Local resident commands Navy carrier

Local resident commands Navy carrier

Captain Joshua F. Wenker, a Scripps Ranch resident, assumed command of the USS Carl Vinson Navy aircraft carrier on July 30 and brought it safely to its homeport at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on Aug. 14 after being deployed nearly nine months. Capt. Wenker resides in Scripps Ranch with his wife, Lauren Wenker. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group returned after an extended deployment in support of global maritime security operations. The USS Carl Vinson sailed 86,000 nautical miles, conducting 23,000 hours of safe flight operations, including 11,000 sorties. This included real-world operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Capt. Wenker, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is a highly decorated naval aviator, having accumulated more than 2,200 flight hours, 400 carrier arrested landings and 80 combat sorties.