Thanks for posting this vid. This vid brings back fond memories: the first time I witnessed a sunrise was the day after I joined the Navy - July 28, 1964 - at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I was only 17 at the time. The first time I saw the ocean was when I served on board the USS Kitty Hawk circa June 1965. I was based at NAS Miramar @ VF-121 F-4 squadron. I did a week on board the Kitty Hawk as a brown shirt plane captain. In November 1965 transferred to the USS Bennington and served as a ships company blue shirt in V-1 Division. Yup, I saw a lot of sun rises on board the Bennington. I’ll never forget learning the pathways of the ship and learning what those yellow patches on the wall meant. I learned them to perfection and after a month or so never got lost on the Bennington. As I watched this video, I recognized some of the sounds and could almost smell the fuel, hydraulic fluid and humanity -- of the ship. Those sounds and smells will stay with me forever. I matured from an immature teenager to a man during my ’kitty cruse’ service in the Navy and if I could regenerate these tired old 75-year-old bones and body --- WOULD SERVE AGAIN ON BOARD A CARRIER IN A HEART BEAT. Just my 2¢
I'd fucking love to just be given free reign to go where I please and just explore. The engineer in me marvels at the fact that everything you see and touch has been pre determined and designed with a specific purpose in mind.
I did 2 Med cruises on Nimitz '75-'79 and watching this really took me back. The spaces, corridors, places to eat, and all the nooks and crannies. You could get lost quite easily but more importantly, find yourself in a place where your not supposed to be so sightseeing wasn't a normal practice. Like living in a town you generally only go where you need to be and stay in your own neighborhood. I wasn't ships company but part of the airwing. VA-35 Black Panthers.
I started terminal leave for my retirement 2 days before this video was posted. I retired from the _Stennis,_ CVN74. It's funny, it is now 7 years after this video was posted, and 7 years since I last set foot on one of those things, but I had a running tracker going in my head the whole time you were walking around, noting landmarks as you walked past. Yep, remember that electrical box. Yep, remember that hatch over there. Yep, remember that passageway at frame 143 on the O-3. I'll never forget how to navigate the inside of a _Nimitz_ class as long as I live.
How does the signage work? I saw approx. 3 maps in the passageways that had areas highlighted. I also saw numbers printed on everything. Is there any videos that can explain this? BTW, I LOVED this video.
Thank you for sharing, there are lots of documentaries showing the interior but this one really captures the life at a carrier. One thing for sure I would be lost there every day :)
A few "floor plan" changes on the 2nd deck since I was on deployment on the NIMITZ in 1993. For that entire Persian Gulf deployment (Operation Southern Watch) my entire world was no more than 40 or 50 ft. from my berthing space. Port side, about Frame 136 or so; Personnel Office where I worked was right above our berthing space, which was a 9-rack berthing on the 3rd deck along the hull. At the top of the ladder was our Admin head, right next to it was a repair locker which was my GQ station; from there onto the mess decks where the First Class Mess was right in front of me -- my refuge when I wasn't in the office or in berthing. Only time I had to walk anywhere else was to go shopping -- either on the 02 level port-side convenience store, or the "department store" on the 3rd deck just forward of Reactors. Though I was ship's company I have to say that it was the mellowest deployment I ever made; our LCPO and Admin Officer did us right. Best work and berthing spaces imaginable.
A couple of notes about the video above. It starts somewhere in Officer's Country with their associated mess. The dude has a two person berth, which indicates a higher position up the Zero, "O," the officer food chain. A close inspection of the logo on the hatch across the passage identifies it as the logo of the Little Beavers Destroyer Squadron 23. This made me assume the quarters across the passage are for the command/liason of this destroyer squad escorting the Nimitz. That made me take a closer look at his door, which is also emblazened with another logo, looking like a knight with shield... which is that of Strike Fighter Squadron 154 of Carrier Air Wing Eleven, AKA, the Black Knights, which is what we see on his berth door. So, it is likely we are dealing with a pilot of the Black Knights... Edit/Added, from Wiki... "... bringing the squadron to CVW-11 aboard USS Nimitz in 2012."
Nimitz was my last command as well; I _also_ did five carriers AND a seaplane tender(!) In order: America; Enterprise; Ranger; Norton Sound; Constellation; and Nimitz. Norton Sound was the seaplane tender, a WWII vintage tender which had been converted to a missile-testing platform (AVM-1). I decommissioned the Norton Sound in 1986. It still had wood decks and I'd have given anything to take a piece of it with me when it was decommissioned.
Pretty interesting video. I can't imagine what life at sea must be like in the Navy. I did 6 years in the Army but I have much respect for my Navy brethren.
