Stribling, Grady, CWO3

Best Friends
MCPO Tribeck, MK (Assist Team Leader)
MCPO Rowell, EM
SCPO Gibbs, MK
CPO Stribling, EM
PO1 Wilkerson DC (Senior Diver)
PO2 Simms, MK
PO2 Glaser, MK
PO3 Stacy, EM

Best Moment
Being selected by CDR Donald Hoffer to join the 5Th CG District Engineering Assist Team

Worst Moment
Leaving my friends, members of the Naval Engineering Assist Team and the 5th CG District (ene) staff.

Chain of Command
CDR Donald Hoffer USCG, Fifth CG District, Naval Engineering Branch Chief (ene)
CWO4 Epley USCG Type Desk Officer
Fifth CG District Naval Engineering Assist Team

Other Memories
The 5th CG District Naval Engineering (ene) Assist Team was a small group of engineering personnel selected by the (ene) Branch Chief. The Team was made up of CG Enlisted men with a high degree of proficiency in their rating. The leadership of the group consisted of Master Chief and Chief Petty Officers, augmented with a small group of 1st, 2ND, & 3rd Class Petty Officers in the DC, EM, and Mk ratings. MCPO Jim Tribeck MK was in charge of the Team. The Assist Team's purpose: To accomplish needed repairs and special projects selected by the (ene) Branch Chief to maintain Operations, Safety, and Modernization of of CG Cutters in the 5Th CG District. The Assist Team was always on call and available to respond to emergencies. Shop facilities and tooling were provided at the new CG Base at Craney Is., VA. along with vehicles and a trailer outfitted with a welding machine and dive equipment. Two members of our Team were qualified divers, a great asset for inspecting underwater hulls and replacing damaged propellers on small boats. Being a member of the Assist Team was the most rewarding unit I was assigned to during my career in the CG. Three ships I remember working on were the CGC Cuyahoga (WIX-157), CGC Taney (WHEC-37) , and CGC Cherokee.
The Cuyahoga was the oldest US vessel in continuous service since her commissioning in 1927. She was active during WW-2 and used extensively in the Caribbean during Prohibition. At this time she was home ported at the CG Reserve Training Center, Yorktown, VA and used to train officer candidates. We installed a new ship service hot water heating boiler on the Cuyahoga. In 1978 the Cuyahoga was operating at night in the Chesapeake Bay when a coal transport ship collided with Cuyahoga's broadside sending her to the bottom. The incident was tragic with the loss of the Cuyahoga and many of her crew.
On the Taney, we removed the old pitometer log equipment to the shop for repair and calibration. The pitometer log was used to measure the ship's speed relative to the water it passed over or through. The system on the Taney was obsolete and supposedly, parts were no longer available. However, after an exhaustive search of the government supply system, we found the parts we needed. Prior to completing repairs, Taney departed Craney Is. en route Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for "Underway Training". For years the pitometer log discrepancy prevented Taney from receiving an operational readiness grade of 100%. Therefore, the equipment was crated and placed on a C-130 bound for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba along with yours truly. As soon as I arrived, The equipment was loaded on board Taney and we departed with US Navy Observers to perform training exercises. I immediately began installation of the pitometer log equipment and completed in time for its successful operation. The Assist Team received a letter of appreciation from Taney's Captain via 5Th CG District's Naval Engineering Branch for the effort to help Taney successfully complete her "Underway Training" requirements.
Last but not least, the USCGC Cherokee WMEC-165. Acquired from the US Navy in 1946, the Cherokee has a rich history of being a work horse for the CG. A seagoing tug boat that later became a medium endurance cutter. You name it, there is not much she hasn't done during her service, from Destroyer Escort service with the Navy to towing disabled vessels, search & rescue, fire fighting, law enforcement (drug busting), fisheries patrols, and assisting NASA during the loss of the space shuttle. By the 1970's, her age began to to take its toll on her. Her main problem was the sh[p's old DC electrical power generators, unsafe "live front" switchboards, increase in maintenance / repairs, and replacement parts & equipment were hard to find. CDR Hoffer USCG (51TH District ene Branch Chief asked us to ponder some ways we might help modernize the ship's electrical systems since almost all electrical systems on ships at this time were AC. MCPO Pete Rowell and myself were given the lead on coming up with some recommendations. I remembered the first CGC I was on, the Winona , a 255' Class High Endurance Cutter, our emergency generator set had the same model and size diesel engine as the Cherokee's two ship service generators and the generator was 100 KW AC in lieu of 100 KW DC on the Cherokee. After a trip to the CG Yard to ship check two 255' decommissioned Cutters. It would be feasible to replace the DC generators on the Cherokee with the !00 KW AC generators on the 255's (generator end only). The switchboards on the 255's could be used as well with modifications. To make this story as short as possible without confusing jargon, we were able to convert The Cherokee's power generating system from DC to AC and replace the unsafe main "live front DC switchboard with safe "dead front" switchboards. The reconditioned AC generators on the Cherokee sent AC to an existing converter that was once used to convert the AC shore power to DC. The converter now would be used at sea as well, sending DC to the switchboards fitted with an isolated DC buss which supplied DC power through circuit breakers to existing DC loads. Prior to the conversion, the only AC loads were electronic equipment which had an inverter to change the DC power to AC. After the conversion, the electronic equipment was fed from an isolated AC buss in the main switchboards through installed circuit breakers. The ship now had the capability to replace worn out DC equipment with new AC equipment on a case by case basis. Of course, transformers and power panels along with some cabling would need installing the AC equipment. In addition, a 60 KW existing DC generator was used for stand-by or emergency to supply vital loads such as steering and main propulsion excitation. All the work, including design, as- built drawings, instructions, and requisitioning was done by the Assist Team.
I was amazed at the faith and can do spirit of CDR Hoffer and the Captain of the Cherokee had in us. I'll never forget their trust and support given and grateful for the opportunity to successfully complete the job of this magnitude.
The concept of a CG Naval Engineering Assist Team came from the 1ST CG District Head of Engineering, Captain G. Mann USCG. The CG during the 1960's had an old fleet of ships with constant maintenance and repair problems. The Assist Team gave him an added resource in helping vessels meet their operational commitments.




































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