Navy Office of Community Outreach
SASEBO, Japan – A Bellevue, Nebraska, native is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.
SASEBO, Japan – A Bellevue, Nebraska, native is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the expeditionary submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.
Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Mayfield is a yeoman aboard the Guam-based submarine tender, one of two submarine tenders in the U.S. Navy. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy yeoman is responsible for performing administrative and clerical work aboard the ship. They deal with visitors, coordinate worldwide travel, submit passport applications, and handle various forms of military correspondence.
Mayfield is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Bellevue.
“My hometown taught me honesty and integrity and at the end of the day, you are your own person,” said Mayfield.
Mayfield’s proudest naval accomplishment is being able to volunteer and give back to the community.
The Emory S. Land made a routine port visit in Sasebo, Japan while conducting an exercise.
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 Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
With a crew of 42 officers and 600 enlisted, submarine tenders are 649 feet long and weigh approximately 23,493 tons. Their mission is to provide maintenance, repairs, hotel services, weapons reload and logistics support to deployed guided-missile and fast-attack submarines. Both of the U.S. Navy’s submarine tenders are homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam, and rotate between deployment to support the forward-operating in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility and in port in Guam to support in-port and visiting units.
Submarine tenders are additionally capable of providing repair and logistic services to deployed surface ships.
“I like the pace of working aboard the ship,” said Mayfield. “There is always something to do. My job has taught me the importance of structure. For the most part, my job is predictable. Yeomen plan for the worst, hope for the best.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Mayfieldand other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“The Navy taught me how to be part of a team while traveling the world,” said Mayfield. “My goal has been to see the world. I didn’t want to join just to sit around.”
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.