USS NEW ORLEANS -- Eleventh Marine Expeditionary Unit service members aboard this amphibious transport dock learned to be safe amphibians here Aug. 13 during a Navy-taught orientation.
Attending were Company L Marines and sailors during the unit’s first seagoing exercise since becoming a complete Marine air ground task force in May.
The Marines -- many having never been aboard a naval vessel -- learned things like how to navigate the ship by decoding numbers on the ship’s bulkheads, how to spot and report electrical hazards, and to how to use the emergency oxygen tanks found under every bed.
“Safety on ship is not just the commanding officer’s responsibility; it’s for all hands,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Rolando Bayquen, lead chief petty officer for the ship’s electrical division.
Company L is one of three rifle companies in Battalion Landing Team 3/1, which serves as the ground combat element for the unit.
“The most important thing I learned is if you don’t know what something on the ship is, then don’t touch it,” said Lance Cpl. Vince Schoeninger, a 23-year-old Denver native and a team leader with the company.
The unit is preparing for a Western Pacific deployment in the fall.