USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Visit

[youngtiger1]

For some reason I'm seeing photos as if they were negatives. Can someone tell me what am I doing wrong? I'm suing iPad to view this site and would love to see these pics. TIA

Mike

[tbm3fan]

I enjoyed this immensely. Thanks...

[Albany Rifles]

Craig,

You bring back some GREAT memories for me!

I was fortunate enough to go aboard the JFK in 1986...alas, we arrived by Army Blackhawk. We were there for a meeting for a joint USN-USMC-USA exercise centered around FT Stewart, GA. Didn't get to see too much.

But the great memory for me was my Dad's Super 8 home movies from the early 1960s of his visit aboard a carrier. He was director of admissions at small New England college and this was a trip where college administrators were brought aboard various Navy vessels as a way to orient them to Navy to encourage Go Navy programs on campuses. When they found out he had been a fireman aboard the USS Cabot (CVL-28) in World War 2 they treated him like royalty. I remember watching the movies he made until I about wore out the film.

Thanks for sharing.

[Cruiser]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing.

A bolt, for the "Bolter"! I like that. I was gonna guess that it was hanging to make the newbies (or is that "nubs"?) sick when it swings in rough seas. But then, come to think of it, how often does that happen on something that big? Does it ever? Seems you'd have to be awful sensitive to sea-sickness. The reason I thought of that was we use to do it on my ship, USS Mississippi (CGN40). Although I don't recall it ever working as intended. Oh well, "hope springs eternal", or something like that.

[Battleship IOWA]

Exactly, it's called a "Bolter" thus the bolt. Your Question.

Is that a bolt hung on the last pilot's chair who missed a trap?

[surfgun]

That is a good way to kill some time.

[Gun Boat]

Is that a bolt hung on the last pilot's chair who missed a trap?

[gunnut]

Fantastic!!!

[Stitch]

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The huge hanger deck.

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The Ouija Board.

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The fine folks of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-147 “Argonauts” were kind enough to lend us there ready room and give a briefing of what they do. And yes those chairs are as comfortable as they look, especially after a long day of walking and climbing the ship.
Who knows the significance of the orange object top center frame?

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FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walk.

I've been on the Hornet a few times, and I thought their hanger was big; that gives new meaning to the word "supercarrier"! That one hanger is easily double the size of the hanger on the Hornet.

And the "orange object" looks a very large bolt, maybe a shear bolt of some sort?

[Battleship IOWA]

My room.

[Battleship IOWA]

They call this “The Gym by the Sea”.

[Battleship IOWA]

The huge hanger deck.


The Ouija Board.




The fine folks of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-147 “Argonauts” were kind enough to lend us there ready room and give a briefing of what they do. And yes those chairs are as comfortable as they look, especially after a long day of walking and climbing the ship.
Who knows the significance of the orange object top center frame?


FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walk.

[Battleship IOWA]

More Pictures


High technology has an artistic beauty all its own.


The Commanding Officer, Capt. Karl Thomas. This was Capt. Thomas’s last day as CO his next assignment is the Pentagon and perhaps a new Star.


I really did not think they would let us this close to things.




The Focsle, it was getting set up for a Sunday service.

[Battleship IOWA]

This past weekend I had the distinct honor to be invited to visit the Carl Vinson while on training deployment off the coast of southern California.
It started Saturday morning at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, San Diego, Calif with a US Carrier history lesson followed by safety and equipment training including how to properly don crash helmets and personal flotation devices and what to do in a water landing.

Our flight to the CVN-70 was in a Northrop Grumman C-2A “Greyhound” also called a COD for “Carrier Onboard Delivery” flown by the Fleet Logistics Support Squadron VRC-30 “Providers”.
We were told that the C-2A was being phased out and will be replaced by the V-22 “Osprey” in the next year or so and that we will be among the last civilians to ever experience a Tailhook trap and steam catapult launch.

Now the Tailhook Trap and Catapult launch were the best rides I have ever had but the best part of the trip was meeting the fine men and women that make up the crew of the USS Carl Vinson. The sacrifice they make to their families to keep the rest of us safe is debt that I can never repay.


A perfect 3 wire trap. We were no more than 20 feet away from the wingtip. WOW

Ordnance magazine with an inert weapons display.
We were told that in 3 days this magazine would be completely full (Would of loved to see that!).




The jet engine shop was at the very stern of the ship with doors that open to the outside so they can test at full afterburner.


This was on the floor of the engine test compartment.
IYAOYAS (If You Ain’t Ordinance You Ain’t Shi*).

Our ride.

During the day pilots will salute the shooter to indicate he is ready for launch in low light & night time air ops the pilot will turn on the tail light to indicate a ready for launch.

The F-18 pilots also do not hold the stick when taking off because of the autonomous flight control system. You can see in video 5 that just before takeoff the pilot takes his hand off the stick and grabs what they call the “Towel Bar”.
I believe the F-18 was the first Navy fighter to be able to carrier land without pilot intervention.

We got to view a rare event indeed when we got to see the launching of the Shooters boots. As soon as they got going the boots looked like they were trying to fly. I believe it is only done once at the end of each deployment so we were very lucky to see this tradition and again I can’t believe how close we got.