USS Harry S. Truman

John was given the opportunity to ride aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carry ship, off the coast of Virginia. He said it was an amazing experience except when he got sea sick.

The Stats

Length of Flight Deck: 1,096 feet (as long as the Empire State Building is tall)

Height, Waterline to Masts:20 stories

Area of Flight Deck: 4.5 acres

Water Displacement: 97,000 tons

Propulsion: 2 nuclear reactors

Top Speed: Exceeds 30 knots

Crew Size: More than 5,200 with embarked air wing, more than 3,000 without air wing

Meals served daily: 18,150

Weight of Anchors: 30 tons each

Length of Anchor Chain: More than 1,000 feet, with 684 links each weighing 365 pounds each

Tactical Aircraft: F/A-18 Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, SH-60 Seahawks, C-2A Greyhounds

Docked in Norfolk, VA

Preparing for take off.

All the gadgets, hoses, and life boats are kept along the side and below the ship so they are completely out of the way of the airplanes.
They are preparing for a FOD check. Every day the crew all at the same time have to walk the entire deck of the ship to check for foreign objects i.e. small rocks, pieces of rubber, paper clips. Anything small item could enter into the jet engine and destroy it. John and his group were no exception to the FOD check.

This is the catapult that launches the jet off of the ship. It stretches half way cross the ship. There are 4 of these in total on the ship deck.

The innards. Just keeps goin' don' it. Echo...

This mans job was to arrange the jets on the ship so they all fit. Each ship color represents something about the plane i.e. in repair, flyable, or even what type of jet it is. This board is exactly the right shrunken scale proportion of the ship. If it fits on the board, it will fit on the deck.

The End