Thursday, August 4, 2011

Touring an Amphibious Assault Ship at Seafair

It's Seafair in Seattle. There's so much to do during Seafair. I've never been to the hydroplane races or been in a boat on Lake Washington to watch the Blue Angels, but I've seen them from the North shore of Luther Burbank State Park on Mercer Island. You have to fight to get there before they close the bridge, but it's worth it.  I've also driven to various high places on the East Side in an attempt to get a good view.  One year I'd unintentionally gotten stuck in stand-still traffic on the 520 bridge and got to see them very clearly.  That was great!  I love the rumble and the contrail when they make tight turns.  Can you believe that when they fly in formation, their wingtips are as close at 36 inches? Imagine even trying to do that on a freeway.  I'd freak.
My favorite part of Seafair is touring the ships in port for Fleet Week.  I still remember touring a Russian ship in 1991.  The man giving us the tour was trying so hard to communicate though he knew no English.  His enthusiasm came through loud and clear.  He laughed when I came up sputtering over the water fountain.  It was seltzer water!

I'm also proud that I've taken tours on the aircraft carriers, the USS John C Stennis and the USS Constellation.  On the Stennis, the personnel in uniform seemed like boys to me for the first time as I realized that I could have had a child that age if I'd started my family earlier.  So now, my favorite part is asking people where they are from, what their job is, and where the ship has taken them. 

This year, Nick, Adrian, and I got a tour of the USS Bonhomme Richard, an LHD-6, an amphibian assault ship.  It was every bit as impressive as an aircraft carrier, though it's a bit smaller.  One crew member said she was a cook in the galley.  I imagine a tiny little galley, but this one serves about 3,000 people each day.  By comparison, she said, an aircraft carrier can feed up to 6,000 people a day.  Oh, I hope I'm remembering these facts straight. 

While Nick and Adrian climbed over an amphibian tank that shot bullets that were easily 8 inches long, I talked with one of the Marines who stood nearby.  Our tour guide said that all of these people were there to field questions so I had a great time with this guy.  I asked him if he liked being on the ship, since he'd told me that as a Marine, he'd been on base, with the Air Force, and on a ship.  He told me that the ship's quarters were a bit on the small side and that he just didn't quite fit anything.  He was tall.  He helped me understand that Marines go into a battle situation first to clear the way and set up for whatever forces were to follow.  The Marines, he said, were a smaller group, were pretty cohesive, and were like 'first responders.'  He said he sometimes worked with new recruits to understand their benefits and how to use them wisely.  I could see that he was a good man and that I had friends my ages whose sons were his age. 

I spoke to a midshipman in dress whites, who was ROTC in the med-unit and a helicopter pilot.  See, the equipment on a specialized ship like this is amazing.  Imagine being able to land helicopters and drop amphibians off a ramp in the back? Oh, I took pictures of the Osprey, the aircraft elevator, the amphibious tank, and the big bullets, but the most important part of that ship is her crew.  Each of these people comes from some home town.  Each has aspirations and it's interesting to see how the Navy and the Marines is their chosen vehicle for attaining them. 

So if you're in town for Fleet Week and you get a chance to tour a destroyer at Pier 66, a Canadian mines countermeasures ship, or the USS Bonhomme Richard at Terminal 25, then stop and ask a crew member what they do on the ship or where they've been.  I guarantee, it'll be a good story.

Thank you for listening, jb

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