On June 26, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) received the 2024 Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award in recognition of the crew’s exceptional performance and battle readiness throughout the year. The Carl Vinson's crew was cited for their indomitable spirit, superior performance, and consistently high standards of readiness in the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Presented annually by the Chief of Naval Operations, the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award honors one ship from U.S. Pacific Fleet and one ship from U.S. Fleet Forces for superior performance in the Navy’s battle effectiveness competitions. The award was presented to the Carl Vinson after the ship received the 2024 Battle Effectiveness Award, alongside 13 other ship-wide excellence awards, highlighting the crew’s sustained operational excellence.

“This award validates the hard effort of the entire crew,” said Capt. Matthew Thomas, commanding officer of the Carl Vinson. “Every Sailor on board has made contributions to make this happen, from senior leadership to junior personnel. Together, we have forged sustained superior performance at sea, and I am incredibly proud of the crew’s hard work and dedication.”

Vice Adm. Michael E. Boyle, director of the Navy Staff, congratulated the winning crews for their “exemplary dedication to battle efficiency and warfighting.”

The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award includes a stipend to support onboard Morale, Welfare, and Recreation programs, giving back to the Sailors of the winning ships for their hard work and dedication to the mission. The Carl Vinson last received the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award in 2004.

The Carl Vinson returned from a four-month Western Pacific deployment in February 2024, completed Exercise Rim of the Pacific in the summer of 2024, and began its current deployment in November 2024, operating in the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. As the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, the Carl Vinson continues to deliver multi-domain combat power, supporting deterrence, global stability and U.S. national security through sustained operations at sea.

CSG-1 consists of the Carl Vinson, embarked staffs of CSG-1 and Destroyer Squadron 1, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104).

CVW-2 is composed of nine squadrons flying the F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, CMV-22B Osprey and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks.

For more news from CSG-1, visit http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CSG1. For more news from CVN 70, visit http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CVN70.