That evening I was taken to my living quarters for for the next 6 nights. I would say stateroom, which it is officially known as, but that makes it sound too plush. This was very utilitarian as is the entire boat with wires running along the walls and pipes everywhere. But it is a Navy warship so I suppose that is how it should be. My
son is an officer so I was lucky enough to be in officers’ quarters but it was
still 6 grown men in a space that was 10 feet by 10 feet including the space
occupied by the bunks stacked 3 high so it is very tight. The quarters are air
conditioned so the temperature was very pleasant but there was intermittent but
frequent noise in the form of metallic clunks and squeaks but I popped an
Ibuprofen to help me sleep and literally crawled into my ‘coffin’ as they are affectionately
called and tried to get the claustrophobic thoughts out of my mind. It was long
enough and wide enough to not make me feel too closed in but the bunk above me
was so close I couldn’t stretch my arm out so it was tight. I wasn’t about to
let on that I was a bit claustrophobic though because this was a trip of a
lifetime and I wasn’t going to miss out on it. Even if I had to sleep in a
chair sitting up if I became claustrophobic, I would make it work.
Thankfully none of my roommates snored so I was able to
sleep until early in the morning when I was awoken as the door closed when one
of my roommates left. I slid out of my bunk and got dressed and waited for my
son to get back so we could go get some breakfast. The food was not bad and was
all you could eat so the morning was off to a good start. The wardroom where
the officers eat was fairly nice and had a couple of TVs going with the Armed
Services network playing a variety of shows so I was pleasantly surprised. After
breakfast my son took me on a quick tour and then we went up on the deck to
watch as we departed from Pearl Harbor. It was an amazing site with the sailors
dressed in white ‘manning the rails’ and as we passed the USS Arizona Memorial
all activity on our ship stopped and it was completely silent as all the
sailors stood at attention and saluted in honor of the ship and her lost crew.
After we cleared the harbor our ship began to proceed under
her own power and the tugs pulled away. We were still being flanked by a Navy
patrol boat on each bow while we were in the channel but when we left the
channel and went out into the open ocean we increased our speed and in the
rough seas you could tell the patrol boats were having trouble keeping up with
us so both of them fell off and went back towards the channel. It was a
beautiful day and exciting to be up on the flight deck surrounded by all of the
aircraft as we watched the islands of Hawaii began to fade over the horizon.
The remainder of the day was spent acclimating myself to the
ship and learning how to find my way back to my stateroom which could be quite
difficult to do at times. The bulkheads are all numbered in order from bow to
stern and have an indication of whether they are on port or starboard – but it
was still very tricky with all of the halls and side passageways. I quickly
fell into the routine which seemed to be universal on the ship of looking
forward to meals and watching a movie at night before crawling head first into
my bunk to sleep.
The next morning I woke up with a lurch when I heard a loud grinding
noise followed by a very loud bang. “What was that?” I asked out loud as I
looked around the room from my bunk. Surprisingly there were only 2 guys left –
the others must have gotten up and out early. “That is the JBD – you ain’t
heard nothing yet. Wait until the CAT starts,” I heard from my son in the bunk
above me. “JBD?” I asked. “Jet blast deflectors. The CAT comes next. We usually
have to end up putting in earplugs in for them. It’s loud as hell and the whole
room shakes when they’re in action. They’re getting everything tested out
before they start the launches.” I was in a room with Pilots and NFO’s (Naval
Flight Officers) that are aircrew on E2’s so their quarters are close to their
ready room (where they brief before flights) and therefore close to the flight
deck, actually right underneath it – so it is a very loud room during flight
operations.
The Navy had scheduled a flight show for us so I went up on
the flight deck to watch the aircraft launch before the show actually started.
There were 1200 other ‘Tigers’ on the ship with me so it was crowded but I
still got a great view of the amazing process as the sailors very skillfully
positioned the aircraft on the deck, attached the catapult and then shot them
off the ship. It was an amazing experience as the afterburners of the jet
flamed and the rumble of the engines and clanging of the catapult reverberated
through your whole body as the blasted off the end of the carrier. I watched
one after another get lined up and blasted off in their perfect choreography of
movements as the crew worked together with precision. It was an unforgettable
scene to watch.
Over the next few days there were tours set up for us for
many of the different systems on board including the flight control tower which
was very cool, weapon systems, the fo’c’sle (slang for forecastle) which had
equipment that basically looked like a big version of the anchoring equipment
on my sailboat, the flight deck with the catapults and arresting cables and
many other tours. In between tours I spent a lot of time just walking around on
my own or on the deck looking at the empty sea occasionally catching a glimpse
of one of the destroyers or cruisers that are part of our Carrier Strike Group.
Eventually I began to do the same as my roommates when they
were not working - lying in my bed with my computer on my chest watching movies
or TV shows. There was no Wi-Fi to surf the net and only space for 3 chairs in
our room so there were not too many options while you were in the room. I spent
6 nights on the ship and these guys were on it for over 270 days. The Navy kept
them busy working 6 days a week and they had a port call every 6 weeks or so
but still, 270 days. That’s a long time away from our typical American homes
and lifestyles, not to mention family and friends. Or alcohol, for those of us
that enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine – none of that on the ship. No
phones either to call your loved ones and hear their voices, which of course
also means no texting. The only communication you get is an occasional email
and if you are lucky a Skype call when you are in port. The only privacy you
get is in your bunk which, after just a couple of days quickly became my
sanctuary.
The last day comes and everyone is busily preparing to pull
into port in San Diego and leave the ship. It has been an amazing trip but I
look forward to getting back to my creature comforts. And of course some really
good food (although the sailors on the ship did a great job and had some very
good food) and a nice cold beer or two. But my excitement doesn’t compare to
the 4000+ sailors that have been deployed on the ship for over 9 months. They
are talking excitedly in the hallways, laughing more and discussing what they
will do when they get back home. As we pull into the channel leading to San
Diego I am up on the deck with the 1000 or so other Tigers and 1000 or more
sailors in their white uniforms. The enlisted are manning the rails with the
officers behind them and patriotic music is playing over the speakers. There is
a fire boat in front of us spraying a fountain of water out both sides and many
civilian boats alongside with their flags flying and the people on board waving
and screaming out their ‘welcome home’ greetings. People are also lined up on
shore waving as we pass by and a formation of Navy helicopters fly by us
circling the ship. When we pull up close to our dock we see ten thousand or
more people waving, applauding and screaming out to the sailors they are
waiting to greet home with many of them holding signs with their sailors name
on it or a greeting from the new baby that was born while the father was out at
sea. I wasn’t a member of the crew and it is very emotional for me so I can’t
imagine how emotional it must be for the crew that has been deployed for so
long. When the first dock line is launched to shore a big cheer comes up from
the crowd, when the first gang plank is attached another cheer from the crowd,
then the loudest cheer of all comes up when the crew begins to leave the ship
and walk ashore. There are over 40 men that are new fathers whose babies are
waiting on shore to see them for the first time so they let them off the ship first,
then the others begin to follow.
My son and I leave the ship and weave our way
through the crowd headed to the closest restaurant and bar. He is in his white
uniform so some of the people we pass in the crowd are welcoming him home and
thanking him for his service. We walk about a mile to the Coronado Brewing
Company and see many sailors have already beat us there. While we are waiting in
the bar for our table a family insists on paying for our beer and their teenage
sons look closely at my son and listen carefully to the conversation he is
having with their mother about the places he has been and the things he has
done. I am so proud of him and so honored to have been a part of this amazing
experience.
