Nimitz Family Day Cruise
Our son met us on the dock, gave us our tickets, escorted us on to the ship and told us that breakfast was set up on the hangar deck. That was the beginning of our cruise on the Nimitz.
Boarding the Nimitz
Boarding was between 5:00 and 7:00 AM so we had to get up and around very early. We stood in a very long line but it moved quickly and soon we were on the hanger deck of the Nimitz. There were many long tables set up with rows and rows of doughnuts and pastries. Orange Juice, water and coffee were also available. I was disappointed that there were no protein items for breakfast. I elected to skip it rather than later pay the price for an all sugar breakfast.
Literally tons of wash are done every day by Nimitz' laundry, dry cleaning and tailoring services personnel.
Welcome to the USS Nimitz
Click on the pictures to view them
Don, Dianne, Matt
More Photos from the Nimitz Hangar Deck
Ammunition and some kind of gun.
Welcome Aboard Banner featuring Admiral Nimitz
There was a band at one end of the Hangar Deck
Not quite sure what these are. Missiles? Torpedos?
Exploring the Nimitz
Nick had to stand watch at 2:00 pm so he didn't get to show us all that he wanted. He had wanted to show us the brig and the diesels but there wasn't enough time.
While Matt was wandering around the ship he saw a marriage proposal on the flight deck. She said yes!
My Daddy is a Sailor on the USS Nimitz
My Daddy is a Sailor on the USS Nimitz
For the child who is proud of their sailor Daddy. A wreath of patriotic stars, sea weed, bubbles and cute sea creatures.
$24.99
Product Information
Stay warm while lookin' casual-cool. Deep front pocket and hood for extra protection. Made of cotton/polyester blend that's thick (not bulky) for enjoying roomy comfort that allows adding layers underneath. Great durability for playing hard or hangin' out.
See all of the "My Daddy is a Sailor on the Nimitz" gear here
Nuclear power allows the ship to store 50 percent more ammunition and almost twice as much aviation fuel as the largest conventional carrier.
Plane landing on an Aircraft Carrier
The Hangar Deck
Proud Mom of a US Sailor~USS Nimitz
Proud Nimitz Mom Jr. Raglan
Feminine design with the text, "Proud Mom of a US Sailor USS Nimitz.".
$25.99
Product Information
Our Jr. Raglan from American Apparel is body contoured and baby soft. Made of 100% superfine combed cotton baby rib, this raglan provides the perfect look for any season.
* 5.8 oz. 100% Ultra-fine combed ring spun 1x1 baby rib cotton
* Size up for a looser fit
* Made in the U.S.A.
See all of the gear for Proud Moms of Nimitz Sailors here
Nimitz' three chaplains conduct daily religious services in an interdenominational chapel.
Carrier~DVD Series
Carrier
Amazon Price: $37.49 (as of 01/01/2010)
CARRIER is a character driven, edge-of-your-seat, nonfiction drama as well as a total immersion in the high stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier. CARRIER follows a core group of film participants aboard the USS Nimitz, from the admiral of the strike group to the fighter pilots to the youngest sailors, as they navigate personal conflicts around their jobs, families, faith, patriotism, love, the rites of passage and the war on terror.
Pulling out of San Diego Harbor
We kept an eye out for Diego, the whale that is currently lingering in the harbor but we didn't see him on our way out or on our way back in. I heard on the local news that Diego seems to be healthy. He did start to leave the harbor and head toward the migration route but he turned around and came back in. Of course there are lots of whale watching tours being offered right now in hopes of spotting Diego.
The captain welcomed us to the ship and pointed out that we should keep in mind that this was not a cruise ship but a war ship and therefore not to expect much in the way of creature comforts.
Departing San Diego Harbor
Nimitz is a part of Carrier Strike Group 11
Coronado Bay Bridge
San Diego Skyline, Star of India
San Diego Skyline, The Midway
The Medical Department is manned by six doctors, including a general surgeon, who provide everything from surgery to hydro-therapy. The ship also features a 53-bed hospital ward, a three bed ICU, and acts as the hospital ship for the entire Nimitz battle group.
