BREMERTON, Washington - Sailors from USS John C. Stennis’ (CVN 74) combat systems department completed a major readiness assessment, July 21.

A Combat Systems, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Readiness Assessment (C5RA) consists of more than 5,000 checks that verify missile fire controls, radio systems, radar and TV systems. The testing involves operating each piece of equipment to check for missing or broken parts as well as verifying good working condition.

“The C5RA inspection is important because throughout this [planned incremental] availability most of our equipment has been dormant,” said Fire Controlman Senior Chief Kenneth Mobley, combat systems maintenance manager and maintenance branch leading chief petty officer, from Tinley Park, Illinois. “When we turned our equipment back on we faced some issues which were fortunately...only minor fixes.”

Combat systems Sailors started preparing for this assessment weeks in advance.

“We started preparing weeks ahead of time,” said Electronics Technician 3rd Class Mikaela Stinnett, from Chesterfield, Virginia. “We checked lights, fuses, made sure all of our test equipment was calibrated and our spaces were clean.”

Toward the end of the availability period, John C. Stennis brought 83 subject-matter experts from 12 different organizations onboard to assess and assist with more than 3,500 pieces of equipment and address hundreds of discrepancies and deficiencies.

“It was a great learning opportunity for us, and especially our new sailors,” said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Randall Bendura, from Central Square, New York. “Almost all of the inspectors were retired chiefs who really knew their stuff and helped us become more familiar with our equipment.”

Combat systems Sailors rose to every challenge during this assessment.

“As a whole it really elevated my expectations of what well-equipped and engaged Sailors can do,” said Mobley. “There were a lot of obstacles leading up to the assessment and major production work that didn’t always go as expected, but our Sailors really buckled down. It was gratifying and they were nothing short of outstanding.”

The successful completion of this assessment is a major milestone in preparation for the ship’s upcoming sea trials and return to operations at sea.

John C. Stennis is conducting a planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, during which the ship is undergoing scheduled maintenance and upgrades.