The ship hasn’t had a crew assigned to her since 1990, but that didn’t stop several Spirit of Freedom Sailors from rolling up their sleeves to participate in a community relations (COMREL) event to help a retired battleship get ready for future events.

Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) assisted volunteers on the Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin (BB 64), Feb. 2, by setting up spaces aboard the ship for ceremonies and events scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

“We helped out by moving four or five hundred chairs from below their galley level up three decks to the first class mess,” said Aviation Boatswain Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Timothy Tolar, from Salamanca, New York.

Moving the chairs is normally the responsibility of one or two Wisconsin volunteers, but eleven George Washington Sailors made quick work of the task.

“I just think that it was a good opportunity for our junior Sailors to get out there and do something well with their time,” said Tolar. “I think they had a good time doing it.”

The Sailors also moved other equipment aboard Wisconsin.

“We helped move up some old tube TVs that they use as props for their rooms that they set up for tours and stuff like that,” said Aviation Boatswain Mate (Equipment) 2nd Class Justin Schowalter, from Racine, Wisconsin.

In addition to moving things around, the Sailors also got to experience what it was like aboard a ship that had a different mission and history of service to the Navy and the country.

Comparatively, George Washington is currently undergoing refueling complex overhaul, a nearly four-year project performed only once during a carrier’s 50-year service life that includes refueling of the ship’s two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repair, upgrades and modernization.

“Overall, I think the junior Sailors were pretty impressed with what it looks like to be on a ship that’s not torn apart,” said Tolar.

Being able to see a ship, although not operational, but ready for battle, was a good takeaway from the day.

“I think it’s a good morale booster from the situation or the environment we’re in,” said Aviation Boatswain Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Amber Balajadeia, from Monroe, Michigan.

An extra bonus of the day was working alongside a volunteer who once served on Wisconsin many years ago.

“I just thought it was fascinating how people that worked on the ship, and that we worked with, are old crewmembers that used to serve on USS Wisconsin,” said Schowalter. “The person that we worked with was a quartermaster 2nd class back when the ship was actually in commission.”

For Keith Nitka, a retired quartermaster, and the battleship’s maintenance coordinator, it was nice having some extra hands to get the job done.

“It means a great deal to have volunteers come out to the ship to do work as we would not be able to get the things accomplished that we have been able to,” said Nitka, who served in the Navy from 1987-1997.

Wisconsin was commissioned in 1944 and served in the south Pacific during World War II and decommissioned in 1948. The ship was then recommissioned in 1951, participated in the Korean War. In 1958, Wisconsin was put out of commission and mothballed. In 1988, the ship was recommissioned for the third time and took part in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm before being decommissioned for the last time in 1991.

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