USNS San Jose assists Wake Island efforts in cleanup after super typhoon

By Petty Officer 3rd class Christopher Thompson

Wake Island military detachment support team on day one. Left to right: Seaman Jared McKean, Petty Officer 3rd class Christopher Thompson, Petty Officer 2nd class John Rideaux, and Seaman Stephanie Trinkle. Photos by Lt. j.g.’s Jehan Andrabado and Sarah Haengel, and Chief Petty Officer Daniel Mincica.

On Thursday, August 31, class-five super typhoon Ioke, with winds in excess of 150 miles per hour and sea surges of up to 40 feet slammed into tiny Wake Island Air Force Base--the highest point of which reaches only 20 feet above sea level. Destruction incarnate indeed had a name ... Ioke.

USNS San Jose was mobilized and heeded the call for support in assisting the U.S. Air Force’s 36th Contingency Response Group in assessing typhoon damage and capability of the airstrip on the island. Air Force and Navy helicopter assets from HSC-25 Detachment 3 were brought on board San Jose to support the assessment mission.

Seaman Stephanie Trinkle receives help performing a FOD walk-down by the only resident of Wake Island who remained throughout the storm.

Upon arrival, the air detachment began ferrying supplies and equipment to Wake Island to begin the assessments. For the next three days, Air Force personnel, along with San Jose’s military detachment, began performing tests upon and clearing the runway and taxiway so an Air Force surge could land on the island to begin restoration operations.

Navy personnel teamed up with the Air Force contingency response group to drill small holes through the concrete and asphalt in the runway and adjacent taxiway to test structural integrity of the soil beneath, ensuring the runway was safe to use when the cargo planes began arriving. The work was slow but rewarding, with most of San Jose’s military personnel requesting to return to help on the following days.

Petty Officer 1st class Joselito Ocampo and Seaman Brian Banaga perform a FOD walk-down on the runway.

In addition to testing the runways--which was in no way a small or easy task--Navy personnel also assisted in cleaning and repairing the tarmac and performed a large scale FOD walk-down on the large runway and parallel taxiway.

Though the work was slow, results came quickly and the runway was deemed operationally ready in three days. With the vessel’s mission finally completed, she turned towards Guam and set full speed ahead to get some much needed liberty for the crew, who are, for the most part, sun-burned, sore, and glad for it!