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Photos from the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)

river rat
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Some cool shots. I did 22 years in the US Navy 4 active duty the rest in the reserve until I retired. You must of went on a tiger cruise were civilians get to come on board. I had a Friend who was on the USS Constellation he gave me a tour we got to the Engine room and we got lost he was on it for a few years you think he would know his way around. When on the USS Mauna Kea AE-22 my second ship a ammo ship we unrep the USS Kitty Hawk that were you resupply fuel and ammo out at sea to hard to explain there is a wire connected to both ships with a trolley that slides on wire what we call the high line two smaller wires connected to the trolley to pull it back and forth to bring the supplies to the receiving ship both ships got to stay on a straight course but when your that close side by side a carrier is BIG. We were off the coast of Korea with the battle group of the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Kitty Hawk ran over a Russian victor class sub it was harassing the Kitty Hawk and played chicken well it lost and was towed back to Russia.
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corn18
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This is what UNREP looks like. AE is in the middle and if you zoom in, it is connected to both receiver ships. We used to do full blown flight ops in this configuration. That was nuts.

1257554474326902865pnadu.png
 
river rat
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Some times you would be resupplying two ships like that and vertrep at the same time were helicopters would be picking up supplies with stuff we had in slings a scary thing if you the guy on the flight deck underneath the helicopter hooking the slings. I mite have some photo's in my photobucket I can post if any one wants to see them there from the 1980's when on active duty and a few from a civilian USNS that took jobs from the Navy since they do all the unreps now in the 1990's when in the reserve.
Edited:
 
corn18
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river rat river rat
Some times you would be resupplying two ships like that and vertrep at the same time were helicopters would be picking up supplies with stuff we had in slings a scary thing if you the guy on the flight deck underneath the helicopter hooking the slings.

Looks like they are doing vert rep in that photo. There's a helo over the fantail with a load on a sling. The coolest was when we would get underway for cruise and UNREP/VERTREP with the ordnance ship. Taking on a few million pounds of ordnance always got the crews psyched up and made you realize we weren't training anymore. All the bombs were grey (live) vs. the blue ones we normally slung about in training.
 
JimInOz
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corn18 corn18
This is what UNREP looks like. AE is in the middle and if you zoom in, it is connected to both receiver ships. We used to do full blown flight ops in this configuration. That was nuts.

1257554474326902865pnadu.png

Really nuts, clearance on the port cat must have been tight.

😉
 
river rat
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Here are a few photo's of unrep


It's training the ammo is blue so dummy ammo

Vertrep

The USS Long beach braking away after being resupplied it lost a screw in this westpack the above was from my active duty days around 1980-1984



Here is the last time I got to go to sea when in the reserve they ask for volunteers for the Cape Gibson a USNS ship when in the reserve I was in various units like SBU XI that was the best of the reserve units since it was spec war and had some fun toys to play with and got to wear green. But wanted to go out to sea one last time being a BM and doing one last unrep took it down from Alameda to San Diego. You can see a helicopter heading off there were two one with Marines another with Seals when two ships were unreping they fast roped onto both ships at the same time was something to see. Think one of the marines dropped his rifle into the ocean he had some explaining to do.
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corn18
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@Kmart You didn't happen to fly Hornets did you? I flew with a Kmart, but can't remember his real name.
 
JimInOz
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Great pics. When I was a young sailor we did RAS (Aussie UNREP) without winches. Once the shot line was across we hauled in the messenger and all of the comms and distance lines then it was time for the big heave ho. Twenty or thirty sailors on the stbd catwalk under the island hauling the hoses across. This was done in all kinds of weather and usually at a good rate of speed (20kts or so).

If the wind was right we could even yell insults at the oiler crew 😁.
 
Kmart
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river rat river rat
Some cool shots. I did 22 years in the US Navy 4 active duty the rest in the reserve until I retired. You must of went on a tiger cruise were civilians get to come on board. I had a Friend who was on the USS Constellation he gave me a tour we got to the Engine room and we got lost he was on it for a few years you think he would know his way around.

I actually work for the Navy so I spent most of my time on board in the propulsion spaces. 😉 Headed up to Vulture's Row pretty much whenever we had a break. Got to watch day, sunset, and night flight ops. Would have been awesome if there was a full air wing on but they only had about 6 jets I think. It may have been a Tiger cruise though as there were a decent amount of other civilians on board.

corn18 corn18
@Kmart You didn't happen to fly Hornets did you? I flew with a Kmart, but can't remember his real name.

