June 24, 2009 Navy Identifies Sailor Who Died Aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
From USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Public Affairs

USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, At Sea (NNS) -- The command master chief from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 died June 20 aboard deployed aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Initial indications are that the death was of natural causes.

Command Master Chief Jeffrey J. Garber, 43, was found unresponsive in his stateroom at approximately 8:15 a.m. A medical emergency was declared, and medical personnel were on the scene within minutes. All efforts to revive Garber were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at 8:23 a.m. local time.

June 20, 2009 Navy Leads Helicopter Recovery Efforts
By Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Sea Systems Command's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) concluded salvage operations June 10 of an HH-60H Seahawk helicopter that went down near the Los Coronados islands.

The Seahawk helicopter crashed May 19 while conducting training operations with USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a composite training unit exercise. Supporting the accident investigation board, SUPSALV's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations yielded the recovery of the aircraft rotor, engines, tail section and other aircraft components.

June 3, 2009 Carl Vinson's Flight Deck Ready for Ops
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Shen, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) held a grand opening ceremony of its flight deck May 28 after three years of reconstruction and maintenance.

Carl Vinson is completing its scheduled refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The RCOH is an extensive yard period that all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers go through near the mid-point of their 50-year life cycle.

During RCOH, Carl Vinson's nuclear fuel has been replenished and the ship's services and infrastructure upgraded to make her the most state-of-the-art aircraft carrier in the fleet and prepare for another 25 years or more of service.

June 3, 2009 GW, CVW-5 Finish COE, Ready for Summer Deployment
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John J. Mike, USS George Washington Public Affairs

ABOARD USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) and embarked Carrier Airwing (CVW) 5 successfully completed a combat operations efficiency (COE) evaluation June 2.

Two major criteria involved in a successful COE evaluation are event factors and combat boarding rates. Event factor represents the average amount of time it takes GW to launch and recover aircraft per cycle, and combat boarding rate is the average amount of attempts it takes an aircraft to land on board.

Following COE, GW will continue this underway in the western Pacific Ocean conducting advanced cyclic flight operations in preparation for its first summer deployment from Fleet Activities Yokosuka since becoming the Navy's only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier.

May 28, 2009: USS Ronald Reagan Deploys
From Carrier Strike Group 7 Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed San Diego May 28 on a deployment to the 7th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.

The carrier joins the other ships of its strike group which departed the day prior, including the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), and the ships of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, which include the guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Howard (DDG 83) and USS Gridley (DDG 101), and the guided missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43).

The squadrons of CVW-14 include the "Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, the "Fist of the Fleet" of VFA-25, the "Stingers" of VFA-113, the "Eagles" of VFA-115, the "Black Eagles" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113, the "Cougars" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139, the "Providers" of Carrier Logistics Support 30, and the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4.

May 26, 2009: USS George HW Bush Certified for Flight Ops
From USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs

USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, At Sea (NNS) -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) reached another milestone when she successfully completed her first flight deck certification May 26.

An aircraft carrier's flight deck certification is a two-part certification that ensures the crew can safely and effectively conduct independent flight operations.

The Navy's newest aircraft carrier, along with the aircraft and personnel of Carrier Air Wing 1 and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 safely completed 695 catapult launches and arrested landings while underway in the Atlantic Ocean May 18-29.

January 13 2009 Stennis Departs on Deployment
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Elliott J. Fabrizio, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) departed her homeport in Bremerton, Wash., Jan. 13 for a regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment.

Stennis will join Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, to form the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (JCSCSG), which will support regional stability in the Western Pacific.