U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Ike begins training and evaluation programs

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy's USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier, departed from its home port to begin Tailored Ship's Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem.

The programs are unit-level training designed to prepare the ship and its crew for full integration into a carrier strike group. The evaluation will measure sailors' proficiency in a variety of operations, including recovering from casualties, damage control, and combat readiness. The performance will be assessed by Afloat Training Group Atlantic.

"All the Sailors, from ship's company to the air wing and carrier strike group, have been training toward these critical assessments," said the vessels's commanding officer, Capt. Paul C. Spedero Jr. in a statement. "While they're certainly ready now, this training will afford them the opportunity to get even better."

During the Tailored Ship's Training Availability portion, sailors will be tasked with responding and recovering from casualties and sharpening damage control. For the Final Evaluation Problem, crews will conduct combat missions such as flight operations in addition to surviving casualty control situations. The training event will mark the first time the carrier will integrate with Carrier Strike Group 10, Carrier Air Wing 3, and additional embarked ships from Destroy Squadron 26.

ATG inspectors will measure the crew's expertise until they are deemed proficient across all areas.