USS Barry Host ESWS Marathon

USS BARRY, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Barry (DDG 52) Sailors participated in an Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) marathon on the mess decks aboard the ship, March 22.

ESWS qualified Sailors volunteered their time to teach to those pursuing their qualifications. Sailors who attended received one-on-one time with subject matter experts from different areas of the ship.

"It was amazing," said Richard O'Rawe, USS Barry command master chief. "Sailors showed up in big numbers to help out their fellow shipmates. The feedback has been very positive."

Qualifying for ESWS requires Sailors to complete Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) and be knowledgeable in the areas of ship's maintenance and material management system, basic and advanced damage control and deck watches in port.

Once all ESWS and ship specific PQS requirements have been signed off, Sailors have to pass a written exam with a score of no less than 80 percent. Sailors also have to conduct a hands-on walk-through of selected departments. During the walk-through Sailors are required to correctly identify important equipment and systems.

The final step in earning an ESWS pin is to complete two oral boards. One is a "murder board" that is conducted by first class petty officers, which is then followed by the chief's board and a final sit down with the commanding officer.

There are 84 Sailors ESWS qualified on Barry. There are more than 100 that still need the qualification. Barry's goal is to qualify 100 Sailors during this deployment, said Chief Operations Specialist Jerome Hormuth, USS Barry ESWS coordinator.

"I'm really happy with the marathon turn out," said Hormuth. "It just goes to show you the dedication from our Sailors who already have their pins, to the ones looking to earn it. With this many people showing up to an event like this, I'm optimistic that there are going to be a lot of Sailors ESWS qualified by the end of this deployment."

"This has been a great experience because there are a lot of us that just don't have time during the day to run around and get training and signatures," said Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Lo' Tyease Killingsworth. "I'm really grateful that our command organizes events like this for us."

The Surface Warfare Pin was first proposed in 1972 and, by 1980, several classes of the Surface Warfare Pin had been approved for issuance. Line, Supply, Staff, Special Operations and Enlisted are currently the five classes of the surface warfare pins.

"Those Sailors who wear the ESWS insignia stand out as significant contributors to USS Barry and the entire surface force," said O'Rawe.

Barry is on a routine deployment supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973.

UNSCR 1973 authorizes all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya under threat of attack by Gadhafi regime forces. JTF Odyssey Dawn is commanded by U.S. Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, III.

For more news from Commander, Amphibious Squadron 4, visit www.navy.mil/local/phibron4/.