Posted on 06/11/2012 12:18:37 PM PDT by moonshot925
USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, At Sea (NNS) -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) hosted the ship's namesake, former President George H.W. Bush, and his son, former President George W. Bush, for a promotion and reenlistment ceremony off the coast of Kennebunkport, Maine, June 10.
"It's a great honor to be out here," said George H.W. Bush. "I'm thrilled to be on this vessel that bears my name, and I'm very proud of all of those that re-up'd for service to our great country."
The ship's sponsor, Doro Bush Koch, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and other members of the Bush family accompanied the Navy's newest aircraft carrier during a regularly scheduled training evolution to encourage the crew and raise morale.
While onboard CVN 77, the former presidents presided over a mass reenlistment, enlisted advancements, and officer promotions. This ceremony was the highlight of the visit and the crew to expressed their gratitude towards the ship's namesake.
(Excerpt) Read more at navy.mil ...
Did they fix the heads yet?
Wow, what a beauty!
That truck parked on the bow creeps me out, though. Brrrr. Has anyone ever driven one overboard?
If anyone has, their last name was probably McCain. Imagine that, being a reverse ace in supply trucks too. ;^)
That's an aviation firefighting rig (white color gives it away). And yes, they have gone overboard in the past.
Even bigger pucker-factor is for the flight deck director to spin an aircraft around on the bow at night, with the nosewheel behind the pilot and inches from the edge. Almost as nerve-wracking for the pilot as the night trap just occurred!
The plane hanging over the left side looks a little precarious too.
Yes, called tail over water (TOW), as opposed to tail over deck (TOD). Maximizes deck space for launches and recoveries. Aircraft are securely chocked and chained before being shut down. Greater risk is for plane captains or maintenance crew to slip off the back of the bird and into the water when things get slick.
Here’s perhaps a dumb question. Are all of the planes (and trucks!) stored underneath and brought up - or do they use the flight deck for long-term parking as well? I imagine the former?
PORT side, dammit! :-) (Unless you mean your left, in which case it would be starboard)
How many stories up is the deck from the water?
Would someone normally survive falling that far?
Hey I’ve never been on a ship. What do you think I am a pirate? :-)
I heard about that sad ‘incident’, back in ‘08.
I’ve served on board a sub and two carriers.
I can’t even imagine what that feel like! Yikes.
Just noticed THAT, AA! Holy carp; it looks like it’s going over, any second.
I remember port & starboard, bow & stern, from my Boy Scout Canoe Trip excusions on the Illinois Fox River, back in the 50s. Whoooooooooe, what great times those were!
“How many stories up is the deck from the water?”
80-90 feet
“Would someone normally survive falling that far?”
No. They would hit the water with such velocity that it would be like hitting concrete.
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