Kitty Hawk Strike Group 06 Underway
CVA / CV-63 Kitty Hawk
"HAWK" / "The Battle Cat"

As USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) enters its fourth month of a ship's restricted availability (SRA) period April 6, Sailors, Ship's Repair Facility (SRF) workers, and Japanese contractors work together to ensure the Navy's oldest active-duty warship remains in fighting shape. Maintenance and repairs being completed aboard Kitty Hawk affect almost every space and compartment on the ship. Due to the replacement of steam piping aboard Kitty Hawk, hot water and heat have been unavailable in many areas, leaving heads and berthings unusable in those parts of the ship, said Patton. As a result, large numbers of Kitty Hawk Sailors have moved off of the ship and onto berthing barges, or in some cases into the barracks and Transient Personnel Unit (TPU) located on the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka installation.

Also experiencing many upgrades during SRA is Kitty Hawk's engineering department. The super-heater tube, generating bank tube and boiler refractory replacements, though difficult to complete, will allow for the safer operation of the boilers and help keep Kitty Hawk operationally ready.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) completed her Light-Off Assessment (LOA) May 5 and is now ready to go full steam ahead. Any conventionally-powered aircraft carrier coming out of a restricted availability period of 120 days or more is required by Commander, Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR), to complete an LOA to ensure the ship is ready to safely light-off, or ignite, the boiler fires in its main machinery rooms.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), along with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, departed its permanently forward-deployed operating port of Yokosuka, Japan, June 8, to begin its summer underway period. This comes on the heels of Kitty Hawk's recent five month ship's restricted availability (SRA) period followed by brief at-sea periods for sea trials and carrier qualifications.

With a combined crew of approximately 5,300 Sailors from Kitty Hawk and CVW-5, the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier team will spend the underway period conducting strike training, drills and exercises and other activities in the Seventh Fleet area of responsibility. One of the main events of Kitty Hawk's summer underway period will be Exercise Valiant Shield, which will see two other aircraft carrier strike groups as well as U.S. Air Force assets join up with Kitty Hawk to conduct exercises near the Northern Marianas Islands. The purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate the continuing ability of the U.S. military to project strength on the high seas.

Chronology

13 June 2006 - Pacific Ocean
08 June 2006 - Deployed for summer underway
05 May 2006 - Completed LOA
06 Jan 2006 - Began 5 month SRA