Believe it or not ...

Our visit to the USS Carl Vinson, CVN-70

Margaret Weis, Don Perrin, Tracy and Laura Hickman

		The group arrives and prepares for our briefing before the tour begins.
		First, we went to visit the US Navy's Deep Sea Diving Unit, home of the DSRV, or Deep Sea Rescue Vehicle. The DSRV is used to rescue sailors aboard downed submarines.
		This rescue chamber is used for submarines that are only 800 feet or less below the surface. A model of this type was used to rescue sailors from a downed submarine in the only successful submarine rescue in history.
		Scorpio is a deep sea unmanned underwater robot. It supports the DSRV or the rescue chamber. It was used recently to recover the black boxes from an Alaskan Airline jet that crashed in the Pacific.
		Here was our home at Naval Air Station North Island (San Diego). Inside is the Distinguished Visitor Center. We waited to go to the carrier.
		So then it was time to go to the carrier. Was it parked alongside? Did we go down to the dock? Not for us! The USS Carl Vinson was on exercise off the coast of Southern California, so we had to fly out to her. Here's our taxi - a C2A Greyhound Carrier Onboard Delivery Aircraft.
		The aircraft pulled up and we loaded from the back end.
		"Red Leader this is Red Three!" We donned helmets (cranials, the Navy calls them) and life vests (horse collars). The seats face backwards, and there are only two windows, one each side, only 5 inches round. I was lucky enough to be beside one.
		Here's Margaret. She's more cavalier, and put her goggles up.
		We landed on the deck of the carrier. We were moving at 140 knots, and the carrier was moving at 27 knots. We hit the wire and stopped in 80 feet. This is a picture out that little window, just after we landed. The miracle of this picture is that I was still breathing!
		The quarters assigned to us were just wonderful! I would have expected a tiny rope locker, but the cabin was quite nice. Margaret and Laura were put in one room, Tracy and I in another, and the other visitors paired up. Just so you know, there are no windows, and the plant is plastic!
		We toured all over the ship. This section is a mix of images from three different areas. This is an F-18 in the hanger deck. The hanger deck, right below the armored flight deck, is absolutely huge. Slung from the roof are fuel tanks.
		Tracy and Laura adjusted quickly to life on the carrier. To the left of the picture is the access to the aircraft elevator.
		We all thought the best part of the trip was hanging out on "Vulture's Row," the deck high up on the carrier's island, where a balcony provides an excellent place to watch flight operations. Here, an F-18 is being marshalled out to catapult 3, readying for launch.
		The USS Carl Vinson carries a mix of aircraft, including a squadron of S-60 helicopters. Here one takes off, clearing the area that catapults 3 and 4 use to launch fixed wing aircraft.
		Here's that F-18 again, being prepared for launch off "Cat 3."
		This F-14 Tomcat was next onto Cat #3.
		After several launches, they cleared the deck and prepared for recovery operations. This F-18 caught the third of five arrestor wires, and was dragged to a stop. Aircraft go to full-throttle on landing, in case they miss all the wires. If that happens, they take off again immediately, and there's no time to second-guess whether you've caught a wire.
		A great shot of an F-14 just before it grabbed wire #3. You can just see wire #1 on the deck. If you grab that one, it's considered a bad landing!
		This F-14 is flairing for landing, just off the deck.
		In the morning, flight operations did not begin until 1030hrs. At 0900hrs, we were allowed to go out on to the flight deck and just wander around. This is almost never allowed, as it's considered the most dangerous place on the carrier. All squadrons prepared their aircraft for the day's sorties. You can see F-18s in the background, and E3A Prowlers closer in on the left.
		Looking up, this is the impressive array of radars and antennae on the top of the island.
		Margaret stands in front of several S-3 Viking Antisub and refueling aircraft. F-18s are farther down the deck.
		If only I knew that taking a photo into the sun was a bad idea! Here I stand near the aft of the deck, surrounded by F-18s.
		Tracy and Laura pose in front of those two S-3 Vikings.
		This is a nice view of the island. Vulture's Row is the first dark area below the top of the island. The propellor aircraft is an E2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning Aircraft. Next to it is an S-3 Viking.
		An F-18 squadron on the forward deck prepares for the day of flight operations.
		From the very bow of the ship, you can get a bit of a feel for the sheer size of the USS Carl Vinson.
		Another nice view of the island.
		Margaret stands near an E2C Hawkeye.
		Here an elevator right next to the island. An F-18 and an S-3 Viking go down for servicing in the hanger deck.
		Later that day, we launched from the carrier deck in our C2A Greyhound. The launch was worse than the landing, but we're glad we did it (at least we did it once!) We landed back home at Naval Air Station North Island (San Diego).
		Just outside the Distinguished Visitor Center, we found several cool aircraft. I took some extra photos. Here's a couple of F-14s. I think the one in the foreground is marked from the squadron used in Top Gun!
		Here's a C-130 Hercules from the US Coast Guard.
		This F-18 was just sitting there, so I felt sorry for it and took its picture.