By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Byron C. Linder, USS Carl Vinson Public AffairsUSS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Commander, Naval Air Forces awarded the 2011 Battle Efficiency (Battle "E") for West Coast-based aircraft carriers to Sailors of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Feb. 10.
Vinson Commanding Officer Capt. Kent D. Whalen congratulated the Vinson Sailors who made the award possible.
"It is terrific to see this ship and crew receive this kind of recognition. It is a testament to their hard work and dedication and very appropriate for the announcement to come while forward deployed conducting combat operations," he said. "The spirit and enthusiasm on Carl Vinson amazes me every day. I couldn't be prouder of what these Sailors have accomplished."
The annual award was the culmination of 2011's 365 operational days, of which Vinson Sailors spent 235 at sea. This is Vinson's sixth Battle "E" overall, having previously earned the distinction in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2004. This marks the first Battle "E" since returning from a refueling complex overhaul in 2009.
"I am very proud of our crew and honored to be a part of the team. I see their dedication and professionalism every day, and I am thankful they are being recognized for their accomplishments in 2011," said Executive Officer Cmdr. Paul Spedero. "I know our Sailors will wear the Battle "E" with pride and continue to serve our Navy with honor, courage and commitment."
The Battle "E" is designed to measure and recognize a command's sustained superior performance and battle efficiency in an operational environment through the calendar year.
Command Master Chief April Beldo noted the importance of teamwork in the achievement.
"This is something I'll remember the rest of my career and long after. Look back at what this crew has accomplished, and there can be no doubt as to whether they deserved the "E"," she said. "Their spirit has been overwhelming and their will to succeed is the reason we're celebrating this. Individually, these Sailors are outstanding. Collectively, they are unbeatable."
Vinson earned 14 departmental efficiency awards for 2011 as part of the assessment - the Air Department Yellow "E," Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department Black "E," Combat Systems Green "CS," Damage Control Red "DC," Deck White Crossed Anchors with Black "D," Engineering Red "E," Medical Blue "M," Navigation White Ship's Wheel, Operations Green "E", Safety Green "S", Security Black "S", Supply Blue "E", Weapons Black "W", and Carrier Maintenance Purple "E".
"Our Sailors answered every bell with enthusiasm, technical expertise, an eye on safety and great pride in service. You don't win a Battle "E" on appearances. You have to excel in every area," said Rear Adm. Thomas K. Shannon, commander, Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG 1). "Carl Vinson Sailors clearly demonstrated sustained superior performance, operational effectiveness and continuous readiness above all others. I couldn't be more proud."
Lt. Cmdr. Amy Hunt, Vinson's training officer, noted despite the different criteria for earning a departmental award, one common factor ran through the individual successes.
"We earned it because the Sailors worked really hard all year long," she said. "There were a lot of competitive exercises the departments had to perform. Whenever we had a graded general quarters drill, those went into the overall ship's grade."
Vinson Sailors were charged with completing 110 graded exercises throughout the year. These evolutions were spread out over nine departments.
"We trained very well and very hard, and our grades for those exercises were very good. We had two back-to-back combat deployments, and we demonstrated we were the go-to ship," Hunt said, citing Vinson's service in the 2011 Quicken Loans Carrier Classic NCAA basketball game. "Any time we were tasked with something, we did it. And we have a very good reputation as a ship because of our hardworking Sailors."
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