Homecoming Plans

Pulling out of Singapore was bitter sweet because while I was tired after three months at sea, it was also dawning on me that the port visits were coming to a close for a while. I had not realized the preparations had already started for a homecoming upon pulling into Yokosuka. As soon as the ship had left the harbor, I was immediately engaged in one of the plans.

Apparently there is an old navy tradition that ships coming back from long deployments receive a homecoming ceremony as soon as they arrive back in port. Traditionally ships going underway from the states complete around six months at sea before returning to port. We had been underway for three months but still it is really the thought that counts. As a forward deployed ship, we go in and out of port regularly or irregularly in some cases.

The plan my skills were needed for was to sell roses to give to family members upon return. The manpower requirements were filled by the chief selects. I programed a K22, a hand held navy cash card reader, to accept payments during lunch. Sailors would be able to hand deliver a flower to their special loved ones. I thought it was a romantic and classy gesture.

As more plans were announced we learned that our pier had been changed to better accommodate large groups of family members, Senior Officers and vendors. One of the prizes during a bingo tournament was to be the first person off the ship. The crew was revved up about seeing their family and friends. I needed to make sure my sailors stayed on task for the week it was going to take to get back into port. Without any family in Yokosuka, I liked to see how much impact this homecoming was having on the crew.

At-Sea Operations

With all the planned operations in port finished, the USS CURTIS WILBUR was ready to begin the deployment phase. First, we had an Officer exchange with one of the Singapore destroyers. Then it was time to leave port and start exercises with the other American ships mixed in with various Singapore forces.

During the course of the deployment we engaged with Singapore aircraft, submarines and ships. Exercises were conducted in many different areas of warfare. Our tasks included hiding from detection by radar and aircraft, engagement of air and sea targets and tracking submarines among many others.

While all this was going on, I continued to rebuild the ship's store and improve on ship services. I had laundry and barbershop running well. With the new items I was able to purchase from the Singapore NEX, the ship's store was becoming popular. The crew seemed to appreciate a full store and the new items I was trying out for the first time. Within the course of about a week, most of the new items were gone. That might sound like a bad thing but the primary purpose of the store is too sell out items as fast as possible and then restock those items. The element I was still missing was that I was unable to restock.

We pulled back into Singapore after about a week of operations for a liberty weekend. We also needed an Officer back from the Singapore ship. I was anxious to get back into Singapore for a few more days. Singapore is an exciting city/country. It marked the first time I was able to open up with sailors from my department during a department outing. I really hope I will be able to do that again in another liberty port.

The closing ceremony marked the end of our mission in Singapore. I did not attend that particular ceremony. I was perfectly happy to just stay on the ship and relax a little before starting the trip back to Japan.

Singapore Bank Run

It was mentioned in a previous post that my funds had been severely depleted in Manila. Although I was not initially aware of there being a source of cash on the Singapore base, through some extraordinary means my SUPPO did manage to work out the logistics of resupplying Disbursing with cash. This was a really painful process, that I still shutter to think about.

First of all, I set some strict requirements before I would get the amount of cash that was required. I needed secure transport from one base to another, that meant armed security through Singapore. I also needed to set up a place to count the funds and contact information for the bank. Considering those requirements, I honestly did not think I would be able to obtain the funds. This was where the nightmare would begin.

Coordinating a time that would work for both me and the Disbursing Office on base was not going well. One of the last mornings in port, I was attending a conference on humanitarian disasters and relief. I was enjoying the conference since I played a significant role during Tomadachi with evacuation efforts. It was interesting to investigate the various problems and solutions of the last few major disasters. My SUPPO tapped me on the shoulder and pulled me out of the conference room.

Evidently he had worked out a last minute deal with the base Disbursing Office but I had to leave as soon as possible. I was already late by the time I got back to the ship. I needed to find an escort from the ship and then jump in the CO's sedan to leave base. After dropping us off outside of base, we waved down a taxi and rode out to the American base. I got drilled for being late, not really my fault, but oh well. I counted the funds and then asked who would be providing an armed escort back to the ship. Evidently the guards present during my count were only there to deliver the funds to that location. That eventually got worked out with a call to base security.

