The U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) left Naval Station Norfolk last Thursday to conduct carrier qualifications (CQ) and flight deck certification (FDC), the Navy said in a statement.
The Lincoln just finished its four years-long refueling and complex overhaul period last month at Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. (Defense Daily, May 9).
The Navy said these qualifications are key milestones in transitioning back to a fully capable warship.
The FDC includes an assessment of the ship’s sailors to conduct successful day and nighttime flight deck operations, emergency barricade testing, flight deck firefighting, and crash and salvage drills.
These tests include the launch and recovery of pilots from Carrier Air Wing 7 in F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets, E-A-18G Growlers, and C-2 Greyhounds.
The tasking is expected to be increasingly challenging because many of Lincoln’s crew have not before been underway for flight operations. The CQ overall involves longer work hours for all sailors involved.
“For the past year, air department Sailors have trained and prepared for this underway period. Everyone has been waiting for this opportunity to get our flight deck certified and bring Lincoln back to operational status,” Cmdr. David Burmeister, Abraham Lincoln’s Air Boss, said in a statement.