The ship and her crew, now underway to conduct comprehensive at sea testing, will perform a series of demonstrations to evaluate onboard systems to ensure they meet or exceed Navy performance specifications.
Japan-based destroyer has finished a long series of repairs and upgrades, and it’s now undergoing a series of at-sea tests and training, according to the Navy. Ten sailors were killed when the ship ran into an oil tanker in August 2017. It was one of two deadly collisions that helped prompt a series of Navy reviews on training and readiness.
The McCain's departure Monday means it has completed its necessary repairs and upgrades, which included about 11 months in dry dock. It has been undergoing additional maintenance and crew training while moored to the base pier since it left dry dock last November.
“The USS John S. McCain embodies the absolute fighting spirit of her namesakes, and shows the resiliency of our Sailors. She has completed her maintenance period with the most up-to-date multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities, preparing her to successfully execute a multitude of high-end operations. As a guided-missile destroyer assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, the John S. McCain is poised and ready to contribute to the lethal and combat ready forward-deployed naval force in the free and open Indo-Pacific region,” said Captain Steven DeMoss, commander of Destroyer Squadron 15.
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