LIKE A SMALL CITY CRUISING THE
OCEAN. IT HAS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON
BOARD ... AND THEY ALL LIVE
TOGETHER
FOR MONTHS AT A TIME. THE NAVY RECENTLY INVITED
ME TO LAND ON A SHIP ... THEN
SPEND
24 HOURS ON BOARD LEARNING TO
LIVE LIKE A SAILOR. NATS CATCHING THE WIRE ONCE WE
LANDED ON THE USS ABRAHAM
LINCOLN - GOING FROM
OVER 100 MILES AN HOUR TO A DEAD
STOP IN LESS THAN 2
SECONDS. IT TAKES A MOMENT TO COMPREHEND THAT WE ARE ON
AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER. NATS: JETS
NOT ONLY ARE WE ABOARD ONE OF
THE MOST FEARED WEAPONS IN THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD, BUT WE ARE
PART OF A FLOATING CITY MOVING AS FAST AS MANY OF THE
SKI BOATS AT THE LAKE. NO
WONDER OTHER NATIONS WINCE WHEN
A CARRIER, WITH ITS UP TO 50 WITH ITS UP TO 50 STRIKER
AIRCRAFT, SHOWS UP IN THEIR
WATERS. CAPT. PUTNAM BROWN/COMMAND
ING OFFICER 36:05 IT
BRINGS GREAT CAPABILITY WERE
ABLE TO PROJECT FORCES OVERSEAS
WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT LANDING
IN FOREIGN PORTS. SO IT DEFINITELY
GIVES THE COUNTRY AND THE
POLICYMAKERS THE ABILITY TO
HELP GET OUR POINT ACROSS IF WE
NEED TO. :25
NATS: IN ORDER TO MAKE IT ALL WORK,
THERE ARE ABOUT 3,000
PEOPLE LIVING AND WORKING ON THE
SHIP. SAILORS ARE
EVERYWHERE. NATS EATING: GO PRO THEY NEED
TO BE FED. NATS OUTDOOR GYM: THEY NEED TO
WORK OUT. IN THIS CASE IN A
GYM WITH SERIOUS WATER FRONTAGE. THEY FIGHT FIRES, PATCH PIPES
AND
OF COURSE, HERE ON THE BRIDGE THEY HELP GUIDE THE SHIP. GO PRO
QUESTION: HOW
DEEP IS THE WATER HERE? ABOUT
10,000 FEET. CO: THE SAILORS
LOVE IT. THE SAILORS LOVE BEING
SAILORS. THEY LOVE GETTING OUT HERE AND THEY'RE REALLY GETTING
TO THE TOP OF THEIR GAME 34:17
NATS WITH OPERATIONS OFFICER
THAT MAY BE SURPRISING - THE
LOVING IT PART -- WHEN YOU SEE
WHERE THE SAILORS LIVE FOR MONTHS AT A TIME. CHIEF OPERATIONS
OFFICER DEREK FIX, A VMI GRAD,
SHOWED US THE LIVING QUARTERS. SOUND BITE: COMMANDER DEREK
FIX/CHIEF OPERATION
OFFICER: 01:39:40 CARLIN: THIS
IS ALL THE LIVING SPACE A SAILOR
HAS? FIX: YES SIR. YOU'VE GOT
YOUR SPACE HERE IN THE COFFIN RACK
AND THEN YOU GOT A LOCKER HERE
SO THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF
SPACE AVAILABLE SO TYPICALLY
THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE YOUR SEA BAG
AND THAT'S GENERALLY WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED
TO BRING. THE SHIP HAS A STORE AND POST
OFFICE. ON SUNDAYS,
KITCHEN STAFF PREPARES A BRUNCH
THAT IS NOT TO BE
MISSED. IN THE OFFICERS MESS
THERE ARE EVEN CARVING STATIONS. NATS FROM LOUDSPEAKER
01:40:40 "DUST HAS INVADED THE
SHIP"
FOR AN HOUR EVERY MORNING
EVERYONE ON BOARD CLEANS. REALLY CLEANS. THE BRASS. THE
FLOORS, AND A NEVER ENDING
BATTLE WITH DUST. NATS JET COMING UP TO THE LINE. BUT THIS IS WHAT A CARRIER IS
REALLY ALL ABOUT. LAUNCHING AND
RECOVERING JETS, NATS HELOS, AND
A VARIETY OF
OTHER PLANES THAT HELP TAKE THE
FIGHT TO THE ENEMY. NATS
MOSTLY IT'S THE FA-18 HORNETS
AND NEWER SUPER HORNETS
BASED AT NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA WHEN THEY ARE NOT
DEPLOYED TO THE SHIP. NATS FLY OVER :58:50 REALLY COOL
SHOT OF BANKING JET FA MEANS
"FIGHTER AND
ATTACK"
SOUND BITE: LT. MARK
GARCIA/WEAPONS SYSTEM OFFICER 06:52:22 SO WE ARE A FIGHTER AND
ATTACK PLATFORM. THAT IS CAPABLE
OF DELIVERING ORDINANCE BOTH AIR
TO AIR AND AIR
TO SURFACE. AS INTIMIDATING AS THE JETS ARE
TO THE ENEMY, ANY PILOT WILL
TELL YOU THAT LANDING ONE ON A
CARRIER IS NO PICNIC. 06:54:07 SO THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ITSELF. IT'S MOVING
ITSELF SO YOU'RE LANDING ON A
MOVING TARGET BASICALLY. SHOW LANDING VIDEO FROM VIDEO
SCREEN IN COD WAITING AREA? BUTTED TO: 06:53:54 OUT OF
EVERYTHING I'VE DONE IN THE
NAVY, FLYING THE SUPER HORNET
THE MOST SCARED I'VE EVER BEEN
IS LANDING ON THE AIRCRAFT
CARRIER AT NIGHT.: 59 NATS FLIGHT PREP ON SHIP. DURING UR
VISIT, THE WEATHER
WAS TERRIBLE. NATS SHEETS OF
RAIN POUNDED DOWN THE DECK. YET CREWMEN, COLOR CODED BY JOB,
LOOKING LIKE SKITTLES SCATTERED
IN THE RAIN, PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY, LINING UP THE SUPER
HORNET ON THE CATAPULT,
MAKING SURE EVERYONE WAS SAFELY
IN POSITION, AND
LAUNCHING THE JET. WHICH GOES
FROM SITTING STILL TO AIRBORN IN JUST 3 SECONDS. NATS OUT
TAG AND THEY CAN LAUNCH AND
RECOVER 10 AIRCRAFT EVERY 5
MINUTES. CARRIERS BY THE WAY,
LAST FIFTY YEARS. BECAUSE THE
JETS ARE THE WEAPONS - SO THEY KEEP THE SHIP AND UPGRADE BY
GETTING NEWER JETS. EVENTUALLY
THE F-35 WILL REPLACE THE
F-18'S.
