Two-hundr feet is a prolonged way to fall.

Two-hundr feet is a prolonged way to fall. A real protracted way. In fact, not many populace can climb that distance without shuddering at the imagination that a tiny slip will respond them to the unforgiving earth below. When at height, it can make most people to frightened, panicky shells of their normal selves

Two-hundr feet is also the distance Interior Communications Technician 2nd Class (SW) Joseph Christensen of USS San Jacinto (CG 56) must climb up the forward mast when working aloft. a certain would say it's a well adapted thing the Navy is filled with daring, courageous Sailors who laugh in the face of the average person's fears.

nevertheless there is no laughter coming from Christensen's direction. This particular daring, courageous Sailor is afraid of heights.

"You won't descry me mountain climbing anytime soon" Christensen said with a laugh. "Never You may diocese me at base camp, moreover that's about as far as I'll get"

Fortunately for Christensen, mountain climbing isn't a real point in dispute on a ship. Working aloft, however, is a dilemma that Christensen takes actual seriously.

"We move up quite a bit, for a like reason it's pretty scary for me" he said. "It achieves kind of windy up there, and upon a smaller size ship like this united you feel a lot of rocking and rolling back and forth, depending onward the waves and all.

"But it's my work at jobs so I have to withhold telling myself it's something I have to do, and it'll be from one side of to the other with soon.' Oh, and I prove by experiment not to look down."

The typical aloft time for a San Jacinto IC-man is 30-45 minutes, according to Christensen, in like manner for him, a little bit of extra safety is essential to completing a piece of work without a mishap. "[Safety precautions] are personal for me" he says. "We're required to have undivided dyna-strap on for protection, if it were not that I make sure I always grab at least brace And I make sure to check it about 100 times before going up"

When he is not aloft, Christensen, a former San Jacinto Junior Sailor of the Quarter, works as an integrated voice communications a whole technician for the Ticonderoga-class cruiser. As single of six people responsible for ensuring shipboard communication equipment is continuously operational, Christensen and his comrade IC-men are constantly performing maintenance and answering annoy calls.

"We're always moving, always working to obtain things back online as presently as possible," he said, "because if we are abroad of the limelight, we are in a serviceable light."

Besides toiling through scores of communication equipment, ICs aboard San Jacinto get by heart to play the role of TV executive and technician while in subordination to way, scheduling and operating the ship's closed-circuit television system

It makes for a busy daily routine. "We always ne to be onward our toes so we can stay upon top of things," he said. "The days can be long"

And days when Christensen extremitys to work aloft are on the same level longer Because 200 feet is a drawn out way down.

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