Stumbled across this on my computer....completely forgot I even wrote it. It was published in some newspaper down in south Florida when I was deployed on the LINCOLN back in 2002-2003. Keep in mind the audience intended is civilian types.
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‘A Day in the Life of a Surface Warfare Officer Onboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN’
My name is LTJG Steve Wilkins. I am the Auxiliaries Division Officer on the Abraham Lincoln. I checked onboard shortly before the ship deployed and have been here for about 3 months now. This is my second division officer tour. Before coming to the Lincoln, I spent two years as the Gunnery Officer on the USS VALLEY FORGE in San Diego, CA where I earned my Surface Warfare Officer qualification. I am a graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Criminology.
Auxiliaries Division, also known as A-div or A-gang, is a division that is often overlooked in the grand scheme of ship’s daily operations. However, I assure you it is one that is quite important. It is the only one I can think of that has a direct impact on the ability of the ship to not only defend itself and carry out its mission, but also have an affect on the morale of ship’s personnel. A-gang is made up of about 120 Machinist Mates whose average age is between 21-23. They hold the massive responsibility on their shoulders to ensure the ship’s auxiliary systems are fully operational. If some piece of equipment they are responsible for is not working properly, they fix it. No questions asked. Typically, they don’t stop working on it until it is fixed. And they do this for a couple reasons. One, it’s just their nature to want their gear to work properly. However, they also understand the importance of their equipment to the rest of the ship.
Before proceeding, I should point out that there is no such thing as a typical day for me. Due to the nature of every day shipboard activity, my watchstanding duties, and division officer responsibilities, every single day is different from the last. Some days are better than others, just as in the civilian world. It’s no different here from that perspective. I do, however, have somewhat of a routine. It’s not an exciting routine, but it’s the best thing I have as I strive to achieve a sense of normalcy in a place that is nothing close to being normal.
My day usually begins at 0130 (1:30am for you civilians). As I crawl out of my rack (bed), I try not to wake my other 3 roommates as they are not on the same schedule as I am. I’ll throw on some workout clothes and head down to the gym to lift weights. I usually do this about 4 times a week. Compared to the small, make shift gym we had when I was on the VALLEY FORGE, they gyms here on the Lincoln are great. Though, I have heard other people say they’re not that great when you compare they way some of the other carriers have their gyms set up. It’s all a matter of perspective I guess. On the days I don’t lift, I may sleep in another 30 minutes, just so I don’t get the ‘routine’ thrown off. Normally, I’ll lift weights for a total of 45 minutes to an hour. I find this particularly helpful as it gets my blood pumping and my body awake. After I finish lifting, I’ll rest for about 15 minutes, get dressed and then head up to my watch station. I stand watch in the ship’s Combat Direction Center as the Combat Direction Center Watch Officer (CDCWO). Actually, I sit in chair, but we still use the phrase ‘stand watch.’ As the CDCWO, I sit next to the Tactical Action Officer (TAO) and help him maintain the tactical picture around ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The TAO is the only person authorized by the Commanding Officer to release weapons in self defense, so it’s vitally important he is aware of what’s going on around him. Currently, I’m on the 0330 to 0730 watch rotation. So everyday, I stand watch during that time. Having watch at the same time everyday helps tremendously for getting into a routine, because it enables me to achieve the most important part of any good routine….which is surely a good sleep schedule! Once I have a good sleep schedule set up, everything else falls right in place.
After I get off watch at 0730, the ship rolls right into ‘Happy Hour’ from 0735-0835. Personally, I think it’s an oxymoron as I see very few people that are happy during that hour. You see, that’s the time that ALL work onboard comes to a complete halt. The entire ship participates in a full hour of cleaning the ship. Officers, chiefs, and even personnel in the paygrade of E-6 are supposed to supervise while the rest of the crew cleans. I typically use this time to walk around to a select few of my spaces (each day the select few is different) to ensure that Happy Hour is actually taking place there. I usually chit chat for a little bit to ensure everything is going ok and then move on to another space or area my division is responsible for.
After Happy Hour is over, I head back to the A-division office and hop onto the computer to check email. Email is not only used to communicate with friends and family back home, but is also used extensively onboard for getting information out, coordinating events, or finding out the status of something. With 5000+ people onboard, it’s much easier to communicate via email than to try to track someone down in their office. I’ll usually go through my email for about 30 minutes and then I’ll head up to one of the wardrooms for a late breakfast. Since I’m on watch when breakfast is normally served, I have to eat it late. Around 0930 or so I’ll make it back into the office to do any paperwork that needs done. I personally don’t like it when paperwork starts to pile, so I try to get rid of it soon after it hits my inbox. At 1200, I’ll head into the wardroom for a quick lunch before the 1230 meeting. At 1230, all the officers in Engineering Department meet with the Chief Engineer (our department head) to go over any issues that have come up or to provide status on certain issues being taken care of.
The meeting usually lasts no more than 30 minutes. So after the meeting, I’ll go change into my workout clothes again and head up to where the cardio gym is and run about 3 miles on the treadmill. I do this 6 days a week whether I lift weights or not, only taking Sundays off. After a quick Navy shower, I usually head back into the office to email friends and family back home and to take care of any other paperwork that has come up since lunch. At 1600, I usually leave the office to eat dinner. After dinner, I typically go back to the A-division office for about an hour and head down to my room to start getting ready for bed. I may watch one of the movies the ship shows over the ship-wide t.v. system or just simply read. On most nights, I’m in bed at 1900 or 1930. Typically, I average between 6 and 6 ½ hours of sleep per night.
Of course, realize that any of this routine can easily be thrown off by any number of events such as man overboard drills, general quarters, XOI (executive officer’s inquiry), Captain’s Mast, or even ice-cream socials in the wardroom. In the end though, it’s taking one day at a time that gets you through to the next.
