up on a flight deck
J recently received an invitation to visit the USS John C. Stennis, a huge aircraft carrier that was last involved in the Persian Gulf in early 2011. Part of a strike group that includes guided-missile destroyers and an air-squadron, it made a port visit to Singapore last week. Now, most of what I know about fighter planes and aircraft carriers comes from watching Top Gun (that's how old I am) but I remember being highly impressed by all the cool planes. And here was an opportunity to check a real-life, deployed aircraft carrier up-close!
We drove to the Changi Naval Base on Saturday afternoon, cleared security checks, and hung around for a bit with the other visitors before all of us were bundled onto a bus to drive a short distance to the USS Stennis. It was massive, jaw-droppingly massive, and I only wish I had a proper wide-angle lens to do justice to the size and scale of it. The picture below only shows just one entrance into the hangar deck of the carrier and you can see how tiny the people look on the gangway in comparison to the rest of the structure.
Once inside we listened to a short presentation about the carrier and the types of planes and equipment it has on it before we were released to wander around and take loads of photos. The hangar deck, which contains the aircraft that are being stored and maintained, is enormous. There were several flags and banners hanging from the ceiling, including a huge one with the carrier's motto.
The carrier's banner.
One of the many aircraft in the hangar.
There were lots of sailors walking around and they were very friendly, answering questions and posing for pictures with the civilians. I saw several sailors returning from shore-leave with plenty of shopping bags - it must feel good to explore a new country on land after several weeks onboard a ship.
Having explored the hangar deck, all of us were herded onto an aircraft elevator and then lifted up onto the flight deck itself. Here is where the exciting action takes place - we got to see the catapault cables that help launch the aircraft as they take off, and the arresting cables, which 'catch' a landing plane so that it doesn't zoom right into the sea. Amazing stuff!
One of the four 'runways' and the catapault launcher (I missed the technical term for this!).
Up on the flight deck with the control tower.
One of the cool planes - I think this does radar stuff? (*bimbo moment*)
One of the destroyers anchored opposite the USS Stennis.
The entire carrier is so huge you sometimes forget that you're actually on what is essentially a ship. That's until you wander to the end of the runway and see the swirling sea beneath. One of the captains described how the planes sometimes move and slide on deck during rough weather at sea; that can't be pleasant for the crew.
J and I also got to visit the control room, where the status of planes on the flight deck are monitored and controlled. It works the old-fashioned way, using acrylic cut-outs of the aircraft and a system of color-coded nuts and bolts to indicate what is going on with each plane. Apparently they had previously tried out a computerised system but the computer couldn't keep up with the pace of change! Soon they're going to try a computerised touchscreen system, a-la Mission Impossible, but sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Inside the control room.
While we were onboard the carrier it was like we were in a different world, and indeed, it really is a world unto itself. The USS Stennis carries approximately 5,000 sailors onboard and is like a small city, powered by nuclear energy, no less! It was a great privilege for us to visit it, albeit for a very short time. The strike group is headed to Hawaii next (I think) before deployment finally ends in Bremerton, WA.
When J and I got home we found ourselves sunburnt, despite the fact that it had been a cloudy day, and humming the Top Gun theme song to ourselves. Hah! Fired up by our visit, we also spent some time checking out videos of aircraft carriers on YouTube. Here's one featuring the USS Stennis itself.
We drove to the Changi Naval Base on Saturday afternoon, cleared security checks, and hung around for a bit with the other visitors before all of us were bundled onto a bus to drive a short distance to the USS Stennis. It was massive, jaw-droppingly massive, and I only wish I had a proper wide-angle lens to do justice to the size and scale of it. The picture below only shows just one entrance into the hangar deck of the carrier and you can see how tiny the people look on the gangway in comparison to the rest of the structure.
Once inside we listened to a short presentation about the carrier and the types of planes and equipment it has on it before we were released to wander around and take loads of photos. The hangar deck, which contains the aircraft that are being stored and maintained, is enormous. There were several flags and banners hanging from the ceiling, including a huge one with the carrier's motto.
The carrier's banner.
One of the many aircraft in the hangar.
There were lots of sailors walking around and they were very friendly, answering questions and posing for pictures with the civilians. I saw several sailors returning from shore-leave with plenty of shopping bags - it must feel good to explore a new country on land after several weeks onboard a ship.
Having explored the hangar deck, all of us were herded onto an aircraft elevator and then lifted up onto the flight deck itself. Here is where the exciting action takes place - we got to see the catapault cables that help launch the aircraft as they take off, and the arresting cables, which 'catch' a landing plane so that it doesn't zoom right into the sea. Amazing stuff!
One of the four 'runways' and the catapault launcher (I missed the technical term for this!).
Up on the flight deck with the control tower.
One of the cool planes - I think this does radar stuff? (*bimbo moment*)
One of the destroyers anchored opposite the USS Stennis.
The entire carrier is so huge you sometimes forget that you're actually on what is essentially a ship. That's until you wander to the end of the runway and see the swirling sea beneath. One of the captains described how the planes sometimes move and slide on deck during rough weather at sea; that can't be pleasant for the crew.
J and I also got to visit the control room, where the status of planes on the flight deck are monitored and controlled. It works the old-fashioned way, using acrylic cut-outs of the aircraft and a system of color-coded nuts and bolts to indicate what is going on with each plane. Apparently they had previously tried out a computerised system but the computer couldn't keep up with the pace of change! Soon they're going to try a computerised touchscreen system, a-la Mission Impossible, but sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Inside the control room.
While we were onboard the carrier it was like we were in a different world, and indeed, it really is a world unto itself. The USS Stennis carries approximately 5,000 sailors onboard and is like a small city, powered by nuclear energy, no less! It was a great privilege for us to visit it, albeit for a very short time. The strike group is headed to Hawaii next (I think) before deployment finally ends in Bremerton, WA.
When J and I got home we found ourselves sunburnt, despite the fact that it had been a cloudy day, and humming the Top Gun theme song to ourselves. Hah! Fired up by our visit, we also spent some time checking out videos of aircraft carriers on YouTube. Here's one featuring the USS Stennis itself.