USS Carl Vinson prepares for deployment

Sailors assigned to U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) returned to Naval Station North Island in San Diego after completing three days of sea trials.

The at-sea period allowed Team Vinson to assess the ship’s state of readiness and ensure that the Chief of Naval Operations Planned Incremental Availability maintenance period was properly accomplished.

The crew, at sea for the first time since June 2015, tested equipment that supports surface operations, flight deck evolutions, deck seamanship and damage control readiness through various drills and system checks.

Other highlights of this underway period included man overboard drills, active shooter drills, high-speed turns to test ship maneuvering capabilities, and testing of the ship’s countermeasure wash-down system on the flight deck, the fixed Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) sprinkler system in the hangar bay, and the ship’s newest self-defense weapon, the MK-38 25mm chain gun system.

Carl Vinson’s next milestone will be flight deck certification, which is part of the ship’s final assessment for carrier qualifications before it can deploy.