Sailors aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are rehabilitating and refreshing 29 crew berthings during the ship's Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) period.

The John C. Stennis berthing rehabitability team, one of the many specialized PIA teams, has been working on the berthings over a four-month period to provide added comfort for the crew.

"Everything you see when you walk into a berthing, we rip it out and replace it," said Chief Cryptologic Technician (Collection) Matthew Ward, the John C. Stennis berthing rehab team leader from Fresno, California.

In addition to new equipment in berthing, the rehab team coordinates with the ship's paint team to ensure fresh coats of paint are put on the bulkheads, and the deck and tile team replace the old tile with different flooring such as PRC, a wear-resistant type of flooring designed to reduce maintenance hours and costs.

"The old berthings were in need of new paint and ventilation systems," said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Cristo Salazar, from San Antonio. "The new berthings give us a new start and appreciation."

While the updates keep the ship up to contemporary standards and looking fresh, the rehabilitation will increase crew morale during the work-up cycle and following deployment.

"I think having a nice berthing is one of the biggest things you can do to have decent morale on the ship," said Ward. "Nobody wants to live in a not-so-nice area, everything clean and new, I think that's something everyone on the ship deserves."

John C. Stennis' berthing rehab team has already completed more than ten berthings and is ahead of schedule.

"Leading the rehab team was an opportunity to work with different departments and lead a lot of Sailors," said Ward. "The team of 70 Sailors I have working for me has been exceeding work timelines. This team works really hard and we wouldn't be where we are without them."

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.



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