Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
SANTA RITA, Guam – A 2015 Pearl High School graduate and Mountain Home, Arkansas, native is providing a critical maintenance capability to the U.S. Navy’s submarine force in the Pacific as part of a hybrid crew of sailors and civilian mariners working aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Frank Cable.
“I am responsible for electrical safety throughout the ship and perform maintenance on portable electronics and different types of machinery,” Gray said. “I like being involved with the different divisions and learning about the ship."
Gray credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Mountain Home.
“I completed Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps in high school and most of my family is in the military, so I was able to ease into the Navy seamlessly,” Gray said.
Guam is also home to four Los Angeles-class attack submarines, Frank Cable’s primary clients, but the ship can also provide repair and logistic services to other Navy ships like cruisers and destroyers. The submarine tenders provide maintenance, temporary berthing services and logistical support to submarines and surface ships in the Pacific Ocean as well as the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
With a crew of more than 600, Frank Cable is 649 feet long and weighs approximately 23,493 tons.
According to officials at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the ships, submarines, aircraft and Navy personnel forward-deployed to Guam are part of the world’s largest fleet command and serve in a region critical to U.S. national security. The U.S. Pacific Fleet encompasses 100 million square miles, nearly half the Earth’s surface, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle and from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. All told, there are more than 200 ships and submarines, nearly 1,200 aircraft, and more than 130,000 uniformed and civilian personnel serving in the Pacific.
The integrated crew of sailors and civilian mariners builds a strong fellowship while working alongside each other. The crews are highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches and drills.
“For me, it is a good way to learn the basics of the job but you learn to interact with the different rates and learn about submarines,” Gray said.
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Gray is most proud of the work she does and her responsibilities.
“I put in a lot of work and transfered between duty sections to complete my Personnel Qualification Standards,” Gray said. “It gives me more confidence to continue to do what I am doing.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Gray and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy has helped me widen my horizons and come out of my shell,” Gray said. “I used to be a shy, timid person and now I am more confident in myself. The Navy has also helped me support my family financially.”