As predicted, the USS Ronald Reagan got underway on time Saturday morning. There’s a good article here in the SD U/T which also touches on the FRP that some had questions on:
The Reagan deployment is the first real-world test of the Navy’s four-year-old Fleet Response Plan, designed to make most of the 12-ship carrier fleet available for use on short notice.
‚ÄúWe stay in a state of readiness now,‚Äù said Capt. Terry Kraft, the Reagan’s commanding officer.
During and after the Cold War, the Navy operated its aircraft carrier battle groups on a highly structured cycle of training, deployment and repair that typically kept only two or three of the 12-ship fleet at sea simultaneously. Sailors could count on a six-month cruise every other year.
Navy leaders crafted the Fleet Response Plan after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, speeding up training and overhaul time to make as many as six carriers available on 30 days’ notice, and two more available in 90 days. They tested it 2¬? years ago with an exercise called Summer Pulse ’04, which sent seven flattops to sea at the same time.
And I got this pic through the service pipe – it was a beautiful day to get underway.
Fair winds and following seas, bubbas.
Ummm…shouldn’t that be “11 carrier fleet”? Unless I counted wrong…
It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings. Sadly
Lex, JFK is making a trip in a couple of months up North, to deliver all the Kennedy artifacts aboard to the JFK museum up there. Then she’s coming back, and the decom starts shortly afterwards. My company is already looking the package over for the bids. JFK is going to the boneyard, for sure.
Beautiful picture but it seems so wrong to see an empty flight deck. I know why they’re lacking aircraft but it still doesn’t look right. At least all will be made right in Japan.
Maybe ships’ company. The fighter squadrons could get rotated sooner.
Returned WESTPAC – May
Orders – August
Fallon – October
Oceana – December
ORE Carribean – January
Start Med cruise – March
Twenty-six years ago, Pratt & Whitney couldn’t keep up with the production schedule. I (we) got to see the Med in another squadrons place. Rare for West Coast fighter squadrons at the time.
Opps. That last one was mine.
Wisheye was widdem.
Watch yer sixes, Bubbas. Godspeed.
-SJBill
Lest anyone forget ?
Lest anyone forget … When President Nixon ordered the mining of Haiphong Harbor and resumed bombing the North, a number of aircraft carriers and airwings on both coasts were suddenly ordered without prior notice to Southeast Asia, much earlier than scheduled, and less than fully combat ready.
In fact, during the course of the war, early and unexpected deployments occasionally happened, 9 – 11 month deployments were not uncommon, as were 6-month or less turnarounds between deployments.
Near the close of the war there were 6 aircraft carriers all engaging the enemy in Southeast Asia (in addition to keeping one in the Mediterranean). And this was done with about the same total number of aircraft carriers then as now.
Finally and sadly, of the many fine people who rapidly deployed, far too many did not return. May the memory of their sacrifice and their service be forever sustained.
Lex, I may be dreaming (hallucinating perhaps) but did I read somewhere in your old blog that you were involved in creating the FRP?
I’ve always thought I couldn’t survive as a Navy wife, to have them gone so often….
dumb question, do you guys ever scratch your heads and wonder at the reserve and national guardsmen (and families) (and even regular Army) who talk about the deployments as if they’re such a huge deal……that is, they’re a huge deal for everyone, it’s just that some servicemen are real used to it…..and some aren’t.
Of course, our deployments tend to be longer (hoo-ah for the Army, I guess)
re: “Finally and sadly, of the many fine people who rapidly deployed, far too many did not return. May the memory of their sacrifice and their service be forever sustained.”
Amen, fliterman.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled lex.
You might know why they have an empty flight deck, but I sure don’t. Why? And what’s in Japan to make it right? And where can I learn about this sort of thing without having to bug you folks all the time?
The airwing flies on when the carrier gets some searoom from the shore. Common practice. And when the carrier returns, the aircraft will fly off (as has been shown by Lex) to their respective airfields.
What’s the schooner motoring off the REAGAN’s starboard bow with the ginormous ensign?
Seems like a nice send off.
Michelle, wrt creating the FRP, heavens no, never let that be put about. I’d have the barbarians at my gate day and night, a-thirsting for my blood.
I’m more of an execution guy, when it comes to the FRP.
Fliterman-
We had more carriers then (sixteen, not counting the training carrier Lexington), but there were more deployments then. I think the high-water mark was June of ’72 (somebody, probably sid, can correct me on this) when there were nine carriers either in, going to, or coming from WESTPAC. Enterprise had come home from Vietnam in February and would deploy again in September. Ranger had just come out of overhaul and would deploy again in November. Of the five Atlantic Fleet carriers, one was in the Med, two had just come back from the Med, one was in overhaul, and one was getting ready to deploy.
