Sunsets at Sea

Really doesn't need many words does it?

Year End Catchup

Failing to update anything for almost two months is really a good way to garner any attention. Whoops. Here are some cool pictures of stuff that has happened on the ship over the last little bit.

The IKE tests its Sea Sparrow missile capability. If these are utilized, the pan is getting hot. I was told by the Combat Systems guys that we hit our target. Of course, everyone tells me they floss too.
Away the missile goes from the IKE...

Shout out to my cousin Ryan who is also apparently a Navy Hornet pilot in his spare time.

A few shots of one of our UNREPS (underway replenishments). A USNS refueling ship comes alongside to deliver fuel through direct lines, cargo over shot lines and through helo ops. Its a pretty spiffy thing to see from Vulture's Row.

'Cause I'm Hardcore, Ya'll...

Dig my military bearing.

Night Ops

Night operations off the carrier deck are an incredible thing to watch. The colorful ballet of the day gives way to a series of bright reflections, muted surroundings, and sudden bursts of hot light. Flashes aren't allowed from Vulture's Row (don't want to confuse the pilots...landing safely on a pitching and yawing deck in the dark is hard enough) so these pictures were taken with a long exposure time as I kept the camera as still as possible. Clearly, ships are rarely still or level.In the first picture, you can see the exhaust trail of a departing F/A-18 from catapult #2. The blast door is up and all the little bright dots are reflections from the float coats and cranials of the deck personnel.
This is a shot straight down catapult #1 as another F/A-18 is thrown off the deck at nearly 200mph. Still quite shaky, but you can make out several images of the plane and its trail as it head up toward the full moon.

Baby Planes!

Before the jet pilots get the big thrill of a fully loaded F/A-18, they have to train on less powerful jets. These little T-45 trainer jets are two-seater, single engine planes that look like little toys down on the flight deck when compared with E-2s or C-2s. The school squadron flew onboard to practice carrier landings and take-offs, with some success. Even to my (very) untrained eye, the difference between these guys and F/A-18s is really apparent. Poorly calculated approaches, too much speed, not enough speed, missing the wires altogether; its the equivalent of crawling before you can sprint. Nonetheless, some of these ensigns and lieutenant junior grades are the future flying aces of the Navy and it was cool to see them practice.

Catch and Release

A little view from Vulture's Row of some of the everyday goings on of an aircraft carrier. Words fail to describe the awe of seeing this ballet of metal, fiberglass, and steam. Feel free to hum 'Danger Zone' as you scroll through...

The Workspace

Gaze down the majesty of the IKE dental clinic. This p-way (or passageway for you landlubbers) is the main street of our little dental clinic. Its also the only street. The operatories are on the right, the office is directly on the left, and HM2 Chestnut is all the way at the end.






My own operatory, secured for sea. If the chair wasn't in the middle, you could probably turn around with your arms outstretched. As is, there is little room for extraneous movement, which is fine. Dentistry done with extraneous movement sounds rather dangerous to me...






The doc's office. Five officers and three chairs makes for goofy math. We actually have a huge reference library of textbooks, including a serious book on implantology. Which we don't practice on the ship. At all. Not even a little. It does make for a excellent filler on the shelf. Also, the giant supporting pillar is never in the way. Really.

My Pad

Some pictures from my sweet stateroom on the ship. The first is a view from the foyer into the living room and bedrooms. Note the spacious study and kitchen just beyond the luxurious living room accommodations.

Turning directly to the right reveals a unique powder room/communication bay combo that really streamlines the morning rituals. The bright label in the lower right of the photo is the on the housing of one of the room's two EEBDs. The emergency escape breathing device provides more than 10 minutes of pure oxygen delight, should we have to vacate the premise in haste.

The garage/chest of drawers/flip down desk/safe combo comes in a subtle haze grey finish, sure to brighten anyone's day by echoing the possibilities just outside the door. They also feature latches on the drawers and door to prevent those pesky spills when the ship is weathering a nor'easter.

Hiding behind the rack's privacy curtains, you'll find an state of the art 19" Poloroid flat screen, with Direct TV hook-up, as well as a PS2 to make those long, dark hours of the night speed an through to the promise of a new day full of exams and bombed out teeth.

Seriously, the room is maybe 10'x15'. It's small. And it's for two fully growed men. Fortunately, it is right on the centerline of the ship, so it rocks evenly, and it is below the wardroom, so it is really quiet compared to the guys who sleep under the flight deck. All in all, not too bad. Also, my roomate brought in a 26" flat screen. We live large down in 3-197-0-L!

Can You Fishtail in the Ocean?

As a big part of the sea trial evolution, the ship performed a series of rudder checks, mostly to make sure everything still functioned properly after months in the shipyard, but also because its cool to try and make the flight deck skim the surface of the water.

The flight deck leans off to port as the left rudder check begins.
















The sea churns as the IKE bangs a hard right.

















Swinging up and out of the right rudder check.


















Power slide across the pond.

Getting Sea Legs

After a rather lengthy shipyard availability, the IKE finally pulled out to sea earlier this month. We had spent several days working though a 'fast cruise' (the ship being held fast to the pier), and the day finally arrived to stretch the carrier's legs a bit. The Mighty IKE sets course out of Norfolk Naval Shipyards and up the Elizabeth River toward the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic beyond...


The superstructure of the carrier eases past the cranes of the shipyard. We have some friends keeping watch on deck and nearby...


Nine .50 caliber machine gun nests around the catwalks are available to reach out and touch those who might need some touching.


Your humble author, at the fore of the flight deck with the downtowns of Portsmouth and Norfolk in the background.


A view of the history of the Navy from the flight deck of the present Navy. The USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is a battleship that served in WWII, Korea, and the First Gulf War. She now serves as a museum, albeit one with some pretty impressive 16-inch guns.

A view from the aft of the flight deck right along the center landing line. Way off in the distance, about 1100 feet away, is the bow of the ship where the picture of me from above was taken. It was a bit of a hike to get to the rear of the deck.

In Which Daniel Will Attempt to Do Something With This Blog

For a blog name I reserved back in dental school, I have done precious little with this space, other than be heckled by Kev and solicited by some fairy-tale named horse trader. Since I will be out and about on one of only 11 US aircraft carriers for the next little bit, I figured I might have some bloggable events occur in the future. Plus, the color scheme of the family blog Lib keeps doesn't really favor my complexion. We'll see if shipboard access lets me keep this up to date...