(Hint: It isn’t the captain.)
As Captain Kevin Lenox of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz tells it, everyone will get their chance to be the most important person on this 1,092-foot, 4.5 acre floating piece of American sovereign territory.
And at about 2 a.m. on July 13th, 2019 one sailor did just that. Noting a slight clicking noise on the number 2 shaft, he called it in and the shaft was shut down to prevent any damage. “At that moment, that sailor was the most important person on this ship,” said Lenox. “I can’t be everywhere and I rely on everyone working here to do their jobs.”
Climbing up and down a tight ladder way to check each of the four engine shafts is something that you can either speed through in 45 minutes and then take a 15 minute break or you can do the job thoroughly like the sailor did today explained Lenox.
A scheduled refueling of 1.5 million gallons of aviation fuel was delayed but Lenox was unconcerned. I need a driver “who can keep it to half a degree” and with one propeller shaft shut down, it makes the job considerably harder, said Lenox, adding that he regularly meets with groups of crew-members new to the ship and reminds them that at some point, each one of them will be the most important person on the Nimitz.
| Thanks to the United States Navy for the opportunity to visit the USS Nimitz and see and experience first-hand what life aboard looks like. |
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