By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Claire Farin, USS Emory S. Land Public Affairs
POLARIS POINT, Guam (NNS) -- USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) temporarily relieved USS Frank Cable (AS 40) as the primary afloat maintenance activity in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility Jan. 9, allowing Frank Cable to depart its homeport in Guam and head to Portland, Oregon, for a regular overhaul and dry-docking (ROH).
"The regular overhaul involves preventive and corrective maintenance to the hull and propulsion plant and throughout the ship," said Capt. Pete Hildreth, USS Frank Cable commanding officer. "This ensures that the ship can continue on her assigned mission on Guam for eight years."
After Frank Cable's successful scheduled port visits in 2011, including Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Republic of the Philippines, and a decade of tending submarines and surface vessels assigned to the 7th fleet area of responsibility, the submarine tender is now up and ready to undergo major preservation and maintenance.
Frank Cable will make her first stop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
"We're stopping there on our way to our regularly scheduled overhaul, and the ship will be going into dry dock to do our routine maintenance that can't be accomplished in Guam," said Capt. Pete Hildreth, the Frank Cable's commanding officer.
USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), arrived in Guam from its permanent forward deployed home port of Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory during November 2011.
"Our mission in Guam is to maintain the three home ported Los Angeles-class attack submarines USS Buffalo (SSN 715), USS Houston (SSN 713), USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723), as well as those deployed to the 7th Fleet area of responsibility," said Capt. Paul Savage, USS Emory S. Land commanding officer. "We'll strive to continue the outstanding submarine repair reputation set by USS Frank Cable while she undergoes maintenance in the continental U.S."
Most of the crew from Frank Cable's Repair Department are assigned temporary assigned duty (TAD) to Emory S. Land. "We needed to keep a large portion of USS Frank Cable's highly skilled Sailors here on Guam with us. This transition went very smooth largely due to over six months of very detailed planning, and there was no interruption of submarine repair service," said Savage.
"I am extremely proud of our combined crew's hard work and commitment to accomplish, what I believe is the first-time crew merger of this type," said Savage. "With this integration, we've retained the best-of-the-best maintenance talent here on Guam and continue to provide superb support to our Submarine Force."
Following the dry-docking and maintenance, sea trials will be conducted while Frank Cable makes her transit back to Guam.
