POLARIS POINT, Guam (NNS) -- The submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) returned to Guam after completing sea trials Dec. 19.

The crew, comprising uniformed Sailors and Military Sealift Command civilian mariners, participated in more than three days of events and operations at sea to test the readiness of the ship.

Frank Cable completed extensive boiler repairs and testing prior to leaving Guam. After getting underway, the crew participated in abandon ship drills, man overboard drills, engineering exercises, damage control training and countermeasure wash-down testing.

“December has been a very busy and productive month for our team,” said Capt. Jeff Bierley, commanding officer of Frank Cable. “The ship and crew performed extremely well on sea trials, and it was great to get our ship to sea for the first time in over a year!”

According to Bierley, sea trials were a great way to conclude a very eventful year for the crew. Earlier in 2019, the ship underwent extensive maintenance and preservation work before relieving the submarine tender Emory S. Land (AS 39) as lead maintenance activity on the Guam waterfront.

“As we approach the end of the year, it is truly amazing to look back on all we have accomplished as a combined U.S. Navy-MSC team,” said Bierley. “The outstanding work we have done this year in support of our primary mission of waterfront submarine support, as well as repairs and upgrades we have completed on our ship, is a direct result of the dedication of everyone on our team.”

Frank Cable, forward deployed to the island of Guam, repairs, rearms, and re-provisions submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.