Thirteen Canadian and American midshipmen are spending their month-long summer training aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) while the ship is underway.

The midshipmen, who will serve as officers in their country's navy after graduating college, are aboard Sampson during a composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in preparation for Sampson's upcoming deployment.

"It's really interesting to see the big evolutions and the shipboard life you can only experience in person," said Midshipman Ellen R. Gaintenbein, a student attending Boston University.

Midshipman Severn Mozer, a student from Royal Military College of Canada, recently conned Sampson alongside an oiler during an underway replenishment. "It was a really tense experience but went a long way to building my confidence in driving ships," Mozer said.

The midshipmen experience many aspects of shipboard life, including ship operations, drills, and firing weapons systems.

"Because we're in COMPTUEX, we're able to show the midshipmen a more in-depth understanding of the administrative and operational side of what they'll do in the fleet," said Lt. j.g. Hannah K. Inloes, Sampson's training officer.

COMPTUEX evaluates the strike group's readiness by testing command and control functions, crew safety evolutions, search and rescue operations, damage control and operational capabilities of a carrier strike group, ultimately certifying the TRCSG for deployment.

TRCSG is comprised of Carrier Strike Group 9 staff, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23 staff, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, and the DESRON 23 ships; the guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG 97), USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Preble (DDG 88) and USS Sampson (DDG 102), as well as the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52).

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