2 Bases Test Personnel on Y2K Readiness

The commander of the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme had a lot on his mind as he oversaw a conference table covered with notebooks and phone numbers.

Capt. James McConnell Jr. and those who work under him spent Thursday preparing for potential power outages, civil unrest and any other debacle that could come their way after midnight Dec. 31.

The Y2K drill was part of an exercise to ensure that naval posts from San Diego to Fallon, Nev., are prepared for potential computer glitches caused by the changeover from 1999 to 2000.

Officials say they are ready. But in the military tradition of getting it right and then drilling to get it right again, the officials were hunched over a conference table covered in paperwork and cellophane-wrapped candies, pretending it was the stroke of Jan. 1, 2000, instead of Dec. 2, 1999.

In March, the center and its sister base to the south tested their hardware.

On Thursday, the bases tested their people.

Base supervisors want to be sure everyone knows where they need to be and what to do should problems arise.

The exercise, coordinated out of San Diego, mostly involved faxing a number of scenarios to officials in a command center at Port Hueneme.

The hypothetical problems were then addressed.

What if a piece of equipment reacts to the new year differently than it did during the March test? What should be done if the power goes out?

For security reasons, base officials kept solutions to the problems to themselves.

During the drill, officials sat almost exactly where they will be on Dec. 31, hovering over phones, checking with personnel throughout the base, and monitoring worldwide events as midnight settles over time zone after time zone.

The base will have 65 staff members working through midnight, said Lt. Cmdr. Bob Clarke, who worked on the March Y2K test. Base security will also be beefed up, he said.

While Ventura County cities prepare their utilities for the big day, McConnell faces similar concerns.

The Construction Battalion Center, with its population of about 10,000, four naval construction Seabee battalions and scores of other commands, is practically a city unto itself. On the outskirts of the base’s 1,600 acres--jammed with warehouses, weapons and construction equipment--are housing facilities, a small shopping center, even a McDonald’s.

Just south is the Point Mugu Naval Air Station, which Port Hueneme’s public works department also serves.

“All the [logistical problems] you have outside the base are the same thing you have inside here,” said Lt. j.g. Bob Smith, disaster preparation coordinator for the Port Hueneme base’s public works department. Thursday’s drill was the third Y2K test conducted by Port Hueneme and Point Mugu officials. It will very likely be the last before the new year.

The two Ventura County bases tested their hardware--everything from fuel systems to sewage to air-conditioning units--in March and declared most systems ready to meet the new year. Those that didn’t pass the test, including a key telephone line component, were either upgraded or replaced.

But those in charge aren’t expecting much in the way of problems. Widespread power outages are very unlikely, they say. But portions of the power grid could crash, causing brownouts. They are also bracing for possible civil unrest, which they said could come in the form of parties near the base that get out of hand. Mostly, they are readying for isolated systems to act up.

If all these potential problems sound vague or abstract, they are. Officials aren’t sure exactly what to expect, so they are preparing for anything.

But the Port Hueneme base, which four Seabee battalions call home, could be more prepared for power outages than any other place in Ventura County. The reason: Seabees build stuff. They go into remote areas and supply items such as power, shelter and toilets. Part of the base’s contingency plan includes using the Seabees, but McConnell doesn’t think that will be necessary.

“We are confident and we are prepared,” he said.