This is mostly about some pictures I took last evening of the USS Ronald Reagan leaving Pearl Harbor. I figured that there were enough people on this forum who worship the man that they would enjoy these. The Navy has named many ships after presidents. We have the carriers George Washington, Ike, T Roosevelt, Lincoln, JFK, and pretty much covered most of the founding fathers in the "41 for freedom" ballastic missile subs. The George H. W. Bush is under construction and Carter got a sub. (Carter was a submariner btw) I don't see a USS William Jefferson Clinton in the future, but that could change. I bet Bush 43 gets one first. It could always be the USS Hillary Clinton although I think we would have a USS Mother Teresa first.

She's a very pretty ship.

There was a carrier anchored off Ft. Lauderdale when I was flying out back in April. Any idea which one it was?

Nice pictures. I watched a little bit of a program called "Mega Structures" today and they were building the Reagan. They showed them putting that superstructure in place.

I remember seeing them place the superstructure on the Lincoln at Newport News in late '90 IIRC. Truly an incredible operation to behold, that crane is god-awe-full huge!!!
Thanks for the pics of the RR! Still love my CVN's!!!

I remember seeing them place the superstructure on the Lincoln at Newport News in late '90 IIRC. Truly an incredible operation to behold, that crane is god-awe-full huge!!!
Thanks for the pics of the RR! Still love my CVN's!!!


Can't say that I ever loved a CVN, but I tolerated the Ike and the TR. I was still in Norfolk when the RR was commissioned at pier 14. I saw Nancy through binoculars.

She's a very pretty ship.

There was a carrier anchored off Ft. Lauderdale when I was flying out back in April. Any idea which one it was?

I have no idea. I did pull into Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) on the Eisenhower back in 2001. We moored at the cruise ship piers. I would hate to anchor out in a US port. Back in 2003 when I was on the TR, we were supposed to go to Key West for a liberty port and anchor out. We were staying South trying to avoid hurricane Isabel and ended up following it up the coast and pulling in two days after it hit Norfolk. I didn't have to rake any leaves that fall, but the house was fine. Never got to go to Key West.

Can't say that I ever loved a CVN, but I tolerated the Ike and the TR. I was still in Norfolk when the RR was commissioned at pier 14. I saw Nancy through binoculars.

Time has a way of softening the pain...:rolleyes: I loved the Enterprise as a ship, it was a fascinating piece of machinery, I'd love to see it again, but I don't miss living there. The Hornet is a museum parked where the Carl Vincent used to live at Pier 3, Alameda, I went about two years ago and the smell of the oils brought back a lot of memories...

Time has a way of softening the pain...:rolleyes: I loved the Enterprise as a ship, it was a fascinating piece of machinery, I'd love to see it again, but I don't miss living there. The Hornet is a museum parked where the Carl Vincent used to live at Pier 3, Alameda, I went about two years ago and the smell of the oils brought back a lot of memories...

My brother was on the Ticonderoga (sp?) - what happened to it?

Is it me or has carrier desisn changed little in the past 50 years or so, I know the technology inside these beasts has changed but the outside appearance seems to be more or less unchanged when compared to frigates etc. that are all stealthy angles and nog big guns or visible weapons at all. I must say I prefer the old fashioned look though, same with fighter planes. :)

My brother was on the Ticonderoga (sp?) - what happened to it?

Didn't Ft. Ticonderoga fall during the Revolutionary War? :)

My brother was on the Ticonderoga (sp?) - what happened to it?

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/histories/cv14-ticonderoga/cv14-ticonderoga.html

Snap, the same thing that happened to the Topeka, the CLG that I served on, scrapped. Here is a little history of your carrier though. I was in WesPac, probably in the same groups at times as the Ticonderoga after the Gulf of Tonkin and the next cruise she made as well.

Thanks snake - he must've been on her right up to when she was decommissioned in 1973. I remember him writing to me about retrieving the Apollo astronauts. Brother was lucky, never saw any combat, just a whole lot of the world.

