User Panel
Posted: 10/28/2010 11:15:37 AM EDT
I got to spend around 30 hours on the USS Nimitz last weekend as part of a DV Embark group. We arrived at the North Island Naval Base and the ship Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., passed through security, and boarded around 8:00. After a briefing with Public Affairs Officer LtCmdr Steve Ruh, we began our adventure.
The carrier pulled out of port at 9:00 a.m. sharp, and steamed out into the Pacific around 100 miles from the coast. We were given tours of many areas of the ship - it is unbelievably big - and about 13:00 (1:00 p.m.) the planes started arriving from the air base at North Island. The aviators in the planes were performing carrier qualifications, so they were doing touch and goes, traps, and launches one after the other. It was amazing. We had dinner with the XO (Capt. John Ring) Friday evening, and then had a brief presentation for the crew on the hanger deck before heading to the tower to watch night flight ops. We wrapped up about 1:00 am. Next morning we had a breakfast in the Chief Petty Officer's Mess, and took more tours of the ship. After a 2:00 p.m. meeting with CO Captain Paul Monger, we strapped into a C2 Greyhound (Cod) and were catapulted off the boat and flew back to San Diego. Everyone we met on the Nimitz was extremely courteous and professional. The crew was outstanding, and the hospitality was first rate. This simply reinforces my admiration of our entire armed forces, and especially the members of the US Navy and the crew of the USS Nimitz. What a trip........of course I've left out hundreds of details. Following are just a few images of the adventure! |
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How does one get to do something like this? Join the Navy!! |
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How does one get to do something like this? Yes, this! (For those of us who can't join the navy) |
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Quoted: Quoted: How does one get to do something like this? Join the Navy!! This..... lol The novelty get's old quick when you're living on the fucker for 3 1/2 years. If you know a squid and they're getting ready to deploy ask them if they can sponsor you on for the Tiger Cruise. AS for DV cruises, those are usually reserved by .Gov people and Navy League sponsors. Sometimes we would get others but those were the usual tours. I'm a Plank Owner on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). |
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I got to spend around 30 hours on the USS Nimitz last weekend as part of a DV Embark group. We arrived at the North Island Naval Base and the ship Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., passed through security, and boarded around 8:00. After a briefing with Public Affairs Officer LtCmdr Steve Ruh, we began our adventure. The carrier pulled out of port at 9:00 a.m. sharp, and steamed out into the Pacific around 100 miles from the coast. We were given tours of many areas of the ship - it is unbelievably big - and about 13:00 (1:00 p.m.) the planes started arriving from the air base at North Island. The aviators in the planes were performing carrier qualifications, so they were doing touch and goes, traps, and launches one after the other. It was amazing. We had dinner with the XO (Capt. John Ring) Friday evening, and then had a brief presentation for the crew on the hanger deck before heading to the tower to watch night flight ops. We wrapped up about 1:00 am. Next morning we had a breakfast in the Chief Petty Officer's Mess, and took more tours of the ship. After a 2:00 p.m. meeting with CO Captain Paul Monger, we strapped into a C2 Greyhound (Cod) and were catapulted off the boat and flew back to San Diego. Everyone we met on the Nimitz was extremely courteous and professional. The crew was outstanding, and the hospitality was first rate. This simply reinforces my admiration of our entire armed forces, and especially the members of the US Navy and the crew of the USS Nimitz. What a trip........of course I've left out hundreds of details. Following are just a few images of the adventure! Sir, FWIW as a US Navy civilian I can't really remember how many times I've rode around on an aircraft carrier sometimes for weeks at a time. I've always enjoyed the time spent as worthwhile to my purpose but sometimes getting high enough priority to be on the COD off can be difficult. I've been to sea onboard Nimitz more than a few times mostly from back in the days she was home ported on the east coast. I was on her in the gulf of Sidra when some of her planes shot down a few Libyan fighters. While I don't know what or why you were on board, I am curious if you were allowed into of the propulsion plant spaces? 7zero1 out. |
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OP That is the Carl Vinson Oops Fixed. As for how we were able to do this, a charity I work with is trying to put together an event to benefit veterans groups affiliated with the Navy, and we were thusly invited. It was awesome! |
