THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512080488
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALVA CHOPP, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Master Chief Raymond A. ``Rick'' Tick takes a special pride in the carrier John C. Stennis.
Being the 12th crewman to walk aboard about a year and a half ago, he has seen the ship transformed from a massive hull to the high-tech city afloat it is today.
But the weaponry and workings of this carrier are not what impresses him the most.
``I could never put into words the amount of hard work these young sailors have put into this ship,'' he said. ``And the chiefs have done a great job of training the crew. It's a great crew.''
As the John C. Stennis' command master chief, Tick is the primary liaison between the commanding officer and the crew.
He's the one who listens to problems and finds solutions, the man who can be counted on to keep abreast of the crew's morale and implement ideas to make the ship a better place to work.
It's a job he fought to get.
``I wanted to be a part of the newest aircraft carrier,'' said Tick, an aviation boatswain's mate specializing in launch and recovery equipment. ``I looked forward to the excitement of putting a major command together.
``I thought it would be a lot of hard work, and it's been a heck of a challenge.''
The command master chief's job onboard the Navy's newest carrier is a coveted one. Like other pre-commissioning crew members, Tick had to pass a series of screenings to be selected.
Tick's career has led him from carrier duty aboard the Constellation during the Vietnam War, to the carrier Enterprise and to instructor duties at the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center, Lakehurst, N.J. Before reporting to the Stennis, he served in Washington as the senior aviation boatswain's mate detailer for the Bureau of Naval Personnel.
``The (pre-commissioning) crew is made up of the best,'' he said. ``At the beginning there's lot of interfacing with the shipyard and there's no one to fall back on.
``Everyone's enthusiastic at first,'' he said. ``Then reality sets in.''
With the ship under construction, the crew found themselves working without the normal shipboard necessities. There were no galleys to serve lunch and no sleeping spaces. Cavernous openings lay waiting for equipment to be installed.
Younger sailors new to Navy life had to undergo special carrier training onboard other ships and land-based facilities.
At times, Tick's fellow crewmen were spread out over 70 miles, from the Navy's facility at Cheatham Annex in Yorktown to the Fleet Combat Training Center at Dam Neck, making his job even more challenging.
But after the crew moved onboard the carrier in June and actually started working and living on the ship, Tick said things greatly improved. Then they set sail for their first at-sea period.
``The crew really gelled very fast then,'' he said, ``and they're a real cohesive unit now.''
Tick said the most common problems his crew has had were either financial difficulties or periods of separation from family members.
The fact that the John C. Stennis has female crew members has not been a major factor.
But then, Tick has an advantage when dealing with the female crew members. His own wife, Lynn, is a senior chief aviation maintenance administrator on the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower.
She was one of the first three female enlisted crew members aboard.
Tick had an opportunity to experience a military separation from the other side last year when Lynn left onboard the Eisenhower for a six-month deployment.
``I have a much greater appreciation for the Navy spouse now,'' he said. ``No matter how long you work each day, you still have to come home to an empty house.''
And this new experience will help him deal with his own crew members' problems.
``I've never worked harder or had as much fun as I have on this job,'' he said. ``This is the epitome. Everything I've done in my career has led me to this . . . and I'm happy to be here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Raymond Tick
by CNB