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.