Here is where things got really interesting and confusing. Since personal from my ship were not allowed to carry weapons off ship, I needed other arrangements. After coming out of the Disbursing Office, I was directed to an armored vehicle, basically the same type that makes cash deliveries to banks. I was wondering if I needed to find a pair of handcuffs to attach my money bag to my wrist. The armored truck drove across Singapore and parked just outside of the Singapore base.

This caused more confusion, evidently this operation had not been successfully communicated between American and Singapore authorities. My armed escorts did not have clearance to enter the base. I was told that I would need to leave the truck and enter the base on my own. I flat out refused this offer, and said other arrangements were going to be needed. The two security forces went back and forth for a few minutes and reached an agreement. My one escort from the ship would wait at the gate while the armored truck delivered me to the ship. After the truck returned to the gate, he would be free to walk back. I took the compromise, although my shipmate was not all that happy about the prospect of walking back.

The mental picture I was getting of pulling up next to my ship in an armored truck was quickly realized. It caused some curious looks on the quarterdeck. Two armed guards escorted me up to the quarterdeck. I needed to sign a contract that they had adequately performed their duty and then was finally done. That was a rough few hours, I had to make quite a few decisions and issue orders in rapid succession. I did not feel great setting conditions for Singapore sailors. I am not sure what the chain of command would have been if it came to giving an order with three different commands involved.

Singapore Shore Patrol

Three days into the Singapore port visit and I had yet to set foot outside a military base. I am just going to accept the fact that port visits can become a nightmare for Supply Officers if everything does not go according to plan. This day I happened to be on duty anyways so I was stuck on the ship for that reason. I knew I was scheduled for Shore Patrol that night so that was a slightly comforting thought. At least I would be able to leave the ship.

To get off the base we took a bus to a train station where we could either ride a train into the city or find a taxi. I had to exchange currency at the train station, luckily Singapore is a bit more civilized than Manila so I felt alright in using their ATMs. The drawback of that civilization was than the dollar did not match up as well as it did in Manila.

The next question was where to go or to put it a little more bluntly, where the crew was going. Singapore is a big city but there are a few spots where most of the sailors tend to congregate. The petty officer with me seemed to know where we should go so I followed his directions.

Singapore has a thriving tourism industry. There were plenty of Americans, Europeans and Australians walking around. The population was the most diverse I had seen since coming to Japan. Aside from western cultures, I saw Japanese, Koreans, Indonesians, Indians and Russians along with many others. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures that could probably only be matched in the states. It was interesting to walk around the city and look at the different restaurants and shops. You could buy everything from a steak to ramen. There was a bar that served their drinks in IV bags and another where everything was made of ice.

Considering all the distractions I was having to deal with, I was starting to think it might be a long night for my patrol. Luckily I had the early patrol so most of the crew was not out and about yet. It gave me the perfect opportunity to scout out all the hot spots for later reference. A few minutes before our relief showed up in a duty vehicle, I started seeing crew members arriving. This day happened to be ladies night so I was glad to go back to the ship without having to deal with any issues. The next patrol did not have any incidents either.

Singapore NEX

Since my Chief left as soon as we moored in Singapore, it was now completely up to me to resupply my almost empty store. In Yokosuka, I could order most of what I wanted by email, not here in Singapore. Keeping in mind that my ship was currently sitting in a Singapore Naval Base, I needed to find transportation over to the US Naval Base. That base was about an hour away.

This was a new process for me, I had just started learning how to obtain supplies from the NEX and commissary in Yokosuka. I made a list of everything I was looking for and reminded myself to keep on open mind because I needed to fill my shelves with whatever my crew wanted. I really opened my horizons on this trip. Some of the items I ordered were ones that had never been sold in the ship's store. I added items like sunflower seeds, fruit cups, mints, and Skyflakes (crackers).

When I was paying for these new items, my Captain and XO walked in. They were a little surprised to see all the boxes stacked up but seemed to appreciate the effort. I was very curious to see how the crew would react to all these new items. The only issue to come up, and I was aware of this before coming to the NEX, was that none of the quantities I bought would last long. The store would only be filled for a week or two at most.

