Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Guth | Lt. Cmdr. Susan Murphy, right, USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) ship’s nurse, and...... read more read more
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On Nov. 17, the crew of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed their first-ever crew certification (CREWCERT) II under the optimized fleet response plan cycle. Orchestrated by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 and supported by Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (CNAL) and Afloat Training Group (ATG), CREWCERT II will ensure that the first-in-class aircraft carrier is ready for operational employment next year.
Fine-tuning and assessing the crew’s ability to take the ship to sea and to fight through potential combat casualties is an ongoing process. CREWCERT II provides an administrative review of the ship’s warfare and mission areas in preparation for the ship’s upcoming training cycle.
“I am humbled and motivated to be part of Ford-class history, and I know the crew is too,” said Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, Ford’s commanding officer. “We have a tough job ahead of us—to start an arduous basic phase of training and prepare for this amazing ship's first operational tasking, while completing our planned incremental availability (PIA)—but I know this crew can do it, because our enthusiasm is embedded in our culture. We are a learning organization, and we welcome opportunities like CREWCERT to refine our warfighting skills."
During the one-day CREWCERT II assessment, CSG-12, CNAL and ATG assessors reviewed Ford’s past training performance and future training plans, administered level-of-knowledge exams to qualified watch standers, and performed an audit of the ship’s instructions, administrative, operational and emergency watchbills.
Ford’s Training Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Decker is responsible for the execution and coordination of all CREWCERT II events and was impressed with the level of preparation that went into the successful completion of this visit.
“All the training team leaders put in a lot time and effort leading up to the ship’s first inspection,” said Decker. “We have conducted several general quarters drills preparing our administrative watchbills and ship warfighting capabilities. I know the crew was dedicated and highly motivated to achieve success during this inspection, and I am excited for the rest of Ford’s training pipeline.”
After the crew’s months of preparation, the CREWCERT II assessors were able to deliver their evaluation to Ford’s Executive Officer after just a few hours of inspections. Speaking at the out-brief Cmdr. Joseph Gorgol, CNAL’s training officer, said the crew is on track for CREWCERT III and the follow-on underway to conduct sea trials.
“Your ship is head and shoulders above average, I can tell that your training team leads were well-prepared for CREWCERT II,” said Gorgol. “One example is the damage control program, beginning with the classes at command indoctrination. It’s apparent this ship takes it seriously, and has prioritized training.”
Ford is scheduled to complete CREWCERT III in late January 2022. The third certification phase entails a one-week inspection, where the crew will conduct multiple graded drills to evaluate their performance in areas such as medical response, seamanship and navigation, inport emergency response, and ship-wide damage control and tactical fighting drills. Ford is in port at Newport News Shipyard executing her Planned Incremental Availability or PIA, a six-month period of modernization, maintenance and repairs.
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2021 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 409597 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 669 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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