Great memories. I was on the Nimitz 79-80 during the Hostage Crisis. An E-4 attached to CTF-77 (Admiral Kirksey’s staff). My favorite spot was sitting on the flight deck bow when we were underway and allowed out there. It was the only place on the ship that was quiet enough to hear yourself think. Other than flat screens, women on board and phone booths, it looked very much the same.
Apart from the cafeteria, this basically looks like one interminably long boilerroom. 11:00 OMIGOD!!! A hallway where you can almost walk with two abreast.
Awesome ! Had the Great luck to visit - being onboard the Nimitz 1986 when it lay at anchor in Wilhelmshaven ( Atlantic -North Sea ) Germany ! Salute :-) !!
If everything except the uniforms is the same as when I was aboard (1977-1979) he only shows one of 6 stores total. Two general stores, 2 snack stores, 1 cigarette store (tax-free), and a hobby shop down the corridor to the right from the 02 level general store. Also had 3 barber shops, vending machines. laundry and dry cleaning. I was an "SH" and worked in all of them at one time or another. Coke & Pepsi products came in by the semi-truckload, often 3 trucks at a time prior to deployment. Often took on 100,000 cases at a time and that only lasted a couple of months.
I've heard a few people say they were on a carrier for a year, two years and still never saw the whole ship. 5,000+ sailors, plus the air wing component and all of it's support personell and equipment and a Marine security detachment. A floating city!!!
I was stationed about this ship in 1977-78 for a Med Cruise with RVAH-6. We didn't have women or flat screen TVs on board but the ship still looks like it did when I was aboard her.
Just the messing areas that were shown in the video cover more square footage than each of the two ships I was on. I love the directions to Vulture's Row.
To all people that viewed this video. Getting around a ship of this size or for any ship in Navy it is very easy to find your way. Just so you know, you get around by using frame numbers. You see many frame numbers and the numbers are select. Such as for demo purpose a number may say 03-21-36 It means 3 deck above main deck frame 21 back from center of ship and frame 36 from starboard. That was when I was in Boot Camp. Now If it is the same no problems.
That is wrong. 03-21-36 ... 03 means it's 3 decks or (ladders) up from main deck (on a carrier) which is the hangar deck. 21 means it's 21 frames ( 4 feet per frame) from the forward part of the ship after the 'for castle'. And the last number denotes how far it is from the center line of the ship.
What I would do when I was in the navy when I first came aboard a new ship I would keep dried biscuits in my pocket and drop them along the way that way I knew how to get to and fro.. It worked for me.. good Luck you newbies! PS that worked for me until I was caught and spend the next 2 months over side painting the ship fore and aft.
It is not easy to get around a carrier, frame numbers or not. You learn the way to your work spaces and berthing first. As the months go by, you slowly learn more areas of the ship. But there are always areas which are unfamiliar to you. I wasn't an airdale, so the decks above the hangar bay were not familiar to me (except the crows-nest and bridge). The engineering spaces were off-limits to those not in engineering, same for the weapons spaces.
Thanks for the video, it brings back memories, I spent four years on her from 1980-84, was aboard during a horrific plane crash, did two med cruises and spent my final year in dry dock in Newport News,Va. I met lifelong brothers during my enlistment and I hope to go aboard one more time before they put her away.
1974 when I first come on board nimitz I was one of the few Filipino recruite in the us navy from the Philippines now I am 68 I spend 4years in this ship if you wanna be the best and be the part of the great us navy I ask you to join its experience of a life time.i was the first open the store on board that ship better than a mall in size we have 8 of those and four barber shop 2 forward galley and two mid 23 hours service you can eat breakfast or dinner any time you are off.
i remember being on watch late at night and the whole ship shaking as she steamed like hell kicking up a freaking rooster tail damn near as high as the hanger deck.
@@wadesworld6250 dude then you have never been on a ship in rough sea's. I saw waves breaking over the bow of the ranger and seen her screws come out of the water a few times and she threw water up onto the fantail and safety ramp.
@@wadesworld6250 It can because I've been on the fantail to see it. USS America (CV-66), c. 1977. Took it out on a high-speed run during workups. I can promise you I was at eye level with the rooster tail being kicked up behind the fantail when they got it up to (CLASSIFIED) kts. And America was a conventional-powered carrier!
Oe Div 80-83 on Nimitz. Looks the same, only different. Except for the guys, don't miss it for a sec. Loud, Water Fountains smell like Jet Fuel, Long Lines, Crappy Food (esp midrats). Never let anyone glamorize a tour, its not the love boat.
