Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David L. Brown, son of Deloris Brown, of Hopewell, and David Brown, of Suffolk, competed in the ship’s Damage Control (DC) Olympics along with fellow sailors aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99).

The DC Olympics provide sailors a chance to have fun while testing and improving the damage control skills they’ve learned through normal training. Farragut’s DC Olympics consisted of six events, including a fire fighting ensemble relay, message relay, pipe patching scenario, de-smoking race, stretcher bearer race and a competition to see who could aim a fire hose the best by filling a trash can with the water stream.

Sailors typically simulate some aspects of damage control procedures during conventional training scenarios, such as charging hoses or electrically isolating a compartment, but the DC Olympics gave sailors the chance to use a live hose or attempt to patch a pipe that has water actually leaking.

Six teams participated in the DC Olympics. Each team included members from the different repair lockers aboard the ship.

Farragut is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Brown is a 1998 graduate of Hopewell High School and joined the Navy in October 1998.