WAVY’s Navy Ship Salute is a feature on WAVY News 10 Today. Each month, in partnership with the U.S. Navy, WAVY-TV 10 will profile a different ship based at the world’s largest Navy base: Naval Station Norfolk. The series aims to better introduce our viewers to some of the largest floating taxpayer assets there are, as well as life aboard a U.S. Navy ship.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — For this WAVY Navy Ship Salute, 10 On Your Side went on board USS Nantucket. The Freedom-class littoral combat ship was commissioned in Boston on Nov. 16, 2024. Our team was able to go on board to see the modern day technology this ship will utilize during its brief stop at Naval Station Norfolk before heading off to Jacksonville, Florida.
A crew of about 75 people may sound humble when compared to other ships, but the enthusiasm is anything but. They loudly greeted our news crew with loud cheers, alongside their mascot. A crew member dressed in a whale suit clapped at the end of the line, affectionately named Thirsty the Whale.
“The ship is named after the island of Nantucket, and to build a esprit de corps, we picked the whale as our symbol to build camaraderie throughout the ship,” explained CO Kari Yakubisin. “So I blame the junior officers for that one. But I think it’s brought a lot of joy to the whole crew.”
That joy could be felt from bow to stern. Behind the positive mental attitudes are a keen laser-sharp focus on preparing USS Nantucket for action. After refueling and gathering supplies in Norfolk, it is off to Florida for the usual prep work put into a new ship.
“Over the next six or eight months we’ll test the rest of the equipment on the ship to make sure it works, that if things break, that we can get them fixed, shoot the guns, operate the engines,” Yakubisin said. “Over the next couple of years, once we finish that up, the ship will be ready to play.”
The technology stands out from much of the fleet. This is plainly obvious inside the pilot house, with a modern control board to move the ship. Only three people need to be inside to pilot USS Nantucket. On older ships, you would need between ten and 15 people to drive.
“So we are able to be this minimally manned because of all the technology that’s available to us, like autopilot, which steers incredibly well when we’re out at sea,” explained auxiliaries officer LT. Junior Grade Meghana Komarraju. “Another very cool steering feature that we have is Tiller mode right here. So you can kind of think of it like a video game.”
Up front, the Mount 110 is a 57 millimeter gun, able to shoot 220 rounds per minute. LT. Junior Grade McKenzie Eshleman said it can shoot all the way to the horizon. She also spoke to us about how the smaller ship just uses one anchor. She recalled crew members putting their search and rescue skills to the test while in Lake Erie.
“We received a mayday call from a sailboat,” Eshleman said. “They were in gale force winds. So we actually came alongside, brought the sailboat next to us, and the Coast Guard came in and helped evacuate the sailboat captain. So, saving his life.”
Weather permitting, U.S.S. Nantucket begins its trip to Jacksonville sometime on Friday.
