By Mass
Communication 2nd Class Theodore Quintana, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A St. Johns, Michigan, native and 2013 St. Johns High School graduate is
serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
Petty Officer 3rd Class William Richardson is a machinist’s mate aboard
the aircraft carrier operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
A Navy
machinist's mate is responsible for operating and maintaining steam turbines
and reduction gears used for ship propulsion and auxiliary machinery.
Richardson is proud
to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of St. Johns.
“I learned that anything can be achieved through hard work,”
said Richardson.
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.
“There is never a dull moment here; we are always staying
busy and this fast paced environment is exciting,” said Richardson.
Richardson is also proud of
receiving a letter of commendation for saving a sailor’s life during
what was supposed to be a training situation.
The sailor was in distress and his team came to his aide and without
them, the sailor may not have been alive today.
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, Richardson and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will
last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"I learned the value of
teamwork and how important it is that we work together and help each other
out,” said Richardson. “I've met a lot of really neat people and I've learned
to speak Japanese.”
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.