The guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) recently held an Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) pinning ceremony on the ship's flight deck while deployed in the Arabian Gulf.

During the ceremony, 14 Sailors were pinned ESWS after dedicating hours to studying, conducting walk-throughs with subject-matter experts and passing boards.

The entire crew of San Jacinto was present for the event to celebrate the achievements of their shipmates.

"I could not be prouder of the performance of the crew of San Jacinto," said Capt. Dennis Velez, San Jacinto's commanding officer. "They have all worked very hard during a challenging deployment and are getting qualified at a record pace. I am constantly impressed with the amount of Sailors I see working towards and earning their ESWS pins."

Since beginning deployment, 53 Sailors have earned the ESWS qualification, demonstrating their knowledge of all facets of surface warfare. There remains a steady stream of Sailors working towards this professional milestone with boards consistently scheduled through the remainder of deployment.

"During our deployment, especially in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, San Jacinto's ESWS program is thriving," said Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Downey, San Jacinto's ESWS coordinator. "Sailors have dedicated many off-duty hours to get training and signatures in their PQS. Once they have received all of their signatures and attained all of their prerequisite qualifications, they take a written exam, receive a walkthrough sheet and demonstrate their knowledge level by training the trainer. Lastly, they go through an oral board."

Earning a warfare qualification is no easy feat, but it boosts the confidence of newly-pinned Sailors.

"Something of value does not come easy," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Sarah Harrell, a newly qualified Sailor. "Earning my ESWS pin came with a lot of hard work and sleepless nights, but in the end, it has been one of my proudest moments on deployment."

San Jacinto, deployed as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG), is supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

Ike CSG is comprised of the staff of CSG-10, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike), the embarked squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 staff, guided-missile cruisers San Jacinto and USS Monterey (CG 61), and guided-missile destroyers USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).


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