SILVERDALE, Wash. – A program that improves Sailors’ ability to conduct repairs on their ships while deployed recently certified the newly enhanced skills of 20 Sailors from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility.
The Naval Afloat Maintenance Training Strategy program at PSNS & IMF graduated the Sailors, assigned to Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pacific Northwest, during a June 13 ceremony on Naval Base Kitsap – Bangor.
Each graduating Sailor earned a naval enlisted classification code, or NEC, which can help improve their advancement exam scores and broaden their job opportunities.
The guest speaker for the event was Master Chief Hull Technician Carl Hall of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Hall explained that, in the mid-1990’s, the Navy decommissioned a lot of the Navy’s tenders and downsized the number of shore maintenance military billets, which decreased the Navy’s ability to develop experienced uniformed maintainers, in turn limiting Sailors’ ability to maintain their ships between shore maintenance periods.
“Not only does (NAMTS) make us better at what you do here at IMF and our Regional Maintenance Centers, but it is going to make Sailors better operators and maintainers at sea as well,” said Hull at the graduation.
The NAMTS program is designed to provide on-the-job training to Sailors stationed at shore intermediate- and regional-level maintenance facilities. The program builds on Sailors’ existing skills learned during previous assignments and provides them the opportunity to learn new skills that will enable them to become technical experts needed for the Navy of the future.
During the training, Sailors learn new skills from civilian and military maintenance subject matter experts. After practicing and becoming proficient in those skills, they are able to return to the fleet and improve ship maintenance and repair capabilities while forward deployed.
The following is a list of graduates and the NEC codes they earned.
Outside Electrical NEC 4651
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Stephen Campbell
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Valerie Dupont
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Thomas Hansen
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Jeremy Jordan
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Adam Lyons
Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Henry Navarro
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Mark Weinreich
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Chong Yu
Inside Electrical Repair NEC 4652
Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Angel Andonaire
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Linh Gurule
Pump Repair Technician NEC 4227
Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Christianpaulo Ang
Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class William Clairmont
Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Mathew Colangelo
Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 1st Class Ollie Dunlap
Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Gabrielle McNellage
Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class James Southern
Hydraulic Repair Technician NEC 4541
Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 2nd Class Tyler Blake
Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Joshua Keto
Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 2nd Class Chia Yen
Pipefitter NEC 4952
Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Rhonisha Jackson