30 May 2011

USS George H.W. Bush


If you look on a map then you know that this cannot be Winchester, but I feel I am allowed artistic licence to stretch our city's boundaries when something interesting is happening nearby and this is our nearest seaside and still Hampshire! Head south east from Winchester for about 20 miles and you will come to Stokes Bay, and right now anchored out there is the USS George H.W. Bush American Aircraft carrier, the world's most powerful warship. The ship carries in excess of 70 aircraft and 5,300 sailors and aircrew, it has 2 nuclear reactors and can operate for over 20 years without refueling if required. It is too large to drop anchor in Portsmouth harbour, hence sitting outside it in Stokes Bay.

The ship has just finished Saxon Warrior one of the biggest exercises in UK waters in recent history along with the Royal Navy, RAF and other NATO forces. Myself & my colleges were involved in the exercise and some of them had a visit onboard the ship yesterday.

The ship is also joined by American destroyer USS Truxtun and a Spanish frigate bringing the total number of sailors ashore to almost 6,000. Apparently in Portsmouth 1000s of extra pints of lager have been shipped into the city with pubs opening early and extra staff being drafted in!

10 comments:

  1. My son in-law currently serves on the USS George H. W. Bush. Very excited tosee your posting. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. All those figures are so hard to grasp. Wow

    ReplyDelete
  3. The 20 years without refueling is pretty impressive!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank You for doing this post.
    Patsy

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's just amazing, it's incredible. Quite scary too, really.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Guess I ought to visit "homeland" of my great, great, great, great, great grandfather before I get too old to do so. Stay in Winchester and explore from there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have never been on a carrier, spent 10 days or so on Sheffield prior to her her ill fated trip to the South Atlantic. These are very impressive ships, even without the planes and purpose.

    ReplyDelete