Public Affairs Events
Bahraini Youth Leaders Visit Aircraft Carrier Nimitz
Five Bahraini youth leaders participated in a tour of the US Navy’s aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz. The group was transported by a VRC-30 Carrier Onboard Delivery aircraft from Bahrain to the carrier some 210 kilometers north, off the coast of Kuwait. On board the carrier, the youth leaders met with Captain Ted Branch, the ships commanding officer, and received a tour of the facilities.
The trip began with a security briefing on how to wear the flight safety helmets, called “cranials.” After a 45 minute flight to the ship, the group got a tour of the ship’s machine shop, radar room, the bridge, and the air operations center which controls the launch and landing for the carrier’s 70 aircraft.
Captain Ted Branch described the Nimitz’s movements throughout the Arabian Gulf. “We are constantly moving. The ship can sail at speeds over 30 knots. We move through different zones in the Gulf giving our crew and pilots experience in different areas in the region.”
All this movement serves a second purpose. Temperatures on the flight deck can top over 45 degrees Celsius, creating sweltering conditions for the flight crews. “If we can get the ship sailing into the wind at a good clip, it will cool off the teams considerably,” said Captain Branch. He added, “The days when we sit still are the hardest on them.”
The highlight of the trip took place when the group assembled on the flight deck to watch an F-18 fighter jet launch from a distance of 20 meters. The F-18 was guided into place by a team of flight engineers and launched by the ship’s catapult. “The aircraft have got to pick up enough speed to be airborne by the time they reach the end of the carrier’s runway. We only have about 140 meters to do that. The catapult helps the aircraft pick up the necessary speed,” explained Lieutenant Commander Reg Braggs.
All the participants agreed that it was an experience to remember. “I really loved it,” said Waseem Al Hashimi. “It’s the first time I experienced something like that. The ground shakes when the plane lands and you can feel it inside your body. I got oil on my clothes. The messy part was the most fun.”
The USS Nimitz is the largest of the US Naval air carriers and is home to 70 aircraft. It is nearly 335 meters long and weighs 95,000 tons. The ship houses almost 5,000 people and has been described as a "floating city." There are repair facilities of all kinds, supporting the air wing, Nimitz, and all ships of the battle group.