The first model I ever built as a kid was of the Ticonderoga. Cool ship.
Rogger, outward carrier appearance has changed very little since the Enterprise was designed and built in the late 50s, in fact most of the physical appearance differences have been confined to the superstructure (mostly related to radar equipment). Enterprise, America, and JFK were very similar, but only the 'E' was nuclear, all since Nimitz (late 60s) have been adaptations of the Nimitz design. Structurally and technically the RR and the Enterprise have very little in common.

I just read this in the WSJ so maybe it's still relevant here.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110008589

The USS GW Bush in action. :rolleyes:

The USS GW Bush in action. :rolleyes:



Well the USS John Kerry would have two bows and no fantail. Nobody would be able to tell if it was coming or going.

The USS GW Bush in action. :rolleyes:



Libbies would call the boat sinking...but a true believer would say that the boat is moving in an unalterable path and nothing is going to make it change that path!!!!

I knew that my pictures belonged in the PO forum. I can't believe it took this long. Were you guys out riding bikes or something?

I knew that my pictures belonged in the PO forum. I can't believe it took this long. Were you guys out riding bikes or something?

BOIII started it (points finger in the general direction of Colorado)...he dragged Snake down and then I bit on his fat worm of a reply and well...we all feel shame...I am sure.

BOIII started it (points finger in the general direction of Colorado)...he dragged Snake down and then I bit on his fat worm of a reply and well...we all feel shame...I am sure.

Well, that sure got me to giggling. Thanks. :)

Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished

Well bigbill teed that opportunity up so well I had to use the driver and knock it all the way down the fairway.....

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=j>George W. Bush: I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers...Now, watch this drive.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Awww.... can you FEEL THE LOVE in this thread?

I remember seeing them place the superstructure on the Lincoln at Newport News in late '90 IIRC.

I was sailing around Cape Horn on the USS Abraham Lincoln in late '90, so you probably saw a different ship.

I don't see a USS William Jefferson Clinton in the future, but that could change.

If they are going to name a ship after Reagan, Clinton might as well get one too. I know, I know, Clinton didn't serve in the military. But what did Reagan do during WW2? Make training films IIRC.

I was sailing around Cape Horn on the USS Abraham Lincoln in late '90, so you probably saw a different ship.

Probably the Truman.

If they are going to name a ship after Reagan, Clinton might as well get one too. I know, I know, Clinton didn't serve in the military. But what did Reagan do during WW2? Make training films IIRC.
Well, if they ever commission a brothel ship, I can't think of a better name than the USS Clinton.

The USS il Sogno leaving an undisclosed harbor in Hawaii... :)

Well the USS John Kerry would have two bows and no fantail. Nobody would be able to tell if it was coming or going.


Like a ferry?

She's a very pretty ship.

There was a carrier anchored off Ft. Lauderdale when I was flying out back in April. Any idea which one it was?


I saw one anchored very close in at Santa Barbara last summer.

Well, if they ever commission a brothel ship, I can't think of a better name than the USS Clinton.


I was thinking of a hospital ship stocked with hot nurses. "I feel your pain" could be painted on the stern.

Well, if they ever commission a brothel ship, I can't think of a better name than the USS Clinton.

What a wonderous idea! If they commission a brothel ship, I'll enlist. :)

What a wonderous idea! If they commission a brothel ship, I'll enlist. :)


Now that would be re-defining the name USS Comfort.

Now that would be re-defining the name USS Comfort.


You are inspiring me to come up with a post that can be booted from forum to forum. Maybe establish a record for number of forums that it "visits". Kind of like the story of America, a bunch of immigrants kicked out of all the decent countries. That part is a reach. I am inspired.

I was sailing around Cape Horn on the USS Abraham Lincoln in late '90, so you probably saw a different ship.

