Short story: Norfolk was AWESOME!
Long Version:
18 students and 1 Navy Commander (currently attached to our program) met outside our building on campus and away we went for a grand adventure through Virginia. It took less than the 4 hrs to get there that we had planned for and I managed to get a little bit more sleep on our little bus.
We got to the base and checked out the ships for a bit before lunch. We headed to Breezy Point Officer's Club and parked ourselves to enjoy the view...I mean have a nice meal.
Then came the tour of aircraft carrier #71, the USS Theodore Roosevelt. We had a very nice female public affairs officer and a weapons officer take us around the ship and show us all kinds of nifty things. The mural painted on one of the hanger bay doors was sweet and the ship's moose & museum were informative. We had an especially good time trying not to kill ourselves on all the ladders too. The views from the navigation deck and the flight deck were pretty dramatic and awe inspiring. Finally getting to see the Ouija board was damn rad too!
Next was the tour of the submarine, the USS Albany. The pier guard didn't know we were coming so there was a little confusion for a moment. Then someone from the sub that did know we were coming came out and bitched at the guard for leaving the Commander out in the rain with the rest of us. He he he... Apparently only the Officers of the sub knew we were coming and they failed to mention it to the rest of the crew. Things were sort of messy since they were doing maintenance but I think the Commander was the only one that really cared. Anyhow - We had to break into two groups for the tour - I was in the second so I got rained on a little more. Our tour guide was great. He was a torpedo guy that was proud of his ship. We got a much less technical and more 'this is how things are' type tour from him. People in different areas explained their jobs to us in their words and what their life on the ship is like. We BS'd around with those guys forever. They were great at answering all of our questions, showing off the equipment, and entertaining the crowd. Oh, and flirting with the 6 or 7 women...
We all walked away from the day feeling very privileged to have been allowed on such magnificent ships.
It was a good day, my friends...a good day...
Posted by Princess Cat at April 30, 2005 01:09 AM @ 01:09 AM in Good Times // Permalink