Nope... I wish! I'm an engineer.
 
SeanO
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JimInOz JimInOz
Great pics. When I was a young sailor we did RAS (Aussie UNREP) without winches. Once the shot line was across we hauled in the messenger and all of the comms and distance lines then it was time for the big heave ho. Twenty or thirty sailors on the stbd catwalk under the island hauling the hoses across. This was done in all kinds of weather and usually at a good rate of speed (20kts or so).

If the wind was right we could even yell insults at the oiler crew 😁.

All hands evolution on Tobruk so unless you were on duty then everybody report to the vehicle deck for an afternoon lugging boxes from one end of the scow to the other.

ahh.... the good old days.
 
SeanO
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I didn't know Mad Dog was a naval aviator, I thought he was a helicopter pilot.
 
JimInOz
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SeanO SeanO
I didn't know Mad Dog was a naval aviator, I thought he was a helicopter pilot.

😲

You've watched Top Gun too many times mate!

😉
 
Wryfox
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Looking at those pics I had the the theme from Top Gun in my head

Revvin' up your engine
Listen to her howlin' roar
Metal under tension
Beggin' you to touch and go

Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone

Headin' into twilight
Spreadin' out her wings tonight
She got you jumpin' off the track
And shovin' into overdrive

Highway to the danger zone
I'll take you
Ridin' into the danger zone

You'll never say hello to you
Until you get it on the red line overload
You'll never know what you can do
Until you get it up as high as you can go

Out along the edges
Always where I burn to be
The further on the edge
The hotter the intensity

Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take you
Right into the danger zone

Oh Yes you just heard it in your head now too.
 
Kmart
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Wryfox Wryfox
Looking at those pics I had the the theme from Top Gun in my head

First thing I did when I got back was watch Top Gun again. And then listen to the soundtrack. Still a classic!
 
neilfrancis
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What an incredible thread. Just incredible.
Thank you for your service. N.
 
JimInOz
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Ah the old T
SeanO SeanO
All hands evolution on Tobruk so unless you were on duty then everybody report to the vehicle deck for an afternoon lugging boxes from one end of the scow to the other.

ahh.... the good old days.

Ah yes, the good old Toobroke 😁.

Not as fancy as a destroyer or an ANZAC frigate, but probably had more operational tours than all of them but had the seakeeping abilities of a river punt.



Did you ever bump into a supply officer called Mark O'Bxxxx?

Probably would have been a two ringer.

He told me when he was on Tobruk, there was an infuriating "clunk....roll....clunk" under his cabin whenever they were at sea.
During an EMA (one of many for Tobruk) he got the dockies to lift the deck plate in his cabin and they found a round steel bar about 1" by 24" in the dead space between decks.

He engraved his name on it and put it back and the dockies put the deck plates back and welded up.

Probably drove subsequent occupants of that cabin nuts and will go down with her when they finally sink her.
 
ras47
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Ha! Putting the offending metal bar back is genius. He'll smile about that for as long as the Tobruk is in service. 😀
 
SeanO
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A two and a half was the pusser when I was aboard with the SAD.

It was the most carefree 3 years of my career (except when the STG was aboard).



JimInOz JimInOz
Ah the old T


Ah yes, the good old Toobroke 😁.

Not as fancy as a destroyer or an ANZAC frigate, but probably had more operational tours than all of them but had the seakeeping abilities of a river punt.



Did you ever bump into a supply officer called Mark O'Bxxxx?

Probably would have been a two ringer.

He told me when he was on Tobruk, there was an infuriating "clunk....roll....clunk" under his cabin whenever they were at sea.
During an EMA (one of many for Tobruk) he got the dockies to lift the deck plate in his cabin and they found a round steel bar about 1" by 24" in the dead space between decks.

He engraved his name on it and put it back and the dockies put the deck plates back and welded up.

Probably drove subsequent occupants of that cabin nuts and will go down with her when they finally sink her.
usser
 
SeanO
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Although I'm not surprised about the steel bar.

The rumour was that the build quality of the ship was so bad that about 20 different grades of steel were used in its construction.

You'd stand up front on the tank deck and watch the bow doors flapping whilst underway trying to forget that it only needed one inch of water on the deck for the thing to roll over.
 
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