The USS Nimitz (and I Miss My Dad)

Andrea and I were invited to tour the USS Nimitz when it was in port last month, and we both jumped at the opportunity. It was amazing. One of our tour guides was the pilot of one of the radar scrambler planes. We had a great time learning about what it's like to live and work on an aircraft carrier and the risk involved in being on the flight deck. If we had been able to see the ship when it was docked in the States, the airplanes would not have been on board because they are part of a separate unit and get dispersed around the country for maintenance. We were really grateful for the unique opportunity!

The ship from ground level. It was huge, and I only got about half of it in this picture:

One of our guides and the pilot of a radar scrambler plane:

The flight deck from above. All the colors of the stripes mean different things.

A memorial to a helicopter crew the USS Nimitz lost on their last deployment:

One of the planes inside the ship, on the hanger deck. They move the planes from here to the flight deck via HUGE elevators.

One of the 4 elevators (those people are walking across it). It also serves as the sailors exit/entrance when in port:
This is how they steer ships now. :-)

A submarine was docked across from the Nimitz. The sailors said the sub comes and goes and only a handful of people ever know where it is. They all like it that way.

The tour made me really miss my dad. He would have loved touring the ship!