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Sir, FWIW as a US Navy civilian I can't really remember how many times I've rode around on an aircraft carrier sometimes for weeks at a time. I've always enjoyed the time spent as worthwhile to my purpose but sometimes getting high enough priority to be on the COD off can be difficult. I've been to sea onboard Nimitz more than a few times mostly from back in the days she was home ported on the east coast. I was on her in the gulf of Sidra when some of her planes shot down a few Libyan fighters. While I don't know what or why you were on board, I am curious if you were allowed into of the propulsion plant spaces? 7zero1 out. No tours of that area! We weren't allowed into any sensitive areas, which we all understood. |
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How does one get to do something like this? Become a navy contractor like my Mom. My parents live in San Diego and my mother works for a Navy contractor teaching classes to sailors and marines. Everything from resume writing to financial planning to don't shoot your wife when you come back from deployment. Most of the time, classes are taught at the bases but sometimes they need to get them done elsewhere. My mom cruised on the Nimitz from California teaching classes until they got near Hawaii and then they got flown off of the carrier to Pearl Harbor before catching a commercial flight home. She has also been to Kuwait with this job. While she doesn't like the bureaucracy of working as a contractor, she does like her job and the students are generally better behaved than when she taught middle school. |
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How does one get to do something like this? Join the Navy!! This..... lol The novelty get's old quick when you're living on the fucker for 3 1/2 years. If you know a squid and they're getting ready to deploy ask them if they can sponsor you on for the Tiger Cruise. AS for DV cruises, those are usually reserved by .Gov people and Navy League sponsors. Sometimes we would get others but those were the usual tours. I'm a Plank Owner on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). My BIL was on the Nimitz for 3 years - when I told him what I was doing he said "Meh". |
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How does one get to do something like this? Become a navy contractor like my Mom. My parents live in San Diego and my mother works for a Navy contractor teaching classes to sailors and marines. Everything from resume writing to financial planning to don't shoot your wife when you come back from deployment. Most of the time, classes are taught at the bases but sometimes they need to get them done elsewhere. My mom cruised on the Nimitz from California teaching classes until they got near Hawaii and then they got flown off of the carrier to Pearl Harbor before catching a commercial flight home. She has also been to Kuwait with this job. While she doesn't like the bureaucracy of working as a contractor, she does like her job and the students are generally better behaved than when she taught middle school. Just curious, how'd she get a job doing that? I assume 5-20 years of prior teaching experience? |
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Sweet! Come across any weird storm clouds? http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/final-countdown.jpg |
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Sweet! Come across any weird storm clouds? http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/final-countdown.jpg If the United States falls under attack our job is to defend her in the past, present and future. |
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Those Nimitz-class carriers are something, aren't they! We got a tour of the Ike a couple years ago. It was amazing, but I sure wouldn't want to be stuck on it for months on end! Those Navy guys and gals have my humble respect! I know my limits and living on a carrier is one of them.
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=798354 |
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Those Nimitz-class carriers are something, aren't they! We got a tour of the Ike a couple years ago. It was amazing, but I sure wouldn't want to be stuck on it for months on end! Those Navy guys and gals have my humble respect! I know my limits and living on a carrier is one of them. http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=798354 http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v338/69/4/524488474/n524488474_1361947_9420.jpg http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v338/69/4/524488474/n524488474_1361948_6.jpg They really are amazing. And I agree spending months at a time on one would probably get old....the crewmembers we spoke with were pretty content, though. Most had good stories about various ports of call... |
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I spent two and a half years on that boat. It is something I did in fact enjoy quite a bit.
