Vinson Celebrates 200,000 Traps

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Zachary Bell, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Public Affairs

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) reached a historic milestone with the success of its 200,000th trap on its flight deck July 13.

Vinson celebrated with two ceremonies, where cakes were presented in Wardroom III to the aviators who landed the EA-18G Growler, and in Arresting Gear Room 4, to the Sailors manning the V-2 engine room who manned the arresting gear for the landmark trap.

Lt. Ben Hartman and Lt. Ian Hudson, attached to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, said they were honored and surprised to learn they got the 200,000th trap.

"It feels good to be part of Carl Vinson's history. It's a new community we're apart of, so everything is new and exciting," said Hudson. "It takes 25 years plus to accumulate 200,000 traps on an aircraft carrier. It's really surprising we got the 200,000th."

The aviators expressed how proud they were to be manning the aircraft, but also recognized the Sailors who made this monumental achievement possible.

"It definitely feels good, but it's more of a testament to the guys working on the flight deck and the arresting gear. They're the ones working hard all day every day," said Hartman.

The team that was working hard to catch Hudson and Hartman's plane was Air Department's V-2 Division. The aircraft was caught by the arresting gear on the fourth wire, which was being manned by Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Airman Shawn Greer.

"I'm honored to be apart of Carl Vinson's history and V-2's history with arresting gear," said Greer. "Working in the V-2 engine room can be high pressured because it's not just the pilot's lives on our hands, but everyone working on the flight deck as well. That's why me and my boys in the V-2 Division always execute the highest level of safety."

V-2 Division is responsible for the safe recovery of all aircraft on the ship's flight deck. V-2 performs maintenance on industrial cables which catch the planes, as well as the hydraulic machinery that assists in stopping them.

"This is a testament to the kind of Sailors we've had working this flight deck for the past 28 years," said Cmdr. Richard Wiley, Carl Vinson's air department head. "Two-hundred thousand traps means we've done it right, and we've done it safely for a long, long time. Carl Vinson, also known as the 'Gold Eagle,' has built a legacy of excellence, and it's been built by the Sailors we had out there today and the men and women who served before them."