Nimitz Goodies
CVN-68 NIMITZ, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier
Amazon Price: $17.36 (as of 12/31/2009)
USS NIMITZ CVN 68 Street Sign - Navy
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/31/2009)
1/800 USS Nimitz CVN-68 model aircraft carrier
Amazon Price: (as of 12/31/2009)
Nimitz
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/31/2009)
How They Won the War in the Pacific: Nimitz and His Admirals
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 12/31/2009)
Captain of the Nimitz
Captain Michael C. Manazir
Captain Michael C. Manazir, the son of a career Marine Corps officer, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in May 1981 and was designated a Naval Aviator in April 1983. He completed F-14A training and reported for duty to VF-51 as a pilot and Landing Signal Officer (LSO) in July 1984.Under his command, USS NIMITZ was awarded the 2007 Battle Efficiency award.
I have not met the captain but from what Nick has told me I like him very much. He seems to really love his job and he takes good care of his sailors. For example, We were talking to Nick about the violence currently taking place in Tijuana, just the other side of the border from San Diego. We told him it would be a good idea to stay away from there. Nick said the captain had already forbidden Nimitz sailors to go down there because it was too unsafe. I was really glad to hear that and I was impressed that the captain was aware of the situation and on top of things.
Photo and information comes from USS Nimitz Home Page
The Post Office processes more than one million pounds of mail each year.
The Air Show
I was noticing that there were only two jets and I was thinking it might not be much of an air show. At this time someone was handing out earplugs to everyone. I was thinking, yeah, it probably does get pretty loud up here. Little did I know! The two planes made a circuit around the carrier and dropped some flares and I thought that was nice. They did several flybys at eye level. Pretty soon one of the planes circled around and buzzed the length of the carrier right over our heads creating two sonic booms in the process. Ah, that's what the earplugs are for!! Then one of the planes buzzed us from behind creating another sonic boom. That took everyone by surprise!
We saw one of the planes take off and land on the carrier. It is amazing how fast they can get up speed to take off and how quickly they can stop when they land.
Air Show and Flight Deck Photos
Click on the photos to view them
Aircraft Elevator. It is to the right and is outlined with yellow dashes. There is no one on it in this picture.
More Photos from the Flight Deck
Two Helicopters
Nimitz Tower, Flight Deck
Nimitz Flight Deck, Tower
The Catapult
After the Air Show
We ran into a sailor and his wife and daughter that we had met earlier in the day and enjoyed talking with them. I think my husband met his witty match in Robert H. and the two of them kept us laughing. Robert, if you read this, your bottle of Space Aliens BBQ sauce is on the way!
Nimitz reaches over 18 stories high from the keel to the top of the mast.
Dolphins!
The dolphins we saw looked something like these.
Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise
Nimitz Friends and Family Cruise
Were you on the Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise? Here are T-shirts and gear just for you. A souvenir of that fun cruise.
$26.99
Product Information
Look cool without breaking the bank. Our durable, high-quality, pre-shrunk 100% cotton t-shirt is what to wear when you want to go comfortably casual. Preshrunk, durable and guaranteed.
* 5.6 oz. 100% cotton
* Standard fit
See all of the Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise Gear
USS Nimitz Hosts Friends and Family Day Cruise
- Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise
- Although a cruise for Nimitz, her crew and air wing typically lasts six months or more, the eight hours at sea proved to be a fantastic introduction to life aboard and a great chance for naval personnel to help their family understand just what they do day in and day out. As fun as the day proved to be, it must be noted that Manazir's frequent ship-wide announcements were always precluded by the greeting "Hello, Warriors."
Books on Admiral Nimitz and Aircraft Carriers
Biography: Admiral Chester Nimitz: Thunder of the Pacific
Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 12/31/2009)
The Big Picture - The Admiral Chester Nimitz Story
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/31/2009)
Spies for Nimitz: Joint Military Intelligence in the Pacific War
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 12/31/2009)
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events: Vol. II, 1946-2006
Amazon Price: $32.97 (as of 12/31/2009)
Aircraft Carrier and Warship
Coming Home
San Diego Skyline
A Tugboat helping the Nimitz into port.
