Twenty-three Chief Petty Officers (CPOs) and prospective CPOs came aboard the KIDD
for an Overnight and Field Day on August 27-28, 2010.
Official U.S. Navy Photo; courtesy of the CPO Mess NRD New Orleans. Used by permission.
Dateline: August 28, 2010 — Twenty Chief Petty Officers from the Navy Recruiting District New Orleans trained their chief petty officer selectees in various shipboard evolutions during an Overnight stay aboard the USS KIDD (DD-661) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This was the second time that NRD New Orleans has made use of the venerable destroyer in the training of modern-day naval personnel. A similar stay was arranged in 2009 and its success was marked by the near doubling of those attending this year's event. Participants traveled from all over the district which includes not only New Orleans, but also the Louisiana cities of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Ruston, and Monroe; parts of southern Arkansas; and the Gulf Coastal regions of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida as far east as Pensacola.
Training evolutions that were conducted included knowledge-based testing on the use of sound-powered phones, 1MC announcing system familiarization, man overboard procedures, and watchstanding responsibilities.
The CPOs and selectees also conducted preservation work aboard the KIDD the following morning. Plans originally called for paintwork to be done on the exterior decks on the 01 Level. However, the threat of rain throughout the morning and early afternoon prevented this. Instead, the crew repaired loose snaking throughout the ship; spliced and secured canvas covers to the torpedo directors and compasses on the Pilothouse exteriors; removed rust and scale from the bilges of both the Captain's gig and the whaleboat; painted the interior decks of the enlisted Mess, the Food Service Area, and the aft enlisted berthing spaces; polished brightwork on the Bridge, the Scullery, and the heads; and other general cleaning throughout the ship.
Dateline: August 15, 2009 — About ten to twelve Chief Petty Officers and chief petty officer selectees from the Navy Recruiting District New Orleans spent the day aboard ship for a mini-field day following an Overnight stay. The Chiefs spent the evening training their selectees in the traditions of the Navy, in particular the responsibilities involved in holding the rating of Chief Petty Officer.
The following morning, the crew assisted the KIDD's shipboard staff in several work projects: painting the walkway railings between the ship's gangway and entrance gates, stringing up a new banner on the gangway to replace one that was damaged in 2008 by Hurricane Gustav, polishing brass on the Bridge, and repairing insulation on a steam line in the aft Engineroom.
A CPO does a bit of ropework (or
coxcoaming) on the ladder of Mt. 52.
The impact of the USS KIDD—and other museum ships like her—in teaching young people about their heritage, community service, and citizenship was observed when one of the Chiefs noted that the KIDD was the reason that he had joined the Navy, having fallen in love with her as a child.
