Slightly OT: USS Midway
moody, p.i.
Posted 2006-12-29 8:35 AM (#224731)
Subject: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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On the day after Xmas, I went down to San Diego with male members of the family and toured the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier.

On the flight deck, were aircraft of all kinds that flew from the Midway. Nestled among all the aircrafts was a Kaman helicopter. It was fun to explain to my father, son, brother, and nephews that this was the same company that built my guitars.

Great tour. We spent 5 hours onboard and had a great time.
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Jeff W.
Posted 2006-12-29 8:36 AM (#224732 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Takes about 5 hours to walk from end to end...
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cliff
Posted 2006-12-29 8:59 AM (#224733 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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In NY, we've got the carrier Intrepid.
Same thing, flight deck is COVERED with aircraft (including one of the Concordes).

Last month, they yanked it out to bring it over to Bayonne, NJ for a 2-year long refurb.

First attempt (one month previous) failed miserably. They waited until high-tide at a full moon to attempt to tow it (props first) out of about 20ft. of mud. They got it to move 15 feet.

Prior to the next full moon, they got the Army Corp of Eng's in to pump out some of the mud before trying again.

duh . . . .
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Jeff W.
Posted 2006-12-29 9:03 AM (#224734 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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afterall... it is the INTREPID
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Slipkid
Posted 2006-12-29 9:04 AM (#224735 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway



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Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon.

I have a block of wood about 2"x2"x4" that's from the deck of the Enterprise.
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Jeff W.
Posted 2006-12-29 9:05 AM (#224736 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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moody, p.i.
Posted 2006-12-29 9:58 AM (#224737 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Brad, that would have been from the WWII Enterprise, the "Big E".... The current Enterprise was across the harbor from us along with the Nimitz...
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2006-12-29 10:48 AM (#224738 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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We'll be having dinner on the Midway deck next summer. Hope the Kaman helicopter is still there.
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MWoody
Posted 2006-12-29 11:11 AM (#224739 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway



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Although having to clean tanks and bilges at the start of my career can take some of the luster away from anything painted Navy Gray, the Carriers are still awesome.

I had oversight on a Contract to maintain our Shaft Handling Units and got to take the Contracting Officer out of her cubicle/office and show her just what this equipment was and what the Workers dealt with daily. USS Carl Vinson was in Drydock at the time so we were able to walk underneath and sight down the keel.

A Carrier is one of the extreme Big Boy Toys!
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2006-12-29 11:47 AM (#224740 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Shaft Handling Units? Contracting Officer? Sounds like Ho's and Pimp's......
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cliff
Posted 2006-12-29 12:10 PM (#224741 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Location: NJ
BRAD!!!

Woody&Moody are using DoubleEntendre and SexualInnuendo again!!! . . . .
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2006-12-29 12:16 PM (#224742 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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A blonde walks into a bar and asks the barman for an innuendo, so he gave her one.

That may be a Brit thing and lost on you colonials.
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cliff
Posted 2006-12-29 12:18 PM (#224743 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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GotIt :D
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2006-12-29 12:18 PM (#224744 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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I've had my fill of BGT's when I was in the Navy, but now they are fun to visit again. I will probably see the midway next month too.
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Jeff W.
Posted 2006-12-29 1:00 PM (#224745 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
A blonde walks into a bar and asks the barman for an innuendo, so he gave her one.
she musta been French.
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MWoody
Posted 2006-12-29 1:15 PM (#224746 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway



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While I have to admit to the Ho's and Pimps, since we all have our price, I stop at the innuendo. We walked around but never made entry.

There Brad, is that better?
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2006-12-29 1:28 PM (#224747 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Innuendo? isn't that Italian for Enema?
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mtnbikerfred
Posted 2006-12-29 2:23 PM (#224748 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Location: Orange County, California
Back on subject.... Sorta.

I toured the Midway with our Dads & Daughters group earlier this year. It is great that we have access to these floating museums. The coolest thing (to me anyway) was the Ships Inertial Navigation System (SINS) room. They have two (for redundancy I guess) Univac all-tube computers in there that were still functioning when "she" (the Midway) was decommissioned in 1989. One of the cool aspects of vacuum tubes, is that they (unlike IC's, the microprocessors in all of our computers, automobile ECM's, Ipods, cellphones etc) are not affected by strong magnetic fields or EMP from a nuclear detonation, making them suitable for use as a critical guidance component for a warship.

I predict that in post-holocaust future, all world conflicts would be solved be seeing who has the loudest tube amps, and the OFC would be allot more about playing Ovations than wasting our time on the internet ;) :p ;) :p
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Slipkid
Posted 2006-12-29 4:07 PM (#224749 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway



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Brad, that would have been from the WWII Enterprise, the "Big E".
Yes, of course. I was not specific enough.
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Old Tele man
Posted 2006-12-29 4:38 PM (#224750 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Location: Tucson, AZ
..."FLY NAVY" just doesn't have the 'ring' to it that "FLY UNITED" (of United Airlines) does! ha,ha

USN('63-'71)--aircrewman aboard EC-121 "Warning Star" airborne early warning planes (pre-AWACs!)
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BruDeV
Posted 2006-12-29 10:29 PM (#224751 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Location: San Bernardino, California
FYI the highest wattage tube amp was 250,000 watts. It was used to test missles for vibration problems.
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Jason_S
Posted 2006-12-30 12:11 AM (#224752 - in reply to #224731)
Subject: Re: Slightly OT: USS Midway


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Location: ranson,wva
i may be thinking of a different port but i rember as a grade school kid going to the harbor and getting on a docked battleship...i cant rember if it was the port of baltimore at the inner harbor or the norfolk shipyards...but i do rember it was super cool...jason
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