A 2007 Santa Fe Trail High School graduate and Overbrook, Kansas, native is serving aboard the future USS Tulsa, a littoral combat ship homeported in San Diego.
Petty Officer 1st Class Weston McCoy is a boatswain mate responsible for mooring, anchoring, safe boat operations, mission bay operations to include the on/off load of vital equipment needed for a specific mission. He is also responsible for the safe landing of helicopters on the flight deck.“I enjoy the variety my job entails, from putting a rescue boat in the water, precision anchoring, mooring the ship, landing helicopters, operating heavy machinery - the list goes on,” said McCoy. “There is also all of the people you get meet from all walks of life. It really opens you up to new things.”
Tulsa is an Independence variant littoral combat ship that is a resilient flexible warship, designed from the keel up to affordably take on new capabilities – from advanced core weapons systems to the latest in trimaran hull design and propulsion systems. Its speed, strength and versatility make it a critical tool to help our sailors achieve the mission.
Littoral combat ships are a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, while capable of open-ocean tasking, and win against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines, and swarming small craft.
McCoy has carried lessons learned from his hometown into his military service.
“I grew up in a small town where you always helped out your neighbors and here you help out your shipmates,” he said. “I also grew up knowing what hard work was and the self-accomplishment you got from doing it. That hard work ethic carries over well in the military especially aboard Tulsa with this small crew.”
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Tulsa. Increased automation equals a smaller crew. In the case of LCS 16, that is a core of 70 men and women who keep all parts of the ship running smoothly. Minimally manned crews place high demands on sailors. Each crew member performs a number of tasks outside of their traditional job or area of expertise.
“On any given day Tulsa sailors are asked to perform the duties of two or more Sailors on any other surface ship,” said Cmdr. Drew Borovies, the future USS Tulsa’s commanding officer. “Tulsa’s successes to date are a testament to her sailors’ in depth technical training, willingness to put in long hours to get the job done, and commitment to taking care of their ship and each other. They truly are the best that the Surface Navy has to offer!”
McCoy has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather served in the Navy in Vietnam as an electrician and was selected to decode Morse code,” said McCoy. “One of my older brothers is currently serving in the Army. I also have had distant family members serve.”
McCoy’s proudest accomplishment isn’t the time he saved some kids stuck on a jetty, his advancement through the ranks, or even the hundreds of evolutions he helped safely get through. As a leader, he relishes watching his junior sailors learn their jobs, advance in rank and get recognized for their hard work.
“When they come up to you and thank you for helping them out, that’s my proudest accomplishment,” McCoy said. “It’s not just about me.”
As a crew member aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s high-tech littoral combat ships, McCoy and other Tulsa sailors are proud to be part of a warfighting team.
“Serving in the Navy means a great deal to me because I get praise from my family all the time and strangers thank me for my service,” McCoy said. “I know I am not doing it just for me, but for everyone in America. Neither one of my grandfathers got to see me put on the uniform. I know that they would have been proud of me."
Tulsa is the fifteenth littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the eighth of the Independence variant. It will be the second ship to be named to honor the city and citizens of Tulsa – Oklahoma’s second largest city. During its February 16, 2019 commissioning ceremony in San Francisco, the warship will be officially placed into active service. The ceremony includes “bringing the ship to life” and other orders rooted in centuries old naval tradition.
For information about the commissioning ceremony, visit https://www.usstulsa.org/.