By Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community
Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Bronx, New York, native and 2011 St. Raymond Academy graduate is
serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Chelsea Serrano is a machinist's mate aboard
the aircraft carrier operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
A Navy machinist’s
mate operates, maintains, and repairs ship propulsion machinery, auxiliary
equipment, and various equipment throughout the ship.
Serrano is proud to
serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Bronx.
“My parents instilled a good work ethic in me,” said
Serrano.
“They also taught me to be more independent which has helped
me in the Navy.”
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world
ready at all times to defend America’s interests. 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. The Navy's
presence in Yokosuka is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy
officials.
Named in honor of former President Ronald
Reagan, the carrier is longer than three football fields, measuring nearly
1,100 feet. The ship, a true floating
city, weighs more than 100,000 tons and has a flight deck that is 252 feet
wide. Two nuclear reactors can push the
ship through the water at more than 35 mph.
Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the
ship. The planes land aboard the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an
arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft.
“Being deployed here is nice because I like the consistency
of knowing what we are doing,” said Serrano.
Serrano is also proud of overcoming her personal battle of
beating cancer. She said that going through treatment showed her that she had a
strong support system from home as well as on the ship.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard the
carrier. Approximately 3,200 men and women make up the ship's crew, which keeps
all parts of the aircraft carrier running smoothly -- this includes everything
from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining
the nuclear reactors. Another 2,500 men and women form the air wing responsible
for flying and maintaining more than 70 aircraft aboard the ship.
Ronald Reagan, like each of the Navy’s aircraft
carriers, is designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is
embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack jets, helicopters and other
aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon
assets, Serrano and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last
beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Being deployed on this ship took a while to get used
to but there’s the camaraderie and there’s always someone to talk to,” said
Serrano. “I really enjoy experiencing the different people I’ve met here and
the bonds I’ve created.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating
its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers,
stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and
from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh
Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of
the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140
aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.