Fitz leaves HII yard for at-sea testing

A Navy warship that was damaged in a deadly 2017 collision left Huntington Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., on Feb. 3 after more than two years of repairs. The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald will undergo testing at sea before taking on new missions. Seven sailors were killed on June 17, 2017, when the Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan. Navy officials say the Fitzgerald is marking "a significant step in her return to warfighting readiness." The ship has spent two years undergoing repairs at the HII-Pascagoula. It will now carry out a series of demonstrations at sea that will test the ship's navigation, electrical, combat, communications and propulsions systems. "The underway reflects nearly two years' worth of effort in restoring and modernizing one of the Navy's most capable warships after it was damaged during a collision in 2017 that claimed the lives of seven Sailors," a Naval Sea Systems Command news release stated. Once the evaluations are done, the destroyer will head back to the shipyard for more training and crew certifications. The Fitzgerald is scheduled to return to the fleet in the spring. (Source: Military.com 02/03/20) https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/02/03/uss-fitzgerald-returns-sea-more-2-years-after-fatal-collision.html.