The crew of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) received the Battle Efficiency, or Battle “E” award, March 7.
The Battle “E” award is a tribute to the ship’s overall readiness and was determined by a yearlong evaluation of San Antonio’s accomplishments during training exercises and various command inspections.
The San Antonio was nominated by Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) Four and has received the Battle “E” two years in a row while under the leadership of commanding officer Cmdr. Neil Koprowski.
“I am overwhelmed with excitement and pride for the ownership of a second Battle E,” said Koprowski. “The Sailors have put in hard work to sustain our superior ship performance and winning this award demonstrates to the Navy that this is the world class crew that I know it is.”
Personnel aboard the San Antonio are now authorized to wear the Navy “E” ribbon and Battle “E” device.
“It’s great to have the crew wear the Battle ‘E’ ribbon for the second consecutive time,” said Command Master Chief Timothy Bailey. “This achievement is a true reflection of the crew’s commitment in demonstrating excellence in every evolution and the day-to-day workloads.”
San Antonio’s consecutive wins sets a standard for other ships in the fleet, one that Navy leadership believes is achievable.
“Winning the Battle ‘E’ for the second year in a row shows the Navy as a whole that high levels of operational readiness is attainable and maintainable,” said Capt. Brad Skillman, commadore, PHIBRON Four. “Capt. Koprowski and his crew are the standard-bearers for the rest of the fleet and I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.”
The crew plans to continue to maintain that level of efficiency while on their scheduled deployment.
“We have put in a lot of hard work over the past two years,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Aaron Nicholson. “This will show others that we as a crew are ready and we are willing to take on any thing that comes our way.”
San Antonio is deploying as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group with embarked Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, March 13, 2013