Having finished a Covid-19 quarantine period, US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) deployed on 8 June from San Diego on the West Coast, USN officials confirmed.
About the same time, in the Atlantic Ocean off the US East Coast, carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was completing its largest aircraft embark for operations that included the first use of recently certified Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs), USN officials said.
USN officials say the carrier deployments and other operations underscore the service’s ability to maintain its ability to maintain missions despite Covid-19 impacts.
Before deploying, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) completed a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX), designed to fully integrate units of a carrier strike group, while testing a strike group's ability as a whole to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea.
All personnel assigned to the Nimitz CSG completed a minimum 14-day quarantine ashore and were tested for Covid-19 before getting under way with their respective units, USN officials noted. Sailors assigned to Nimitz completed a 27-day fast cruise aboard the ship that also included their Covid-19 testing period.
Leading up to and throughout COMPTUEX, Nimitz CSG units conducted “aggressive” mitigation measures to minimise potential exposure to Covid-19, USN officials reported, including the wearing of face coverings, social distancing, minimising meetings and gatherings, and thorough cleaning of spaces multiple times each day. They will continue these mitigation processes.
Learning to operate in this Covid environment has not been easy, but the Nimitz crew has demonstrated their adaptability and resiliency in overcoming the challenges and have remained focused on maintaining readiness, Captain Max Clark, Nimitz commanding officer, said in a statement.
Ford
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