The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed an ammunition onload from February 3-4. George H.W. Bush was supported by the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13). Ammunition and ordnance were brought aboard by connected replenishment (CONREP) and vertical replenishment (VERTREP), supported by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5. During the evolution, George H.W. Bush brought on more than 2 million pounds of ammunition through both VERTREP and CONREP. Originally scheduled for four days, the team safely completed the onload in just two days.
“There are a lot of moving parts in an operation like this and everyone involved showed incredible tenacity and teamwork,” said Cmdr. Clemente Gattano, George H.W. Bush’s weapons officer. “After 35 years in service, this is my last underway. It’s a great feeling to know that one of my last major evolutions directly supported the warship returning to a deployable status.”
“The training and teamwork of our team pay dividends for the Navy and the nation,” said Capt. Robert Aguilar, GHWB’s commanding officer. “I am proud of our Sailors and team. Their mission-focus, critical training, and hard work are our biggest tactical advantages over our adversaries.”
George H.W. Bush’s next step to operational readiness is completing Tailored Ship’s Training Availability/Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP) as part of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan.
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and final Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy.[1] She is named for the 41st President of the United States and former Director of Central Intelligence George H. W. Bush, who was a naval aviator during World War II. The vessel’s callsign is Avenger, after the TBM Avenger aircraft flown by then-Lieutenant George H.W. Bush in World War II. George H.W. Bush provides the national command authority flexible, tailorable warfighting capability as the flagship of a carrier strike group that maintains maritime stability and security to ensure access, deter aggression and defend the U.S., allied, and partner interests.
