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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - (October 6, 2022) – Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) participated in a three-day simulated underway in Newport News, Virginia, October 4-6.
The crew conducted evolutions and integrated training scenarios to validate shipboard habitability and operational services, helping to ensure the vessel meets final refueling and complex overhaul checkpoints.
“It’s critically important that we knock out and prepare for these milestones as we prepare to get our warship back to sea,” said Capt. Brent C. Gaut, the ship’s commanding officer. “We are building the foundation of this crew and of this warship, a foundation of excellence that is both unbreakable and sustainable. The bottom line is, we are warfighters, and we have a very hard job to do, and our nation and our Navy need us to do it at a very high level.”
Training teams, including combat systems, medical, weapons, seamanship, air department, engineering, anti-terrorism, and visual information training, were among others involved in drills aboard the ship. The work of these teams led to strengthened skills in seamanship, damage control, security and medical response, identification of unknown vessels, and operation of the ship’s internal communications systems. Corresponding events were designed to ensure that the crew is prepared to operate in real-world scenarios.
“We’re trying to simulate being underway, we’re trying to flex our muscles to see where we can make improvements,” said Airman Christopher Hickey, assigned to the ship’s training department. “Pretty much every Sailor that can be on the ship is here to get the training we need.”
In order to increase damage control capabilities and readiness, the crew focused on engaging challenges that occur during normal underway operations. Members of the ship’s damage control training team led evolutions and hosted a Damage Control Olympics to reinforce skills used to combat casualties, and to encourage team camaraderie and repair locker team building.
“The underway exercise provided the command the opportunity to identify, streamline and straighten out any deficiencies we may have in regards to damage control efforts,” said Lt. Przemyslaw Lesniewicz, the ship’s fire marshal. “We have fully embraced the costly but valuable lessons learned from shipboard fires and are committed to massively improving the process of protecting the ship from internal or external physical threats.”
The simulated underway is part of a larger training plan. The ship and its crew took part in a similar exercise in March, and are set to participate in increasingly strenuous trials in the coming months.
“[This event] gives us the opportunity to exercise our training teams and their ability to properly train our Sailors in preparation for Crew Certification 3, fast cruise, and sea trials,” said Lt. Cmdr. Veronica Baker, the ship’s training officer.
George Washington is currently conducting RCOH at Newport News Shipyard. RCOH is a multi-year project performed only once during a carrier’s 50-year service life that includes refueling the ship’s two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repairs, upgrades, and modernization.
| Date Taken: | 10.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2022 10:10 |
| Story ID: | 430898 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 235 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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