What may seem out of place on most Navy ships around the fleet is completely normal for the “hybrid” Sailors aboard a fast Coastal Patrol (PC) ship of the fleet.
The 179-foot long diesel craft are currently the Navy’s littoral ships, meaning they can operate near shore. The highly maneuverable surface ships carry a crew of 28 Sailors. Because it takes so few Sailors to run and maintain them, shipmates are more like relatives than co-workers.
“We are one big family out here,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jerome Harding, the doc aboard USS Hurricane (PC 3).
“Each of us on the PC must have some sort of knowledge and understanding of everyone else’s job to successfully maintain the boat,” Harding added
The PC environment is a place where a third class can share coffee with the captain, or a culinary specialist is in charge of driving a small boat during a rescue mission. Specific ratings are not necessarily the focus of Sailors aboard a PC, thus this platform may very well be the perfect place for motivated Sailors to strengthen their overall professional knowledge of the Navy.
Harding is the ship’s corpsman, training petty officer, administrative officer and weapons LPO. His collateral duties include officer of the deck, command fitness leader, as well as bridge watch and line handler, among other duties he must perform.
“I feel like a ‘Super Sailor’ being aboard this boat,” said Harding. “Although, when washing dishes, I feel like a seaman again. But we all have to do our job.
“I have learned how to do jobs on this ship that I would never have the opportunity to do on other types of craft,” Harding continued. “I never imagined when I decided to be a corpsman that I would be steering a ship, shooting a machine gun and handling mooring lines – all in the same day!”
The first time Harding ever steered the ship he recalls the irony in relation to his regular job.
“I’m used to helping people with medical needs, not driving a ship. That’s what I call putting everyone’s life in my hands.”
When Sailors decide to become part of the PC family they automatically have many more responsibilities than larger ships because of the nature of such a small crew. Unity and work integrity become even more important.
“We all must look out for one another,” said Harding. “Personal feelings, problems and issues have to be overlooked when you depend on someone else day in and out to protect your life.”
From the Sailors who man the guns, to the ship’s cook, everyone takes care of one another.
“I have never been around a crew that cares so much about teaching and sharing of knowledge,” Harding said. “When a young Sailor comes aboard – like a child reporting to his first day of elementary school – we guide them hand and foot, through all aspects of PC ship life.”
For the older, saltier Sailors, such as the Chief of the Boat, the differences between larger platform ships and a PC are clearly evident.
“Everyone works directly on all evolutions on the boat regardless of rate,” said Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Gastano “Gus” Vacchio. “It’s commonplace for the cook of the boat to be doing line handling during a RHIB boat launch, and that’s just one example.”
“This is my first ship and I enjoy having so much responsibility,” said Quartermaster Seaman Chris Markette.
“Little did I know that after a year of signing up for the Navy that I would be shooting a shotgun in the air and warning another craft not to get too close to my boat,” Markette said. “This happened while I was stationed on a PC in Iraq.”
Helping young Sailors understand what to expect when they go to their next duty assignment ship is up to veteran Sailors.
“The younger Sailors just don’t know how good they have it on a PC, because there are so few of us on a PC,” said Gunners Mate 1st Class Eric Loop. “I sometimes feel like a big brother to these guys.”
