 Yakosuka Naval Base is home to some of the oldest dry docks in the world, much like the one right here behind me. And after 140 years, these 19th century French-style dry docks are still being used today by the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force as they bring in a ship for regular scheduled maintenance. The obvious first step to getting a ship into the dry dock is flooding the dock. This is a relatively quick process, taking about an hour to get the water to the proper level. Once filled, it's time to remove the barrier called a caisson, then the real work begins. For today's evolution, we've got a chance to dock one of the JMSDF ships, SUMA. It is a big evolution it takes all day. We have a very large qualified wash steam that consists of U.S. Navy and our Japanese workforce. Everybody works together. Everybody has to be on point and ready to react quickly to make sure that the ship stays safe. Before they can bring in the ship, divers have to make a very crucial check. To make sure that the sill where the gate to the dry dock rests is free and clear of debris, that way it can actually form a proper seal and they can pump all the water out without more water rushing in. Now with the help of pusher boats, shipboard crew and plenty of line handlers, it's time to move the ship into position. One of the most important and the most difficult parts of the evolution is the actual transit into the dock because everything happens very quickly. There's very little room for error and there are many moving parts. With the ship in the dock and the case on back in place, they now have to drain the water which can be a bit of a waiting game. Luckily, we can speed ahead and join the divers again for one final check before clearing out all the water. We made sure that the middle of the keel was in line with the front and last blocks in the row and we just made sure that there was no hull appendages floating over the blocks that were going to get crushed when the ship sits on them. I want to credit the success of today's evolution to the teamwork and dedication of the U.S. Navy watch team and the Japanese workforce. Because of them, today's event was on time and safe. Japanese ship Summa is now ready for her maintenance period in Yacosuka's dry dock number two. Petty Officer Brian M. Brooks, Yacosuka Naval Base, Japan.