Editing Ship commissioning (section)

== Pre-commissioning ==
{{See also|Pre-Commissioning Unit|Sea trial}}

Regardless of the type of ship in question, a vessel's journey towards commissioning in its nation's navy begins with a process known as sea trials. Sea trials usually take place some years after a vessel was [[laid down]], and mark the interim step between the completion of a ship's construction and its official acceptance for service with its nation's navy.

[[File:Charles De Gaulle (R91) underway 2009.jpg|thumb|right|In 1999 the French carrier ''Charles De Gaulle'' began her sea trial phase, which identified the need for the flight deck to be extended for the safe operation of the E2C Hawkeye.]]

Sea trials begin when the ship is floated out of its dry dock (or more rarely, moved by a vehicle to the sea from its construction hangar, as was the case with the [[submarine]] {{USS|Virginia|SSN-774|6}}), at which time the initial crew for a ship (usually a skeleton crew composed of yard workers and naval personnel; in the modern era of increasingly complex ships the crew will include technical representatives of the ship builder and major system subcontractors) will assume command of the vessel in question. The ship is then sailed in [[Littoral zone|littoral waters]] to test the design, equipment, and other ship specific systems to ensure that they work properly and can handle the equipment that they will be using in the future. Tests during this phase can include launching missiles from missile magazines, firing the ship's gun (if so equipped), conducting basic flight tests with rotary and fixed-wing aircraft that will be assigned to the ship, and various tests of the electronic and propulsion equipment. Often during this phase of testing problems arise relating to the state of the equipment on the ship, which can require returning to the builder's shipyard to address those concerns.

In addition to problems with a ship's arms, armament, and equipment, the sea trial phase a ship undergoes prior to commissioning can identify issues with the ship's design that may need to be addressed before it can be accepted into service. During her sea trials in 1999 French Naval officials determined that the {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle}} was too short to safely operate the [[Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye|E2C Hawkeye]], resulting in her return to the builder's shipyard for enlargement.

After a ship has successfully cleared its sea trial period, it will officially be accepted into service with its nation's navy. At this point, the ship in question will undergo a process of [[degaussing]] and/or [[deperming]], to reduce the ship's magnetic signature.