To make things easier, I'm going to use some acronyms from here out. C7F is Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, and OPT is operational planning team. Some of you will remember that I used to be in a reserve unit for Third Fleet, abbreviated C3F. Ironically, the Navy just announced it would re-establish Fourth Fleet. Each fleet has an area of responsibility around the world. C7F is the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. During any contingency in Korea, they would become the Navy Component Command. Or in other words, in charge of Navy operations. During armistice, or peacetime, CNFK is in charge.
So this event is pretty much like it sounds. We're re-writing the operational plan. The OPT is lead by members of the C7F Plans Branch, or N5. There's four of us here with CNFK N5. We had a couple other specialists from CNFK here early on, but they have since returned to Korea. There are many other C7F subordinate commands represented here, as well. Each has their own area of expertise. Most commands have just one person here at a time, though. The final group that's here is a contingent of about 15 officers from the Republic of Korea Navy, or ROKN, our allies.
Wish I had a picture of the APL-40, the barge we are working on. The barge is basically a ship that just stays pierside. Some people are joking that APL stands for "afloat prison lodging." In addition to an office, the ROKN officers and some of the C7F officers are staying in staterooms on the barge, as well. The USS Cowpens also just moved aboard (Cowpens is an Aegis cruiser just like my first ship, USS Shiloh, and we were pier-mates in San Diego. Both ships are now homeported here in Yokosuka).
We work in several different spaces on the forward half of the ship that have been temporarily converted to offices. We have the forward mess decks, the Chief's lounge, and the Officer's Wardroom. None of the food facilities are hooked up, except the ice machines and the hot water. The hot water is key. C7F brought a big coffee maker, but we also have a nice selection of instant coffee and tea that by-and-large tastes better.
Unfortunately, my group is working on the mess decks. We have to sit on those folding lunch tables with the round plastic seats all day long. There's a few extra chairs around, and if you're smart you find one and sit at the end of one of the tables.
The other creature comfort issue is head space. Yes, head space. This barge was built in 1944, and apparently people were shorter back then. A lot shorter. I've hit my head so many times I just take it in stride now. At least they've padded most of the things you can hit your head on.
In summary, at the end of a long day I hurt from top to bottom!
One of the things responsible for the lack of head-room is the ventilation pipes. They must have been added sometime in the past 60+ years since the barge was built. When we first arrived, the place was an absolute icebox. Despite being a nuclear engineer in a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, I still have no idea how heating and AC works on a Navy ship. There's certainly no thermostat. Its either on or off. One of the savvy petty officers figured out you can regulate the temperature quite a bit by adjusting the circulation fans. But overall, the ventilation just seems to magnify the outside air temperature.
Our work schedule is nominally Monday through Friday, 0730 to 1700. We've also worked most Saturday mornings. And the second weekend we were there all day Saturday and Sunday. Most weekdays go later than 1700, too. There was some consideration for the ROKN officers, who theoretically have to go eat at the base gallery between 1630 and 1800, but that really hasn't prevented us from working through dinner. I think they all have food in their rooms and can also go eat at some of the other food places on base (think Burger King, Subway, Anthony's Pizza, etc.).
As far as my own living conditions, after some initial musical rooms the first week I settled into the corner suite on the top floor of the Bachelor's Housing / Visitor's Quarters, or BH/VQ. Its a square shaped room with four quadrants: kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Only the bathroom has a door. I have my laptop set up on the counter and string the ethernet cable and phone cord across the living room. We have Armed Forces Network on the TV, but it seems to have a few more channels here than in Korea. I'm able to watch ESPN directly, for example. But AFN has its own sports channel, movie channel, and others that scrape broadcasts from other cable channels.
For food I've settled into a good routine of buying a week's worth at the base Commissary, about a ten minute walk the other direction from the piers. Pretty much the same food as I would eat at home: skillet and egg meals or cereal for breakfast, pack a sandwich for lunch, and a variety of frozen dinners for dinner.
The corner suite also puts me closest to the bus stop. Monday through Friday there are two bus routes on the base: Clockwise and Counter-Clockwise. They both run right by the BH/VQ. Fortunately the Clockwise bus makes a stop that gets us to the barge just before 0730, with enough time to get a coffee at the Seattle's Best if I want to really treat myself that day. If I miss the bus, it's only about a 10 to 15 minute walk. Just follow the crowd towards the piers. This is the C7F homeport and a major shipyard. At least the fleet has been out the past three weeks or so.
