Guys,
Got this from Al Stern down in Florida:
_US Fleet Forces Sets Sortie Condition Alpha, Ships Getting Underway_
(
US Fleet Forces Sets Sortie Condition Alpha, Ships Getting Underway)
NNS121026-13. US Fleet Forces Sets Sortie Condition Alpha, Ships Getting
Underway
>From U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces (USFF) ordered all U.S.
Navy ships in the Hampton Roads, Va., area to set Sortie Condition Alpha
Oct. 26 in preparation for an upcoming sortie as Hurricane Sandy travels up
the East Coast.
Adm. Bill Gortney, USFF commander, has directed ships to sortie between
this afternoon and early tomorrow morning.
USS Ashland (LSD 48) and USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) will sortie from Joint
Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va.
The following ships will sortie from Naval Station Norfolk: USS Harry S.
Truman (CVN 75), USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS San Antonio (LPD 17), USS Mesa
Verde (LPD 19), USS Ashland (LSD 48), USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), USS Leyte Gulf
(CG 55), USS Monterey (CG 61), USS Anzio (CG 68), USS Barry (DDG 52), USS
Gonzales (DDG 66), USS Mahan (DDG 72), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Mason (DDG
87), USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Ross (DDG 71),
USS Nicholas (FFG 47), USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201), USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE
13), USNS William McClean (T-AKE 12).
USS Wasp (LHD 1), USS Taylor (FFG 50) and USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) are
already underway in the USFF Area of Responsibility.
"Based on the current track of the storm, we made the decision to begin to
sortie the fleet," said Gortney. "The current timeline allows them enough
time to transit safely out of the path of the storm."
The Navy orders a sortie during potentially extreme weather conditions to
reduce the risk of significant damage to ships and piers during high winds
and seas.
Some ships will not get underway, due to various maintenance
availabilities, and are taking extra precautions to avoid potential damage. Commanding
officers have a number of options when staying in port, depending on the
severity of the weather. Some of these options include adding additional
mooring and storm lines, dropping the anchor, and disconnecting shore power
cables.
As a precautionary measure, Commander Navy Installations Command ordered
all installations in the Hampton Roads area to set Tropical Cyclone
Condition Three as Hurricane Sandy is forecast to bring high winds and rain to the
Mid-Atlantic coast. Tropical Cyclone Condition Three means destructive
winds of greater than 50 knots associated with a tropical system, are expected
within 48 hours.
A variety of information is available in support of family readiness during hurricane
season including:
- Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System,
http://go.usa.gov/kQ4,
which provides a standardized method for the Navy to account, manage and
monitor the recovery process for personnel and their families affected
and/or scattered by a wide-spread catastrophic event.
-U.S. Fleet Forces planning preparedness Web site to help families with
hurricane and destructive weather planning,
Disaster Preparedness Plans.
- State of Virginia Emergency Management,
Ready Virginia | Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), which has many resources for planning and preparing emergency kits, developing evacuation plans and addressing specific special needs for children, the elderly and others.
- Virginia Department of Transportation Hurricane Evacuation Guide,
Hurricane Evacuation Guide, which provides more
detailed information for preparing for a hurricane, hurricane evacuation and public shelters in Virginia.
AL STERN Satellite Beach FL