USS Enterprise Out of Yard: InSurv Classified Documents?

More exciting news these days than those US Navy InSurv classified documents policy changes of Dec '09...

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group deployed Friday from Norfolk Naval Station, Va., making this a big week in Navy News.

The morning of May 19 '10 began with replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196). An all crew effort pitched in a few members from the each of the various departments to help secure and store food supplies aboard the "Big -E".

Though everyone was ready to ship-out for a deployment in October '09 the USS Enterprise was laid up for an additional 7 months. A big shuffle of assignments and leave of absence and retirement occurred for about 1/3 of that original Task Group crew.

Six ships, an Air Wing along with 6000 sailors of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group deployed Friday from Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia.

They are the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) and guided missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill(DDG 81), USS Oscar Austin(DDG 79) and USS Ross(DDG 71). The US force opposite Iran will be joined by a German warship, the frigate FGS Hessen(F221), operating under American command.

Enterprise is underway conducting carrier qualifications in preparation for work-ups and her 21st deployment.

On the West Coast, the carrier John C. Stennis on Monday started a $137 million, six-month planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. The carrier will have extensive work on propulsion and aircraft launch and recovery systems, according to the contract. Radar and communications systems also will be upgraded.

The carrier Ronald Reagan returned to sea for sea trials the following day after six months of upgrades, modernizations and maintenance. The work was done at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., the carrier’s homeport.

And in the Western Pacific, the forward-deployed George Washington Carrier Strike Group departed Yokosuka, Japan, on Tuesday to conduct equipment testing and carrier landing qualifications to prepare for an upcoming deployment.

This comes after hundreds of thousands of man hours repairing and upgrading the carrier during a 121-day selective restricted availability period, according to the Navy.

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) Now Beyond Accommodative

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Torrey W. Lee, USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs

May 21, 2010 - SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulled into Naval Air Station North Island May 19 after a successful two-day sea trial, which marked the official end to its six-month planned incremental availability (PIA) period.

The sea trial was the final phase of PIA and was conducted to assess the material readiness and ability for the ship to return to the operational fleet.

Ronald Reagan's executive officer, Capt. Ronald Ravelo attributed the success of Ronald Reagan's PIA to the tremendous teamwork between the ship's crew and shipyard workers from Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Northrop-Grumman's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and Southwest Regional Maintenance Command.

"This is where a warship should be," said Ravelo. "I was walking around the ship and as we made it to deep water I could feel that energy in the crew."

During the maintenance period, Ronald Reagan received technological upgrades that will prepare it for its next deployment and beyond. Refurbishments ranged from hi-tech combat systems to firefighting equipment. The crew also benefited, receiving living spaces and improved ship's laundry services, to list a few.

"With the modernization we're now going through I think it serves as a preparation," said Ravelo. "The challenges out there in the real world are becoming a lot more complex. By investing the time and money into these carriers and upgrading the systems, it better prepares us to tackle all of those challenges."

Ronald Reagan's PIA began last fall, on the heels of the ship's fourth deployment in four years. The PIA was the ship's second, the first coming in 2007. With most of the crew involved in that maintenance period transferred, going from an operational carrier to a shipyard environment was difficult at first.

"Initially it was tough," said Ravelo. "After that initial shockwave once we got into the groove I think everyone worked really well together. Again, teamwork was the key."