--------------------------
‘A Day in the Life of a Surface Warfare Officer Onboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN’
My name is LTJG Steve Wilkins. I am the Auxiliaries Division Officer on the Abraham Lincoln. I checked onboard shortly before the ship deployed and have been here for about 3 months now. This is my second division officer tour. Before coming to the Lincoln, I spent two years as the Gunnery Officer on the USS VALLEY FORGE in San Diego, CA where I earned my Surface Warfare Officer qualification. I am a graduate of the University of Florida with a major in Criminology.
Auxiliaries Division, also known as A-div or A-gang, is a division that is often overlooked in the grand scheme of ship’s daily operations. However, I assure you it is one that is quite important. It is the only one I can think of that has a direct impact on the ability of the ship to not only defend itself and carry out its mission, but also have an affect on the morale of ship’s personnel. A-gang is made up of about 120 Machinist Mates whose average age is between 21-23. They hold the massive responsibility on their shoulders to ensure the ship’s auxiliary systems are fully operational. If some piece of equipment they are responsible for is not working properly, they fix it. No questions asked. Typically, they don’t stop working on it until it is fixed. And they do this for a couple reasons. One, it’s just their nature to want their gear to work properly. However, they also understand the importance of their equipment to the rest of the ship.
Before proceeding, I should point out that there is no such thing as a typical day for me. Due to the nature of every day shipboard activity, my watchstanding duties, and division officer responsibilities, every single day is different from the last. Some days are better than others, just as in the civilian world. It’s no different here from that perspective. I do, however, have somewhat of a routine. It’s not an exciting routine, but it’s the best thing I have as I strive to achieve a sense of normalcy in a place that is nothing close to being normal.
My day usually begins at 0130 (1:30am for you civilians). As I crawl out of my rack (bed), I try not to wake my other 3 roommates as they are not on the same schedule as I am. I’ll throw on some workout clothes and head down to the gym to lift weights. I usually do this about 4 times a week. Compared to the small, make shift gym we had when I was on the VALLEY FORGE, they gyms here on the Lincoln are great. Though, I have heard other people say they’re not that great when you compare they way some of the other carriers have their gyms set up. It’s all a matter of perspective I guess. On the days I don’t lift, I may sleep in another 30 minutes, just so I don’t get the ‘routine’ thrown off. Normally, I’ll lift weights for a total of 45 minutes to an hour. I find this particularly helpful as it gets my blood pumping and my body awake. After I finish lifting, I’ll rest for about 15 minutes, get dressed and then head up to my watch station. I stand watch in the ship’s Combat Direction Center as the Combat Direction Center Watch Officer (CDCWO). Actually, I sit in chair, but we still use the phrase ‘stand watch.’ As the CDCWO, I sit next to the Tactical Action Officer (TAO) and help him maintain the tactical picture around ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The TAO is the only person authorized by the Commanding Officer to release weapons in self defense, so it’s vitally important he is aware of what’s going on around him. Currently, I’m on the 0330 to 0730 watch rotation. So everyday, I stand watch during that time. Having watch at the same time everyday helps tremendously for getting into a routine, because it enables me to achieve the most important part of any good routine….which is surely a good sleep schedule! Once I have a good sleep schedule set up, everything else falls right in place.
After I get off watch at 0730, the ship rolls right into ‘Happy Hour’ from 0735-0835. Personally, I think it’s an oxymoron as I see very few people that are happy during that hour. You see, that’s the time that ALL work onboard comes to a complete halt. The entire ship participates in a full hour of cleaning the ship. Officers, chiefs, and even personnel in the paygrade of E-6 are supposed to supervise while the rest of the crew cleans. I typically use this time to walk around to a select few of my spaces (each day the select few is different) to ensure that Happy Hour is actually taking place there. I usually chit chat for a little bit to ensure everything is going ok and then move on to another space or area my division is responsible for.
After Happy Hour is over, I head back to the A-division office and hop onto the computer to check email. Email is not only used to communicate with friends and family back home, but is also used extensively onboard for getting information out, coordinating events, or finding out the status of something. With 5000+ people onboard, it’s much easier to communicate via email than to try to track someone down in their office. I’ll usually go through my email for about 30 minutes and then I’ll head up to one of the wardrooms for a late breakfast. Since I’m on watch when breakfast is normally served, I have to eat it late. Around 0930 or so I’ll make it back into the office to do any paperwork that needs done. I personally don’t like it when paperwork starts to pile, so I try to get rid of it soon after it hits my inbox. At 1200, I’ll head into the wardroom for a quick lunch before the 1230 meeting. At 1230, all the officers in Engineering Department meet with the Chief Engineer (our department head) to go over any issues that have come up or to provide status on certain issues being taken care of.
The meeting usually lasts no more than 30 minutes. So after the meeting, I’ll go change into my workout clothes again and head up to where the cardio gym is and run about 3 miles on the treadmill. I do this 6 days a week whether I lift weights or not, only taking Sundays off. After a quick Navy shower, I usually head back into the office to email friends and family back home and to take care of any other paperwork that has come up since lunch. At 1600, I usually leave the office to eat dinner. After dinner, I typically go back to the A-division office for about an hour and head down to my room to start getting ready for bed. I may watch one of the movies the ship shows over the ship-wide t.v. system or just simply read. On most nights, I’m in bed at 1900 or 1930. Typically, I average between 6 and 6 ½ hours of sleep per night.
Of course, realize that any of this routine can easily be thrown off by any number of events such as man overboard drills, general quarters, XOI (executive officer’s inquiry), Captain’s Mast, or even ice-cream socials in the wardroom. In the end though, it’s taking one day at a time that gets you through to the next.
