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USS Monterey, George Washington Conduct Cross Training in Caribbean

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060424-16
Release Date: 4/24/2006 4:00:00 PM

By Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Michael Blackwell II, USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs

USS MONTEREY, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Monterey (CG 61) and USS George Washington (CVN 73) Sailors received on-the-job training April 20-22 in an effort to improve the level of proficiency and teamwork between the two ships.

The two ships are units of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, which is deployed to the Caribbean Sea in support of “Partnership of the Americas.”

Sailors from the ships’ operations and combat systems departments ranging in pay grades from E-5 to O-6 transferred between Monterey and George Washington via helicopter over the three-day period.

The experiences shared on the different ships provided insight into varying aspects of shipboard life, as well as operational capabilities. The Sailors are taking the knowledge they gained and bringing it back to share with their divisions.

“I always welcome the opportunity to expand my professional development by seeing how different types of ships do their job as a unit to support the overall mission,” said Lt. John Samolis of Monterey. “My training on George Washington will further enable me to carry out my duties as anti-air warfare coordinator of the combat information center aboard Monterey.”

The training was set up to increase the ability of both ships to work as a single unit. With the knowledge of each ship’s capabilities, Sailors have tools and resources to make decisions in any given scenario.

“Our purpose here is to build a bridge between the assets of both the carrier and the cruiser to gain a better understanding of how each command operates,” said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Michael Brashear of George Washington. “With a better understanding of each other’s purpose and capabilities, we also gain an operational capability far superior to what we would have otherwise.”

Sailors left their respective ships for approximately 24 hours before returning to share what they learned with their fellow shipmates. As Monterey and George Washington continue to operate together in the Caribbean during “Partnership of the Americas,” the crews will look for additional opportunities to send Sailors back and forth to give and receive training.

“Partnership of the Americas” is a maritime training and readiness deployment of U.S. naval forces with countries from the Caribbean and Latin America, in support of U.S. Southern Command objectives for enhanced maritime security.