Hmm, maybe it was the George Washington then??? Did you guys briefly occupy Pier 3 at Alameda once you got on the left side of the planet?:rolleyes:

Aren't carriers today about as relevent as building another Maginot Line? It seems if the US were "involved" with a nation with a real air force or navy, a carrier would be rather useless.

Probably the Truman.


I was thinking 90's, not 90. Truman would have been a set of prints back then. In 1990, I was on a boomer out of Bangor, Washington.

Aren't carriers today about as relevent as building another Maginot Line? It seems if the US were "involved" with a nation with a real air force or navy, a carrier would be rather useless.

No.

What nations with "a real air force or navy" are you referring to? Russia? Great Britain? France? China? India?

There are few places a carrier can't project power into.

Did you guys briefly occupy Pier 3 at Alameda once you got on the left side of the planet?:rolleyes:

I can't really speak for "you guys" since I was a squadron puke and not ship's company, but yes the Lincoln was home ported at NAS Alameda until that base was decomissioned in the mid '90s. The cruise I went on in Sept.-Nov. 1990 was the so-called "maiden voyage" of the Lincoln, where it transitted from construction on the east coast to its new home port on the west coast.

Aren't carriers today about as relevent as building another Maginot Line? It seems if the US were "involved" with a nation with a real air force or navy, a carrier would be rather useless.

Carriers are perhaps the most relevant military tool we have today beyond special forces and intelligence services. If you want to send in a precision airstrike on Kerplakistan, you're going to do it from a carrier.

Carriers are perhaps the most relevant military tool we have today beyond special forces and intelligence services. If you want to send in a precision airstrike on Kerplakistan, you're going to do it from a carrier.

"Four and a half acres of mobile US territory"
"100,000 tons of Diplomacy"
"Quarter mile of foreign policy"

Every major player in the world either has carriers or is developing them. India is a player. When I deployed for OEF, my carrier was part of a five carrier battle group that was composed of two US carriers, a Brit, the Italians (Garibaldi), and the French. The French carrier was a nuke as well. The Italians and the Brits both operated Harriers while the French did conventional launch and recoveries like we do.

When I deployed for OEF, my carrier was part of a five carrier battle group that was composed of two US carriers, a Brit, the Italians (Garibaldi), and the French. The French carrier was a nuke as well. The Italians and the Brits both operated Harriers while the French did conventional launch and recoveries like we do.

We operated with the French carrier Clemenceau in '90 IIRC, we found quite interesting their at-sea schedule. They shut down everything from 11am to 2pm just like they do in France...aside from the 'no wonder....' comments, we were a bit jealous!:D Heard aweful stories about them having wine on board!!!:cool:

We operated with the French carrier Clemenceau in '90 IIRC, we found quite interesting their at-sea schedule. They shut down everything from 11am to 2pm just like they do in France...aside from the 'no wonder....' comments, we were a bit jealous!:D Heard aweful stories about them having wine on board!!!:cool:

The French operate completely different from us. They start each day with the crew walking around the ship shaking hands and greeting each other. They don't stop to chat, just wish each other a good day and move on. They do have wine and beer, just like the Italians and British. The Italians were the best, at 2pm each day they would stop everything for two hours, take chairs out on the flight deck, and smoke and sip cappucinos. You could set your watch by it. The British carrier was a rusty hunk of junk that had a funny smell, but they launched airstrikes around the clock just like us. The US carrier utilization was the same for OEF and OIF. A "day" carrier and a "night" carrier. I always ended up on the night carrier. This concept meant that there were always aircraft overhead while troops were on the ground. If the troops came under fire, a couple of guided bombs were already whizzing towards the enemy.

Every major player in the world either has carriers or is developing them.

And even some of the not-so-major ones. I believe Brazil recently took delivery of a new carrier. They had a WW2-vintage British surplus carrier for a while but I don't think it ever really worked out for them.

Whether you're launching an airstrike, executing a humanitarian mission, or declaring "Mission Accomplished," there really is nothing as versatile and effective as an aircraft carrier.

Just because you have the boat, does not mean you have a carrier navy.