Frank Cable Departs Guam, Emory S. Land Takes the Watch

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.

Sub Tender Transfers to Military Sealift Command

By Adrian Schulte, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) accepted responsibility for submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) Feb. 1. Cable, which is homeported in Guam, serves as a floating maintenance and logistics facility for Navy submarines.

Cable will operate as a commissioned ship with a U.S. Navy captain in charge of a hybrid crew, consisting of 157 civil service mariners (CIVMARs) and 206 uniformed Navy personnel. Other uniformed personnel will maintain and operate the on board repair facility.

Prior to the transfer, Cable was crewed by approximately 599 Navy personnel plus an embarked repair department that brought the total uniformed number to 1,363.

Operating ships with CIVMARs frees uniformed Sailors to perform critical jobs in the combatant fleet.

Cable's CIVMARs will be responsible for the ship's deck department, navigation, engineering plant, galley and steward services and will also have primary responsibility for communications and ship supply functions.

The more than 200 uniformed personnel assigned as crew members will operate the shipboard information systems, maintaining defensive weapons systems and coordinating supply functions with civilian mariners.

All departments under CIVMARs leadership have been reconfigured to combine military and civilian personnel. The transition from military to civilian will continue through the conversion period when ship's navigation, machinery automation and habitability will be modified for CIVMAR operation.

The command ship USS Mount Whitney (AS 39) and submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (LCC 20) are the only other MSC ships that retain their commissioned status and operate with a similar leadership and crewing configuration.

"We've had a great experience working with the CIVMARs and Navy personnel aboard our other submarine tender," said Rusty Bishop, MSC special mission ships program manager. "We are pleased to bring another great ship with an important mission to our program."

Military Sealift Command operates approximately 110 noncombatant, merchant mariner-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.