after lunch the four of us: Rogey, Troubadour, Trobairitz & myself decided to Tour the USS Hornet, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991 . Troubadour and Trobairitz had been here before but they did the engine room tour, and this time we did the "Island" tour.
I don't recall ever being on an Aircraft carrier before and it was as big as 3 football fields
I can't help but think how busy this area would have been during the war with planes going up and down, being repaired or serviced and how much noise there would be down here
Not a Triumph Tiger, but an F-11F Tiger
Here we are on the flight deck. There are some areas which you are only allowed to access through a guided tour
The do have a few helicopters and jets parked "on the deck"
while the deck is big with a long runway, I am sure it doesn't appear that way as you are attempting to land
Primary Flight Control
We are waiting for our Docent. The "Island" tour starts at the flight deck and goes up to the Combat Information Centre and up 5 flights of steep ladderlike steps to the Primary Flight Control, and Navigation bridge
Primary Flight Control
This is the command post where the planes are staged. From take off to landing, it is all handled here with a staff of about 20 people
Looking out the window you see the San Francisco skyline in the background on the other side of the Bay. If you squint you can see the Oakland-Bay bridge near the top on the right
I'm all mixed up, I think this is the navigation or chart room. They all look similar with the same looking machines
This is one of the Bridges looking towards the front
Our Docent was actually a co-pilot and he had interesting stories to tell
It was getting late and soon we had to go our separate ways. I was leaving early in the morning for my flight home. Rogey, I hope we helped to make your vacation a memorable one. 'Till we meet again . . .
If you would like to see a documentary series of what happens on an aircraft carrier today, check out the PBS dvd "Carrier". It is about the USS Nimitz during a six month deployment in 2005...your local library may have it.
ReplyDeleteLooking at your pics, it's cool how all those plane wings and helicopter blades fold up to fit while they are parked!
Suzu:
DeleteI'm sure I've seen this series before on National Geographic channel. Even though the Hornet was an older model all I could think was what it must have been like during the war when all this activity was going on. I have always liked planes and helicopters but we weren't allowed to "board" them
Nice photos of the tour, and a few artsy ones thrown in for good measure. So the Hornet is a semi-permanent exhibit or it is being retrofitted for something....
ReplyDeleteI must admit that my favorite photo is the fifth one. It helps to have an extrovert for a subjectt.
Richard:
Deletethis is a permanent Historic display and it was interesting. I've never been on an aircraft carrier before. Hard to imagine that they had 100 planes during the war, with a crew of about 3,500 people
Neat! I don't think I have been on an aircraft carrier. Just the gunships. The size is immense. I can only imagine the hubbub of a ship in full swing.
ReplyDeleteLori:
Deletethat's what I was thinking, what it was like when it was fully staffed and all the activities going on and how much noise there would have been.
Looks like a fun tour, I have to say the 'F11f Tiger' is the best looking plane I've seen on a carrier!
ReplyDeleteHope your flight was smoooth and uneventful.
Ken:
DeleteI liked the Tiger too, but wonder where the wings were. some of the planes on display had no engines installed. I keep thinking how hard it must have been to actually "Land" on the deck
Enjoyed these Bob, finally getting a decent chance to take a look at your trip. As mentioned, I've been on various Naval ships but never a Carrier, nor have I been on that side of the Bay.
ReplyDeleteCoop:
DeleteI'm not that familiar with the East side of the Bay but we did travel through here the last time on our way to Lake Tahoe. I have also stayed in the Berkeley area a long time ago when our BIL used to lecture at UCLA. Being in Canada we don't have many opportunities to tour ships but during Expo we managed to get onto a Submarine
I love to visit navy ships. When you guys visit NY I will take you guys to see the Intrepid carrier and the battleship New Jersey, they both offer good tours.
ReplyDeleteWas Roger squinting? ;-)
George:
Deletewe'll see how much time we have and whether you are free next July. It's the first time I have been on an aircraft carrier. The newer ones are larger
You did such a great job sharing your trip with us. Looks like you all had fun!
ReplyDeleteKathy:
Deletewhen bloggers get together how can we not have fun ! It was great to just be together