Bremerton, Washington - Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) was awarded the 2018 Battle Efficiency "E" for West Coast-based aircraft carriers in an announcement released by Commander, Naval Air Forces, March 7.
Vinson’s selection for the annual honor recognizes the crew’s superior level of sustained proficiency and readiness throughout the ship's 2018 operations.
“I’m very proud of our team,” said Capt. Matt Paradise, Carl Vinson’s commanding officer. “2018 was a busy year and we responded well by executing all of our operational commitments, inspections and training with excellence. This award reflects the entire crew’s hard work above, on and below the flight deck each day.”
Last year, USS Carl Vinson completed a three-month deployment to the Western Pacific that included a visit to Vietnam, the first visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier in more than 40 years. The ship also participated in Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2018 with more than 50 surface ships and submarines from 26 nations.
In total, Carl Vinson spent 193 days operating away from its San Diego home at the time. In January 2019, the ship moved to Bremerton, Wash., for scheduled maintenance.
"It feels great to be recognized as a ship for the hard work we did in 2018,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Derrick Johnson. “We spent a lot of time away from family and friends, and winning the Battle "E" shows that we really made the most of it."
The Battle "E" award recognizes exceptional shipboard performance during operations, inspections, certifications, assessments, and training events in a competitive cycle. A ship and its various departments must consistently demonstrate a high level of proficiency, safety awareness, operational risk management, and overall readiness in all phases of operations.
Carl Vinson is America’s third Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship’s namesake is one of the longest-serving U.S. congressmen in history who had a profound impact on developing America’s modern naval force centered on aircraft carriers.