Posted on 07/23/2006 10:42:08 AM PDT by radar101
SAN DIEGO — The Navy has decided to conduct tuberculosis tests on all 4,800 crew members and 1,200 civilians who were recently aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan after an initial round of tests showed many crew members tested positive for the disease, officials said Saturday.
The first round of tests was ordered after a sailor was diagnosed with active tuberculosis. The ship returned to San Diego on July 6 after a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf. Officials tested 776 crew members and civilians who were thought to have had contact with the sailor. Positive results showed up in 4.4% of them.
Capt. Frank Chapman, a Navy doctor, said the Reagan's commanding officer, Capt. Terry Kraft, ordered the entire crew and all passengers screened for TB in order to "identify everyone who may have been infected and begin any necessary treatment."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
...................... Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Jan. 22, 2005) - Sailors man the rails and render honors to the USS Arizona Memorial as the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulls into Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Ronald Reagan's first port visit to Hawaii is in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian operation effort in the wake of the Tsunami that struck South East Asia. U.S. Navy photo by PhotographerÕs Mate 1st Class James Thierry
I would think they test them every 6 months or year anyway. It's not good that someone got sick but this testing isn't that far from routine IMO.
Your absolutely correct Cindy.
Although it's been some 28 years since I've been on an Aircraft Carrier, (USS Midway, home-ported out of Yokosuka Japan), it was pretty much SOP to test the entire crew when someone tested positive for TB.
I know a lady who was one of the 1,200 civilians referenced. She was visiting her daughter onboard as part of the "Tiger Cruise" from Hawaii to San Diego.
Just finished e-mailing her a copy of the article.
Are we not vaccinated against TB?
There isn't an effective vaccination available. Mexico has a vaccine but we don't use it.
Could someone with USN expierence please let me know why there were so many civilians onboard the ship?
PING
"Tiger Cruises" are common when a ship is returning from a deployment. It's where a bunch of family members meet the ship at Pearl Harbor and ride with their family and/or friends to the home port. Usually 2 weeks at sea.
It may have been a "Tiger" Cruise, which is where dependents are allowed to go out to sea on the ships for a short float. Like a few hours or so. I THINK that's the name for it... it's been a long time.
That ship is possibly cursed. Already has lost planes due to pilot error at sea. Diplomatic incidents with Austrailia due to inconsiderate garbage dumping on their beaches. And now this.
Name a Carrier that hasn't.
In peacetime? Off the coast of a friendly nation? On its maiden voyage? Can't be that many.
Yes, yes and yes. Flying off the deck of a boat like the Reagan is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and training accidents happen anytime and place. If this was Reagan's maiden voyage it simply means that the crew and the Air Wing were still strangers to each other and had not yet melded into the team they would become. Further, training off the coast of a FRIENDLY nation is surely to be preferred to doing it near a HOSTILE country!
Neil, you were a squid. Can you put it in terms this individual might understand?
Every carrier loses planes at sea. Better think of another reason for a curse.
Good gosh. Every carrier would be cursed if losing a plane is grounds.
I really don't think the vessel is cursed.
I spent four years as aircrew on the USS Kennedy. Planes crash, that happens.
Gargbage is thrown into the sea. That is also standard procedure. When at sea, they would announce over the 1MC "The Port Quarter is now open", and everyone would grab their trash, troop down there and throw it into the water. The Soviets usually had small vessels back there, and you could see them fishing the bags out of the water.
My guess is that they were either not far enough out to sea, or the currents and wind conspired to bring them back ashore somewhere. Australian ships do the same thing at sea. It was just a mistake. If they made an international incident out of it, someone had an agenda and was just being a jerk.
Hehe. I wonder what other types of "garbage" ended up in those bags.
They were pretty strict (at least with us) in what could be thrown in the trash. And we were Brownshoes. I am certain that if they looked at enough rubbish they could have found something.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.