The unanticipated problem was how to get all these boxes to my ship. Normally items are just trucked from a supply center to the ship but since my ship was on a different base, this was a bit more complicated. My SUPPO ended up contacting the husbanding agent and renting a flatbed truck. This was the first time I had any logistical role. The only thing I can say about logistics at this point is that it is a major headache. Hopefully I will get better at putting all the pieces together at the right place, time and price. I think it is just going to take more practice.

Singapore Opening Conference

The exercise in Singapore officially started with an opening ceremony in summer white uniforms. It was an awesome sight to see everyone their whites. Granted it is by far the hardest uniform to keep clean but leaves quite an impression. A few Sailors, Chiefs and Officers were chosen to represent every department on the ship. A bus was chartered to pick us up from the pier and take us to the conference building. The ceremony highlighted last year's efforts during the previous exercise. It has become an honored tradition for the US Navy to work with the Singapore Navy.

A Singapore Admiral introduced himself and relayed his impressions of the US Navy through his experiences as a young Officer aboard a US warship. It made me wonder how I will reflect on my own experiences over the past few years in the Navy. The long history shared between many of our allies in Asia is a tremendous asset. The next person to speak was an American Admiral. He highlighted the success of our relationship with Singapore over the years and his hope for what the future will hold.

After the speeches were over, a brunch was conducted with some interesting Singapore dishes. The food was great but I was more concerned about not getting anything on my uniform. I socialized mostly with Officers from the other destroyer, including the Assistant Supply Officer who I had meet the day before during the problems establishing port services. Afterward the bus returned us to the ship to start the operation. The day ended up being oddly quiet otherwise, I was able to get caught up on some important projects.

Singapore Arrival

I was coming into Singapore on a high point. My LTT was finished with decent results and a three month cruise was almost over. My depleted ship store could restock on supplies, albeit expensive ones. I had heard stories about Singapore, most of them about just how expensive everything was.

Pulling into port was the first time I wore my summer whites since graduating from Supply Corps School. We were about to start an important conference with at sea fleet exercises to follow. First we needed to negotiate the busiest strait in the world. We moored at a Singapore Navy Base. There was a large American Naval Base not far away on the island but being in the Singapore Base made interacting with an allied navy much easier. A destroyer from Hawaii and a US submarine joined us. For a smaller country Singapore can boast an impressive and modern navy. Their abilities improve every year as they train with US forces.

I wanted to get out and explore the country right away but obtaining port services and stores proved to be difficult. There were numerous problems for both SUPPO and me in our initial dealing with local vendors. The other destroyer was having the same issues. The brutal heat was not making things any easier.

I was still out of cash from Manila so the crew was a little upset. I finally got the money exchanger set up but without much currency, I do not think he did much business. After everything calmed down and essential services were established it was fairly late. I decided to call it a night since I had a watch at two and an opening conference to attend the next morning, this would be my first foray into foreign diplomacy.

Second LTT

After experiencing the first Supply Department LTT, to say I was not looking forward to a second one would be an understatement. I had spent the last few months rebuilding from the first and still had some issues that needed corrections. It was going to take the supply chiefs all of a few minutes to find those issues.

Being underway during the inspection was something new. I had a few other priorities to contend with. Keeping my Disbursing Office hours and making sure all the other services continued to run as scheduled were causing me headaches. These inspections ended up taking on a little bit different tone than I was expecting though.

Most of my records had been examined during the first LTT, so the focus was on training my new records keeper and interacting with the rest of the division. My sailors are extremely hard workers but we all lack for time to train properly. I really appreciated their willingness to pass on some of their knowledge.

They still did an out brief with the captain that highlighted some of the sales division weaknesses. This time the list was much smaller, which was not altogether bad news. I was looking forward to making the necessary corrections with my records keeper. I ended up feeling a little more comfortable with the current status of my division. There will be one more LTT coming before the SMC. So I have one more practice inspection before the real thing. As long as I keep improving, there should not be any problems.