Navy Welder Turns Shore-Side Training Into Shipboard Readiness Aboard USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul
NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. — When two seawater leaks surfaced during USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21)’s predeployment preparations, the specialized skill needed to repair them was already aboard.
Routine checks identified leaks affecting two mission-essential systems aboard the Freedom-class littoral combat ship: the No. 1 fire pump, a vital part of the ship’s emergency response capability, and the No. 2 main seawater pump, which supports the propulsion cooling system.
Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Michael Bloise III stepped forward to make the repairs.
Bloise, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, recently returned to the fleet after serving in the welding shop at Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC). The advanced welding and brazing skills he sharpened during that shore assignment returned with him, giving Minneapolis-Saint Paul an experienced Navy welder within its own crew when the ship needed one.
After the systems were isolated and the affected piping prepared, Bloise completed specialized welds on both systems. Each repair required four to six hours, according to the ship.
“Sending our Sailors to intermediate commands like SERMC isn’t just about shore-duty rotation, it’s a direct investment in our ship’s survivability at sea,” said Cmdr. Arthur Bond, commanding officer of USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul. “HT2 Bloise brought shipyard-level capability right back to our deckplates.”
The repairs demonstrate the operational return the Navy gains when Sailors bring specialized skills from shore assignments back to the fleet. Training developed at an intermediate maintenance command became an immediate shipboard capability, restoring critical systems, preserving deployment momentum and strengthening the crew’s technical depth.
For Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Bloise’s expertise provided more than an immediate repair capability at the pier. His work showed how experience gained ashore can return to sea as practical skill at the moment a ship and its crew need it most.
“When a critical pump goes down, you realize how much your shipmates are relying on you,” Bloise said. “Having just come from the SERMC welding shop, I had the exact training I needed to get the job done safely.”
Two leaking systems presented the crew with an immediate technical problem. Bloise’s training supplied the answer and kept Minneapolis-Saint Paul’s deployment preparations moving forward.
USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) is the 11th Freedom-class littoral combat ship. Homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and assigned to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2, the ship was built by a Lockheed Martin-led team at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin; christened June 15, 2019; and commissioned May 21, 2022, in Duluth, Minnesota.
The littoral combat ship is a fast, agile and networked surface combatant designed for near-shore operations and capable of operating in the open ocean. Freedom-class ships support mine countermeasures and surface warfare mission packages, including manned and unmanned off-board systems. Within the Navy’s networked force, LCS can serve as a forward sensor, screening and warfighting node while providing scalable options to fleet commanders.
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