By Kayla Good, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public
Affairs
SAN DIEGO – A 2008 Dallas High School
graduate and Dallas, Pennsylvania native is serving
in the U.S. Navy as part of a crew working aboard one of the country’s most
versatile combat ships.
Lt.
j.g. Alexander
Gallagher is a ship's navigator and
a member of Crew 104,
also known as the Juggernauts, which serve aboard
littoral combat ships based in San Diego.
A Navy ship's navigator is in charge of making up navigation
plans for the ship. They decide the exact course the ship is going to take and
present it to the captain for approval.
“It's an interesting job,” said
Gallagher. “”Before I joined the Navy, the navigation aspect is what I thought
the Navy was all about. Since this is a small crew I get to have a lot of
additional jobs which keeps it challenging.”
Gallagher is part of a 53-person
crew, one of several crews that rotate between USS Freedom and USS
Fort Worth, as part of a unique crewing concept called “3-2-1,” where three
crews serve aboard two different littoral combat ships, one of which is
deployed. This innovative manning
concept allows the LCS to spend
more time forward deployed without overtaxing the crew, according to Navy
officials.
Designed to
defeat threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft,
the Freedom variant of littoral
combat ships are 388 feet
long and weigh nearly 3,400 tons fully loaded. Twin gas-turbine engines push
the ship through the water at more than 40 mph.
“Since we are a
smaller crew, I get to stand out more than I
would on a larger ship,” said Gallagher. “It's also more close knit than other ships
might be.”
According to
Navy officials, the path to becoming an LCS sailor is a long one. Following an 18-month training pipeline,
sailors have to qualify on a simulator that is nearly identical to the ship. This intense and realistic training pipeline
allows sailors to execute their roles and responsibilities immediately upon
stepping onboard.
"Sailors that work aboard this platform are expected to
be capable of performing a variety of tasks to assist in the completion of the
LCS mission," said Capt. Warren R Buller, Commander, LCS Squadron One.
"The training that is required of our sailors is rigorous and difficult.
This ensures that they are mission ready to defend and protect America at all
times."
As a crewmember
aboard one of the Navy’s newest ships, Gallagher explained they are
building a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. Crewmembers know how
important it is for the Navy to develop new war fighting capabilities to
continue their success on the world’s oceans.
“Serving in the Navy is
all about protecting the country and keeping the sea lanes open,” added Gallagher.
Through
innovative planning, the design of systems, and crew requirements, the LCS
platform allows the fleet to increase forward presence and optimize its personnel,
improving the ability of the Navy to be where it matters, when it matters.