THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190468
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SEAMAN RUSS GAMBLE
DATELINE: ABOARD THE CARRIER AMERICA LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Living in a highly developed, technically advanced society, many Americans have come to expect that the amenities will always be there. The thought is often, ``If you pay your electric bill, you get electricity.''
This isn't always the case in Third World nations, as sailors from the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier America found earlier this month.
Haiti's second-largest city, the northern coastal community of Cap Haitien with a population of more than 60,000, lost its electrical power. The America's crew was called upon Oct. 4 to help restore it.
Cap Haitien's power plant had suffered the loss of three or its four diesel generators, said Lt. Aaron Craycroft, an avionics officer with the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department aboard the America.
Using an emergency generator, the power plant operators were trying to provide electricity to the city with less than half its capability.
The plant would shut off power during the day in order to accommodate as many residents as possible at night.
After American troops realized the severity of the situation, they set to work repairing the generators. First, they rounded up eight fan belts, which were slightly larger than the original equipment. The three realized they needed a tensioning pulley to take up slack on the belts.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Nagel, from America's machine shop, responded by cutting grooves for the belts into a 2 1/2-inch-thick brass cylinder. After running a shaft through the newly cut cylinder and attaching an adjustable bracket, the pulley was complete.
``It makes me feel really good, making something that literally benefits an entire city,'' Nagel said.
Once the part was ready, Craycroft and Ager helped carry it to the Haitian city.
Through a Creole translator, Craycroft and his crew explained to the Haitian plant operators how to attach the tensioning pulley to the generator.
Then they inspected a transformer at the plant, searching for a way to bring up a third generator.
They discovered one of the coils was burned out and realized they could bypass it.
With the repairs complete, Craycroft said, the generators should provide about three-quarters of the plant's overall potential electrical output.
He also stressed that the Haitian people were cooperative and showed pride in their work.
``The Haitian people have been left with virtually nothing,'' he said. ``They are working against incredible odds to get anything accomplished. They aren't even being paid. They are going to work just to ensure that their city has power.''
The America's crew worked with the Navy's 37th Engineering Battalion to carry out the job. Others from the crew helping in the effort included Senior Chief William D. Erwin of America's electrical division, leading Chief Petty Officer Jeffery L. Ager of the boat shop, Senior Chief Donald P. Tennyson and Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Eader of the intermediate maintenance's airframes shop.
In describing the efforts by America personnel, Craycroft said, ``It is always reassuring to see just how much this team called America can accomplish.'' MEMO: Editor's note: Helping Haiti rebuild its infrastructure is one of the
missions of U.S. military forces there. A Navy journalist wrote this
account of one such effort.
KEYWORDS: U.S.S. AMERICA U.S. NAVY HAITI
by CNB