After the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson finished three days of sea trials, its assigned sailors returned to Naval Station North Island on Saturday, said a media report.
The crew was able to test equipment that supports surface operations, flight deck evolutions, deck seamanship and damage control readiness, according to their media representative Patrick Menah. It was the first at-sea period for the crew since June 2015. Their objective was to ensure both the ship and its sailors were ready for future operations.
“During this underway, the crew completed in-depth general quarters training that simulated about as close to actual conditions possible,” said Capt. Eric Anduze, Carl Vinson executive officer. “Executing our training evolutions while in an at-sea environment allows us to identify and address any challenges we may be facing.”
Some other highlights included man overboard drills, active shooter drills and high-speed turns to test ship maneuvering capabilities, said Menah. They also made sure several pieces of equipment were working with test runs.
Menah said they tested the ship’s countermeasure wash-down system on the flight deck, the fixed Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) sprinkler system in the hangar bay, as well as the ship’s most recently acquired self-defense weapon, the MK-38 Machine Gun System.
“These training evolutions are meant to prepare Sailors so they can perform their duties in real-life scenarios,” said Anduze. “It’s one thing to train our Sailors in a classroom environment. It’s another thing entirely to incorporate the hands-on experience.”
Master Chief Marty Barnholtz told Menah that the training will prepare the crews to easily overcome any challenge.
“I think we have the best of the best – the finest crew out there,” said Barnholtz. “I say that because our Sailors take an extreme amount of pride and professionalism and put it into their jobs. They are dedicated to the Navy.”
Although the crew has trained hard to prepare the ship, Barnholtz told Menah that a lot of work remains to be done.
“We will continue to train; we will strive to be better,” said Barnholtz. “We have an entire summer of underway periods and certifications still to come and I’m sure that Team Vinson will shine as they always do.”
The next milestone for USS Vinson is flight deck certification, according to Menah. This will ultimately allow the ship to answer the nation’s call to serve, with as much preparation as possible.
