Are We Ready?

[dusty]

I think we are ready for whatever they can throw at us.

Check this out and tell us what you think.

http://jwvsw.org/carriers.pdf

Are you ready for whatever the eventuality?

[dickg1]

Dusty,
I have been fortunate enough to have been on the Kitty Hawk (Gulf of Tonkin) when they were launching and receiving F-4's. I have confidence that these guys can take care of themselves and dish back with extreme prejudice anything hostile that they may encounter. As a retired AF LC it is also my opinion that a single B-2 could ably assist the Navy.
Dick

[thunderbirdbat]

Nice picture of the carrier groups. The ships crews hate having to be that close to each other as any problems with steering or speed can cause a collision. I have a copy of the picture of 6 of the 7 LHA/LHD's together in the Gulf during Iraqi Freedom in 2013. I also had a copy of the picture including all the other ships in the various ARGs (Amphibious Ready Groups) except the subs. I'll have to go back through all my pics from that Westpac to see if I can find it.

[Ed in Tampa]

Sad part is after all the wars all the deaths, man has not figured out how to live in peace.
Think what man could have accomplished had he channeled all the effort, time and money into peaceful pursuits.
Then we have kooks like the guy in North Korea that wants respect for being an idiot.
Or we have the dictators that would gorge themselves with food as they watch their people die from starvation.
How sad how very sad.
To bad people refuse to treat others as they themselves want to be treated.

[dickg1]

Ed,
Until that utopian era arrives, it is prudent to demonstrate to those that would do us harm, that great harm will come to them. Conflict between men has existed before recorded history. Wistful thinking in our "enlightened" age is not going to change things. As a Boy Scout would proclaim, "Be Prepared".
Dick

[Hobbyman2]

Dusty,
I have been fortunate enough to have been on the Kitty Hawk (Gulf of Tonkin) when they were launching and receiving F-4's. I have confidence that these guys can take care of themselves and dish back with extreme prejudice anything hostile that they may encounter. As a retired AF LC it is also my opinion that a single B-2 could ably assist the Navy.
Dick

======================

Dick I made a delivery years ago at the Navy yard on the Sound just after the hawk arrived there ,,,,,have a few pictures of kitty Hawk at the Navy port in Bremerton Wa being readied for the moth ball fleet . there is a lot of history in that ship. She was the last diesel powered carrier .

[swampgator]

This presentation stated that there are three carriers and one of them is the USS Kitty Hawk. The USS Kitty Hawk was taken out of the fleet 3 times. First time, they enlarged the ship. Second time, during the BRAC of 1985. She pulled into Pensacola in 1993 and we unloaded her completely before she went to Bremerton, WA. They put her in the yards and put her back in service. I well remember processing all the stores from her while she was here. One of the crew members was a friend of mine and he said it was a rather rough ride to Bremerton. Empty ships don't ride smoothly. :ps Here is the official listing of active and decommissioned carriers. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/cv-list.asp

While I was in Viet Nam on the USS Ranger and my second cruise, the USS America, now both decommissioned, we shared Gulf of Tonkin with 3 other carriers. In those days or at least for those assignments, there was a submarine, two destroyers and one carrier in a carrier group. It has been modified to include more quick response ships as escort. Those large guns on the ships can put projectiles as far away as 60 miles. Of course, in a war zone, they are also capable of launching nuclear weapons as well as many missiles. In addition, the carriers are capable of launching up to 40 planes at one send off, repairing and prepping the next set of planes. So the ones which are ready and prepped are launched and the returning ones are then recovered after the launch. I spent many 30 hour days out there and had it not been for Johnson saying to us to allow the Viet Cong time to regroup, we could have whipped the stew out of them. Well, we have the fire power if unleashed by proper leadership. This topic has released 2 years of memories out there in the real world. Thanks, Dusty.

Steve, the old Florida gator

I just love it when she says I can go make sawdust.

[Hobbyman2]

I was told the Kitty Hawk was the only US nuclear equipped weapons carrier that was ever stationed at port in Japan where she stayed for many years ?

Said the Kitty Hawk was as much about keeping world peace as she was about war.

[dynabase]

I saw the movie. The pilot is Jessica Biel. Good movie but the planes don't exist. HOWEVER I agree that we have enough of the real stuff to handle it.

Michael

[swampgator]

All the carriers that served in Viet Nam were nuclear capable. I may have posted this here before, but my last night in P. I. we were unloading. As a squadron storekeeper, I had given up all the stuff that we were supposed to unload. So, I went onto the flight deck and set up my tripod and was focusing on the sun setting over the mount of Olongapo Bay. Just as I had satisfied my desires in the view finder, a gun click right by my head. It was a Marine with a military .38 special about 4 inches or so from my temple. He told me to put the lense cap on. I immediately obeyed and asked why. He asked if I knew what was on the dock. I said no. He told me that was nuclear weapons and that they were unloading the ship and would be loaded on the waiting trucks. I had no need to know, neither did I care. I knew I would never be back. But, he escorted me to my locker to stow my camera gear. He explained what I did not know and I have been very careful since to notice what kind of camouflage is on the ground or ship or in a building.

The USS America had a missile defense system that was like watching a movie. We had a MIG come out once and at 30,000 feet, was the target of the missile. It was a quick and noisy strike, but deadly accurate. The USS Ranger had 8 inch guns on each side of the aft section. We could lob projectiles at least 23 miles inland. We also had 50mm anti-aircraft guns. Unless you have a need to know, you don't know what you are standing on or near. I have seen unmarked trucks going down the highways that I have learned are highly classified materials. Once you spot one, you can see them all around.

Steve, the old Florida gator

I just love it when she says I can go make sawdust.