Class Notes
PREPPING THE USNS LEWIS B. PULLER (T-ESB 3)
A mate's tale as the Navy's first Expeditionary Mobile Base readies for duty with MMA alumni in key roles.
By CHIEF MATE T. BRYAN STOOTS '10
ItisprettycommontohaveatleastoneotherMMAalumnionshipswith
the Military Sea Lift Command (MSC), but I would defiantly say it is rare
to have four!
Matt Stein '09 and Dan Kolenik '11 had worked together on other MSC
ships. I joined the crew of Puller in December. National Steel and Shipbuild-
ing Company (NASSCO) Project Engineer Jackson Mohr's '11 role at the
shipyard has been in the design change effort to transform Puller from an
Expeditionary Transfer Dock support vessel (ESD) to being the Navy's first
Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB) in the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP)
program. We are al pretty close MMA classes, so we knew each other and
were friends at school as wel .
In my role, I supervise al deck operations and make sure the ship is run
safely. We are currently in our post-shipyard guarantee period in which we
are testing the capabilities of the ship.
The ESB variant is designed around four core capabilities: aviation, berth-
ing, equipment staging area, and command and control. ESBs wil primarily
support Aviation Mine Countermeasure, Marine Corps Expeditionary
Operations and Special Operations Force Missions. Puller is crewed by a team
of MSC civilian mariners and military crew members. Together they wil
operate and maintain a large flight deck and hangar, reconfigurable mission
deck, berthing and messing accommodations, and command and control to
support embarked force mission planning and execution.
After undergoing sea trials in January, we are currently in Norfolk, Vir-
(Left to right) Chief Mate Bryan Stoots '10, NASSCO Project Engineer Jackson Mohr '11, 1st
ginia supporting Post Delivery Operational Testing. We wil be completing a
A/E Dan Kolenik '11, Chief Engineer Matt Stein '09, missing from photo is Chief Engineer
Post Delivery Shipyard period this fal in which we backfit the ship to support
David Every '00
Special Operation Forces. Once this is complete, we wil do more testing and
then deploy to the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
When I was at MMA, I never thought I would be on such a unique vessel.
Joining MSC shortly after graduation, I assumed al their missions includ-
ed some form of Underway Replenishment. In the past six years, besides
hundreds of UNREP's, I have towed multiple submarines from Kittery, Maine
through the Panama Canal, towed decommissioned frigates up and down the
East Coast, worked with the Navy's Marine Mammal Program searching for
and recovering training mines, recovered downed aircraft, supported human-
itarian missions and many other exciting operations.
I have gone through the ranks in MSC fairly quickly. During my studies at
MMA, I was in the Tug and Barge program, and worked summers and win-
ters to get sea time towards my Towing Endorsement. (MSC was knocking at
my door once they heard I had a completed Towing Endorsement.)
At first, I was nervous I would be stuck on a tug my whole career, but it has
been much the opposite. I started as Third Mate on an ammo ship, forward
deployed in Japan. I went to an UNREP tanker next in the Persian Gulf.
Then headed to the West Coast tug fleet with a lot of time in San Diego. After
obtaining my second mate's license, I was promoted and sailed as a cargo
mate on a tanker. I was then recommended for a chief mate job in the East
Coast tug fleet. A year-and-a-half later, I joined the JHSV (Joint High Speed
Vessel) program, but after type rating on the high speed vessels, there were
no assignments available, so the office sent me to the Puller. I have been here
during a challenging time and plan on staying for a while!
Photo courtesy NASSCO
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MARINER / 2016 - ISSUE 2

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