Was on the Kitty Hawk 76 to 80, sure can remember The drinking fountain water tasting like JP5 jet fuel! It was a good and bad experience that’s why most people get the fuck out and don’t reenlist! If you’re poor then it’s free travel, went to school for a year, still use that education today! The food absolutely sucks , What do you expect it’s not a fucking cruise ship and you work your fucking ass off when the ship is at sea , Seven fucking days a week and they never give you a fucking day off! And I’m talking 12 to 16 hours a day between watches and work for a lousy $150 paycheck every two weeks, I figured it out one time and I was making $.50 a fucking hour ! If I had to do it over again I would’ve gone in the Air Force!
Nice to see the inside of the old girl again. I was SEAOPDET in AIMD (IM3 W/C 69A) for the '95-'96 WESTPAC. Broke my hand during workups off the coast of California and got to take a cat-shot in a COD back to North Island. Good times!
Yes Sir, USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65), USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN-75), USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63), USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73), USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) served on them all.
Cool vid, thanks for sharing it. Crazy how many people there are, it's like a small town. What percentage of people there would you estimate you've never spoken with?
Yeah, and on the carrier I was on, they would stop in mid pacific and have swim call. They would lower one of the elevators and drop this huge net down, we would jump off the elevator, man I thought Id never hit the water it was so high, then I'd swim back to the net and hang on and the ship rolling would dunk me and back up again, They had marines in small boat's with guns just in case of sharks when I saw that I scurried back up that neat to the elevator. It was fun tho and the water was very warm.
@@alfonsomartinez8849 in the eyes of infantry this is not a deployment, is a long standing joke. Theoretically it is a deployment why am I wasting my time explaining this to you thank the navy for the support we are all brothers, but try 1 1/2 years away from your family in the sand box eating shit occupying random houses to provide proper living arangments for the night for the platoon. This is a floating hotel.
I was on two carriers. My first ship was the USS MIDWAY (CV-41) and my last carriers while embarked with VFA-192 WAS the USS INDEPENDENCE. This ship is much more modern, especially so than the midway.
Now this Makes me wanna join the navy, like I want to go onto the carrier and be there. Below flight deck is safer than 90 aircraft on the deck and a few down at the Hangar Bay / Deck I also am a huge fan of the Nimitz fleet carrier. I would love to join in the carriers crew but just afraid of something might go wrong.
Things could wrong below the flight deck also, like fires, flooding that is not a result of enemy action. That is why there is a sounding and security watch and other roving watch standers
It's the morning of 12-10-1213, the big sailboat of Captain Achab is sailing the seven seas hunting for his usual enemy: Moby Dick. The sun is about to raise, when all of a sudden a shout shakes the whole boat: "WHALE AT SEA! WHALE AT SEA!", yells the sailor on top of the mainmast. Captain Achab rushes out of his bed, climbs the stairs by twos, despite his wooden leg, slams outwards the door to the main bridge, quickly approach his second in command, stealing the spyglass from his hands: "Give it to me!", barks in his raunchy voice. Captain Achab looks in the spyglass as his own life depends on it, then all of a sudden yells to the whole boat: "ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MINDS?? That's not Moby Dick, you idiots!! That's the Nimitz!! Are we hunting for aircraft carriers now?? Where is the boatswain?? Reverse the course of the boat, let's get the fuck out of here, before they see us!".
@@jlightfoot7536 It's like a bad dream. You are trying to get 'there' but the signage confuses you and the people are either clueless or they ignore you. You wake up in a bad mood out of those bad dreams.
Me gusta mucho los viajes en el tiempo,creo que de alguna manera todos viajamos así cuando estamos en Estados especiales. Me agrada mucho ver el portaaviones de la famosa película y veo que la realidad supera a la fantasía . Gracias amigos por el vídeo y felicidades por trabajar en un lugar tan mágico de un país maravilloso cómo es "América" Dios os bendiga siempre y abrazos desde un pueblo cerca de Rota -Espana.
Its kind of like a coordinate system, notice all the frame number signs and space designation, lots of information on where you are in those. The first one as he exits his stateroom shows third deck frame 64... and that S5 division is responsible for the space. The first bulkhead he goes thru is labeled Frame 74 so is further aft.
Sure does bring on a trip down memory lane! Plankowner USS Boxer LHD4! Not quite the same as a big deck but fully embarked crew and Marines we had about 4500 people on board! I remember the line for dinner was crazy long! We usually just ate sandwiches from sack lunches or dig up one of the better mre's!
Ecstasy!!! what's more exciting than this video. Now I really understand the strength of this economy and the excellence of this country against all,,,
@@suthernborn3298 Chins? Not crawling through. Walking through so concerned about my shins. Only takes once, maybe twice. Then you learn because it really hurts when you bust your shins on the bottom of the hatch openings.