USS Emory S. Land Sail Shop Tailors to Florida

DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (Jan. 19, 2016) – Repair department Sailors from the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) sail loft  supported a full renovation of the mess decks onboard the guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) during a continuous maintenance availability (CMAV).

Large sewing capabilities and having a division whose sole purpose is to carry out these jobs is unique to submarine tenders.  

The primary duties of the sail loft onboard is to use fabric materials such as a tough synthetic leather called Naugahyde  to create cushions and other comfort items to improve Sailors welfare.

Florida requested 32 seat covers and 10 table cloths for the crews mess, new seat covers and cushioning for chairs in the SONAR watch station and some work on the crews lounge.

“As a cook I believe the morale of the crew is greatly influenced by the crew’s mess” says Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Charles Maddox, stationed aboard Florida, “aside from my food the comfort of the mess plays a big role in it.”

The sail loft Sailors are experienced in receiving large orders, so they work in shifts to complete big jobs on time.

“We’ve got a system down and we work together well” says Hull Maintenance Technician Fireman Madison Higginbotham, “doing as much as we can in a day to complete the job on time, and hopefully not extend hours.”

Maintenance periods such as this CMAV are important evolutions that tenders can provide for submarines, allowing the submarine to complete large maintenance requirements without returning to homeport or being dry-docked.

Emory S. Land is a forward deployed expeditionary submarine tender on an extended deployment conducting coordinated tended moorings and afloat maintenance in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

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