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| Navy’s Last Carrier Group Heads Home |
| 2003-11-05 |
| CORONADO, Calif. (AP) - The Navy’s last carrier strike group headed home to San Diego Bay from Iraq on Wednesday, eight months after it deployed for its role in the Persian Gulf. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its 6,000 sailors led the strike group, which also included the USS Princeton guided missile cruiser and the USS Bridge combat support ship. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and seven other ships had joined with five other carrier battle groups in the Persian Gulf to form an unprecedented floating air force within striking distance of Iraq. During the deployment, aircraft from the Nimitz flew more than 6,500 missions. It was the carrier’s first deployment since a major overhaul in 1997, and its first since relocating to San Diego in 2001. Pilots and aircrews from two squadrons assigned to the Nimitz returned to North Island Naval Air Station on Tuesday, while other squadrons flew to their homes in Lemoore, Point Mugu and Whidbey Island, Wash. Sailors, Marines, Aviators: thank you! |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #11 SH, Tiger Cruises were always a blast for the crew and the Tigers (except for the kids of one CWO who made them stand mid-watch with him). I just have a somewhat dis-colored view of carriers. Too many hours of conning during plane-guard. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-11-5 10:23:29 PM |
| #10 When I was on the Bataan some of the Navy lads had their folks come on for about a week. Did wonders for their morale. Good program. Welcome home Brothers! |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2003-11-5 9:19:44 PM |
| #9 Carl, if you are friends with someone stationed on a Navy ship, you can probably get an invite. For others, we used to take passengers onboard the Yellowstone for 2 day trips out into the Virgina Capes when we were going out for training. I don't think any of them were high mucky mucks - just folks that called their congress-persons or Members of a Navy or Marine Corps League - which are open to all. This may have changed after the submarine surfaced from under the Japanese trawler in Hawaii with a bunch of civilians on the bridge. I don't know if it has changed but each weekend they used to assign a ship to be open for public tours on the Naval Operations Base (NOB) Norfolk. The same base has a free air show that includes harriers and stealth aircraft once a year. In your neck of the woods there may be tours available at Bath Iron Works in Maine where many Navy Ships are built. Our family took a trip up the road to Pemequid Lighthouse this summer and saw a new Aigis Destroyer being built from the bridge. The best Navy experience I've had with the kids, though - and two of the three are too young to remember me being in - was A Battleship Cove in Fall River. It was raining but the kids still got a kick out of crawling about a battleship. It is awesome. For me - a first was walking about a Russian patrol boat. Never been on one. From Battleship Cove there is also a harbor tour that we took. The tour boat captain was a great guy and let every person on the ship man the helm if they wanted. He reminded me of Col David Hunt from Fox. Also if you call ahead you can arrange to sleep aboard the battleship USS Massachusetts in an actual WW II bunk. We didn't do that but it sounds like something that a Cub Scout Pack would enjoy. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-5 9:12:18 PM |
| #8 Good job and welcome home! God bless y'all! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-11-5 7:25:26 PM |
| #7 Spent ten days on the Kitty in 1971... Wasn't a "joy ride" - was working a special project with the Navy Intel guys, but still awesome. I have every respect for the sailers and airmen that fly off those little sea-going postage-stamps. I doubt the "last carrier group" has left the area. The Sixth Fleet has at least one CBG in the Med at all times. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-11-5 4:38:42 PM |
| #6 SH: Tiger Cruise details ? Like, do you have to be in the service or a family member of a serving person ? Or, can I just go to a travel agency and buy a ticket for myself and my family ? |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2003-11-5 3:17:34 PM |
| #5 Pappy, my dad turned down Tiger Cruises on both my ships (one was a tin can.) He found time to make one while my older brother was on the TR. The old man talked for months about it; he would have gotten sick on the destroyer anyway. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-5 1:40:57 PM |
| #4 Especially for a carrier - you get to see an air show. Ack! Carriers! Air ops!!! Plane guard!!! |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-11-5 12:53:12 PM |
| #3 Thank you and god speed. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-11-5 12:41:19 PM |
| #2 If any Rantburgers ever gets that opportunity to participate in a Tiger Cruise (fly to meet a ship for the last couple of days of a deployment,) Super Hose recommends the program. Especially for a carrier - you get to see an air show. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-5 12:15:51 PM |
| #1 just watched it come in around North Island (from my office window - heh heh - benefits of working downtown) truly a beautiful day - our thanks to the sailors and their families for the sacrifices made |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-11-5 12:13:34 PM |