The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN 69, commonly known as IKE, recently completed ammunition offloading operations with the USS Harry S. Truman CVN 75, the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78, and the dry cargo ship USNS William McLean T-AKE 12. The U.S. Navy ships conducted these at-sea operations between August 22 and 30, clearing IKE of ammunition following its deployment in the Middle East.
According to the U.S. Navy, for the offloading work, the Eisenhower’s weapons department had over 1,360,777 kilograms of ammunition on the flight deck and in the ship’s hangar. “…The ammunition was transferred to the Ford and the Truman by MH-60S Seahawk helicopters from the “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 and the “Dragon-Slayers” of HSC-11. The “Dusty Dogs” of HSC-7 moved the ammunition from IKE to the McLean…”
In total, 1,764 vertical replenishment and connected replenishment during flight operations were carried out. Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Alexis Armstrong, leading chief petty officer of the G-5 division, noted, “…The weapons department did an incredible job removing all the explosive material from the ship…For us, offloads and onloads are like the Super Bowl…”
It is worth noting that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group had previously completed a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), the most complex multidomain training operation of the Joint Force. “…The NATO training event integrated into this COMPTUEX program is the tenth of its kind offered by CSG-4 for CSGs and Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) – Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) teams preparing for deployment since 2020…”
For the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the ship concluded a 9-month deployment in July in the areas of responsibility of Central Command/5th Fleet and 6th Fleet. The U.S. Navy detailed that during this deployment, IKE completed over 13,800 sorties by aircraft from its Carrier Air Wing, totaling more than 31,400 flight hours in operations to neutralize unmanned vehicles of all types, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles launched by Houthi forces from Yemen.
The recent ammunition offloading operations were a success, and the weapons department command chain was pleased with the commitment and effort of the involved personnel, particularly regarding the high levels of safety required by the activity.
“Before each explosive material evolution, each division conducts a safety briefing at the start of each offload…During the offloading, we have officers, chief petty officers, and first-class petty officers patrolling the flight deck, hangar bay, and magazines for safety. We are moving a lot of heavy equipment and explosives, so safety is paramount…”, said Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Jerome Ruffins, leading chief petty officer of the weapons department.
Cover image: U.S. Navy – Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Merissa Daley
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