Ensuring clean fuel is available for the aircraft in Carrier Air Wing 7 is essential to the mission of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during deployment.

To this end, Aviation Boatswain’s Mates (Fuel) (ABFs) from the V-4 division of Abraham Lincoln’s Air Department have the primary objective of filtering the fuel the ship receives from replenishments-at-sea and transferring it to 54 ready aircraft and helicopters on the flight deck.

“We’re a tight-knit community,” said Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel)  Robert Desoto. “There’s a lot of pride in what we do. We live, eat, and breath JP-5.”

ABFs can be seen working on the flight deck or in the lower levels of the ship, such as the pump rooms and filter rooms, wearing their signature purple jersey.

“Our pump rooms are where the magic happens,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 1st Class Josue-Yves Marcelon, the leading petty officer of V-4 below decks. “Filtering fuel is a lengthy process because we strive for nothing less than perfection.”

Marcelon explained that complex modern aircraft fuel systems do not function properly if they contain sediment or water.

“Our pump room is complicated with piping, pumps, valves, gages, and motors,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel)  3rd Class Niejel Brown. “In order to operate any JP-5 fueling system aboard the ship efficiently, ABFs must have a thorough understanding of all the auxiliary functions.”

A JP-5 fueling system consists primarily of a storage network and three independent fueling systems. The storage network is the initial entry point for receiving JP-5 fuel during underway replenishment (UNREP) evolutions.

“The fuel we receive during UNREPs is filtered beforehand, but we refine again it ourselves just to air on the side of caution.”

To ensure fuel is free from contamination, it goes through a purification process where a filling and transfer system separates and removes water and debris from the JP-5 during transfer from storage to service tanks.

After transfer from the storage to the service tank, the fuel goes through a second phase of purification, which includes sampling in the quality assurance laboratory.

“This is the only means to ensure that fuel pumping equipment is performing properly,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 3rd Class Vince Schoenborn. “If we discover a contamination during this procedure, the test will be repeated. Neglecting to do so would be a matter of life or death. Safety is of utmost importance.”

After this process, the fuel is pumped to the flight deck where it’s used to refuel aircraft. Marcelon said they issue around 150,000 gallons of fuel per day. It takes about 5 minutes to transfer it from the pump rooms to the flight deck.

“As one of the key divisions in Air Department, all ABFs know that without proper cleanliness of fuel, we could endanger pilots and the ship’s crew,” said Marcelon. “We respond to our nation’s call to defend freedom and democracy by providing JP-5 to all aircraft onboard the best ship in the fleet.”

Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. With Abraham Lincoln as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12), Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2), USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW 7).

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