News Channel 3 In-Depth: Naval Journey, Part One

A News Channel 3 exclusive: A naval journey up the California coast, with hundreds of sailors and marines, many of them stationed at Twentynine Palms. Peter Daut was given rare permission to spend several days at sea with them, and saw firsthand how they train and what life is like on a warship.

The naval voyage aboard the USS Somerset began at its homeport in San Diego, where Daut joined nearly a thousand sailors and marines on their embarkment to San Francisco.

The 12-year-old warship is an amphibious transport dock-- essentially a massive floating garage-- roughly half the size of the Empire State Building, and used to carry armored vehicles, equipment, aircraft, and up to 1,200 service members. The Somerset has traveled to multiple countries throughout Asia, South America and Africa for deployments that can last more than half a year.

Captain Andy Koy is the Commanding Officer of the $1 billion vessel.

"I'm curious, what is the most challenging part of your job?" Daut asked Koy. He answered: "I would say the most challenging part is managing all the risk. There's everything from complex operations to did my team get enough sleep tonight?"

That risk is evident soon after the ship reaches the open sea. The anchors are dropped, and helicopters arrive. First LT. Kaylee MacKenzie is a combat engineer officer, and has family in Palm Springs. She also just wrapped up a seven-month deployment in the Pacific.

"What is it like to be on this ship for seven months?" Daut asked her. She replied: "You're around the same faces every day. You get into a good routine of working out, going to chow, hanging out with your friends."

For everyone aboard the Somerset, the training is constant and intense. They practice what to do in the event of a fire, and how to protect the ship from sudden attack. The crew also carefully guided a military boat inside the ship.

Life below deck involves tight, windowless spaces. There are hatches everywhere, with heavy metal levers designed to protect the ship in case it takes on water. There are also a lot of stairs, and no elevators.

The sleeping quarters, called berthing compartments, contain several stacked beds, called racks. Bathrooms are shared. Crew members are provided three meals a day.

"Everything thus far has tasted great. That's my favorite part, I'm a big foodie." Cpl. Seth Abeyta said. He is an infantry rifleman stationed at Twentynine Palms. He's also a squad leader who helps to take care of the vehicles on the ship.

"Being at sea obviously very different than the desert?" Daut asked him. He replied: "Very different. A lot more blue. Sometimes you get lucky and you see a stingray or two or some dolphins, that's pretty cool. And they're a lot cooler than coyotes!"

One of the most intense moments of the journey: practicing how to refuel with another naval ship at sea, less than 200 feet away. The Somerset carefully pulled alongside the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship. One wrong move from either ship could be disastrous.

"We start talking about movements of water and two vessels that are traveling at individual speeds and paces. The water movement in between is so fast that it effects the ship, forward, midships in the middle, and then back half all in different manners. So we have to be very careful," Lt. Bradley Davis said. Luckily, the drill was a success, and dozens of dolphins suddenly appeared between the two ships. Moments like this are rewarding, especially for LCpl. Christopher Archuletta, who is stationed at Twentynine Palms and on his first deployment. "It's definitely nice, like getting away from your phone, you don't have service out here. Just enjoying the ocean and being able to do cool work on ship," he said.

After several days at sea heading up the California coast, the Somerset finally reached its destination. Several whales greeted the ship as it approached the San Francisco Harbor.

As the ship passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, nearly everyone was in awe. A San Francisco fire boat honored the Somerset with a water solute. City spectators watched the massive ship as it moved through the bay on a sunny, clear morning. Sailors and marines manned the rails, standing evenly spaced in their dress uniform along the deck, proudly representing their country. They were excited to arrive for Fleet Week, following another successful journey on the Somerset.

"It's awesome to watch our sailors and marines grow with their qualifications, watch them gain that confidence. We fight as a team, we operate as a team, and it's how we treat each other and how we work together that makes us the best of the best," Koy said.