Posted on 07/07/2010 11:28:44 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
F/A-18 Hornets started to take off in waves just after 5 p.m. yesterday as more than 100 crew members wearing different colored shirts—including brown for maintenance, yellow for handlers and purple for fuelers—worked the deck of the ship, mostly using hand signals in the noisy and windy environment.
Fifty miles south of Oahu, a two-seater Hornet powered up with enough force to cause a vibration in the chest and launched off the deck in less than three seconds at 150 mph.
With 4,500 sailors and about 60 aircraft, the aircraft carrier Reagan is the centerpiece of the "Rim of the Pacific" naval exercises, which bring together 14 nations for interoperability training.
"We're bringing 90,000 tons of diplomacy out here to the central Pacific in order to demonstrate our resolve, (and) in order to give our like-minded partners that we have out here an understanding of carrier operations," U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden, who commands a multinational task force of 11 U.S. and foreign ships, said yesterday.
The $4.5 billion aircraft carrier, at 1,092 feet nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall, pulled out of Pearl Harbor yesterday at about 1:15 p.m. for the start of several weeks of RIMPAC war games.
The biennial RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime exercise, technically began June 23, but preceding days comprised an "in-port" phase.
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The reporter got across the main subject of his story, but left out details like: the brownshirts are squadron personnel; yellow shirts are officers; white shirts are safety; green shirts are arresting gear and catapults; and red shirts are armament.
He makes a big deal of 60 aircraft and 4500 crew on a 90,000 ton ship. ....I was on a 55,000 ton carrier with 100 aircraft and over 5000 crew; with only 3 catapults. Talk about crowded!! We slept 3-deep on canvas tied to aluminum frames with mattresses about 2 inches thick, whereas the modern carrier sailor has a suite in comparison.
Of course I know that today’s aircraft are larger than what we had aboard in the early 1960’s, so they could not possible carry as many aircraft today. Our largest aircraft was the A3-D Skywarrior and we only had one squadron.
Sorry for rambling, but the subject stirred memories. My comparisons should NOT be taken as criticism or sour grapes for the much improved living conditions that our Sailors and Marines now have. ....I only posted to show how far we have advanced in a handfull of decades. With an all voluntary military, more creature comforts are needed.
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