Steel Beach- When US Navy Ships Throw Giant Beach Picnic Parties

I have Fox Trot Alpha on my favourites listing.............Every now and then things are rather interesting. This is one of those things that is...................

Yours Truly, in his younger days when in The Sea Service of The United States of America, did participate in a few of these.

It usually coincided with Beer Day as well...............

We would have bands, basketball, RC cars racing, sunbathing, golf into the water, bbq burgers and dogs and boxing.

The Good Ship Ranger and The Good Ship Kitty Hawk somewhere in the Northern Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean at a place called Al Masirah. Al Masirah was the Fleet Anchorage off of the little island belonging to the Sultan of Oman where the Brits had built him a base was. It was a transfer point for people, parts and mail to and from Ships of The United States Seventh Fleet.

Good Lord....................I still miss it..................................

USS George Washington CVN73. I did the Shakedown Cruise of this ship.

Steel Beach- When US Navy Ships Throw Giant Beach Picnic Parties

USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78. Life on a Carrier has changed..........................A lot.

The times have definitely changed.

The Old Retired Petty Officer would gladly go to sea on a ship such as this, even at my slightly advanced age................

I did six deployments on Independence, Ranger and Kitty Hawk. I also made a long work up on Nimitz and The Shakedown of George Washington, the last was just over 22 years ago.

Creature comforts were not a major consideration in those days. Not by a long shot.

Cold Showers that left one smelling like jet fuel. Long chow lines(until I made PO1). There were times when the Standard Navy Box Lunch was a main meal when working the Flight Deck. 

Yes, I would go to sea on this fine ship.................Give me a fast ship, a star to steer her by and send her in Harm's Way..........................

The Sea was my home and always will be.

Thanks to Blog Bud Arthur Barie for the link and the story. Damn, he did good.

Launched in November 2013, the ship is coming to life. The crew had accepted 675 of 2,700 spaces from shipbuilders, as of the end of September, a tally that grows by about 25 a week. Sailors are scheduled to start moving aboard in 2015, with sea trials a year later.

Navy Times recently spent a day with the Ford’s builders, leaders and crew to get their thoughts on life aboard the next-generation flattop. While the Ford still has many hurdles to surpass before its 2016 sea trials, the crew gave their ship high marks, with some saying the smaller berthings and shorter chow lines meant that sailors could live more like chiefs

http://www.navytimes.com/interactive/article/20141013/NEWS04/310130026/Crew-s-ship-Sailors-comfort-centerpiece-new-supercarrier-Ford

The Old Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stolen from Steve Beals at the Swordsmen website. This is the Mighty A-6E TRAM doing the Vis Weps at NAS Fallon, Nevada. Can a Hornette do that? Not on a bet!
I was a member of the Swordsmen of Attack Squadron One Four Five from 1979 to 1982. I made one WestPac and then the Jimmy Carter Hostage Cruise from 10 September 1980 to 5 May 1981. Five days shy of nine months.
And it simply looks vicious in Black and White!