All Hands Magazine of the U.S. Navy is the title of a monthly magazine of the United States Navy for its sailors. It is published since August 1922 under different names; the current title was established in 1945.

It is free of charge. Publisher is the Naval Media Center in Washington, D.C., Publishing Department 2713. Responsible is Captain Gordon Hume, Commander, Naval Media Center. (Wikipedia.org)

18 Primed and Polished to Serve
Representing the Navy at funerals, inaugurations, sporting and other highprofile events and other ceremonies, the Ceremonial Guard is always out front. That responsibility and honor demands dedication from some of the finest Sailors entering the Navy.
Photo by MC1 (AW) Brien Aho

24 Charting a New Course
The San Antonio (LPD 17) class of amphibious dock landing ships are designed to support embarking, transporting and landing elements of a Marine landing force. They are at the forefront of the Navy’s next generations of warships – a class of amphibs with a strikingly different appearance and level of capability than its predecessors.
Photo by MC2(AW/SW) Jason McCammack

30 Operating Side by Side
For the Navy to operate globally at full-capability, its ships must be capable of staying at sea for extended periods of time, often where it isn’t possible to resupply in a friendly port. To do this, they must be replenished at sea. The Military Sealift Command plays a critical role in providing fuel, ammunition, provisions and spare parts to Navy ships across the globe.
Photo by MC2(AW/SW) Jason McCammack

[On the Front Cover] Civilian crew members from USNS John Lenthall (TAO 189) secure a line while conducting a refuelingat-sea with USS Mason (DDG 87).
Photo by MC2(AW/SW) Jason McCammack

Download All Hands Magazine of the U.S. Navy, June 2008

PDF format, 7.6MB, 42Pages.

The Right Place at the Right Time
Story and photo by MC2(SW/AW) Jason McCammack

Working aboard a Military Sealift Command vessel is a unique experience for a Sailor with previous fleet experience. There are perks of the job that make life at sea a bit more comfortable while underway, but there are also new challenges and hurdles to overcome – and they usually arrive when they’re least expected.

Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Victor Vazquez is one of only four Navy Sailors stationed aboard USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189), a replenishment oiler. The remainder of the crew (usually just under 100) are civilian mariners.

“I served on USS Spruance (DD 963) and also on USS Shreveport (LPD 12) so I was accustomed to the traditional Navy way of life and it was a real adjustment when I got to John Lenthall. You really get pampered on this ship,” said Vazquez.

The four-man Navy team, all operations specialists, make sure that Lenthall and the ships she is scheduled to replenish are in the right place at the right time.

“About an hour-and-a-half before an UNREP starts we establish communications with the ship on the radio telephone and by computer,” said Vazquez. “Basically, we just want to go over everything on the schedule to make sure it is going to be a smooth evolution.”

Vazquez’s friendly personality and willingness to reach out to junior Sailors have really set him apart and strengthened the Lenthall team.

“When he got to Lenthall he adapted quickly and grasped all of the operational message tasking with very little supervision,” said Lenthall Navy Detachment’s Officer-in-Charge, OSC(SW/AW) Arlene Rogers.

“He’s really the go-to-guy when it comes to our replenishment-at-sea (RAS) requirements and operational summaries and he’s a great example for junior personnel to model themselves after. Our seaman can come to him with questions and he can usually handle it before it needs to get up to the chief.”

For most ships an UNREP is something they are on the receiving end of, but not for Lenthall’s crew. They conduct multiple UNREPs on a normal day – on their most recent underway period they did seven UNREPs in a single day.

“On my first two ships, you had a pretty routine schedule that you went by,” said Vazquez. “You would have regular hours and then you had some free time to yourself. On this platform we’re on call 24/7. Anything can happen. We could have a RAS opportunity happening in less than an hour, even at two a.m. We’re here to supply whatever the Navy needs whenever they need it.”

Vazquez said he has enjoyed the opportunity to serve on an MSC ship because it’s a chance few Sailors will get in their career. He said working side-by-side with the ship’s civilian mariners was one of the highlights of his tour aboard Lenthall.

“We get along pretty well,” said Vazquez. “They’re doing their job just like we are. We have a few extra rules to live by because the Navy folks are in the military and the civilian crew isn’t, so it’s important to keep your military bearing and professional attitude.”

McCammack is a photojournalist assigned to Naval Media Center, Washington, D.C.

Visit All Hands Magazine, U.S. Navy Website

The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and is one of seven uniformed services. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 332,000 personnel on active duty and 125,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 280 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft.

The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy". Depredations against American shipping by Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates.

The U.S. Navy came into international prominence in the 20th century, especially during World War II. It was a part of the conflict from the onset of American military involvement—the attack on Pearl Harbor—to Japan's official surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. In the subsequent Cold War, the U.S. Navy evolved into a nuclear deterrent and crisis response force while preparing for a possible global war with the Soviet Union.

The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable presence in the world, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. Its ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises makes it an active player in American foreign and defense policy. The United States Navy is the largest in the world with a tonnage greater than that of the next 17 largest combined, and has a budget of $127.3 billion for the 2007 fiscal year. The U.S. Navy also possesses the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service and 2 under construction.

The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is, itself, a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking Naval officer is the Chief of Naval Operations. (Wikipedia.org)

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