Glad to see the she is still looking good after all these years. |
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I spent two and a half years on that boat. It is something I did in fact enjoy quite a bit. Glad to see the she is still looking good after all these years. She's a young-looking 35. The PAO told us she's about to transfer to Bremerton (sp) Washington and go into dry-dock for a year or so. Get some repairs and some upgrades. The XO said she has about 15 years left in service - they plan on retiring her when she turns 50. The Ford Class is being built and will supposedly slowly supercede the Nimitz class. Assuming we can afford to build the Ford boats..... |
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No Black W on that boat... Nope, we sucked Lol I had forgot all about that until I saw it in the pic. Had to think a minute what it was Weapons got. All I know is my weapons dept won it a few times. |
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Sweet! Come across any weird storm clouds? http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/final-countdown.jpg I actually just watched that movie last night, I bought it on DVD And I spent more than enough months on board the Harry S Truman.. I'm good, but I can see how it would be supremely interesting to someone who has never been on one before.. Bet it was fun! |
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cool. my brother did his last cruise on the Nimitz this past winter/early summer. |
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You didn't participate in "Happy Hour" scrubbing bulkheads, polishing brass, cleaning a shitter or a scrub-ex on the flight deck you missed out on the real Navy experience.
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The M2 pic, fifth up from the bottom, you can see my parent's house. I love looking at the carriers and the hornets on the north island station when I'm there.
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All available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down, I say again, all available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down.
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You didn't participate in "Happy Hour" scrubbing bulkheads, polishing brass, cleaning a shitter or a scrub-ex on the flight deck you missed out on the real Navy experience. Yeah, we got the tourist treatment. I really enjoyed it, though, having never been on a big boat before. And that sucker is BIG. You can tell upkeep is a round-the-clock job - being a huge steel machine in a saltwater environment. Saw lots of scrubbing, painting and polishing taking place even the short time I was there. |
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All available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down, I say again, all available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down. They did a walkdown on the hanger deck when I was there. A bunch of sailors all across the deck looking down picking up whatever the could find. They seemed thrilled. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Sweet! Come across any weird storm clouds? http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/final-countdown.jpg If the United States falls under attack our job is to defend her in the past, present and future. Does anyone know if those 'weird storm clouds' followed 'Back to the Future rules' or 'Terminator rules'? |
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All available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down, I say again, all available hands to the flight deck for FOD walk down. They did a walkdown on the hanger deck when I was there. A bunch of sailors all across the deck looking down picking up whatever the could find. They seemed thrilled. Yeah, if you ever want to see some people try and get so busy that they are indispensable, call a fod walk down.. I "might" know from experience.. Quoted:
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Sweet! Come across any weird storm clouds? http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/final-countdown.jpg If the United States falls under attack our job is to defend her in the past, present and future. Does anyone know if those 'weird storm clouds' followed 'Back to the Future rules' or 'Terminator rules'? I would have to say "back to the future" because everybody came back with everything. But they did not have to gun it to 88 to make it happen.. |
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Sir, FWIW as a US Navy civilian I can't really remember how many times I've rode around on an aircraft carrier sometimes for weeks at a time. I've always enjoyed the time spent as worthwhile to my purpose but sometimes getting high enough priority to be on the COD off can be difficult. I've been to sea onboard Nimitz more than a few times mostly from back in the days she was home ported on the east coast. I was on her in the gulf of Sidra when some of her planes shot down a few Libyan fighters. While I don't know what or why you were on board, I am curious if you were allowed into of the propulsion plant spaces? 7zero1 out. 7zero1 - I was one of the other 5,000 on the Nimitz with you in the Gulf of Sidra - VF-84 Trouble Shooter. JF |
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Quoted: I did four years on the Vinson. eta: got to take my wife on a dependents cruise during change of home port, 3 days or so from Seattle to Alameda. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp146/dkm455/USS%20Nimitz%20DV%20Embark/usscarlvincent640.jpg She's doing INSURV right now, you want to be far, far away.... lol |
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I floated around in the Med on that boat over 20 years ago. I was real excited my first 30 hours too!!! But after a few years, it was like, "LET ME OFF."
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How does one get to do something like this? Join the Navy!! This..... lol The novelty get's old quick when you're living on the fucker for 3 1/2 years. If you know a squid and they're getting ready to deploy ask them if they can sponsor you on for the Tiger Cruise. AS for DV cruises, those are usually reserved by .Gov people and Navy League sponsors. Sometimes we would get others but those were the usual tours. I'm a Plank Owner on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). |
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I think another contractor where I work was on the Nimitz back in the 80s
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