DENINNO As a 'working class' carrier, GW lacks some of the glamor and polish that fleet 'showboats' enjoy (the carrier John F. Kennedy, CV-67, once had this reputation). This is a warship, not some floating palace to impress visiting dignitaries. You'll notice on GW's bridge, for example, the row of 'E' (Efficiency) awards painted there. These are fleet awards, which are given within each class of ships (aircraft carriers, guided-missile cruisers, etc.) to display the ship's visible accomplishments. Each award reflects a particular specialty, ranging from engineering and weapons to food service and tactical ability. In fact, just before leaving on her 1997 cruise, the GW crew got the word that they had been selected to wear the Battle 'E' (marking them as the top warship for the entire Atlantic Fleet) for 1997, their third such award in just five years. From the bridge to the pump rooms, the men and women who serve aboard the GW know they are expected to be the best in the fleet. They make a pretty good case that they have achieved that goal.
What follows is a 'snapshot' of the GW team in the late summer and fall of 1997, and should help you appreciate the kind of people who make a carrier battle group work. But be aware that Navy crews, like all military units, are in a state of constant transition. The sailors and aviators that appear here will certainly have changed assignments by the time you read this book. One other quick point. Because of the mixed Navy/Marine Corps personnel base aboard the battle group, it is easy to confuse the ranks of officers. To help straighten these out, refer to the following table for clarification:
MILITARY OFFICER RANK TABLE[67] 
Heading the GW command team when we were aboard was Captain Lindell G. 'Yank' Rutheford, USN. A graduate of the University of Missouri, 'Yank' has spent much of his career as an F-14 Tomcat pilot (he also flew A-4 Skyhawks and F-4 Phantom IIs). He commanded a squadron, VF-142 (the 'Ghostriders'), aboard USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) in 1988 and 1989. Following a staff tour abroad the Theodore Roosevelt (nicknamed 'TR,' CVN-71) during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he decided to take the carrier command track (described in the third chapter).
Captain Lindell 'Yank' Rutheford, the Commanding Office (CO) of the carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). JOHN D. GRESHAM Two years later, following nuclear power training and command school, he became the Executive Officer (XO) of TR for two deployments to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. Captain Rutheford then spent eighteen months as Commanding Officer (CO) of the replenishment ship USS Seattle (AOE-3), which qualified him for deep-draft command. While driving Seattle, he acquired a reputation around the fleet for superb ship-handling and organizational skills-very useful talents during the next step in his career. Following his relief as CO of the Seattle in November of 1996, he joined the GW as commanding officer. Along with his partner, the commander of the embarked Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1), Captain John Stufflebeem (whom we will meet later), he provides the commander of the GW battle group with a powerful core of striking capability.
The Navy supports its carrier captains with handpicked subordinates who run the day-to-day activities of the boat and her three-thousand-plus-person crew (the air wing brings along more than 2,500 more). Of these, the most critical job on board is the Executive Officer, or XO. While we were aboard the GW, we were fortunate to observe a handover between two XOs, when Captain Michael R. Groothousen (the GW's XO since May 1996) left to take command of Seattle, and the new XO, Commander Chuck Smith, arrived to take his place. Captain Groothousen, a longtime F/A-18 Hornet aviator, was on his way to a deep-draft command in preparation for commanding a carrier of his own, while Commander Smith is something else entirely, having served in S-3 Viking ASW/Sea Control squadrons.
A tall, lean professional (he resembles a young Peter O'Toole), Chuck Smith is the kind of aviator you'd want at the controls if your plane had to make a night landing in a storm with one engine out. Carrier captains usually come from fighter and attack aviation backgrounds. The 'right stuff' mystique and old-boy network of TopGun fighter jockeys make it tough for aviators from electronic warfare, ASW, AEW, and sea control specialties to claw their way to the top of the promotion ladder. However, the increasing importance and versatility of the S-3 in carrier operations, has enabled a few former Viking drivers to get choice commands: big-deck amphibious ships (like the Tarawa (LHA-1) and Wasp-class (LHD-1) helicopter carriers), and even some supercarriers. Chuck Smith will make a terrific carrier CO when he 'fleets up' in a few years. Commander Smith took over the XO job in late August 1997, while GW was steaming into the battle group's final training exercise prior to deploying to the Mediterranean. The change happened quickly and seamlessly. The only sign of it aboard the ship was the few minutes it took for every officer who could fit into flight-deck control to see Captain Groothousen off the ship, en route to his next assignment.
Master Chief Petty Officer Kevin Lavin, the Command Master Chief of the USS George Washington (CVN-73). Here he is just minutes away from boarding the GW for the 1997/98 cruise to the Persian Gulf. JOHN D. GRESHAM 
Commander Chuck Smith, the Executive Officer (XO) of the carrier USS George Washington (CVN- 73). JOHN D. GRESHAM Of the three thousand crewmembers aboard the GW, something like 95 % are enlisted sailors. Their representative, advocate, and ambassador to the Captain is GW's Command Master Chief (CMC) Petty Officer, the senior NCO on board. This is a job of great responsibility. If the food or laundry service in the enlisted spaces is unsatisfactory, it is the CMC who makes sure the Captain knows about it. If a sailor's family member ashore needs assistance, he is the one to coordinate solutions through the Red Cross or other appropriate authority. On GW, the job is ably filled by CMC Kevin Lavin. When you meet him he seems more like the vice-president of a start-up computer company than the traditional gruff, tattooed Navy chief (his background is in electronics maintenance). Chief Lavin is Commander Smith's senior enlisted advisor, and when he speaks both the CO and XO listen closely!
Captain Rutherford and Commander Smith manage an organization that seems more like a small city or corporation than a ship. Its various departments are key to keeping the GW running smoothly for the six months or more that she may spend deployed, or 'on cruise' as her crew calls it. Each department performs specific tasks, which make possible the operation of her men, aircraft, and weapons. The alphabetical breakdown of these departments and their heads in the fall of 1997 is shown below:
• Administration (ADMIN)-Headed by Lieutenant Jerry Morrison, this is the primary record-keeping group for the ship, and includes personnel, maintenance, supply, financial, and other files.
• Aircraft Maintenance Division (AIMD)-With almost six hundred personnel assigned, AIMD provides the GW's embarked air wing with spare parts, maintenance facilities, and specialized support personnel. Commander Gordon Coward heads this division.
• Air Department (AIR)-One of the busiest groups aboard the GW, the Air Department controls the operations of the GW's hangar and flight decks, as well as the airspace directly around the ship. The Air Department is led by an officer nicknamed the 'Air Boss,' and his deputy, the 'Mini Boss.' While we were aboard GW, the Air Boss was Commander John Kindred, while the 'Mini' was Commander Carl June. Both are experienced pilots who have the skills and knowledge to control every type of carrier-capable aircraft under all weather and sea conditions. In late 1997, Commander Kindred was planning to move on to his next assignment, while Commander June would stay aboard and 'fleet up' as the new GW Air Boss. Then it will be his job to train a new 'Mini' before he moves on in a year or so.
• Crew Recreation and Morale Department (CRMD)-This department deals with the crew's spiritual and moral welfare, and is headed by GW's Command Chaplain, Captain
