By PCU Minneapolis Saint-Paul Public Affairs
2022 is off to an exciting start for the crew of PCU Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21). Over the course of six weeks, three waves of crew members traveled to Escanaba, MI to begin laying the groundwork to move aboard the ship.
The Engineering Department made up the majority of the first wave which arrived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during the first week of January. The first few weeks for the engineers were filled with “walking the spaces and checking the alignments [of each system] to see if there were any discrepancies,” said Electronics Mate 1st Class Christopher Reisch. “The weather was a big transition, but workwise, it was refreshing because we are able to work on a ship again.”
The remaining Sailors arrived just before President’s Day and immediately began working to help the ship in preparation for move aboard. The largest operation the crew contended with was the on-load of all the ship’s tools and materials. Coordinated Shipboard Allowance List onload, or COSAL onload as its commonly referred, included bringing aboard everything from pens, mattresses and flak jackets for anti-terrorism watch standing. The entire evolution took four days and involved all hands to ensure that each department received their required items and were able to store them appropriately.
“COSAL onload is a big deal in the LCS community,” said Senior Chief Logistics Specialist Martina Forde, the ship’s supply officer. “Thankfully, we had a great COSAL onload and we’re happy to be able to get it done and support the crew.”
The following week, Lockheed Martin representatives provided refresher training on a variety of the ship’s weapons, engineering and communications systems.
“Our instructors were extremely knowledgeable and gave amazing refresher training on our systems,” said Fire Controlman 1st Class David Shumway. “They went above and beyond to make sure we have the expertise needed to successfully bring the ship to her homeport in Florida.”
The coming weeks are sure to be even more eventful as the crew officially moves aboard and continues to carry out the inspections and certifications across each department that are necessary to bring the ship to life.
