SILVERDALE, Wash. –
Fifteen Sailors from Trident Refit Facility (TRF) Bangor and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) Everett completed the Navy’s Corrosion Control Program Technician (CCPT) course Sept. 22–26 at Naval Base Kitsap–Bremerton, becoming the first certified graduates in the Pacific Northwest.
The weeklong course, led by Alvin Donato and Phillip Simpson, provided Sailors with advanced instruction in identifying, assessing, and preventing corrosion. Donato described the course’s goal as developing “competent and confident” corrosion control Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who can enhance afloat warfare readiness and assist Commanding Officers across the fleet in strengthening their focus on corrosion control.
“‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is an understatement in reducing costs and combatting corrosion to sustain asset lifecycles,” Donato said. “Rust never sleeps.”
Eleven Sailors from TRF Bangor and four from IMF Everett took part in the training, which combined classroom lessons, hands-on demonstrations, and final written and oral examinations.
Corrosion remains one of the Navy’s most persistent challenges and “Is a 7.5 billion annual expense for the Navy that impacts material readiness, availability, and safety in both afloat and at shore commands” according to Donato.
“The Pacific Northwest is one of the toughest environments in the fleet for corrosion control,” said BMC(SW) Gregg Swartzenberg. “The water is colder, there’s constant rain and moisture, so it’s a perfect breeding ground for corrosion. The most detrimental areas are the weather decks—and you can’t exactly paint in the rain—so having trained technicians here is absolutely essential.”
Swartzenberg, who completed the course alongside his peers, emphasized the importance of proper preparation and quality standards. “I believe that the big thing about this course is learning about proper surface preparation and what it means to be clean through a variety of standards,” he said. “Surface prep truly is the most important part, and the amount of rework that we’ve done because we didn’t meet the proper cleaning standards is frustrating.”
He also noted that the course introduced inspection methods and technical processes that are not typically familiar to Boatswain’s Mates. “We learned process and inspection methods through instructions that are not common to BMs,” Swartzenberg said. “It reinforces that the tribal knowledge way of teaching and doing maintenance is the bane of the Navy.”
Students in the CCPT course learned advanced surface preparation and coating techniques, corrosion-resistant material applications, and the use of specialized tools to prevent and mitigate damage. The curriculum emphasized early detection and proactive maintenance—essential skills for Sailors participating in ship readiness and preservation programs.
“The course is beneficial in the fact that there’s no single rate for corrosion; every Sailor is responsible for their spaces,” Swartzenberg said. “This allowed me to learn more about the other side of corrosion—metal interaction, identification, types of corrosion—and be able to communicate what needs to be done to correct corrosion issues.”
Training culminated in a hands-on exercise aboard the inactive Navy vessel LCS-4 Coronado, where Sailors conducted real-world corrosion inspections and applied lessons learned from the classroom. The scenario-based training allowed participants to evaluate degraded surfaces, select appropriate preparation methods, and discuss coating and preservation techniques in shipboard spaces.
The Corrosion Control Program Technician certification is part of the Navy Afloat Maintenance Training Strategy (NAMTS), which develops highly skilled Sailors capable of performing specialized maintenance tasks that directly improve fleet readiness. “It gives our Sailors, specifically Boatswain’s Mates, another skill that fits perfectly in our wheelhouse,” Swartzenberg said. By training personnel in corrosion prevention, the Navy reduces repair costs, extends vessel service life, and ensures ships remain mission-ready in demanding operational conditions.
Through programs like CCPT, the Navy continues to invest in its Sailors—equipping them with technical expertise that not only enhances material readiness but also reinforces the service’s long-term commitment to operational excellence.
Graduates:
TRF Bangor: BMC Oden Rogers, BMC Gregg Swartzenberg, MMC Austin Chapman, EM1 Nicholas Goldstein, EM1 Tyler Bonis, HT1 Salatino, MM1 Joseph Shelow, MM1 Erik Weststeyn, MM2 Matthew Jenkins, BM2 Justin Presbrey, BM2 Nicholas Wehking.
PSNS & IMF Everett: HTC Joel Lee, DC1 Bernard Johnson, FC1 Martin Cabello, BM2 Jaiden Maltos.