Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division hosted more than 30 crew members from USS Jack H Lucas (PCU 125) for land based shipboard operational training from Jan. 4 through Jan. 21, 2023.

USS Jack H Lucas will be the first DDG-51 Flight III Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer and is set to be commissioned later this year.

NSWCPD’s Land Based Engineering Site (LBES) provides training focused on real-world ship operations for every crew that trains here.

“Their engineers [PCU 125] come to LBES because the ship is still owned by the shipyard. The only place to get training on their ship [before it’s commissioned] is here at LBES. Sailors would have a much shorter time to train on their ship if LBES wasn’t here,” LBES Training Project Manager Florizel O’Hara said, emphasizing how Sailors can take advantage of the training at LBES.

“The Land Based Engineering Site has all the engineering systems that you would have on a ship. Sailors can get hands-on training while the ship is still being built. As soon as we get on the ship, we will have the expertise and the confidence to operate the ship safely,” USS Jack H Lucas Commanding Officer Capt. Brett Oster added, sharing some of LBES’ specific capabilities.

Sailors used the Engineering Operational Sequencing System (EOSS) with assistance from NSWCPD instructors to walk them through providing power and propulsion to the ship. The EOSS provides technically correct, properly sequenced operational instructions to operate engineering systems onboard.

After spending time on LBES, the Sailors gained a wealth of knowledge to assist them in operating their ship after it’s commissioned.

“I find it valuable that I can ask the subject matter experts questions and get answers straight from the source,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Luke Luchtenburg said, commenting on the expertise of NSWCPD engineers.

“The LBES team makes sure that every junior Sailor will be knowledgeable by the time we get on the ship,” Lt. j.g. Carlo Pamintuan said, noting the benefits of the training.

According to a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) press release, the future USS Jack H Lucas “is one of 20 ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 program. The Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR). It incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet.”

In addition, per the DoD press release, “the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG 51) is a multi-mission ship designed to operate offensively and defensively, independently, or part of Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Surface Action Groups in multi-threat environments that include air, surface and subsurface threats. These ships will respond to Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare scenarios, and open ocean conflict, providing or augmenting power projection, forward presence requirements and escort operations at sea.”