The captain and crew of the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson celebrated the ship’s 230,000th arrested landing with a cake-cutting ceremony in the Arabian Gulf.
“This is a big occasion. Notching 230,000 traps is pretty awesome. I appreciate all of the hard work that went into this achievement,” said Capt. Karl Thomas, commanding officer of nuclear-powered carrier.
Aircraft carriers use special cables stretched across the flight jet to stop fast-moving jet aircraft as they land.
The landmark trap was accomplished by pilots Lt. Sean Stuart and Lt. Josh Raymond of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22. They, alongside Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Michael Eli, took the honors of cutting the cake.
“We feel honored to be a part of this milestone,” said Stuart. “We can’t land on the ship with out all the hard work between the ship’s crew and air wing.”
The Vinson is conducting airstrikes under Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational effort to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
The Defense Department reported five airstrikes Sunday in Syria and 12 on Saturday and Sunday in Iraq.
