Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, presented the Battle "E" Award to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) during an all-hands call on the ship's fo'c'sle Oct. 8, in the Arabian Gulf.
The Battle Effectiveness Award, known as Battle “E,” is awarded to ships and crews that demonstrate the ability to sustain maximum overall command readiness and capability to perform assigned tasks in an operational environment based on a yearlong evaluation period.
Ships and crews must show superior achievement during certifications and qualifications to be nominated for the award.
“Earning the Battle “E” demonstrates the depth of how well a ship performs across all areas, whether they are operational or administrative in nature,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jim Edminister, Princeton’s operations officer, from Akron, Ohio. “In Princeton’s case, in 2016, the ship succeeded in a wide range of events from successfully completing INSURV (Board of Inspection and Survey) as a 30-year-old ship to setting the record for the longest surface-to-air missile engagement in naval history.”
During 2016, Princeton successfully completed engineering operational certification, served as Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016 Task Group commander, served as a high-visibility commander task force during RIMPAC , served as the flagship for the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and primary air defense commander during a group-sail transit from Hawaii to San Diego, acted as air defense commander for the first Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training exercise, served as the test platform for Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air and set the record for the longest surface-to-air engagement.
“We all put in a tremendous amount of work painting the ship, preservation, qualifying for our watches and getting the ship ready for deployment,” said Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Jonathan Torres, from Utica, New York. “Seeing us earn the Battle “E” represents all of our hard work and teamwork that was dedicated to the ship.”
The 2016 Battle "E" Award marks the 10th time Princeton has received the recognition since the ship was commissioned, Feb. 11, 1989.
“The professionalism, pride, and the energy in the daily work of every Princeton Sailor earned this Battle “E” award,” said Capt. Justin A. Kubu, commanding officer of Princeton, from Anderson, South Carolina. “Each Sailor’s commitment to teamwork and excellency over the past year during Rim of the Pacific, Composite Training Unit Exercise and deployment is nothing short of admirable. I’m very proud of this crew, and I can honestly say that being their commanding officer is an award within itself.”
Harris met with Princeton’s crew during his visit and praised them for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
Princeton is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.
For more information about Princeton, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg59/Pages/default.aspx
For more information about Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, visit http://www.nimitz.navy.mil/csg_11.html
Date Taken: | 10.08.2017 |
Date Posted: | 10.20.2017 16:48 |
Story ID: | 252491 |
Location: | U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY |
Web Views: | 310 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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