By Mass Communication Specialist Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community
Outreach
Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward
YOKOSUKA, Japan – A Honolulu native and 2012 Mililani High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard
the guided missile cruiser, USS Chancellorsville.
Seaman
William Richardson works in the deck department aboard the forward deployed
Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. Chancellorsville is one of three cruisers
forward-deployed in Yokosuka.
A sailor in the deck
department
maintains and preserves the
exterior surfaces of the ship, handles deck machinery and equipment, handles
mooring lines, handles cargo, operates small boats, and takes part in various
evolutions such as search and rescue and underway replenishment.
“I spent a few years on a commercial fishing trawler and the experience was
great because it taught me to work hard and I learned a lot about deck handling
which has helped me in the Navy,” said Richardson.
With more than 50 percent
of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing
through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in
this part of the world.
"Our alliance is rooted in
shared interests and shared values," said Adm. Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific
Command. "It's not hyperbole to say that the entire world has
benefited from the U.S.-Japan alliance. While our alliance helped stabilize the
region after the Second World War, it also enabled the Japanese people to bring
about an era of unprecedented economic growth. And for the last six decades,
our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have worked side by
side with the Japan Self Defense Force to protect and advance peace and
freedom."
Approximately 300 men and
women serve aboard the ship. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each
part of the cruiser running smoothly, according to Navy officials. They do
everything from maintaining gas turbine engines and operating the highly
sophisticated Aegis weapons system to driving the ship and operating small
boats.
Forward-deployed sailors
are crucial to the success of the global Navy mission and earn high praise from
their leaders.
“My father was in the Army and served in the Gulf war and Desert Storm which
made me want to follow in his footsteps and make my family proud,” said Richardson. “One accomplishment that I
am proud of is that I have been tasked with splicing the ship's mooring lines
because I was recognized as one of the best people on the ship to do it."
Sailors serving abroad in
Japan are highly motivated and quickly adapt to changing conditions, explained
Navy officials.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted to be able to protect other people’s
freedom and not just for people in the U.S. but for people and friends from
other countries,” added Richardson.
A Navy cruiser is
a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger
group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with a vertical launching system,
tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns, and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
Sailors play a vital role
in the overall military mission around the world.
"The U.S.-Japan alliance
remains the cornerstone for peace and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific
region," said Harris.