George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

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 On May 20, through the efforts of thousands of Sailors, officers and families, USS George Washington set sail on her maiden deployment. Destined to be a trend setter and a model in the future of our Navy, GW has already gone places and accomplished things no other carrier has before, and done so with great distinction. Visits to unusual ports, evaluating experimental equipment and new communications technologies, precedent setting joint operations with the Air Force and Army, and leading the fleet as the largest afloat command to adopt the concepts of Total Quality Leadership have all contributed to the fast start of George Washington. But it is the officers, crew and CVW-7 that make this ship such a great story. Proudly bearing the name of our nation’s first President on their uniforms, the crew has carried his personal values and traditions forward to make George Washington a model of global naval power for today. As befits a ship named for the first President, our first deployment began with our current President introducing our ship to the world during the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Normandy invasion marking the beginning of the liberation of Europe during World War II. With the same determined spirit that guided our namesake, USS George Washington has assumed our place at the point of our nation’s armed forces serving in Operations “Deny Flight,” “Sharp Guard,” “Southern Watch,” and “Vigilant Warrior,” as a good will ambassador for our nation during port visits in six different countries and hosting guests aboard from over 13 different countries. This book presents a record of this great ship’s first deployment. It has been a privilege to sail as part of the crew of USS George Washington on her maiden deployment and it is our greatest wish that she may continue to sail as a glowing ambassador for our country, as a protector of peace and that she may have many more deployments as spectacular as her first. Command 1