Medicine at sea
Aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
Medicine at sea
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, nicknamed IKE, is one of 10 Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in active service for the U.S. Navy. Its primary task is to deliver crucial air support during military operations anywhere in the world. The roughly 40 medical personnel and 20 dental personnel on the ship must protect the health of more than 3,000 sailors and officers -- closer to 5,000 when the full carrier air wing is aboard.
Medicine at sea
IKE's medical and dental staff have their hands full providing preventive care and tending to the typical acute care issues of patients with an average age just older than 20. The ship has everything it needs to handle services ranging from the simplest exam to the most complex surgery.
Medicine at sea
Sailors under way on IKE prepare for a two-hour aerobics class held in the ship's massive hangar bay. Because the Navy's servicemen and servicewomen are generally young, the physicians, nurses, dentists and corpsmen work to instill healthy behaviors.
Medicine at sea
Emergency medical drills are a regular occurrence onboard the aircraft carrier during training operations and deployments. With the presence of two nuclear reactors, thousands of tons of ordnance and millions of gallons of jet fuel, the threat of fire, explosions and radiation leaks is always present.
Medicine at sea
Every sailor and officer on board is taught self-aid and buddy care. If the ship is vulnerable and medical staff are separated from the wounded by sealed watertight hatches, anyone may be called upon to help stabilize a patient.
Medicine at sea
Any part of the ship can become a staging area for patient care during a mass casualty drill or a real emergency. If the wounded cannot reach medical quarters, a ship's mess, hangar bay or weapons elevator might become a makeshift emergency department.
Medicine at sea
An explosion and fire were simulated in the ship's hangar bay on Nov. 18, 2008, during training in the Western Atlantic. Wounded men are left untreated while rescuers protect F/A-18 spare fuel tanks from the fire. "In a freestanding hospital, the patients are the mission," said Cmdr. Richard Knittig, MD, an ob-gyn and IKE's senior medical officer. "We support the mission of the ship."
Medicine at sea
Flight deck crew members who help launch and recover fighter aircraft have one of the most dangerous jobs on the carrier, with a constant risk of serious injury and death. On Oct. 4, 2008, a sailor working on IKE's flight deck was killed instantly when he was struck by an aircraft as it catapulted off the ship.
Medicine at sea
Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, IKE's commanding officer, leads a burial at sea ceremony for three Navy veterans on Nov. 8, 2008. "Everyone on board knows that he or she may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms," Mewbourne said. Since October 2001, the Navy has sustained more than 800 casualties, including 90 hostile deaths and 50 non-hostile deaths.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Posted with the Jan. 26, 2008 issue - Accompanying article: Medicine at sea
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