USS John C Stennis starts another round of deployment preparations

US Navy aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) has embarked on its first underway period of the new year to prepare for an upcoming deployment.

The ship got underway from its homeport of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton on January 16.

John C. Stennis Sailors are scheduled to conduct flight operations, damage control and firefighting training, seamanship training, medical training, and exercises designed to maintain technical and tactical proficiency in a variety of warfare areas.

Last year, the carrier completed the largest work package ever planned for a six-month availability for a Nimitz-class carrier, requiring more than 2,800,000 man-hours of work between ship’s Sailors, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, and contractors.

The aircraft carrier is preparing for a deployment with its carrier strike group which consists of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), USS Stockdale (DDG 106), and USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93).