USS Carl Vinson Welcomes Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet

Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) welcomed Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Vice Adm. Gerald R. Beaman to the ship Sept. 26 during the carrier strike group’s underway operations off the coast of Southern California.

Vinson and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are completing the operations prior to visiting San Francisco for Fleet Week Oct. 8-11.

Beaman received a Fleet Week brief from Carrier Strike Group 1 staff, and held three calls throughout the day; an officer’s call in Vinson’s Wardroom 3, a Chief Petty Officers’ (CPO) call in the CPO Mess, and a crew call for all E-6 and below on the ship’s aft mess decks.

With the dining tables pushed to the side, Vinson Sailors formed ranks and filled the mess decks, standing for the admiral’s call. Beaman entered and parted the ranks, standing in the middle of the gathered Sailors to address them and take their questions. Many of his remarks centered around his appreciation for a crew that will soon spend their second consecutive holiday season on an extended combat deployment.

“Your country, your Navy, is asking a lot of you with the quick turnaround from your last deployment to your next. I can’t thank you enough for what you do,” said Beaman. “We wouldn’t ask if we didn’t know the Vinson crew could respond.”

Beaman answered questions from Vinson Sailors on a variety of topics ranging from the Navy’s deployment schedule, retirement benefits, and the Vinson’s future operations.

Carl Vinson helps provide deterrence, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the sea and humanitarian/disaster response within 3rd Fleet’s 50-million square mile area of responsibility in the Eastern Pacific, as well as supporting the nation’s maritime strategy when forward deployed.

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Source: navy, September 28, 2011