Many a Stormy Wind Shall Blow
by Ed and Jane Owen
And you thought you had it rough. Just try putting out a newspaper while sloshing around on the open sea!
On the USS George Washington, the Navy's biggest aircraft carrier, internal communications is the mission of the print shop. But to print at sea in rough water--or while planes are landing and taking off--poses some major problems. In one incident, a thousand-pound skid of paper broke away during a storm and slid from one side of the shop to the other before the crew could secure it with ropes.
 The USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier |
Equipment is either welded or bolted to the deck. And even though the shop is located between port and starboard sides of the ship, where rocking is less noticeable, the water fountain does not function normally. "In such instances, we don't put a water bottle up there. Water is added as we need it," says Chief Petty Officer David L. Brevoort.
The nuclear-powered Washington is a 97,000-ton vessel that is longer than three football fields. Its main offensive threat is Air Wing 1, which comprises 75 aircraft. The ship operates mainly in the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf as part of the 6th Fleet.
A visit to this floating city uncovers some interesting points about the role of printing on a sailing vessel.
Seven trained sailors man the print shop on a 24-hour basis. The Navy prefers to call them lithographers--not printers--since most of the work follows offset procedures. The way to recognize a litho sailor is by noting two crossed tools on his uniform sleeve, below the stripes. One is a litho-crayon holder, the other a scraper knife. (Apparently no one has told the Navy that both tools are obsolete.)
 Offset press run by sailors David L. Breevoort (left) and Kevin M. Hass |
Approximately 1,500 square feet is devoted to the print shop and its equipment.
Printed products include a daily four-page newspaper to keep the crew informed; a publication called The Cherry Tree, which provides news for families of the Washington's personnel; booklets that describe the ship; and change-of-command ceremony programs.
The Navy is replacing much of the on-board equipment with digital print-production systems like the Xerox DocuTech. The DocuTech requires only one operator, uses a wide range of stock and prints 135 pages per minute.
 Breevoort and Hass pose with the new Xerox DocuTech digital printer. |
The new printing capability works under the difficult conditions and has proven cost-effective.
Despite the very advanced printing technology, space constraints also dictate some low-tech solutions. For example, a collator had to be moved out of the shop to make room for the new production units. Collating is now done by hand by a group of sailors walking around a table.
Ed and Jane Owen are consultants to the graphic-arts industry. Phone is (954) 921-8580.