Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) welcomed aboard sea cadets from the Battleship Missouri Hawaii Division, March 25.

The sea cadets came aboard to tour the ship and see how life is in the Navy. While aboard, the sea cadets participated in damage control training, along with fire arms training simulator (FATS).

"I think it's very important to get the cadets as integrated as possible with their active duty counterparts," said Lt. Eric Booher, executive officer of the Battleship Missouri Hawaii Division sea cadets. "It gives the Sailors the opportunity to mentor [and] provide leadership training for the cadets, and it gives the cadets the chance to see what the Navy is about and the different career opportunities they have."

A Lafayette, Indiana native expressed how leading the tour can have a positive effect on the sea cadets.

"It's very rewarding to assist in furthering the knowledge of the young minds that mirror my own when I was young," said Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Derek Rody, assigned to Frank Cable. "It's great to see them excited in your career and see the same passion to serve something greater than themselves."

Most of the sea cadets don't stop at the cadet level. They continue on with their military careers.

"Many of the kids join the Navy, the Air Force, the Army [or] the Marines," said Booher. "In fact, last year's incoming Naval Academy class was 12 percent sea cadets."

It's not only a learning experience for the cadets when they come aboard. They also get to have some fun while touring.

"My favorite part was getting to use the FATS," said Cadet Petty Officer 3rd Class Lance Deuel, lead petty officer of the league cadets. "Getting to shoot was really cool and I got to see a big improvement. It was very helpful."

Frank Cable, en route to Portland, Oregon, for her dry-dock phase maintenance availability, conducts maintenance and supports submarines and surface vessels deployed to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

For more information on Frank Cable, find us on Facebook at USS Frank Cable (AS 40), or http://www.csp.navy.mil/frankcable

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS Frank Cable (AS 40), visit http://www.navy.mil/.