Sailors from USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and shipyard workers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility completed reattaching the ship's anchors, July 14.

Both 30 ton anchors and their chains were removed May 16 for required preservation maintenance that occurs every 36 months.

"All the Sailors involved put in a lot of hard work and labor," said Chief Boatswain's Mate Edgar Montano, from Los Angeles. "The preservation usually takes a month to complete, but we finished the preservation in nearly three weeks."

As the maintenance is only completed every three years, this was the first time many of the junior Sailors took part in this maintenance.

"The maintenance includes the inspection and preservation of the anchor and chain, removing rust, repainting, re-greasing and putting the detachable parts back together," said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Bryan Pentland, from Washington, Pennsylvania.

The maintenance ensures proper upkeep of the utilized portion of the anchor and chain.

"The anchor and windlass are essential to functionality and the ability to get underway," said Montano. "Due to safety of navigation, a ship cannot get underway unless it has the ability to drop anchor."

Montano stressed that the ship's anchoring equipment and the ability to conduct scheduled and emergency anchorages are critical to safety of navigation.

With its anchors reattached, John C. Stennis is one step closer to completion of its planned incremental availability (PIA) and returning to operations at sea.

John C. Stennis is conducting a PIA at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, during which the ship is undergoing scheduled maintenance and upgrades.

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