By Journalist 3rd Class Sean Spratt, USS Saipan Public Affairs
USS SAIPAN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Saipan (LHA 2) added a new dimension to its overall capabilities June 4, by becoming certified to carry a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) in the well deck.
Saipan was commissioned in 1977, prior to LCACs being introduced to the Navy. The LHA-class ship was built to carry Landing Craft Utilities (LCU), and was only used as an emergency holding area for LCACs.
Over the last several weeks, contractors, along with Saipan’s crew, spent significant time preparing and modifying the well deck in preparation for this certification.
“Deck department’s junior personnel spent hundreds of hours working on getting the well deck prepared for this certification, said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class (SW) Jeffery S. Harkins. “It is an awesome accomplishment and testament to the individuals who worked long, hard hours to upgrade and modify the well deck and accomplish the mission at hand.”
The well deck has gone through several major changes, the most noticeable being the synthetic well deck base, which was needed in order to transport and launch LCACs. Other changes included well deck traffic lights, a distilled water pump, two new gypsy winches, a grounding strip and a new well deck control for the LCACs, explained Harkins.
After the modifications were completed, the next step was to bring an LCAC aboard and perform actual operations for obtaining the certification.
“There are two stages in the certification process,” said Senior Chief Quartermaster (SW) Donald K. Buchanan, LCAC craft master for Naval Beach Group Two. “The first stage is the administrative side, which is getting the proper qualifications for performing operations. The second stage is brining the LCAC onboard to conduct the actual exercises.”
Buchanan said the crew of Saipan was well prepared to handle the mission, and added all of the departments involved did a highly professional job with handling all scenarios mandatory for the certification. With the official certification complete, the new task will be for Saipan’s crew to change the way operations in the well deck are performed.
“We will be transporting two LCUs and one LCAC on the deployment," said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class (SW) Curtis S. Apfel, “so we are going to have to modify the way well deck operations are performed.”
"In the past, we would flood the well deck and run our operations. However, that will have to change with the LCAC onboard. Now we will launch the LCAC from a dry well, then flood it so the LCUs can depart the ship. Once that is completed, the well will have to be drained to allow the LCAC access to inner part of the ship, and the LCUs will then run their operation at the stern gate," said Apfel.
Even with the new modifications to Saipan, it is obvious that the ship is still different than the LHD-class ship, which is built primarily for LCACs. According to one craft master, there is a somewhat surprising major difference.
“It is actually easier to maneuver the LCAC into Saipan’s well deck, because there is more room on either side of the bulkhead,” said Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (SW) Walter D. Green, craft master for Assault Craft Unit 4. “The difference being that LHAs were meant as an emergency haven, but now this upgrade makes it a great addition to the fleet, because it will be able to operate the LCAC out of the well.”
The certification was achieved during an Expedidtionary Strike Group (ESG) exercise with the other ships in the Saipan ESG and is another step in enhancing the overall operational readiness of Saipan and her crew, as the ship prepares for a deployment later this year.
