Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, commander, Naval Forces Central Command toured USS Normandy (CG 60) during a distinguished visit, Oct. 8.

Donegan embarked Normandy to address the ship's accomplishments and recognize crewmembers as Normandy has been operating in the Arabian Gulf for the last six months under the command of Naval Forces Central Command, and more respectively, under the lead of Donegan.

"It was great, getting to come out and getting to meet with the Sailors who are actually doing the work and not sitting in Bahrain observing from a commanding standpoint," said Donegan. "It was a joy to experience, and you quickly see that it's not the ships, it's the Sailors who are doing the hard work and making all these things happen."

Normandy's crew was eager to show off their spaces and departments during the tour.

"I got to see a good sampling of the crew; from up here on the bridge, to the folks working down in the scullery cleaning the dishes, and it takes all hands to make this ship operate," said Donegan. "I enjoyed each part of it, from greeting the officers and chief petty officers, to getting to sit down and eat with the crew."

The crew also gathered on the mess decks for some face time with Donegan during a question-and-answer session about policies, programs, and concerns about the fleet.

"Normandy is the benchmark," said Donegan. "The performance of the ship and the crew has hit a homerun on everything we've tasked you with, from working with the aircraft carrier as well as working with our allied partners such as the British and the French."

As the day's visit grew to a close, Donegan recognized a few Sailors for their accomplishments during their time in 5th Fleet by passing out coins, and pinned Normandy's newest Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialists (ESWS).

"It was an incredible opportunity to be called up to the bridge wing and shake Vice Adm. Donegan's hand after receiving his coin," said Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Cliff Norman. "I wasn't sure what I was being called up for, work I imagined, but when I was led out onto the bridge wing, the command master chief said some good words about me and I was presented a coin which was a nice little surprise."

"It was a privilege to have Adm. Donegan sail on Normandy during this late stage of this deployment," said Capt. Scott F. Robertson, commanding officer. "The crew enjoyed the unique opportunity to interact with the NAVCENT commander and demonstrate their pride, workmanship, and winning attitude."

The TRCSG consists of the staff of Carrier Strike Group 12, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, and her ships guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), USS Forest Sherman (DDG 98) and USS Farragut (DDG 99).

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For more news from USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), click HERE.