That reminds me. When we first showed up, the APL-40 was tied up across the large dry dock. A dry dock is essentially a big ditch with a door to keep the water out. They use it conduct repairs to ships' hulls. So when I say "large" I mean positively massive. There is a smaller dry dock, but this one is huge and looks absolutely ancient with massive stone blocks like the side of a pyramid. It was originally created 100 years ago. Looking at it always reminds of Indiana Jones for some reason. That scene at the end of the first movie when they are putting storing the Ark of the Covenant in a government warehouse that seems to go on for miles in the distance.
One of the most interesting things to happen so far was when they brought the USS Cowpens into the dry dock. A couple days prior they moved our barge back and out of the way. Then they flooded this giant dry dock. The next day, two or three Navy harbor tugs and several motorized barges brought the Cowpens around from its regular pier, lined it up, and pushed it into the drydock. Though we had work to do, the entire OPT stood up on the fo'c'sle of the barge for a couple hours and watched as a 100,000 U.S. Navy warship was pushed, stern first, into its new home. The next day they had closed the door to the dry dock and pumped all the water back out, leaving the Cowpens up on blocks. Rumor has it the Koreans bribed some of the Japanese shipyard workers to bring them some of the fish that inevitably wound up in the bottom. As for the Cowpens, they've already taken one of the screws off the ship. Its still an amazing site to see. I'll try to take a photo without getting in trouble.
As for liberty, the city of Yokosuka is right outside the base and there's a lot to see. All I've really done so far is go out to eat. While some of the C7F officers have cars, even many of them bike or take the train to work. Its just so congested, and there's limited parking on the base. But because its so pedestrian friendly and everything is so close, its easy to go out for dinner. The BH/VQ is right between the two main gates. We've been out several nights, usually groups of four or five. The first week we discovered a Mexican place very close by, and that has become something of a favorite. But I've also been to this sushi place a couple times. We've also ventured out a little farther on "Blue Street" to a couple of Thai places and for ice cream crepes afterwards at the mall by the train station.
As far as social events, we had an "icebreaker" the first Friday at the O Club. Its right near the BH/VQ. Afterwards I remember we went out to a pizza place off base, then three of us from CNFK wound up at a karaoke place. I remember signing part of a song. Fortunately the others were much better than me and it was pretty entertaining. The next event was the ROKN event over at this bar by the main gate. They had a nice little spread of food and an open bar. Finally, one of the U.S. officers arranged for a golf outing yesterday at Atsugi, the Naval Air Station that we flew into from Korea. Unfortunately we were getting some rain from a typhoon and it was pretty miserable playing. I only made it five holes before calling it a day. I went and did some clothes shopping while waiting for the others. But we went out for Thai food last night with about six or seven of the more senior ROKN officers.
Katie and I also celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary during this time. Fortunately, we're able to video chat via Skype. I also have a calling card that I can use from the ship. Our hours don't necessarily line up real well. Anyways, we sent each other cards and gifts. Katie also had her 30th birthday. So now we're in the same decade :)
That's it for now. My weekends usually involved doing laundry, going food shopping, and getting ahead on my studies for Naval Postgraduate School. I'm way behind on my GMAT studying. I'm hoping to take the GMAT over in Korea in July. But I just applied for a one-year recall to the Naval War College in Newport. I would earn a graduate degree from that, so the GMAT may be OBE.
Here's a photo album from the ROKN Reception.
Jake, the photographer from our wedding reception, finally finished our photos. Here's a link:
http://www.jakekoteen.com
Portfolios
Weddings
Katie and Mike (at the very bottom - oops, its not there anymore!)
Oh, here's some more contact info for me. I put a hold on my cell phone for now since it doesn't work here. But I have a phone card that I can use to call back to the States.
While at ADT with CNFK N5 at C7F OPT in Yokosuka, Japan:
michael.sharp@cnfk.navy.mil
APL-40: DSN 315-243-9305
BH/VQ: DSN 315-243-9702 room 337
Mailing address (double check with me before sending anything)
PSC 473
C7F OPT Team
FPO AP 96349
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