Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), and their families, shared a special meal to celebrate Thanksgiving in the ship’s homeport of Bremerton for the first time in two years.

“What a fantastic experience it is celebrating this Thanksgiving meal with my family from home and my family aboard the ship,” said Capt. Mike Wettlaufer,  Stennis’ commanding officer. “This was a well-deserved salute to our hard-working sailors and the families that support us through all that we do.”

Several of Stennis’ senior officers volunteered to serve food to the sailors and their guests.

“It’s great to be home and with my daughter who is serving meals with me,” said Cmdr. Dan Davidson. “Taking care of our sailors is important and it’s something we enjoy doing.”

Stennis’ Food Service Division (S-2) spent more than 400 hours preparing the food and arrangements to ensure every guest had a first-class Thanksgiving meal.

“Getting everything ready was a two-day process,” said Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Ashley Darwin. “Not only did we prepare the food ahead of time, we also made sure the tables and dishes were properly set up for our guests.”

The time spent to prepare was not unnoticed as sailors relaxed and enjoyed a holiday meal with friends and family members.

“This meal was great,” said Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Cody Eades.  “It was more than I expected.”

Stennis is currently undergoing a Docking Planned Incremental Availability maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. For more news from USS John C. Stennis visit www.stennis.navy.mil or www.facebook.com/stennis74.