USS Essex returns to sea after maintenance

The U.S. Navy’s Wasp-class multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) departed her homeport of San Diego, June 19 to recertify the ship after its maintenance availability.

Essex has undergone more than a year of planned maintenance availability and is now testing its systems to return it to war-fighting condition.

“While operating off the coast of Southern California, Essex will be conducting 17 major evolutions to include certifications in amphibious and air operations and testing of the engineering and navigation capabilities,” said Lt. Natalie May, assistant operations officer. “The training and testing done during this underway will help the ship’s mission capability after a long yard period.”

The evolutions planned include air operations, fuel certifications and steering testing. Accomplishing these tasks will allow Essex to receive aircraft on board and become mission ready.

“By keeping a steady strain on training, Essex is able to execute the mission anywhere in the world,” said May. “We expect to perform each evolution safely and successfully.”

Essex plans to complete its underway trials within four weeks and will return to its homeport of San Diego to receive final maintenance actions before returning to sea later this year.