In February, Sheet Metal Mechanic Toy White removes a cracked aft transmission support beam on an SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 48 based in Mayport, Fla. The squadron is deployed on a six-month Mediterranean Cruise on the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55). (Photo courtesy of Keith Presser) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. An In-Service Repair (ISR) Field Team from Fleet Readiness Center Southeast returned home Feb. 27 after repairing a cracked helicopter aft transmission support beam aboard a guided-missile cruiser deployed on a six-month Mediterranean cruise. Traveling 22 days through three continents and seven countries, it took Planner and Estimator Keith Presser, Examiner and Evaluator Jim Tronu and Sheet Metal Mechanic Toy White only 10 days to complete their repair mission on the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) mostly while underway. On Feb. 5, the ISR Field Team carrying aircraft parts and tools weighing more than 170 pounds flew to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. They departed the following day on a Navy C-2 Greyhound logistics aircraft for the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) assigned to Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CCSG) 12. An hour later, the team flew by helicopter to the Leyte Gulf. Page 1 of 6
We started the next day working with the squadron (Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 48) to remove the cracked aft beam on an SH-60B Seahawk, said Presser. They put in a lot of time before we got there. They removed the oil cooler and the main transmission for us to gain access to the aft beam. Berthing on the ship was limited. The team bunked with squadron personnel who gladly accepted them into their berthing area, essentially their home. The Sailors were very accommodating, Presser said. They shared whatever they had, and we really appreciated that. They were a good group of guys to work with. Morale was high. When the ship made a 3-day port call in Marmaris, Turkey, the team continued work. Their mission was a high priority for CCSG 12 and had high visibility all the way to the Chief of Naval Operations. Presser said the Leyte Gulf had only two SH-60B Seahawk Helicopters and with one down, they were at 50 percent capability. It is the bird with all the bells and whistles; it s a shooter, said Presser of the helicopter. A lot of people were trying to get us out there. It was pretty intense. Next, the cruiser made its way through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea heading for Afghanistan. We had absolutely no idea when we were getting off the ship, said Presser. While in the Gulf of Aden, the ship changed course when Somali pirates hijacked a 54-foot yacht, the Quest, south of Oman and held four Americans hostage Feb. 18. The Leyte Gulf was one of several U.S. ships monitoring the situation. Pirates killed the hostages Feb. 22 when negotiations between U.S. Navy officials and the pirates broke down. We escorted the Quest back to Djibouti; that took us three days and our communications were down, said Presser. By this time, we were done with our job, but we continued to support the squadron with getting the aircraft back to a flyable status. Once again, the Leyte Gulf changed course and headed towards Libya where riots gripped the country. On the morning of Feb. 25, the team departed the Leyte Gulf for the Enterprise in route to Bahrain, but instead they were diverted to Djibouti to wait for a flight. A Navy C-40 Clipper flew them back to Bahrain headed for Europe. After 36 hours of non-stop travel, the team finally arrived in Jacksonville Feb. 27. Page 2 of 6
It is hard to get volunteers, said Presser of the deployment. I went because this was the first aft beam in an H-60 that had to be changed due to a crack. We have seen cracks in the right and left-hand beam before, but we knew why they cracked. We don t know why this one cracked; it is a mystery. HSL-48 is mailing the cracked beam back to Mayport. The squadron will submit the component to the H-60 Fleet Support Team engineers who will inspect the structural damage and conduct an analysis to determine the cause. Planner and Estimator Keith Presser stands on the flight deck of the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) in mid-february as it travels through the Suez Canal in Egypt. He volunteered for a field repair team on the deployed ship to ensure there was no other damage associated with a cracked SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter aft transmission support beam. (Photo courtesy of Keith Presser) Page 3 of 6
Examiner and Evaluator Jim Tronu descends through a hatch leading to the berthing area he shares with Sailors while temporarily assigned to a field repair team on the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) in February. (Photo courtesy of Jim Tronu) Examiner and Evaluator Jim Tronu (left) and Sheet Metal Mechanic Toy White sit in an SH-60F helicopter waiting to depart the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) for the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as they head home to Jacksonville Feb. 25. They were part of a 3-member team that deployed in early February to the Leyte Gulf to repair a cracked aft transmission support beam on an SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter. (Photo courtesy of Keith Presser) Page 4 of 6
The Fleet Readiness Center Southeast In-Service Repair Team installed a repair fixture in the upper cabin of a Seahawk helicopter to position the aft support beam replacement properly. The team carried the 3½ feet by 3½ feet, one-inch thick aluminum fixture weighing nearly 70 pounds from Jacksonville. They cut out a small crack (left of fixture) and installed a sheet metal repair doubler to tie the sections together. (Photo courtesy of Keith Presser) Sheet Metal Mechanic Toy White (left) and Planner and Estimator Keith Presser stand by tents used for transient personnel berthing at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, as they wait for transportation back to the United States in late February. (Photo courtesy of Keith Presser) Page 5 of 6
An SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter hovers over the deck of the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) in February while deployed on a six-month Mediterranean cruise. The aircraft is flown by the Smokin Aces of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 48 based in Mayport, Fla. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of HSL-48) Sailors from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 48 remove the Hub Assembly from an SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter while underway on the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) in early February. The squadron removed aircraft components in preparation of the arrival of an In-Service Repair Field Team from Fleet Readiness Center Southeast. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of HSL-48) Page 6 of 6