Haze Grey and Underway

Well getting away from the pier was a bit of a challenge.  We were supposed to leave on Saturday am however that event, the departure from the pier actually took place on Monday morning.  I would like to elaborate as to the specifics of our failure to depart as scheduled however that might compromise something so I will not.  I will say that mother nature is all powerful and can defeat a multibillion dollar warship by the blink of an eye.

Our mission for this underway period is to support the training command with carrier qualifications or CQs.  We are to conduct this off the coast of Florida.  So the big “D” put some oil to the fire, rubbed the magic rocks a little harder and boogied to our operating area in the straights of Florida.  I am not sure if anybody knows or cares but this ship is around 100 thousand tons of displacement.  To put this in perspective, that would equate to 1000 super HET trucks loaded with a combat ready M1 tank rolling down the autobahn at convoy speed.  A lot of good old American steel!

Boat donkey life is a little different from that of the almighty aviator.  I need to make a conscious trip to go to one of the weather decks or stop in the hangar bay to catch a glimps of the sun and the sea.  It is quite possible to go the entire deployment with out seeing the sun.  I am going to try to avoid that. 

My job is interesting an a lot of responsibility will rest upon my shoulders when I become fully qualified for the job.  My training process will take about 4-5 months so by the time we make the trip to the sand box I should be good to go.  As for my peers and those I work with, they are a pretty good group of guys. Another aviator and I are the only true officers if you will who went to college first then entered the officer corps.  All the rest are “Mustangs” officers who worked their way up the ladder from enlisted to officer.  These guy really help but the reality check on some of our operations. 

As for my accommodations, I as of now have a state room to myself which is quite nice.  I am sure that will change, however I am taking full advantage of it in a way that only Crackerz would appreciate or at least shake her head at. Right now in addition the classical music I am listening to, I also have the occasional roar of T-45’s spooling up prior to being launched of the front of the boat.  Hope none of those cats screw the pooch and burn up on the flight deck.    

I stood my first “watch” in a training mode last night, well actually early this morning in combat from 0200-0700 not a fun watch but I did get some good training done with the warrant officer I was with.  Mike is a good guy and a solid individual.

I am supposed to catch a COD Carrier Onboard Delivery flight tomorrow back to Norfolk for a school that Brian and I are supposed to attend.  Hopefully it will work, if not well we will have to make alternate arrangements.

We a quicky up date for all that may have been concerned about my where abouts. 

NUTZ