So ten out of sixteen deployed in June 1972. Of course, those were the days of the draft, when the Navy didn’t have to worry about things like morale or retention. And when ships were periodically sabotaged.
I had a professor who was shot down flying from Midway in August 1972. Listening to him talk in a very matter-of-fact way about how the enemy tortured him made a pretty big impression on me.
Phant-
I think Ronaldus Maximus is going to pick up Kitty Hawk’s air group in Japan.K
Phant – To understand why the airplanes are missing you have to understand the command structure on a carrier. There is the ship itself, the running of the ship and all that entails…propuslion, feeding the crew, navigating, manning defense weapons, operating the catapults, fueling the airplanes, arming the aircraft, and other mundane chores related to the ship.A whole entity in itself is the air group and it’s airplanes.Flying the airplanes and keeping them running is the responsibility of the air group.They have their own command structure apart from the ship…a tennant command, but the captain of the ship has the final say what operating schedule of the ship will be. So, when we get to a point that the ship will be in port for more than a few days, the air group will fly off the ship a day or so before we make port and keep up their flying skills from a land base while the ship is in port.
It is also very typical for the air group to be home ported in one geographical area and the ship be home ported in another, so the ship will “pick up” the air group where ever it’s convenient.So, it’s quite common to see and “enpty” flight deck going into and out of port.
CPT J,
The ship under sail is the “Californian” which was launched in Sandy Eggo in 1984; She is a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence. Californian, which is operated by the San Diego Maritime Museum, was designated by state law as the “Official Tall Ship of California” in 2003.
Hey Phil,
” but the captain of the ship has the final say what operating schedule of the ship will be”
That’s an old school answer, sir.
Nowadays, the operating schedule of the ship (in theater) is determined by the Air Tasking Order, promulgated in the Combined Air Operations Center which is part of the command element of the Joint Task Force. On my last cruise, it was a Marine that signed off on the plan that was written by several o-3′s and o-4′s and o-5′s of all 4 military branches who worked for a USAF O-6.
Jointness rocks!
V/r
Nose
#16 – Theodore- Thank you for your comments. Your salient points regarding the different circumstances of that era are well taken.
As you, I too had the honor meeting and knowing a few former POW’s of that war. One particular thing made an impression on me: How they can now today, quietly go about their normal daily lives, and how surprisingly few of their friends, neighbors, or co-workers know of, or could ever begin to understand the incredible hardships they stoically endured in the service of their country. The do not seek acknowledgement, yet they deserve more than we could ever muster.
Regarding the number of aircraft carriers then, you are right. There were more than I originally thought. But still, I can only come up with 14 total at the time of the Nixon 1972 “surge,” not 16.
Not counting the Lexington or the Nimitz – which was just about to be commissioned – nor any LPH’s or CVS’s, here are the ones I come up with:
USS’s Hancock, Oriskany, Midway, Forrestal, FDR, Coral Sea, Ranger, Constellation, Saratoga, Enterprise, Independence, Kitty Hawk, America, and Kennedy.
Help me out. Did I miss any?
The day of an underway is always a beautiful day: getting the ship out where God intended it.
Fliterman, you got all the attack carriers. There were still a pair of ASW carriers in commission as well, Ticonderoga and Intrepid. Ticonderoga made her last WESTPAC from May through July 1972, including operations in the South China Sea, with an ASW group embarked; Intrepid was getting ready for an Atlantic cruise, also with an ASW group embarked. The CVS force saw extensive service in Vietnam – until late 1969, when the force was decimated by budget cuts, there was almost always a CVS in SEA.
Thanks Theodore. I was not aware of the CVS service in SEA. I appreciate your help, and I’ve learned something.
Thanks for the help, Nose.You are so right,
I must confess to being an old school sailor.Spent my last 12 years as a spook and gave it all up in ’84, so being a fleet sailor was many moons ago.
That schooner was a great send-off, but there were more quiet and solemn ones to be witnessed. There’s nothing more painful for the families.
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42484
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42483
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42477
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42502
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42512
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=42486
Sandy Eggo and Hawaii beat the hell out of a snow/ice/slush covered carrier pier at Quonset Point, though.
SJBill
SJBill – Take a second look at photo 42486.Comapre it to the photo in Lex’s post.
Beautiful and heart-tugging pictures, SJBill…
Howbout that. Just a wonderful Ensign, isn’t it.
Nice the kids are paying attention, too.
Flight deck parade has always been a proud moment, even for the Bluejackets. That big hunk of steel comes to life and off she goes.
I’ll never forget -em.
-SJBill