Peleliu (LHA 5) returned to Naval Base San Diego Dec. 24 from a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific. Upon return, the ship will make preparations to decommission in March after 34 years of service, 17 deployments and more than a million miles transited, and as the last remaining Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship. During the ship's deployment Peleliu, its crew, Commander, Amphibious Squadron Three, Special Purpose Marine Task Force Three and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 participated in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2014 as part of U.S. 3rd Fleet. Upon assignment to 7th Fleet, the ship embarked Commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet…
US Navy Divers Support ROK Ship Recovery
Sailors of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 Platoon 501 based out of Sasebo, Japan, are diving in the Yellow Sea in support of the recovery and salvage of the Republic of Korea Ship (ROK) Cheonan. "We're here to offer all the help we can. We're ready to step in anytime and dive or assist hands-on in any way we can," said Navy Diver 3rd Class Andrew Kornelsen, a Madison, Wis., native.
U.S. Support to ROK Salvage Ops Leadership Change
Commander, Amphibious Force Seventh Fleet, Rear Adm. Rich Landolt, has assumed the duties as the senior naval officer in charge of U.S. Navy assistance to the Republic of Korea (ROK) in their salvage efforts for the ROKS Cheonan Apr. Landolt has been on-site for several days to assess the situation and acclimate his staff to the mission. Additionally, he has met with the ROK lead for the salvage efforts, Vice Adm. Kim Sung-Chan, and his staff aboard ROKS Dokdo several times to coordinate future plans. His ship, USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), will serve as the U.S. Afloat Staging Base for this operation and he has brought with him portions of his staff and portions of Amphibious Squadron 11, commanded by Commodore Mark Weber. Landolt will command of all U.S.
Essex Demonstrates Sustained Mission Readiness
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Corey Truax, Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) successfully completed a three-day evaluation, Unit Level Training Assessment-Sustainment (ULTRA-S) July 22, while returning from the U.S and Australian-led Exercise Talisman Saber 2007. A team of inspectors from the Afloat Training Group Western Pacific (ATGWP) arrived, via helicopter from Guam, to evaluate 16 mission areas including engineering, damage control, seamanship, combat systems, amphibious warfare, medical, aviation and force protection/anti-terrorism. ATGWP also reviewed Essex's Maintenance Material Management (3M) program to ensure that material readiness standards and maintenance practices continued to meet standards.
U.S., Australian Expeditionary Staffs, Ships Begin 1st Phase of Talisman Saber
The U.S. Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group 7 ships left Brisbane, Australia, on June 10, while amphibious ships of Royal Australian Navy began the embarkation of Australian soldiers in northern neighbor Townsville, launching the force integration training (FIT) phase of Talisman Saber 2007 (TS07). TS07 is a joint and combined exercise demonstrating and improving on the U.S.-Australian military alliance that will feature crisis action planning and the execution of contingency response operations in land, sea and air maneuvers. More than 20,000 U.S. and 12,000 Australian personnel will participate in the military training exercise set to enhance interoperability and regional stability.
Sasebo SRF Workers Recognized for Speedy Repairs
Thirty Japanese contractors serving under Ship Repair Facility (SRF) Detachment Sasebo were recognized May 25 for providing speedy maintenance and repairs to USS Juneau (LPD 10) and USS Tortuga (LSD 46) to get them underway in order to meet operational commitments. The repair facility workers fixed Tortuga’s 20-ton boom and Juneau’s refrigeration system in a compressed time frame. Deputy Commander, Amphibious Force, 7th Fleet, Capt. Brian T. Smith, presented each with a command coin and thanked them for their efforts. “Once again, Ship Repair Facility Detachment Sasebo met the challenges of keeping our ships operationally ready,” said Smith. “You quickly restored these vital systems, which allowed these two ships to sail on time.
