Sweat beads on the head of a Sailor as they edge their way up a ladder. Their breath comes out slow and heavy as they repeatedly attach and detach the D-ring of their safety harness onto the rungs of the ladder. Tools rattle and clang together on their tool belt as they ascend the main mast aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to conduct maintenance on the URN-32, or Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN), which sits at the upper-most point of Ike on a three-to-five-foot wide platform.

Sailors assigned to combat systems’ CS-6 division aboard Ike have similar experiences as they climb up to 250 feet above the flight deck to maintain the ship’s eyes.

The term “aloft” refers to anywhere 15 feet or higher, to the point where a harness is required. The term applies to Sailors working not only on the mast, but over the side of the ship as well. While a few different departments go aloft, the duty falls mainly to combat systems.

“We primarily do preventative maintenance up there,” said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Krystal Paquette, CS-62 work center supervisor. “That consists of lubing up our gear, checking oil levels and weather-proofing connectors. We have to do that while we’re in port because we don’t do it often while we’re underway due to the dangers. We also do corrective maintenance, which is when we go up and fix something to the best of our tactical ability.”

“Limited space is one of the difficult things to work with up there, as well as fear,” said Senior Chief Electronics Technician Demetrius Hinkle, radar leading chief petty officer. “Not everybody goes up because they love it. Sometimes you have to climb on the equipment to do what you have to. My people are up on those big antennas, and if you use your full strength to pull on it you could easily slip. Making sure you properly plan so that you don’t have to come all the way back down after climbing all the way up is another difficult aspect of the job.”

Hinkle said they are the electronic optics of the ship, which see dangers that can’t be seen with the naked eye, and take care of them.

“I’m afraid of heights, but I go aloft because it’s part of my job,” said Electronics Technician Seaman Apprentice Joselyne Falcones, TACAN technician. “At the end of the day, we all have a job to do. Mine is to face my fear, go up there and do what I have to do. Irony of it is, I work on the highest part of the ship. I feel alive when I go up there. That fear I have is a constant reminder that I’m human and it’s okay to be scared.”

Falcones explained that TACAN’s primary function is to send and receive signals from aircraft so they can find Ike in the ocean. Falcones also said her job is to ensure the data from the aircraft acquired by the TACAN is accurate, that the aircraft are landing and taking off safely, and to provide help for operators and whomever else is critical to the mission.

“There are dangers to this job, just like any other,” said Hinkle. “Some dangers are fall hazards, securing your tools and other materials especially inbetween flight operations, and not being complacent. Make sure you’re tied off and doing your safety checks. Also ensure you’re using your other safety equipment properly so that it’ll suspend your fall.”

Inclement weather, wind speeds above 25 knots, and darkness are also dangers to aloft workers. In fact, they won’t go aloft under these conditions, unless there’s a mission-critical emergency.

“Falling is a huge danger, which is why you have to go through us to get qualified,” said Paquette. “We need to know you won’t get yourself hurt or worse. Foreign object debris is another danger, more so for the flight deck than us. You don’t want a tool to fall and destroy an engine or hurt a fellow Sailor.”

Paquette said to keep aloft Sailors safe, departments tag out radars and equipment that require maintenance, which prevents them from rotating and radiating. There are also cut-off switches inside of the masts which stops the rotation and radiation of whatever equipment may be on outside. If the equipment should rotate or radiate, a Sailor could be injured or killed. Sailors are equipped with a harness, a safety sleeve, and a lanyard. On the back of the lanyard is a shock absorber which can support a certain amount of weight, should anything happen.

“When we’re training, we’re training on how to wear the harness properly and also how to utilize that lanyard because that’s what’s ultimately going to save us,” said Paquette. “We hook up to two different points, or eyelets, either on the equipment or the railing. If you fall, it creates this Y pattern, and you kind of dangle there. You’re safe, but you’re dangling.”

Falcones said it’s tiring to climb to the top of the mast. Combine that with fear, and some people panic and try to go back down. Sailors aloft should trust their safety equipment. It’s all there for a reason, and it works.

“My favorite part about going aloft is the view,” said Hinkle. “I love being able to take in the gravity of seeing the vast ocean. Sometimes you can see someone off in the distance, and you really get to see how big the world is. You have a 360-degree view of everything around you, and even though an aircraft carrier is so big, you see how small it really is in the grand scheme of things. You’re up so high, you can see the curve of the Earth. It looks almost like you could just go over and nobody would ever find you.”

Paquette said she loves going aloft, especially when Ike is underway. During deployment, they would go aloft during every replenishment-at-sea and watch. She claims that it’s the best view of an RAS on a ship. The feeling extends to in-port periods in other countries.

Paquette said in order to get aloft qualified, a visit to CS-6 division is necessary. The Ike Share Point also has the qualification packet and the training schedule.

“When you hear that aloft call, just assume that everybody and their mom is going to be coming because everyone who can go aloft has maintenance up there,” said Paquette. “You can go aloft if you have the need and the qualification. You can’t go aloft just because you want to. You have to route an aloft chit with your name on it, and go to Combat System Maintenance Central. They’ll ask you a bunch of questions, ask how far you want to go to determine what equipment you’ll need.”

Training is typically held Fridays at 1300 in Radar 6 at 03-189-7. There will also be training at 1000 in Radar 6 on July 17.

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