Navy Dock Masters Serve Vital Function For Pearl Harbor

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Navy Dock Masters Serve Vital Function For Pearl Harbor

Story Number: NNS070426-04 4/26/2007 By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman John W. Ciccarelli Jr., Fleet Public Affairs Center Detachment Hawaii PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Whether its ensuring all boats in the Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor are safe and secure or managing the training of dock staff, the job of the Navy dock master is more involved than many may realize. According to dock masters who work pierside at NAVSTA Pearl Harbor, a dock master is a self-motivated, dedicated Sailor who has the responsibility in providing the most efficient, effective and safest maritime service in the Pacific at the Navys best homeport. At Pearl Harbor, the dock master's daily routine starts early - at the break of dawn, checking all the piers for hazards. This ensures that the Sailors who work pierside have clean and safe facilities for their working environment. Dock masters are vital for Pearl Harbor facilities because without their efforts the ships that dock here would not have the resources to maintain the highest Navy standard, said Chief Boatswain's Mate Cedric White, dock master leading chief petty officer, NAVSTA Port Operations department. Our main mission is to provide the naval station with the most efficient, effective and safest service we are able to muster. NAVSTA Pearl Harbor dock masters are composed of boatswains mates, quartermasters, gunners mates and operations specialists. Sailors from these rates are selected from the best of the best in Pearl Harbor and are given specialized training for becoming a Navy dock master. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) was docked pierside, April 9 for a scheduled port visit to the aloha state. With a population of a small city, the dock masters were on their toes, making sure the duty section of the ship maintained its space on the pier and the Sailors on board the Reagan had clean facilities to use pierside. Noticing supplies obstructing the end of the pier, Navy dock master, Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Ray Guzman Nazario and Seaman Tai-Lynia Jones visited the quarterdeck of the Reagan to report the condition of the pier. We write chits for ships if they have caused a safety situation [that might become] a problem. We usually give them a warning first thing in the morning. If its not taken care of by 1300 (1 p.m.), we write them a chit, said Nazario. In the time it took for a short walk down the brow and to the end of the pier, 20 Reagan Sailors had moved all of the obstructive material from the pier into proper containers. To become a Navy dock master, a Sailor must be an E-5 or above, have superb mathematical skills, and be able to endure six months of grueling training. The training consists of 100 logged dockings/undockings, a 50-question written test and an oral board. Being a dock master has opened all kinds of doors for me, said Nazario. I have learned many new

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5/16/2012

Navy Dock Masters Serve Vital Function For Pearl Harbor

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skills outside of my rate from other dock masters who have trained me and in return I have shared the skills I have learned with them. After leaving the Reagan, Nazario pushed on to additional duties. The dock masters had to get ready for five incoming and outgoing ships and most of the command had split up to cover more of the daily duties in a timely manner. Quartermaster 2nd Class Tawanika Hawkins inspected the tattletale of the line along the boat piers, while Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Padraig J. Monahan and Nazario moved the brow of a boat and secured four deep draft camels, which are used as safety buffers between the ships and the piers. Naval Station Pearl Harbor dock masters log vessels coming in and out of Pearl Harbor -- vessels not just from the U.S. Navy, but from other countries such as China, Japan, Canada and South Korea. Foreign ships sometimes also need to have special accommodations. They provide for the ships that are not only homeported here at Pearl Harbor, but also for the ships on their way back from maritime operations, stopping here to enjoy a little rest and relaxation. With the constant flow of Navy ships in and out of the harbor, Navy dock masters are in high demand. Their specialized training plays a critical role for Pearl Harbor in planning and managing shipping movements and coordinating operations carried out by the ships captain, pilot, tug operator and linesman. Navy dock masters are now and will continue to be the unsung heroes we see pierside each and every time a ships raises and lowers their colors as their ships navigate to and from Pearl Harbor. For more news from Commander, Navy Region Hawaii, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/cnrh/.

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5/16/2012