|
Post by ikedilligas on Sept 12, 2007 11:46:43 GMT -5
Speaking of China, India and the Navy, My same friend just put out to sea yesterday morning for a 6 month West Pac deployment. Let's hope he doesn't have to shoot.
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 12, 2007 13:24:55 GMT -5
That is one thing I wish I had been able to do is go on a WestPac. Med Cruises were OK, but it gets kind of stale after going to Naples, Italy 12 times during a deployment. I hope your friend has a good cruise.
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 12, 2007 13:42:43 GMT -5
Here is a pretty good picture of USS Nimitz (CVN-68):
|
|
|
Post by ikedilligas on Sept 12, 2007 15:12:36 GMT -5
He is on a sub so I'm sure it's not nearly as comfortable as being on a carrier. But he has told me that it's not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. Of course who can be surfacing in the middle of nowhere for a swim call and doing a back flip of the fairweather planes.
|
|
|
Post by ikedilligas on Sept 12, 2007 15:13:38 GMT -5
I love all carriers and I am jeaouls of anyone who has been able to spend any amount of time one one.
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 12, 2007 15:24:08 GMT -5
Believe me, it can be a lot of fun, but when you are out to sea for over a month, working 12 on and 12 off, it can suck. The other problem is that some ports will not let a carrier come in for liberty. Just too many sailors. I was lucky once, a friend and myself were on watch when a request from USS Texas (CGN-39) since scrapped, they needed 2 signalmen for 2 weeks due to discharges and illness. We went over by helo and 4 days later we were in Athens, Greece. We were there for 5 days and did nothing but drink Ouzo and eat!
|
|
|
Post by chandler44 on Sept 12, 2007 15:52:33 GMT -5
So what would you do on the 'off' days while on board?
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 12, 2007 16:20:17 GMT -5
At sea there are no "off" days. You work 12 hours on duty then have 4 hours watch depending on which division you are in and then you have 8 hours to sleep or do whatever. Usually sleep!
In CS division when I was in, we worked 6 hours on and 12 hours off, that way we did not stand the same watch every day and it made the days go by a lot quicker. Sometimes we did not sleep for a couple of days and played marathon sessions of spades, Monopoly or whatever. We also made a pretty good wine out of grape juice, sugar and yeast and let it ferment in the paint locker! ;D Damned good thing we never got caught!
|
|
|
Post by ikedilligas on Sept 14, 2007 8:40:26 GMT -5
Texiban - Are you a shellback or pollywog?
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 14, 2007 11:31:30 GMT -5
Shellback! And Bluenose!
|
|
|
Post by ikedilligas on Sept 17, 2007 9:11:04 GMT -5
I'm sure you can't give details, but is the ceremony as bad as I have heard it's rumored to be?
|
|
|
Post by Coach on Sept 17, 2007 9:19:53 GMT -5
I think Texiban was a d*cksnot.
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Sept 17, 2007 10:27:29 GMT -5
Who you be callin' d*cksnot, chucklehead? ;D Yeah, the Shellback ceremony is pretty rough. You have to crawl thru a garbage pile, wear your clothese backward and inside out, dive in an ice cold saltw@ter tub to rense off and if you're REALLY unlucky, you get to kiss a fat man's belly. Thank God I was able to skip that!
|
|
|
Post by texiban001 on Oct 4, 2007 13:18:25 GMT -5
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) just returned from a 6 month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. While on deployment, her pilots flew over 2500 sorties and dropped over 100 tons of ordanance. Also, the first female in the new Enlisted to Warrant Officer Pilot program was selected from Nimitz crew.
|
|