AG’s provide the calm before the storm (Story from the TR News)

Certain kinds of weather conditions surrounding USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) can affect the ship’s ability to move safely through the sea.

Aerographer’s Mate Airman Benjamin Hyre, assigned to Operations Department’s OA division, uses an electronic psychrometer to measure moisture in the air to read relative humidity in order to calculate pressure and density altitude on the 0-10 level aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

In the event TR experiences inclement weather, aerographer’s mates are on call to provide TR Sailors a safe passage with little harm from Mother Nature.

“Aerographer’s mates tend to be highly visible within the chain of command because of the support we provide to the war fighter,” said Chief Aerographer’s Mate (AW/SW) Jessica Mihailin, OA division leading chief petty officer. “We work as a team to exploit our environment for the benefit of the pilots and troops.”


Aerographer’s mates are billeted in most areas around the world with a Navy presence.


“We operate in a lot of different places around the world,” said Mihailin. “We mainly support naval special warfare, mine warfare and undersea warfare units.”


As TR operates in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, accurate weather readings are important to let the commanding officer and Carrier Strike Group 2 representatives make informed decisions based on the weather.


“Before deployment, we coordinated with the Norfolk Maritime Forecast Center during Hurricane Ike,” said Aerographer’s Mate 1st Class (AW/SW/NAO) Oliver Jedlick, Strike Group Oceanography Team leading petty officer, temporarily assigned to TR’s OA division. “Due to the severity of the winds Hurricane Ike caused, we had to determine whether or not the ship should stay in port or go underway. If the winds would have reached a speed of 50 knots, the ship would’ve had to go underway.”


Jedlick is also qualified to wear the Naval Aviation Observer (NAO) and Flight Meteorologist Badge, which he earned in 2002 while stationed at the Naval Ice Center in Suitland, Md.


“I had to perform 60 hours of flight time while mapping the edge of sea ice from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Circle,” said Jedlick. “This was done mainly for cargo ships to use while at sea.”


Sailors are sent to ‘A’ school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., for three-and-a-half months to learn basic meteorology.


“I get to apply more of my rating knowledge when the ship is surrounded by bad weather,” said Aerographer’s Mate Airman Jonathan Salgado.


Salgado also walks up to the O-10 level twice a day during flight operations to take weather readings based on the sky condition, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed and direction.


“Our readings have to be accurate,” said Salgado. “If we mess up one number, it could be very detrimental to flight operations because of the ship’s movement.”


In December 1917, enlisted weather observers, known then as Quartermaster “aerographic,” were trained at Pelham Bay Park in Long Island, N.Y., and employed at Navy and Marine Corps air stations, seaplane tenders and the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1). Today, aerographer’s mates provide the fleet with meteorological data to support combat missions and let others know “they’re not in production, they’re in prediction.”


AG’s provide the calm before the storm

By MC3 John Suits
March 3, 2009