Lighthouse Point Loma
Armed with a 50 caliber, these Navy Security boats warned other vessels away from the Nimitz
Four distilling units enable Nimitz engineers to make over 400,000 gallons of fresh water a day, for use by the propulsion plants, catapults and crew.
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Take pride in your sailor by wearing a T-shirt with a patriotic, red and blue Proud Navy Dad logo.
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Nimitz' one barber shop trims over 1,500 heads each week.
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers in the News
- After 2-Plus Decades, Navy Destroyer Breaks Record
- The only warship in production for longer was the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, said Norman Polmar, a naval historian, author and analyst. ...
- Tug boat guides USS John C. Stennis to San Diego pier
- Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Michael Milligan, from Evansville, Ind., looks out at San Diego as a tug boat steams alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS ...
- Sea Hawk helicopter signaled aboard USS John C. Stennis
- ... Falcons of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 as it lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). ...
- USS Carl Vinson completes four-year overhaul
- ... complex overhaul (RCOH) and post-shakedown availability/supplemental restricted availability (PSA/SRA) work, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl ...
Nimitz can stock at least 70 days of refrigerated and dry storage goods.
Coming in for a Landing
Our Favorite Places in San Diego
Since we were already in San Diego for the Nimitz cruise we visited some of our favorite places.-
Our Favorite Places in San Diego
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My husband, Don, spent most of his growing up years in San Diego and considers it his hometown, so when we were invited to go on the USS Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise out of San Diego we said yes! We jumped at the chance to not only see our so...
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* 5.6 oz. 100% cotton
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Nimitz' Food Services Department provides 18,000-20,000 meals a day.
Aircraft Carrier~San Diego
Nimitz Facts
All of the Nimitz facts on this page come from the USS Nimitz Home Page.
Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise
The cruise was very interesting but exhausting too. The ship is so big I know we missed seeing a lot of things but we enjoyed seeing our son and also what we saw of the ship.
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Reply
- mtnfam mtnfam Mar 30, 2009 @ 11:26 am
- How wonderful to see everyone! I just love all the pictures and your narration of the day. I feel like I got to share in it just a llittle bit. I don't know anything about aircraft carriers and feel like I learned some things from your lens, Dianne. Thank You for letting us see a glimpse of your time in San Diego.
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Reply
- Marilyn Marilyn Mar 29, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
- Hi Dianne - Looks like such a great time for you and your family. What a wonderful thing for
the Navy to do for the families.
Take care and have a good week. Thanks so much for Sharing.
Marilyn
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Reply
- stargazer00 stargazer00 Mar 29, 2009 @ 2:02 pm | in reply to sherry4life
- Hi Sherry, I'm sure it was the easiest thing they could do to serve breakfast to that many people. I did stop by the nutrition table and mention it to them. They said the food was all done by an outside caterer and not by the Nimitz staff. Still, not a good breakfast for diabetics.
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Reply
- sherry4life sherry4life Mar 29, 2009 @ 12:06 pm
- Hi Diane! Fascinating picts! Thanks for sharing them. Sounds like an awesome time you had there. I bet your boy looks very handsome all dressed in his uniform! I had to chuckle a little at the table on "nutrition" after your breakfast, but I do realize that is standard fare at things like that..it was just funny!
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Reply
- Susan52 Susan52 Mar 29, 2009 @ 8:11 am
- Wow, very cool pictures, awesome lens! We lived in Virginia Beach for years so had more exposure to the aircraft end of the Navy. Wish I had had a chance to visit an aircraft carrier. Tell your son thanks for his service! I'm proud of him, too! Blessings!
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Reply
- mulberry mulberry Mar 29, 2009 @ 3:13 am
- This would be a very interesting day! I don't think I would do too well being at sea for an extended period of time but one day I could probably handle.
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Reply
- tandemonimom tandemonimom Mar 28, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
- This looks like such a great time! I'm so glad you were able to visit your son's ship. I didn't even know they had things like friend-and-family day for ships like this! 5* for a great lens!
I hope you enjoyed reading about the Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise.
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