"The Lows and Highs of Life Aboard an Aircraft Carrier " Topic

"eading Geoff Dyer's Another Great Day At Sea felt at times like being regaled with tales from places afar by a slightly annoying guy at a cocktail party where you can't tell if he is treating you and the subject matter with genuine interest, or a snarky sense of humor masquerading as wit.

Dyer introduces us to a world aboard a U.S. Navy Aircraft carrier but through the eyes of a middle-aged British journalist. Not just any journalist, but one whose childhood fascination with model aircrafts planted the seeds of a fascination with military aviation. Fast-forward several decades: Dyer receives the opportunity to spend two weeks aboard the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), a Nimitz-class super carrier perched in the Persian Gulf, living among nearly 6,000 servicemen and women as well as several dozen planes. Dyer arrives via COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery), which serves as a rapid introduction to the Navy at sea and the uniqueness of carrier life. But the most fascinating element of his voyage was not the austere interior of the C-2A Greyhound, the fact that he would be experiencing his first carrier "trap," or the peculiarity of having to wear safety gear for the trip. It was a female airman who was part of the flight crew, and her long hair pinned back into a bun. "The Navy allowed women to keep their hair long," he notes. "I wasn't surprised, exactly. Just pleased that's how things were." I shudder to think how Dyer would have felt had she worn her hair in a smart-looking bob or pixie cut.

Then there are the "inconveniences" of living aboard an aircraft carrier — like sharing a stateroom with strangers. So he's pleased that his email campaign was successful at snagging him a private stateroom. But the delight over his comfortable digs wears off when he first experiences the cacophony of aircraft operations on the flight deck. "[I]nconceivably noisy," he complains, "but the noise of jets taking off was nothing compared with the noise of jets landing. I thought the ceiling was going to come in." You get used to the noise, his guide reassures him…"

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Amicalement
Armand

I had the top bunk, centerline just under #3 arresting wire aboard USS Oriskany. The space aft of our bunkroom was the braking system for the arresting wires. You would hear an incoming aircraft just before it hit the deck. It's tail hook would make a bang like a giant hammer hitting. The braking system would scream as it stopped the forward movement of the wire and aircraft. Then you would hear a clunk as the wire was dropped from the tail hook and the aircraft engine would rev up to move forward out of the way of the next incoming. Believe it or not you learned to sleep with that albeit rather lightly. My workspace was forward under the starboard catapult blast deflector. You would hear a clunk as the deflector lowered into the deck and the sound of an aircraft engine as a plane moved onto the catapult. Then there was the noise of the hydraulics bringing the blast deflector into place followed by the roar of the jet's engine as it revved up. The cat would fire with a bang which shook the materials we were working on and the engine noise would rapidly diminish as the plane left the flight deck. Life aboard an aircraft carrier is not quiet.

I was in Engineering and it was when it was quiet that you got nervous, that usually meant something important had broken.

You really have a deep sleep my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Armand,

In a word, "youth".

Yes.
I still remember sleeping in the middle of a heavy bombardment.
Like a baby! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I was in Engineering and it was when it was quiet that you got nervous, that usually meant something important had broken.

Yup. Quickest way to wake me up from a dead sleep is NOT the General Alarm, but for a fan to stop running. Because that's the first sign of an electrical fire in the engineroom!

To be honest, I am amazed that the author didn't get chucked over the side, with as much attitude as he was showing!

Totally agree!.
Someone remember to walked sleeping?

Amicalement
Armand

My first ship was a 1200 lb steam ship, and the Boilers officer told me he woke up everytime the forced draught blowers changed speed (these fed air to the boilers and they could be heard all over the central part of the ship). If they leveled off again he fell back asleep (meaning the ship changed speed). If they kept going down until they stopped he got up and headed for one of the boiler rooms. My next ship was a 600 lb steam ship and I was the MPA. After a month or so I started doing the same thing as the other guy. Usually before I finished getting dressed the Chief Engineer was on the phone to "get down there and find out what's wrong."(I left out the colorful language). Engineering was actually not the most complicated part of the ship.

Engineering was actually not the most complicated part of the ship.

Just the one most likely to put the Captain's blood pressure into the red!

To be honest, I am amazed that the author didn't get chucked over the side, with as much attitude as he was showing!

What attitude? I didn't catch any attitude from the author. Perfectly normal reaction for a civilian who has probably never been to sea in a naval vessel. I love the line." You get used to the noise…"

I never really got used to it. He is right about the lack of privacy but he should try sharing a room with 80 other guys. Living in officer country is totally different from what your average enlisted men and women have to put up with. Yep the author had it easy.